Vive Cuba

In power since the triumph of the Cuban revolution on Jan. 1, 1959, Castro is the world’s longest ruling head of government. Only Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, crowned in 1952, has been head of state longer. Castro undergoes surgery, delegates to brother

Castro has stepped down. Unheard of. And the reason is this; he has defeated the U.S. Thanks to the help of Canadians including Trudeau and Sherrit Gordon Inc.

Cuba Comes in from the Cold

Bolstered by New Investments and Beneficial Trade Agreements, the Island’s Economy Surges while Washington Grumbles over Havana’s Possible Big Oil Surprise

For a country long in the grip of a paralyzing economic malaise, and with living standards which have not always endeared government officials to ordinary citizens, Fidel Castro’s May Day boast of 11.8 percent growth in the first three months of 2006 came as welcome news to a long suffering population. The upbeat report, reflecting a far better-stocked national larder than ever before, replaced the usual exhortations for personal sacrifices that the average Cuban was used to hearing from the leadership, which usually offers more fiery rhetoric than caloric intake. In front of more than one million people gathered at Havana’s Revolution Square, Castro trumpeted progress in all sectors of the economy, despite an unshakeable U.S. trade embargo. Since then, and in widely different locales, Fidel has continued to boast a climbing rate of economic growth, claiming that Cuba’s economy had expanded by 12.5% in the first quarter of this year. “We should thank [the blockade] because it has forced us to grow and rise to the occasion,” the near-octogenarian leader satisfyingly declared on May Day.

Also See:

Made In Cuba Green Policy

Nothing To Worry About In Bolivia

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
cuba, castro

All the Tories Touch Turns To Merde

Let me count the ways;

The new foreign policy make war not love:Mideast, Afghanistan underpin Conservative slip in polls

Baby Bonus; clawed back by taxes

GST:GST cut arrives with a whimper, not a bang

Border Security which really is not about security at all but the creation of a North American Economic Union.

The Great Wizard of Oz is running the PMO.

What looked good in the Spring, today in the heat of summer, with apt tornado and severe weather warning across Canada, suddenly reminds me of Oz.

Speaking of Softwood as an example.


Lumber deal in trouble, Emerson warns
Scrambling to salvage the controversial Canada-U.S. softwood truce, International Trade Minister David Emerson warned the agreement could end up "dead before arrival" unless support for the deal grows within this country's forest industry.

His blunt words came as the head of Canfor Corp., Canada's largest lumber producer, predicted the deal is doomed unless it can be amended to assuage critics.

Industry unrest has continued unabated since July 1, when Ottawa and Washington initialled the deal that the minority Conservative government has celebrated as one of its major achievements to date.

Mr. Emerson, who began a public-relations counteroffensive yesterday to sell the deal, said there's no point in bringing an agreement before Parliament this fall -- as the Tories had planned -- unless industry support firms up.

"I think it is fair to say that if we do not have sufficient buy-in from industry there really isn't an agreement to bring before Parliament," he said.

"And so the first bridge we have to cross is to get the agreement supported by the appropriate number of players in the industry. Otherwise you're dead before arrival."

And if softwood is in trouble, imagine what a success a dual marketing scheme with the U.S. for Wheat and Barley will be like. The Tories are intent on killing the Goose, the Canadian Wheat Board, for the Golden Egg.

What priorities are left for the fall, and will they mean the fall of the teeny tiny Tory Minority Government. One can only hope.



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, Tories, Conservatives, GST, Politics, softwood, Ottawa,Parliament,

Wages of Sin

So we cannot trust the Harpocrite social conservatives to do the right thing, politically or ethically. They are just like any other party in government.
Critics irked by `quiet' pay hikes for senior brass



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, Government, Conservatives, pay-hikes, pay, Civil-Service, bueraucrats, politics, Canada, federal, taxpayers, wages, pay

Harpers Homophobia

Rough reception for Harper's stand-in
The inaugural event of the first World Outgames ended with a score of LGBT 1, Federal Government O, as 40,000 people at Montreal's Olympic Stadium booed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's representative long and lustily during Saturday night's opening ceremonies.

A beaming Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay was the most popular politician in the house. He had to start his welcoming speech twice, each time interrupted by a huge ovation.

