Buckdog

Robert Parry has an insightful article in Consortium News concerning what he believes is a looming strategic attack by the United States or Israel on Iran's nuclear facilities regardless of what Congress wants.

"While congressional Democrats test how far they should go in challenging George W. Bush’s war powers, the time may be running out to stop Bush from ordering a major escalation of the Middle East conflict by attacking Iran."

Consortium News


tag bush iran

I am no fan of the Conservative Harper government. Period. But if rumours are accurate, I would welcome real meaningful measures that protect the environment.

An announcement, which sources said could come as early as today, might involve over than 100,000 square kilometres in the Northwest Territories. The announcement would include a new national park as well as areas protected under northern land claims agreements.

The new protected area would be larger in size than both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island combined.

CTV

Canada's Premiers have cancelled a face-to-face meeting in Toronto next week that was widely expected to once again put their differences over proposed changes to the national equalization program on public display.

Hamilton Spectator

U.S. scientists have been pressured to make their writings on global warming fit with the Bush administration's skepticism on the topic, a U.S. Congressional committee has been told.

A survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists found 150 climate scientists had personally experienced political interference in their work over the past five years. The survey had 279 respondents.

At least 435 incidents were recorded, representatives of the watchdog group told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"Nearly half of all respondents perceived or personally experienced pressure to eliminate the words 'climate change,' 'global warming' or other similar terms from a variety of communications," said Francesca Grifo.

The committee heard from former U.S. government scientist Rick Piltz, who said he quit in 2005 after coming under pressure to dampen findings on global warming.

Phil Cooney, the White House Council on Environmental Quality official pressuring him, went to work for ExxonMobil in 2006.

Progressive Americans are begining to show serious 'Bush fatigue'.


ABC News


tag bush

The Conservative government is being accused of political cronyism after one of Stephen Harper's oldest and closest friends was named chief of staff to Citizenship and Immigration Minister Diane Finley.

John Weissenberger, a Calgary geologist who has assisted in several of Harper's election and leadership campaigns, was quietly appointed to the position recently.

After all of the rhetoric we have had from Harper on ethics in government, his actions simply do not match his words.

-Hill Times
-canada.com


Photo courtesy Calgary Herald.

David Suzuki is launching an election-style, cross country tour this week - starting on the East Coast - to get Canadians to make the environment their top political issue in the lead up to the next federal election.

Suzuki plans to kick the tour off in St. John's, N.L., on Thursday with a public meeting that has already sold out.

Canadian celebrities will join Suzuki throughout the tour, with musicians such as Sarah Harmer and Anne Murray performing, along with TV personalities like Rick Mercer, and NHL players Andrew Ference and Robyn Regehr of the Calgary Flames.

-c news
-BBC

I love these guys. I have been wanting to post this for awhile and now is as good a time as any. Watch this. You will LOVE them! Dedicated to the Honourable Jason Kenney, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism.




Youtube 'Two Chinese boy'

Their blog from the Peoples Republic


tag two chinese boy

Talk about morbid. Talk about bad taste. The City of Miami is planning an official celebration at the Orange Bowl to occur when Cuban president Fidel Castro dies.

Discussions by a committee appointed earlier this month by the city to plan the event have even covered issues such as a theme to be printed on T-shirts, what musicians would perform, the cost and how long the celebration would last.

Ramon Saul Sanchez, leader of the Miami-based Democracy Movement, worries about how a party to celebrate a death would be perceived by people outside the Cuban exile community.

-Miami Herald
-AP

tag fidel castro miami bad taste

It is time for Canadians to just say NO to the bankers of our nation. They have nickel and dimed us to the point that it borders on criminal.

Is $19,000,000,000 (that's 19 Billion dollars) NOT ENOUGH PROFIT FOR YOU PER YEAR?

It may well be that the banks have finally 'killed the goose that laid the golden egg.'

Kudo's (big time) to Jack Layton for speaking out on the daily pick pocket activities of Canada's bankers. Shame on them!!!!

Halifax Chronicle Herald

I'm going to post an article from the Houston Chronicle about this weeks clinic to provide free health care to the thousands of citizens of New Orleans who have NO health insurance.

As a Canadian who benefits from an incredible public system, this article proves, in my mind, the absolute failings of 'free market' style health care.

Canadian right wingers will try and argue that because we have waiting list challenges to overcome for some procedures, we should abandon the Canadian system. Hogwash!

