Harper should distance himself from his own candidates...

Harper has been harping on Buzz Hargrove's statements for what... two days now? I think he needs to look no further than his own candidate roster to find things he should really be worried about.

Mr. Harper was introduced at the news conference by David Sweet, the Tory candidate in Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale. Mr. Sweet is a former president of Promise Keepers Canada, an evangelical Christian organization that believes homosexuality is a sin.

In a November, 2001, edition of Christian Week magazine, he wrote: '[M]en are natural influencers, whether we like it or not. There's a particular reason why Jesus called men only. It's not that women aren't co-participators. It's because Jesus knew women would naturally follow.'

That'll really help you shore up the women's vote! Yeesh!

But wait! There's more....

Yesterday afternoon, Mr. Harper shared the stage with Harold Albrecht, the Conservative candidate in Kitchener-Conestoga, at a rally attended by about 800 enthusiastic supporters.

Mr. Albrecht is pastor and founder of the Pathway Community Church. In June of 2004, he wrote in a letter to a Kitchener newspaper: 'If one is truly committed to the marriage vows of fidelity, these same-sex marriages would succeed in wiping out an entire society in just one generation.'

When reporters tried to question Mr. Albrecht about his views after the rally, Conservative handlers blocked them from getting close. Mr. Albrecht was hustled into a kitchen where he stood alone as the news media were told he was too busy to speak with them.

"Screw you guys! I am taking my social intolerance and I'm going home... in fact I am going to stick my head in the sand and pretend you're not there!"

"But Mr. Albrecht, we can still actually see you..."

"No you can't!"

"Um, yes we really can!"

No hidden agenda my A$$!

The last quote I have from this article is really what I worry about, that no 0ne is paying attention to this.

Egale, a gay-rights organization, says it has examined the websites of 34 new Conservative candidates who are known to oppose same-sex marriage and found that only three posted their views about the issue. Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Sweet did not."

Oh, and one more for good measure! Here's uber-redneck Conservative MP Myron Thompson's recent thoughts....

Conservative incumbent Myron Thompson, running for his fifth term as MP in the House of Commons, has called for government that would represent “good Christian” values and make it a priority to stop abortion in Canada.

Before all the ReformaTory trolls accuse me of being anti-Christian again, I have this one thing to say and one question to ask.

I am a proud Christian, and my God doesn't tell me to be rude, inhumane or discriminatory toward other people. Further, our country says we all have a right to freedom of or from religion.

Other than your fallacious religious argument, what rational, thought-out reason is there for discriminating against Gays and Lesbians?

A.L.