Cluck Cluck Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday that it was his defence minister, and not himself, who ended the practice of lowering Parliament's flags to half-mast when soldiers are killed in Afghanistan. Harper diverts flag flap to defence minister

Oh and the Tories are saying that the Legion agrees with them. Well that's true because the Legion represents Veterans not current serving soldiers. For them Nov. 11 is the sacred day of the dead. For the Legion that is the only day that should be set aside for Rememberance.

However even with that as I pointed out here before the Legion's did not lower their flags on Nov. 11 until 2003. As a result of the Federal Governments changes in the flag policy that they opposed then. Now the Legions lower their flag. So there goes another tradition of the Legions adapted to the modern day.

Furthermore the flag flies at half mast when RCMP officers are killed, as occured last year with the Mayerthorpe massacre. The RCMP are not just a police force but are considered a military force. Always have been.

And the fact remains this and the ban on media covering the returning bodies at CFB Trenton is a cover up for the fact that Harper will not be appearing at Trenton anytime soon to see the results of his policy on Afghanistan.

Harper and the Tories are using the families of the fallen as their cover for his failure to do his duty.

The Conservative government vigorously defended its decision to block public images of Canadian war casualties arriving at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, insisting yesterday the privacy of relatives greeting the returning coffins trumped the right of media to record their arrival. "It is not about photo ops and media coverage. It is about what is in the best interest of the families," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in the House of Commons. He added the government's priority is to "do everything possible" to assist grieving families.Harper defends ban on images of coffins

Using the grief stricken families and now the Legion as an excuse is the same as using O'Connor as the scapegoat for a PMO policy. Proving again that Harper is more Chicken then Hawk when push comes to shove.

As for the ultimate Hawk, Gen. Lewis Mackenzie who has been all over the media with his 'professional opinion' on this matter, let us not forget he ran for the Tories as a candidate and is just protecting the party. Hack. No I don't have a cough.

Harper's home province of Alberta is lowering the flag, so is Ontario. As did Canada Post. The groundswell iprovesthat the Harper was wrong to arbitrarily decide to override the previous UNANIMOUS decision of the house to lower the flag after the friendly fire deaths of our soldiers. Unanimous as in He and the Tories voted for it. Now he is blaming O'Connor. Cluck, Cluck,Cluck.

Also See: Flag Flap

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Censorship and Murder

CTV reports that police have censored a website frequented by the girl and her boyfriend accused of murdering a family in Medicine Hat. Site asked to delete postings in Medicine Hat case

Meanwhile, Edmonton police have asked a popular teen-oriented chat website to delete postings from two people accused in the murders.

Before the material was removed, it showed disturbing statements from the accused 12-year-old girl, who cannot be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

"WelcomeToMyTragicEnd" and "Are you stalking me? cuz that would be super" -- a line made popular by the film "Van Wilder" -- were among the messages the girl posted on Nexopia.com.

The girl's profile included pictures of her in dark Goth makeup and described her as being 15.

But in doing so they are trying to limit media from learning more about the two accused killers whose persona exists in public space. Which is still censorship by any other name. It is this very public persona, at least in the girls case, that reveals to the public meaning to an otherwise meaningless act. Even if that meaning is not what it seems.

In a 23 Feb entry on her blog, she wrote: 'I go crazy if I'm kept inside my house for (too) long.' In another photo, she can be seen holding a gun up to the camera, professing her love for goth, punk and death metal music. Accused killers met on vampire website
Electric New Paper, Singapore

The girl cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, but in the small city of 56,000, her identity is no secret. Some have been shocked by newspaper revelations that she met her co-accused in a Goth vampire chat room on the Internet. According to a friend who spoke to the Calgary Herald, the girl met Steinke online at a website that caters to "Gothic industrial culture" and claims to have over 500,000 members. The website features blogs and online journals by people with user names such as SuicideOfLove, TeenageOddity and RottingNails who share feelings of depression, loneliness and anger mixed with gallows humour.Accused killers' `blank stares' anger watchers

Yes they had blank stares, like Kurtz in Apolcalypse Now; "The horror, the horror".

The fact that the girl was getting into a Goth Persona further shows that she was getting into an inconography of horror as I pointed out yesterday. Before the inevitable blaming game begins let us understand the she was attracted to goth as an expression of a psychic state she was already in. And as such was "not herself".
She was costuming herself to change her age, to appear older, to disappear into another self, which Goth socially allowed her to.

