Friday, May 26, 2006

Why Do I Carry Two Passports?

Canada. Real beer. Decriminalized pot. Same sex marriage. Universal health care. And a real press corps.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has declared he won't talk to the national media because they are biased against him, his latest move in a spat with the Parliament's press corps.

....Since Harper's minority government took office after the Jan. 23 elections, his relations with the national media have become more and more strained. Determined to impose order on the traditionally chaotic press scrum in which reporters shout out questions, Harper said he would choose questioners from a pre-screened list....After journalists refused to sign on to the list, Harper refused to take any questions.

On Tuesday, when Harper's press secretary announced there would be no questions after his announcement of aid to the Darfur region of Sudan, nearly two dozen reporters walked out, leaving the prime minister to make his statement in front of a single camera in a nearly empty room.

Ahhh, reporters who remember that they don't work for the government. I wonder what's that like? (h/t to Kevin Drum)

Oh, and the two passports are so I can make a run for the border when the Gonsalez ReEducation Camps open. While the rest of you are still processing the news, we're northward bound in the Prius for a tiny border crossing in the BC woods.

Don't think of it as running away -- I'm going for kind of a Scarlet Pimpernel feel. Not out of bravery, but I think I may have finally found an outlet for my more foppish tendencies. Sink me!

Monday, May 22, 2006

We Were Cosby Staffers Once, and Young

Although a fine piece of mashup, really only of value for my fellow writers who were there and saw the comedy elephant. The theme from arguably the greatest anime series ever grafted onto Himself. (via Screenhead)