US Marshals Coming to a Town Near You

Well if you live in the U.S. Witnesses in Miami airport shooting differ on whether Alpizar made bomb threat Yep trigger happy U.S. marshals who shoot first and ask questions later will now be patroling on the ground. Undercover air marshals to expand to trains, buses In Britain when the police shot and killed an unarmed Brazilian, they were roundly chastised, and a public investigation was conducted.UK police admit error in shoot-to-kill policy In the U.S. the new terror state, they promote you to patroling even more areas. So now if you get on the Greyhound and look funny, blam you're dead.

Blog Notes

Ah the vagaries of the blogosphere. I seem to be passing between phases in the TTLB Ecosystem I go from Slithering Reptile (very Slitherin, I like that) to Flappy Bird, and back again. Over the weekend I was a bird for a couple of days and then back sunning on my rock as a snake. Yesterday I was flapping around for a couple of hours and suddenly the feathers were gone and I was back looking for a rock to sun on....


I discovered these through Knappster, a tip o' the blog to ya.

Wikiblog


I would encourage fellow bloggers to join this international site. Based in the UK. Easiest wiki I have used. So I joined, and I added some catagories. Alberta, Redmonton, Union.

They said it shouldn't be done, and they were probably right, but here it is anyway: The Wikablog, so called because it's a big wiki of blogs. We, the Wikablog's shadowy masters, hope that it will fast become the ultimate wiki of blogs -- and why shouldn't it? All it needs is you. Yes, you.

Union Bloggers



And speaking of Unions,found this website for trade unionists that blog.
you don't have to talk specifically about unions or labour issues, nor do you have to be a union member, just support unions. Clever idea. From Australia.

Union Label weblogs
Union Label is a group whose purpose is to promote trade unionism by displaying a union label on its members' weblogs. If every blogger who was a member of a trade union made that fact clear to their readers, it would generate excellent publicity for the labour movement. By displaying a union label on your weblog, you can help support unionism while tapping in to a network of unionist bloggers and their readers. Note: These weblogs are not necessarily related to the labour movement or politics. Any weblog run by a member of a trade union is entitled to participate.


And a tip o the Blog to BBS for letting us know about this new Election Wiki for Blogs covering the Canadian Election 2006






Ok Its not a blog its a website but after being offline for the past year I am pleased to say that its back up and active. Lots of good stuff here, and glad its back up because it was a real loss when it went away.

Klein Sez Vote Liberal

Klein: Harper will have problems in Central Canada It's not the first time Klein has offered his frank opinion of Harper's chances. And what he has to say contrasts sharply with the positions of other Tory premiers. A political analyst in Calgary is bewildered about why Klein continues to wade into the fray. "I'm not sure what his motives are here, if there are any motives,'' says Keith Brownsey, a professor at Mount Royal College. "It's just Ralph Klein shooting from the lip."This is very hurtful (to) the federal Conservatives.''

His motives are as clear as the nose on his face, and this prof sure is either naive or disingenuous (either way I hope he doesn't have tenure he is obviously out of his league) to suggest that he is just shooting form the lip. Clearly he is not. It is part of the politics of Alberta a long standing strategy of using the mythical historical fued between Ottawa and Alberta to gurantee the ruling party in the provincial legislature to remain in power . Its what has given the PC rule in the province its longevity.

When the peasants are revolting, the party in power looks eastward and sez its them bastards in Ottawa, look look over there. This is no different. Klein ever the consumate politician knows that with the Liberals in power in Ottawa Alberta will have someone to kick around. He fears, dreads actually a Conservative government in Ottawa. As did his predecesors.

When Mulroney ruled, he too wa an eastern bastard as was his party regradless of its Alberta base. The right wing in Alberta that revolted against the Mulroney Bouchard Progressive Conservatives, created the Reform Party which revitalized a populist movement that began to question the long standing PC power in Edmonton. It was not just a movement against Ottawa, but against politics as usual. And when you unleash populist political movements they do not stay within the nice closed parameters of politics as usual.

So of course Klein wants you to vote Liberal, it gurantees his party, even with out him, a better chance of staying in power come the next provincial election. And despite their overwhelming majority, which slipped last election, the PC's are terrified of any form of slippage in the vote. Bashing Ottawa is Alberta's favorite poltical sport, and it gets votes. Have an Alberta based Conservative party in Ottawa and the Liberals provincially will gain ground. Cause we are a province of contrarians.

