text:
Who is saying what about voter suppression and election scandal:
March 17
Tracing the robocalls
Editorial, The Record
"We applaud Elections Canada for releasing vital information about its investigation into claims of fraudulent phone calls made to voters in the 2011 federal election. Chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand announced on Thursday that his agency has received 700 specific complaints about messages that were made on or before voting day. While that is a significant and troubling number suggesting a widespread problem, it is only a fraction of the 31,000 contacts from the public that Elections Canada has received on the matter. It is good to know that Elections Canada can now narrow its focus in an investigation of utmost importance to Canadian democracy."
Whole lotta shakin' and crying going on
Michael Coren, Toronto Sun
"You can fool humourless leftists most of the time, but just imagine if these lunatics ever had genuine power. Nobody would be laughing then."
March 16
'Candidate of record' needs to say more
Editorial, Guelph Mercury
"It's wrong and irresponsible for the Conservative party candidate of record to be so evasive and silent on the Pierre Poutine case and on what contribution his limited assertion on the subject has done to further cloud things. (Marty) Burke has shared the fact that he has undertaken to assist Elections Canada "in any way possible" in regards to his complaint to the agency about the Valeriote robocalling. He should make public whether his offer of help has been extended in relation to the Pierre Poutine case, too."
Pierre Poutine robocalls targetted voters across Ontario — not just Guelph
John Ivison, National Post
"The facts remain rarer than hen's teeth but the news that the Pierre Poutine call was sent out across Ontario suggests the extent of the wrong-doing was more limited than some of the coverage would have us believe. Meanwhile, the search for Mr. Poutine goes on."
March 15
Truth about robocalls needs to be uncovered
Editorial, The Barrie Examiner
"Was the last federal election compromised by robocalls, were votes suppressed by misdirecting Liberal, New Democratic and other non-Conservative voters to non-polling stations? That's what Canadians want to know — that's what they need to know. And the Elections Canada probe can't take six or eight months to provide these answers. The same goes with whatever investigation the RCMP are doing. Being able to vote is at the very heart of our democratic system, and tricking people into not voting, by sending them to phoney polling stations, is a low blow by any measure."
March 14
Realpolitik of robocalls
Lorrie Goldstein, Toronto Sun
"When Canadians consider which leader they support, they aren't comparing him to Nelson Mandela and Mother Teresa. They're comparing him to the interim leaders of the Liberal and NDP parties, as they will, eventually, to the permanent leaders those parties pick. That's the realpolitik of robocalls."
Tory operatives, to the brainstormery!
Scott Feschuk, Maclean's
"It's early days, but the ongoing robocalls scandal has already delivered a bunch of surprises. For instance, it turns out some people still answer their home phones. I'm as shocked as you are. Anyway, what's important is that the Conservatives had nothing to do with misleading phone calls meant to lure Liberal and NDP voters from their proper polling stations. NOTHING AT ALL. Conservatives lovedemocracy. They're always talking about its origins as the coming together of two Greek words: 'kratos' meaning 'power,' and 'demos' meaning 'gimme.'"
March 13
Rely on polls, not protest attendance
Warren Kinsella, QMI Agency
"Canadians suspect that Stephen Harper has far less of an attachment to democracy than they do. Thus, when he messes with democracy participation — as with the census, or prorogation, and now the 2011 election itself — they become very angry with him. Is Harper doomed? Not by a long shot. But, as a longtime Conservative staffer said to me last week: "This thing is going to get very ugly. And it's going to hurt Harper, whether he believes it or not."
Propaganda pap: Non-Sun media types have created a fake scandalette
Ezra Levant, QMI Agency
"The NSM — the non-Sun media — regularly ignores rallies with hundreds, even thousands of people in attendance, if the purpose of those rallies is not to sell their newspapers. Last year's March for Life — a non-partisan, pro-life rally — had more than 15,000 people show up on Parliament Hill last spring. In fairness, the Citizen did put a postage-stamp sized photo of that protest on its front page, below the fold. It was an extreme close-up shot showing fewer than 10 people in attendance. Like looking through a telescope the wrong way."
A scandalous absence of scandal in robocalls scandal
Kelly McParland, National Post
"I have a confession to make. I have not been following the robocalls "scandal" with all the fervency it calls for. It's possible my inability to get excited results from six years … oops, make it seven .. of the Liberals leaping to their feet every 18 seconds to accuse the Conservatives of plotting to pervert Canadian values, undermine democracy and display their contempt for the laws of the country. There's this old morality tale about a kid who cried "wolf" too many times, so when a real wolf showed up, no one believed it any more. Maybe that's why I have a hard time believing this is the real wolf."
Ottawa's ethical low ground is well-trodden
Lawrence Martin, The Globe and Mail
"If there were lessons to be learned, the Harper Conservatives weren't paying attention. Even if the robo-call scandal turns out to be minor, there's already so much that's unsavoury on their plate that it will be difficult for them to escape the fallout. Stephen Harper is different from his predecessors. Mr. Chrétien was driven to many of his authoritarian excesses because the separatists were a grave threat to him. With Mr. Mulroney, it was an infatuation with the big dollar. With Mr. Harper, it's the system – that thing called democracy."
Robocalls aren't the problem — the ways parties treat voters as prey is
Andrew Coyne, National Post
"One of the puzzles surrounding Robocon has been the seeming randomness of the reported calls. Suppose Conservatives of some description were behind it. Ridings were targeted the Conservatives were sure to win; others the party badly wanted to win were not targeted at all. Ridings where attempts to suppress the vote of opposition parties have been reported do not seem to have experienced lower turnout on the whole — although new research shows opposition-voting polling stations saw larger drops in turnout in those ridings than elsewhere. But notice how I've slipped a couple of assumptions past you."
Liberal robocall was a disgrace
Editorial, The Record
"Rae and the Liberals are right to seek answers about this. But Rae was wrong to defend the robocall from Valeriote as "a vigorous response to a specific issue." Rae should realize that any attempt to sway voters that uses a bogus name and fails to identify the party affiliation behind it all is dishonest and in violation of Elections Canada rules. Such action discredits his party and makes their overheated claims of wrongdoing seem self-serving. Perhaps the Liberals should reread the old saying about how ill-advised it is for people living in glass houses to throw stones."
March 12
Context matters more than character
Andrew Potter, Ottawa Citizen
"Context matters far more than character to political ethics. Our politicians are not bad people, but they sometimes find themselves in situations where they can rationalize behaving badly. What this means is that if we want people to behave ethically, all we have to do is design our institutions in a way that rewards good behaviour and limits the potential for rationalizations of deviance. Does that sound impossible? It isn't."
There should be a law governing robocalls
Geoffrey Stevens, The Record
"One approach in the U.S. is to require telemarketers (and what we call robocalling is just a political application of telemarketing) to state in the first 30 seconds or so of the call the purpose of the call and the name, address and telephone number of whoever is footing the bill. It's not as simple as it may seem. U.S. telemarketers may succeed in invoking the First Amendment to the Constitution (freedom of speech) to liberate political robocalls from legal constraints. In Canada, the Constitution is not likely to be an insurmountable obstacle. A law that would require robocall users to identify, up front, themselves and their purpose with their address and phone number could go a long way to stamp out a pernicious practice."
Public to Politicians: Is it Just You, Or is it Me?
Alison Loat, Huffington Post
"On Friday, the Manning Centre, an organization that supports people who "advance our vision of a free and democratic Canada guided by conservative principles," released their annual poll on Canadians' attitudes towards various policy issues and government's performance more generally. The most sobering bits, for me anyway, were the 10 questions that examined Canadians' attitudes to politicians. If I were a politician, these stats would make me want to enter some form of image makeover and/or rehabilitation program, pronto."
Talking points, dodged questions eroding confidence in Canadian democracy
Michael Den Tandt, Postmedia News
"Ethical tweeting, and the dos and don'ts of robo-dialing, are a decent place to begin — but only that, it seems to me. There's a more fundamental problem. Surely, ministers of the Crown should do their best to fairly, fully and directly answer most questions put to them in the House of Commons, rather than repeat talking points until everyone's heads explode. Shouldn't they? Otherwise, what is question period for?"
March 11
Ethics-challenged Conservatives doomed … in 2012
Warren Kinsella, QMI Agency
"The Con's Robocon scandal is only just beginning. Every day brings new revelations — most recently, in a CBC report that election rules were violated in a longtime Liberal bastion in the Toronto area. Political graves, I always tell candidates I'm privileged to work for, are dug with tiny shovels. Robocon will be no different."
March 10
Robocalls: A true political crime
Letter to the Editor, Barrie Examiner
