It may not be Lake of Fire 2.0, but you wouldn’t think Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s blustering response yesterday to the CBC’s release of a recording of her telling an anti-vaccine pastor facing criminal charges that she was talking to Justice officials “almost weekly” about his case is going to help her election campaign.
Artur Pawlowski, who has made a nuisance of himself with his loud and often offensive sermons on the streets of Calgary for years, faces criminal mischief charges stemming from activities during the Convoy blockade near the Coutts border crossing last year. A verdict in the case is expected in May.
The recording of her 11-minute phone conversation with Pastor Pawlowski, which took place in January not long before his trial, was obtained by the CBC and published yesterday morning. In it, Ms. Smith can be heard telling Mr. Pawlowski she had talked to department officials on his behalf and would continue to do so.
She might not have been telling them what to do, but she was clearly indicating what she’d like them to do – which in most places where the rule of law prevails would be called interference with the administration of justice.
Premier Smith also confessed to Mr. Pawlowski – you can’t make this stuff up! – that “what we’ve discovered in how our justice system works is we don’t really have the power of clemency the way a U.S. president or a governor in the United States does.
“Once the process is under way, I can ask our prosecutors, ‘Is there a reasonable likelihood of conviction, and is it in the public interest?’ And, I assure you, I have asked them that about weekly, ever since I got started here.”
But, she lamented, “there isn’t really a mechanism for me to order them to drop cases. That’s just the way our legal system works, I’m afraid.”
Answering Mr. Pawlowski’s complaint about the tactics of the Crown prosecutor in his case, she told him: “I have raised it with the deputy minister and let him know my dissatisfaction with the tactics.”
The premier also told the pastor that “Rob Anderson has been doing most of my work with Justice in pushing this along.” Mr. Anderson, a lawyer, is executive director of the Premier’s Office and Ms. Smith’s former Wildrose Party House leader.
Ms. Smith’s story about what she said to Justice Department officials and Crown Prosecutors about charges arising from the response of some Albertans to COVID-19 mitigation measures in 2020 and 2021 has evolved as criticism of her apparent effort to influence prosecutions became sharper.
If voters were paying attention, though, most of them had stopped.
Her threatening tone in response to the CBC’s report, though, will likely attract attention of a sort the United Conservative Party campaign doesn’t need just now, especially in Calgary, where the provincial election expected on May 29 will be won or lost.
After all, it reminds everyone of the original controversy and suggests, as the CBC put it, “that her conversations with top Alberta Justice officials about pandemic-related prosecutions were more frequent and specific than she has admitted publicly.”
It’s hard to imagine her staff, which contains a number of experienced political pros who know their stuff, either advising her to do this or being very happy about it.
“Later today, in an effort to continue their campaign of defamatory attacks against me, my office staff, Alberta Crown Prosecutors, and the Alberta Public Service, the CBC intends to release an article about a conversation I had with an individual named, Artur Pawlowski,” said the statement from the premier emailed to media first thing yesterday morning and posted on social media, presumably in hopes of getting ahead of the CBC’s report.
Claiming her conversation with Mr. Pawlowski should surprise no one given her publicly stated concerns about COVID-19 public health measures and firmly denying she has ever spoken to anyone specifically from the Crown Prosecution Service, Premier Smith then threatened the CBC.
“Allegations to the contrary are defamatory and will be dealt with accordingly,” she stated.
As an aside, it’s also probably not a sound legal strategy to threaten to sue someone for defamation for publishing a recording of your own words!
Still, we all understand that it’s a well-established strategy in U.S. right-wing circles to vilify and demonize media to increase distrust in institutions traditionally associated with the functioning of democracy – democracy having the bad habit from time to time of not delivering the “right” outcome in elections.
Ms. Smith has obviously concluded that what worked for Donald Trump in 2016 will work for her in Calgary in 2023.
It may indeed work with the Take Back Alberta extremists who now control half the UCP Board and many party constituency associations, but the jury remains out on how well it will work among the general electorate.