Prof. Corrado is quick to point out that it's not the Goth culture that creates these violent acts, but rather that susceptible teens are drawn to culture itself.

The Goth culture, he said, is attractive to teenagers who have problems fitting into the classic high school personalities, such as jocks, cheerleaders, GQ-kids, and have often been victims of some sort of bullying.

For girls, he said, the increased cultural impact of violent characters in video games, television and in real life has also had an impact. He said it reached a turning point in Canada with the 1997 killing of Reena Virk by Kelly Ellard.

Such actions have a contagious effect in society, he said, which may account for the increase in female violence in Canada. More girls being charged with violent crimes

She and her boyfriend reveal all of the conditions of shock and horror of those whose acts have overtaken them.

Handcuffed, shackled and dressed in a prison jumpsuit, the 12-year-old accused of killing her family fidgeted, but showed no emotion yesterday in court.
Moments later, before being read his three murder charges, her 23-year-old boyfriend, Jeremy Allan Steinke, had to be admonished by provincial court Judge Darwin Greaves to stand as he slumped into a courtroom bench.
When asked if he had a lawyer, or if he understood the charges against him, Steinke replied quietly, his voice barely audible to the back of the courtroom.

• 
  

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The Real Reason for Migration

I knew it. Normally sane people who become religious quacks eventually sucumb to the stupidity of their ideology.
And the criminal makes everyone a shill for his new found schtick.

In this case Born Agan Christian and former Watergate Bungler Chuck Colson.

Abortion has caused Need for Millions of Illegal Aliens says Evangelical Leader Colson

Which I consider to be on par with this;

Addressing a caller's suggestion that the "lost revenue from the people who have been aborted in the last 30 years" would be enough to preserve Social Security's solvency, radio host and former Reagan administration Secretary of Education Bill Bennett dismissed such "far-reaching, extensive extrapolations" by declaring that if "you wanted to reduce crime ... if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down." Bennett conceded that aborting all African-American babies "would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do," then added again, "but the crime rate would go down."Media Matters - Media Matters exposes Bennett

Now if we used Bennetts logic about eliminating crime, then if Mrs. Colson had done the deed way back when, then Chuck would never have been around to become a criminal.And the world would be a better place.

C0lson runs a prison ministry for fellow corporate criminals, who find god. So successful has he been that he now operates a wing of a Texas prison of his own.


More on Migration

Also see: Anti-Abortion Movement Calls This Success



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Fat Cats

Oh this is rich, King Ralph complaining about fat cats.
(let's play count his chins)

While "fat cats'' may want to spend the province's oil wealth on social programs, Premier Ralph Klein said Wednesday the average folks he's talked to appreciate some cool, hard cash. "You get some of the fat cats, you know the rich guys, saying, `you know, you should spend it on education and you should do this and you should do that.' But the guy who handles the towels says, `Hey, right on!'''Klein wants more prosperity cheques


Klein was working out at his private club. So Fat Cats want more money spent on education. Gee could that be because our school boards are in deficits in the land of billion dollar surpluses. Seems like these fat cats are not quite as fat headed as our short dumpy drunk Premier.


Also See Alberta Surplus

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Same Sex Marriage Attacked in Alberta, Again

Never say never. Ted Morton wannabe Premier,former member of the inner circle of the Reform Party and Stephen Harpers mentor, is using this sitting of the legislature to mobilize the social conservative base in the PC's to gain support for his leadership bid.

Already the alerts are out and the email campaign has begun by the Save Straight Marriage types. You see Morton has cleverly introduced a private members bill that attacks Same Sex Marriage

And the right wing neandrethals are mobilizing the emails and phone banks, the church brunches, and the gatherings at Gus's Garage to get the word out to lobby their MLA's in support of Mortons bill which Lifesite News says; " would offer protection to those who oppose homosexual “rights.”"

Not Same Sex Marriage, homosexual rights (you have to drawl on hoooommmooosexual to get the full effect). And why is Morton doing this, knowing private members bills usually have zip possibility of passing in the house, especially controversial ones. Well when you are running for party leader as a backbencher (not even trusted to be in the cabinet) on a beer budget what a better way to get free publicity and campaign support than being a shameless opportunitst.

Yep that's Morton. Shameless.

