All Candidates Debate on September 3rd is canceled
Tuesday, September 2, 2008 9:29 AM
From: "Harding, Andrea" <aharding@...>
Add sender to Contacts To: undisclosed-recipients

Based on the activity that has been happening in Ottawa we
will be canceling the All Candidates Debate on Wednesday
September 3rd hosted by the Guelph Mercury and Rogers TV.
The debate will be rescheduled for later in the fall when we
know the date of the fall election
Sorry for the inconvenience, if you have any questions
please feel free to contact me. Thanks, Andrea
Partnerships Coordinator
Waterloo Region Record and Guelph Mercury
(T) 519-894-2250 ext. 2573 - Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge
(T) 519-821-2022 ext. 2573 - Guelph
(F) 519-894-3912
aharding@...

JCT: They sure can't have a debate with rumors the
byelection may be called off. Can't have an extra debate. No
cancellation of the University of Guelph debate which should
offer some political infotainment to students that Rogers'
viewers will be denied. And no cancellation of the Lourdes
High School debate on Friday afternoon.

Maybe they're waiting until the general election is actually
called to abort this byelection rather than simply
cancelling "based on the activity that has been happening in
Ottawa." Sad to think Big Brother gets to abort our
campaign before it is actually officially over.

I guess that with the candidates committed to a fight to
make our presentations our way on their debate, not just the
right to wear our party buttons, they'd rather just duck our
resistance to their boring and grey Ted Rogers way.

The Guelph Mercury has a nice feature, PDFs of each page
done with a simple formula for each page.

Three more candidates ready to run
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/369604
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug19/A03.PDF

The big tent has really filled up
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/370085
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug20/A10.PDF

Police escort candidate from debate
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug26/A01.PDF
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug26/A02.PDF
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug26/A03.PDF

Something important happened
http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/373176
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug27/A02.PDF

Good, healthy debate,
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/373733
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug28/A01.PDF
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug28/A02.PDF

There's no room for vandals, Bozos
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/373724
http://www.guelphmercury.com/pdfs/2008Aug28/A10.PDF

JCT: It's really shocking to think about the really nasty
editors showing a complete failure to grasp the injustice of
excluding new ideas from the only political theatre open to
them. Let's re-visit the nasty editorials against my
disrupting the undemocratic debate from which I had been
excluded.

There's no room for vandals, Bozos
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/373724
Phil Andrews & Greg Rothwell

PA&GR: While we're certain voters and candidates here would
be up for the challenge, there are some things that have
occurred here in the past month that we shouldn't endure any
longer....
Just as intolerable as the destruction of campaign property
was the abysmal behaviour of fringe party candidate John
Turmel at an all-candidates forum on Monday night.

JCT: Tell us what was abysmal though throwing in the
derogatory word "fringe" sounds like it's a hit job with no
backing. I am proud of what he calls my "abysmal behavior."
Of course, he must keep the issue I took my stand on
unidentified.

PA&GR: Turmel -- an independent whose sole claim to fame
seems to be the number of municipal, provincial and federal
campaigns where he's officially been registered as a
candidate -- was escorted from the River Run Centre after he
disrupted for about 25 minutes the televised debate
organized by the Chamber of Commerce. His ostensible reason
for protest was the fact that neither he nor the three other
fringe candidates had been invited to participate in the
debate. But when he proudly proclaims how often he's been
ejected from debates in other communities, it's hard to
think he doesn't enjoy making an ass of himself.

JCT: My ostensible reason was the lack of democracy but he
thinks my real reason is more likely that I just like making
an ass of myself. Yet Karen Levenson's ostensible reason for
joining me in the protest up front (which was only mentioned
in the Tribune Weekly and censored from the Mercury) was
also the lack of democracy. Is he doubting her ostensible
reason for protesting and suggesting that she too just enjoys
making an ass of herself? Oh, the editor forgot about the
other innocent victim of their cheating who took a stand to
protest. She didn't take an intimidating sip of water,
what's his reason for not letting her speak. Maybe the
obvious ostensible reason is the obvious true one for both
of us and the fact I have a history of not letting them
cheat me without a fuss doesn't detract that a newbie like
Karen Levenson stood up with me and made a fuss too.

PA&GR: But he did more than that Monday, when he grabbed one
candidate's water glass and drank from it. It was an
intimidating act and we're glad the police were called to
remove Turmel from the premises.

JCT: I had told her: I need this more than you do as I took
the glass. This "intimidating" act is what makes taking me
away now all right! So far, the threatening sip of water is
the only arrow in the editors' quiver.