"The issue is totally non-partisan. Whether you are Conservative, Green, Liberal, New Democrat, uncommitted, or even uninterested, the shenanigans in the last federal election were criminal. Period. It shouldn't matter whether you like or dislike Prime Minister Stephen Harper, approve or disapprove of the policies of the Conservative government, believe or deny climate change is real, are part of the 1% or the 99%, support or oppose electoral reform. Whatever."
When political hacks subpoena online hackers, look out for :-(
Tabatha Southey, The Globe and Mail
"There's something almost charmingly innocent about the parliamentarians' indignation about Anonymous's "flagrant disregard of our traditions." Yes, it is just dreadful when someone is mean on the Internet, but I'm not sure who it is the Speaker imagines is going to arrive to testify at the committee."
People aren't as stupid as leftists seem to think
Michael Coren, QMI Agency
"If only the political establishment and the chattering classes were as sensible and considerate as the Canadian people. The mass response to the so-called robocalls scandal has been one of drowning indifference. Eager pollsters have rushed to the electorate to fulfill their hopes and dreams that the possibility of a few people making dumb phone calls to some Liberal voters may have done irreparable damage to the Harper government. The verdict? Nobody cares."
The good, bad and ugly of Harper communications
Don Martin, Question Period
"Two secret meetings in the prime minister's office this month should become chapters in any crisis communications manual. One is the wrong way to handle major problem files. The other highlights the correct response to big bad political news."
March 9
Robocalls spin unsettling
Editorial, Guelph Mercury
"The government is under fire about this matter. But it does itself no political favours and it undermines public confidence in it by offering ever-changing, seemingly evidence-free allegations about alternative theories of culpability for the robocalls that are only consistent in that they suggest the Conservative party is not guilty in this affair. It also sends an unsettling message by characterizing this as a smear campaign as opposed to a terrifically troubling unresolved attack on Canada's electoral process."
On robocalls, reporters dig while pundits sit and snipe
Andrew Mitrovica, The Ottawa Citizen
"By any journalistic measure, what these reporters have uncovered is serious business and assuredly in the public interest. But to read and hear some of the know-it-all pundits who populate the media, they would have you believe that their brethren's reporting, and the reaction to it during Question Period, is the kind of silly, inconsequential stuff that grips myopic, scandal-mongering reporters and grandstanding politicians. (My goodness, broadcast media have convened pundit panels to discuss whether the revelations even constitute a "scandal.") Exhibit A: my former colleague at the Globe, columnist Margaret Wente."
Manufactured robocall outrage on hold
Charles Adler, QMI Agency
"I don't really have a beef with the NDP and Liberals over this. It's way over the top, but we both know what they're trying to do. We shouldn't be shocked that politicians are playing politics. But the supposedly responsible media? What are they doing?!? You know who they are. They're the ones treating every one of these faux scandals like Watergate, all while pretending to be unbiased journalists. It's amazing how they've taken a story with some tangible evidence — misleading phone calls in Guelph — and morphed it into a monster of a conspiracy that seemingly engulfs every riding in the country. Now, every accusation is reported as proven fact, no matter how ridiculous and implausible. A smear is made, and the press pack rush to their computers to repeat it."
Closing in on Pierre Poutine
John Ivison, National Post
"The noose is tightening around "Pierre Poutine," the figure at the centre of the robocalls scandal, after the owner of an IT company wrongly implicated in the affair traced the individual responsible to a Rogers Hi-Speed IP address in Guelph, Ont. Matt Meier, owner of Edmonton-based RackNine, has forwarded the information to Elections Canada, which should now be able to seek a legal order to compel Rogers to hand over the name of the customer using the IP address. A spokeswoman for Elections Canada would not comment on whether any such production order has been issued."
From sweet tweets to full Twitter attack
Dan Lett, Winnipeg Free Press
"Toews lacks any perspective on his own tenuous place in the universe. If his reputation has been tarnished, it has been by his own hand as much as anyone's. His closest political advisers pleaded with him to stop sending overnight email blasts, which they viewed as conduct unbecoming a federal cabinet minister. Those same advisers can hardly be pleased with his stream-of-consciousess Twitter activity. The irony now is that as long as @ToewsVic lives, it appears we will be hearing about Vic Toews' divorce. Well played, sir, well played."
Ring around the robocalls
John Geddes, Maclean's
"The sponsorship affair is again on the minds of many political insiders as the so-called 'robocalls' affair unfolds. This time, it's Harper trying to put a scandal in quarantine, and the NDP and Liberals striving to make sure his whole Tory brand is infected. The main line of Conservative defence, after sounding confused in the affair's early days, firmed up this week: any deceptive calling happened in the Ontario riding of Guelph only, and the party brass couldn't have known about it. 'The whole thing is a nightmare for the government,' said NDP MP David Christopherson. 'Even if they are innocent, it's a nightmare.'"
Roboscam, So what are the chances Harper knew
Lawrence Martin, iPolitics
"In trying to determine who is at fault in the robocall scam and other voter manipulation schemes, look to the numbers. If the evidence of dirty work is limited to just a few random ridings, it means some low-level flunkies could have been the culprits, out of sight and out of mind of the Conservative Party's power brokers. If it develops, however, that this was a widespread operation with multiple swing ridings involved, then it is time to get suspicious."
March 8
Brian Mulroney: I owe you an apology
Bob Hepburn, The Toronto Star
"I owe former prime minister Brian Mulroney an apology. Several years ago, I wrote that Mulroney, more than any politician in modern history, is responsible for the current level of disdain and lack of interest that Canadians have for politicians and politics in general. … I am apologizing because I now realize it's Stephen Harper, not Mulroney, who has set the standard for how far — and how low — a government and a party will go to win."
Robocalls and the moral wasteland of politics in Canada
Andrew Coyne, National Post
"So there is a context for the Conservatives' own particular forms of misbehaviour. It does not excuse them, nor does it explain why they have pushed things so much further. But it surely has something to do with how trivial Canadian politics has become on their watch. It is not coincidental that the less there has been to separate the Tories from the other parties, the more viciously they have acted toward them; the less there has been to argue about, the nastier those arguments have become."
Release the records and clear the air
Editorial, The Gazette
"Given the damage this wretched affair has done public confidence in the integrity of the country's electoral system, it is in the higher interest of all parties to come entirely clean with the Elections Canada investigation and turn over all potentially relevant evidence, including their election phone records. This should be accompanied by a toningdown of the overheated rhetoric over this affair. Once the facts are fully known, blame can be attached to the demonstrably guilty parties and punishment meted out. The robocalls are a serious matter, but there are other serious matters facing the country that should concern parliamentarians in the meantime."
Robocalls: Conservative support rock solid despite vote controversy
Chantal Hebert, The Toronto Star
"If then-prime minister Paul Martin had not gone on a mad-as-hell national tour in the spring of 2004, would the sponsorship scandal that he ranted about from coast to coast to coast have loomed as large in the subsequent election? Most independent analysts would readily answer that question in the negative. Martin's public show of indignation was meant to dissociate him from a blooming scandal in the lead-up to his first campaign. Instead it did more to establish the sponsorship affair as a ballot-box issue than any amount of opposition rhetoric.
The Commons: The yellow piece of paper
Aaron Wherry, Maclean's
"Immediately after Question Period, Dean Del Mastro stood to complain that the phrase "exaggerated prevarications," which had been directed at him by the NDP's Charlie Angus, was unparliamentary. Regardless of whether this was inbounds—Mr. Angus argued it was and offered to produce a dictionary definition to prove it—it was most certainly an attack, though perhaps not one that Mr. Del Mastro can claim to take personally. At least so long as he seems to be merely the conduit for what is written on a yellow piece of paper."
March 7
A blood feud beyond ballots
Lawrence Martin, The Globe and Mail
"The jackasses at Elections Canada are out of control. In 2001, Stephen Harper was president of the National Citizens Coalition. That was his opening line in a fundraising letter. His loathing for the election overseers was almost pathological, recalls Gerry Nicholls, the conservative commentator who worked with Mr. Harper at the NCC. It was a 'blood feud,' he says, one that appears to be 'never ending.'
Robocall counterpunches effective in short term — but long term?
Michael Den Tandt, Postmedia News
"Clearly the Tory strategy is to fill the air with chaff — to envelop the debate in so many claims and counterclaims that Canadians, literally, change the channel. The newscast moves to talk of robocalls and the clicker is immediately in hand, flipping to something less tedious. Conservatives are banking on the idea that voters are skeptical of everything they hear in the House, from any party. If the debate can be drowned in white noise, therefore, it may be made to pass over Canadian living rooms like a storm cloud. Once passed, forgotten. But there's another side to this kind of pitched combat: It oxygenates and prolongs the fight."
The Commons: Robo-calls in human form
Aaron Wherry, Maclean's