How do you spell loser....M O R T O N

Also See Same Sex Marriage

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Privacy for Harper

Let's not use the families of the fallen as the excuse for the Harpocrites draconian decision to ban the media from CFB Trenton. That is shameful and crass politicking as it gets. Or indeed for the reason the government refuses to fly the flag at half mast. Father of dead soldier wants flag lowered, MP says

Defense Minister O'Connor in defending the indefensible actually said in question period today that the media should show up at family funerals instead. Yep he said that. He also said that the arrival of the fallen at Trenton would be the first opportunity for the families to see their sons, fathers, husbands and brothers. Yes them and hundreds of dignitaries.



The arrival of the bodies of our fallen soldiers arrive at Trenton is not for a private viewing by the family but for the full state reception, the military brass, the DND officials, the minister and other government members, representatives of the queen, and other politicians are present. It is a day and should be a day of national morning, since War is a public affair, not a private affair, that went out with the days of Richard the Lion Hearted.

And all Canada should share in the grief. The families private funeral is the time for their privacy. But then again O'Connor never consulted the families on this policy. Military families criticize new media policy

The real reason is simple, it's to protect the Harper. You see he will not be showing up at all the arrivals in fact he failed to show up yesterday.

And there are going to be more and more as this war continues. The fact he missed this arrival for the four most recently killed shows he is a more chicken than hawk. These deaths are a direct result of his stroke of the pen.

Canada leader accused of trying to de-emphasize danger to troops

We know that all that very well contrived media hype of his trip to Kandahar was. Just another attempt to look like his mentor; George Bush. Just like this policy is an imitation of Bush's Dayton policy. Cause Bush doesn't visit there either when the body bags come home.

The Tories are using the families of our fallen as a human shield to protect Harper.

That is the lowest of low in politics. And the Tories have hit rock bottom with this one. In all the bruhaha about the families, the Harper was not noticed missing in action. If one were cynical one would believe the PMO thought they could pull off a fast one by using the flag and banning the media as a smokescreen so they wouldn't notice his nibs abscence.

Harper decided arbitrarily to take over the American operations in Kandahar. For what reason we do not know. Did Bush ask him too? Likely. Because this operation is seperate from the British/NATO operation that was only launched last week in the North of Afghanistan. The Americans are now concentrating on finding bin Laden, while Canadians are left to handle the Taliban and Opium War Lords around Kandahar.

The Canadian Armed Forces were sent to war in Afghanistan by stealth and Harper and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor believe, incorrectly, will only be kept in Afghanistan by muzzling the truth about what is transpiring on the ground. This approach has not worked for U.S. President George W. Bush and it most certainly will not work for Harper. Very extensive and oppressive media censorship during World Wars I and II is no longer acceptable in contemporary democratic societies. The age of deference to political and religious authority is long past. War is not a private matter. It is the most public of all public policies. The Canadian state, which represents every Canadian citizen, is responsible for arming and engaging Canadian soldiers to kill on its behalf. Canadian citizens have a right and a responsibility to know what is transpiring on the battleground, even if the news is unpalatable and, on occasion, downright depressing. Michael D. Behiels, Professor of Canadian History, University of Ottawa

The real reason that the media was banned is that Harper failed to show, and had no intention of showing up for the arrival of the four most recent fallen soldiers. Men who died by the stroke of his pen. Coward.

Media ‘not allowed’

Casualties of war hidden from the public eye

J.P. MOCZULSKI/REUTERS

The flag-draped casket, containing the body of one of four Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, is carried to a hearse after being unloaded from a military transport plane at the air force base in Trenton, Ont., yesterday.

The airport ceremony was precise, well-practised, and for the first time in years, private and off limits to reporters. This is the new face of Canada’s war in Afghanistan.

A military Airbus, bearing the bodies of the four Canadian soldiers killed in Saturday’s roadside blast north of Kandahar, touched down at this eastern Ontario air base at 6.25 p.m. yesterday.

But in sharp contrast to the reception given Canada’s “fallen heroes” in the past, the government tried to bring the latest casualties of the Afghan conflict home away from public eyes.

JONATHAN HAYWARD/CANADIAN PRESS

Anne Bennett and her son Brandon show support for the four soldiers killed on Saturday by standing at the main gate to CFB Trenton with a flag at half-mast yesterday.

The bodies of Cpl. Matthew Dinning of Richmond Hill, Bombardier Myles Mansell, of Victoria, Lieut. William Turner, of Toronto, and Cpl. Randy Payne, from CFB Wainwright, Alta. were returned to Canadian soil — and the care of grieving family members last night. A beefed up cadre of military police officers patrolled the property to keep reporters and photographers off the base.