For these families who cannot afford health care, this clinic brings charity that for many is demeaning. Here we have the richest nation on the planet unable to provide this fundamental human right to some of it's citizens, the right to not die because you don't have enough money to receive medical attention.

By Janet McConnaughey
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Hundreds of people still without health insurance in areas hard-hit by Hurricane Katrina lined up before dawn Sunday for the start of a week long event offering free medical care.

Bundled up against the chilly wind, people began arriving at 2 a.m. outside the tents and doublewide trailers offering free care in eastern New Orleans. By the time the first 50 had been called into the registration tent, they numbered in the hundreds.
Each person who wanted a medical, dental or eye appointment got a sheet of paper with a large number printed on it. "This is your ticket to see the doctor," a guardsman repeated, over and over. "Don't leave it in your car. Keep it with you."

-Houston Chronicle
-KATC.com

Michael Coren is the Toronto Sun columnist whose writings I love to hate. He’s the devout christian guy who wants to drop nuclear bombs on Iran. Remember?

In his latest column he states, “I believe that homosexuality is not normal and not natural.”

Okay stop right there. From Coren’s statement, you can determine exactly what is wrong with the ideology of the Christian Right. They have confused ‘belief’ in something with having ‘knowledge’ of something.

Believe: to suppose or assume; to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so:

Knowledge: acquaintance with facts, truths, or principles, as from study or investigation; general erudition: the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time.

Michael Coren believes that homosexuality is not normal and not natural and he has no concern for any facts, medical research or data that might challenge his fundamentalist premise.

Right wingers so often operate on beliefs over knowledge. The entire mess in Iraq happened because Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld operated on their beliefs rather then on any verification of fact.

You see the same blind faith when you see Christian fundamentalists completely ignoring the vast pool of scientific knowledge concerning evolution and embrace Creationism based on ‘belief.’

Ignorance is bliss, I guess. That being the case, Michael Coren must be completely blissed right out of it!!

Toronto sun

Washington, D.C., USA - January 27, 2007


-clockwerks' photos
-Washington Post



tag antiwar iraq protest

George Bush Senior is complaining that the media and press are being too hard on his little sonny boy.

I wonder how it feels when you are the President of the United States and your daddy has to come to your defense.

Perhaps the world might be a safer place if Bush Senior had ensured that his little boy received a better education. Perhaps little George should have been instructed adequately in the fields of history, geography, at least one social science and just a little bit of cultural awareness.

-Reuters
-oliverwillis.com



tag bush

Thousands of protesters are gathering on the National Mall in Washington to urge the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Iraq.

Event organizers say Saturday's rally could draw hundreds of thousands of people. Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and Hollywood actors Jane Fonda and Susan Sarandon are among those expected to address the crowd.

The protest will also include some active-duty military troops. One Navy sailor says he plans to speak at the protest on the National Mall. He's part of a group of active-duty personnel and veterans who favor a US troop pullout in Iraq.

The Pentagon says members of the Armed Forces can speak at such rallies, but they can't be in uniform and must make it clear they speak only for themselves, not the military.

-Hosted AP
-VOM

-UPDATE-




tag antiwar iraq protest

Members of Parliament will return to Ottawa on Monday, January 29th when the House reconvenes.

I am looking forward to Question Period. The recent 'green awakening' of Stephen Harper and his band of tory tree huggers looks phony, smells phony and is phony.

It should be fun to have the kids back in action!

The Liberals have not had the rebound in the polls that had hoped for after their lengthy leadership exercise. The New Democrats are poised to keep the House working or to pull the plug. If they can put Harper's feet to the fire over Kyoto, equalization and the Canadian Wheat Board, then this Parliament may have a few months of life in it.

If Harper plays games with the 'green' file or reneges on his election promise on equalization, then he should be thrown out of power.


-CTV News
-Toronto Star

It is bad enough that Americans have to deal with Vice President Dick Cheney and his war fevered rhetoric. Now they are being assailed by Cheney offspring.

Daughter Liz Cheney had an op-ed published in the Washington Post that chastised Americans for not being loyal enough to President Bush and as a result are disloyal to America.

“Let’s be clear,” Liz Cheney wrote. “If we restrict the ability of our troops to fight and win this war, we help the terrorists. Don’t take my word for it. Read the plans of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Ayman Zawahiri to drive America from Iraq, establish a base for al-Qaeda and spread jihad across the Middle East.”

