Beyond The Valley Of The Neocons

UpIsDown
ExpediencyIsThyNameVille


What do these things have in common?

Invisible coffins to show 'respect' for families......

Ending environmental programs to 'protect' the environment ....

Destroying a childcare program to 'rebuild' childcare.....

Capitulating on free trade agreements to 'maintain' free trade.....

Giving away sovereignty to 'ensure' our sovereignty....

Cutting off media access to 'improve' media coverage.....

Trashing peacekeeping to 'save' Canada's reputation as a peacemaker....

Bribing Minvan Dads with $500 hockey sticks to keep their kids 'slim' while gobbling timbits ...

Give up?

Well, believe it or not, professional political gossip monger Jane Taber apparently gave away at least part of the answer in the same edition of the Globe and Mail that did its level best to lobotomize the Canadian public on the Softwood Appeasement issue last weekend:

"Next Saturday a group of Tories will gather quietly in Kanata, Ont., to 'analyze the strengths and weaknesses of conservative communications in Canada'......

{snip}

Sandra Buckler, the Prime Minister's director of communications......is to participate.

Frank Luntz, a (U.S.) Republican pollster and advisor to Preston Manning when he was Reform Party leader, is the keynote speaker. His topic: "Communicating Conservative Messages".

(no link - behind subscription wailing wall)

Hmmmmm......

Now what kind of fine, upstanding forays into the fever swamps of neocon doublespeak might be Mr. Luntz' stock and trade anyway?

Well, how about this:

In April 2003 Luntz made headlines when a memo - "The Environment: a cleaner, safer, healthier America" - he prepared for GOP leaders on how to win "the environmental communications battle" was leaked to the press.

Of course, this 'battle' was won despite the implementation of policies that are actually destroying the environment.


Or, how about this:

GOP pollster Frank Luntz insisted it is "simply not accurate" to call President Bush's Social Security plan "privatizing".....

Of course, this was after George W. Bush had already called the plan 'privatizing'.


Or, how about this whopper:

"September 11 changed everything. So start with 9/11....Without context of 9/11, you will be blamed for the deficit....The trick is to contextualize the deficit inside of 9/11."

In other words, exploit everything to justify anything.


But is that what Canadians really want - including those conservatives who honestly believe that truth, justice and morality are more important than expediency, lies and obfuscation?

I think not.

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