The person who arranged the conversation between the premier and the pastor, the CBC reported, was Dennis Modry, former CEO of the separatist Alberta Prosperity Project.
Pawlowski booted as Alberta Independence Party leader
Meanwhile, speaking of Alberta separatists, the day before yesterday, on his 50th birthday, Pastor Pawlowski was booted as leader of the Independence Party of Alberta.
“After serious consideration and deliberation among the provincial board members, it has been decided to part ways with the Leader of the Independence Party of Alberta, Artur Pawlowski,” the party said in a statement on social media.
“The Independence Party has a party platform and policies that reflect the hope of Albertans as an Independent nation,” the statement went on. “Art Pawlowski has not reflected this vision in a way that properly aligns with what the party and our platform need to convey and communicate to Albertans.”
Mr. Pawlowski soon responded with an angry riposte on social media.
“For months the board was bombarding me and demanding that I stop talking about God, moral principles and true freedom and independence,” he complained. “I was told multiple times that I cannot talk about grooming of children, drag queen shows, abortion and corruption in our present government. I was told not to talk about Notley, Smith, Trudeau, jabs/jab injuries or anything negative.” Readers will get the picture.
Notwithstanding that the death of Judas Iscariot is recorded in the Gospels as self-inflicted, I expect Pastor Pawlowski’s closing reference to that scripture will be taken by many readers as a threat.
The fact that the man to whom Premier Smith granted a long telephone call and with whom she was strategizing about how to deal with the charges he faces is too radical for a radical separatist party surely says something about the state of right-wing politics in Alberta today.
This is a two men say they’re Jesus, one of them must be wrong moment, to quote Mark Knopfler’s 1980s song.
Smith is either misleading a religious minister, which is not good, or the Alberta public which is also bad. Yet, she continues to try sugar coat it by using the term misspoke and imprecise. At some point when you say the same thing repeatedly it is not accidental, at best it is being careless with the truth and at worst it is deliberate. Neither is good. She was actually quite precise in saying who she was talking frequently, although interestingly did not mention emailing them. Perhaps she was careful enough not to.
Smith is not some former radio talk show host new to politics, she was the leader of the opposition for years before that and then briefly in a previous government. A naive political newcomer might believe they had the powers to pardon, surely Smith knew better.
Of course lest we forget, she also has a past history of duplicity. She spent years condemning the PCs for their corruption and then when she couldn’t beat them, she joined them and left her own party in the lurch.
Lastly it is pretty hard to credibly accuse someone of defamation when they are just claiming what you have said on more than one occasion. However, the one thing the pastor and the rest of us can probably agree on right now is that Danielle Smith is once again a disappointment to all.
Just unbelievable. I mean I know I’ve left comments before saying Premier Smith was crazy, and it’s been put down to verbal free play. But this is not running off at the mouth. This is stupefying. Does she even know what country she lives in? As for Rob Anderson, does he wish to be disbarred for misconduct? The crazy train had quite truly left the station. Will Albertan voters figure it out. Interference in Justice is no joke.
DJC, edit as necessary…but maybe you can answer a couple
questions……1. who gave the video to CBC/NDP
2. is this a follow up on the comment that Artur made on the video “” if I don’t have any other options, I’m going to come out swinging ” , I believe that was the wording, because nothing was happening on his case as per his followers were asking Dani on her Twitter account???
And if there was another conservative coup, when would the names have to be in by to qualify for the May 29 election?
Randi-lee: 1. We were not told. Personally, I suspect it was someone associated with Mr. Pawlowski, not with Ms. Smith. But that is pure speculation. 2. Is this a question? This would likely be evidence for the speculation in Point 1. 3. There won’t be a coup before May 29. Good coups, like good food, take time to prepare. However, the election isn’t called until the election is called. Still, it would be harder to uncall it now that the Legislature is no longer sitting, as it technically would require a law change. As we also know, though, the rule of law isn’t really a thing in Alberta. DJC
Okay, so when do the names for the candidates have to be in, I’m thinking about the mystery candidate waiting to announce, in say one of the Calgary ridings,
pure speculation on my part, of course, maybe???