New Devil Party

Oh this is rich, this is way too good, this is well a good case of watch what ya say cause it can come back to haunt you. Booo! "The NDP could be described as basically a party of liberal Democrats, but it's actually worse than that, I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, but the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men," said Harper in his speech.

Time For A Canadian Steel Workers Union

During the NAFTA and FTA debates here in Alberta waaaay back in the late 1980's I took a contrarian position to the rest of the left. Call it pragmatic criticism. I said that the labour movement should get over its knee jerk response to these accords because the Americans were inherently protectionist, and that those in Canada who opposed the accords were no more pro union or pro worker than their American counterparts. In the later case I was refering to Mel Hurtig, Mr. Canadian Nationalism and his Council of Canadians. I worked for Hurtig publishers in the seventies, and tried to organize a union at his site. Well needless to say Hurtig publishing was as anti-union as any other company, despite publishing progressive liberal left books. He also printed his books offshore, using his connection with a Japanese publishing company for whom he had distribution rights for North America.

In the case of the Americans, I stated that the Democrats and Republicans were birds of a feather when it came to fair trade, they talked free trade when it was to their advantage and practiced protectionism against opening their markets to the world.

Well the chickens came home to roost. I opposed FTA and NAFTA because they were not Fair Trade deals, and the Mulroney Tories gave up too much to the U.S.
So now we have various NAFTA rulings, on wheat this week, on soft wood lumber, as well as on free movement of cattle. etc. etc. in favour of Canada and America ignores them.

We have the most productive manufacturing sector in North America, our manufacturing base has expanded under NAFTA despite off shoring. For a couple of reasons, one being health care and social benefits that reduce costs and better educated technologically adaptable workers. The other is the secondary manufacturing like Magna that supplies the auto industry, and Toyota and Honda etc. moving here to expand into the North American market via the Auto Pact.

While we still are waiting for the Americans to pay us back for their illegal tarrifs and duties on soft wood a new fight is brewing south of the border. During his first term George W. put an illegal tarrif on steel coming into the U.S. while directed at China, Japan and Europe it impacted directly on our steel industry. Ironically a steel industry that shares the same union, the United Steelworkers of America (USWA).

During the anti-globalization rallies begining in Seattle in 99 the USWA campaigned against China and its steel production demanding protection for American jobs. It was a very jingoist campaign, which brought on side the likes of America First Pat Buchanan. What the USWA was doing was the work for its corporate bosses, bosses who over the last six years have changed ownership and have been integrated into the global market. As many steel companies now are under foriegn ownership.

Only Canada has an independent home grown steel industry. Split between unionized Stelco and non union Dofasco. And so we are a foreign industry, accused of dumping into the U.S. When the elephant sneezes we get a cold.

Bush Jr.'s tarrifs hurt Canada as much as it hurt China. Probably more so, and it can be credited as a factor in Stelco's decline into bankruptcy. It pitted union brother against union brother, and USWA true to form, even with a Canadian VP on its international board, emphasised the America in USW.

Well the WTO discussions are on. And USWA is at it again; doing their corporate masters biding lobbying for protectionism for American steel with little regard for its Canadian members. In their narrow jingoist America First nationalism, they seem to have forgotten they are an 'International' union, meaning that they operate in Canada representing Canadian workers.

The Canadian auto worker used to suffer these same kind of indignities when they were members of the UAW. And while American trade unionists were smashing Japanese cars in protest, Canadian workers split from the UAW and formed the CAW. As jobs get trashed in Ford and GM in the US, and pensions and benefits are slashed under the sell out leadership of the UAW, in Canada CAW has saved jobs, gotten pension payouts, and most job losses will be ameliorated through attrition. And CAW has gotten Ford and GM lucrative government handouts. Now that did not stop these two American companies from cutting their noses to spite their faces, by closing productive plants in Canada. American corporations and their unions are a joint venture in jingoistic America First nationalism, see my Whats Good For GM is Not Good for Canadian Workers.

While USWA in Canada has adapted over the years to plant shut downs, by developing training programs and expanding who it represents it still faces the hard fact that it is an American union in Canada. And America comes first to the USWA. While in the US the declining membership in USWA and other large industrial unions has forced them to consider mergers and acquisitons just like corporate America, to keep themselves afloat. In Canada diversification of representation and organizing the unorganized, as well as raiding other unions, has kept CAW alive and kicking. While USWA struggles in declining membership in Canada so much so that it merged with the Woodworkers union in B.C. But mergers and aquisitions in the labour movement are a limited opportunity and do not represent real growth.

