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AFTERSNARK: It's amusing to watch Canada's cons lurch into a panty-twisting frenzy over the reports that a CBC reporter fed questions to Liberal Members of Parliament, given a rather overlooked but critical detail.

Recall, if you will, how little dictator Benito Harperini decided he'd had enough of the mainstream media. Heck, he was even admired for taking that position, given that Canada's media was clearly out to get him (nudge nudge wink wink). In short, Harper was simply making it clear that he was a whiny, petulant little fuck who couldn't stand up to even mild scrutiny from the very media whose job it is to, well, scrutinize him.

Under the circumstances, then, what exactly is the media supposed to do? If Harper won't make himself available to answer questions, it would seem to me that, really, the only avenue left for outlets like the CBC is, naturally, to feed their questions to precisely those people who do still have the right to ask them.

If Canada's right-wing whackjobs have a better suggestion as to how the big media outlets can do their work, hey, I'm sure they'd be just tickled to hear it. But by supporting Harper in his total contempt for the media in their normal role, while simultaneously complaining about the CBC having to resort to a back door just to get their questions in front of him, all those yapping, little neo-cons are saying nothing less than that their hero should be entirely, totally and utterly unaccountable to Canadians. Seriously, it really is that simple and straightforward -- Canada's wingnuts have no interest in transparency or accountability and, by God, they'll nail to a large piece of wood anyone who thinks differently.

If the Harper Party of Canada doesn't like this end-run around the normal protocol, there's a simple solution -- they can quit their pissy moaning and complaining, and talk to the media. And if they refuse, then they have absolutely no right to grouse if that same media has to get creative in order to do their job.

Are we clear here?