Nomination Day is the 10th day after the issuance of the writ of election, so likely around May 10th if the election is called May 1st for May 29th as scheduled.
https://www.elections.ab.ca/elections/run-as-a-candidate/
As I understand it from CBC reporting, the good pastor recorded this and posted it on his youtube channel where it got a few views. Someone must have seen it and alerted CBC. It has been taken down from youtube now.
I hope that is correct.
This whole saga involving Danielle Smith is just plain crazy. Had Albertans listened to people who said the UCP were no good to begin with, we wouldn’t be in this situation. Why UCP MLAs have resigned and are choosing not to run again, could likely be that they knew what was going on, and they want no part of it. Knowing Danielle Smith, she may try to postpone the provincial election, hoping this dies down. Alas, she’ll do another big gaffe, and before we know it, some other controversial matter will be plastered in the news. These pretend conservatives and Reformers are the types that Peter Lougheed warned us about.
Albertans seem to be hard-of-hearing and even harder-of-thinking when it comes to the UCP. So, I wonder why Premier Smith is so reluctant to help one of her more devout supporters? If my memory serves, Premier Ralph Klein had no trouble addressing a rally in Lethbridge supporting a bunch of people facing jail time for violating the Customs Act. It did not seem to sway the Judge since they all ended up being sentenced anyways.
But let us not forget the follow up. Primer Minister Harper exercised what he called the “Royal Prerogative of Mercy” by pardoning people who got criminal records by breaking the Customs Act, expunging their criminal records.
Inquiring minds might want to ask what pressure was put on the Justice and Parole system back then to let the miscreants off the legal hook and why the gaggle of scholars and media people (our host being an honourable exception) made so little of it. This latest demonstrates you reap what you sow.
So, IMHO, the pastor has something else to feel aggrieved about. Perhaps he can petition the lord with prayer and a PM Skippy Poilievre will show him mercy. Gawd save the rest of us.
Funny how Smith indicates the so called defamation will be dealt with, so does that mean she will interfere with prosecutors to file action against the NDP’s claim she was interfering with prosecutors? Sounds too much like Trump to me. Maybe she should move to the US so she can dictate what she wants in the State of her choice?
Ain’t nothing gonna happen. Just like children getting shot in the face down south.
And they want us to trust them with a provincial police force? What could possibly go wrong?
“Allegations to the contrary are defamatory and will be dealt with accordingly.”
As a former media star and to compete in the big leagues, Ms. Smith should copy the howls of a reality TV host from New York.
“Former President Donald J. Trump has yet again called himself ‘the most persecuted person in the history of our country.'” independent.co.uk
Caught red handed in a lie, Smith and the corporate media in Alberta are now trying to spin the story as one about a “leak” from the justice department. Who cares if Smith was lying and breaking the law. It’s the “leak”, not the lie, that is important! After all, every politician lies, right?
Such is the state of Alberta thay its leader can threaten to sue someone for reporting what she said. Gaslighting at its best!
I think we all know that by claiming the matter is before the courts, Danielle Smith can now refuse further comment and suggest that events will evolve “in due course”. Problem solved!
At least we get a new uniquely Albertan update on an old expression. It’s no longer “the elephant in the room”. It’s “the stuffed black bear in the room”, and what a fine specimen it was in Art Pawlowski’s den. Albertans should refrain from using the outdated expression immediately. We don’t shoot we elephants here. We shoot wild horses and sometimes black bears. Get with the program.
As we know, for every transgression, the Distract-O-Rama machine spits out a counter-transgression. If you think Danielle Smith is bad, how about the UCP candidate in Lethbridge-West? What? Kindergarteners are watching porn and gender-converting as part of their curriculum? Say it isn’t so. It isn’t so.
