In a preverse form of poetic justice the Chicken Hawk advocates of spying on American citizens have attempted to use Child Porn as the basis for expanding their spying operations. They have of course gotten cooperation from most search engines except Google.
Now the chickens have come to roost. Or in this case Chicken Hawks.
Those who call the Republican War administration Chicken Hawks now have good reason to revert to the original meaning of the term.
Homeland security official faces sex-related charges
The deputy press secretary for the United States Department of Homeland Security was arrested for using the internet to seduce what he thought was a teenage girl, authorities said.
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
US, Homealnd, Security, Child, Porn, spying, Google, search, engines, internet, luring,
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The Privatization of Torture
The War in Iraq has been called the new face of war in the 21st Century by no less than President Bush.
And what is this new war? It is war by private armies the so called 'contractors', private companies like Halliburton, and now the contracting out and privatization of torture.
Of course when the Market State privatizes war completely we will be in the era of decadence that saw the fall of all great Empires that relied upon mercenary armies, from Carthage to Rome.
AI accuses CIA of using private planes for rendition flights 
And of course these private planes have been landing at small regional airports in Canada.
Earlier this year, media reports said that American planes believed to be contracted to the CIA made 74 flights to Canada between September 2001 and November 2005, according to documents released to Canadian Press through freedom of information.But Amnesty's Canadian office said that requests to the Liberal government for a review of the allegations met with no response. Amnesty's secretary general, Alex Neve, sent a letter to Stockwell Day, the minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, calling for an investigation by the Tory government.The human rights organization also called for safeguards ensuring that Canadian airports are not used to transfer suspects to countries where they may be held without protection of international law. More flights linked to CIA
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
CIA, torture, privatization, contracting, out, War, Iraq, mercenaries, contractors
And what is this new war? It is war by private armies the so called 'contractors', private companies like Halliburton, and now the contracting out and privatization of torture.
Of course when the Market State privatizes war completely we will be in the era of decadence that saw the fall of all great Empires that relied upon mercenary armies, from Carthage to Rome.
AI accuses CIA of using private planes for rendition flights
04/05/2006
In a report issued on Wednesday, Amnesty exposed what it described as a covert operation involving front companies and private aircraft operators to preserve the secrecy of so-called rendition flights.
Son San Joan airport in Majorca
Earlier this year, media reports said that American planes believed to be contracted to the CIA made 74 flights to Canada between September 2001 and November 2005, according to documents released to Canadian Press through freedom of information.But Amnesty's Canadian office said that requests to the Liberal government for a review of the allegations met with no response. Amnesty's secretary general, Alex Neve, sent a letter to Stockwell Day, the minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, calling for an investigation by the Tory government.The human rights organization also called for safeguards ensuring that Canadian airports are not used to transfer suspects to countries where they may be held without protection of international law. More flights linked to CIA
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
CIA, torture, privatization, contracting, out, War, Iraq, mercenaries, contractors
War Is No Place For A Free Press
In the battle for news accuracy War creates the conditions of censorship and self censorship which has led to the failure of the media to report accurately from their positions as embedded cheerleaders...... this is the latest in the efforts of the War Department to control the Press.....which has resulted in this......
Editor's note: All media organizations reporting on the conflict in Afghanistan while embedded with the Canadian Forces are signatories of Rules for Embedded Media. The Toronto Star has been ordered by the military to refrain from illustrating by graphic the precise area where last week's firefight took place. The army in Kandahar invoked the rules, believing any illustration would put lives at risk.Was Canadian soldier slain by friendly fire?
More on Afghanistan
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Afghanistan, Kandahar, Canada, NATO, War, Friendly, Fire, Canadian, Troops, Military
Editor's note: All media organizations reporting on the conflict in Afghanistan while embedded with the Canadian Forces are signatories of Rules for Embedded Media. The Toronto Star has been ordered by the military to refrain from illustrating by graphic the precise area where last week's firefight took place. The army in Kandahar invoked the rules, believing any illustration would put lives at risk.Was Canadian soldier slain by friendly fire?
