Hong Kong protesters back with a vengeance amid all-out chaos

South China Morning Post

2 hrs · 

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in violent clashes that leave more than 70 injured.

The debate of the extradition bill was postponed as Hong Kong descended into chaos. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, many of whom were prepared with umbrellas, goggles and masks.
VIDEO

THEY ARE CALLED RIOT COPS BECAUSE WHENEVER THEY SHOW UP A RIOT OCCURS

The Hong Kong police’s operation was criticized by the force’s own officers, as some brand the handling of protesters as “a total failure”.

Police force defends operation after violent clashes in Hong Kong
Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo says officers adopted restrained and tolerant attitude that allowed protesters to express their opinions but critics say force failed...

Carrie Lam accuses anti-extradition bill protesters of ‘organising a riot’

In video released by government news service on Wednesday evening, Lam said demonstrators ‘used arson, sharpened iron bars and bricks’ to attack police.

Lam says she understands there are different views about the extradition bill, but urged people to remain calm.

CROCODILE TEARS

Through tears, Carrie Lam says that she did not sell out Hong Kong and that she believes the government has been doing the right thing all along.

“We are locally born Hongkongers who love the city and our country. We urge the chief executive to withdraw the bill... to create room for rational discussion”.

Ex-minister calls on Lam to withdraw extradition bill after unrest
Former labour and welfare secretary Stephen Sui joins six other ex-senior officials in urging city’s chief executive to change course.

Some stores were forced to shut their doors, but other shops and restaurants were emptied of stock.
Early closing for some, bonanza for others – how protests affected businesses
Large crowds and blocked roads around government buildings in Admiralty frustrate some shops and restaurants, who were forced to close. Heavy footfall was money-spinne...

Fear Emotion on Hong Kong extradition bill

https://www.linkedin.com/.../fear-emotion-hong-kong...

LINKEDIN.COM

Fear Emotion on Hong Kong extradition bill

In Pictures: Tens of thousands of masked protesters clash with police in Hong Kong over the government’s contentious extradition bill.

Full Gallery: https://sc.mp/x2ni

VIDEO 

HONG KONG PROTESTS

The clashes have now been declared a "riot" by the police chief. This carries serious implications for anyone arrested.

SEE  HONG KONG FOR MORE STORIES

Why thousands of Hong Kong-born people are returning to Canada
The Hong Kong-born population of Canada has increased for the first time since 1996, upending a process that had resulted in 300,000 Canadians living in the autonomous...
Political upheaval, personal factors and the ageing of Canadians in Hong Kong are said to be behind the new phenomenon of double-reverse migration.



SEE  HONG KONG FOR MORE STORIES

For Women, by Women: A Sisterhood of Carpenters Builds Tiny Houses for the Homeless

IAAW - Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Wome

Love this idea!

YESMAGAZINE.ORG

MOHAMMED BONESAW SALMAN

Where is the world's most expensive painting?

Art dealer says he knows where Leonardo da Vinci's "Salvator Mundi" went after it was bought for $450 million -- it's on the yacht of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Full story: http://u.afp.com/JP3M

Canada bans capture and breeding of dolphins and whales

Full story: http://u.afp.com/JP3n

Giants of the deep. AFP Graphics lists the conservation status, size and distribution of selected whale species

SEE Ottawa passes legislation that bans whale and dolphin captivity in Canada

to Canadian Solidarity with Palestine

Chris Selley: In Canada, whatever politicians might say, free speech wins

‪Amazingly, the pro-Israel National Post has published an op-ed about free speech and Toronto’s Al Quds Day rally in which columnist Chris Selley acknowledges that calling Israel a racist, apartheid or genocidal state is ‘a million miles from criminal hate speech’.

120 degrees in the shade?! Record-breaking, 'dangerous' heat wave bakes western U.S.