P.S. Can anyone tell me if the black bear was one year old? That would be a breach of the laws around bear hunting. Dunno. It looked like a cub to me.
Boy oh boy, these people really get mad when you call them out for doing something stupid/ illegal….
A family member in the medical field has drawn attention to the 42 unfilled family practice residency positions in Alberta – compared to two unfilled positions in BC and 0 in Saskatchewan. Of what use are more med school openings when med students have clearly indicated they don’t want to work in Alberta, especially in rural areas? See “Alberta doctors sound alarm over low number of grads seeking residency in province” – https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-doctors-sound-alarm-over-low-number-of-grads-seeking-residency-in-province-1.6792900 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edkNFE5B1dU
Max Fawcett nailed it in his latest National Observer op-ed piece:
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2023/03/30/opinion/how-take-back-alberta-taking-over-united-conservative-party
Now if only Albertans would listen….
Rural Albertans listen to reason? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Oh mercy!
OK, let me rephrase. “If only ENOUGH Albertans will listen.” I plead either temporary insanity or not enough sleep.
Thanks for writing this, David.
A point that has had no consideration yet, is the origin of the recording. Unless the premier records all of her calls and a Judas in the premier’s office leaked it, my guess is that the leak must be from Modry and/or Pawlowski. If so, one has to wonder what the entire intent of the phone call was when they went to the trouble of recording it in the first place. If it was just to lobby for help in the criminal case there was no need to record it.
What, then, was the purpose of the recording? Obviously it has caused the premier some embarrassment. Was that the only purpose, or were they hoping the premier would really put her foot into it (why would I think that?) and they would be left with a means of blackmail? I am really enjoying the mental image of Pawlowski/Modry playing a bit of the recording for the premier, just enough to make it clear the call was recorded, leaving the premier agonizing over what else she said during the call, and was it enough to sink her.
I would also assume the recording, which was made in January, was just leaked. What has happened, or is about to happen, to make the holders of the recording decide to release it now?
Bob: I agree with you that this smells as if the leak came from Pawlawski’s end of the conversation. Judging what has been floating around on Twitter, the recording is in the form of a video, taken in a sitting room by or with someone with a couple of dogs and a desperate need to upgrade from that pair of old sweat pants. It all looks rather like exile, but not one of the the Romanovs in exile in Paris, if you know what I mean. https://twitter.com/cspotweet/status/1641111483713978368 As a general aside, which may or may not be relevant, it is my opinion that people unhappy with the state of affairs in their countries of origin probably shouldn’t try to foment revolutions in countries that kindly take them in. DJC
DJC, I agree with your point about fomenting revolutions, it is a tactic as old as time though isn’t it ? It certainly has a rich history in Canada.
Someone’s going to have to slap a Cossack hat on that bear and call him Nicholas.
https://www.theromanovfamily.com/teddy-bear/
House arrest for Artur*, he finally gets to “enjoy” pandemic lockdown attire since he never stayed home then ….. and from the pics on his Twitter, his wife was also there….* so he said *
As far as previous comments on the stuffed animal….whatever is the thing with cocaine bear ?? And since Bob Barker moved the elephant to California, the bear is more apropos for Alberta.
And the yahoos down south are going to start ratcheting things up since t’rump has been indicted, oh joy, SIGH!!!!
my apologies, I stand corrected about the elephant , Bob moved the 3 from Toronto, so I read today Lucy is supposed to stay in Edmonton….
There’s another, relatively minor, point. Isn’t it illegal to make a recording of a conversation without the consent of the person you’re recording? I dunno, maybe Miz Smith has another chance to sue somebody. This one, she just might win.
Mike: No. In Canadian law, a recording of a telephone conversation is legal as long as one participant consents. In other words, it is legal to tape your own phone calls and publish the recording if you wish. A lot of news reporters would be unable to practice their trade these days if this were not so. DJC
Thanks for the clarification.
Defamation suit.
I would think that at this juncture the very last thing Danielle Smith would like to subject herself, her advisors, or he colleagues to is an Examination for Discovery.