More on Afghanistan
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Afghanistan, Kandahar, Canada, NATO, War, Friendly, Fire, Canadian, Troops, Military
Same Sex Marriage No Debate
What was missing from the Throne Speech?
Why there was no reference to Same Sex Marriage and its pending demise under the Tories.
But don't worry King Stephen is still straight.
And it still hasn't come up yet.......Which means it was never a priority for Harper merely an issue he could use to get Social Conservative votes.....ever the opportunitst....So Link Byfield and his ilk will have to settle for pictures of Harper kissing his wife, while they cool their heels over his Free Vote on Marriage....And the longer the Tories wait the more entrenched it becomes....clever.....then Harper can say he tried...and when they lose the vote in the house.....we all move on over what has become a non-issue......
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, SSM, Homosexual, marriage, Government, Politics, Canada, Gay, PM, Conservatives
Why there was no reference to Same Sex Marriage and its pending demise under the Tories.
But don't worry King Stephen is still straight.
Stephen and Laureen Harper share a kiss in the rotunda after the Throne Speech was read yesterday.
While there was no mention of abolishing the much-maligned gun registry or holding a free vote in Parliament on same-sex marriage, Justice Minister Vic Toews confirmed they both remain on the government's agenda.Harper's 'clear and focused agenda'
Anyone studying the dynamics of Harper's past election strategy would know that he's developing a formula for handling persistent problems: confront them head on, admit their intractability and then move on. Harper did this in the opening days of the election campaign last December with the same-sex marriage controversy. He said he was against same-sex marriage up front, so his critics didn't say it first. Then it never came up again. HARPER'S OTHER FIVE PRIORITIES
And it still hasn't come up yet.......Which means it was never a priority for Harper merely an issue he could use to get Social Conservative votes.....ever the opportunitst....So Link Byfield and his ilk will have to settle for pictures of Harper kissing his wife, while they cool their heels over his Free Vote on Marriage....And the longer the Tories wait the more entrenched it becomes....clever.....then Harper can say he tried...and when they lose the vote in the house.....we all move on over what has become a non-issue......
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, SSM, Homosexual, marriage, Government, Politics, Canada, Gay, PM, Conservatives
So Long And Thanks For All The Fish
King Ralph has announced his departure, but before the candidates line up at the trough for his job Ralphie boy is still stalling when he will go. End of the year he says, will let you know in the fall, have a good summer. It's going to be a slow de-Klein
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Ralph, Klein, Alberta, Premier, Conservatives, politics, Canada, Conservatives, Leadership, reitrement
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Reform Party of Alberta
So what will it take to get Presto Manning to run for Premier of Alberta? Already the old Presto Reform Party backroom boys, Ezra Levant and Farron Ellis are spinning their wheels. They are claiming it will take a new party to replace the Tired Old Tories. Word for word they sound like they met and wrote the same speech for the press.
But an opposition sweep of the polls after Klein isn't likely, said Lethbridge College political scientist Faron Ellis."Every time the Alberta government has changed hands, it's been a new party, not the established opposition, that's done it," Ellis said.
Manning could pursue the Tory leadership. But there is another scenario that is even more intriguing: Manning starting a new party, from scratch, and running not to replace Klein alone, but the entire rotting Tory carcass, 35 years in power. Think about it: Why should Manning seek the Tory leadership? To preside over a tired, ideologically leftist caucus that would resent him as an interloper? To have to defend an arrogant party whose entitlement mentality surpasses even that of the federal Liberals? Why not do what Albertans love to do -- and what Manning himself talked about in 2004 -- start a new party? Manning's already done that twice, and Albertans supported him both times.