"The government claims innocence and, indeed, must be regarded as such until proven guilty. But so far as the Conservatives are now concerned, the opposition parties are perhaps guilty until they can prove themselves innocent. The NDP's Pat Martin was unimpressed. 'We do not want any smartass gibberish from the member for Peterborough,' he clarified. 'We have had enough of that.' The Conservatives, so solemn in their regard for the sanctity and dignity of parliamentary proceedings, howled. Two backbenchers motioned for Mr. Martin to be thrown out."
March 6
Tories prove adept at passing the buck
Warren Kinsella, QMI Agency
"It's never the break-in. It's always the cover-up. In politics, that Watergate-era aphorism has come to describe a well-established principle: Voters will often forgive the first sin. But they'll rarely forgive repeated lies about the sin. The burgeoning Robocon scandal is a classic example of that. Had the Harper regime reacted to the first allegations of vote suppression with calm and clarity, they'd be in better shape right about now. They'd be happier if they had simply said, 'We are very concerned about what the media is reporting, and we pledge to co-operate with Elections Canada on their independent investigation.' Instead, they have adopted Paul Martin's approach — the infamous 'mad as hell' strategy."
Just stop robocalling altogether
Randall Denley, The Ottawa Citizen
"Despite all the non-stop talk about the misuse of political robocalls, the best question has not been asked. Why do political parties use them at all? Robocalls are telemarketing of the worst sort. People phoning you at dinner time to sell something you have no interest in buying are annoying enough, but at least one can have some sympathy for those trying to make a living by doing this unappealing work, and some people really do need their ducts cleaned."
Sizing up a robo-scandal
Editorial, National Post
"Canada is not the United States, where an election result can be flipped by playing dirty tricks in one or two big swing states, such as Florida or Illinois. Every one of Canada's 308 ridings counts as much as any other. To systematically rig an election, one would have to engineer real conspiracies in dozens of ridings, and disenfranchise tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of voters. The idea that any major political party of this day and age would consider such a scheme, let alone be able to get away with it in the era of Youtube and Vikileaks, is a fantasy."
Anti-Harper crowd chase their tails
Editorial, The Toronto Sun
"Oh. My. God. The election must be a fraud. These are all media-led campaigns, of course. Neither the Liberals or the NDP have the brains to lead, so they follow the scent that the consensus media leaves as a slick. It is getting them nowhere."
Sorry, robots didn't hijack the election
Ezra Levant, QMI Agency
"The NSM — that stands for the non-Sun Media — thinks robots stole the last election for Stephen Harper by calling up Liberals and using their robotic powers to convince them not to vote. The NSM is caught up in this conspiracy theory. It's become a mania. They've whipped each other up. It's a study in the madness of crowds, of pack thinking."
PM mishandling robocall fiasco, but lack of proof may save him
Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun
"Harper should be resisting his excessively partisan impulses. Instead of vilifying Liberals for being "poor losers," he should commit to ensuring the sanctity of the electoral system. 'I do not believe the Conservatives are handling this issue well.' says Roger Gibbins, head of the Calgary-based Canada West Foundation. 'I would have expected the PM to say that he shares [acting Liberal leader Bob] Rae's concern about the integrity of the electoral process.'
Harper doth protest too much
Daniel Veniez, The Huffington Post
"Were we to expect anything different than a robo-wall of denial from Stephen Harper? No, prudence and sincerity would have prompted a much difference response, not the immediate leap to such absolute and decisive conclusions. Watching him in the Commons was eerily reminiscent of that infamous Bill Clinton finger-wagging moment when he declared with deep conviction in front of a global television audience: 'I did not have sex with that woman…' Harper's response was too quick, too defensive, too abrasive, and too angry to be credible. This is what senior Conservatives look and act like when they are circling the wagons."
Robo-calls: Conservatives roll the dice again with Elections Canada
Tim Harper, The Toronto Star
"Canadians do not vote again federally until the autumn of 2015. They will be smarter voters. But they also deserve a professional, thorough probe so they know exactly what happened in 2011."
Tory guns trained on Canadians
Kris Kotarski, Calgary Herald
There is a marked ethical and moral difference between total war on one's political opponents and total war against the electorate itself. If Rex Murphy is right, if politics is sometimes reduced to nothing more than causing pain to an opponent, then it is crucial that this opponent not be the citizenry itself.
Database at the heart of Conservatives' computer system likely key to cracking mystery
John Ivison, National Post
"Stephen Harper and Guy Giorno, his campaign manager, have come over like T.S. Eliot's Macavity the Cat in relation to the robocalls saga — whatever time the deed took place, they weren't there. Both have made public denials about any links between robocalls and the official campaign. How can they be so sure?"
Robocalls: Release the records and clear the air
Editorial, The Gazette
"Once the facts are fully known, blame can be attached to the demonstrably guilty parties and punishment meted out. The robocalls are a serious matter, but there are other serious matters facing the country that should concern parliamentarians in the meantime."
Robocalls put serious business on hold
Monte Solberg, Toronto Sun
"Here's the thing. Even if the Guelph Conservatives and other individual electoral districts avoid serious trouble with Elections Canada, still a big if, there are other embarrassing accusations that call centre company RMG made very misleading calls on behalf of the Conservative party. Pretending there's no problem is a little like the knight in the Monty Python movie who gets all his limbs cut off and claims it's only a flesh wound. There is a problem and at the very least it has resulted in the Conservatives seeing their reputation taking a pounding, innocent and guilty alike. They have also lost control of the agenda when they need to win public support for any significant changes in their upcoming budget."
Let's start judging parties by their tactics
Dan Leger, The Chronicle Herald
"Academic research suggests that nasty campaign tactics work best on disengaged and poorly informed voters. That's a pretty big group, so the temptation to indulge is strong. Parties will usually do what it takes to win. As voters, we should educate ourselves to recognize these tactics for what they are. Then we can decide, legalities aside, whether parties using such methods are worthy of our support or whether they and their unethical works should be deemed unsuitable to govern."
A tale of two strikes at our democracy
The Record
"This is not "inside baseball," an affair that can be confined to Parliament Hill. And the fundamental issue — the right to vote freely — resonates with too many people — 31,000 and counting — to be ignored. There was a public demonstration, a small one, in Vancouver on Saturday and similar protests are planned in other cities this week. Investigators for Elections Canada and the RCMP are on the case. People who compare "Robogate," as some call it, to Watergate, are missing one key element. Watergate had a "smoking gun" in Richard Nixon's own White House tapes. In Robogate, there is no smoking gun to link the people who plotted the vote suppression to figures in the Tory hierarchy. Still, it is more than dirty tricks."
Robo-calls? Get a grip, We're Canadian
Margaret Wente, The Globe and Mail
"We expect our elections to be squeaky clean, and that's a good thing. Obviously, there were election irregularities in Guelph, and maybe elsewhere, and Elections Canada needs to find out what happened and who did it. But it's ridiculous to think there was some massive cheating scheme engineered by higher-ups. We're not Russia after all. It's unpopular to say so, but we're just a boring little democracy that usually functions pretty well."
The case against a Conservative conspiracy
John Ibbitson, The Globe and Mail
"If you believe Mr. Giorno is telling the truth, then you have to believe that any fraud or misrepresentation on May 2 occurred without the knowledge of campaign headquarters, or happened outside the campaign entirely. Maybe at some training school somebody foolishly said: 'You didn't hear this from me, but here's one thing you could do…' But a vast Conservative conspiracy to steal the general election? No."
March 4
Lacking 'hand' in robo-call debate, Tories ought to try humility
Bruce Anderson, The Globe and Mail
"Regardless of where the facts ultimately take this story, it's hard not to think the Conservatives would be better off sticking with a more humble line. It might all be the work of a rogue campaign zealot. Heaven knows, every party has workers with enthusiasm surpluses and ethics deficits. But now, even the Conservative Party of Canada is unsure that's what happened. As good as it is to take folks at their word, do Canadians who are following this story buy that the government doesn't know anything about what really happened? Until we know more, it's worth pondering what the real risk is for the Conservatives if this proves to be something more than a solitary Pierre Poutine?
Conservatives could be dogged by Robocon for years
Warren Kinsella, QMI Agency
"When confronted by crisis and scandal, the Conservative government has a standard operating procedure. Code Yellow: Claim average people don't care, and say it's time to move on to more important subjects, like the economy. Code Orange: If that doesn't work, toss a young Tory staffer under the proverbial bus, and say the matter's closed. Code Red: Blame the media, blame bureaucrats, and screech about Adscam, coalitions, the NEP and the perils of socialism. Rinse and repeat."
Avoid mob justice on Robocalls
John Robson, QMI Agency
"If I said MPs sound like monkeys fighting over bananas I'd get letters from monkeys pointing out that at least they could see bananas. Whereas these MPs have automated the process of hurling angry partisan abuse without a shred of factual backing. Roboscreech is fast becoming the real scandal here."