PA&GR: We wrote last week that democracy is a big tent with
room to accommodate a variety of voices during an election
campaign. But there's no room for clowns under this big top.

JCT: They think the fight over who does not get the chance
to have their political message broadcast to the voters is
some kind of joke?

PA&GR: Turmel fit that bill Monday. The only thing missing
from his pathetic performance was a Bozo nose.

JCT: Anyway, the first criticism was my intimidating sip of
water and second arrow is my need for a bozo nose. That's
one heck of a case for the excluders, isn't it? Har har har
har. Imagine, this moron is on record with his bozo opinion
that my protest is some kind of joke! We just have to find
if both editors wrote the editorial.

Then came the angry denunciation from the Tribune editorial:

Aug 29, 2008
Fringe Candidate Boasts He's Proud of His Ousters
http://www.guelphtribune.ca/news/article/141443
Chris Clark cclark@...

CC: One of the four fringe candidates who weren't invited to
take part in Monday's televised debate spent almost half an
hour haranguing the crowd before he was finally escorted out
by police.
The four main candidates were already seated at a table in
the River Run Centre's Co-operators Hall waiting for the
debate to start when John Turmel suddenly started pacing in
front of them, talking loudly.

JCT: He skipped what I talked about asking them to stand up
to Big Brother to get me on the show.

CC: "You know, in Brantford the police took me away four
times" from debates where he wasn't invited to participate,
he told the crowd. "This is going to happen every meeting
where I can't go... I do this every time," said Turmel, a
Brantford resident who is running as an independent in the
Guelph byelection. He said his platform includes "interest-
free banking... I want to get rid of debt slavery."
Some members of the crowd tried to convince him to leave,
and one asked him how he could justify turning the event
into "a three-ring circus."
Another audience member called for a show of hands about
whether he should be stay. Most people in the crowd voted
for him to go.

JCT: It's so easy to lie with numbers. Remember that when I
asked the crowd at the Dublin United Church how many
thought I should be excluded from the debate, not one voted
yes. So how to explain a "majority" at the Chamber of
Commerce fat cats debate? Actually, the majority of the
audience did not vote at all but sat quietly watching a few people
vote to allow all candidates to participate and then more
voting to have them excluded. But more is not a majority, a
simple error in logic that benefits the editor's slant. Yes
more voted for exclusion than against but that did not make
it a majority. But there's no way that a majority of Guelph
voters are in favor of excluding candidates. If they took a
real poll, they'd find out that the Fat Cat audience
misrepresented the ethics of the general population. Of
maybe when we get some audio or video of the event, we'll be
able to tell.

CC: But Turmel, whose online Wikipedia entry states that the
57-year-old has unsuccessfully run for government positions
66 times before now, refused to leave until four Guelph
Police officers arrived at about 7:12 p.m. - 12 minutes
after the scheduled start of the debate. The Wikipedia entry
says Turmel holds the record in the Guinness Book of Records
for participating in and losing the most elections.
At one point before the scheduled start, debate moderator
and Guelph Chamber of Commerce president Lloyd Longfield
took hold of a square piece of baggage that Turmel had
brought and tried to remove it. Both men ended up tugging at
the baggage, and there was some shoving before Turmel
managed to retrieve it from Longfield.

JCT: Jiu Jitsu John tripped up Mr. Longfield and sent him
flying across the stage. My bag was of that much importance
to me that I really put my arm into the effort and I'm still
bruised a week later. I guess throwing Longfield flying
could be called managing "to retrieve it" though somewhat
lacking in the color of the event.

I can't believe that the cameras could have missed
Longfield flying across the stage no matter how much they
were trying to avoid showing me. Maybe it's there, Longfield
quickly sailing across the screen a few feet off the ground.
No one asked: "Hey, what's the moderator doing going by
sideways?" With the handle of a busted briefcase in his
hand?

Not one picture of the flying moderator and all those
cameras around! Just me standing there meekly (in the paper)
and with my arms raised in victory online. Not one nose for
news caught the fight. What Big Brother control over the
news. And then not one picture of the police having to do
Big Brother's dirty deed. Not one picture made it out.

Maybe Rogers cut away from Jiu Jitsu John grappling with
Lloyd Longfield over my briefcase because they didn't want
any evidence of theft and assault on TV!

But after cutting away from Longfield being thrown across
the room, it makes sense they would cut away from Jiu Jitsu
John facing off against four police. Still, if they really
thought I was a flake who'd just flipped the moderator,
(look back to the 1981 Toronto Spadina byelection when
another moderator went flying,) how could they cut away when
the police finally arrive to save the day? They've all sat
quietly suffering under the threat of Jiu Jitsu John's
intimidating sip of water, and now they're going to be
rescued by four of the city's finest from the threatening
sipper. And the Rogers-CPAC Nose-for-News directors cut
away! Imagine if I'd pulled a Robin Hood or Zorro and
escaped by a back door and they and their cameras turned
off!

