Conservatives Cut and Run on War Dead

This just in, from CTV the Harper Government has ordered a corridore sanitare around Canadian Forces Base Trenton. No media will be allowed into the base tommorow when the four dead Canadian solidiers return. This is the same policy the Bush regime uses south of the border. Bet you didn't think you would get George Bush when Stephen Harper got elected with no political capital.

It's suspicious that the Harpocrites should do this, late in the day, avoiding major news broadcasts. Perhaps because of the got flak in the house during question period over the Flag Flap. And ironic in light of the comments made by veterans groups over the flag flap.

Cliff Chadderton, War Amps CEO and chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations, said the Bush administration has made the same mistake as an earlier White House with Vietnam, attempting to suppress information while it has brazened out the Iraq conflict at heavy public price. "In the Canadian government, we have done the opposite," said the World War II veteran. "It's okay sending troops to Afghanistan — but if there are casualties, let's play it up as a national disaster. Well, it is a disaster, but it's not a national disaster. "Just simply tell the public the truth instead of all this play-acting and `should we put the flag at half staff or not.'"Media reports `over the top,' vets say

I guess this isn't over the top any more.And I guess we are no longer doing the opposite of the Americans. Which as Chadderton says is a mistake. A bigger mistake than just a flag flap. It's a policy of burying the story and the bodies.

Shame, shame, shame, as they say in the House.


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Cherniak Snivels

Sniveling Liberal Jason Cherniak who has a NDP phobia the size of the 401 rants again today attacking the NDP for the parties union connections.Without unions, the NDP can compete But as the saying goes he is a day late and shy short of a load.

In praising the Harpocrites new accountability act, he fawns and gushes that the new act will limit union funding to the NDP. Been there done that.

Happened in Manitoba under a NDP government, Gary Doer did that years ago. Opps so did the NDP in B.C. And gosh golly gee wilikers so did Chretien.

I knew Cherniak was wet behind the ears, but I thought advanced senility only attacked the elderly. Apparently he forgot that it was his Great Leader Chretien that actually changed the federal act that limits both corporate and union donations. Never one to let the facts get in the way of his anti-NDP rants though, Cherniak also engages in some historical revisionism.

I believe that the NDP has long been harmed by its connection to the unions. Although the connection provided long term funding and a new building in Ottawa, it also gave the NDP an inarguable bias in politics. No matter what the leader might say, there could never be any denying that the NDP was the voice of the unions.....Under the new rules, though, unions cannot donate money to political parties. How long will it be before they lose their voice in the NDP membership?

Well the unions did buy the building before the Chretien rules came into effect. The Doer government got re-elected under the same rules and the NDP in B.C. made a come back last election. Shucks I guess that shows that the party has a real base in the unions, able to mobilize workers for electoral success provincially or federally more than any other party.

And yes the party was the creation of the CCF and CLC after all. And when labour in Canada has had Liberal or Conservative Labour candidates or conglomerations, as it did at the turn of last century, it got nowhere. It actually took a Socialist Party in B.C. to hold the balance of power with the Liberals in the 1890's to get minimum wage, hours of work, and an end of child labour in the mines laws passed. Socialist Party. Canada has a left wing history, and it ain't the Liberals.

But the Liberal party across Canada currently benefits from union support in the Building Trades. Yet with their alliance with the Liberals, these unions and workers still they have never gained much party control or voice as they have in the NDP. But these unions are like the Liberals, a top down business that runs rough shod over their rank and file. And thus the Liberal Party is home to the professional pork choppers that run these unions. That won't change. In fact the Liberals have a mighty link into the General Workers Union in Ontario, and it hasn't helped them any more than having an ethic link into that same community of workers.

And while Buzz ranted and played footsie with Martin, his executive assistant got elected in Toronot for the NDP. So whose the winner and whose the whiner.

But actually what worries Cherniak is all this unite the left crap, which he precently realises will lead to a further winnowing of the Grand Old Ruling Party of Canada.

The Liberal Party must not be tarred with the position of "left"; then we will be fighting on NDP territory against an enemy that has been forced to drop its obsolete cavalry.

A cavalry that the Liberals and Conservatives are jealous of, a cavalry that delivers voters to polls. Something that neither of the parties did to the degree that the NDP did this past election.

So don't count this old war horse out yet. Be afraid Jason, very afraid.


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How Green My Pasture Is

Well the leader of the Green Party, that other Tory Harris, has stepped down.Harris won't lead Greens into next vote: report Luckily they have a trilingual Ukrainian Canadian in the wings to run for his place David Chernushenko. And there is the possibility that the brilliant and principled Elizabeth May of the Sierra Club could run as well. She showed up as a co presenter at the Mulrony Green Thumb award last week. Of course always in the wings is the perennial wanna be party leader, any party any time, David Orchard, if he doesn't run for the Liberal Leadership race, or even if he does.....