March 3
Robo-calls scandal shows how technologies are changing politics
Antonia Zerbisias, The Toronto Star
"Call it the hive mind, swarm intelligence, maybe collective consciousness. Really, what's happening online with the so-called "robo-call" scandal is all about crowdsourcing the story. Posts and comments on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, alternative websites and even corporate media are bouncing off each other, adding to the mass of allegations of election wrongdoing by the Conservative party. Think Wikipedia but without the rapid self-correcting controls. That is also crowdsourcing, with articles written and edited by those with an interest in the subject. But, with #RoboCon or #Robogate, as the scandal is known on Twitter, the crowdsourcing of information — right, wrong or very iffy — is resulting in one rapidly snowballing story about possible fraud."
Stephen Harper faces his Nixonian moment
David Krayden, Calgary Herald
"As one who worked on Parliament Hill, Conservative elections and Harper's first leadership campaign to head the Canadian Alliance, I believe that we have a prime minister who is a good husband and father, a conscientious worker, and a man of high ethics, sound principles and unambiguous honesty. He would not have wanted to attain power by anything but legitimate and appropriate means. His morality – as well as his love of fair com-petition – would demand no less. But inexperience – and the unchecked and uncontrolled enthusiasm that is a consequence of it – can reach up into the upper echelons of power and snuff the life out of the best leadership and the highest ideals."
Top Tories would never risk all to steal an election
Michael Taube, Ottawa Citizen
"Anyone who seriously believes the widening allegations of fraudulent calls to voters will ultimately topple the Conservative government should reconsider this position. While it's clear to me that something nefarious occurred, I don't believe it was a high-level orchestrated event specifically designed to steal the 2011 federal election."
Tories suffering from disconnect with voters not in power base
Chantal Hebert, The Toronto Star
Whatever else may ail Stephen Harper's government, it has some serious messaging issues. On three occasions over about as many weeks, the Conservatives' political instincts went missing in action in the heat of a parliamentary battle. That was particularly striking this week as the government struggled without success to put allegations of vote-suppression in the 2011 campaign behind it.
Campaign of robo-calls have no place in elections
Editorial, The Globe and Mail
"Canadians are justifiably proud of the high standard of their electoral process, even if not all partisan participants are of a correspondingly high calibre. Indeed, Elections Canada has exported its expertise, advising many countries on how to conduct free and fair elections, and also on how to consolidate representative democracy by allowing a greater proportion of the population to actually vote."
I, Robo-Call: What' worse than electoral fraud?
Kathryn Borel, The Globe and Mail
"As a patriotic civilian who believes in democracy and freedom, the basic human right to take part in the electoral process and all that good junk, I have been in a state of perpetual horror since this story of the robo-calls came out. If the allegations of Conservative automated phone fraud prove true, they will confirm a dreadful hunch I've been living with for quite some time – that robots tend to veer a wee to the right."
Robo-calls: A catchier name, a better scandal
Warren Clements, The Globe and Mail
"A promising scandal demands a catchy name. Think of Watergate, Shawinigate and the South Sea Bubble. Robo-call isn't ideal for this one, since robo-calls are automated phone calls that annoy people with a recorded message, while many of last year's calls were made by humans. But the name is more fun than the alternative, the "voter-suppression scandal." A crusade to call the episode Robocon (con as in deceive) is on tricky ground, since Robocon is a long-standing international contest for designers of automatons, being held this year in Hong Kong, should you happen to be in the neighbourhood."
Tories suffering from disonnect with voters not in the power base
Chantal Hebert, The Toronto Star
"It is hard to think of a time when the gap between the rock-solid loyalty of a steadily nurtured government base and the equally rock-solid mistrust of the majority of the electorate that does not support the governing party has been as wide. By all indications, the Harper government is a lot more attuned the former than sensitive to the latter. The bunker-style Conservative approach to power may well account for its remarkably tin ear as the government clumsily nears what should normally be the defining stage of the Prime Minister's tenure."
Dirty tricks, but did they work
The Economist
"For some, the controversy illustrates an American-influenced coarsening of Canadian politics. But on this no party has a monopoly."
Exactly how dangerous is Stephen Harper
Gerald Caplan, The Globe and Mail
"Mr. Harper's Conservatives, many of us fear, have changed the entire game. In fact for them it's not a game at all. Like their cherished American Republican role models, when they speak about their war room, they mean it. And in war, it hardly needs saying, there's little tolerance for democratic niceties."
Robocalls scandal sinks Question Period debate to new low
Scott Stinson, The National Post
"Number of times a Conservative member used the term "smear" on Monday: 0
Number of times a Conservative member used the term "smear" on Tuesday: 9
Number of times a Conservative member used the term "smear" on Wednesday: 14
Number of times a Conservative member used the term "smear" on Thursday: 7"
March 2
This isn't Watergate
Susan Delacourt, The Toronto Star
"I'd venture to say that what we're seeing here isn't Watergate, but Canada's first digital political scandal, made possible — and reported — through technology that wasn't available to Nixon or Woodward and Bernstein. It would actually be fun to imagine how Watergate would have happened with these tools. First, I guess, Nixon wouldn't have needed a physical break-in; all he'd have to have is a good computer hacker, or a Pierre Poutine with a cellphone."
Not all politicians are out to con you, really
Naheed Nenshi, Calgary Herald
" I know this may sound self-serving from a politician, but I wasn't always in this job and I won't always be in it. I got into this work because, as I said every day during the election, I believe that government matters in people's lives, that politics matters, and that the people we elect matter. Does the profession attract bullies, jerks and egomaniacs? Sure, just like every profession. (And some would say I am all three.) Are there some con men? Maybe. But the vast majority of people I meet in politics are hard-working folks who really believe that our community can be better, and who want to work to improve the lives of their neighbours.
The real scandal on Parliament Hill
Susan Riley, Ottawa Citizen
"Increasingly, federal politics looks more like a sit-com than ground zero for the sober pursuit of the nation's business. Entertaining, but deeply unsatisfying. Gossip is deplorable and irresistible — particularly when it involves pious hypocrites who delight in scolding. And tales of personal foibles, small deceptions, embarrassing liaisons, even (rarely) of private virtue, add juice, even humanity, to a dry business. No wonder we look."
Robocon is bad, but politicians are being a little hypothetical
Chris Selley, National Post
"Legalities aside, it is worth remembering that for every dodgy phone call a reasonably well-informed voter might have received, he is likely to have absorbed a far greater overall dose of character assassination, policy misrepresentation, fearmongering and demagoguery between March 26 and May 2 of last year. Why worry about one source of it and not all the others?"
March 1
Robocalls scandal a failing of Canada's watchmen
Andrew Coyne, National Post
"The presumption of innocence does not require us to be deaf, blind and stupid. Yet the institutions we trust to hold government to account in this country are so weak — well, do we trust them any more? I'm not convinced that there are such systemic issues raised here as to warrant a public inquiry, and I'm not sure anyone has really made that case. Rather, it seems that people have so lost confidence in these other institutions that a public inquiry becomes almost their fallback response."
Robocalls: Scandal or massive stretch
Brian Lilley, QMI Agency
"Let's be clear, I said this on air since the story broke, if anyone is guilty of breaking the law and misdirecting voters – charge them. The law calls for fines of up to $5,000 and up to 5 years in jail. Give it to them. But right now there is a wall of noise coming at all of us on this and allegations are flying from all sides. Time to calm down and separate fact from fiction."
Harper needs to show leadership on the robocall revelations
Robert Sibley, Ottawa Citizen
"It not only insufficient for Harper to merely claim he has no knowledge of the robo-call affair, but, worse, it is foolishly arrogant of him to challenge the opposition to prove any wrongdoing. That's the kind of attitude we used to get from the Liberals. Moreover, it also reveals a failure of leadership on Harper's part in not immediately perceiving that this issue has consequences far beyond the fate of his government. What's ultimately at stake is confidence of Canadians that despite the inanities of individual politicians, or the small-scale stupidities committed in the heat of an election campaign, the institutions that keep this country functioning as a liberal democratic order remain grounded on firm moral bedrock, and that those charged with maintaining these institutions are themselves morally trustworthy."
Elections Canada best bet to investigate robo-calls scandal
Chantal Hebert, The Toronto Star
"In the absence of such evidence, the picture of a massive electoral fraud that the opposition parties have been drawing amounts more to a creative leap of faith in the Conservatives' inclination to partisan mischief than to a tightly-knit factual narrative. So far, the Liberals and the New Democrats have contributed more smoke than fire to the evolving voter suppression saga. In the process, they have done more to cloud the issue than to highlight it. By indiscriminately throwing as many ridings as possible into the mix of the story for instance, the opposition parties have constructed a pattern that quickly lost any tactical sense."