But even the mayor couldn't help Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, Harper's Quebec lieutenant and stand-in for the event. Fortier's remarks were swallowed up in a rising tide of boos, which then grew more deafening as much of the crowd began slamming their folding seats up and down. Harper has promised to revisit the issue of same-sex marriage in Parliament.

"Shame! Shame! Shame!" spectators cried, wagging their upraised fingers in unison.

kd lang slags Harper, Tories for Outgames stance

And lets not forget the Harpocrite has failed even to this date to say he would attend the World AIDs conference next month. His Homophobia is showing.

Homophobia; self hate by those who suspect they are gay. Irrational fear of ones homosexual impulses, guilty feelings, heterosexuality defined as being opposed to homosexuality.

And in Harpers case he positively loathes his gay self. Which he only allows 'out' at Calgary Stampede breakfasts, where he feels comfortable in his village people drag. With all the other Brokeback cowboys.

Of course given the Harpers shift from libertarianism to embracing the right wing social conservatives, theres that homophobia again, he sides with them on the no Gay Marriage issue, thus he must maintain his distance from Gay Canadians in case he be cursed.

"[homosexuals are] brute beasts...part of a vile and satanic system [that] will be utterly annihilated, and there will be a celebration in heaven." Jerry Falwell: Quoted in Jim Hill & Rand Cheadle, "The Bible Tells Me So", Anchor Books (1996), Pages 69-70.

As the saying goes once you lay down with dogs you gert fleas. In for a penny in for a pound, etc. etc.

Harper must now become the ubermensch, the supreme ruler who is the extreme heterosexual. Which is why he shakes hands with his son. No male love can be shown. It is weakness, it is not manly.

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
outgames, Montreal, Harper, PM, Conservatives, SSM, Same-Sex-Marriage, gays, lesbians, bi, transgendered, GLBT, Canada, kdlaing, Government

Silver City

Well Gold actually. But having recently watched Silver City it reminded me of this. Canadian

Groups call for action on cyanide spillage

a US-Canadian company, has spilled cyanide, an extremely poisonous chemical, twice into rivers in its operational area.

Gold Mining Companies have a notorious reputation for cyanide spillage in Ghana and other countries.

Though ironically it also should be noted that the John Sayles movie has a strange way of coming true. Son of longtime Silver City senator indicted on aggravated assault ...


A tip o the blog to Here On Planet Earth



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Gold, Ghana, Cyanide, Silver-City, Syles, Canada, miners, mining, pollution, environment, toxic

Peter Wanna Cracker

Gee I thought he said that we were not parroting the US.

But it was Canada's position at the Rome conference on Wednesday that stunned many. While 15 European and Arab countries called for an immediate ceasefire and a UN-mandated stabilization force to intervene, Canada lined up behind the U.S. and Britain in refusing to agree. Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, parroting Condoleezza Rice, said a quick-fix ceasefire is not a good idea because it can't guarantee permanent peace. There's more politics than logic in that reasoning. Mr. Harper's foreign policy

Also See:

Israel

Lebanon

Peter McKay

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, PM, PMO, Lebanon, Evacuees, Crisis, Micromanagement, Haprer, Politics, Conservatives, Government, Lebanese-Canadians, War, Israel,

Which Priority Is This?

The destruction of the Canadian Wheat Board.

"Canada's new government campaigned on the idea that western Canadian wheat and barley producers should have a choice about whether to market their products through the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). AAFC: Ministerial Statement Following a Meeting with Farmers

Oh really which priority was that?! There was no such a debate. There has been the Reform/Alliance front to destroy the Wheat Board. Creating a dual marketing situation will leave Wheat and Barley farmers to face this;BSE halts US plans to boost Canada beef imports



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, agriculture, wheat, WTO, G8, WheatBoard, farmers, Western-Canada, barley, wheat, Strahl, Government, Conservatives, Harper, Free-Trade,
Tags
Canada
Politics
Harper
CWB
Wheat Board
farming
Supply Side Management
Conservatives

Dinning A Liberal

On a personal note, I worry that our governments across the country have become a 'hotbed of rest' and I can only hope that Mr. Martin and others might be able to re-inject a sense of urgency, passion and priority into the affairs of our nation. Soon.

