Support Our Troops Bring 'em Home

Sign the NDP online Petition

Support our troops. Bring 'em home.

Petition to the House of Commons

WHEREAS:

• The Government of Canada has committed Canadian Forces to an unbalanced counter-insurgent mission in southern Afghanistan that has no clear objectives, criteria for progress, definition of success or exit strategy.
• Jack Layton, leader of the NDP has called for the withdrawal of Canadian Forces from this mission.
• We support the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces.

We, call upon Government of Canada to begin the withdrawal of Canadian Forces from the counter-insurgency mission in southern Afghanistan.

Also See:

Afghanistan

War

NDP


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
NDP, liberals, Afghanistan, PB, BT, Canada, Progressivebloggers, bloggingtories, blogs, blogging, bringthetroopshome, Layton,NDP, Layton, TroopsOut, Afghanistan, War, Harper, Conservatives, Liberals, Canada, politics, military, NATO, peacekeeping, Karzai,

Why I Support Ignatieff

James Laxer hits the nail on the head......
To win the votes to turn out Stephen Harper, the Liberals need to look left not right. They are not going to cut into Stephen Harper’s hold on the right-wing vote in Canada. The Conservative Party is the natural home of those who support the embattled empire of George W. Bush and his failing expeditions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Liberals need a leader who can appeal to social democrats, environmentalists and soft-nationalists in Quebec. The NDP, the Greens and the Bloc would take dead aim at the pro-imperial stance of a Liberal Party led by Ignatieff and they would be very effective.

Also See:

Liberal Leadership Race

Ignatieff


Liberals, DLiberalleadershiprace, Ignatieff, Canada, Politics,Trudeau, Ignatieff,iberal, Leadership, Race

Palagarist Gets Lecture Job

High School drop out, alcoholic, and a palagarist. Nice to know you can still find work. Premier Ralph Klein will lecture in Washington DC

Must be because he is able bodied......call this welfare for the rich and powerful...


Also See:

Ralph Klein

Alberta


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Klein, Alberta, Canada, Washington, Think-Tank, Premier, Lecturer,

Ralphs Big D'Oh

Boom caught Alberta off guard, Klein says

As Alberta Premier Ralph Klein left the provincial legislature for the last time yesterday, the retiring politician admitted for the first time that his government wasn't ready to deal with the downside of the province's economic boom.

"The boom came on us very, very quickly," the 63-year-old Alberta Progressive Conservative Party Leader said of the province's record-setting growth that has deepened Alberta's housing and labour shortage and has put incredible pressure on its infrastructure and environment.

"We were prepared for sustainable growth, but not the kind of growth that occurred."

He also acknowledged that the opposition was right when it accused his government of "not having a plan" to handle the growth that was brought on by soaring oil and gas prices. But he vowed one would be unveiled this fall to assist the communities such as Fort McMurray and Calgary that are suffering the most.

Sure and his governments plan is.......more of the same....

Outgoing Alberta leader wants industry to set pace

Oil sands developers, not the Alberta government, must decide when multibillion-dollar projects should go ahead amid a squeezed labor force that has led to huge cost overruns and delays, the Canadian province's outgoing leader said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Edmonton after his final legislative session, Premier Ralph Klein said it would be a mistake for his successor to assume Alberta's booming economic growth is not a problem.

Cause thats all they can afford.....

They have not had a plan since Klein took office in 1995....when they gave away the Goose that laid the Golden Egg......


Taking the short view

Alberta's premier Ralph Klein says he doesn't give a "tinker's damn" about whether his province is getting a fair share of its energy wealth. "We do get our pound of flesh," said Klein while answering questions, in mid-July, about royalty reviews.

Tinkers, you'll recall, mended pots and swore like sailors. So a tinker's damn doesn't amount to a hill of beans. But that's exactly what Albertans are earning these days from their natural resource wealth. In June, Canadian Association of Petroleum Products figures revealed Alberta's share of the energy pie reached a high of 40% during Peter Lougheed's era. But over the past five years under Tinker Klein, the province's return dropped to 15% from 22%. That's below the government target of 25%.

Alberta's 1% royalty giveaway in the oilsands partly explains this folly. The government approved the royalty in 1995. Since then, oilsands revenue fell by 30%, while production grew by 133%, according to Amy Taylor, an economist at the Pembina Institute. (The royalty eventually increases to 25%, but that doesn't kick in until project developers have recovered all costs plus a return on investment.) Result? Between 2001 and 2004, Alberta made more from VLT proceeds than it did from the oilsands, according to Alberta Gaming and Revenue and the Alberta Ministry of Energy.