-Consortium News
-Washington Post Article


tag cheney bush

Canadian animator, Michael Thurmeier from Saskatchewan has been nominated for an Academy Award for the short animation film, 'No Time for Nuts'. The film features the time-travelling antics of Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel and his acorn. The short film has the poor rodent teleported through time, from the French Revolution to the Roman Empire to the time of Michelangelo's David.

A complete version of the short film can be found here

Regina Leader Post

tag scrat academy awards

There is a very disturbing quote from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in today's Regina Leader Post. It is disturbing because if you read it carefully, it seems to indicate that the reason that Harper is hesitating to keep his equalization election promise to Saskatchewan is because that province has a New Democratic government.

"I've said repeatedly the government will honour its commitments," Harper said. "But we aren't going to be able to make the NDP a good government in Saskatchewan."

If Stephen Harper is playing around with money that rightly belongs to Saskatchewan, that was PROMISED to Saskatchewan because he doesn't like the political stripe of the provincial government, then he should come clean and spell that out clearly.

Let's see if someone in the Harper government ranks can clarify Harper's disturbing statement!

Regina Leader Post

Buckdog is dedicated to bringing miraculous apparitions to the blogosphere due to the fact that 1 in 4 believe that the Second Coming will occur in 2007. (I am simply covering my ass).

1 in 4 Believe 2007 is 'Second Coming' Year

Jesus image in doggy door



tag miracle apparition

Okay political junkies, let me make your day! The New York Times has done a 'word 'analysis of key words George W. Bush used in the 2007 State of the Union Address as well as every other one he has done in his presidency.

New York Times

The federal Conservatives are being accused of using equalization to woo voters in Central Canada, but the Premiers of Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador suggest such action will hurt national unity.

Two unlikely Premiers, Lorne Calvert and Danny Williams took their demands for Harper to keep his promises on equalization on the road Tuesday, creating "an alliance for accountability."

A crowd of 200 people at the University of Saskatchewan, heard Williams suggest it is clear that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has moved back from his pledge to remove non-renewable natural resource revenue from the fiscal program.

"Why would a prime minister break a written promise that significantly penalizes two provinces like ours?" asked Williams.

"I think we all know why he might do that. We are facing a federal election and in the end, equality among provinces takes a back seat to the electoral urgency of currying favour with the majority."

Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador have long argued to remove non-renewable resource revenue, which is one time only money, from the equalization formula.

"It's not a matter of Atlantic versus Central Canada or Prairie versus Central Canada," said the Saskatchewan Premier.

"We share this deep conviction that as you build the strength of our regions and our provinces, you're building the strength of the nation," said Calvert, who is expected to travel to Newfoundland next month in a show of solidarity.

Other provinces, primarily Quebec and Ontario, want that revenue included so that they can receive larger amounts under the formula.

Macleans


Photo courtesy of CTV

One year ago, President George W. Bush delivered the 2006 State of the Union Address. In typical fashion, it was nothing but rhetoric and platitudes. It was rubbish. See for yourself.

Here is an excerpt of what Bush said on January 31, 2006:


"I am confident in our plan for victory. I am confident in the will of the Iraqi people. I am confident in the skill and spirit of our military. Fellow citizens, we are in this fight to win, and we are winning.

(APPLAUSE)

The road of victory is the road that will take our troops home.

As we make progress on the ground and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels. But those decisions will be made by our military commanders, not by politicians in Washington, D.C.

(APPLAUSE)

Our coalition has learned from our experience in Iraq. We have adjusted our military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction.

Along the way, we have benefited from responsible criticism and counsel offered by members of Congress of both parties.

In the coming year, I will continue to reach out and seek your good advice. Yet there is a difference between responsible criticism that aims for success and defeatism that refuses to acknowledge anything but failure.

(APPLAUSE)

(Bush was full of crap in 2006 - He is still full of crap in 2007)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh by the way, here are some highlights of his 2007 State of the Union Address.



tag bush

If you receive an email in the next day or so proclaiming 'Castro is Dead' DO NOT OPEN IT - it contains a virus.


CBS

Dear Director of Tory Communications:
Enough with the 'Canada's New Government' intro to every single stinking news release that you guys put out.

Yeah yeah yeah, you squeaked through the smallest of minority government wins EXACTLY one year ago today. And yes you decided that from a communications stand point you had to ensure that Canadians were aware that there had been a change of tenant at 24 Sussex Drive.

That being so, you have prefaced every communications piece and every speech by Stephen Harper with "Canada's new government blah blah blah blah blah."

It is tiresome. It is old. Enough is enough.

Stop it. If you don't, we are going to mock you every time you use that phrase.

