# The Alliance are assholes for beating up on Adrienne Clarkson! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 16, 2001, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412 "2001-01-16T23:34:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2001, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/21 "2001-01-22T16:14:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*Upham: The Nazi, truly. Here around the Fagtorium, we’ve actually discussed whether or not people like us will end up in camps if he comes to power, and which European country we would flee to if it happened. ( **Hamish** says France; I say Holland.) \*\* Bwaa ha ha ha! I can envision only one scenario in which Blockhead becomes Prime Minister: 1. In the next election, the Alliance picks up about 100 seats while the BQ gets 55 or so. 2. Blockhead and the Alliance would immediately give the BQ anything it wanted in return for forming a government in which Blockhead was PM. (Trust me; if the numbers added up, the Alliance would whore itself to the separatists like smack fiends working for dimebag money.) 3. Less than two months after the coalition was in place, Alliance backbenchers would go into open revolt. A dozen or more would cross the floor. 4. A non-confidence vote is held and Blockhead’s government falls after four inglorious months. 5. The Alliance is annihilated in the followup election. Blockhead goes into the history books as a PM along the lines of John Turner and Kim Campbell. And that’s the BEST he can hope for. You’re being a little ridiculous by suggesting he’d set up concentration camps, but it should make you feel better knowing he has no future. He won’t have time to get his stuff unpacked at 24 Sussex before he has to move out. Prior to this Lorne Goddard fiasco I thought Stockwell Day was just a rube I disagreed with. Now I’m starting to think he’s actually pretty damned stupid. The Alliance should have nominated Keith Martin. Actually, they never should have changed their name. **FOR AMERICANS:** Lorne Goddard is an Alberta lawyer and school board trustee. Last year he was employed in the defense of a convicted pedophile who was charged with additional counts of molestation and a charge of possession of child pornogrqaphy. Some months before this case, a British Columbia court ruled that Canada’s law against child porn was too vague and so was an unconstitutional violation of the freedom of expression (the law was horribly written.) Goddard invoked this precedent, or tried to, on his client’s behalf against the child porn charge. Stockwell Day (previously refered to as “Blockhead”) who was then the Minister of Finance for the province of Alberta, then wrote a letter to the editor of the local daily - on official parliamentary stationery, no less - castigating Goddard for offering this defense, implying that Goddard personally believed it was okay to possess child porn, and theorized that maybe Goddard thought it was okay for him to possess nudie shots of the kids in his school board. The breathtaking stupidity of Day’s comments is obvious; Goddard’s a lawyer doing his job. Canadians are entitled to competent defense. If he doesn’t invoke that precedent (the guy lost anyway, BTW) he’s not doing his job. Everyone has a right to competent defense and a fair trial. Invoking that precedent no more proves you personally like child porn than defending O.J. proves Barry Sheck personally enjoys murder. DUH. Anyway, Goddard immediately sued Day for libel, an open-and-shut case if ever there was one, but Day would not settle. So it wound through the courts for awhile until finally Day’s legal bill was about $800,000 (Cdn, a bit more than half a million U.S.) Then, in a poetically wonderful twist, guess who picks up that tab? Not Blockhead; nope, the people of the province of Alberta get to foot the bill. Why? Because Alberta has an insurance fund for its MLAs to protect them from lawsuits, and the first million is a deductible, so Day’s entire legal bill is now on the taxpayer’s backs. The really wonderful part is that Day built his entire reputation on cost-cutting and deficit-fighting and saving, in his words, “the sweat-soaked loonies” of the taxpayer (loonies are our $1 coins.) So Mr. Debt Fighter just added almost a million bucks to the deficit. The people of Alberta are, on the whole, really pissed off. And Day’s apology last week indicated he STILL doesn’t understand the letter he wrote was stupid. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/22 "2001-01-24T01:17:13Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by RickJay \* > Then, in a poetically wonderful twist, guess who picks up that tab? Not Blockhead; nope, the people of the province of Alberta get to foot the bill. Why? Because Alberta has an insurance fund for its MLAs to protect them from lawsuits, and the first million is a deductible, so Day’s entire legal bill is now on the taxpayer’s backs. The really wonderful part is that Day built his entire reputation on cost-cutting and deficit-fighting and saving, in his words, “the sweat-soaked loonies” of the taxpayer (loonies are our $1 coins.) So Mr. Debt Fighter just added almost a million bucks to the deficit. The people of Alberta are, on the whole, really pissed off._\* Even better: Whilst Stockwell Day was in office in Alberta… wait for it… he **voted against** that same legal defense fund. If Alexa McDonough had a clue, she would be all over this like pepperspray on protesters. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/23 "2001-01-24T02:56:45Z")
And you guys really, REALLY honestly think if it was anyone else in your left wing party they wouldn’t have let the fund take up the bill? (I am not seriously saying that anyone else would fuck it up this much, but lets say they did) Don’t kid yourself. If Alexa herself could get out of paying $800K out of her own pocket, you could bet your ass she would. Shit, I would too. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/24 "2001-01-24T06:09:26Z")
Well, speaking as a Kneedipper candidate, _I_ wouldn’t. For one thing, I wouldn’t get into the mess in the first place by accusing a lawyer of pedophilia for providing their client with their legal rights. And I would hope that Alexa wouldn’t do so, especially if _she based her entire political career around belt-tightening, cutting social programs, and voting against the very same program she was now drawing from._ Those adjectives don’t describe her, but they _do_, more to the point, describe Stockwell Day. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/25 "2001-01-24T14:41:38Z")
Well, I guess we will never know for sure Matt, because there is no way in hell she would get into that position in the first place. I still say though, that if a perveted twist of fate made it so, I’d bet you $20 she would. I will say this though. I am an Albertan. There is a good chance that I pay more money in taxes per month than most people make total in a month. A lot of people in my area are in the same boat. And you know what? We just don’t care about this. Its not that nobody here knows about it. The radio and TV blared it for 3 days. **Nobody cares**. And if most Albertan’s don’t care about it, **NOBODY ELSE SHOULD CARE ABOUT IT EITHER. ITS NOT THEIR MONEY THAT GOT BLOWN**. You know why? Because everyone doing the bitching is about this is from back east and they weren’t affected by this in the slightest. Other than giving them something to “discuss”. That _should_ be the end of it, although I doubt it is. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/26 "2001-01-24T15:55:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > **Well, I guess we will never know for sure Matt, because there is no way in hell she would get into that position in the first place. I still say though, that if a perveted twist of fate made it so, I’d bet you $20 she would.** Alexa McDonough is stinkin’ rich. It’s easy to support tax hikes for the middle class when you’re rich enough that it won’t matter to you. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/27 "2001-01-24T20:23:53Z")
Hey, **Bernse** , at least some Easterners noticed something that happened out west. Be grateful for small miracles 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2001, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/28 "2001-01-24T20:45:04Z")
Heh. Touche’ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/29 "2001-01-25T00:48:22Z")
Excuse me, Bernse, I grew up in Winnipeg so I’m here to tell you you’re barking up the wrong tree. Be careful about your stupid regional stereotypes, okay? ---
**Author:** ![Upham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Upham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Upham)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/30 "2001-01-25T01:26:22Z")
Ahhh, the Western Canadian… Albertan no less… What was the phrase? “Those Eastern bastards can freeze in the dark”? FUCK YOU ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/31 "2001-01-25T02:52:51Z")
No, no no Upham. **That** is just so “sterotypical” So, here you go… just for you…are you ready for it…? **FUCK YOU OFF YOU IGNORANT LITTLE FUCK** And Matt, last time I checked Winnipeg was not in Alberta. As a sidenote though, I would like to know what “stereotype” I am being accused of here. Really. I just want to point out it wasn’t the “racist, redneck gun owning” Albertan that started with the name calling. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/32 "2001-01-25T03:10:32Z")