Alberta Seperatism Not Quite Stamped Out

I AM REPOSTING THIS DUE TO THE FACT THE OLD SHIBBOLETH OF ALBERTA SEPARATISM HAS RAISED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN WITH THE ELECTION OF UCP
UCP IS THE RESULT OF THESE PAST PARTIES MERGING INTO ONE AFTER THE ELECTION OF THE NDP GOVERNMENT IN 2015

Friday, December 30, 2005

Alberta Seperatism Not Quite Stamped Out

Well that didn't take long. Starting with Bouquets of Grey documenting Edmonton East Conservative Campaign Manager Gordon Stamp, a perennial right wing figure here in Redmonton, being an Alberta Seperatiste and saying stupid things in online forums and now he is gone.

And Bouquets got some help from the rest of us in the blogosphere passing on our two bits worth, including yours truly, it got picked up by Paul Wells at Macleans and he forwarded it to Conservative Candidate Peter Goldring and voila Resignation tendered and accepted. Wow faster than you can say Liberal Blog, gotta hand it to Goldring he didn't give Gord his stamp of approval for his off the wall comments. Not like the Liberal spokesman did for Klander.

But true to form some folks think this is censorship and unfair to the Alberta Seperatiste faction of the Blogging Tory's. Such as Candace another Redmontonian whose blog WakingUpOnPlanetX supports Alberta Seperatism is very very upset about this. She equates Alberta Sepratism with the PQ and BQ in Quebec.

So here is a history lesson for Candace, of course its a left wing history lesson, so no apologies for that.

Alberta Seperatism is at its core an anti-semitic, racist, white power movement.
It is not the equivalent of the PQ or Quebec. It is not founded in the radical tradition of prairie populism of the Reil Rebellion contrary to the disingenous statements of Link Byfield. It is based in the right wing of the old Social Credit party and its links to the fascist movement in Canada.

It originates in Alberta not in the dirty thirties but the early 1980's in the last days of the Lougheed government, with the Western Canada Concept (WCC) of rightwhingnut lawyer and defender of fascists Doug Christie. The WCC won a seat in a red neck rural riding, and had an MLA in the Alberta Legislature giving them some political credibility, some, enough for Lougheed to use them as a whipping boy against Ottawa. Which Ralph Klein continues to do today. Any time things got a little outta hand between the Liberals in Ottawa and the Alberta Government the bugaboo of Alberta Seperatism would be raised. Clever ploy that.

The reality is that during the 1980's two major right wing populist parties began in Alberta, both anti-semitic, white power, anti-biligualism, pro religious fundamentalist, pro Celtic Saxon peoples (code for White Power) anti immigrant anti multiculturalism, today add anti-gay. These were the WCC and Elmer Knutsens Confederation of Regions Party. The CRP did not win seats in Alberta but in New Brunswick, as a right wing backlash to that provinces French majority.
Ironic eh.

Members, followers and fellow travelers of these parties, also belonged to farther right groups as well as the Reform Party of Canada when it was formed. By then their rump right wing parties disappeared. Some went on in Alberta to form splinter right wing parties like the revived Social Credit, the Alberta Alliance, the Alberta Seperatist party. But most saw Preston Mannings Reform Party as a big tent right wing party, and joined or promoted it.

The infamous voice of the right in Alberta, and Canada, the Alberta Report promoted Alberta Seperatism and the Reform party in its pages. It also supported right wing religious fundamentalism (either protestant or Catholic or Orthordox), anti abortion, anti-gay rights, anti-feminism, anti-daycare. The Byfield clan who ran the magazine as their personal empire, were also directly politically involved in these campaigns.

Today Alberta Report is no more, run into the ground by the Byfields, not once, not twice but thrice. The final death agony of the magazine is a story to behold, but suffice it to say the monies squirreled away that survived the bankruptcy went to creating a new Alberta Seperatist Foundation, run by Link Byfield and with Stalinist aplomb is called;Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy.

