Asshat of the Day - March 2nd, 2008

Today's Asshat? Minister of Science and Technology Gary Goodyear.

Why, you ask? Let's let the Globe and Mail tell the story.

The screaming erupted last Wednesday afternoon, just down the street from Parliament Hill, in the offices of a Conservative cabinet minister.

Never a good sign in the Houses of Parliament, screaming.

“The minister was very angry,” said David Robinson, associate executive director of CAUT. “He was raising his voice and pointing his finger … He said everyone loves their [federal budget] and we said, ‘A lot of our members don't love it'… and he said, ‘That's because you're lying to them, misleading them.'”

Hm. Slander, Mr. Goodyear?

Mr. Goodyear, a chiropractor from Cambridge, Ont., said the government has been steadily investing in science and technology since 2006, with a new emphasis on commercialization and that it has designed an overall strategy to ensure Canada remains a world leader in research.

“We have done everything right,” he said.

Well, that at least is a lie.

Now, the G&M article is a start, but there's also a lovely little piece in the Cambridge Voice - Gary Goodyear in His Own Words:

Age of the Internet
”I certainly don’t have any time to play on the Internet,” Cambridge MP Gary Goodyear said, adding that he would be concerned about the comments people may post when no one is watching.
(The Record, July 21, 2007)

And it goes on...

Conservative candidate Gary Goodyear said: “I’m pro-life and that’s the answer to the question.”
(Cambridge Times Friday, June 11, 2004)

And on...

Same Sex Marriage
Mr. Speaker, I, like most of my colleagues on this side of the House and many others on the other side as well, believe that the traditional definition of marriage is the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. However, in the course of this debate those of us who support marriage have been told that to amend the bill to reflect the traditional definition of marriage, we would be in violation of human rights and committing an unconstitutional violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
I believe this is an attempt by the government to shift the grounds of the debate. It is another famous Liberal distraction. Liberals do not want to debate the question of traditional marriage versus same sex marriage so they would rather focus on attacking their opponents as opposing human rights and the charter.
(Hansard April 21, 2005)

And this is our Minister of Science and Technology. Gee, he sure sounds forward-thinking and open-minded, doesn't he?

Seriously. U.S. Assistant to the President for Science and Technology? A physics PhD with over 300 published articles, twenty books, and a list of awards as long as my arm, with twenty years' teaching experience at Berkeley.

US Energy Secretary? A. Nobel. Laureate..

Our Minister of Science and Technology? A pro-life, anti-gay chiropractor and acupuncturist who has anger control issues when told he's doing his job wrong. Probably, he's just terrified that someone will ask him to find - and indicate to a health professional - a subluxation.

And there you are, ladies and gentlemen - the Asshat of the Day.

Afterthought: Thanks to Canadian Cynic for pointing me in the direction of this news story, and reminding me of something I had tried dearly to forget.