Do we need more Vikileaks?
Jesse Brown, Maclean's
"How very boring that Vikileaks has turned out to be just a sleazy partisan attack from a Liberal staffer. It's already being absorbed into the system: politics as usual. Rae is sheepish, Toews indignant, Trudeau tap-dances and the NDP are vindicated and can enjoy the show from a comfy distance. Oh well."
The list
Aaron Wherry, Maclean's
For the sake of compilation, here are the 21 ridings tallied so far in which there are allegations or reports of suspicious calls related to polling stations. Windsor-Tecumseh, Mount Royal, Lac-Saint-Louis, Edmonton Centre, Kingston and the Islands, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, Windsor West, Sarnia-Lambton, Prince George-Peace River, Guelph, Kitchener Centre, Kitchener-Conestoga, Kitchener-Waterloo, London West, Parkdale-High Park, Nipissing-Timiskaming, Elmwood-Transcona, Winnipeg South Centre, Sydney-Victoria, Saanich-Gulf Islands and Pierrefonds-Dollard
Democracy slowly eroding
Editorial, The Intelligencer
"With all of the questions surrounding the legitimacy of the last federal election, Canadians should be clamouring for a review of voting procedures and the use of unsavoury tactics. Voter suppression, election voting methods and rules for voter engagement are issues that urgently require review to maintain a semblance of democracy."
Feb. 29
The Conservative government's legitimacy is at stake in election scandal
Stephen Hume, Vancouver Sun
"Frankly, the very existence and scope of the Elections Canada investigation is now sufficient to undermine public faith in the election results. To say this is shocking is an understatement. We now need a full, transparent and non-partisan judicial inquiry that goes beyond the current investigation into possible Elections Act transgressions. If there's any attempt to prevent this, to trivialize it, to stonewall it, to deflect attention from it, then the Governor-General should be pressed by the citizens of Canada to exercise his constitutional power to dissolve the government and send it back to the voters to obtain a clear and a legitimate mandate."
No amount of spin will fix 'robocalls' problem
Bob Bruton, Barrie Examiner
"So does it matter that the alleged dirty tricks in Guelph didn't work? What also needs answering, if the allegations are proven in any number of ridings, is where the orders came from? How high did this go? Dirty tricks are not new in politics, even Canadian politics. People running for public office, and those guiding their campaigns, will always look for advantages and some of them push acceptable limits. But these ones, if they are true, hit a little closer to home. Misleading voters about where they cast their ballots on election day infringes on the very basics of a democracy."
Vikileaks and robocon highlight Ottawa's snowglobe of spite
Chris Selley, National Post
"Let's be clear: Vikileaks is ugly, sleazy, politics; Robocon is far more ugly and sleazy, and illegal. There is no point trying to equate the two. Nevertheless, the Liberals reacted to the first revelations of the robocalls much as the Conservatives reacted to the first revelations of Vikileaks. Both dialled the scandalphone up to 11 — the only setting they ever use, which is problematic in cases of actual scandal — and aimed it toward their culprits of choice. The Liberals all but accused the entire Conservative Party of Canada of plotting to steal the 2011 general election (thus proving that there is, in fact, a way to overstate these appalling allegations)."
Vikileaks bad, robocalls worse
David Akin, QMI Agency
"If Elections Canada can prove that one or more individuals engaged in voter suppression tactics on behalf of a political party, an apology from that party's leader will not be sufficient. Vikileaks was an unwarranted, though legal, violation of Toews' privacy. Vote suppression through robocalls would be an illegal attack on the basic democratic right all Canadians have to vote."
In the robo-call affair time and law favour the Tories
John Ibbitson, The Globe and Mail
"If there was sufficient evidence of wrongdoing in Nipissing–Timiskaming to bring that 18-vote plurality into doubt, a judge could nullify the election, which would force a by-election. But before that happened, either side could appeal the decision directly to the Supreme Court. In other words, even if there was hanky-panky in the riding so serious that it warranted a by-election, if could take years before that by-election was called. It might even be overtaken by a general election. No wonder the Conservatives are hunkering down on this one. Unless clear evidence emerges of wrongdoing, time and the law are on their side."
Who is electoral demon dialer Pierre Poutine
Tim Powers, The Globe and Mail
"Pierre Poutine, you're no Dudley Do-Right. Reveal yourself! Spare us this rare moment of bizarre Canadiana, spending far too much time trying to discover your identity all the while suffering the fallout from your demon dialing. When you existed in curd form we only needed to fear for our arteries; now our entire body politic is being poisoned."
Allegations of fraud, sleaze a turnoff to voters
Tim Harper, The Toronto Star
"The old adage holds true — you play in the mud, you (and your party) gets dirty. If Canadians don't get angry, demand an independent probe and an end to the sleaze in this town, we'll all be looking back at the 61.1 per cent voter turnout of 2011 as the golden age of Canadian democracy."
Even if there were robocalls, Stephen Harper won fair and square
L. Ian Macdonald, The Gazette
"The Conservative candidate in Guelph lost by 6,000 votes anyway. Robocalls don't change outcomes in races that aren't close, and so far no one has pointed to a close race whose result was changed by them. Sorry, but this isn't Watergate. Nobody broke into Liberal or NDP campaign headquarters and stole their hard drives. No journalists are meeting sources at 2 a.m. in the garage of the National Arts Centre. Nowadays journalists generally just talk to each other on Twitter."
Feb. 28
This is not Zimbabwe
Editorial, Calgary Herald
"Some of the Conservative reaction to the growing robocall scandal reminds us of Leslie Nielsen standing in front of an exploding fire-works factory in Naked Gun while telling a gathering crowd, "Move on. Nothing to see here." On Monday, Tory Senator Mike Duffy blamed it on third parties. Conservative strategist Tim Powers called it opposition hysteria. On the weekend, Defence Minister Peter MacKay called it an isolated incident. In question period Monday, the unflappable Stephen Harper gave them all a lesson in crisis communications, saying that anyone with evidence of illegal acts should notify Elections Canada, as Harper says his party has done, so the agency can investigate and report back to the House of Commons. It's the only credible response."
Robo-call accusations raise uncomfortable questions
Chantal Hebert, The Toronto Star
"Under Stephen Harper, the Conservatives have pushed the line of what is considered fair game in partisan politics. It now basically sits on the divide between what is legal and what is not. The evidence suggests that the closer parties play to that line, the greater the chances that some of their partisans will cross it. The Liberals just learned that the hard way when it was found that one of their staffers was responsible for leaking details of Public Safety Minister Vic Toews' private life on Twitter. Too often, the opposition has been prompt to follow the Conservatives down the same slippery slope."
First election scandal casualty: Democracy
Warren Kinsella, QMI Agency
"The Liberal Party deservedly paid a price for the Quebec sponsorship scandal. People went to jail, and the party has never really recovered. This Conservative vote fraud scandal is arguably worse. It does not just involve the theft of tax dollars in one province. It involves the theft of an actual election, in ridings right across Canada. If the allegations are true, Harper's party has debased our democracy, and made us look to the world like a banana republic. What is most astonishing, and sad, is that Conservatives may have engaged in election fraud when they were always going to win the damned thing anyway."
Getting to the bottom of a robo-scandal
Editorial, National Post
"The allegations in the so-called robocall scandal – that Tory campaign workers, or someone pretending to be from the federal Conservatives, hired a call centre to make deliberately misleading calls in advance of the 2011 election in an attempt to suppress Liberal-voter turnout – are serious enough to warrant an open, public investigation. It doesn't matter whether enough calls were made to alter the outcome of even a single tightly contested ridings. The issue is public faith in our electoral system, which is already shaky. An inquiry may be the only way to maintain Canadians' trust."
The more we look for phone scams, the more we find
Dan Gardner, Ottawa Citizen
"The Conservatives insist they want the truth to be exposed. If that's true, they must appoint a fully independent, fully empowered judicial inquiry. And why shouldn't they? To paraphrase what many Conservatives said about warrantless Internet surveillance, they have nothing to fear if they have nothing to hide."
Feb. 27
Investigation into robocalls scandal must be public, not biased
Michael Den Tandt, PostMedia News
"To Gomery, or not to Gomery? That is the question. As the full weight of the robocalls scandal settles over official Ottawa and the players marshal their forces for war this week in the House, it has become quite clear that the Conservatives have no decent line of defence, here. They're flying blind."
Vote-suppression scandal with be a test of PM's leadership
John Ibbitson, The Globe and Mail
"Prime Minister Stephen Harper has a major problem. How he deals with it will tell us whether the comforts of majority government have dulled his political instincts. Elections Canada and the RCMP are investigating some pretty serious stuff in at least one riding, Guelph, where one or more Conservative party workers may have impersonated Elections Canada officials in an effort to lure Liberal voters to a non-existent polling station. How much of that kind of thing went on, and how high knowledge of the activity went in the party, is the all-important question."