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More Flag Ballyhoo

CBC runs a 'reality check' article on the lowering the Flag issue. Where upon they point out;

But the fact is, veterans' groups were not happy when the Liberals first started lowering government flags to half-mast in 2002. Officials with both the Royal Canadian Legion and the National Council of Veteran Associations opposed the idea, arguing it was unfair to the memories of those who died in other wars and who were not accorded the same show of respect. Canada's war dead, they said, should all be honoured the same way and on the same date, Nov. 11, when the country pauses to remember. Their objections, however, were largely overlooked in the huge outpouring of grief and national anger over the fact that the U.S. did not seem, initially at least, to be fully investigating the friendly fire deaths caused by one of their pilots.

Except the Legion never lowered their own flags, even on Nov. 11, until 2003, after sixty years of lowering and then raising the flag, they left the flag at half mast until the bugle calls at sunset. The way it is actually done in the field.

Hey traditions can be stupid, and some traditions, like doffing ones hat for ones comrades when entering a Legion Lounge can be used for racist purposes, like denying Sikh's the right to enter a Legion because they wear turbans.

Even though the Sikh's turban is part of their regimental uniform in the British Forces, ever since the British Raj used them as a military force. Or like the RCMP full dress uniform, since they too are a Military Force. Dress skirts were not part of the uniform until the eighties when women were allowed in to the old boys club.

So lets not get hung up on what the Legion tradtions are. What's the right thing to do?

Indeed, Prime Minister Chretien, the opposition leaders at the time and the country's top military brass all attended a special memorial service for the four friendly fire victims at CFB Trenton – something that is not usually done either. And this politicized aspect of their deaths and the flag-lowering rankled some even more.

Oh and who did it rankle, why the right wing, once again falling on tradition to defend the indefensible. This gathering at the time was seen as a protest against the Bush regime. So said Mr. Military Tradition, Peter Worthington at the time.

Writing an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal, Peter Worthington, the feisty former editor of the Toronto Sun and a Korean war vet, suggested there was not only a political but "an almost pathologically antimilitary" subtext to the Liberal government's decision to lower the flag. It was reflective, he wrote, of a government that just didn't understand the true concept of military service.

Bollocks. Here let me give you a new military tradition the right wing loves. We recognize Canadians who fought in Vietnam, which was not our war. We sent no units not even as peace-keepers or UN forces. It was not even a war as it was never declared such by the United States government, it was a police action.


Canadians who fought in Viet Nam are recognized now in Canada as 'Veterans' yet Canadians who fought the fascists in Spain are still under a draconian edict that declares their actions illegal. But of course the frormer were fighting communism and the latter were commies fighting fascism.

Military tradition is what ever rites and rituals the military and its veterans accept, they are ameable to the ever present. They are not written in stone.
So enough of this excuse making, its just a cover up for doing the right thing. Like not using bylaws and traditions around doffing ones cap to exclude folks cause of the colour of their skin.






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Your Blog Is Being Traced

I am always amazed by who reads this blog, or at least drops by for a visit. Or perhaps, if I was a wee bit paranoid, who is monitoring me.

And you have to watch what you say on your blog because Big Brother is watching.

In this case corporate bosses are watching, and monitoring my articles on AFI the professional security company that protects scabs and promotes union busting. Such as they are doing at the BHP Diamond mine strike.

And the bosses at the Diamond Miner BHP are also scanning the internet on the coverage they are getting on the current strike at their mine in Nunavit. They popped by for a visit here yesterday via bg03.bhpbilliton.com (Sita-societe Internationale De Telecommunications Aeronautiques)

I guess I should be flattered they visited. Or just a tich paranoid.

In the case of AFI they have hired a professional company; Reputrace to monitor the web and the media for stories about them. And they popped by my blog for a visist.

Nice to see AFI supporting Canadian Software developers. The privatization of intelligence gathering can be a scary thing in the wrong hands though. As NARUS shows.

As for protecting AFI's reputation that's kinda hard to do when they specialize in union busting , intimitadition, harrassment and general ne'er do well activities for the bosses.





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Canada Post Gets It

CUPW and Canada Post agree on something for once.

Canada Post lowers flags in Edmonton to honour military bomb ...

One of the fallen soldiers, Lieut. William Turner, was a part-time army reservist who worked in the city as a letter carrier. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers asked that the flags be lowered and Canada Post has agreed, said Ramon Antipan, president of the CUPW local.

"It is important because (Turner) was one of our members," Antipan said. "He truly believed in the mission. This is in recognition for what he was doing."