An aside to the 1981 Spadina issue, an analogy for what went
on in Guelph from my political press 1981
http://www.cyberclass.net/turmel/prspol81.htm

810811
Toronto Star, Rick Brennan
FIGHT ENDS SPADINA ALL-CANDIDATES' MEETING
A fight on stage put a sudden end to the first Spadina all-
candidates'
meeting last night at the University of Toronto convocation hall. A
push'em, knock'em down style brawl broke out shortly after 9p.m.
between 58 U. of T. history professor Bill Nelson, chairing the
meeting, and fringe candidate John Turmel, 30, of Ottawa. The crowd
of
about 500 looked on amazed as the two mixed it up both physically and
verbally. It all started when Turmel, who says he's a professional
gambler, grabbed the microphone from the lanky professor and demanded
the chance to speak to a question on university funding posed to only
the Liberal, New Democrat and Conservative candidates.
KNOCKED TO FLOOR
Nelson then grabbed Turmel, who was wearing a construction hard hat
and threw him off the stage with Turmel nearly falling to the floor.
Turmel pushed his way back on stage knocking the professor to the
floor. Just before the scuffle, questions from the floor were about
to
begin. University officials, seeing they were losing control of the
meeting, quickly announced that the "meeting is adjourned." Nelson
told reporters later that "I didn't resort to physical means... I was
simply trying to recover the microphone," and that he pushed Turmel
only "after he pushed me." "He wasn't asked to respond to the
question... he had no business grabbing the mike," said the professor
who was visibly shaken. Turmel, who had been arguing his rights
throughout the circus-like meeting said he is contemplating laying
charges against Nelson.
DEMANDS EQUAL TIME
"The point is, I wasn't about to leave until I got a chance to
speak,"
Turmel told reporters. "The Federal Court of Appeal says I have the
right to equal time. The law says there is no such thing as a major
candidate." Turmel earlier in the meeting boasted that the by-
election
in Spadina is his 10th election in 2 years. He has run for everything
from mayor to M.P. calling himself a Social Credit Independent
candidate. The meeting got off to a bad start with the university
unprepared for the fringe candidates -- four of whom showed up -- and
the capacity crowd. The meeting had to move from a small steamy
debates room the Hart House to Convocation Hall. From the start, a
circus-like atmosphere with Turmel and his white hard had yelling he
had a secret equation to end inflation and how the economy should be
run like a gambling casino. He also carried a sign `Vote John the
Engineer Turmel for M.P., M.P.P. or Mayor.'
Originally, the meeting was organized by the university faculty for
just the three main candidates. University officials including
president James Ham and Nelson tried to ignore the fringe candidates.
Led by Turmel, they protested saying "What we have got here is not
going to be democratic." Turmel demanded he be allowed to sit with
the
three main candidates but was pushed aside by an unidentified
university official. In the end, they got their way and they drew
lots
to see who would speak first.
STUDENTS SCREAM
While the bickering went on, tempers flared in the crowd as more and
more people pressed in. After the three main candidates responded to
a
question by a spokesman for U. of T. student administrative council
that Turmel demanded his say.
---

Spadina slugfest had it all
Toronto Star, Slinger

The all-candidates' meeting for the Spadina by-election was a
schemozzle. But it was a spectacular schemozzle. It was the root'-
est,
tootin'-est, rip-roarin'-est, rudest and most rambunctious election
meeting held in these parts in ages. It was the meeting against which
all other all candidates meetings will have to be measured. It was
noisy, hot, edgy and half the time it was drowned out by hecklers; it
was vulgar, angry, funny and obscene; and it ended in a brawl. What
could be finer than that? I have always maintained that politics in
the best spectator sport in the country. If the meeting had been a
hockey game, there would be editorials today demanding that something
be done about the violence.
NOT LIKE SHEEP
It was grand for a couple of other reasons. If the by-election is
nothing more than the elevation of Jim Coutts, then the dignity of
the
voters demands that it proceed with as little dignity as possible.
The
sight of a professor of history ("In this corner ..") who was
moderator of the meeting grappling with a proponent of one of
history's greatest exercises in hokum, the independent social credit
candidate, and of them flinging one another bodily, literally bodily,
off the platform and otherwise carrying on like Haystack Calhoun and
Killer Kowalski, was a sight that will forever represent to me a
brilliant paradigm of the free interplay of ideas. The synthesis of
intellectual solemnity and hysterical mumbo-jumbo produces first-rate
buffoonery. Should Coutts ever become overly pretentious, let him
never forget that his election was one of the great burlesques of the
political process.
---

