Smoke Screens and Red Herrings

I've been following the lame-ass, brow-beating that Harper has been giving Elections Canada for their "crazy" stance of letting the 300 women in Canada keep their faces covered while registering to vote.

I know, Harper's got it right. Why would we let these 300 women do such a thing even though they will be asked to show their face (and most women who are asked do so), and even though they will be asked for sworn statements in some cases, and even though they are supposed to still show a couple pieces of ID and even though they can have someone vouch for them and even though 80,000 people vote by mail without showing their faces and even though all this is legal and in line with the Canada Elections Act.

But Whoa-oh-oh Billy! It seems CBC has been very good at burying the lead and creating a red-herring to mask the fact that at exactly the same time, Elections Canada "is refusing to reimburse the Conservatives for more than $1 million in what it says are illegally claimed campaign expenses."

According to the NDP MP Pat Martin, "Seeing as we can't find anybody, any Muslim group, that actually filed this complaint to Elections Canada, we can only conclude the Conservatives generated this whole red herring themselves to act as a diversion."

Which is better than Jack Laytons stance: he "continues to hold out hope that [Elections Canada] will change [their] position before the [Quebec] byelections, but is prepared to support a legislative move," to force veiled women to show their face. Fucking idiots.