Inkless Wells

 Inkless Wells

Paul Wells on all the latest out of Ottawa—along with the occasional post about jazz. Follow Paul on Twitter: @InklessPW

Categories: Capital Read, Inkless Wells

"I call on you today to say that there are no beheadings"

by Paul Wells on Friday, September 3, 2010 2:48pm - 0 Comments

It’s going well in Arizona:

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  • Crit_Reasoning

    Goodness gracious. Has the governor of Arizona lost her head?

    • Emmett

      The reporters don't get it – she was the first victim!

    • Inkless

      Cat's got her tongue, for sure.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUPKKbmWMZ8

      • bergkamp

        That was painful/hysterical to watch. Shows how polished most pols are now.

        When I was watching that clip it made me think that could easily be me if I was ever on the telly. Do you find it difficult to talk in complete sentences on tv without uhming and ahing? I think it is a skill.

        • Inkless

          I find it impossible to talk without uhming and ahing, which is one reason I'm in print.

          • Holly Stick

            So she's been the governor for 600 days and there have been all these beheadings under her watch? Is that correct?

      • s_c_f

        Ouch. The poor lady had a statement memorized and she completely lost it. I know that feeling, when the words that were there a moment ago have suddenly disappeared.

    • http://www2.macleans.ca/ Janice Rose

      You'd think she'd be headed for trouble…

    • http://www2.macleans.ca/ Janice Rose

      I'm guessing she wasn't the head of her class…

      • tobyornotoby

        You've outdone yourself this week Janice. +10 for doubling up on the bad puns. :-)

        (let us get a snark in edgewise wouldya?)

  • Mark R

    "Crosses Burning On Lawns As We Speak"
    Liberal Hedy Fry apologized but only about the wording. She just amended her words. Seemed to work for her.She got re-elected.
    We'll see what happen In Arizona.

  • bergkamp

    Man Alive! I love American elections – bread and circus aspect is fantastic. Human beings are all barking mad in our own individual ways but at least American pols aren't afraid to show it.

    Ever so much more interesting than what we get here. Maybe Canadians would take more interest in politics if we had more conversations about beheadings in the desert and fewer about mandatory/voluntary long form census and other deadly dull topics.

    • Jenn_

      Yeah, but see, that's what the Comedy Network is for. We'd like to strive for Good Government, and generally speaking, you need people that aren't stark raving lunatics to accomplish that goal.

      Don't get me wrong, I find the humour in politics and enjoy it. But I don't base my vote on who would be the funniest-in-an-inept-way leader.

      • bergkamp

        "We'd like to strive for Good Government …. "

        Who is 'we'? I happen to believe good government is oxymoron so would prefer it if people would stop striving for it because they are never going to reach goal.

        "But I don't base my vote on who would be the funniest-in-an-inept-way leader."

        Than why are you a Liberal?

        • Jenn_

          I thumbed you up because that second part was funny! Well done.

          Good government is part of "the principles upon which our Confederation took place" so while you are free to have an individual opinion, you can't say you weren't warned. Personally, I value Peace, Order and Good Government highly. That is not to say I value Rigidity, Choicelessness and Totalitarianism, which I gather some people equate that to.

          • Steve

            I agree.

            The less 'charismatic' are politics are the better. And all this time, I didn't even know there was a politics of statistical inference!

          • bergkamp

            I hate peace, order and good government as founding principal for a Nation.

            America had proper intellectuals – "These are the times that try men's souls" and 'Don't Tread On Me" and, most importantly, " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights … "

            And in Canada we get a document that sounds like it was put together by a bunch of lawyers, accountants and schoolmarms.

          • Jenn_

            As they say, the American West was settled with brothels and saloons; ours with banks.

            Fortunately for you, you have a choice. It shouldn't be so hard to move. But I don't know why you would think that your way (the American one) should be adopted up here, taking choice away from everyone.

  • Crit_Reasoning

    Self-immolation, Arizona-style:

    Brewer: No more debates – period

    Arizona voters won't be seeing any more debates between the top gubernatorial contenders.
    Incumbent Republican Jan Brewer said Thursday she has no intention of participating in any more events with Democrat Terry Goddard. She said the only reason she debated him on Wednesday is she had to to qualify for more than $1.7 million in public funds for her campaign. "I certainly will take my message in a different venue out to the people of Arizona," she said.
    (…)
    "All you guys were doing and talking were beheadings, beheadings, beheadings," the governor said. "That is something that has stuck with you all for so long, and I just felt we needed to move on."
    (…)
    Brewer insisted later that she has been misquoted. "I never said 'Arizona,' and it's unfortunate that it was construed as 'Arizona.' "

    http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics…

    • Reader

      Guessing you missed this interview with Brewer:

      [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUPKKbmWMZ8 ]

      • Reader

        Oops. Just now realized Mr. Wells already posted this above.

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      I just did it for the money, I can't see why everyone's so focused on something so banal as my invocation of headless bodies in the desert, and I'm never going to do that again, because clearly it helps my opponent more than me if we're both seen in public talking about the issues at the same time, and the voters are able to compare us side by side.

      Wow.

      (She's still going to win easily isn't she?)

      • s_c_f

        Yes, apparently she leads by 20 points (not that you'd know that from the news report, they'd rather not tell you that).