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subset: commoncrawl


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text:
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Lord Skelmersdale: Before my noble friend the Minister pours what I hope will be very icy water indeed on this amendment, I would like to respond to something which the noble Lord, Lord Carter, said. As he knows very well, the reforms have been discussed in the health service since about 1985. The year 1990 was the tip of a particular iceberg in that discussion. The moment the 1990 Bill was published the discussion within the health service immediately turned to how much longer shall we keep the regional authorities.
Lord Carter: Perhaps I may respond to that. I believe that the noble Lord is wrong. The reforms started on a "Panorama" programme when the previous Prime Minister, Mrs. Thatcher, was asked what the Government were going to do about the health service. She said that they were going to reform it. That was a surprise to her Ministers and, I believe, in particular to the Minister, Mr. Kenneth Clarke, who took over the job and found, I am told, a blank sheet of paper. The idea that these measures are a seamless robe that started in 1985 and proceeded smoothly along the way, is not so.
The only point that I was making, in response to the noble Baroness, Lady Gardner, was that it is not correct to say that this was thought of in 1990. If that had been the case, the provisions would have been included in the Act which we spent a great deal of time discussing.
Lord Skelmersdale: I do not like having to defend myself in this way; but I mentioned the date of 1985
Lord Skelmersdale: and it was my then right honourable friend, who is now the noble Lord, Lord Moore, who instigated the reforms. My right honourable friend the current Chancellor certainly did not come into office with a blank sheet of paper.
Baroness Cumberlege: I am very tempted to enter the debate on correcting the history of this matter because I was party to many of the discussions that took place at that time; but I do not think that this is quite the moment to go into that. I take on board the views of my noble friend Lord Peyton that we need to get on with the job. Perhaps we should think of the phrase, "God make speed to save us".
My noble friends Lord Elton, Lord Carr, Lord Peyton and Lord Skelmersdale were right to remind the Committee that we have already agreed the principle of the Bill at Second Reading. I made clear during that debate that one of the two purposes of the Bill is the abolition of regional health authorities. Indeed, the Long Title of the Bill makes that clear. This is a Bill to abolish regional health authorities, district health authorities and family health services authorities, and require the setting up of new health authorities. As my noble friends Lord Carr and Lord Peyton have said, that leaves many details for us to discuss; but whether to abolish RHAs is not one of them.
Perhaps I may remind your Lordships why the Government have proposed the abolition of RHAs. We do not deny that RHAs played a necessary and important role in the NHS before the 1990 reforms. Their management skills were vital, not least in hands-on management of hospitals and in directing DHAs, and they carried out useful operation and co-ordinating tasks.
The regional health authorities were crucial in the first stages of the reforms. Their valuable experience and support were needed to ensure the successful development of NHS trusts, of GP fundholders and of purchasing district health authorities. Systems of management had to be built up at a local level, and RHA expertise was needed here. But as my noble friend Lady Gardner said, responsibility has now been successfully devolved from RHAs closer to patients. I am grateful to my noble friend Lord Carr for highlighting the success of GP fundholders and NHS trusts. The development of stronger local purchasing authorities has changed the way the NHS should be managed in the future. There are fewer purchasing authorities than there once were because of authority mergers. After this Bill there will be fewer stillonly around 100 in totalso large organisations will not be needed at regional level to manage them.
I do not deny that regional co-ordination will still be vital after the reorganisation. We are not proposing to move all RHA functions to health authoritiesthat is why the regional offices have been established. The NHS executive headquarters and the regional offices will contribute to health policy across the country and to developing the overall strategic direction of the NHS: for example, they will develop and evaluate the overall NHS research and development strategy, which has been mentioned this afternoon. Perhaps I may reassure the noble Baronesses, Lady Jay and Lady Robson, and the noble Lord, Lord Walton, in absentia, that strategic planning for specialised services such as neurosurgery must of course still be performed at regional level. Health authority areas will be too small for planning such servicesso they will be achieved through consortia of health authorities. These will be supported, particularly in the early stages, by the regional offices. They will not be expected to devolve functions to purchasers if they do not have confidence that they are capable of maintaining high standards.
But the need for a regional management structure does not mean that the size and bureaucratic complexity of the RHAs is still needed. Regional strategic management must be administered with a light touch, respecting the freedoms of both purchasers and providers. The effectiveness of the National Health Service Management Executive regional outposts, which had only 10 to 15 staff each to manage all the NHS trusts in the region, has shown that this new approach can be successful in the NHS.
Your Lordships have expressed doubts about the accountability of the regional offices. Perhaps I can try to reassure the noble Lord, Lord Stoddart of Swindon, and other Members of the Committee that the move from RHAs to regional offices, which are part of the Civil Service, is a logical step. The role of the regional offices is best carried out as part of the department, in direct line to the Secretary of state. They will not be taking the key decisions which will directly affect local people. The new, stronger health authorities will be taking those decisions, and they will be "independent" and "accountable" in the same way as RHAs. Regional offices will have new opportunities to influence policy by offering advice to Ministers. It is entirely appropriate this should be the province of members of the Civil Service, and the regional offices will of course be accountable to Parliament through the Secretary of State, just like the rest of the department.
Because regional offices will be part of the department, it will be easier to ensure that they remain small and streamlined. Had we replaced RHAs with separate statutory authorities, there would be a risk of building up again the bureaucracy we are committed to removing. With regional offices firmly part of the department, we can reduce duplication of work between the NHS executive and regions. In the past, there has been overlap in areas like performance management, guidance and interpretation of policy, checking of statistics, and so on. Most things will be done in the future either by regional offices or by the executive headquarters as part of the same organisation. There will be no need for them to double-check each other. This will lead to savings.
The noble Lord, Lord Stoddart, asked about redundancies in the National Health Service due to the changes. Perhaps I can refer to the efforts that have already been made by the regional health authorities. Of course, there will inevitably be costs associated with redundancies. We accept that; but we shall try to minimise the numbers as much as possible. The regional health authorities are making every effort to minimise the disruption to staff, using measures such as voluntary redundancies, clearing house arrangements, out-placements and retraining schemes. Where it is necessary to make staff redundant, they will receive the full financial benefits to which they are entitled. I pick up the points made by my noble friends Lord Carr and Lord Peyton that we need to get on with the business. That is particularly true in the context of staff because nothing is more demoralising than not knowing where one's future lies.
The new health authorities will be well placed to take on functions currently discharged by RHAs. Functions can be delegated to the lowest sensible levelcloser to patients, so that decisions can be taken quickly in response to changes in need.
The noble Baroness, Lady Jay, expressed concern about the move of the regional directors of public health from RHAs to regional offices. But the role of the regional directors of public health will be different in the new system. Most public health functions will be carried out by the new health authorities. They will be a much more appropriate place for public health issues than the RHAs, which are artificial entities in public health terms. District directors of public health will report on the health of their local populations and will be free to comment on the factors affecting health care in their area. The role of the regional director will be to ensure that health authorities carry out their public health role effectively. Those responsibilities will be entirely appropriate to their status as civil servants.
The noble Baroness, Lady Robson, mentioned nurse education. I should like to address that issue on Amendment No. 11.
The noble Lord, Lord Rea, asked about post-graduate deans and regional GP advisers. I am pleased to tell the noble Lord that we have today published a full consultation document which will be placed in the Library tomorrow. I believe that that will answer many of the noble Lord's misgivings and concerns.
To conclude: it is the new health authorities which will take responsibility for the public health of their populations, for planning services, for assessing health needs. They will develop an effective, primary care-led NHS. The retention of regional health authorities is not necessary for this and could well get in the way. Their abolition will save money to be reinvested in patient care. There will be savings of around £150 million per year when the Bill is fully implemented, and the bulk of this will come from the abolition of RHAs, the cutting of bureaucracy and the reduction in duplicating work. I invite your Lordships to reject the amendment.
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text: Mier was raised in Shanghai, and moved to Phoenix at the age of 12, going on to get a degree in Environmental Design at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Given her trade its no surprise that she finds inspiration for her adorable ceramic jewelry in nature herself. The process is quite long—and it involves everything from tiny ceramics tools to giant kilns for firing the final product. Making something by hand that's so small and intricate comes with its own challenges, but she's come to love that each of her little ceramic creations is slightly different. That just means each one's got its own teeny personality.


text:
Great LTC Clinical and Advice, Please.
I just completed my final rotation in a very nice LTC facility.
I have always loved geriatrics and always intended to continue in this field.
The nurses were wonderful and I actually enjoyed it very much, even though the work is demanding.
They gave me plenty to do and learn and my preceptor really went above and beyond to show me all the computer/paperwork, how to do orders, send out labs, delegate, report, organize med pass... very very thorough.
After many rotations in the hospital setting, which I never felt satisfied nor comfortable with (though did well), I found myself actually feeling enthused and optimistic... actually thinking, "Yes, I can see myself doing this!"
I would like to bring in a nice huge box of mighty fine chocolates with a nice card attached as a token of my appreciation (which I have never done before, though my other rotations have been positive).
I would also like to get a position there.
Would it be inappropriate to mention in the card that I would be so honored if they would consider me for a future position?
Or is that TMI at this point and I should just wait until I get a good professional resume together after I graduate next week?
Bottom line, I want them to know I appreciated the effort and time they put into me... and I don't want them to forget me.
PS:The nurse (bless her heart) bought me lunch (even though I protested I would not be around to pay her back) and suggested I apply. Would you do that if you didn't think the student had potential? Maybe she's just a darn nice woman?
Thank you.
About Hygiene Queen, RN Guide
Joined: Sep '07; Posts: 2,475; Likes: 8,796Jul 4, '11Would it be inappropriate to mention in the card that I would be so honored if they would consider me for a future position?Jul 4, '11Don't mention in a thank you a possible job. But I would ask a preceptor if you can leave a resume with him/her. I ran into a clinical instructor after I had graduated and the one nurse I had bonded with in LTC had asked about me recently. If I had given that nurse my resume I may have had a good resource in this very tough job market. Thankfully I was very proactive after graduation and found a job at another sub acute rehab facility. But I would have jumped on the chance to work in that facility with that nurse, and I felt like I wasted the opportunity when I talked to my instructor.Jul 4, '11I am a DON in LTC. I recently had a group of nursing students in for several weeks of clinical. At the end of the rotation, one of the students stopped by my office and dropped off her resume and informed me she only had 2 months left but would like a written application once done with school. I replied that I couldn't really use her resume until then. She cheerfully said "I know, I just don't want you to forget my name". From my point of view...I loved her assertiveness. She wasn't rude or pushy in any way she just truly liked our facility and wanted me to know it. I haven't forgotten her name and will patiently wait until she has passed NCLEX.
Don't mention your intentions in your thank you note. The "Thank You" belongs to the nurses on the floor that helped you learn something. Cheerfully take your resume to someone in management who actually does the hiring.
Good luckJul 5, '11Thank you for your replies.
I will bring in a token of my appreciation and not mention wanting a job.
I will prepare a solid resume instead and take it from there.
Jul 6, '11I've had nursing students in many of my buildings. I always speak to them as a group and let them know that if they are looking to make a career in long term care, we'd be glad to have them apply after they graduate. I don't think it's pushy. Honestly in this job market you need all the help you can get.
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Manufactures Plastic Products Manufactures Industrial Machinery Iron die castings, Non ferrous alloy die castings, Stainless steel die castings, Steel die castings, Magnesium die castings, Zinc die castings
Northland Tooling Technologies was founded in 1989. Northland Tooling Technologies specializes in Manufacturing - Injection Molding Of Plastics.


text: My Name is David is an animated short film from one of the animators of Robot Chicken, Matt Manning, that depicts a young student's speech to his fellow classmates about his autism. The film features the actual words and voice of the author of the speech,14-year-old David Shapiro Sharif. Sharif's speech aims not only to educate children and adults about autism but also to give a voice to the more than one million young men and women with autism in schools throughout the country. You can watch the video on YouTube here.


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Fisher-Price has recalled about 15,000 Learning Pots and Pans toy sets. Missing screws can cause the clear plastic cover to come loose and release small balls, presenting a choking hazard to young children.
The Learning Pots and Pans toy sets include stackable pots and pans, a lid and shape-sorting blocks. The toys have light and sound features. Model number G6685 is located on the bottom of the blue pan. The toys were made in China and sold in discount department and toy stores nationwide from October 2007 to August 2008 for about $20.
Consumers should immediately take these recalled toys away from children and examine the bottom of the blue pan. The pan should contain six screws. If all six screws are installed, no further action is necessary. If any screws are missing, the consumer should contact Fisher-Price to arrange for the return of the blue pan for a replacement. For additional information, contact Fisher-Price at (888) 521-0820 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at www.service.mattel.com
To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08362.html


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The 27th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs competition was held June 18-20 at the Oak Grove Petro 70 in Oak Grove, MO. Brad Caton, of Hampton, MN, with Eilen & Sons Trucking, was awarded the Best of Show top prize of $10,000 for his 2007 Peterbilt tractor with 2007 Mac Smooth Side. Caton also captured the Best Engine award, while Chris Anderson of Odessa, TX drove away with the People's Choice award, voted on throughout the event by all contestants and spectators, for his 2000 Kenworth.
The three-day beauty contest for actively working trucks provides owner-operators from the United States and Canada the opportunity to compete for $25,000 in cash and additional prizes. Competitive categories included: Tractor, Tractor/Trailer Combination, Classic, Best Chrome, Best Theme, Best Mural, Best Lights, Best Interior, Best Engine and People's Choice.
In addition to Caton and Anderson, other truckers also won the opportunity to appear beside their trucks in the 2010 Shell Rotella SuperRigs calendar, including Eric Holthaus of Seneca, KS who took first place in the Tractor/Trailer competition for his 2002 Peterbilt, Curtis Christians of Rockport, MO who drove away with first place in the Tractor competition for his 2005 379 Peterbilt, and Jerry Kissinger of Stoughton, WI who captured first place in the Classic division with his 1991 Mack Superliner.


