The Parliament Hillbillies in Ottawa

"No debate about that stuff? Bullshit."

2007-02-08T19:35:00.000-05:00

Alex here. As I said in the last episode, global warming is a recipe for an argument, and was is it ever. Parallels to holocaust denial. Rationalizations for the social marginalization of global warming skeptics. The fulfillment of Godwin's law.

As I've always said, it's the kind of topic that takes average friendly people and somehow finds them standing on a table spitting in anger. Apparently we're past the realm of rational debate.

Well maybe it's my turn to get mad. Maybe it's my turn to say "hey, you're not the only one with a viewpoint." I'm sick and tired of the level of disrespect and intolerance we see for opposing viewpoints on this topic.

Well guess what, this is the 21st century. This is democracy. The way you know freedom of speech is alive and well is when you're hearing something that makes you uncomfortable. The way you know science is alive and well is when you're hearing something that makes you uncomfortable. Opposing views are essential. We need them for the health of science. We need them for the health of society.

Let's keep science strong in this country. You can start by challenging people when they say "there is no more debate about this issue."

There's a tenet of modern justice that says: "it is better that some guilty persons go free than one innocent go to jail." I would argue that this is just as important in science. Sure skeptics have been wrong... but so has the establishment. If we shut down minority views, we have an all-expenses paid trip back to the middle ages.

My biggest worry is that we're headed for totalitarianism on climate change.

So what about the title of this post? It's a quote from Penn and Teller's new show "Bullshit," and they did an episode on this very topic: environmental hysteria.

Environmentalist: "There's no debate that the glaciers are melting, that the oceans are warming up, that species are going extinct, that forests
are dying off, there's no debate about that stuff"

Penn and Teller: "No debate about that stuff? Bullshit."

Other points they make:

There's a tendency among environmentalist groups to resort to emotionalism.
Nobody's going to listen to you if you say the world's not coming to an end. If you say the world is coming to an end, you get headlines.
They send someone out to an environmental rally to get people to sign a petition to ban the dangerous "di-hydrogen monoxide" (aka Water). Many people sign.

Relevant Links:
Penn and Teller: Bullshit! Environmental Hysteria [Watch]
Godwin's Law

Episode 15 - Faith-Based Warming

2007-02-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Reach out and touch faith: Alex's demarcation of the science of global warming.

Relevant Links:

Wikipedia: Global Warming
CTV: Global Warming
Wikipedia: IPCC
Security Catalyst: In-Depth with Punchscan

Episode 14 - Unlikely!

2006-09-29T16:27:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Seeing Red: Rally in support of Canadian military presence, Afghanistan president addresses parliament, Pakistan president weighs in.
QP Antics: Heckling in the House of Commons? Unlikely!
Clinton vs. Fox: Willy does his best Jeremy Paxman impression.
Misc: New Brunswick swings Liberal unproportionately, Tories review the Liberal leadership candidates, RCMP commissioner grilled over Arar.

Relevant Links:

CBC: RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli
The Star: Memo Shows Tories Fear Ignatieff Most
Wikipedia: New Brunswick General Election

Episode 13 - The 13th on a Friday

2006-09-22T18:32:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Actual Canadian Politics: Access to information leak, Do not fly list, Liberal leadership update, NDP call Afghanistan withdrawal, School shooting spawns gun registry debate.
Plus a Few Tangents: Google.org's capitalistic philanthropy, Closed parking lots.

Relevant Links:

Google.org
National Post: A Chill in the Air
CNEWS: U.S. no fly list snagging Canadians
Wikipedia: Liberal Leadership Convention

PHB Cartoon #4

2006-08-01T22:57:00.000-05:00

Episode 12 - Podfading, Bam!

2006-07-24T20:24:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Target Market: Eco-capitalism at Ottawa Bluesfest, Predictive markets and collaborative wisdom, Click fraud and the Yahoo stock bomb, The long tail of markets.
All About Voting: Preferential voting, Strategic voting, and Proportion representation.
Israel & Lebanon: Understanding the end game, The (a)symmetry of the war measures, Western reaction and sentiment, Fighting autonomous groups instead of nation-states.