But more stringent regulation of the industry that is fueling the boom is not the answer, Klein said. He declined to say if royalty incentives for oil sands projects should be removed with oil prices at $70 a barrel and higher.

Oh wait here is their plan another focus group....just like the ones they have had on public healthcare......the ones that told them what to do but they ignored.......

Looking for feedback

EDMONTON — Representatives of the Alberta government will tour the province starting next month to get public input on oilsands development.

The panellists, from government, industry and aboriginal groups, will hear submissions in seven open forums over a three-week period ending Oct. 4.

They will then submit a report with recommendations to the government.

The oilsands are the engine propelling Alberta’s swiftly moving economy.

But they have led to questions about environmental impact, infrastructure and whether taxpayers are getting value for money on royalties.

Premier Ralph Klein has said there will be no brakes put on oilsands development.

Also See:

When will the bubble burst?

Ralph Klein

Alberta


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Klein, Alberta, Boom, Tarsands, Economy, Canada, PC, Conservatives, government, bigoil, Calgary

How To Create Terrorists

Those who claim that terrorism or what it really is; armed struggle, armed resistance to the armed/terrorist State, is somehow a creature that arises spontaenously for no reason....well here is exactly why groups pick up the gun when confronting a police/army controled state.

Bugti killing: Pak army braces for protests

The killing of Nawab Akbar Bugti during an army operation has not only destabilized Balochistan but has also isolated President Musharraf and his army.
The incident has not just shocked civil society and the media but also prominent members of the ruling PML party, who have publicly expressed grief over the Nawab's death.

Despite widespread condemnation the Pakistan President has vowed that the military operation in Balochistan will continue till all "miscreants" are eliminated.

However, others think that this will only lead a spiral of violence.

"This will have more reactions. Those who talked of democracy will be pushed to the back and people will take to the gun," said Hasil Bizenjo, Secretary General, National Party, Balochistan.

In the last few days, the Baloch Student Organization has been in the forefront of political agitation against the killing of Nawab Bugti.

They have been involved in the violent riots that followed, and hundreds of their members have been arrested.

Till last week, they were affiliated with Baloch nationalist parties but now they have broken away and taken to the path of violence.

"At the moment BSO does not have any affiliation with anyone. They say that we should go to the Parliament of Pakistan and we say no because we cannot achieve our goals through parliamentary politics. We do not trust in this Parliament."

"We do not believe in violence and neither have we taken to the path of violence so far. We are being pressurized now and all doors are being closed upon us," said Fahim Baloch, Member, Baloch Student Organization.

And might this have anything to do with economics, in this case petro-economics...all war is about capitalist expansion as I have said before.

Bugti, nicknamed the "Tiger of Baluchistan", was killed on August 26 during an assault on his hideout in the remote hills of gas-rich Baluchistan. His death sparked violent protests this week across Pakistan's poorest and least populated province.

Also See:

Pakistan


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Pakistan, Baloch, Bugti, terrorism, armedstruggle, nationalism, riots, stateterror

Pro War Bloggers Bash Layton

It doesn't matter if they belong to the Progressive Bloggers or Blogging Tories pro-war dweebs share a common view that the NDP announcement about Pulling Our Troops out of Afghanistan is....wait for it...appeasement....of course one expects this from the BT's but coming from so called Progressive Blogs, opps sorry thats right the PB's include Liberals. And these blogging Liberals are anything but progressive as these blog posts show.

Layton On The War

Support our troops? Then give Jack Layton money

Maybe they should move over to BT and join the chorus there.

Of course none of these pro war types have the guts to call for Total War


Also See:

Afghanistan

War

NDP


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
NDP, liberals, Afghanistan, PB, BT, Canada, Progressivebloggers, bloggingtories, blogs, blogging, bringthetroopshome, Layton

When will the bubble burst?

In the East there is no housing bubble so the Toronto Star reports this story this way;

No housing bubble: TD

Market more balanced than in U.S.
Yet sharp decline there will cool us off

In the west there is a growing housing bubble in Edmonton and Calgary so the same TD report is viewed this way;

"If prices continue to rise at a close to 40% rate, affordability will quickly become a problem and fear of being priced out of the market may encourage hasty decisions," the study said.

