Canadian election: Conservatives' calls show as originating at U.S. Senate

[Newsjock]

These days, you've just gotta wonder, don't you.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/12/02/elxn-man-phones.html

The Conservative Party of Canada has stopped phoning Manitoba voters until it can iron out a technical glitch that made it appear calls from the Tories were coming from Washington, D.C.

Judith Dixon received a call early Wednesday evening.

... When Dixon checked her call display, the number had a strange area code. She called back and heard a message saying she had reached a "non-working number at the U.S. Senate."

... "We've heard it was a technical glitch from a call centre we were using," said William Stairs, a spokesman for the Conservatives.

"All our call services to do voter ID are all run out of Canada," he said. "There are no calls being made out of the U.S. Senate on behalf of the Conservative party."

[Aimah]

1. What's the odds of that?

Out of all of the possible numbers to glitch it's a number that leads to the majority Conservative Senate.

[radio4progressives]

2. U.S. Neo Cons running Canadian Campaigns

I think they financed the "No Confidence" vote to shut parliment down last week and to call new elections.

The Goddam New Democratic Party joined ALLIANCES with the Conservative Party to shut down the parliment. A Canadian who posted on the no confidence elections thread said the NDP was Left of the Liberal party. I'm glad for that, just wished they didn't join with the Neo Cons in order to make their play.

[Telly Savalas]

6. Since when did it cost any money to have a vote in Parliament?

The "Goddam New Democratic Party" demanded the Liberal Party be clear in opposing the privatization of health care. The Liberal Party refused to do so, so the NDP withdrew their support of government. Exercising what power they have to promote social justice in Canada is not the same thing as forming an alliance with the Conservatives.

If the Liberals are so deserving of our sympathy that we should be altering reality to cater to them, then why are they parachuting a candidate who supported the Bush's Iraq invasion into a riding where the constituents don't want him?

see: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/11/30/ignatieff051130.html

[1932]

3. Canada is undemocratic like Venezuela, and NED should probably dump

some money into that election to make sure the "right" people get elected.

/sarcasm

[melody]

4. How oddly beneficial!

And the Tories, too!

Somewhere, my Revolutionary War grandfathers are whirling like dervishes in their graves.

[applegrove]

10. And my grandmother is spinning in her grave. She was 17 when the

communists took over Russia. I used to ask her - "Granny - what was it like?" and she said "It's not he Russians we need to worry about - but the Americans!"

[melody]

12. There are problems in all countries

The problem isn't the Russians or the British or the Americans or the Iraqis or the Canadians or anyone else. The problem is human and it exists within all of us.

I made the comment about my Revolutionary War grandfather in contrast to the fact these putative "conservatives" are supposed to be all-American and yet they are working with the Tories. I meant no disrespect to anyone, except the right-wing nutjobs.

Incidentally, my right-wing father used to be terrified of "godless Russians". Do you think the people who hate Americans are any more correct than he was?

[applegrove]

13. My grandmother didn't hate Americans. She, like alot of people

in the 19th century, was afraid of influence and diminishment of our lives by the elephant next door - so that she favoured Canada first policy. That's not un-american. That's Canadian.

And they were invaded by the USA only 83 years before she was born. So it was fine for her to feel that way.

I don't hate Americans. I hate neocons. And that cold predatory streak that can be found in men in political power at times. Yes, all over the world. I hate al Qaeda too.

That is the issue. Not Americans any more than Iraqi people on the street. All are capable of bad actions. If the wrong people get control. If checks and balances within a democracy are not used. If checks and balances within the world are not used.

What always amazed me about my grandmother's statement was how these huge things we are afraid of (I guess I was talking to her as the Berlin wall was comiing down) are only transitory. The adults get power it seems after a time. That is what I was speaking to.

And it is quite normal for small countries beside big countries to be afraid of undo influence and the like. Just as normal as it is for big empires to be terrified of no longer being the empire. Nobody likes change. Not when they are used to things being a certain way. We are all afraid.

I'm all for America going boldly into the next millenium. I just wish they would allow other places to do the same thing. Without attack liberals and democracies that get in their way.