TUSSLE ENDS SPADINA CANDIDATES' MEETING
Globe & Mail, Paul Palango
The first all candidates' meeting in the Spadina by-election ended
abruptly last night when the meeting's moderator got into a wrestling
match with one of the candidates. William Nelson, a U. of T. history
professor, adjourned the meeting after he was thrown over the
shoulder
of Independent candidate John Turmel and off the stage at U. of T.'s
Convocation Hall. The incident occurred shortly after Mr. Nelson
refused to allow Rhinoceros party candidate John Douglas to answer
the
first question from the audience of 450. He ruled that only those who
were asked a question could answer it. The first question was
directed
to and answered by the major candidates. Each was given one minute to
answer. Mr. Turmel took issue with Mr. Nelson's ruling and seized the
microphone. As he tried to answer, he was booed. When a second
question was addressed to Mr. Coutts, Mr. Turmel, with a white hard
hat with the words The Engineer (on its front) for M.P. (on its back)
tried to address the audience. Mr. Nelson moved forward and appeared
to speak to Mr. Turmel who turned away from him. Mr. Nelson grabbed
for the microphone and got turned around so that he had Mr. Turmel
from behind. They scuffled for a few seconds and then Mr. Turmel bent
over and threw Mr. Nelson over his shoulder onto the steps leading up
to the stage.
"I didn't resort to physical means, I was just trying to recover the
microphone," Mr. Nelson told reporters afterward. "He pushed me
first." He said he thought only the three main contenders were going
to show up. "I didn't arrange for the other candidates to have equal
time." Mr. Turmel, who in his opening address said the Bank of Canada
should be run like a gambling casino, told reporters he would not
press charges although a few people were urging him to do so. "All I
wanted was the right to speak and he pushed me. I stood there and he
interrupted my intention to speak. All he had to do was allow each
one
of us one minute to rebut each question."

Toronto Sun, Dick Chapman
John Turmel, an engineer, got the most laughs. Turmel warned about
nuclear mosquitoes and called for a "zero interest banking system."

Ottawa Citizen, CP
Turmel in real election fight
The fight for the seat in the Spadina riding was taken too literally
by at least one candidate. The first all candidates' meeting came to
an abrupt end when moderator John Nelson got into a wrestling match
with John Turmel of Ottawa. Nelson adjourned the meeting after he was
thrown over Turmel's shoulder and off the stage. The incident
occurred
after Nelson ruled only candidates to whom a question was directed
could answer. After a question to the three main candidates, Turmel
took issue with Nelson's ruling and grabbed the microphone. As Turmel
tried to answer, he was booed by the audience of 450. When Turmel
tried to answer the second question directed to Coutts, Nelson moved
forward and tried to grab the microphone but ended up holding Turmel
from behind. The two scuffled for a few seconds, then Turmel bent
over
and flipped Nelson over his shoulder on to the steps of the stage.
Neither side is pressing the issue.

810812We
Toronto Star, Bruce Ward
Punchlines take place of punch-up
Picture of me demanding my 1 minute from John Bossons captioned
"Making a point: Wearing his hard-hat trademark, independent
candidate
John Turmel emphasizes a point in heated discussion with John
Bossons,
chairman of last night's all-candidates' meeting.
There were plenty of belly laughs but no punch-ups at the Spadina all-
candidates' meeting last night, and everybody had fun except the
politicians. Two police officers stood guard near the entrance of the
Bloor St. United Church Hall to prevent a recurrence of the push-and-
shove match that marred the first all-candidates' meeting Monday.
RULES IGNORED
The politicians' performance last night was great theater -- a sort
of
Punch-and-Judy version of participatory democracy. The candidates
jeered each other and hecklers jeered candidates. The meeting was
chaired by John Bossons, vice-chairman of the Annex Ratepayers
Association. He began by setting out several "ground rules" that
everybody ignored. The electronic media's "feeds" drained so much
power from the public address system the candidates had to shout to
be
heard. Hecklers shouted back.
ON THE FRINGE
But it was the fringe candidates who copped most of the laughs and
the
groans. John Turmel, who bills himself as a professional gambler and
engineer, fanned out 10 $100 bills and dared Coutts to bet $1 that
Turmel's "secret equation" cold not cure inflation. Coutts declined
the bet. Turmel started the trouble at Monday's meeting when he
wrestled the microphone from chairman Bill Nelson. Turmel and Nelson
scuffled and both ended on the floor. That incident resulted in
Turmel
saying he will lay charges against Nelson who he says forced him from
the stage when Turmel tried to speak without permission.
Toronto Sun, Dick Chapman
---

JCT: So, as I explained, if they're going to try to cheat
me, they're going to have to use maximum force against
maximum civil disobedience. Every time. Over the years.
Usually, being taken out under police custody is front page
news. Now, they turn off their cameras. Not one picture made
it out. Not one cell phone. Not one. What control.