“Here in Trenton, you’re not allowed on any (defence department) property,” Capt. Nicole Meszaros told one reporter



More on:

Flag Flap

Afghanistan





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No Nukes

Twenty years after Chernobyl and Ontario is facing a massive PR campaign to approve nuclear power as a clean, green energy.

Indeed since Kyoto the nuclear industry in the US and around the world has been rubbing its hands with glee over the prospect of a renewed interest in expanding the industry.

Regardless of the financing
scheme, clean air credits are
a legitimate incentive that
will help stimulate nuclear
construction and provide a
mechanism for addressing
the challenge of Kyoto.

The status and future of nuclear power in the United States

The reality is that nuclear power is no more safe now than it was twenty years ago. Nailed: the lie about Chernobyl's death toll

And in fact it was construction short cuts that resulted in Chernobyl failure as it did with Three Mile Island and Hanford in the U.S. Short cuts made to save money. Nuclear power is all about making money, not creating safe energy.

In fact the United States promised twenty years ago it would pay for the sarcaphogus to cover Chernobyl, but that too is another broken promise, caught up in the crony capitalism that has overtaken the Ukraine. Ukraine to demand new tender conditions for Chernobyl casing

I have had three Westinghouse coffee makers fail on me in less than a month, why would I trust them to build a nuclear reactor. And they are one of the major builders of nuclear power plants. The CANDU is safer and better constructed but it too is problematic as we found out at Pickering.

I am not against nuclear power in principle, I am opposed to it as it is now, and as if functions under capitalism. The principle is to make a profit, to cut corners at all levels of construction and post construction safety. Radioactive materials cannot be profitabley disposed of, so they will be disposed of at the expense of communities and watersheds. The plants are operated until they become a liability, and only then are they taken offline, glowing in the dark from excess radiation.

Top executives are out amid huge cost overruns at Pickering

Nuclear power production is frankly irrational. It is using the 18h century principle of steam turpines as applied to the 19th Century power generation by boilers, and powering it by steam created by superhot radiation.

In other words nuclear power is simply tacked onto the old model of coal and gas fired power plants. That's like putting a kettle over a lava flow to make tea.

Think nuclear power is clean, reliable and affordable...sure but at what cost. Chernobyl monitoring to go on at least 50 years - chief doctor

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CAW Moves Right

"We will move ahead and we will have a stronger position in terms of progressive politics down the road," union president Buzz Hargrove said after the vote CAW ends all support for NDP


Yep Forward into the past, backwards into the future. Been there done that, we have had Liberal Labour and Conservative Labour candidates back in the 1906. A hunderd years later, and several workers parties, socialist parties, and even a couple of communist parties later and Buzz and the CAW return to the Gomperism of the past, reward your friends and punish your enemies.

Except what happens when no-one wants to be your friend.

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Canada (tm)

Your tax dollars well wasted. Apparently the Treasury department is looking to stop folks who dare to use the Canadian coat of arms, or any official government logo's, in their material. They have told these folks to cease and desist.

But they aren't the only ones, apparently Blogs in Canada has been told to cease and desist too. And the cost for all these cease and desist letters, a cool quarter of a million. Now what was that about the Tories cutting government waste?


A tip o' the blog to opinionated lesbian for this.





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Babble update

The labour dispute that dare not speak its name, continues over at Rabble.ca on their Babble page.

And it continues to be an issue with the creation of a babble counter site set up by protesting babblers, and a petition of reinstatement, for those who are outraged at the firing of the Babble editor; Audra Williamson.

And while some have said this is much ballyhoo about nothing, I would point out that this was a FIRING not a layoff. An arbitrary decision by the collective management, whose power is that they can fire each other, etu brute.

And all Audra wants is quite reasonable, workers control of her hours of work , being paid for it and not expected to do the work as unpaid overtime , which rabble.ca progressive management justify as 'doing it for the love of the cause'. And she is even willing to share othe work load.


People keep asking me what I want to happen. Would I go back? It feels egotistical to think in those terms when there has certainly been no indication from management that this is even a possibility. But I guess my dream result would be that babble be given 32 hours of paid moderating a week (currently it's got 24) and I get 16 of those hours and Michelle gets 16 of those hours. I would feel that we could really do some great things with babble with that much paid time, and the weight of having to constantly make subjective decisions would be lifted from me if I had an equally-responsible (as in, with as many paid hours) colleague with whom to discuss and collaborate with.

It's the story that won't die.

And shows why all workers in the Internet media, especially those that are exploited as contract workers , need the Industrial Workers of the World, the union for the rest of us.




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