The Legislature Raids

Well I ain't got no more to lose,

I got dem mean ole Hansard Blues........

Hansard from yesterday afternoon should live on as a case study in future editions of Understanding the Stages of Denial for Dummies. Future social scientists and mental health professionals may actually diagnose clinical denial using the The Soup Nazi Scale of Denial.

Early on, like just after the raids, Gordon Campbell's position could be summed up as: "I don't know."

......David Basi? Who's that?

I don't know why I fired one and just put the other on paid leave, heck, I hardly know who they are, much less what they do.............

Of course the famous memo excerpted below from 2001, kinda, sorta, contraindicates the old "I don't know" denial stage/tactic.

June 25, 2001,
from: G. Campbell
to: all cabinet minsters

Martyn Brown will arrange the structuring and staffing of your offices. All ministers are instructed not to act like the chief executive officer of their ministries, this role should be performed by your deputies who will be selected by the premier's office."

Now the Soup Nazi and his minions have moved onto the next stage which can be summed up as "Can't talk now, it's before the courts." Though this stage has been apparent for awhile now, it became glaringly obvious during question period yesterday at the ledge. It appears that the only things that can be discussed in the House now are matters such as the Armenian Genocide, Agriculture Day and Aboriginal bosoms in an historical mural in the lobby. The MSM really went to town with the bosom story, natch. Anything relating to BC and/or the present is verboten because it relates to the "Trial." Actually in a way, I have to agree with Gordo and Wally, the scope of this trial is much more than the misdemeanors of Dave, Bob or Aneal.

The complete Hansard (blue) for yesterday afternoon is here. But some of the highlights include: (annotated by koot) and bolded by koot

C. James: Serious allegations.....(any question)?

Hon. G. Campbell: As we have canvassed in this House in the past and as I will repeat today, (and repeat, and repeat, and repeat....) I have no intention of commenting on issues that arise during the court case that is currently before the courts. I think it's our responsibility to protect the integrity of that process. We will do that, and I will not be commenting on any issues that come out of that court case while it is ongoing.(you can say that again, oh, yeah, you do) [all excerpts DRAFT TRANSCRIPT ONLY - annotated and exaggerated (bolding) by kootcoot]

Hon. G. Campbell: My answer remains the same.

Hon. G. Campbell: .............we are going to let this run to fruition prior to any comment on any issues that arise out of that court case.

(shall we use the passive voice for variety?)

Hon. G. Campbell: Issues that arise out of the court case will not be commented on by me prior to the conclusion of the court case.

(perhaps it's time for some future tense)

Hon. G. Campbell: The answer is that while there is a court case ongoing, I will not be answering…

Hon. G. Campbell: I don't know how I can be clearer. I will not be commenting on issues that arise…

(maybe by answering a question, occasionally, that may make your agenda clearer, oops, I forgot, that's the point.)

(Then an opposition member began a question with)

M. Farnworth: I didn't mention the term "courthouse." I didn't mention the term "trial." I didn't even ask if these employees came from the firm of Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Dean and Mitchell. What I asked, hon. Speaker…

(the rest of Mr. Farnworth's question and the reponse)

Farnworth cont'd... There's a pattern in this government of senior staff misrepresenting themselves in the public. We've seen it with Prem Vinning, we've seen it with the Deputy Premier's assistant, and now we are asking questions about staff in the Premier's office.
So my question once again to the Premier is this. Can he assure this House and can he assure the taxpayers of British Columbia that senior communications staff in his office are not working on blatant partisan media manipulation?

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Hon. W. Oppal: I know that the member opposite didn't mention the trial. He didn't have to mention the trial. Anybody that's read the morning Province knows what he's talking about. He's talking about evidence that emerges from the trial.
I want to point out one other thing, and that is that allegations are often made in court. They're not necessarily factual. You know, that might be news to the….

Interjections.

Mr. Speaker: Members.

Attorney, continue.

So the mentioning of Nixon's plumbers and architects might have scared the Soup Nazi back to his seat, or his jaw had become numb from the drone of constant repitition or Mr. Farnworth ventured into territory scary enough to awaken the Consigliere, Wally, Wunnaful, Wunnaful Wally. At least the Soup Nazi deigned to appear at the Legislature this week. He was probably hunkered down last week, memorizing the "I can't speak about an issue that is before the courts" line and its myriad variations in tone, voice, tense and meaning. He also probably needed to learn a few impressive twenty five cent words to throw into sentences written in the passive voice, like "fruition."

Things to watch for in the future. Once Gordo and the Guys can't hide behind the all-purpose "it's before the courts" anymore; like when they are witnesses under oath, or Justice Bennett "orders" documents to be produced (oh be still my heart) they will move on to stage/strategy Level III or "I can't recall." If we were in Amurka, they would invoke the "Fifth" and I don't mean the fifths Gordo used on Maui.

So many of the amateur or professional "media manipulators" that troll Mary's site or the Tyee boards repeat ad nauseam that the Campbell Agenda is just bidness as usual, so no blood, no foul. I beg to differ, Glen Clark's (completely legit) deck or the Zalm's SMALL paper bag of money wouldn't even create a blip against the current background of slime. Especially if the media actually paid attention to what is important. But of course yesterday it was BC's own version of Janet Jackson's nipple at the Superbowl, or the Indian Maiden Breasts in the Lobby of the Ledge. Perhaps one slow news day there won't be so much important breast related news happening and the media will be forced to seriously cover say, Question Period, to fill unsold ad space. I mean if there is no editorial content at all, the advertisers might as well publish their own flyers and hire their own people to put them on doorknobs.

I now realize that yesterday afternoon's Question Period, just the part addressing "ALLEGATIONS OF PARTISAN MEDIA ACTIVITIES BY LIBERAL STAFF," [Page 1355] is simply too rich of a vein to exploit in merely one post. So I will now try to get together Hansard Blues: Part Deux or What did Wally Say and Where and When Did He Say It? Wally is teetering on the brink of an opportunity to become famous internationally as the Alberto Gonzales of British Columbia, or perhaps the John Mitchell of Campbell's Cabinets 'R' US? Find out soon when Part II is released!

© used with permission of House of Infamy