She threatened a defamation suit against the CBC earlier, about the e-mails issue.
Personally, I think, as a bystander, that an Examination for Discovery in either case would be extremely interesting. And amusing.
I wish Smith would sue! That way, we might find out whether she really did “talk to prosecutors” like she said.
David,
For the love of all things good, PLEASE STOP CALLING Artur a “pastor”. The man uses “faith” to shield his regressive worldview and little else.
RG: So do many other religious figures. I use “Pastor” to describe leaders of screwball Protestant sub-sects who have a following that recognizes them as a religious leader but, as far as anyone can tell, lack legitimate religious credentials. “Pastor” has the added advantage that it is unmentioned in the Canadian Press Stylebook (at least the slightly out of date copy I possess) the Bible of my former business. I’m certainly not going to call him Rev. The CP Stylebook advises: “Some religions lack a formal hierarchy, with leaders chosen by the congregation or community. In such cases use a descriptive term, such as holy man or priest …” The same can be said of some Protestant denominations, notwithstanding the fact their doctrine is different in no significant way from that of most of their coreligionists. Therefore, I would add to that list “pastor,” which is usually defined as the local leader of a Protestant church. In Mr. Pawlowski’s case, I would think “pastor” is vastly “preferable to “holy man”! DJC
I had never heard or used that term other than when watching American TV until we moved out west in the mid-80s … the entire time I was growing up down east, the term for a Protestant clergyman was always “minister”. Today, out here, it’s ubiquitous, although I still tend to hear Anglican and United Church clergy describe themselves as “ministers” rather than pastors. (“High Church” Anglicans also apparently use the term “priest”, but I’ve never encountered that, at least not in Canada).
Jerry: My late brother-in-law was an Anglican priest and I can assure you that priest is the term he used to describe his vocation. DJC
Artur:Aug 24/2021
Antihate.ca
“Get Out ”
A timeline of hate preacher Artur Pawlowski’s activities across North America…..
So I went and checked to see if the Dennis Modry you note in your story is the same Dennis Modry who was a very respected cardiovascular surgeon at the U of A when I was working there…and it turns out, it is!! Just goes to prove you can be well educated, capable, and highly skilled and still be an idiot.
This has to be peak Alberta. Suing the CBC for accurately reporting what a politician said verbatim. In other words, suing someone for telling the truth.
Any day now, I expect a new law making it illegal to refer to Smith as “Batchit Crazy Lady.” Or, a law that prevents anyone from telling the truth.
Peak Alberta folks! You get the government you deserve. I don’t know about anyone else, but personally I deserve better. That’s why I’ll vote for Rachel Notley.
I wonder if she thinks she has amendment rights as well. There was a federal candidate in Southern AB for the CPC who thought it was a good idea to pump up his Phd studies in constitutional law. US constitution law. Didn’t know BYU has such an interest in Canadian policy and laws. Too many took south and think US laws apply up here. Just look at folks crossing the US/Can border with guns and other outlawed items and wonder why these items are taken away. Different country, different laws, funny how that works.
Pawlowski writes: “Remember in the end of the day the treachery of Judas Iscariot is rewarded with silver coin that is attached to a big tree and a strong rope.”
KJV: “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”
FYI to the Pastor: These are not the same.
A person with batshit crazy ideas has a telephone conversation with a person who has been charged with Alberta Freedumbfuckery. And it was recorded?!?
What could go wrong?
Amazed that Dani thought she was about to be granted the powers of a dictator
Sounds like her hands were tied, and she took a firm neutral stand between prosecutors and the human rights of a pastor facing charges.
Yesterday, Danielle Smith took Alberta back, back to her original controversy when she was caught interfering with charges already laid against some of the protesters who blockaded the Coutts border-crossing last year. It now appears she just went ahead and did it again without a smidgen of the smattering contrition she lamely excused herself with the first time.