The story of the call from an Ottawa viewer (only CPAC had a
feed) urging them to hush up the civil disobedience story is
an interesting story. Wow. Did they really think they could
get the newspaper to squelch the story? Too bad they didn't
mention who made the call.

I wonder what would happen if Guelph voters demanded to have
Rogers play the audio too. Why should CPAC and Rogers'
directors get to hear went on and nobody else. It's
interesting no one has spoken up against the censorship they
endured that night. Imagine that. No one's told Rogers: I
had a right to hear what was going on and I want a tape with
the audio. As a matter of fact, maybe I'll put in a request
and then see if the courts let them keep it suppressed.

CC: Turmel was eventually joined at the front of the hall by
Karen Levenson, who is running in the local byelection as
the Animal Alliance Environment Voters candidate, and by her
party leader, Liz White. They smiled and nodded as Turmel
kept talking loudly.

JCT: It was nice that someone noticed that I wasn't the only
candidate wanting in on the debate. Notice he didn't report
on what I was talking about that they were agreeing with!
Can't have that. Can't let people know what I was saying,
just what I looked like.

CC: White told reporters her party is lodging a complaint
with Elections Canada about not being invited to Monday's
debate, on the grounds that the Guelph Chamber of Commerce
is making a "non-monetary contribution" to the campaigns of
the four main candidates by inviting only them. Two other
fringe candidates - Libertarian Philip Bender and Marijuana
Party candidate Kornelis "Kase" Klevering - are also running
in the byelection.

JCT: Notice the inclusion of the derogatory word "fringe"
for minor-support candidates. When they use the word, you
know they're not for everyone getting to speak.

CC: The Guelph Mercury, which is organizing this
byelection's other televised debate along with Rogers
Television, has indicated all eight candidates can take part
in its debate set for Wednesday Sept. 3 from 7-9 p.m. at
Guelph Place on Michener Road.

JCT: But they don't have to. Check out the Crown's argument
in my Federal Court case against the CRTC for allowing
Brantford's Fuhrer Philp to deny me equitable time for
showing my party button because Rogers doesn't have to
invite the minors at all. No kidding, they've got some
judges who have said that debates aren't partisan political
events! Har har har. But that's another fight. So, someday
soon, you won't be seeing the minor party candidates because
the Rogers' debate fuhrers will have use their power to have
debates without everyone included.

And the debate was going to be structured in the boring and
grey "Ted Rogers way." No party buttons, no visual aids, no
press clippings, no books, no graphs, about as low-tech a
boring and grey presentation as the Ted Rogers way will
allow.

Anyway, I find it incredible that these "editors" do not see
the real issue at stake. All they see is that I have
disobeyed their bosses and they've been trained to follow
orders no matter good or bad. But then again, they'd fit
right into a George Bush Patriot Act kind of world and this
kind of thinking is evidence that Canada is going that way
too. You don't see the minor party programs on national TV
and you soon won't see them on local TV either.

Still, when you think that Harper's about to launch a 2-
month campaign to coincide with the American Election where
I'll also be injecting my engineering solutions to their
problems, the silver lining is that it sure makes the
canadian component of my quadruple campaign's remain alive
for yet another couple of months!

Anyway, if there's anyone out there who'd like to run with
me under the Abolitionist banner (abolish debt slavery by
offering interest-free loans from the Bank of Canada), you
only have to pledge that you accept the "time standard of
money" with whatever other standard of money you are forced
to deal with and want to help engineer a Canada LETS
timebank and I'll give you a plug.

http://www.cyberclass.net/turmel/abprogs.htm are my
supposedly outdated party programs because I haven't changed
them in years. That's because once you've got it right, you
don't have to keep changing it.

Basically, I'm a Green Libertarian Socred. I'm for personal
freedom and financial freedom. Personal freedom is getting
cops out of gambling, sex, drugs and rock & roll. Financial
freedom is getting interest-free credit cards at our Bank of
Canada. Anyway, many around the world are aware of my
UNILETS resolution to someday use a time-based currency so
that you get to pay your debts with cash or with time at
work. That's true financial freedom from debts.

I haven't had to change my policies in almost 30 years. I
think such consistency is a good sign. I'm always just
hoping to speed things up.