June 18, 2012

Letter to the Editor: No double-dutch from straight shooter

Ottawa's Leader of the Official Opposition recently referred to the Dutch Disease; explaining that with emphasis on wealth from Alberta's Tar sands the value of our currency is inflated, thereby hindering manufacturing opportunities in other provinces. Ontario and his stronghold of Quebec are worst affected.

Being quite unfamiliar with anything vaguely resembling the truth, the Harper Government quickly flew into attack mode. They called the statements divisive, to pit province against province  -- as if that hasn't been successive federal government's modus operandi since Canada was formed, eh?

1. The chattering classes inhabiting the echo-chamber we fondly refer to as the Ottawa Press Corps, had pundits and presstitutes taking turns at being the Dutch Uncle to rebuke the Opposition Leader. So many comments, that the Great Unwashed may wonder if there were more than a few drops of Dutch Courage involved?   We take no Dutch Comfort nor Dutch Consolation in observing Dutch Reckoning -- a bill only getting higher after it is questioned  -- when the Minister of Defence talks Double-Dutch to explain the quite astronomical cost of the Libyan Mission.

Even the self-congratulatory orgy in Ottawa, to most likely celebrate NATO's replacing one chaotic and despotic Libyan regime with another of similar dubious values, came in at double the estimated cost!  Imagine, over $800,000 for Parliament Hill's fly-past version of "Mission Accomplished"; that's no Dutch Treat, for damned sure!!

The Harper Government invited a UN "special rapporteur" on the Right To

Food, and he presented a really worrisome report on child poverty in our country. Being totally averse to hearing the truth once again, the government's response was to send out their big guns to shoot the messenger  -- with more Double-Dutch mumbo-jumbo. Maybe the Minister of Immigration and the Minister of Health didn't know the envoy is called Olivier de Schutter, the Dutch translation of which may just be "Straight Shooter"!