It’s impossible not to remark on the parallels with Donald F tRump when he falsely claimed exoneration in the Mueller inquiry into Russian meddling in his election but immediately proceeded to meddle in Ukrainian affairs by illegally holding a Congressionally-approved military aid-package ransom until then-little-known President Zalinsky provided fabricated dope to deploy against his 2020 presidential rival, Joe Biden. Both parallels were committed by telephone call, both were recorded and publicly released, tRump un-welcomingly applying “leverage,” Smith welcomingly getting levered.
Probably advised not to claim his Zalinsky call was ‘perfectly legal,’ tRump nonetheless insisted on calling it “totally perfect.” Nonetheless, he was impeached, a quasi-democratic process where elected federal Representatives vote on the verdict in Congress. But because conviction was denied by a vote in the tRumpublican Senate, and true to type, he brazenly and, again, falsely claimed exoneration and continued to ignore the law and the rule-of- like he really believed it —until in due course he was impeached a second time for directing an insurrectionist mob to attack the Capitol Building where Biden’s victory was proceeding through the last step of ratification. (The Senate rushed to get its vote not to convict this second impeachment done before Inauguration Day, with the Democrats set to assume a slim majority there. Naturally, tRump still claims yet another exoneration.)
While Smith acquired her premiership by quasi-democratic processes (party and parachute), she might lament that the kind of ‘impeachment’ she’ll probably face as a result of her astoundingly profound stupidity for her own damning phone calls will be of the popular sort. We hope she’ll get the same result as The Donald did in 2020. In only 60 days from today.
Unfortunately for her, she might be reminded that, along with US 2nd Amendment rights and presiduncial pardons, her own ‘impeachment’ will not require a supermajority of Senators to ‘convict’ like in the USA. But it will require that her party wins too few seats to form a government. About the only thing she doesn’t have to lament is, therefore, our ‘First-Past-the-Post’ electoral system which, in the context of 87 riding elections instead of at-large presidential elections, has a mildly US-Electoral-College-like effect where her party could possibly win a majority of ridings without the majority of popular vote. She, naturally, has to win her own riding, as well, but even if she does, without re-electing the party to government, it’s most unlikely she’ll survive as leader—if, indeed, her party even survives. Remember: she’s already destroyed two parties of the right; what’s one more?
Petulant pastor Artur Pawlowski is the epitome of an earless old tom yowling at his scratching pole. Included in his incessant and proven illegal caterwauling is—guess what!—long recitations of which conviction begat the next, begat the next, and begat the next. Although not affiliated with Edmonton’s Church of the Vine (whose pastor also got into a Covid-protocol scrape with the law), Pawlowski is of such religious conviction that he’s had plenty of them which begat other convictions which begat fines, jailings, and restrictive bail conditions which begat more of the same, ad nauseam, when he broke even those in the name of the Lord. Among his own bunches of sour grapes are his erstwhile political partisans who recently fired him as their leader for refusing to stop talking about religion at political meetings (conversely, his Calgary Street Church lost its official status as a religious institution because he wouldn’t stop talking about politics at religious meetings).
You don’t wanna cross this guy: he called the Alberta Independence Party executive— so recently his colleagues— a “censorial, top-down, controlling, corrupted, lying and tyrannical organization.” Ouch!
Moreover, he blamed his ouster on “the establishment” to which, he says, the AIP under his leadership had “become a tangible threat” and “too dangerous.” I agree: his allusion to Judas’ hanging tree sounds like a thinly-veiled threat—but of what, I dunno. One thing’s sure, though: Smith was a fool to accept his call at all.
Although not quite a “Lake of Fire 2.0,” Smith should have been twice shy, having been severely burned by the Original Version 2012. Yet somehow she couldn’t resist opening the door a crack to take a peep—just a wee one— at the pastor licking his brimstones while scratching his pole as she entertained his yowling, unwisely further and further, until turning into a pillar of salt. Now she’d better stay out of corners whilst Pawlowski’s pissing in every one he can find.