Umm, I so rarely ever sink to calling names I can’t even spell or put words in the correct order. Doh! Guess I won’t be doing that again for a while. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/33 "2001-01-25T03:12:38Z")
I’m aware that Winnipeg is not in Alberta. I’m also aware that Stockwell Day is not a homophobic, gun-toting, hypocritical bigot because he’s from Alberta; he’s a homophobic, gun-toting, hypocritical bigot because he’s an _asshole._ So, like I said: you’re barking up the wrong goddamn tree. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/34 "2001-01-25T03:24:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\* > Be careful about your stupid regional stereotypes, okay? \*\* **Matt** : Didn’t you once say “By the way: If you want it, you can have Alberta.” and “If fascism ever triumphs in Canada, it will begin in Alberta.” - Margaret Atwood"? (Both proclaimed [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=30406#post572836)) Not really sterotyping, but surely throwing out the baby with the bath water in the former, and casting aspersions against a **lot** of people in the latter. There are some very good people in Alberta, y’know. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/35 "2001-01-25T03:59:40Z")
Who the fuck are these “ethics counsellors” that besmirch Canadian politics by reporting directly to the pricks that employ them? Between Day and Chretien, who are both invertebrate yahoos, can’t something be done to make these people responsible to independent bodies to judge conflict of interest? ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/36 "2001-01-25T04:10:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\*I’m aware that Winnipeg is not in Alberta. I’m also aware that Stockwell Day is not a homophobic, gun-toting, hypocritical bigot because he’s from Alberta; he’s a homophobic, gun-toting, hypocritical bigot because he’s an _asshole._ So, like I said: you’re barking up the wrong goddamn tree. \*\* Jesus Matt, and I would like to keep this civil _really_, but can you please tell me what tree I am barking up? I really, honestly don’t have a clue what you are inferring. ---
**Author:** ![Silly\_Rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Silly\_Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silly_Rabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/37 "2001-01-25T04:12:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarlGauss \* > \*\*There are some very good people in Alberta, y’know. \*\* I second that. ---
**Author:** ![Upham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Upham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Upham)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/38 "2001-01-25T04:23:06Z")
Hey, sorry if that was a little harsh, i just get really _really_ sick of some of the Oh So Superiour attitudes i hear coming out of there a lot of the time. I was out there last year, too, and pretty well didn’t hear anything but how much better Alberta is then the rest of the country… It wears on you after a while I’m sure there are some great folks out there, **Bernse** i just think it’s interesting: > [@](#): > > **FUCK YOU YOU IGNORANT LITTLE FUCK** And then > [@](#): > > Jesus matt, and i would like to keep this civil _really_ Interesting… Anyway, whatever, have fun out there ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/39 "2001-01-25T04:34:56Z")
Incase you didn’t catch it in my post, I was refering to you with the colorful words, not Matt. There is no use trying to be civil with you, since you started name calling for no reason whatsoever, understand? Good. I have every desire to be continue to being civil with Matt. ---
**Author:** ![Upham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Upham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Upham)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2001, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412/40 "2001-01-25T05:13:34Z")
**bernse** If you were trying to keep the thread civil (which i asssumed you’d ment) then you’d try and keep it civil with me as well (i relly must stop assumeing) I’m sorry, the insult was a generality. I ment it in a general sence (i did not refer to you by name, only to Alberta and the West). I’ve had less then impressive dealings with many Albertans, you seem to be following in their footsteps. Impressive. Again, i would like to sa, i am _sure_ not all westerners are jackasses, it just seems like it sometimes. Also, one thing you might want to learn about the Pit is random name calling **happens**. My advise is to learn how to deal with it. (Incidently, you’re going to have to do a lot better then “fuck you you ignorant little fuck”) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-alliance-are-assholes-for-beating-up-on-adrienne-clarkson/50412.md?page=3)