Kind personal regards,
Jim Dinning


Jim tries to serve up that this was an official donation to the Martin Campaign from TransAlta Corp. Except its signed 'king personal regards' and even though corporations are recognized as 'persons' under the law, no corporation ever sent me a letter with kind personal regards. Oh yeah nor do they add a 'personal note' to their form mail. And if I am not mistaken the $25,000 donation is the maximum, 'personal' donation a 'person', not a corporation, can make.

A tip of' the blog to Calgary Grit for this.

Also See:

Dinning Alberta's Next CEO

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
, , Jim, Dinning,, Liberal, Party,, Progressive, Conservative, Alberta, Martin, Liberals, Leadership, Transalata, Klien, politics, federal, election, donations

CIA Blows It, Again

Meanwhile, a different kind of authority was emerging in Mogadishu: The Islamic courts.

It was an attempt, paid for by local businessmen, to restore order by using religious law to settle disputes and punish criminals.

Each clan's court has jurisdiction only over its own clan members, but it was a start on rebuilding a law-abiding society, and in 2004 they all joined to form the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC). Unfortunately, the mere use of the word "Islamic" spooked the U.S. government.

As usual, Washington's response was mainly military. It decided that the Union of Islamic Courts was a threat and in February, CIA planes delivered large amounts of money and guns to the three warlords who dominated Mogadishu. They named themselves the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism, and started trying to suppress the UIC.

Rarely has any CIA plot backfired so comprehensively.

The White House horns in again
Hamilton Spectator
By Gwynne Dyer.

Not so, there was also the leak of nuclear bomb designs to the Iranians. Which is how the US knows that Iran can build nukes.

And once again we can thank the capitalists/businessmen for law and order. Any kind of governance that is to their benefit. Capitalism creates the State. Just watch Deadwood.

Also See:

CIA

Somalia


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Somalia, Warlord, Dyer, CIA, US, Islam, Muslims,

Israels Measured Response

Kills another Canadian. In a deliberate attack on a UNILF lookout. So here is the real measure of Israels Measured response as King Stephen called it. Israel is now engaging in War Crimes and violations of the Geneva Convention on a daily basis.

It is the Terrorist State against the terrorists. With no criticism from the US. UK or Canada. It bombs civilians and infrasturucture in Lebanon and Gaza, while the ghosts of Guernica weep.

Our PM remains deafingly silent on the war crimes the terrorist state of Israel is conducting against our countries citizens, and those of Gaza and Lebanon.

Israel arose from the abyss and now is the face of the abyss, something I thought the Harper understood.

What do Chomsky, Saramago Think of us?

'The political objective of Israeli policy is the liquidation of the Palestinian nation,' Chomsky, Pinter, Saramago and Roy write in open letter in which they accuse Israel of deepening the crisis in the Middle East
Merav Yudilovitch

When the war began in northern Israel and the Gaza operation was expanded, Palestinian director and actor Juilano Mar Hamis sent out an e-mail asking who would paint the “Guernica” of Lebanon. Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica,” which shows the results of the Nazi bombing of Guernica in Spain, is still considered a symbol of the destruction and devastation that war leaves in its wake.

According to Mar Hamis, his e-mail was intended to awaken the world. “Just as Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ is black and white evidence of the slaughter in Spain under Franco’s reign of terror, someone needs to testify about the atrocities Israel is carrying out in Lebanon and Gaza,” he said.



Also See:

Israel

Lebanon

Harper


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine, Lebanon, Arab-League, Israel, US, Bush, Rice, war, Syria,
Canada, PM, PMO, Lebanon, Evacuees, Crisis, Micromanagement, Haprer, Politics, Conservatives, Government, Lebanese-Canadians, War, Israel,

Hate Speech

On rare occasions I agree with Werner Patels, very rare, far less often than I agree with Sun Columnist Neil Waugh. However his post on the despicable but predictable venomous hate speech against Lebanese Canadians at the Western Standard, says it all. Also see his Holy Cow. Nuff said. Of course this kind of ranting can be expected from those on the right and those who support Israel unconditionally.



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Lebanese, Canadians, Islam, WesternStandard, Levant, Patels, blogs, hatespeech, Conservatives

The Cost Of Democracy In Alberta

What's the cost of democracy. In Alberta; five bucks. Thats cost of a Conservative Party membership.And Democracy in Alberta is all about the Party of Calgary.

