Aw, what the hey. Time to play 'Let's hear from another Sun reader' again!

Yeah, well. I hesitate to direct traffic that way by linking to it, but the screen grab's above.

Rest of it continues in the same vein -- sexism, racism, homophobia, and fat-shaming union members, mixed in with the occasional smirking Jack Layton rub-and-tug reference or equally witty and creative reference to Olivia as "chow-chow."

Ah, the Toronto Sun. Not only spewing hatred, ignorance and belligerent stupidity, but providing a home for it from their toothless, badly-tattooed "readers" as well.

Related posts:

• Once again, let's hear from a few Sun readers
• Once again, time to play ... Let's hear from another Sun reader!
• Let's hear from another Sun reader ...

The Sun's effect on our national conversation is obvious, but what about the Globe?

It's a straightforward question: what are people talking about? What's capturing their attention and imaginations? Public conversation. Nothing gives you a better sense of a community or a society than gauging what people are talking about. (24/7 on Kim Kardashian? That's got to tell you something.)

It's been one of this little corner's favourite hobby horses for as long as I can remember. Public discourse. National conversation. Provincial. Municipal. Whatever. You want civic ambition, you need to look at the quality of the conversations people are having. (I'm focusing on civic ambition because in a recent piece, the Globe's ideologically reliable urban-affairs curmudgeon Marcus Gee was complaining about the lack thereof. More on that in a minute. )

Kate's royal ass cheek: #sunmedia triumphs again, @davidakin makes sure we all know about it

Sad, isn't it. When this is what occupies our imaginations and dominates public discourse, is it any wonder that so many people don't bother to take the responsibilities of citizenship seriously? Look at the energy it's consuming, for Chrissakes.  (Yeah, I know. Mea culpa. Now piss off.)

The corporate media's class-based agenda

I thought about a stronger title for this post, but that might have required a nasty loaded word like, oh ... "bias."

Anyhow, this isn't intended to be a factual statement, but off the top of your heads, can anyone recall a story about the NDP over the past week that wasn't all about Ruth Ellen Brosseau? This is the Official Opposition, with more than 100 Members of Parliament, mind.

Now contrast that with the time and space devoted to the inner mechanics, machinations, skullduggery and drama associated with the Liberal Party's attempts to select a new leader – as if a new face is all that's needed. This is a third party, just in case anyone's forgotten.

Harper reveals his character, yet again

Once again, a guy who can't work and play well with others.

No plans to compromise, because they're not going to let me have my way.

And for good measure, he throws in a little misdirection and BS about a "mandate from the people." Didn't William McCormack try something like that a few years ago? Screw the law, I'm standing on faux-populist demagoguery.

Once again: the mandate to govern depends on earning the confidence of Parliament. Full stop. Party affiliations are irrelevant.

Stephen Harper: your one-stop source for petulant bullshit.

Sent from my mobile device

Karl Rove was here: Conservative vote suppression in Guelph

Sorry friends.  I don't want to sound alarmist, let alone conspiracy-minded, but this just seems a little too easy.

Something like this is so over the top and so ... scripted ... that I can't help wondering whether it's not part of a larger plan.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a government to defeat

(With a nod to Val Sears.)

Our task is clear, dear friends. Story in the National Newspaper suggests that the non-stop monkey chatter about coalitions is getting some traction, and crowding out discussion of everything else.

Class warfare and the corporate media

In a comment on the preceding post, JJ (is she returning to the blogosphere? Be still, my beating heart!) observes the near-total blackout on coverage of the situation in Michigan.