GET A NEW LINE!

The one year anniversary of the election of Harper's government (in my opinion, one of the worst governments in Canadian history) - occurred on January 23, 2006.

On the eve of that black day, I want to challenge all of my blogging colleagues (Lib - Dipper - Green - Unaffiliated) to tell us how the year has gone from your progressive point of view.

On January 23rd, 2007, we can expect the blogging tories to be singing Harper's praises - rather then let them have the only voice on the topic,let's beat them to the punch!

Experts are warning that people in the far north face serious hardships if measures aren't taken to slow alarming declines in the Barren-ground caribou herds.

The summit, spearheaded by the government of the Northwest Territories, will focus on what can be done over the next four years to protect the herds.

It will include hunters, outfitters, scientists, and local, provincial and territorial government leaders.

Regina Leader Post

The contrast in Tory policy from "so called green house gases" to "Look at me - I'm green" has left Canadians with their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks.

These Conservative opportunists will say ANYTHING in an attempt to get re-elected.


60% Say Tories NOT Sincere

Wisdom for today comes down to us from a more innocent time.

Andy Griffith VERSUS the Patriot Act











tag bush patriot act

The Rolling Stones concerts which took place at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 are the top grossing Canadian concert events of all time by music industry trade magazine giant Pollstar.

Regina also ended the year in the top-10 list of North American concerts produced last year, and is now considered one of the top-grossing concerts of all time in North America -- an astounding feat for a city of under 200,000 in a province of under one million.

-Regina Leader Post
-Youtube Stones in Regina #1
-Youtube Stones in Regina #2

Photo: October 6th, 2006 - Taylor Field, Regina, Canada

tag rolling stones

Does anybody out there really believe that ubber free enterpriser Stephen Harper has actually had an environmental awakening or is this simply a reading of the polls by a nervous PM who wants to keep his job.

In view of earlier comments made by the PM (ie. "so called green house gases") there is no doubt that these guys are as phony as a 3 dollar bill.

Bruce Johnson has a good article in today's Regina Leader Post where he asks some hard questions of the Harper regime:

"The Tories are going to need more than Baird's pit-bull-in-a-china-shop approach to convince Canadians that the Harper government is serious about the environment, specifically climate change and Kyoto.

The Tories have done much to undermine their position as effective environmental stewards since taking office a year ago.

They've cut the EnerGuide for Houses program to save a measly $45 million a year, withheld $20 million in federal funding for clean-coal and polygeneration research projects in Saskatchewan and thumbed their noses at Canada's Kyoto commitments."

Regina Leader Post

Most universities in the United States would be greatly honoured to have the personal papers of a former president housed in a Presidential Library on their campus. Not so in the case of President George W. Bush.

A group of Methodist ministers from across the country have launched an online petition drive Thursday urging Southern Methodist University to stop trying to land George W. Bush's presidential library.

The petition, on a newly created Web site, says that "as United Methodists, we believe that the linking of his presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name is utterly inappropriate."

"Methodists have a long history of social conscience, so questions about the conduct of this president are very concerning," said one of the petition's organizers, the Rev. Andrew J. Weaver of New York, who graduated from SMU's Perkins School of Theology.


CNN



tag bush

I like Pierre Bourque. Lots. His news agreggator is bookmarked on my computer and I visit the site a number of times daily. For a news junkie, Bourque is the 'fact fix' that gets you through the morning, then the afternoon, then the evening. He brings cutting edge and breaking news forward 365 days a year - I noted updates even on Christmas Day.

Mr. Bourque has roots in the Liberal Party. He ran for Parliament in the 1993 Canadian election as a Liberal candidate in the Montreal riding of Rosemont.

Those of us who follow Bourque get to see a glimmer of what he is thinking by the headlines he gives to stories on his aggregator.

Like most Canadians, I believe that Mr. Bourque was caught off guard by the scope and depth of the Liberal Adscam scandal. For someone who has been a dedicated Liberal, Adscam must have been an unfortunate eye opener.

Some Liberals, however, have turned a blind eye to the whole nasty affair and continued on as if nothing happened. That does NOT appear to be the case with Pierre and you can detect just a hint of that in his choice of headlines. The Liberal Party of Canada is not getting a free ride from Bourque, and that is as it should be.

The clicker here is the way that some Liberals have now decided to mount a campaign of criticism against Mr. Bourque. Some of their language is nasty and a bit over the top.