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One Vision
3505 W Kenosha St
Broken Arrow, OK 74012
Mon - Fri: 9:00AM - 6:00PM
Sat: 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Sun: Closed
At One Vision, each member of our vision care team is selected based upon his or her experience, professional demeanor, and dedication to providing personalized care to our optometry patients.
Our entire Broken Arrow optometry staff is committed to ensuring the comfort and satisfaction of each and every patient. We will do our best to accommodate your busy schedule by finding appointment times that meet your needs. Our knowledgeable staff at One Vision will work with you to help you understand your vision insurance coverage and provide financial alternatives to ensure you get the best vision care possible.
We know that you have a choice when it comes to Broken Arrow optometry, so we strive to provide comprehensive eye exams, a great selection of glasses, and personalized care.
- Binocular Vision
- Cataract Co-Management
- Cataract Evaluation & Management
- Cataracts
- Cornea & Contact Lenses
- Corneal Refractive Therapy
- Diabetes
- Eye Disease
- General Optometry
- Geriatrics
- Glaucoma
- Infants
- Lasik Co-Management
- Learning Disabilities
- Macular Degeneration
- Ocular Disease
- Optical
- Optician
- Orthoptics
- Pediatrics
- Retinal
- RoutineEye Care
- Sports Vision
- Sunglasses
- English
- Aetna
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- CareCredit
- Champ VA
- Cigna Health Care
- Community HealthFirst Medicare Advantage
- EyeMed Vision Care
- Humana
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Most insurance accepted
- Mutual Of Omaha
- Superior Vision
- United Health Care
- American Express
- Cash
- Check
- Debit
- Discover
- Mastercard
- Visa
Dr. James Thirion
Certifications & Memberships
5 stars Matthew R Featured review
Great people, exam as very thorough and helping me pick my frames to the needs of my vision was excellent.
5 stars Robert L Verified customer
Got in to see doctor in a timely fashion. Everyone was friendly and the doctor did a very good job of explaining his findings.
5 stars Mical G Verified customer
I was in and out in 30 min at my scheduled appointment. The staff was very nice and courteous. Great location and affordable prices.
5 stars Jessica M Verified customer
Excellent service and communication!
5 stars Hannelore S Verified customer
Great experience! I was impressed with the friendliness and knowledge of the Doctor and his staff!! Also nice and very clean store.
5 stars Corridon S Verified customer
Very friendly and helpful service
5 stars Todd C Verified customer
Thank you to the team at One Vision and Dr. Thirion. I have never had this kind of personal service at any eye doctor before. Best pair of progressive glasses I have ever had.
5 stars Debra S Verified customer
The service is always top notch and professional. Everyone is competent and friendly.
5 stars Carla R Verified customer
The doctor was engaging and provided a detailed explanation. Allowed questions. Best eye experience I've had.
5 stars Janie G Verified customer
No wait; thorough and helpful
5 stars Sabrina N Verified customer
Everyone was very nice and helpful
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Housekeeper in Temple
We do house, house boats, Apt, Churches, and offices/ business. We offer General cleaning, Deep cleaning, Move outs and Make ready. What ever your needs may be we would be happy to assist you. We offer good prices, Call set up a time to meet and we will give you a price based on the job. If interested please give us a call you may contact Laura everyday between the hours of 8am and 9pm. 254-541-... or You can call April everyday between the hours off 8am- 8pm 254-421-.... Bids starting as low as $125.00 and sometime lower but varies on size, location, and the type of cleaning that needs to be done. Thing we do not do: Cleaning up after pets, Garage cleaning, and yard work
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On my quest for controlled skin this summer, I have been searching for the right product to help keep my breakouts to a minimum.
A friend of mine had suggested years ago that I try products from the Body Shop. In my research, I came across an advertisement introducing their Skin Clearing Tea Tree Oil Line. I was skeptical at first, as I am with any new product, but I decided that it was worth a try.
Plus, it was on sale! Who doesn't like a good discount?
Finally, it arrived, and I was surprised at how small the bottles were, but that didn't deter me from testing the products.
I've been using the product on and off for three weeks. My first reaction, the smell. If you use tea tree oil as a part of your regular regime, then you're familiar with the smell. There's no "it's so fruity' moment, it just smells like Tea Tree Oil.
If you're not a fan of the smell, then this product is not for you.
A little product goes go a long way. You don't need a lot to cover the areas of your face because it lathers up well.
After a few seconds, I felt the cooling effects. It wasn't intense, but you'll notice when it happens. Using it regularly, I hardly noticed the effects after the first 2 – 3 washes.
With other washes that I've used, my skin felt very dry and tight. However, this product left my skin feeling smooth and moisturized.
After drying my face, I followed with the mattifying toner.
The instructions on the bottle suggested for best use, a shake of the product would activate the mattifying powders. Like the wash, a little product goes a long way, and the smell was the same.
My Overall Results
Still too early to tell, but my skin tone looks a bit more even, and my acne scars have faded slightly.
I don't want to get my hopes up too soon, as I am with a lot of products I've tried in the past, butI'll continue using the product until it's finished.
Currently, it's at the half way mark.
I also plan to purchase the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Mask, as I've read great reviews.
If you tried the products, let me know in the comment section.


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für Weltraumforschung::Web services for Cluster and Double Star
The aim of the Cluster mission is to study small-scale structures of the magnetosphere and its environment in three dimensions. To achieve this, Cluster is constituted of four identical spacecraft that will flight in a tetrahedral configuration. The separation distances between the spacecraft will be varied between 600 km and 20 000 km, according to the key scientific regions. The four Cluster spcecrafts are in orbit since 2001.
As a sister project to Cluster Double Star (DSP) is a joint ESA/Chinese project to study the effects of the Sun on the
Earth's environment, and in particular the 'magnetotail',
where storms of high-energy particles are generated.
The first of the two spacecraft has been in orbit since December 2003, the second has been launched on July,
25th 2004.
Please follow one of the links below:
Technical requirements


text: Sure, Angie was obsessed with vintage fashion. But it wasn't merely the classic styling of clothes gone by that she adored. No, Angie was fascinated by how they were made––custom tailored perfectly and meant to last. And so, she set out on a mission to recreate some of that goodness for the modern gal. Sometimes it starts with a fabric that catches her eye, and other times it's after a session of fervent sketching. But Angie ends every piece in the same way: with lovely fabric, interesting details and quality construction. Voila!, they do make clothes like they used to.


text:
Call it a deluxe, adding-injury-to-insult edition of a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. In addition to scoring a goal (two of them actually), setting up a couple of tallies and getting into a scrap on Saturday night, Calgary captain Jarome Iginla also managed to give the Edmonton Oilers a paper cut and then pour lemon juice on it.
You'd think the Oil would be completely numb and far beyond the stage that anyone could hurt them by now. After all, the Copper 'n' Blue's rational fans have all conceded that the 2009-10 campaign is a writeoff and the resigned supporters have already started to cheer themselves up with the knowledge that either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin is likely on his way to the provincial capital. Some of the more masochistic members of Oilers Nation have even learned to take great delight in the month-long series of losses and the brutal hockey being played by their hapless heroes.
And yet, as totally anesthetized as the Oil appeared to be, Iginla and the Flames found an inadvertent way to give Edmonton fans a good swift kick in the future generations. Beyond the wince-inducing historical element of completing the first sweep in Battle of Alberta history, Saturday's Calgary victory means next to nothing in 2009-10 scheme of things for the Oilers. However, the result of Iginla's bout with Sheldon Souray — a broken hand for the Edmonton blueliner — represents a mustard stain on the blueprint for the rebuilding project.
Souray's trade value was already a fairly questionable matter but Saturday's mishap really puts a crimp in the Oilers' hopes of obtaining something useful (or at least expunging $9 million from the next two seasons' payrolls) before the trade deadline. Iginla, of course, had already incurred the wrath of Edmontonians by slamming Souray into the boards on Oct. 8 and knocking the rearguard out of commission for a month. That incident was obviously the motivation for Saturday's settling of accounts, with disastrous results for Souray and the Oilers. Of course, even before the fight and the injury, Souray hadn't done anything to enhance his trade value. His giveaway leading to Dustin Boyd's second goal was part of a minus-2 night that dropped his season figure to minus-19.
For Calgary, one measly win in the past 10 games leaves the club in a surprisingly stable condition. Thanks to the fact that the teams that are currently directly ahead and behind them in the Western Conference standings (Nashville and Detroit) have also been staggering, the Flames hold down eighth spot in the West and are just one point out of seventh.
The bad news is the Flames have no dates remaining against Edmonton and Toronto, against whom they were a combined 8-0 this season. Calgary is 19-20-8 against the rest of the NHL.


