National Post columnist Don Martin has cleaned up the grammatical errors in his column of late, but then today lapses into an intellectual or logical error.
The fallacy begins when he drops a little clue as to why he thinks the Conservatives can’t secure a majority: .jpg)
“Justice Minister Rob Nicholson … insisted he lacked the ability to prevent Mr. Schreiber’s deportation … He had the power. He didn’t want to act. Cover-up anyone?”
He went on about that furtive “cover up?”: “This is precisely the sort of arbitrary damn-the-optics antics that make people queasy about giving Mr. Harper a majority of seats. But I digress.”
Yeah you digress. That’s what you call begging the question. And perpetuating myths.
And nice question mark, if I may digress. And here’s what it really is: a cheap, squalid and slanderous suggestion that Nicholson (and by extension, the entire Conservative Party or “the Tories” as the media is wont to call them) is embarking on a “cover-up”, question mark.
The media sliding in obliquely slanderous suggestions like that (complete with the legally-required question mark) have absolutely nothing to do with Harper’s inability to get a majority! It’s a hidden agenda! …actually it might be—but just not from the people you have been trained by the media to suspect. Question mark. [see related NewsQuip]
Nonetheless, he then goes ahead with this statement, as if to prove himself wrong—and Nicholson and the Conservatives spot-on right for acting as they are:
“The nagging question now: Will Schreiber tell the whole truth and nothing but? Answer: Don’t bet on it, despite the fact he will enjoy parliamentary immunity from having his answers used against him in the upcoming public inquiry or in courts of law. The man’s been a chronic story changer and truth manipulator all his public life … suddenly spinning his allegation … has little motivation to tell all he knows to the committee … ”
Ah. He’s an alleged fraudster—a criminal—wanted in Germany and if prosecuted could spend the rest of his life in jail; he’s now sitting in a Canadian jail cell; a man with a history of bending truth (where’s the question mark?) who can’t even remotely be trusted; and from all appearances, a self-serving jerk who will turn this thing into an utter farce bigger than it already is.
And Canadians will prevent a Harper majority on the basis that Harper’s party is not interested in promoting that sort of thing?
That’s what you call preposterous, without any question mark. And it’s precisely why Canadians will give Harper a majority (and newspaper sales will continue to dwindle in North America).
Martin begins his conclusion (oops—complete with one of those grammatical errors!): “Before they’re finished trying to plastering [sic] tar and feathers on each other’s parties, fed up Canadians may well be begging for someone to hand the man a boarding pass out of Canada.” And then they’re sure to vote Liberal since Conservatives tried to save them the trouble? I see. It makes so much sense. Question mark.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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