Painting the town blue, Olympics edition

After whipping their base up into a regular santorum of outrage over government funding for swears and lefties and rock stars, the program that supported "Young People Fucking" is still intact, but $40M of moneys to promote Canadian arts and culture has been transferred to fund 2010 Vancouver Five Ring Circus sports events like the $24.5M torch relay.

Well you couldn't really see Steve cutting a ribbon to open YPF, could you?

Ottawa to shift arts funds to Olympic programs

"More than $40-million in savings the federal government will reap from controversial cuts to arts and culture funding will be redirected to the Vancouver Olympic torch relay and two other programs, exacerbating fears that replacement initiatives are not in the cards."

Well thanks, G&M but Kady and Jennifer at Runesmith and Beijing York are already all over this.
Unlike Josee Verner who has been busy explaining the Cons had merely cancelled inefficient programs in order to replace them with better ones. Yeah but not arts programs though, huh, Josee?
OK, so what's this arts and culture funding laundered mainly into sports gonna look like then?

Ottawa aims to put its stamp on 2010 Games
Vancouver opening ceremony must help Harper government 'achieve its domestic and international branding goals,' memo says

"The Harper government says the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremony must reflect its agenda as the price of its $20-million commitment to the event, an internal government briefing memo [dated Feb 5 ] says.
"The Minister [Emerson] has recently confirmed with VANOC in writing that the Department of Canadian Heritage intends to invest $20-million toward the opening ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games in order to ensure that the event adequately reflects the priorities of the Government and helps to achieve its domestic and international branding goals," the memo says.

Ensure...priorities of the Government?
Domestic and international branding goals?
Good lord, they're going to paint the town blue.

Toon and badly cobbled together post at Creekside.