For steel workers in Canada it is time for autonomy and independence and creating a real democratic union run by the members themselves not by hacks in Washington. Despite having an token International VP, USWA is still an American union, it only keeps Canadians on its board to say it is an International.

The time is now. USWA is launching another protectionist campaign that could hurt Canadian steel. And Stelco is coming out of bankruptcy, which would allow a new independent union to actively demand represntation on the board to guarntee job protection. And the workers could have a Canadian Union President instead of a token International VP. It worked for autoworkers. It can work for Steelworkers. And the irony is this, USWA came to power and dominance in Canada during the Cold War, when it was used to smash the Independent Canadian Mine and Mill Workers Union, which was declared a Red Union by the AFL/CIO.

Bush Admits To Being Stupid

This headline says it all, Bush admits intelligence failures So much for the theory of Intelligent Design.

1812 Remembered

As I said in my blog on Amb-ass-asdor Wilkins, without Canada the US wouldn't have the Star Spangled banner. Little did I know that my remarks would be aired on Fox TV.

Hey buddy before you go declaring Canada a Terrorist State or part of the Axis of Evil remember we got yer oil. And we whupped yer ass the last time ya invaded us. And we have been eating Laura Secord choclates ever since.

A tip o the blog to Scott Tribe for this.

1+1=2

Robert Novak the disgruntled Democrat turned Republican mouthpiece says that George Bush knows who Deep Throat is in the Plame affair. Novak and Karl Rove are old cronies, and their little trysts of dishing dirt go all the way back to leaks during George W campaign for Governor. Rove used Novak then for his dirty tricks campaigns too. So despite the red herring of 'another White House source' (which is like the guys on the grassy knoll) its a simple case of 1+1=2 .If Bush knows, and Novak knows it must be Karl Rove. Nes pas.

No One Believes You

Tory TV Ads Backfire

While the Liberal TV Ads were exposed by the NDP to be full of Liberals posing as ordinary Canadians.In the case of the Conservative Party TV ads to make Harper look, soft, human and reasonable, no one had to tell Canadians that the folks in the ads were Conservatives. And despite all his best efforts to look human, approachable, and of the people, no one was fooled by Harpers performance. He didn't win an Academy or a Gemini Award. The Canadian people have given him a Raspberry.


A survey of 1,350 undecided voters who saw the Tory television ads were asked last week to pass judgment. Fifty-nine per cent said the ads would have no impact on their vote. But 19 per cent said the spots made them more likely to vote Liberal, and nine per cent said the ads pushed them toward the NDP. In other words, more than a quarter said they were inclined to do the opposite of what the ads intended. Only 12 per cent said the ads made them more likely to vote for the party that actually paid for them, raising questions about whether the Tory campaign has backfired.

Singing We Won't Get Fooled Again, Canadians held their noses turned off the TV ads for Trust Me Tory and told the guy on the phone that well Harpers TV ads worked, they are definetly not voting for him now.

The same survey found that six per cent of 1,046 undecided voters who saw a Liberal television ad said it made them more likely to vote Tory, and eight per cent said it pushed them toward the NDP. Decima's chief pollster says it's unusual that a political party would get so much advertising bang from its rival's buck. "It's an unusual circumstance and obviously it's something the Conservatives would need to take a look at,'' said Bruce Anderson."There's more than anecdotal evidence . . . that the Conservative advertising doesn't seem to be all that effective. The numbers say it's not.''

Which begs the question, if the Party War Rooms believe this; Television the main medium for strategists How come the Liberals and Conservatives blew it? The winner in the TV Ad war, the NDP. They had a message, they had humour, and they didn't use party members as actors. Cause Canadians now have higher standards for our actors. And we have higher standards for TV production. The country that brings you CSI, NCSI, etc. should not have to put up with ads that look like the Friendly Giant or Mr. Dress up.

Mea Culpa 100,000 Deaths later

Well he finally admited it, he lied, and he led America into a war that killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's and thousands of Americans. He forced them to fight, with out supplies, without a break, with no national draft, with no kids of the rich in the War. He Lied! They Died!

But hey this is no Mea Culpa, this is No apology from the War President he is still defending the indefesible. But now we know, He Lied.




War Criminal

Bush: Iraq Invasion My Responsibility

President Bush said Wednesday the responsibility for invading Iraq based in part on faulty weapons intelligence rested solely with him, taking on the issue in his most direct and personal terms in the 1,000-plus days since the war's first shots."It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong," Bush said. "As president, I'm responsible for the decision to go into Iraq."