It is of course nothing of the sort. It is a front group for right wing lobbying and Alberta Seperatism. Lets us hoist Link by his own petard, by letting him speak for himself as the CCFD. Oh by the way when someone says that they are neither left wing nor right wing, or somehow they want to be politically neutral, they ain't. They are right wing. Thats another clever ruse they use to appear non partisan.

The CITIZENS CENTRE IS NEITHER "RIGHT-WING" NOR "LEFT-WING"

Our mission is to promote responsible government in Canada by advocating honest government, a clear division of power between the federal and provincial governments, and a democratic counterbalance to the increasing power of the courts.

GOALS of the Citizens Centre

To persuade provincial governments to exert their full constitutional leverage in such areas as the Canada Pension Plan, medicare, provincial police, tax collection, gun registration, carbon emissions, urban affairs, environment and grain marketing.

To create demand in Canada for privately-paid medical treatments and regulated private alternatives to the national pension plan, as is found increasingly in all developed countries.

To create pressure for a meaningful reduction in federal fiscal transfers (both direct and indirect), and a permanent reduction in government share of GDP.

* *Ottawa forced its way into the provincial sphere of social and economic development, mainly by abusing its unlimited power to tax and spend, even in areas that are beyond its jurisdiction. Some provinces, notably Alberta and Quebec, resisted. However, Quebec was bought off and Alberta was looted. Alberta's net contribution to federal programs since 1961 is now over $200 billion.

The consequences of allowing Ottawa to negate the original scheme of Confederation have been bad for the whole country, not just Alberta.

It has created costly jurisdictional overlap, political confusion, high taxes, needless eastern dependency and western alienation, and a political culture that no longer understands the principle, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

Instead we are constantly told that social entitlements like "free" medicare and unemployment insurance represent the core values of Canadians.

And what is the main political issue that they believe will enhance democracy in Canada? Proportional Representation? Electoral Reform? Parlimentary Reform? Nah......They want Refederation!

To understand what refederation entails, one has to appreciate the fact that Canada is now not only badly governed but also over-governed. Governments at all levels are too big, and they get in each other's way.

For more than a century now, various reform movements have arisen in Canada, particularly in the West, aimed at fixing the problem. They called for more accountability, less interference by Ottawa in local affairs and more equitable economic policies. In short, better government.

But from the time of Louis Riel, through the great Prairie farmers' movements, and up to the Reform and Canadian Alliance parties, the demand for fundamental change has gone largely unanswered. Canada is still dominated by institutions that are out of date, out of step and out of touch.

Marriage Referendum

A fundamental change to the legal meaning of marriage amounts to a constitutional change of great magnitude and importance. Nobody can honestly deny this.

As the Supreme Court acknowledged in December 2003, it affects both levels of government, private and public organizations across Canada, and individual Canadians.

So who should decide the answer?

There are three possible authorities: the courts, Parliament, or the people.

The Citizens Centre believes that the constitution belongs to the people and therefore the people should have the ultimate authority on this issue.

So they want a national referendum on Marriage. And they want to privatize medicare, EI, pension plans, etc. They want a seperate pension fund for Alberta, and its own police. They are following through on Harpers original Firewall Alberta idea. Which once again in their Orwellian speak Link declares is NOT a Firewall nor are they promoting Alberta Seperatism. Talk about convoluted logic.

And the reason? Cause Canada is too liberal for them . No not Liberal, small 'l' liberal, as in libertarian, freedom of choice, freedom of the individual , freedom for gays, immigrants etc.

Now they will talk freedom and freedom of choice but in their Orwellian logic it is exactly the opposite. They want the freedom to be the Christian majority, with their country (seperate Alberta) being a fundamentalist Christian Theocracy at worst, or scratch the surface of Alberta Seperatism, and you find something worse, White Power bigots.

Yep so Candace there you have it. Why Alberta Seperatism is nothing like the Quebec Nationalist movement. It is a modern fascist movement. And if you want to participate in it fine, but lets call a spade a shovel, and you are shoveling B.S. when you promote Alberta Seperatism.