Whoever becomes the CEO of this Grant Corporation, this one party state, rules until the next election. So if you want to choose your boss then rush on down and buy a membership, there are lots of little PC's willing to sell you one.

I think that the folks who consider themseleves progressive should join up in droves. No really.

Since Jim Dinning, Mr. Corporate Lobbyist for the backroom boys of Calgary is the front runner, then just to throw a span in the works, Progressives should support either Ted Morton or Lyle Oberg.

Think of what would happen if either of these two right wing dinosaurs got to be leader of the PC's. Why the party would split apart. Better a right wing demagouge than a corporate stooge from Calgary.

At least then we would would not have liberal Albertans voting Tory. Which is what Dinning is hoping for. And of course if Dinning wins then its just the same old same old as it was under Klein and the Calgary boys. Just ask Ted Morton. He agrees with me.

So come on folks, join the fun, lets all elect our next King and make sure he is the right madman for the job.




Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Alberta, PC, Leadership, Race, Dinning, Oberg, Morton, Klein, Premier, legislature, Conservatives, Calgary

The Joy Of Deregulation

Blackouts strike Edmonton, Calgary as power cut

When our City owned EPCOR was not a P3, which it has become, its responsibilities were to the Citizens of Edmonton. As we saw yesterday its responsibilities are to its shareholders and only the citizens it serves incidentally. The deliberate power outage which blew my computer and TV remote, which downed power to stores, created traffic havoc with failing traffic lights, was predicatble.

Since last week we have had a heat wave with history making above average tempratures in the high thirties. A warning should have been issued that folks should reduce their power consumption during peak hours. No such warning was given. Rather an order from the deregulated Electrical Grid management was given to EPCOR and they complied, with no warning.

When contacted by one of the few radio stations left on air, several were off due to power brown outs, CHED News, EPCOR denied it was responsible and blamed the Alberta Electric System Operator, call them they told reporters. Then when pushed they said they were ordered to shut down power by AESO. Then half an hour later they explained what and why they had done it.

This is unacceptable, but predicatable when you deregulate and privatize power. EPCOR is currently selling a $22 a share, and while the city appoints board members, its arms length relationship means EPCOR cares more about the bottomline than the good of its citizen owners.

Ours was a brown out, how about those poor folks in Queens going on ten days with No Power and record tempratures thansk to aptly named Con-Ed. Its enough to turn one into a George Metesky.

If NY politicians can blow their fuses over Con-Ed I expect no less from our City Council over this EPCOR debacle. And folks should tell them so. Oh yeah and send a note of Thank You to Jim Dinning the next CEO of Alberta Inc. who pushed for electrical deregulation as a Board member of TransAlta Utilities.






Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Alberta, Dinning, Klein, Energy, Utilities, deregulation, electricity, EPCOR, blackout, brownout, City, Council, Mayor, CON-ED, Metesky, TransAlta

Ceasefire Inevitable

Contrary to the assertions of Peter McKay and his girlfriend Condi Rice, there are no long term political solutions to the current Middle East Crisis as they envision them.

The Palestinian ambassador, Salah Zavavi, said he believes the chances for a comprehensive political solution have passed. “The resistance groups will not accept a political end to this,” he said. “They will not put down their weapons.”

"At the same time, if the conflict (between Israel and Hezbollah) means something to the Palestinians, it means that the creaking railway carriage of peace has already derailed and there is no way to put it back on track," Mamdouh Qenawi, political analyst and chief of the Constitutional Social Liberal Party,

And it won't help matters if US diplomacy continues to exclude Syria and Iran.
The only deal that will be brokered with the Arab states intervention is a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Which is what should have happened in the first place.


Also See:

Israel

Lebanon


Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine, Lebanon, Arab-League, Israel, US, Bush, Rice, war, Syria,

Canadas Foreign Adventurism

Two good critical articles on the Harpocrites new Foreign Affairs policies I came across;

Canada's shifting position on the Middle East

The Folly of Afghanistan and the Pearsonian Solution

Also See:

Israel

Lebanon

Afghanistan



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, Pearson, Harper, Mckay, ForeignAffairs, dipolmacy, Afghanistan, MiddleEast, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Axeworthy

Puppet McKay

The foreign affairs handpuppet of King Stephen was on CTV Question Period today doing his impersonation of a ventriloquist dummy Canada not parroting US pro-Israel policy: MacKay

Really not parroting the US? Peter wanna another cracker?
Bush: Hezbollah, Syria, Iran Must be Confronted

Oh and when are they going to denounce Israel for its continued destruction of infrastructure? "Canada is going to continue to speak up for the protection of people and people's rights and the cessation of violence," said MacKay, adding that a long-term solution will not be achieved by a unilateral pullback by Israel. Gee when are they going to speak up about this;Sidon full of refugees as Israel destroys more infrastructure ...