King Ralph is dead Ezra Levant Special to the National Post
Eternal optimists they are ignoring the political reality that the only reason the PC's remain in power is that they are fiscal liberals whose power basis fiscally and politically is Calgary and Edmontons ruling classes and who appeal to the rural rump ,the old Socreds,with right wing rhetoric, rhetoric only. When push comes to shove they are push overs as King Ralph has shown time and again.
Dismissing the strong left wing opposition in Alberta as if it doesn't exist, as if the NDP and Liberals are has beens, who just so happened to have won more seats in the 2004 provincial election than predicted.
Dismissing this provinces left wing populist history these Revisionists are now claiming that it will take a NEW right wing party to replace the declining Tories.
Well gee guys there is the Alberta Alliance that is to the right of the PC's and has a sitting member. Even Mr. Right Wing Link Byfield supports them.
Except as usual with Presto's ego a whole new party made out of whole clothe will have to be created.
Please do. It will split the right wing vote and allow the opposition you dismiss to come up the middle.
Don't believe me, read the comments on the idea of Presto as Premier here and here
Also see my previous post: Return of the Socreds
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Levant, Ellis, Klein, Manning, Alberta, PC, Conservatives, Premier, Party, politics, Leadership, election, Reform, Socreds, right-wing
Conservative Broadcasting Corporation
Why is Ezra Levant being used as a commentator on Alberta politics on Don Newmans Politics show on CBC Newsworld. The man is an idiot and does not have the inside dope on the Ralph regime. Why not use the Edmonton Journals Legislative reporter Graham Thompson.
Also in the past two weeks as the Ralph circus was shown on Newmans show, as well as covered by the Duff on CTV, why were Rod Love, Peter Elzinga and other party hacks allowed on both programs as well as Question Period.
They had nothing criticial to say. Zip nada, all was right with the world and Ralph was the greatest. Sheesh talk about ass kissing. That is not political commentary, insight or even news. At least CTV used their own Klein Biographer Don Martin.
So when reporting on news from Alberta for political comments the CBC is sucking up to the right wing rump of the right wing with Levant. Who is NOT a journalist, but a PR flack for the right in the tradition of the Gobbels school.
Welcome to the new remade Conservative Broadcasting Corporation.
Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
CBC, Don, Newman, CTV, Ezra, Levant, Ralph, Klein, Mike, Duffy, Graham, Thompson, politics, Alberta, Canada, Conservatives
JK Galbraith Speaks Truth To Power
Taming Predatory Capitalism
JAMES K. GALBRAITH
The truths are that egalitarian growth is efficient, that speculation must be regulated, that crime starts at the top and that peace is the primary public good. These truths are poison to predators and are the reason predators have fostered and subsidized an entire cynical intellectual movement devoted to "free" markets made up of a class of professor-courtiers now everywhere in view.Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Galbraith, capitalism, neo-cons, liberal, economics, politics, Nation
Ennio Morricone A Fistful of Composer
Who else but famed Movie score/soundtrack composer Ennio Morricone would have a gorgeous Flash home page with great sound. Check it out. Yes it is in Italian. But the sound compostion that is playing in the background will more than make up for the time you spend navigating. It is by far the most stupendous sound I have heard come out of the tiny crappy speakers that are installed in my 19 inch Monitor. Amazing. Do check it out.
Oh and did I mention I am a Morricone fan. The man is a Genius. He is not only a composer of a mammoth collection of movie soundtracks but of Symphonic compositions as well.Morricone in London!:
And I am not the only one who thinks so.
Ennio not only outlasts the lumiére of such scored-film fare but still overshadows both his contemporaries and his bambinos.
His work is beyond just scoring films, without his sound the films are nothing. Whether the haunting echo of the harmoncia in Once Upon A Time In The West, or the strange melodies of terror he evokes for the films of Dario Agenta.
Unlike Gyuri, who becomes increasingly pallid, the film becomes more gray and dark, washing away all color. Its stark scenes of massed prisoners and looming guard towers acquire a bizarre, twisted beauty, which is accented by the haunting music of veteran composer Ennio Morricone.A haunting look at inhumanity and survival