Stйphane Dion dumps candidate for article on 9/11

Free speech has nothing to do with it. Just like the mysognist, war resister hater for the NDP who should be dumped, Dion was well within his rights to dump her.

Is anyone keeping a running total of how many candidates from all parties have stepped down due to past comments/revealing erections to teen girls/etc.? It seems like there has been at least two from every single party and much more than previous elections. Is it solely due to the internet and the fact that nothing can remain hidden?

Interesting. I don't know for a fact that the case against Hughes originated on the blogs but it's possible. A few days ago Liblogger Jason Cherniak was trying to tie Jack Layton and a few other NDP candidates to the 9/11 truth movement with the most tenuous of connections. It amounted to a smear he pulled out of his butt. So in return, an NDP blogger did some research and came up with Hughes' offending comments. Now suddenly the top-down media have the story. It would be ironic if Cherniak's antics actually resulted in this candidate getting bounced.

It is also interesting that most of these comments and incidents are being discovered and publicized by bloggers and the MSM is left covering the story after the fact and only then do the parties act to dump candidates.

In terms of unionist's thread title - Ms. Hughes still has her free speech. Dion is not threatening that, he is just saying that her views are not compatible with the Liberal party and he doesn't want them associated with his party. Given her history and views, what the hell did she see in the liberal party in the first place? Also, does anyone here think that the NDP would have kept her on with these statements on record? I think they are the party most likely to keep her on, but I am doubtful given their treatment of other candidates (Julian West notwithstanding - his behaviour bordered on sexual harassment).

It is also interesting that most of these comments and incidents are being discovered and publicized by bloggers and the MSM is left covering the story after the fact and only then do the parties act to dump candidates.

In terms of unionist's thread title - Ms. Hughes still has her free speech. Dion is not threatening that, he is just saying that her views are not compatible with the Liberal party and he doesn't want them associated with his party. Given her history and views, what the hell did she see in the liberal party in the first place? Also, does anyone here think that the NDP would have kept her on with these statements on record? I think they are the party most likely to keep her on, but I am doubtful given their treatment of other candidates (Julian West notwithstanding - his behaviour bordered on sexual harassment).

As with the NDP candidate in Durham, I have to wonder whether Hughes is in the right party. Her conspiracy theories sound like something I'd expect from someone more on the fringe of the political debate in this country.

The NDP hasn't dumped Fidel [img]tongue.gif" border="0[/img] ; where is he anyway? I'd like to hear what he has to say about this.

The NDP hasn't dumped Fidel [img]tongue.gif" border="0[/img] ; where is he anyway? I'd like to hear what he has to say about this.

How will this affect the race in Kildonan St Paul?

While I'm asking, what about Saanich?

Another example of how evidence or views on 9/11 complicity get marginalized or dismissed in popular media. Making a comment about Israeli companies abandoning their leases in the WTC a week before the attacks is equated with anti-semitism.

Herein contains the offending comment:

quote:

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Many official sources are claiming to have warned the American intelligence community, which spends $30 billion a year gathering information, about the attacks on the twin towers on that heartbreaking day.

German Intelligence (BND) claims to have warned the U.S. last June, the Israeli Mossad and Russian Intelligence in August. Israeli businesses, which had offices in the Towers, vacated the premises a week before the attacks, breaking their lease to do it. About 3000 Americans working there were not so lucky.

Ironically, the stock market was also warning anyone who cared to notice that something peculiar was afoot: in the week prior to Sept. 11, unknown speculator(s) were suddenly betting that the stocks of United Airlines and American Airlines were going to fall in value; the trades were placed through Deutschebank/AB Brown, a firm formerly managed by Buzzy-Krongard, now executive director of the CIA.

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Interesting that the only commentary on this story that google can muster is from the likes of [url=http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/09/26/... or amateur blogs.

Warning to other candidates in this election who may have "offending" views on 9/11. Keep your mouths shut. Any remarks that compromise the official story will compromise you.

Regardless of one's thoughts re 9/11, there's no reasonable way to interpret her comments as anti-semitic. Dion was within his rights to ask her to step aside since her views were not in align with the party's and was causing it embarrassment, but it's just morally wrong to smear the woman with such a label.

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Originally posted by nicky:
[b]How will this affect the race in Kildonan St Paul?[/b]

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Unfortunately, I think Kildonan-St. Paul remains an uphill battle to defeat Joy Smith, the Tory MP, given that I think they'll see their numbers go up a little in Manitoba.