I don’t think the Alberta right is much different in kind than it ever was, but certainly in degrees of party schisms and numbers of fringe parties which always appear during tumultuous times. The extremists always go feral trying to stampede the province over a cliff but, as usual, they always start fighting with each other over their kill, even though it’s far too excessive to possibly consume before spoiling. They are tactless diplomats of paranoia, rote on the ropes, and out of control.
But Albertans still have to get out and vote if they want to get them out and keep them out of power. If you have three friends free of digital defect, you can now count on your fingers and toes the number of days until election day.
Seems like anyone associated with the UCP who has a double barrelled name is leaving town. Now it’s Lethbridge West candidate Torry Tanner who is an expert on porn in schools. Bye bye.
Fundamentally the UCP and most of their remaining leadership have no respect for the truth unless it it fits with their Neo-liberal economic nostrums. Which explains their disdain for evidence and due process along with their willingness to make up community destroying stories to get support and raise money.
signed: A very disaffected red Tory
Yes, is the Alberta Hospital Ponoka still in full operation? Looks like it may well be needed for some admissions.
The read from Smith supporters on social media that Smith “attempted” judicial interference but didn’t and maybe was stopped by the appropriate guardrails.
So, attempted murder can be a misdemeanour now? I mean it’s not like they were good at murder, so what’s the bother?
We will be subjected a great deal of CBC bashing and promises of litigation over the next few weeks. Of course, litigation is the last thing Danielle will consider. Well, perhaps not. She has a record of very poor judgement.
This should placate the UCP base that supports Smith.
Not to mention denial by our former Justice Minister, aka speeder in school zones that is the opinion that there is nothing wrong in calling the Edmonton Police Chief in order to ‘discuss’ the ticket.
It is not up to CBC. CTC, Global and the rest are all reporting the same thing. Or should I say putting up the call for their readers to hear for themselves. More about listening than reporting!
It can confidently be assumed that political tragedy has transformed itself into a theater of the absurd and has now been securely supplanted by:
“Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense; satire, parody, and mockery of real-life situations, people, events, and interactions; unlikely and humorous instances of miscommunication; ludicrous, improbable, and exaggerated characters; and broadly stylized performances. Despite involving absurd situations and characters, the genre generally maintains at least a slight degree of realism and narrative continuity within the context of the irrational or ludicrous situations, often distinguishing it from completely absurdist or fantastical genres.”–Wikipedia
Where, “I thought we probably had the same power of clemency that they did in the U.S. . . . I’m not a lawyer by training,” Smith said.
And then, as if both on cue and conforming to entrenched historical patterns of behavior:
“An Alberta deputy premier says it was appropriate for his boss to phone up a pastor and discuss his upcoming criminal trial on charges stemming from protests over pandemic restrictions. Kaycee Madu says Premier Danielle Smith has a broad mandate to reduce divisions over the COVID-19 pandemic while helping the province grow.”
“Madu is a former Alberta justice minister who was moved out of the portfolio under former premier Jason Kenney after he was found to have tried to interfere in the justice system by calling up Edmonton’s police chief to complain about a traffic ticket.”
https://globalnews.ca/news/9590903/madu-alberta-premier-smith-covid-justice-call-pawlowski/
Finally, an abbreviated list that includes some of the characteristics that are descriptive of the aspiring and manipulative demagogue:
:They present themselves as a man or woman of the common people, opposed to the elites.”
:Their politics depends on a visceral connection with the people, which greatly exceeds ordinary political popularity.”
:”They manipulate this connection, and the raging popularity it affords, for their own benefit and ambition.”
:”They threaten or outright break established rules of conduct, institutions, and even the law.”
Well, I wasn’t aware that there is a hot line to the Premier for a law breaker. If I had known this, I have a couple speeding tickets for her look at.
How embarrassing for these clowns and for any freak/weirdo who voted for the UCP. These people literally think they are above the law and frankly don’t care about optics. The bar for modern conservatives is…just that low. Pathetic premier.