Horwath continues to stand with Naziism minimizer

Hamilton-area NDP candidate Anthony Marco’s rambling, tongue-in-cheek podcast and blog rants are supplying the party’s critics with no end of ammunition.

The Liberals unearthed several more Wednesday in which the 42-year-old teacher calls Ontarians lazy, opines that elections are a drag and condemns parents for taking their “f …… kids” along with them to Las Vegas.

The candidate for Niagara West-Glanbrook was on the hot seat earlier for drawing a parallel between Nazism and religion during a profanity-laced podcast a year ago.


Ontario NDP candidate Anthony Marco, in his own words (undoctored and updated!)

Ontario NDP candidate Anthony Marco in a TVO interview.

Yesterday, to defend her friend Anthony Marco, Andrea Horwath allowed a doctored transcript of Marco’s now-infamous words (National Socialism is a “religion,” and those who oppose Naziism are “pretty messed up”) to be issued to the news media.

Here’s his crazed podcast in its entirety.  Listen to it, especially around the seven-minute mark. Is this part of the “positive campaign” Horwath claims to be running?

UPDATE: And the crazy just keeps on coming! And we’ve only listened to a fraction of his online lunacy!


Uncharitable

This is exactly what I was talking about yesterdayConservatives using the power of government to silence critics, by taking away their charitable status.

Oh, and the Wind Power Ontario outfit mentioned in the story?  They’re a Tory front, full stop.  Meanwhile, the taxpayer “federation” is basically an arm of the Conservatives.  They work hand-in-glove with PC campaigns, and have done so for years.

And I may even have seen an email in which Wind Power is seen helping to map out Tea Party North strategy!  Now, where is that email?

 


The Gap

…and I don’t mean the clothing store.

I mean Andrea Horwath’s disappointing Ontario NDP!  Did they actually release a doctored transcript to the media in the now-infamous Anthony Marco story?  (See here and here and here.)

Next thing you know, Andrea will be saying nice things about Richard M. Nixon!


New Ontario NDP logo.


Uncharitable politics

As a lot of you know, I support a lot of NGOs.  A lot of those NGOs do work in respect of the environment, animal welfare, and so on.

In recent months, I have been hearing from worried NGOs – over and over – that they have been targeted by federal Conservatives over their charitable status.  If they lose that status, they lose the ability to operate.

The Cons – federally and provincially – have been targeting organizations who take public positions they disapprove of (you know, the environment is good, animal abuse is bad, etc.).  They have been sending around bureaucrats to tell NGOs that they are “under review.”  The message has been clear: if you continue to advocate in a way we don’t like, you will lose your charitable status.  Federally, Conservatives have gone after a very well-known environmentalist, because they don’t like the things he says.  They want to put him out of business.

Here’s where you come in.

I’m collecting information about this McCarthyite practice for a possible column, and (for certain) my next book.  If you have any information about that, I’d love to hear from you, at wkinsella@hotmail.com.  Confidentiality guaranteed.

This is the worst kind of politics – and it has to stop.  Disagreeing with NGOs is fine.  But using the power of government to bankrupt NGOs you disagree with?  That isn’t fine.


Andrea Horwath thinks this is a defence of Anthony Marco (updated)

At the International Ploughing Match, the media asked the Ontario NDP leader about Marco’s comments – that National Socialism is a religion, and that those who object to Naziism and its variants are “pretty messed up.”

She angrily denounced those who were critical of Marco, and she refused to discipline him. She also suggested his full remarks, in context, somehow validate Marco’s position.  Here are his full remarks:

“Don’t tell me that there’s a separation of church and state right now, because when people talk about the religious right, there’s two words that just married church and state pretty f***in’ quick didn’t they? And if you’re going to talk about a book burning, may I suggest that over the next little while, if you’re going to burn books, and for the most part I would never advocate burning books, because you know books are, when I read a book, even as bad as the book is, I’m that type of person that doesn’t throw books away, I’ve got books all over the place. Maybe someday I should throw books away, but I don’t throw them away. But there are a couple of ones that I would suggest burning. And you know what, it’s not even from an ideological perspective, like ‘oh well, burn stuff by Adolf Hitler,” no. Whatever. If you want to read that stuff, read that stuff. For some people the old politics of Nazi Germany might be their religion. And just as I can’t condemn other people’s religion, I can’t, I don’t agree with them, but you can’t stop somebody from believing in something. And to bash your head against the wall trying, it’s not their fault, it’s your fault. You’re the one who is pretty messed up if you’re going to devote your entire life to trying to convince somebody not to believe what they believe. So if you’re going to be burning books over the next little while, I suggest not burning books for a while…”

That sound like an effective defence to you?  Me neither.  It still sounds like a bloody fool who is wholly indifferent to Naziism, and who also thinks Mein Kampf is worth checking out.

Anyway. The issue now is Andrea Horwath.  Why would she not condemn her candidate’s remarks?  Why would she not discipline him?

Is it because she agrees with him?

UPDATE: Star: “Horwath twice evaded the question when asked if she would advise her candidates to steer clear of making any remarks about Nazis.”


Harper-Hudak “hat trick” video: it’s still being taken down on YouTube

….but you can get it here!

August 2, 2011: Stephen Harper calls for a “hat trick” – for Conservatives to run the country, the GTA and Ontario. Almost every day since: Conservative operatives scramble to suppress any record of Harper’s statement.

Download this video, and share it with others before voting day on October 6!  You can download the file here.

[hana-flv-player video=’/wp-content/uploads/hattrick/HarperHudakFordHatTrickBBQ.flv’ /]

 

Download also found here.