Relevant Links:

Slate: Middle East Buddy List
Wired: The Next Green Revolution
Wired: The Long Tail
Wikipedia: Lebanon-Israel Conflict
Guardian: How could both sides have blundered so badly?
Cenimar Predictive Market

PHB Cartoon #3

2006-07-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

And I think it's going to be a long long time... for peace, that is.

PHB Cartoon #2

2006-07-23T03:09:00.000-05:00

This one's from way back in the winter during the election. I did it for Rick Mercer's photo challenge and entitled it "Miss Accountability." -Alex

PHB Cartoon #1

2006-07-23T02:55:00.000-05:00

No worries... the PHB's are alive and well. We were actually all geared up to record a show on Friday until we got a Skype call from an American colleague. Alas, California tech drowned out any hope for Canadian Politick that day.

In the mean time, here is the first in a series of PHB satire cartoons!

Episode 11 - The Summer Stink

2006-06-19T17:54:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

QP Round-up: Hockey fever hits the house, Rowdy hockey chants emerge from the benches.
Liberal Check-up: Volpe scores the contents of childrens' piggy banks, Ignatieff and Brison support Afghanastan extension.
Global Warming: What better to discuss on a hot summer day?
Police Action: OPP praised for terrorist sting, criticized for inaction in Caledonia.

Relevant Links:

Police getting smeared in Caledonia: union groups
Police hurt, swarmed in Caledonia clash
Canada no haven for terrorists, CSIS head tells U.S.
Second Liberal leadership debate [Video]

Episode 10 - The Mystical Powers of Santa Claus

2006-05-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Census Day: The government successfully prevents people from finding out how the census is secured.
Copyleft: Creative Commons primer, The alternative to copyright, Piracy questioned, The 4 ways of stealing, The friends and enemies of modern music.
Afghanistan Vote: Jeremy weighs in via email.
Dissin' the Judiciary: Vellacott's vexing vernacular.

Relevant Links:

Smashing Pumpkins, "Machina II - The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music"
Can I Get an Ahmen?
Creative Commons Canada
Canadian Census controversy continues
Debating Maurice Vellacott

Episode 09 - Flip Flop Hip Hop

2006-05-09T17:35:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

QP Round-up: Flippant MPs drop a crop of flip flops, Official orator of the opposition, Heckling unhinged.
Online Census: Security questioned, Do you trust the government just because they are the government?
Tory Times: Bland budget, Walking the line on Quebec, Wise words on the softwood settlement from the PM before he was the PM, McKay in Afghanistan.

Relevant Links:

UK Question Time
McKay in Afghanistan
Liberal Candidate Logos on Wikipedia
Ambrose on Rick Mercer Report [Video]
Made in Canada

Episode 08 - Merriment in the Chamber

2006-04-27T23:20:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

QP Round-up: The latest and greatest from Question Period.
Parliament Preview: Jeremy's take on the tone in the House of Commons and what to watch for.
Leadership Madness Continues: Ever more Liberal candidates with lots of baggage to go around, the Green Party gets in on the leadership fun.

Note:

Due to not having done a show on my computer before, I wasn't prepared for a few technical difficulties. As a result, the quality of the show is generally subpar and there is some clicking and skipping that gets progressively worst towards the end. Apologies.

Episode 07 - Rapid Fire Scrum

2006-04-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Parliament Opens: Milliken re-elected as Speaker of the House, Throne speech expected on Tuesday, Question Period begins on Wednesday, Accountability Act likely tabled early next week.
More Mouth-Offs: Singer Morrissey compares seal hunt to holocaust and cuts Canadian concert dates, MP Mayes writes that bad journalists should be jailed in Op-Ed and then retracts.
Middle-East Tension: Afghanistan's constitution mashes-up theocracy and democracy, Canada cuts support to Palestine's Hamas-led government, Israel elects new Prime Minister, Iran showcases weapons as its relationship with Russia worries the West.
Liberal Leadership: Jeremy reports on Ignatieff's "vision speech", controversial views on torture.

