Thursday, June 14, 2007

Lies & Secrets

Our Harpocrite government continues to be a shining example of the Strauss school of realpolitik; by keeping secrets and telling lies.

Atlantic Accord

Despite the government's insistence there would be no side deal cut for provinces, negotiations have been underway between Ottawa and Nova Scotia since the March budget was tabled.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has decided to offer one of the provinces a compromise that could cost Ontario taxpayers tens of millions of dollars in extra payouts.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty confirmed that Ottawa is looking for a way to end its standoff with Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald over the workings of fiscal federalism.

The offer would amount to a promise that in coming years Nova Scotia would be guaranteed the maximum available revenues – both from resource taxation and cash transfers from Ottawa – regardless of the impact of new measures in the Conservatives' March 19 budget, Flaherty said.



Detainees in Afghanistan

The top United Nations envoy in Afghanistan charged Monday the Afghan government and its Western allies Canada central among them are not making the country safe fast enough.

Tom Koenigs declared: "It is certainly one expression of the insecurity in this country that people turn to weapons. And ... quite a number of those who have been alienated by the government or by the (poor) performance of the government have been alienated by the absence of justice institutions."

While Canada has been prominent among Western troop contributors in helping build Afghan judicial and policing systems in addition to fighting insurgents, Koenigs said increased attention needs to be given to efforts that spread the rule of law.

Canada's top diplomat in Afghanistan
said yesterday he will keep a close watch on the progress of an Afghan investigation into new allegations that detainees captured by Canadians and handed over to Afghan authorities have been tortured.

The fresh allegations surfaced during a visit by Canadian authorities to Afghan prisons as part of a new agreement signed May 3.

Coming in the wake of reports that as many as 30 people captured by Canadians were being abused by their Afghan captors, the agreement allows Canadian officials and international human rights workers to check regularly on the well-being of prisoners.

30? I thought there were only four, no wait, add two, that makes six. Thirty?

Canadian officials have received allegations of torture or abuse from six Afghan detainees, two more than reported by cabinet ministers during testimony at a Commons committee last week.

"There is no discrepancy," MacKay said. "There are six in total. Two complaints by suspected Taliban detainees prior to the new agreement and, since May 3 when the new enhanced arrangement was put in place, there were four."

Even National Post columnist John Ivison gets it.

This government's obsession with secrecy and control will be its downfall.


As does the Canadian public.

The Harpocrites practice of realpolitik of the Big Lie is not working except in the fantasy world of the PMO.

One should not as a rule reveal one's secrets, since one does not know if and when one may need them again. The essential English leadership secret does not depend on particular intelligence. Rather, it depends on a remarkably stupid thick-headedness. The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous.

Joseph Goebbels



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