So much has been written about the Occupy movement, it's difficult to discuss it further without a sense of redundancy. At the same time, it's difficult for the apolitical to fully appreciate the scope of the protests without understanding the motivation behind it.

It's also difficult to examine the #OccupyCalgary movement without first studying the original cause.

Below are snippets of some of the best analysis / commentary:

Nobel prize winning economist Paul Krugman:

Take this opportunity to educate yourself of the facts surrounding the rise of radical Islam, neo-conservatism, and the politics of fear. It may change the way you view the attacks of September 11, the subsequent "war on terror," and the never-ending wars in the Middle East.

Video:

BBC Documentary Series - The Power Of Nightmares

Jack Layton will be laid to rest today. Though I didn't always agree with his politics, I will always be thankful for his dedication to the issues that mattered most: social justice, equal rights, poverty elimination, clean/renewable energy, universal health care, global co-operation and the advancement of peace.

Perhaps the following quote from Embassy Mag best sums it up:

It has been fascinating to watch the Conservative campaign strategy evolve over the past two weeks, working in tandem with Sun TV in a quest to secure a Harper majority, and to destroy the opposition leaders.

Aside from the standard issued talking points submitted by the Conservative war room and subsequently written into Sun TV scripts, the Tories are running a co-ordinated effort with their Sun Media counterparts as they try desperately to reach that magical number of 155 seats.

Take for instance, week number one (April 18-22) where the focus was entirely on Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal Party, and the 'threat' of a coalition:

Brian Lilley, on Ignatieff and the Liberals:

"Folks, this is gonna be a thing." ~ Sun TV host Theo Caldwell

Sun News Network, a channel brought to by its own sense of self importance, is the epitome of pseudo-journalism, comprised of (self professed) semi-literate on-air personalities with the collective intellectual curiosity of Sarah Palin.

Irresponsible at best, the inherent lack of journalistic integrity is an insult not only to the many well-established, credible, hard working news organizations across the country, but to Canadians who've come to expect both accuracy, and honesty, in reporting.

The current election campaign has seen an unprecedented number of candidates -- primarily Conservatives -- opting out of all-candidate forums, town hall events, and scheduled debates.

If a candidate cannot be bothered to address constituents during the campaign, they do not deserve your vote, period.

I've compiled a list of those who have, thus far, refused to partake in such unscripted events. If your local candidate should be on this list, please leave their name, party and riding in the comments section.

Alberta

-  Deepak Obhrai (CPC) - Calgary East

-  Rob Anders (CPC) -Calgary West

-  Michelle Rempel (CPC) - Calgary Centre-North

Don't be blinded by SunTV: follow rabble.ca's (Sun) Media Watch rabble.ca introduces a new media watch blog, and media consumer driven Twitter feed: #sunwatch

Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts ~ Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Back in September of 2010, I wrote an exposé entitled Ezra Levant vs Reality - A Prelude To Fox News North in which I thoroughly challenged Levant's characterization of George Soros.

In the wake Marci McDonald's newly released book The Armageddon Factor: The Rise Of Christian Nationalism In Canada, a political firestorm has erupted on Parliament Hill, igniting debate about just who's influencing the policy decisions made by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

In December 2007, at the height of Calgary’s housing crunch, a report emerged from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation that confirmed what many had long suspected -- the cost of renting a two bedroom apartment in Calgary eclipsed that of all major Canadian cities, marking the first time since the CMHC started tracking the data that Calgary tenants paid more than their counterparts in Toronto and Vancouver.

What’s more, the cost of that two bedroom apartment had grown by 83 per cent over the span of a decade, from the $595 paid on average in 1996, to the $1, 089 required to rent an equivalent unit in 2007.