Relevant Links:

Milliken re-elected Speaker as Parliament resumes
Slate's Explainer on Hunting Seals
Tory MP retracts suggesting jailing bad journalists
The Torture Toolkit
Harper must let his ministers take the heat
"Not a red cent to Hamas"
Ignatieff's Speech Transcript (note: does not contain ad lib regarding protesters)

Episode 06 - A Commissioner for the Commissioner

2006-03-27T17:44:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Throne Speech: Liberals ready to play chicken, NDP and Bloc likely not to get in on bluff.
Afghanistan: Religion trumps human rights, Grappling with our military's dialectical composition of peacekeepers and warriors.
Integrity Commissioner: Harper set to announce new office to handle whistleblowers, Alan Cutler forerunner for commissioner position, Ethics Commissioner's blunder raises questions of whether new office will be subject to the Privacy Act.
Ongoing Grit Saga: Ignatieff set to throw his hat in the ring and square off against Ashley MacIsaac et al, Liberals reexamine party principals through renewal commission.

Relevant Links:

Convert in Afghanistan faces death penalty
New Office of the Integrity Commissioner
Shapiro's office exempt from Privacy Act
Dr. Ignatieff set to run
Watch-out for longshot candidate in leadership race
Liberals launch renewal commission

Episode 05 - Shoot Yer Mouth Off

2006-03-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Emerson Exonerated: Ethics Commissioner finds Harper and Emerson acted within boundaries, Alex objects to Shapiro's soapboxing on floor-crossings, Jeremy buys Shapiro's counter-argument to the PMO's "double standard" accusation.
Inter-Party Dissent: Liberals officially back the Conservatives on not opening debate on Afghanistan despite Ujjal's earlier comments to the contrary, Liberal senator shoots her mouth off in a "not reflective of party views" response to an American family upset over the seal hunt, Conservatives crack down on public comments and require PMO authorisation to ensure everyone sticks to the script.
Harper and Quebec: Bloc fearmongering over seperatism continues as Harper develops close relationship with Cherest.
Boarder Control: Americans propose stricter rules on identification at the boarder, Americans invoke 190 year old treaty to arm ships patrolling the Great Lakes.
Et Cetera: Judge imposes bail conditions on teens accused in Calgary fatal beating, Australian protest over Queen's visit to the Commonwealth games.

Relevant Links:

The Harper-Emerson Report
Liberal's back Tories on Afghan Mission
Harper's plan helps separatists, Bloc says
Senator fires back at U.S. Family Upset with Seal Hunt
U.S. ID card scheme fatal for tourism: survey
Machine Guns on Coast Guard Boats
Bus slaying suspects free on bail
Protests greet Queen at Commonwealth Games

Episode 04 - Howdy-ho David Emerson

2006-03-13T18:12:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Surprise Visit: Prime Minister Harper braves the rocket attacks and spends the night in Afghanistan, debate over Canada's role simmers back home.
Ethics Fever: NDP Pat Martin takes the shotgun approach: better late than never for Belinda, allegations of leaking insider information may cool Scott Brison's potential for Liberal leadership, how the space shuttle Challenger explosion might hold the key for exonerating Brison and Goodale.
Smear Campaign: David Emerson gets a surprise visit from Mr. Hanky.
Rights Revolution: Ontario MP discusses organ donation, BC and Alberta take on the US PATRIOT Act, we take on online census security.
Nuclear Anxiety: international tension escalates over Iran's proposed nuclear program.

Relevant Links:

Harper visits Afghanistan
Ethics probe should include Stronach
Ethics probe should include Brison
Manure dumped outside Emerson's office
'Presumed consent' option for organ donations
Alberta Introduces Bill to Block Patriot Act Disclosures
Harper's 11

Episode 03 - Who's sticking who?