This thin skinned approach demonstrates exactly the point I believe Pierre is trying to make to Liberals. 'You do NOT have a divine right to govern this nation!' If you want to have the trust of Canadians then you must earn that trust and you must keep that trust. Period!

I applaude Pierre Bourqe. I have no time for Libs who are trying to portray him as having gone 'tory'. I highly doubt that.

Bravo Pierre. Keep doing what you are doing.

Financial Post Columnist Barbara Shecter, writes the following in the January 18, 2007 edition of the National Post:

"Quoting from Alice in Wonderland, Conrad Black has asked an Ontario court judge to turn down an attempt by his former company, Ravelston Corp., to plead guilty to criminal fraud in the United States.

One 40-page filing begins with a legal quote about the presumption of innocence, followed by a passage from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland in which the Red Queen urges: 'Sentence first -- verdict afterwards.' "


-Canada.com
-More BUCKDOG on Conrad Black


tag conrad black

The last person on planet Earth who is going to tell me what it means to be a Canadian is Jason Kenney, (former Reform MP, former Alliance MP, currently Conservative MP, former CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation).

Mr. Kenney may well be the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism but I hold his extreme right wing politics in utter contempt.

Kenney said, "For me Canadian identity means establishing clear, fixed reference points rooted in our values and our history. The four biggest values are our freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law."

While these all sound fine and well, I need to flesh out exactly what he means.

Does 'freedom' include so called 'property rights'? The right to pollute or store nuclear waste on your own property. Democracy, does that mean dropping farmers off a Wheat Board election as the Tories have done?

Do not take Mr. Kenney's pronouncment at face value. Critique it, dissect it and make sure that you know what you are getting from him. My Canada is not a Bush style, 'free market rules all' kind of place.

Be wary!

Read More

A California couple planned to get rid of their destructive pets, but they suddenly changed their minds when an apparent image of Jesus appeared in their home's doggie door.

Many are proclaiming it to be a miracle even greater then the image of the Blessed Virgin in the grilled cheese sandwich.

Considering that 1 in 4 Americans believe that Jesus will return is 2007, perhaps the doggie door apparition is the first of many revelations we will be given in the days and weeks to come. Buckdog will go to any length to bring you apparitions as they appear.

Jesus Appears in doggie door

WCSH6.com




tag jesus miracle apparition

I am no fan of the Harper government. Since taking power, the Conservatives have handled the foreign affairs file terribly. I have a number of complaints:

As turmoil ensued during the invasion of Lebanon (remembering that innocent Canadians were killed), Harper called the war a 'measured response'!

Conservative MP's, Jason Kenney and Rob Anders had not heard that the Cold War was over and seemed prepared (for ideological reasons) to jeopardize trade with China.

Globe & Mail columnist, Jeffrey Simpson wrote the following in his January 16th article:

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper now says his "new" government has restored Canada's place in the world. It's a curious claim. All governments puff up their accomplishments. So Mr. Harper's boast can be dismissed as the usual political puffery. Except that, whereas in other areas the government has indeed been active -- and changed policy and/or made a difference -- it's hard to see what's new and better about this government's foreign policy. Relations are supposed to have improved with the United States, and the softwood lumber dispute was resolved. Good, but as British Prime Minister Tony Blair long ago discovered, trying to influence the Bush administration is a thankless task.

On various bilateral issues - passports for crossing the border, the Maher Arar file, Canadians born in other countries who can't work on U.S. defence contracts- there's been no progress. Canada is even threatening to launch a trade action against U.S. agricultural subsides. (Good luck). [...]

This week, Trade Minister David Emerson is finally leading a delegation to China. What used to be called the Middle Kingdom became the Lost Kingdom for the Harper government, which seemed intent on ignoring the world's fastest growing economy. Mr. Emerson, a British Columbian and a former business leader with a sense of the world, was frustrated, to say the least, by the government's non-approach. It took him a year to get to China such were the blinkers the government wore. [...]

We shouldn't really be surprised at the bragging, for that comes with politics, or with the generalized lack of interest in things international. This government barely campaigned on foreign questions, and likely reckons they won't much influence the next election."

Harper's Caucus needs an attitude adjustment when it comes to foreign affairs. If we act in a 'holier than thou' manner, we will win few friends and lose influence as serious players on the world stage. If the neo-Reformers in the Caucus (Kenney, Anders, Day and Harper) continue to start the Cold War up again, Canadian trade will suffer.

More Buckdog on Harper's Foreign Policy


tag harper china

The Regina Leader Post contains the following story today:

"After months of refusing to promise farmers a vote on the future of the Canadian Wheat Board's wheat monopoly, federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl has promised a second plebiscite."