[melody]

14. Fear always suggests hatred to me

IMO, the popular illusion of "America" has nothing to do with our actual country or culture. It's a virtual empire that exists above concepts of nations and leaders. It's really a front for a bunch of multinational corporations and the rich men who benefit from them. They aren't accountable to anyone, least of all us. Other than Iraqis, Americans seem to be their enemy number one. 3000 dead on 9/11. Probably 10,000 dead from Katrina. 2000+ dead soldiers in this "war". The body count continues.

I'd rather have all of us going boldly into the next millennium, doing what is best for everyone and the planet, all nations aside.

edited for spelling and my slight pontification. :)

[applegrove]

15. I think - once this group is out of power, and the facts out - you'll see

some control return to normal people & real leadership. The Robber barons were no match for democracy in the end - and now we have the internet - so it does not take 30 years for the message to get out and groups to work together.

People know the bullshit -so they can be more discerning. They are on their way out.

I'm not against world trade or corporations. When they serve their purpose to serve for the betterment of mankind.I just for the role of each to be up to the people countries involved and with some choice and control over them. And a clear record of true voting rights and democracy for the people involved.

[applegrove]

16. You said this:

"I'd rather have all of us going boldly into the next millennium, doing what is best for everyone and the planet"

I think that is what scares the corporations the most. Is that with communication across the world in one second, there use has passed. Not so much the hight tech - but in other fields.

Plus they are scared of not being rich. Of facing what we in North America have not faced yet. Scarcity.

[melody]

17. Many of us live in scarcity

I think that's why they fear the poor and middle class. We're more likely to survive than they are. My grandparents were dirt poor hillbilly kids.

This isn't just a North American issue. These people are also heavily vested in Western Europe.

[applegrove]

18. My grandmother too. Yes - we all do without at times but we don't spend

the day walking 5 miles to lug water back home, or walking 20 miles a day to try and find wood for the cooking fire and on top of that you have to tend to your field which is your day job.

[melody]

19. My grandparents did. I have a cousin who still does.

There's a lot of Appalachia and Native American reservations that are still that way. The poor and middle class folk are close enough to that level of living to survive.

[Hidden Stillness]

5. I Don't Think Their Shit Will Work Up There

From what I understand, (being from Michigan and watching/listening to Canadian CBC News all the time), the Liberal Party fell and lost the "No Confidence" vote completely because of the "sponsorship scandal" going on there, where all kinds of things were revealed by an inquiry, and people were angry at the corruption of a certain group of people, not the Party as a philosophy. As a matter of fact, it seems the Liberals are just going to win this special election soon anyway--thank God for Canadians.

The scandal was about cronies and contributors of the incumbent Party receiving no-bid contracts, not performing work, about graft and kickbacks, unaccounted-for money, and tax money being funneled to friends and contributors of the incumbent Party, with no resulting public services. Oddly enough, the big scandal up there is standard operating procedure for the current Republican Party, only we can't stop it here.

Another interesting U.S. connection, whatever you can make of it: a few days ago, C-SPAN was covering the no-confidence vote and speeches from all the candidates after, and when it came time to go to the very unpopular Stephen Harper of the Conservatives--considered way too negative, angry, corporate and archcon for most Canadians, who are liberal--C-SPAN suddenly had a "technical glitch" that lasted exactly, precisely, as long as Harper's speech and the questions by reporters, most of them critical, after. I flipped back and forth between CBC and C-SPAN. Incredible "technical glitch" timing. Later, on rebroadcast, it was all there. Maybe they were scared their little archcon up North was not going to go over well, so they couldn't risk it live, and, since they always censor everything here anyway...

[newswolf56]

7. Occasionally the radicals at the central telephone exchange...

have a chance to get the truth out: I suspect this "glitch" was one of those instances.

[CHIMO]

8. Interesting

Does anyone know what that non-working number at the US Senate is?

[applegrove]

11. Perhaps one you can call out on - but not call in? To save long distance

charges. A long distance line as it were?

Don't know. Just a guess.

[applegrove]

9. I hope someone investigates. I think that is illegal.

[leesa]

20. Are there ANY elections the GOP doesn't mess with?

[AX10]

21. I find this hard to believe that is was just an "accident".

:eyes: