From the official newsletter of the St Catharines Federal Liberal Association, an editorial from the riding president, Jane Cornelius.  In it, she decries the negativity in politics today:

Do you wonder why it is so difficult to strike a balance? Reading the local or national newspapers and watching television is usually not a positive uplifting experience. The programs and columns are predominantly negative. It is significant to note that negative people not only harm themselves; they harm the world.

She encourages other Liberals to fight the negativity with a laugh and a chuckle.

To set off this new era of positive feelings, she tells a joke:

Let’s treat this negative spin culture like the spread of germs. The key message in stopping the spread of germs is – Wash your hands. The message in the stopping the spread of gloom and misery – let’s have some laughter. It has been said laughter is the best medicine and if we have to carry something contagious, let’s carry something contagious, let’s carry a smile and a chuckle.

This story was sent to me with the comment – Enjoy! I hope this brings a smile and a chuckle.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was visiting a primary school and he visited one of the classes. They were in the middle of a discussion related to words and their meanings.

The teacher asked the PM if he would like to lead the discussion on the word “tragedy”. So the illustrious leader asked the class for an example of a “tragedy”.

One little boy stood up and offered: “If my best friend, who lives on a farm, is playing in the field and a tractor runs over him and kills him, that would be a tragedy.

“No,” said Harper, “that would be an accident.”

A little girl raised her hand: “If a school bus carrying 50 children drove over a cliff, killing everyone inside, that would be a tragedy.”

“I’m afraid not,” explained Harper. “That’s what we would call great loss.”

The room went silent. No other children volunteered. Harper searched the room. “Isn’t there someone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?”

Finally at the back of the room, Little Johnny raised his hand... In a quiet voice he said: “If the plane carrying you and Mrs. Harper was struck by a “friendly fire” missile and blown to smithereens that would be a tragedy.”

“Fantastic!” exclaimed Harper. “That’s right. And can you tell me why that would be tragedy?”

“Well,” says the boy, “It has to be a tragedy, because it certainly wouldn’t be a great loss....... and it probably wouldn’t be an accident either.”

What is more grotesque? 

That Cornelius is telling a joke about Stephen and Laureen Harper being blown up by "friendly fire", which is no laughing matter to families and friends of Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan where that threat is real and ongoing? 

Or that Cornelius tells a joke about children talking about murder?

Or that this creepy joke is supposed to be the start of an effort to combat the "negative spin culture"?

This riding is represented by Conservative MP Rick Dykstra, who in 2006 beat Liberal incumbent Walt Lastewka.  Lastewka represented the riding since 1993, and is the official Liberal nominee for the next election.  This is his newsletter, and I think it would be appropriate for him to provide an explanation with regards to what he thinks are the appropriate boundaries of humour in politics.

Perhaps Stephane Dion ought to have a discussion with Walt Lastewka as he did with Garth Turner.

Update: The Conservatives have issued a statement on this "joke", which just got through email:

LIBERALS "JOKE" SHAMEFUL

Coming just days after Liberal MP Garth Turner made headlines for calling his political opponents "losers," St. Catharines Liberal candidate and former MP Walt Lastewka's newsletter contains a "joke" about the assassination of Laureen Harper and Stephen Harper by "friendly fire."

Liberal leader Stephane Dion will be in St. Catharines this evening to attend a barbecue and open house hosted by Lastewka. Today, St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra called on Dion to use that opportunity to publicly repudiate the type of politics practiced by Lastewka in his riding association's Spring '08 Newsletter.

"I'm deeply disappointed," said Dykstra, "that the former MP and his riding association would find humour in such a subject. Stephane Dion must apologize for this disgraceful attack on the Prime Minister of Canada and force senior local liberals to do the same.'"

"Mr. Lastewka is not new to politics," Dykstra concluded. "He represented this riding for thirteen years. I'm shocked that he still hasn't learned the boundaries of appropriate political humour. I would invite others to read the newsletter, and draw their own conclusions."

My predictions:  No public apology.  A stern word from Dion, in private, to his people to keep a lid on this sort of thing.  A careful leak to the press about Dion's displeasure to act as a sort of apology.  And despite that, some MP (but certainly not Garth Turner) will stir the pot by pointing out this is no big deal.

Addendum: If you would like to offer an opinion to Jane Cornelius concerning her joke, you can email her at mcornelius@cogeco.ca (as posted at Elections Canada).  Please keep to the subject at hand, and please be courteous.  As we all know, Jane Cornelius is really hoping that negativity will be a thing of the past.

A personal note: Perhaps what offends me most is the inclusion of Laureen Harper in this "joke".  It suggests that Mrs Harper (who unlike Stephane Dion's wife Janine Krieber, does not pretend to be a de facto party spokesperson) is fair game.  Moreover, it looks like Laureen Harper is being subjected to same level of vitriol from Liberals that is usually reserved for Stephen Harper and his cabinet.  What next?  Stephen Harper's kids?  I wonder if mentioning Laureen Harper takes this into the realm of hate, instead of merely really terrible and inappropriate political commentary.

Friendly Fire? I haven't spent much time on this, but why would any Liberal think Canadian soldiers would bring down the aircraft carrying the prime minister and his wife?  Or any friendly aircraft, for that matter?  Is this just another example of the way the Liberals just don't have any respect for Canada's men and women in uniform?

Serious Stuff: I'm offended by this "joke", but then Liberal Party uber-strategist Warren Kinsella says this assassination joke is serious.  Very serious:

When someone "jokes" about assassinating a Prime Minister (as some Liberals have done, on page three of this newsletter), you don't issue press releases about it (as the Tories have done, in this press release found on Steve's page). You call the RCMP.

Two weeks ago, I received a comment on this web site about the assassination of a former Prime Minister. As I have done before, I immediately saved it and referred it to the RCMP in Red Deer (where it originated) and Ottawa (where these statements are taken more seriously).

I can't fault Warren Kinsella for taking a hardline like this.  And as he warns his readers, I'm warning mine.  Don't post a comment on this blog that could be read as suggesting Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, or any other public figure ought pay an ultimate price for his or her political views.