2006 results:
Con 17,524
Lib 13,597
NDP 8,193
Grn 1,101

Given that the Liberal candidate's name remains on the ballot (even though the Liberal candidate's been removed, her name will stay on the ballot, as it's past the nomination deadline), that would free up maybe only 10,000 votes at most. The NDP candidate would have to get nearly all of these in order to defeat the Tory, and that's unlikely to happen.

quote:

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Originally posted by nicky:
[b]While I'm asking, what about Saanich?[/b]

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I think the same is true in Saanich-Gulf Islands, though there's a bit more of a chance of defeating Gary Lunn, the Tory MP there.

2006 results:
Con 24,416
Lib 17,144
NDP 17,445
Grn 6,533

Again, the NDP candidate's name will remain on the ballot, so some votes will likely still be cast for the NDP. However, it's possible that 12,000-13,000 votes will be freed up to help the Liberal candidate. However, the Liberal faces a tough challenge given that Tory numbers are up in BC, while the Liberals are facing a meltdown. Furthermore, many of the NDP voters will likely cast their ballot for Andrew Lewis, the well-known, high-profile Green candidate who's made a consistently strong showing.

My fear is that the Tory will win with something like 27,000 votes to something like 20,000 for the Liberal, 14,000 for the Green, and 4,000 for the NDP.

(edited to correct some math)

[ 26 September 2008: Message edited by: Rich L ]

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Originally posted by nicky:
[b]How will this affect the race in Kildonan St Paul?

While I'm asking, what about Saanich?[/b]

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KSP is one of the safer Conservative ridings in the city. Joy Smith barely won it in 2004 against a Liberal who was a former city councillor, but her personal popularity and that of the Conservatives has only gone up since then. The NDP does have a pretty good candidate there in Ross Eadie, but I don't think they can go from 3rd place to knocking her off (unless maybe every NDPer in the city runs to KSP as they have no other ridings in the city to really worry about (3 safe ones, and the rest are hopeless)... even then it's a long shot).

Hmmm, maybe Hughes can run off and join the Canadian Action Party...

Dion seems to have blown this one.

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Originally posted by unionist:
[b]

Well, that's part of what I don't get about this whole story.

Has someone equated her article with anti-semitism? If so, who? Did Dion do so?[/b]

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B'nai Brith Canada did.

Their latest press release:

B’nai Brith Canada applauds Liberal leader
for doing right thing by firing candidate over antisemitic remarks
TORONTO, September 26, 2008 – B’nai Brith Canada, which earlier had urged Liberal Party leader Stйphane Dion to remove Lesley Hughes as the Liberal candidate for Kildonan-St.Paul over her antisemitic 9/11 conspiracy theories, has welcomed Dion’s request for her resignation.

“Stйphane Dion has done the right thing by refusing to let Lesley Hughes, a candidate with a record of antisemitism, stand for the Liberal Party of Canada,” said Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President of B’nai Brith Canada.

“We commend Stйphane Dion for signaling that antisemitsm and bigotry have no place in the multicultural mosaic of Canada.”

What is her "record" of anti-semitism?

The CBC article says she taught courses on Holocaust Education at the University of Winnoipeg for a decade.

The CBC article says she taught courses on Holocaust Education at the University of Winnoipeg for a decade.

And now [url=http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/09/26/... Kay[/url] is calling for Layton to sack the NDP's Bourassa candidate Samira Laouni for having organized a Canadian Islamic Congress fundraiser at which "terrorist apologist" Yvonne Ridley was guest speaker.

I have to wonder how much harder it's going to be for each party to cultivate willing candidates for marginal ridings next election. Especially among those who's ever posted something on the Internet.

And now [url=http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/09/26/... Kay[/url] is calling for Layton to sack the NDP's Bourassa candidate Samira Laouni for having organized a Canadian Islamic Congress fundraiser at which "terrorist apologist" Yvonne Ridley was guest speaker.

I have to wonder how much harder it's going to be for each party to cultivate willing candidates for marginal ridings next election. Especially among those who's ever posted something on the Internet.

BKay, is spouting anti-Islam BS, and needs to be ignored as she always is anyway.

John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt would never have had a chance of being president in this day and age, what with the current scrutiny.