  • Stephan

    Perhaps the governor knows about beheadings other don't know about?

    Even for politics, this is pretty weird.

    • tobyornotoby

      unreported beheadings are going unreported

  • LaxAtlDfwYow

    Makes me nostalgic for the good old days in TX when GWB was governor. Two terms, 150+ executions but not a single beheading. Good times.

  • PolJunkie

    I wouldn't assume that she's toast. Strangers things have happened down there.

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      I actually assume she'll still win.

      She was leading 57% to 38% on Monday.

      • MostlyCivil

        Beheadings! Apply directly to campaign!
        Beheadings! Apply directly to campaign!
        Beheadings! Apply directly to campaign!

  • captcold

    politicians are, in the general, lying sycophants. Why is this lady surprising?

  • Kaplan

    This is so unbelievably depressing and sad. You always think there's a new low watermark for politicians and the things they'll say (or not say), but time and again, we're always proven wrong.

    Our society's really headed downhill, fast.

    • true north

      Headed downhill ! ( snicker )

      • http://www2.macleans.ca/ Janice Rose

        We hope heads will roll on this one.

        • tobyornotoby

          incorrigible punster warning, please don't incorrige

          • http://www2.macleans.ca/ Janice Rose

            Okay toby, you can relax now, I'll be heading off-line now;)

    • LdKitchenersOwn

      Not that our politicos are any better, but I hasten to add that this particular example is not from "our" society.

      I'm willing to appropriate all sorts of things from American society when it suits me (lol) but I'm gonna let them have Governor Brewer all to themselves.

      • BGLong

        She's far from unique. In the current US political culture stupid is a feature,not a bug.

        • captcold

          and more snobbery from the Ca-knuckle underclass.

          Why are you bigoted clowns so unaware of your own political class' failings? The Canadian political discourse is hardly shining, and I would argue, dumber than the Yanks in many ways.

          Anti-US invective is the great Canadian embarrassment. Statist morons.

          • BGLong

            Underclass ! Underclass ! I can proudly say to you, sir, that I have no class at all !

            er, …..

          • danby

            Anti-US invective is the great Canadian embarrassment

            Actually, no. That would be Tony Clement.

            Statist morons

            Perhaps. But our health care covers injuries caused by sticks and stones.

          • captcold

            here I thought it was Jim Prentice.

  • MostlyCivil

    Behead Bath and Beyond?

  • Emily

    She has finally admitted she was wrong….sorta.
    http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/09/03…

    • Mike R

      Of course it wouldn't actually be surprising if there were beheadings, given the violence of the Mexican drug war and the involvement of Mexican gangs in the human smuggling trade. Still, she doesn't really seem like someone who is likely to have a solution to the issues.

  • Dave

    I'd call on her to say that there were not, and have not been, any beheadings. Putting the question in the present tense would give her a Bill Clinton Get Out Of Lying Free card.

  • AJR79

    You should see Brewer without her tele-prompter (allegedly).
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqX-dB2_U4M

    Cute tags by the way Mr.Wells. Have I told you recently that I think you're generally a good egg?

    • anon

      goodness… "I have really did the best that we could do".

      It's like a female Dubya

      • Mike R

        Which wouldn't make her unelectable would it?

    • danby

      that is painful to watch

  • Greg

    it's all about the massive number of unreported beheadings…

    • danby

      Outside of politicians, people who lose their heads are generally unable to talk about it

  • Gerry P.

    What about all the unreported beheadings?

  • Brad Sallows

    What about all the reported violent deaths which do not involve beheadings? Once again, a non-existent tree has removed attention from the forest. Brewer should admit her ignorance/lie directly and move on to the facts.

    The problem of violence associated with illegal migration is small in Arizona, but it exists.

  • BGLong
    • http://www2.macleans.ca/ Janice Rose

      Bybee and Cheney must have been in the same kindergarden together. I'll bet they were both bullies…toward the teachers.

  • ex-canuck

    Has Margaret Attwood been told?

    • Orson Bean

      That's Margaret's next angle: if Fox North happens, we will have public beheadings.

  • s_c_f

    This reminds me of the bodybags incident in Canada, when the news media claimed the government sent too many bodybags to a native reserve, then it turned out that's exactly what the reserve had been asking for.

    Anyway, it's certainly not as far-fetched as some people think, with what's going on in mexico right now, where gun battles have become routine. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/7186388…

    Also, being a mayor in Mexico is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world these days: http://www.ksat.com/news/24808907/detail.html

  • s_c_f

    Also, it's interesting to note that the governor has a lot of support nationwide. 12 states are supporting her government in court. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/04/states…

    22 states are enacting similar immigration laws. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/08/18/immigrati…

    So she's not as embattled as the press would like you to think. The beheading issue is just a sideshow. It's just another case where the overwhelmingly liberal media have taken sides.

  • Ryan

    Her and Stockwell Day should get together and compare notes.

    • Stewart_Smith

      Good point, Stock could really help her transit the discussion to those unreported beheadings, which of course segways into how people don't bother reporting their beheadings because they don't trust the authorities to do anything about them.

  • Mulletaur

    C'mon, everybody knows that there are bands of machete wielding Mexicans roaming Arizona chopping the heads off of law abiding Americans. Hollywood even made a movie about it.

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