F-35s with no engines? Boondoggle!

My god, how I hate that word. It reeks of gut reaction, utter lack of analysis and shallow appeals to emotion. Soundbites rather than reflection. Which is why you see it in Sun Media rags every other day.

Don't like something? Call it a "boondoggle." Slimy-sounding word that serves to create a scandal, even when the evidence, when you bother to consider it, is ambiguous. Easy smear job. The facts don't matter. The sole purpose is to work the knuckle-dragging, drooling base into a frenzy.

But hell, in this case? I'll make an exception.

(h/t pale at Creative Revolution)

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Our F-35 fighter jets won't have engines

And people say they're wasting our tax dollars! Don't you just feel stupid now?

Canada's F-35s: Engines not included, says the Ottawa Citizen.

And think about what a great recruiting tool they'll be! They can sit there and look shiny, they can be towed anywhere they're needed, and just think of the money we'll save on maintenance! A little brass polish, a couple of cases of Armor-All, and we're good.

What magicians these Conservatives are, and what sly foxes!

The Harper Goverment^TM: keeping its eye on the ball and getting value for our money. And making sure our brave men and women in uniform aren't going into harm's way.

I'm sorry, was someone saying something about competent government? Well, if by "competent" you mean "unable to take a step in any direction without tripping over their own dicks," then yes. This list off the top of pogge's head comes to mind ...

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Bracing for another flood of bullshit from the PMO and its flying monkeys

From Ottawa, we learn that the Harper government is preparing to stave off another round of criticism over the F-35 deal. A breathless release from the PMO suggests that our brave flyboys took to the skies to fend off a Russian attack, narrowly averting a heinous violation of our precious bodily fluids – er, our pristine northern sovereignty.

Must be hard standing up for what's right nowadays. Defending our northern skies from the godless commies is child's play compared to defending the Harperites decisions to scrap the gun registry, kill the long-form census, undermine harm-reduction drug strategies, and pursue untendered contracts for expensive military toys.

I've written previously about Insite and about the census, but the kerfuffle over the gun registry is particularly interesting, given that it sets the Harpokons squarely against the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. And indeed, the Attack Parrots™© at Sun Media are dutifully swinging into line, cueing up a chorus of ordinary hard-working tax-paying Real Canadians to target the CACP. Kory's certainly earning his pay.

OK then. The Harpokons' law-'n'-order agenda runs smack up against the police lobby.