Today might not seem like that big of a day in the life of average Americans, but it is for our friends to the north. Today is Canada's election day. Let me be the first person to congratulate the apparent winner, Stephen Harper. And allow me if you will to provide you with a brief description of his qualifications... He graduated from the University of Calgary with a masters degree in economics, founded the Reform Party, was elected to the House of Commons (1993-1997), leader of the Canadian Alliance in 2002, united them with the Progressive Conservative Party, and in 2004 was selected to lead the new Conservative Party for which his presently ran for Prime Minister.
That said, what does it matter to us here in the States?
Simple, he is a hardline conservative compared by competitors to the likes of George W. Bush and Pat Robertson. Of course, you can take that for a grain of salt if you wish. They are competitors after all.
Paul Martin, the present Prime Minister, used this tactic because Canadians don't like George W. Bush or American politics in general. The only reason Harper may be elected is because the Liberal Party has been under scrutiny as of late. A couple of bad apples are going to ruin the political pie for Canada for the next couple of years. Again, if you're conservative you wouldn't mention this. Of course if it were the other way around, I'm sure there are some liberals who wouldn't mention it either. (Again, the grain of salt thing.)
All I can hope is that the polls are wrong (and they have been in the past), that Martin will win and Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, and Gilles Duceppe will lose. I am after all against most of what these people believe.
Canada just passed a law allowing civil unions -- as close to gay marriage as semantic-driven simpleminded people could be expected to agree upon. (Not just in Canada but in the U.S. too.)
I don't believe in civil unions, but so long as simpleminded fools are in charge, so be it. I believe that everyone is equal. Not because a document tells me they are, not because God tells me they are, but because I believe that to expect fair treatment one must return fair treatment. I expect to be treated fairly, therefore I treat others fairly. I do not believe that it is right to alienate or ostracize anyone for their beliefs, feelings, or opinions and likewise expect that others will do the same for me. If they don't then fuck them. They can believe whatever they want, but I won't respect them for it. I may respect them for other reasons, but that's beside the point. (Not everyone's perfect, but we're making progress.)
Therefore, I believe in equality regardless of any factors whatsoever. Steven Harper is against gay marriage. And even if he says that he won't overturn laws allowing it, I still will not respect him for holding those views. (Though in the large view, my opinion doesn't seem to matter, in the end it's all we have, if conservatives get their way. I mean, when freedoms of press, petition, and privacy are gone, what is there to do?)
Reality check, Harper was defeated by Martin in 2004. So, in the off-years he has weaked his views on many key issues such as health insurance and immigration so that he could pick up a stronger voter base in eastern Canada. Coupled with a weakened Liberal Party, he saw an opening. The thing is, after he's in charge, who's to say which version of him the world will see. Time will tell.
Of course Harper's election could have a small impact on politics in this country. He is after all a supporter of George W. Bush. Therefore they will represent some 3/4 of the population of the North America. Unfortunately, Bush only is respected by 35-40 of the U.S. and nearly none of Canada. Likewise, very few people in the U.S. have ever even heard of Stephen Harper, unless of course they're talking of the principle on a formerly popular TV show: Boston Public.
On a personal level I understand why Canadians are (seemingly) voting for Harper even though 3 of every 4 elections in the past century in Canada have gone to liberals. They want to squash corruption in their political process. Perhaps Ian Stewart, political science professor at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia puts it best:
"Once a generation, Canadians get exceedingly cross with Liberals' egregiously high sense of entitlement and kick them out of office for their own rehabilitation."
On the bright side, Bush will only be around for three more years and in the broad scheme of things (no offense, really) Canada doesn't have a lot to do with world politics -- lucky them. So I guess what I'm saying is that Dubya may have another crony soon, but at least compared to the others he's claimed, Harper's a minor one.
I take great satisfaction in realizing that someday I will be able to tell my grandchildren that whatever conservative group may come to power in their day, that Dubya trumped them all. Never has a more inept man come to a position of power in the history of the world. At least when Hitler killed himself, the world was able to move on -- the Holocaust was over. When Dubya leaves, I know we'll be feeling the affects of his presidency for a long time. On the bright side, though I would like a liberal to win the presidency in 2008, I won't be as annoyed if a conservative did because in experiencing the policies of Bush, I can no longer fear Hell, because I've lived it. (Not that I feared Hell before, being agnostic and all.)
P.S. If you take offence to what I have said, now or ever, then forget you ever read it. It wasn't for you in the first place. And if you didn't understand it let me clarify: I am not a bigot. I am a Democrat. If you believe in the values of the Republican Party on social issues then I'm sorry, I see you as a bigot. I'm sorry if that makes you mad. I know plenty of people who are decent otherwise, and think of them no less. I'm very sorry but I can't support hate.
Peace.
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