Harper Agriculture Minister jokes about Listeria

HarperCensor

New Member
Sep 18, 2008
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http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/ritz_listeria_jokes

[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif] Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz? Who is he?[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]Harper sure keeps his 'staff' under wraps.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]quote:[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]Earlier Wednesday, Ritz had little to say when asked about his comments as his flight from Saskatoon touched down at the Ottawa airport.[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]A bearded man with the minister jostled with journalists as Ritz beelined through the terminal to a waiting sedan. At one point the man grabbed a reporter's recorder and jabbed at the off button.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]For two minutes Ritz stared dead ahead as he was peppered with questions about the conference call. His only words were clipped.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Not right now, guys," he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]Then: "Get out of my face, please."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]After his speech and apology Wednesday night, Ritz would not take questions and was whisked from the premises by aides. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]"His only words were clipped."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Get out of my face, please." [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]"[Ritz's Harper censor/minder] grabbed a reporter's recorder and jabbed at the off button."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]ha ha ha ... this is the strength of Harper's bench?? ... no wonder he keeps them from the cameras!![/FONT]
 

HarperCensor

New Member
Sep 18, 2008
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Harper leader of fools ... LOL

[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]For two minutes Ritz stared dead ahead as he was peppered with questions about the conference call. His only words were clipped.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Not right now, guys," he said.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]Then: "Get out of my face, please."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]After his speech and apology Wednesday night, Ritz would not take questions and was whisked from the premises by aides.[/FONT]
Someone thinks its a big enough deal to "whisk him away" .... LOL.

The Harper cabinet member says in reply [FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif] "Get out of my face, please." ... LOL [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Oh God, that is too funny. Harper, dude, can't you get any good help? ha ha ha ... no wonder Harper thinks he is the leader ... (leader of fools ... LOL)

(just wanted to edit this to remind ... 17 people died! ... Harper's guy says ..
[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif] "Get out of my face, please." ... sheesh where is the humanity[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif])
[/FONT]
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
6,770
137
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It's a well known fact that people you hire to do the dirty deeds, often don't know when to shut the hell up. So it's your choice Canada, elect these nasty buggers or go with someone who wants to do make Canada a better place.
I can see why Harper doesn't want these idiots talking though.
 
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missile

House Member
Dec 1, 2004
4,846
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Saint John N.B.
Fairly good jokes,too..for a Pol. Heck! they can't even open their mouths without offending some asshole or other..people are too thin skinned and the Ops want the guy flayed and beheaded:lol:
 

darkbeaver

the universe is electric
Jan 26, 2006
41,035
201
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RR1 Distopia 666 Discordia
Personally a public flaying and beheading would restore the confidence Canadians so sorely miss in thier elected officials. I suggest the elections be postponed untill we have had a dozen public executions of politicians. Certainly conservative values need adjustment.
 

earth_as_one

Time Out
Jan 5, 2006
7,933
53
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The joke was callous and insensitive, but clearly a joke and not intended to be a policy statement. Death by a thousand cold cuts... Lighten up.

What's more important is: Did this minister react appropriately when he realized the magnitude of the problem? and Does he recognize that flaws in the system were the cause of a slow response which may have caused additional deaths? That's what should determine his future, not his dark humor which for some people is how they initially react to a crisis.
 

Unforgiven

Force majeure
May 28, 2007
6,770
137
63
There is a difference between sitting in the yard having a beer with your buddies and making a couple of quips and acting as a minister with a portfolio responding to questions about people dying from food poisoning.

I don't think anyone will get hung up over this but he is clearly not the caliber of person to be in taking care of the rest of us. That position should be reserved for those people bright enough to know when it's time to laugh in the face of disaster and when to get serious about it.

Bad choices like that indicate poor judgement and we hardly need any more of that. If Harper is serious about Canada moving forward we need to come together as a country not split into factions with a minority agenda.
 

ottawabill

Electoral Member
May 27, 2005
909
8
18
Eastern Ontario
YOU NOW, i'M STARTIG TO THINK WE NEED TO BE TESTED FOR INTELIGENCE BEFORE WE VOTE!!

Sure bad choice of Jokes, not good. Maybe even an offence that during an election may get you booted out, but hell this is wahat we look at before we vote.

Radio and Newspapers with spend a solid 8 hours on this, while spending 3 mins on a promised policy?? We would actually base our next 4 year future on a bad joke.??

please! and i don't care what party says what..I want to here ploicy and outlook, this country does not run on good taste or bad taste jokes...This aint E-talk daily is it?
 

Walter

Hall of Fame Member
Jan 28, 2007
34,843
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Fire the dweeb who leaked the minutes (ie. private converstion)from the meeting.
 

Avro

Time Out
Feb 12, 2007
7,815
65
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54
Oshawa
Another looney con speaks his mind.:lol:

Is it any wonder Harper controls his troops like a dictator.:smile:
 

NovaScotianKid

New Member
Sep 18, 2008
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boy, this is one juicy election so far.
I think it was a bad move to joke about listeria, imagine if you knew someone who died from it.
i know i have a list of all the foods that were recalled and i'm never buying them again.
if they kept a dirty kitchen once, they'll do it again..that is one thing i can't tolerate is a dirty eating establishment, same goes for my grocery fud! :)
i bought some frozen shrimps once and there was a black hair right inside the sealed bag..imagine my replusion, although I don't know if i would ban the brand, but that was taken care of for me because it came out that it was one of those china shrimp companies that raise them in sewage
things keep up like this and i'll be eating grass :)
 

wallyj

just special
May 7, 2006
1,230
21
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not in Kansas anymore
The joke was callous and insensitive, but clearly a joke and not intended to be a policy statement. Death by a thousand cold cuts... Lighten up.

What's more important is: Did this minister react appropriately when he realized the magnitude of the problem? and Does he recognize that flaws in the system were the cause of a slow response which may have caused additional deaths? That's what should determine his future, not his dark humor which for some people is how they initially react to a crisis.
I agree with you. This has been hyped by the media because it involves a conservative. I'm surprised they are not following him in choppers. Compare this coverage to 3 other recent events... A MP set-up a camera crew to film a random constituent in his riding. But no,it wasn't a house picked at random,it was the son of his campaign manager,who asked all the right questions. When this was discovered the candidate lied about it ,then he lied again,then he apologized. This was not news.Why,because it was liberal Garth Turner.....Another candidate from Regina,Garret Oledzki,stepped down because he was being suspended from the Law Society and likely charged with fraud for forging the wills of his clients to benefit himself or his family. That is sleazy,really sleazy.But it was not news,Why,because he was a liberal... Third case in the past few weeks,Elizabeth May's stooge,Blair Wilson,may be under investigation AGAIN by elections Canada for financial shenanigans. This made it in one newspaper, the Vancouver Province.Apparently this is not news either. Why,because Liz May is helping the liberals.... Three instances all in the past three weeks that would hurt the liberals,all much more newsworthy and deceitful than a couple of off-colour jokes,but these jokes have had many times more coverage in 12 hours than all three combined. Would anyone like to argue the case that CBC and CTV are not biased?