From Michael Geist, the 30 things you can do to help stop this bill in its tracks.

In typical style, the Conservatives (please don’t call them Tories) have gone on the attack against Elections Canada. Many of the candidates in the so-called in-and-out scheme have refused to be interviewed by Elections officials. According to a legal representative for one of the Tories’ candidates in Toronto expressed reservations about the accounting plan, saying he “found this move was being a little too creative.”

It is clear that the Conservatives have broken the spirit of the law. In an election as close as the last one the spending of an extra million dollars on advertising – especially considering the negative tone – could swing enough voters in key riding to swing from the Liberals. Its inexcusable considering they were promising clean government.

In another stroke of bad judgment the Conservatives invited some media outlets, but not all to a briefing yesterday – including the CBC and the Canadian Press. According to the CBC report:

When other media organizations, including the CBC, learned of the meeting, party officials scrambled to avoid them, switching hotels, slamming doors and scampering down fire exits to escape pointed questions from journalists who weren’t invited.

Is this the image a governing party should be portraying? Scampering down fire escapes to avoid reporters? Any first year PR student knows this isn’t the way you respond to a crisis. You invite ALL the media and are as transparent as possible.

The Conservatives have tried to control the media since winning the election and the Prime Minister has had a bully’s swagger when anyone dare challenge him. Now they seem to be running scared.

Yes, all of the seats were held by the Liberals in the last election and Bob Rae and Martha Hall Findlay both won their ridings with around 60% of the vote. What none of the ‘pundits’ bothered to mention about the Northern Saskatchewan riding is that it is a swing riding, has been held by all three national parties and was only won by 67 votes in the last general election.

That brings us to Vancouver Quadra. Yes, it is very tight right now. As I write this Joyce Murray has about a thousand vote lead and I’m sure she’ll be able to pull it out. The political panel kept harping on how it was terrible that she was doing so poorly in a “safe” Liberal riding.

To give some context on the riding, look at who the previous MPs from that riding are: Former Prime Minister John Turner, constitutional scholar Ted McWhinney and former BC Ombudsman Stephen Owen. While Joyce Murray was a competent MLA she certainly does not have the credentials or the reputation of any of the last three Liberal MPs for the riding. Her Conservative opponent was no push over with an impressive CV of her own and beating the preferred candidate for her party’s nomination. She was in for a fight from the beginning.

I guess what really annoyed me about the coverage tonight was the tone of the commentary from the NDP and Conservative pundits. It was very American in its style and it didn’t seem to matter that they were pushing the lines of truthiness. I just always hope the the political discourse in the country could be better.

I am troubled by the House of Commons voting to extend the “mission in Afghanistan” until 2011. When we first joined the US in invading and ridding the country of the Taliban and Al Queda it was a good idea. They are our neighbours and allies and they were attacked. As part of commitment to NATO we were obligated to come to their aid and we did. But many years on Canada still has a major presence there in some of the toughest parts of that country. I am really disappointed in the Liberals for not sticking to a time line of 2009 for withdrawl.

But what doesn’t make sense to me is that the rest of the alliance isn’t doing their part. We have asked repeatedly for assistance and it hasn’t been forthcoming. Our soldiers are doing an amazing job in very hard conditions in some of the most dangerous parts of the country. I feel terrible for the families who have lost their loved ones over there.

This isn’t about cut and run. We have done some great work there but it is time for Canada to rotate out and other NATO members to take our place. Our military needs and deserves a break. There are many other ways we can continue to assist the Afghan people.

For me there has always been something a little bit too slick about Obama. When someone can catch fire like he has because of his powerful speaking abilities you have to wonder if he’s all sizzle or if there really is some steak. That’s the point Clinton is trying to make.

It all comes down to authenticity. When the words you are using to inspire people are not your own you should give credit where it is due. Unless of course those words are known to everyone, like “I have a dream..” or “Ask not…” By using the same words that Gov. Patrick did and not attributing them to him, whether they are friends or not, is intellectually dishonest.

I hope this controversy makes people take a moment to see if there is any steak or if its all sizzle.

I have even turned off the news because the US Presidential election takes up so much bandwidth – even on BBC World and local Vancouver news. I can’t suffer through another story about Obama, Hillary, McCain or that guy named Mitt. And my guilty pleasures of The Daily Show and Colbert Report are obviously all over the ClusterF(#$ to the White House so I need to find some new distractions.

Tonight I caught a show on MuchMoreMusic called Behind the Music That Sucks. It’s a really funny animated spoof of VH1′s Behind the Music. I have no idea how long the show has been out there but it’s new to me and that’s all that matters. I Googled it right away and found heavy.com and watched a bunch of them tonight.

This week I was sick to my stomach with some of the stuff being pulled by federal Conservatives – present and past. With Steven Harper deciding he’s a nuclear physicist and ordering the restart of the Chalk River Reactor, John Baird holding hands with American climate change nay-sayers to block real negotiations in Bali and Lyin’ Brian’s return to the hill to talk about getting envelopes of cash in hotel rooms I was in need of some serious pepto.

It made me miss Jean Chretien more than I already did. I’ll save my “How Paul Martin Destroyed The Liberal Party” sermon for another day. But suffice it to say, it was really good to see le peite gar on The Hour this week.

Stéphane, its time to step up and put this Tory government out of our misery!

And I’m loving Madge’s new video.

Ok, so they are a blatent rip-off of the Mac ads, but I think the young Liberals have done a really good job!