New Canadian Prime Minister Suffers from Asthma
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 01.27.06
Late last night, Stephen Harper, the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and new Prime Minister of the country, was taken to a hospital because of an asthma attack. "Harper has suffered from asthma for most of his life and late last year was forced to go to hospital after suffering breathing problems," Reuters reported. Meanwhile, his party has received the lowest "environmental grade" from the Sierra Club and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reports that asthma rates in children have jumped fourfold. We hope that our new Prime Minister will see the link between his condition and the protection of nature and will reconsider his environmental policies. ::Asthma sends Harper to hospital briefly, ::Asthma rates in children have jumped fourfold: report, ::Election Results: Canada Does Not Go Green, ::Smog + High Fat Diet = Hardened Arteries, ::Pennsylvania to Tehran: Still Sick of Smog, ::Truck Stop Electrification To Fight Pollution, ::Umbra on the Health Impacts of Biking in Traffic, ::Big Brother is Watching Your Emissions!
My conservative friend (not an oxymoron, but sometimes I wonder...) says it was a "chest cold"
Although he conceded that Harper certainly does have asthma...
Maybe Darth Harper spent too long out of his Vader-like suit.
His official statement was that is was a "routine check-up do to a chest cold". An overnight check-up? Please. Even the media wasn't fooled. At least Bush had the balls to admit to choking on a pretzel, which is much more embarrasing.
In a delightfully related note, one of the top stories on CTV News tonight, told right after the breif report on Harper's "chest cold", was that asthma rates in Canadian children have risen 400%.