I particualrly liked McKay's quote about taking history into consideration when saying Canada unconditionally supports Israel. Is that Stockwell Days history or Lester Pearsons? And speaking of history what about Richard Cohens comments in the Washington Post;

The greatest mistake Israel could make at the moment is to forget that Israel itself is a mistake. It is an honest mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, a mistake for which no one is culpable, but the idea of creating a nation of European Jews in an area of Arab Muslims (and some Christians) has produced a century of warfare and terrorism of the sort we are seeing now. Israel fights Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, but its most formidable enemy is history itself.

Also See:

Israel

Lebanon

Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Canada, PM, PMO, Lebanon, Evacuees, Crisis, Micromanagement, Haprer, Politics, Conservatives, Government, Lebanese-Canadians, War, Israel,

Toronto Star Bias Is Showing

Horde? That's a biased perjorative term for citizens excercising their right to protest. It's a not so subtle put down. Is the Toronto Star trying to keep up with the National Pest?

Calls for end to bombing

Jul. 23, 2006. 07:21 AM

Hundreds of red and white Lebanese flags waved on Toronto's downtown streets as thousands of protestors called for an end to the violence in Lebanon. The crowd also slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's comment that Israel's response was "measured", Thulasi Srikanthan reports
The horde chanted slogans condemning Israel for the deaths of Lebanese civilians and slammed Prime Minister Stephen Harper's comments calling Israel's response "measured."



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
TorontoStar, protests, Canada, Israel, Lebanon, media, newspaper, bias, TorStar, horde

Vote of Confidence

With this recent ruling what happens when the Harpocrite government demands that the vote on its compardor Softwood deal be a confidence vote? Looking at a fall election are we. I don't think so. Like the current debacle in Afghanistan and Lebanon, the Softwood deal which looked like a winner for Harper is turning against him. His confrontational style of provoking the opposition to dare defeat the government will backfire.

In politics what appears as a golden opportunity can soon turn to merde, as the Harper is finding out. Just like the GST deal which was paid for by increased taxes on low income earners, and the baby bonus, which was paid for by reducing the child tax credit, again for low income earners. Now there is the seceret meetings to kill the Wheat Board, and of course the recent deaths of two more RCMP officers calls into question the whole Harpocrite promise to kill the "long Gun Registry".

It's going to continue to be a long hot summer for the Tories, and in the fall they will have no priorities left to announce or promote. But they will have chickens coming home to roost.



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Harper, Conservatives, Government, Canada, Softwood, politics, election, parliament, Afghanistan, Wheat-Boar, gun-regisry, priorities, GST,

The Israel Lobby

Any criticsim of Israel is always condemned as anti-Semitism by the powerful Israel lobby and its syncophantic supporters in North America. While the lobby is most powerful in the U.S., its origins are Canadian. Surpise, Surprise. I wondered where Kinsella got his inspiration from.

A sweet deal for Israel

Because of the perceived power of the Jewish lobby -- it has been called the National Rifle Association of U.S. foreign policy -- working Capitol Hill for Jewish organizations these days is, to quote one of their own lobbyists, 'like pushing at an open door.'

The organization was founded in the early 1950s by Canadian-born former journalist I.L. Kenen, with funding from various Jewish groups. Kenen was a tireless advocate for Israel in the 1950s and early '60s, when it had to claw for dollars and votes against a powerful lobby of oil interests, Arab-oriented diplomats and lawmakers such as J. William Fulbright, the legendary chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who saw U.S. support of the fledgling Jewish state as a serious mistake that threatened regional stability.

Fulbright was right.

Also See:

Israel

Lebanon

Anti-Zionism



Find blog posts, photos, events and more off-site about:
Israel, Kenen, Canada, US, Israel-lobby, AIPAC, anti-semitism, anti-zionism, zionism, Kinsella,