2006-03-06T19:35:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Seal Hunt: Premier Williams vs Paul McCarney: "I've got a word or two, to say about the things that you do."
Emerson Lives On: Ethics commissioner launches investigation to PMO's public chagrin, Alex reveals what the P stands for in MP, 28 and a half Helens agree: Emerson should face byelection.
Weapons of Past Restriction: The Supreme Court overturns ban on the Sikh Kirpan in public schools, Kirpans are daggers in name only.
Patent Fever: Justice Rothstein gets the nod while we revisit his ruling on patenting living organisms, RIM pays up to NTP.
Provincial Jurisdiction: Premier Klein keeps peddling his healthcare vision, Ontario fesses up to a coming energy crisis.
Other Random Rants: Crash scoops Best Picture, Liberal leadership potentials mastermind their sinister plots to power.

Relevant Links:

Williams, McCartneys on Larry King
Don't touch the seals, Paul
Supreme Court ruling on Kirpans
Ethics commisioner to look at floor crossing
Emerson's mock byelection
Geist on Rothstein
Klein's third way health-care
RIM and NTP settle
Potential Liberal leadership candidates test waters
Ontario's "Our Energy, Our Future" [pdf]

Episode 02 - Wave of the future, baby

2006-02-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Digital Rights: Learning from C-60, antiquated tariffs on recordable media afford users no rights.
Technological Issues: A national do-not-call list: easier said than done, securing public trust in Canada's first online census.
Supreme Court Committee: Good or bad.. or just useless?

Relevant Links:

Russell McOrmond's comments on PHBO
Kill bill C-60
Statscan to fortify online census tool
National do not call list framework
How to finance a Hollywood blockbuster
Supreme Court nominee faces MPs' questions
Proposed levies on blank audio recording media, 2007 [pdf]
Michael Geist on the levies

Episode 01 - The Balls Line Up

2006-02-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

Recent Picks: New ambassadors to the US and UN named.
On the Defence: Cabinet criticism continues with ex-lobbyist Gordon O'Connor.
Media and PR: Harper-Charest meeting closed to the media, the hostile media effect and media bias in Canada, the future of the CBC.
Supreme Court Nomination: New process conjures up images of US Senate hearings but similarities are superficial.
Controversial Cartoons Continued: Hasty generalisations and double standards.

Relevant Links:

Reality Check on O'Connor
Globe and Mail Op-Ed defends O'Connor
Michael Wilson named as Ambassador to US
MPs to question new Supreme Court pick
Bev Oda and the CBC
Islam Today on CTS

Episode 00 - Proof of Concept

2006-02-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

Topics Covered:

The Conservative Cabinet: Emerson crosses over, Fortier elected to Senate, Turner hushed.
Liberal Leadership: Wide open race for leadership, Graham named leader of the opposition.
David Wilkins: U.S. ambassador crosses swords then retreats.
Controversial Cartoons: Mohammed caricatures spark outrage.

Relevant Links:

The Canadian Cabinet
Liberal Party's Potential Leaders
Harper brushes off U.S. criticism of Arctic plan
Western Canadian magazine publishes Muhammad cartoons
Syria, Rice face off over prophet cartoon

The Fine Print

2006-02-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

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Comments, contribution or violent dissent? Comment below or send email to parliamenthillbillies AT gmail.com.

All episodes are distributed under a creative commons licence. Theme music is "Funkitude" by laMundial and is distributed under a creative commons licence.

The Hillbilly Invasion

2006-02-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

The Parliament Hillbillies; your podcast for Canadian politics and the goin's-on here in Ottawa.

Through this series we bring the fun world of politics into the mainstream through weekly commentary on Question Period, legislation, house votes and other political happenin's on the hill. Don't forget the scandals, floor crossings and parliamentary brawls!

The Parliament Hillbillies: because not every podcast can be from California, and not every political podcast oughta be about Bush.