Antipan said the union has also received permission for staff to wear black ribbons or arm bands.

While the Harpocrite continues to avoid the body bags and the lowering of the flag in order to avoid responsibility for the deaths caused by his ChickenHawk policy of not cutting and running.

Now he says he won't do the decent thing and show up Canadian Forces Trenton to observe the return of the bodies of his fallen men, cause it might be a photo op for the Taliban. I knew the Harper had a low opinion of the media but they are not the Taliban. And I don't think the Taliban read the National Post. What a coward, cluck, cluck.

Now think if CUPW takes it a step further since one of their own was killed and launches a Get Out Now campaign. Harper will face his own political fire-fight.

In a ceremony that has become all-too familiar at Kandahar airfield, the flag-draped casket of a Canadian soldier is carried into the open belly of a Hercules on Monday. (CP / Murray Brewster) Defence minister defends change in flag policy

Apparently the above picture will give succour to the Taliban. So sez Stephen Bush, err George Harper.

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The Working Class Dies For Harper

Turner, a Canada Post letter carrier stationed in Edmonton, and Mansell, a carpenter, were two of the more than 400 reservists currently serving in Afghanistan. Fallen Canadian soldiers begin long journey home

No flags lowered, Harper won't show up when the body bags return to Canadian Forces Base Trenton. All this is still just a rich mans war.

No need to tell us how we are being protected from Osama bin Laden Inc., all we are doing is protecting the Caspian oil pipeline and its counterpart the Opium pipeline.

And our volunteer reserves, ordinary Joes and Janes working full time and being soldiers part time are being sacrificed on the altar of the Harpocrites political ego. His failure to show up for their funeral shows he is more chicken than hawk when it comes to facing his responsibilities of sending our military to war.

As the troops on both sides of the conflict in WWI learned, there is no honor in dying for the capitalists and their war machine. But I guess Harper never read Johnny Got His Gun in school.

There's nothing noble about dying. Not even if you die for honor. Not even if you die the greatest hero the world ever saw. Not even if you're so great your name will never be forgotten and who's that great? The most important thing is your life little guys. You're worth nothing dead except for speeches. Don't let them kid you any more. Pay no attention when they tap you on the shoulder and say come along we've got to fight for liberty or whatever their word is there's always a word.

Just say mister I'm sorry I got no time to die I'm too busy and then turn and run like hell. If they say coward why don't pay any attention because it's your job to live not to die. If they talk about dying for principles that are bigger than life you say mister you're a liar Nothing is bigger than life There's nothing noble in death. What s noble about lying in the ground and rotting. What's noble about never seeing the sunshine again? What's noble about having your legs and arms blown off? What's noble about being an idiot? What's noble about being blind and deaf and dumb? What's noble about being dead. Because when you're dead mister it's all over. It's the end. You're less than a dog less than a rat less than a bee or an ant less than a white maggot crawling around on a dungheap. You're dead mister and you died for nothing.

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Mutualist Economics of SETI

This is the market economy that my mutualist and free market anarchist comrades evoke as an example of what makes the market different from capitalism.

In this case SETI . Which has no hope of ever being profitable.

But which can raise funding and labour by volunteers for scientific projects. In this case a project organized along mutualist economics and cooperativism that even Kropotkin would see as an example of anarchist science.

I contribute to the SETI project along with the climate change project.

It takes up so little effort and time and space on your computer, you should to.

The project is one small example of SETI's slowly growing respectability as a scientific enterprise. Where scientists once had to beg for time on radio and optical telescopes to conduct the hunt, they now build instruments dedicated to it full time.

The SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., for example, plans to flip the switch on 10 of its 30 new radio- telescope dishes at the Allen Telescope Array in Hat Creek, Calif. later this month. By using off-the-shelf equipment to hold down costs, and developing some fancy processing techniques for incoming signals, the Allen Telescope Array team will be able to hunt for radio signals from ET at the same time astronomers use these antennas for more mainstream research.

Although scientists have given these efforts a broad nod through organizations such as the National Research Council, funding still comes largely from private donors. The Allen array is named for Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, who wrote the check for the observatory's initial installation. The money for Horowitz's telescope came from the Planetary Society in Pasadena, Calif., and a private foundation.

So SETI needs YOU and if you sign up you will get a nice letter from Sir Arthur C.Clarke, yes the sci-fi author. Of course it is a begging letter. But this is a mutualist project.

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This Blog Makes Newsweek

And the MSNBC website since they are owned by the same corporate media conglomerate. The article in particular is on Internet Censorship; The Limits of Freedom And it made it to the Blog Talk column at MSNBC/Newsweek. Aw Shucks, blush, I guess stuff I have to say is of some value after all.


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