"However, if the market becomes more balanced, the rate of price growth will eventually slow ... and we would argue that a price correction is not warranted."

Meanwhile, explosive price growth in Edmonton also prompted TD to pay close attention to that city.

"The message is the same as for Calgary," the report said.

"Much of the strength is supported by economic fundamentals, but prices cannot go up at this pace indefinitely. If the pace doesn't soften, a bubble could form." Housing bubble watch

When will this bubble burst? Not soon enough.

Homeless folks in Alberta are having a hard time finding affordable housing, as are workers in the Tar Sands and even the average university student looking for a place to rent. All the result of a speculative market in real estate. How about Price and Rent Controls along with subsidisation of low cost housing. Nope ain't gonna happen in I'm Alright Jack I Got Mine Alberta.

Of course our Glorious Leader only discovered the crisis this summer.

EDMONTON - Premier Ralph Klein says he only realized earlier this year that Alberta was experiencing a major boom and that his government lacked a proper plan to address problems such as a labour shortage, housing crisis and increased demand for schools and hospital The opposition was right

And his rivals for the Leaderhsip of the Party of Calgary have no solutions either.

Long school bus rides or schools in disrepair. Lack of hospital beds and emergency rooms in crisis. Traffic in gridlock and roads still needing building, despite all those cones already diverting traffic. Affordable housing impossible to find for the hard-working sorts we want to attract here and if an individual scores some modest digs they cost an arm and a leg. We have a provincial government with no idea where it's going except to prattle on about the free market. The wannabes wanting to lead the next Alberta administration look like a dog's breakfast with little nutrition on offer.Prosperity carries heavy cost

Also See:

Ralph Klein

Alberta

Housing

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
housing, rent, Canada, bubble, TDbank, Alberta, housingmarket, rentals, home, realestate

Kinsella Accuses NDP of Blood Libel

The International Court in the Hague has decreed that Israels Security Wall is a breach of international law. It is illegal.

It seems this point has been missed by Mssrs. Kinsella and Stephen Taylor who are all agog that someone, the NDP, would dare call it for what it is an 'aparthied' wall.

Ok boys how's this if aparthied is too strong for you why don't we call it the New Berlin Wall. Is that anti-semitic? Probably since for Kinsella any criticism of Israel is deemed anti-semitic.

In his National Post cloumn( titled The War Room) Kinsella called the NDP resolutions a "blood libel". Blood libel is pretty strong stuff since it refers to the accusation by Medieval christians that Jews kidnapped and murdered children for their rites. So the NDP resolutions are being called anti-semitic and equated with blood libel by Kinsella.

The NDP’s 22nd biennial convention is set for September in Quebec City, and the inquisitive Tory blogger, Stephen Taylor, has obtained a copy of party resolutions. From the Trinity-Spadina NDP, a demand that “the NDP campaign for an end to the rule of [Israeli] apartheid laws…” From the party’s Quebec wing, a resolution calling for the NDP to “demolish the apartheid wall and [halt] targeted murders.” More than anything else, these expressions of enmity are sad. They suggest that, unlike the Americans – whose politics we frequently deride – some of us have not recognized that a vibrant Middle Eastern policy debate is possible without stooping to epithets and blood libels.



As for claims by Steve Janke, that some how Stephen Taylor 'leaked' NDP resolutions, leaked implies secrecy. Well the resolutions are available to any member of the NDP attending the convention. So no big secret there folks. They are publicly available. Not like they were hidden away under lock and key like the PM's Saskatchewan itinery.

And yes in case you forgot Stephen, Steve and Warren in many ridings at the grass roots the NDP has a socialist base. And the last time I checked the left opposed Israels illegal occupation of Palestine, its violations of international law, and its illegal aparthied wall, opps sorry Berlin Wall, across the occupied territories.

It is called Anti-Imperialism. But to these toadies that is equivalent to anti-semitism. Give your head a shake.


Also See:

Daniel Barenboim's Dream

Red Baiting Chomsky

The Need for Arab Anarchism

Israel

Anti-Zionism


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
NDP, Israel, Apathied, Securitywall, Layton, Chow, Janke, Taylor, Kinsella, NationalPost, blogs, bloggers, blogging, bloggingtories, Convention, resolutions, illegalIsraeliactions