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For the best experience on the Abcam website please upgrade to a modern browser such as Google Chrome
The details of the immunogen for this antibody are not available.
Cross linking of CD180 with clone RP/14 has been reported to induce resistance against irradiation induced apoptosis, B-cell proliferation and up-regulation of a co-stimulatory molecule B7.2.
Our Abpromise guarantee covers the use of ab33758 in the following tested applications.
The application notes include recommended starting dilutions; optimal dilutions/concentrations should be determined by the end user.
|Flow Cyt
|Use 10µl for 106 cells.
Use 10µl to label 106 cells in 100µl.
ab18450 - Rat monoclonal IgG2a, is suitable for use as an isotype control with this antibody.
Please note: All products are "FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY AND ARE NOT INTENDED FOR DIAGNOSTIC OR THERAPEUTIC USE"


text: i found few things for the emailers like me so thought of sharing it. 1.your contacts are very moody about when they want to look at email. 2.I am dead after 5 hours (Emails). 3.Email response is higher in afternoon. seems very informative to me, if you guys have any thing more then this for emailing ideas then lets talk on it ! you can vissit us at https://www.facebook.com/Linuxfreakz [h=4][/h]


text: Eega Musicperk TeamMarch 31, 2012 The remix of the title track is sure to be a chart buster for the finesse with which it has been handled. The beats are not overdone, as the case of typical remixes and therefore the original feel of the track is not lost. Its rock flavor is enhanced from that of the original and thus is likely to garner more fanfare. The buzz of the mosquito. Telugu Albums0 Comments478 views 0


text:
First -Rate 1 BR apt in JLT for RENT (Dubai)
First-rate fully furnished 1 bedroom apartment is now available for rent.
Full panoramic views stretching from the sea to Marina and the lakes.
Prime location- very close to Dubai Marina, Internet City, Jebel Ali, Palm Jumeirah to mention a few.
Just few steps aways from the JLT metro station- the best way to access the rest of Dubai! Taxis are also easy to find.
Varied choices of restaurants and shops in the area.
The tower has modern luxurious amenities including temperature controlled swimming pool, a sauna, and 2 well-equipped fitness centers. It has 24-hour security and concierge service.
The apartment itself has a Protected content , located on the 26th floor.
It features clean and modern furniture and built-in appliances.
There is also a dedicated parking space included with this apartment.
Viewing schedule is every day after 4pm and all day during weekends. The price is AED 95,000 for Protected content and Protected content fro 3 or 4 cheques.
Please message or call tj at Protected content


text:
Sharp tunes in full HD for flat TVs
Sharp Corp. said it intends to equip all its large LCD TVs with full HD resolution.
Resolution for digital HDTV broadcasting is defined as 1,080-by-1,920 pixels, but conventional HDTVs usually have only 768-by-1,366 resolution. "When TV screens grow over 40-inch size, a full HD specification is essential," said Takashi Okukda, corporate director and group general manager for Sharp's Audio-Video Systems Group.
Sharp announced it will add 37-inch and 57-inch LCD TVs to its full HD lineup. The 57-inch model features a new type of backlight for better picture quality.
The shift to full HD resolution has started among flat TV competitors. Matsushita will begin marketing in Japan a full HD 65-inch plasma display TV in November. Sony will also offer two full HD models as its high-end LCD TV models in November.
Sharp's LCD TVs with full HD resolution account for about 60 percent of its large LCD TV business. The company intends to equip all its large LCD TVs with full HD resolution by September 2006, according to Okuda.
With the full HDTV introductions, Sharp now offers five sizes ranging from 37 inches to 65 inches. Some models are already on the overseas market, and Sharp intends to add a new 57-inch model by February in the U.S.
The new 57-inch model features a hybrid backlight with red LEDs and a cold cathode fluorescent lamp. The use of LEDs for backlight illumination is emerging as the next-generation backlight, but a full LED backlight is still unavailable in terms of cost and power consumption, said Nichiharu Nishihara, division deputy general manager for Sharp's LCD digital systems division.
"Full LED backlight is technically possible even now, but I personally think that it will come into products widely in two to three years," said Nishihara.
With the use of red LEDs, backlight costs for 57-inch TVs increased by about 30 percent while power consumption increased by about 50 W, according to Nishihara.
- Yoshiko Hara
EE Times
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text:
Press Releases
|Date Posted
Midwest Center for Structural Genomics deposits 500th structure into Protein Data Bank
ARGONNE, Ill. — Researchers from the Midwest Center for Structural Genomics, located at the U.S.
|January 5, 2007
Study finds improvements in environmental management of coal combustion wastes
ARGONNE, Ill.
|January 19, 2007
Three young scientists named postdocs at Argonne
ARGONNE, Ill. — Three young scientists with promising careers ahead of them have been appointed as postdoctoral fellows at the U.S.
|February 2, 2007
New nanoscale engineering breakthrough points to hydrogen-powered vehicles
ARGONNE, Ill. — Researchers at the U.S.
|March 2, 2007
New crystallization method to ease study of protein structures
Researchers at the Midwest Center for Structural Genomics (MCSG), the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) and the Structural Biology Center (SBC) at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a new technique for crystallizing proteins that will ease experimentation into protein structures.
|March 7, 2007
Bright light on ancient materials
Art and science collaborate to explore the past with X-rays at Argonne National Laboratory
|March 30, 2007
Argonne featured on 'International Definition' D.C. cable TV show
ARGONNE, Ill. — Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago were featured on the Washington , D.C. , cable TV show "International Definition."
|April 11, 2007
Argonne helps improve air quality for 2008 Beijing Olympics
ARGONNE, Ill. — To improve the air quality of Beijing and ensure a healthy atmosphere for athletes and spectators at the 2008 Summer Olympics, the U.S.
|April 13, 2007
Renee Carder to be Argonne's Deputy to the Lab Director
ARGONNE, Ill. — Argonne National Laboratory Director Robert Rosner has appointed Renee Carder as the Deputy to the Lab Director.
|April 16, 2007
New catalyst helps eliminate NOx from diesel exhaust
A catalyst developed by Argonne researchers could help diesel truck manufacturers eliminate harmful nitrogen-oxide emissions from diesel exhausts.
|April 27, 2007


text:
Merry Xmas to all!
There goes another year for me. As a brief recap for the year it went something like this. I changed jobs 3 times. Yep, 3 times. I have had some niggling health issues that have made life a bit ordinary too. My anxiety and depression issues returned to a point where I sought help again in order to get them under control. Sounds pretty bleak? Well surprisingly not.
As much as each of the moments in themselves were a bit scary, or concerning or just downright annoying there was never a time when I felt alone. I always had support. The anxiety reared its head in January but Alison was there to talk it through with and my friends and family showed concern but tempered it with support for my decisions and understanding for the behaviors and moods that had been a precursor to it. I'm travelling along swimmingly again now.
Jobs. Just wow. I had a contract that was coming to an end and was stressed that it might mean I was unemployed for a period of time following that. At the last possible minute I was snapped up by a company in the same industry and immediately dropped in the deep end. It was hectic and somewhat stressful but I survived it and learnt a bunch along the way. I loved my work mates and really appreciate the opportunities that the position gave me. I would still be there if not for an opportunity that arose out of nowhere. I have been out of the arts industry for nearly 2 years and each time I have contact with it again I see what I am missing. Sure it can be hard work and often thankless but there is still nothing like seeing a performance come to life. It's a bit special. So a position as a Production Manager came up for QPAC, the Queensland Performing Arts Complex. I applied with no expectations as there was a strong field of applicants and the reality is that these positions are rare. I interviewed well and walked out thinking that if someone else got it, they were going to do a good job. I'd given it a red hot go. I can't tell you how happy I was when I got it. Stoked.
The health issues really were a speed bump as it turns out. After having things prodded into places I would really rather not have things put, it seems a couple of small issues were giving me grief in a long term way. Sorted now though with a bit of simple day surgery. Et voila! Here we are.
What has any of this got to do with my adventures? Well life is one great adventure isn't it. There have been some moments along the way but all in all 2013 was OK. My family is happy and healthy, I have great friends and I always have the potential for some really cool adventures. This year it's about converting the potential into reality. No promises but it could be a great 2014.


text:
Johnny Brennan: "Oh, God! Mother woke me up today. She poured a hot pan of grease all over my chest & ass. I fell down the stairs. My shoes fell off."
Burger Bob Customer: "WHAT?"
Johnny: "I can't see dammit, you sonuvabitch! I'm scarred about the face, chest, neck & shoulders. But I look fine. Makeup conceals everything."
Ernie Lazarro: "He insulted me. He called me, 'fruity ass.'"
Johnny Brennan: "Sweetie cakes? Come here 'n show me your toolbox. We can go to the bridge. I'll fur you up head first into a sailor dive 'n I'll join you in the water. I'll rub sea weed all over your ass 'n neck 'n shit."
Jack Tors: "I will move my penis to my ass cause I don't know which way I'm swinging yet."
Jack Tors: "I heard that they hang you upside down & kick your face out the back of your ass? I also heard there's a little room where they heat up hot bacon grease & fire it all over the face?"
Jack Tors: "I'm constantly slugging my genitals."
Rosine: "I don't eat lobster. I lick it & then slap it off the table! Do you have a balloon I can touch & lick?"
Frank Rizzo Insults: Sizzlechest. Bottlenose. Picklenose. Nits. Sweet Charlie. Toots. Sweet tits. Smart mouth. Rubberneck. Barrell-ass. Bologna tits. Salami tits. Fruitcake. Liver lips. Chief. Babe. Tough Guy. Jerky. Speed racer. Lefty. Sweetnuts. Flapjack. Happy ass. Butt Nut. Fuck Face. Milky Licker.