Are teachers still a political force?

Personally, I’d say they never stopped being a powerful political force.

So this is good news:

TORONTO – Ontario’s public high school teacher’s union seems ready to back Premier McGuinty’s flagging Liberal government.

Union leaders are warning of a return to tough times if the Tories win October’s provincial election.

They point to the the bitter labour disputes and budget cuts seen under former Premier Mike Harris.

The vice-president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation says education will be under attack if Tory Leader Tim Hudak becomes premier.


In today’s Sun: getting a handle on scandal, a manual

To campaign or not to campaign? That, increasingly, is the question.

The Liberals are all of a sudden gunning for Tory bear. If the Opposition’s rhetoric is matched by action, we could be heading into an election a lot sooner than later.

The ballot question: Do you think the Stephen Harper Government™ has been as ethical as it promised to be?

The Liberals’ strategy seems straightforward enough. These Cons — the ones who promised transparency and accountability — have now irrevocably become what they promised to destroy. To invoke a Manning-ism, they’ve been Otta-washed.


4 am, the scene at Pearson

Literally a thousand people – many with little kids – lined up for hours for a customs agent. What a frigging joke.

There aren’t any Con votes in this room, that’s for damn sure.


I hate hate hate WestJet (updated)

1. Flight was supposed to leave Fort Myers for Toronto at 8:30.

2. They have moved it back multiple times. IT IS NOW LEAVING AT 11:21.

3. That means I will be arriving with my Mom AND FOUR YOUNG KIDS AT ABOUT 5 A.M.

4. Any explanation from WestJet? Just a shrug and “maintenance.” One word. “Maintenance.”

5. Any apology from WestJet? NO NOT A FRIGGING WORD OF APOLOGY OR REGRET. ZERO, ZIPPO, ZILCH.

I know, I know. You guys always remind me about the last time I flew with these idiots, and how I promised to never ever again fly WestJet. I know.

But they were a full thousand bucks cheaper than the alternatives, including going through Buffalo. They were cheaper.

Guess I know why now, don’t I?

UPDATE: It’s well past the appointed hour. They have said there is yet another delay, and hope to be in the air “soon.” Uh-huh.


Heading home (updated)

Been up for hours (I’m a worrier – I’ve packed the kids’ bags three times) but I wanted to draw your attention to this Gerald Caplan column. It’s from a Dipper perspective, natch, but worth a read.

Bon voyage!

UPDATE: Typical Warren. I thought Daylight Savings Time kicked in today, not tomorrow. Oops! Go back to sleep, kids. Dad’s a total idiot.

Here’s Caplan, who is a partisan NDPer, but is right about the Grits’ (apparent) push for an election:

As for the Liberals, for my money they must be certifiable to have talked themselves into wanting an election at this time.

In five published polls in the last month, their best total is 27 per cent, their average is 26 per cent, and one poll offered 23 per cent (as does a new one just published). This is Stephane Dion country, folks, even lower, and goes to show the extraordinary self-contained bubble in which Ottawa exists. When it’s over, there’s a good chance Michael Ignatieff will be pleading with a community college to take him on as a part-time teaching assistant.


Is it okay to call someone a “tar baby”? (updated)

Someone who I thought knew better apparently doesn’t. Pretty disappointing.

@kady: I’d actually love to bring ‘tar baby’ back to acceptable usage. There’s really no satisfactory alternative.

@kady: I’m sorry, but “tar baby” – and, indeed, “cotton-pickin'” – are orders of magnitude less dubious than, say, ‘gyp’.

Someone just sent me the bit of idiocy below, which Kady retweeted. I don’t think someone is getting the point:

@johnbowman: @kady Must we be so niggardly with our language? … Oh, crap.