It's because they lie: The Twatrick Chronicles.

If it's a day that ends in "y", then Axis of Douchebaggery's Twatsy must be blogging. And lying. Let's see what Twatsy is lying about today:

To claim that Preston Manning has "absolutely no scientific background whatsoever" would require a person to overlook numerous facts about Manning. Among them:

-The fact that when Preston Manning first enrolled at the University of Alberta, he studied physics, although he would eventually change his major to economics instead.

-Manning is the chairman of the National Institute for Nanotechnology board of trustees.

-Manning also has a background in research, having worked for a San Francisco-based research firm.

-Manning was the Canadian Alliance's Research and Technology critic.

Far from "absolutely no scientific background whatsoever".

Ah, let us take this one point at a time and hoof Patsy savagely in the joy department on each one.

The fact that when Preston Manning first enrolled at the University of Alberta, he studied physics, although he would eventually change his major to economics instead.

And some undergrad courses in physics most emphatically do not make one an authority on issues of science whereupon you could give sound and considered scientific advice on a federal level. But the Twatrick-flavoured spin is just beginning.

Manning is the chairman of the National Institute for Nanotechnology board of trustees.

I'm guessing the Twatster is referring to this, where we see that not only is there absolutely no mention of a position of chairman for Manning [*] but, amusingly, his scientific qualifications are hysterically feeble compared to others on that list. Go ahead, peruse the bios of the other members, take your time, and fully appreciate their scientific backgrounds while wondering what they must think of having an illiterate like Manning in their midst, whose entire bio consists of political hackery from beginning to end:

Mr. Preston Manning
Senior Fellow, The Fraser Institute
Mr. Manning was the first leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a federal political party that disbanded under his leadership to form the Canadian Alliance party. He was first elected to the House of Commons in 1993, and served as Leader of the Official Opposition from 1997 to 2000. He retired from the House of Commons in 2002. Since retiring, Mr. Manning has written his memoirs, and continues to work in consulting, business and communications. In addition to his duties as a Senior Fellow at the Fraser Institute, Mr. Manning serves as Distinguished Visitor at the University of Toronto, Distinguished Visitor at the University of Calgary, and Senior Fellow of the Canada West Foundation.

But let's not stop now, as this is where Twatsy really shines in pure political dishonesty:

Manning also has a background in research, having worked for a San Francisco-based research firm

Curiously, Twatsy provides no link to let us verify this for ourselves, but a brief online search turns up this, which would seem to be what Twatsy is creaming himself over. And yet, if you peruse the pages of PRI, there is absolutely no mention of one Preston Manning. And if Preston is proud of his tenure at PRI, he certainly isn't showing it:

Preston Manning served as a Member of the Canadian Parliament from 1993 to 2001. He founded two new political parties—the Reform Party of Canada and the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance—both of which became the official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament. Mr. Manning served as Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2000 and was also his party’s critic for Science and Technology. Since retirement from Parliament in 2002, Mr. Manning has released a book entitled Think Big (published by McClelland & Stewart) describing his use of the tools and institutions of democracy to change Canada’s national agenda. He has also served as a Senior Fellow of the Canada West Foundation and as a Distinguished Visitor at the University of Calgary and University of Toronto. Mr. Manning is currently a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute for which he has co-authored the Canada Strong and Free series of books. He is also President and CEO of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy (http://www.manningcentre.ca/), a national not-for-profit organization supporting research, educational, and communications initiatives designed to achieve a more democratic society in Canada guided by conservative principles.

How odd ... no mention whatsoever of the Pacific Research Institute, or San Francisco, or any research in general. Apparently, this is not an accomplishment that Preston is particularly proud of. Or Twatsy just made it up. And finally:

Manning was the Canadian Alliance's Research and Technology critic

Holy shit, Twats ... what part of "political appointment" do you just not understand? What a cretin.

In short, not a one of Twatrick's claims holds up to examination. But you should not be surprised. This is Twatsy we're talking about, and the one thing you can take for granted is that, if Twatsy writes it, it's dishonest. It's just the way he operates. All the time.

P.S. Since this is Twatsy we're talking about, you can rest assured he'll be by to shift the goalposts. And misrepresent what I've written. And redefine his claims. And, in general, argue in totally bad faith. Give it time. You know it's coming.

[*] Further research does indeed show that Manning was the chair of the board of trustees at some point but, as most sentient beings realize, the board of trustees requires precious little scientific background. Quite simply, this looks like a naked political appointment and, therefore, has little value. Sort of like the rest of Patsy's uninformed screed.