The image to the right is not edited or photoshopped in any way. This is a true image of the poster promoting a Saskatchewan Party fundraising event in the Martensville constituency.I didn't agree with the late Ben Heppner. Heppner was a Conservative and then Saskatchewan Party MLA, representing first Rosthern and then Martensville. He was probably farther to the right than I am to the left. But everyone I ever knew in the Legislature thought that Ben Heppner was a stand-up guy.
After Heppner's death due to cancer, his daughter Nancy held onto his seat in a byelection. It was hardly a surprise. Not only was it an emotional tribute to a much loved MLA to elect his daughter in his place, it was also one of the two constituencies the CCF-NDP has never won at any point in our nearly eight decades of existence.
In this case, it seems, the apple may well have fallen a great distance from the tree. I cannot imagine for a second the late Ben Heppner ever being involved in such a disgusting exploitation of tragedy for base partisan considerations.
I mean, really. It's so revoltingly bad that even Toronto's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail has noticed.
Shame on you, Nancy.
For the response of the Saskatchewan media, please review the following video.
5 comments:
This is the most distasteful thing that I have seen coming from a political party. It's especially shocking that the words "pig roast" are seen in the flames from the tower. Regardless of the speaker's connection to this event, this image evokes nothing but strong, negative reactions from people, I'm surprised that someone in the riding committee didn't find it offensive.
I would expect this from an immature high school student who is running for student council, not from an adult. I guess it proves that some people never grow up. I wish I could say I'm surprised. This is the kind of thing that makes me glad that I no longer live in Saskatchewan.
This isn't even as bad as the liberals trying to scarce Canadians about "Soldiers, in the streets, with guns" Clearly the left has a problem with facing up to 911 as an event that was not the fault of right wing western governments and some thing that should never be forgotten in all its brutal reality. The speaker for this event was a survivor of 911....No difference had a survivor of the USS Arizona been advertised with the iconic photos of that day on the cover. As for the Pig Roast line, well you can change the wording to Roast Pork Dinner but the people attending this event would NEVER be attempting to insult the NYPD in this manner. Or is the left upset because the juxtaposition of pigs might insult Islamic terrorists? Anyhow, I think its pretty low to presume how Ben would feel about Nancy in this case...not very Christian.
What is it with you folks on the far right? Are you so deeply immersed in the Manichaean heresies that everything must be a duality? You can't grasp that someone can despise both the Saskatchewan Party and the Liberal Party? You actually believe your own BS rhetoric that the Liberals are left?
Howe'er is was, you need to stop arguing against the straw men of your delusions and start engaging in honest debate.
After 23 years of honourable service with the Canadian Forces, I don't need any lessons from a puffed up crank about caring for the troops. My condemnation of the Liberal scare tactics was loud, long, vociferous and repeated in many places online.
I was utterly disgusted when the Liberal Party attacked Canadian service folk for partisan gain. I'm just as disgusted when you lot on the far right use the CF as pretty backgrounds for photo ops - like Peter McKay's wonderful equipment announcement that was quietly cancelled once the photos were published.
And BTW, you should perhaps note that the very first politican to come to the defence of Canadian service folk following the scurrilous Liberal attack was not Stephen "starve the forces" Harper, but rather Jack Layton.
As to the photo, you clearly haven't heard what New York firefighters have to say about the exploitive antics of small town idiots.
Official FDNY statement:
"The FDNY (Fire Department of New York) hopes that no one ever forgets what happened on September 11th. However, we do think that the use of images of the attacks for political or monetary gain, like the image on this poster, is in bad taste."
Chief Picciotto (the guest speaker for the event):
"It was inappropriate without a doubt. They wanted me to talk about September 11 and they bundled it with a fundraiser and with a pig roast. It wasn’t too bright on someone’s part."
The New York Post:
"A cadre of small-town Canadian politicos is standing by its invitation to a “pig roast” fundraiser that depicts the fiery moments after United Airlines Flight 175 slammed into the World Trade Center South Tower."
New York Magazine:
"You know what is fun? A pig roast. Everyone likes them, except vegetarians and kosher people, but if you are the center-right political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, this is not your audience, anyway. The point is, it should not be hard to come up with an invite that generates excitement for the porky bacchanal you intend to host.
"You could use:
"1. An image of a delicious roasted pig, maybe even with the traditional apple in its mouth.
"2. Or, if that is too much, because even non-kosher vegetarians don't really like to see dead animals pictured, you could do a cheerful cartoon pig. Maybe even wearing your national regalia or a political button.
"3. Or you could just put the words "Delicious smoky bacon!" real big at the top.
"Those are three, but really there are innumerable things you could put on an invite to a pig roast that would make people think, I am definitely going to this thing! The Saskatchewan party is awesome! Conversely , there are only a handful of things that you would not want to put on the invite, one of them of course being a heavily loaded image of fiery human death and destruction at the hands of terrorists. The Saskatchewan Party, somehow, made the exact wrong choice. Oops."
One right wing American blogger actually concluded that the Saskatchewan Party must be left wing, they're clearly so evil. Another said:
"OH CANADA! Let us count the reasons to appreciate our jolly neighbors: breakfast buffets, big sexy drunken perpetual frat boys, trolley cars, head shops, their sense of humor, BEERFEST, their use of the word ‘aye’[sic] (which is certain to pluck the heartstrings of even the biggest and meanest d-bags), and let us not forget eskimos! However, when it comes to tact, Canadians are continuing to fail at Shoots & Ladders with their current global rank. Their most recent offense is hosting a pig roast to raise money for The Saskatchewan Party, which is surprisingly a political party NOT a frat party (we told you they had eskimos), by featuring a 9/11 survivor, 9/11 themed rager, and the jolly flyer to the left. Take a moment, we needed one too."
Now, I'll grant you that it's possible Nancy Heppner isn't really an insensitive snarler seeking to exploit human tragedy for personal gain. It is possible she's merely inept and surrounded by incompetents.
In the mean time, perhaps you can grasp that I actually agree with you equating the Liberal "soldiers in our cities with guns" ad and this poster. Both are disgusting.
(Oh, and the iconic shot of USS ARIZONA would actually a shot of the MEMORIAL.)
I no longer live there, but I was born and raised in God's country, Saskatchewan, and I find no excuse for this appalling thing.
But you know, over the years I have come to the conclusion that the business of politics and of politicians is fundamentally blind to what is right and what is wrong. All that matters is what will get votes and what will keep votes. I am disgusted at this, but not surprised.
And it also occurs to me to wonder that this invited speaker is presumably making money off all the terror and sorrow he was part of and witness to. I mean it isn't as though he's coming to speak to firefighters about his experience or to trauma workers or trauma patients or to anyone that may be helped by his experience. He's being paid to speak at a political party's fund raising event.
I have a problem with the entire whole thing.
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