Déjà vu

There was apparently another glitch in the Matrix this morning. For a few minutes around 7:00, VODW had two versions of the same story posted online.

Here is story number 1: http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=36169

House Winding Down
May 15, 2009

There was another late-night sitting at the House of Assembly. Members debated legislation until the wee hours of the morning..... and that has the Opposition parties speculating on the possibility government could close the House soon in light of the situation unfolding with the province's nurses. Opposition House Leader Kelvin Parsons gets the feeling that government is winding things down, even though a host of legislation still sits on the order paper. Government House Leader Joan Burke says it's her intent to see all outstanding bills passed before the session closes. However she does say that it is their right to close the House.


Here is story number 2: http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=36168

House Winding Down
May 15, 2009

Another late night sitting at the House of Assembly. Members debated legislation until the wee hours of the morning..... and that has the Opposition parties speculating on the possibility government could close the House soon in light of the situation unfolding with the province's nurses. Opposition House Leader Kelvin Parsons says he gets the feeling government is winding things down, even though a host of legislation still sits on the order paper. Government House Leader Joan Burke says it's her intent to see all outstanding bills passed before the session closes. However she does say that the right to close the House is their's.

Aside from the amusing solecisms, it is interesting to see how VODW struggled with the wording in the final sentence.

It must be hard to find a delicate way to re-write the constitution.

One or both of the links may now be inoperable, since such glitches don't last very long; but they still worked the last time I checked. For more on the provincial Matrix, see http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/04/equalization-matrix.html


Remix Update:

It looks like VODW has settled on this version: http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=36168

The main page has an interesting audio link that captures Burke claiming absolute control over whether and when the House of Assembly is dissolved or prorogued.

For a different view of whether the Tories can unilaterally close the House of Assembly, see the Lieutenant Governor's homepage: http://www.govhouse.nl.ca/role.htm

"Role and Duties

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Canadian Head of State and The Queen of Canada with the Governor General being the Queen's representative for Canada. The Lieutenant-Governor is the representative of the Queen in the Province and exercises powers under Section 9 of the Constitution Act 1867 essential to the workings of the constitutional monarchy in Canada.

The Lieutenant-Governor must always ensure that the post of Premier is filled following resignation or death and that a Government is in place following defeat at an election or in the House of Assembly. Additional governance responsibilities include: administering oaths of office to Members of the House of Assembly and Ministers of the Crown so they may take up their duties; summoning, proroguing and dissolving the House of Assembly; assenting to legislative bills in order for them to become law; and signing into force Orders-in-Council, Proclamations and other official documents on the advice of Cabinet."

Equalization Matrix

"Morpheus: You take the blue pill and the story ends. You wake in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. [A red pill is shown in his other hand.] You take the red pill and you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

If you want to take the red pill and see where the equalization/Atlantic Accord/O'Brien formula rabbit-hole goes, then read this: http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2009/04/manley-ponders-rot.html

Once you've finished, take a minute to watch Kennedy's news conference again: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090326.wvnfldbudget0326/VideoStory/politics/home?pid=RTGAM.20090326.wPOLnewf0326

Back in March, I noted Kennedy's strikingly bald assertion about the political power of CRAPolls: http://orwellianspin.blogspot.com/2009/03/what-cra-buys.html

While this assertion certainly stands out, the whole news conference was singularly strange. It has the type of weirdness that reminds me of a glitch in the Matrix: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KmNZNT5xw

Watch Kennedy's body language as he tries to explain The Shaft. About a minute into the news conference, he shifts into a lawyerly style to explain how the federal government "unilaterally made a determination...." He touches his face and his body language is odd.

Interestingly, he doesn't touch his face at all when he makes the CRAPoll comment.

Maybe it's nothing. Maybe you believe that Kennedy was telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Maybe it's better not to take the red pill.

But keep in mind Kennedy's actual words, as opposed to all the media spin: "I don't think we have to convince the public that what we're doing is right."