Canadian Politeness?

Garth Turner, one of the most vocal Canadian Liberals online, is being threatened, stalked, and vandalized:

Moreover, this party better reflects the Canada I love – and the riding I represent – than the party of Stephen Harper. The party of goons, anonymous bullies, threats and smears.

Should you think I exaggerate, let me tell you what happened after I left with Mark’s precious paper in my hand.

• Driving to doorknock a poll in Milton, I passed miles of trashed election signs – arterials accordion-folded into uselessness, hanging off stubby broken stakes or tossed in the ditch. As I mentioned the other day, my campaign is the only one which has any signs up across the riding, the product of hard-working crews of volunteers. Now, garbage.

• Back in the campaign office a few hours later I went to update comments on this blog, and found it being assaulted with negative and taunting messages, all from the same IP address. Typical, “Taking away the right of criminals to vote would make it hard for Liberals to go to the polls,” and, “Muzzling those on this blog who do not agree with you has cost you my vote.”

Research showed them all coming from the headquarters of the Peel Regional Police. After a call, the cops were there within minutes, hugely concerned about a breach to their system or a rogue user. That took three hours.

• Tonight the local Con web site defames both my wife, and Esther. It calls me a pimp and says of Esther, “she has exactly 33 days of employment left. Then Garth won’t even return her calls. Pathetic and sad people all around.” As for Dorothy, it says she has “asked to be taken away from that excuse of a man.”

Also tonight, I have received an anonymous letter delivered to my MP’s office earlier today. In part, it reads, “Over the last few days, where have you been campaigning? Could you be afraid to go out door-knocking in your riding? How does it feel to be afraid of getting the door slammed in your face? Over the last few days we have been tailing you around the riding… you can’t hide forever in your condo, Mr. Turner…”

There’s more, but it’s actually too distressing to write about tonight. I never would have believed this additional action was possible in Canada, had I not just lived through it in the last eight hours. Some day, I will tell.

And these people may well get a majority government.

That old saw about "if the Dems lose, I'm moving to Canada?" Yeah, I'm starting to wonder if it'll be going the OTHER way. Obama's America may end up far more inviting than Harper's Canada.