[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[garbon]

What a strange article.

[viper37]

At least they are a funny joke instead of a rather non-funny and disturbing one like Scientology where they seemed to take the joke way too far.

Didn't Scientology started as a joke too?  You never know...

[crazy canuck]

At least they are a funny joke instead of a rather non-funny and disturbing one like Scientology where they seemed to take the joke way too far.

Didn't Scientology started as a joke too?  You never know...

Not a joke, more of a tax dodge, which was litigated but iirc unsuccessfully by the government.

[Barrister]

Okay, so here's a strange story.  Okay, so the need to build oil pipelines is the only thing all parties can agree on (Alberta oil sells at a savage discount compared to world prices because its so hard to get to market).  Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party (currently receiving 2% in the polls) in the leaders debate last week says that he's the only leader who has experience building a pipeline (as a summer job several years ago), and claims he's experienced at "Laying pipe".

The phrase takes off on social media, so the Liberals start making merchandise with the hashtag #LayingPipe.

Trouble is - apparently Liberal Party leader David Khan is the only one in the world who didn't know the slang meaning of "laying pipe".


Now, whatever - this wouldn't make me more or less likely to vote for the Liberals.  It's just damn funny though.

[grumbler]

Didn't Scientology started as a joke too?  You never know...

Supposedly L. Ron Hubbard bet Robert Heinlein that he, Hubbard, could make more off of religion over the next 5 years than Heinlein could make writing, then started Scientology as part of the bet.

The whole backstory in Scientology's belief system sounds just like a bad SF story of exactly the type Hubbard used to write.

[Valmy]

Didn't Scientology started as a joke too?  You never know...

Supposedly L. Ron Hubbard bet Robert Heinlein that he, Hubbard, could make more off of religion over the next 5 years than Heinlein could make writing, then started Scientology as part of the bet.

The whole backstory in Scientology's belief system sounds just like a bad SF story of exactly the type Hubbard used to write.

Yes. It was a joke that went horribly horribly wrong.

So let's hope that pastafarians remain just a joke.

[grumbler]

So let's hope that pastafarians remain just a joke.

Watch out, lest ye be smote by His Noodley Appendage!

[Valmy]

So let's hope that pastafarians remain just a joke.

Watch out, lest ye be smote by His Noodley Appendage!

Forgive me Noodley one!

[Malthus]

Didn't Scientology started as a joke too?  You never know...

Supposedly L. Ron Hubbard bet Robert Heinlein that he, Hubbard, could make more off of religion over the next 5 years than Heinlein could make writing, then started Scientology as part of the bet.

The whole backstory in Scientology's belief system sounds just like a bad SF story of exactly the type Hubbard used to write.

What were the stakes?

[grumbler]

Supposedly L. Ron Hubbard bet Robert Heinlein that he, Hubbard, could make more off of religion over the next 5 years than Heinlein could make writing, then started Scientology as part of the bet.

The whole backstory in Scientology's belief system sounds just like a bad SF story of exactly the type Hubbard used to write.

What were the stakes?

the version of the story I heard didn't mention the stakes.  It's an anecdote, and thus unlikely to be true, but that anecdote is the likely basis for the idea that Scientology started as "a joke."

[Valmy]

the version of the story I heard didn't mention the stakes.  It's an anecdote, and thus unlikely to be true, but that anecdote is the likely basis for the idea that Scientology started as "a joke."

Oh you got me!

[dps]

I thought that Hubbard started Scientology after having a nervous breakdown.

[Barrister]

I post a perfectly good #LaypingPipe Canadian political meme in a thread dedicated to Canadian politics, and you assholes are talking about Scientology?

[Oexmelin]

  Which flavor of conservatism are the Alberta Liberals again?

[Barrister]

Which flavor of conservatism are the Alberta Liberals again?

They're staking out a fairly typical centre-left position: they want to introduce a sales tax (but eliminate most income tax), increase spending and decrease taxes , and yes, support pipelines (which all parties are promising to do).

Really their big signature issue is a sales tax, which has largely been seen as politically poisonous in Alberta politics.  So it's certainly brave of them to propose it.  But it also doesn't appear to be doing much for them either.