This is good news indeed because the vast majority of prairie farmers WILL vote to continue the single desk marketing aspect of the Canadian Wheat Board.

The Conservative Party of Canada was determined to force their own vision onto farmers in contravention of the Act. (They could have saved themselves a lot of grief if they had not been so undemocratic on this issue).


Regina Leader Post

George Bush will deliver his State of the Union Address next week to a Democratic Congress.

Coming on the heels of his proposed Iraqi Escalation and his disastrous financial performance, it should be interesting.

Approval ratings for the President are some of the lowest that have ever been recorded, approaching the levels of Richard Nixon prior to his resignation. Bush is one bad President. The United States Congress needs to kick his ass - hard.

-CBS News
-USA Today


tag iraq bush

Because right wing state legislators have no idea what they are doing, Michigan's second-highest court stated that technically, anyone involved in an extramarital fling can be prosecuted for first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a felony punishable by up to life in prison.

How did Michigan manage to pass such puritanical legislation? Well, the State government wanted to prosecute a defendant in a drug case as a sex offender for taking sexual intercourse as payment for illegal drug sales.

The State made use of an obscure law that made any sexual penetration during the commission of a felony the same kind of sexual offense as rape and molestation, regardless of whether the sex was consensual or not. Among the many crimes Michigan still recognizes as felonies, is adultery, although no one in Michigan has been convicted of that offense since 1971.

Legislatures often write laws badly, even laws with good intent. The Michigan legislature should revisit this provision in its penal code immediately. They should repeal the Bill and then hang their heads in shame for being complete and utter reactionary idiots.

-detroit free press.com
-talkleft.com

Harper promised to remove natural resources (which are one time resources - once pulled out of the ground, they are gone) from the formula used to calculate equalization.

Here's the broken promise.

Harper needs to explain to Saskatchewan and to Nfld & Lab, WHY???

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in serious condition after a series of three failed operations on his large intestine for diverticulitis, or inflamed bulge in the intestine, complicated by infection, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported on Monday.

Castro, who has not been seen in public since last July and whose illness is being treated as a state secret, suffered a serious infection that worsened to peritonitis, the newspaper's Tuesday edition said, citing two medical sources at the Madrid hospital where a surgeon who visited Castro works. The report was posted on the newspaper's Web site on Monday.

-Chicago Tribune
-seattlepi.com
-New York Times

tag fidel castro cuba

There is an interesting interview with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the January 15th edition of the Hill Times. The interview was conducted by Angelo Persichilli and actually became testy at one point:
"Mr. Harper, I don't want to know when you want an election. I want to know when you expect one.

"Well, I will say what I want too. We have a bill before Parliament. It's Bill C-16 and that will set an election for October 2009. [Ontario] Premier [Dalton] McGuinty and I are from different stripes, but one thing I agree with is to set a fixed date for an election. The opposition could, of course, defeat us sooner. I don't expect them to defeat us sooner than the budget, but I'm telling my people that they could defeat us on the budget and I'm telling my people to be ready. I don't want an election, I don't think that the Canadian people want an election.

The Hill Times

If you were not yet convinced that President George W. Bush suffers from delusions, consider the following statement. During an interview yesterday, he said Iraqis should be thankful for all the United States has done for them since the invasion nearly four years ago. "We liberated that country from a tyrant. I think the Iraqi people owe the American people a huge debt of gratitude. That's the problem here in America: They wonder whether or not there is a gratitude level that's significant enough in Iraq. [...] "I think I am proud of the efforts we did," Bush said.

CNN

tag iraq bush

Iraq has executed Saddam Hussein's half-brother and the former chief of the Revolutionary Court, says a prosecutor.

Barzan Ibrahim, Saddam's half brother and former intelligence chief, and Awad Hamed al-Bandar were hanged at dawn on Monday, said Munqith al-Faroon.

-CTV news
-UPDATE from CTV

tag saddam hussein

President George Bush promised a different approach in Iraq.

That was a lie.

What he did was simply more of the same. More troops, more war, more innocent civilian deaths, more coffins coming home to the USA.

Political bloggers are up in arms and many are absolutely furious with Bush and Cheney.

Here is a little sample:


-F#&k You, Sir
-The Biggest "F#&k You" Of All
-Good Evening & fuck you my fellow Americans...
-Hardblogger : Deconstructing Bush's speech on the deconstruction of Iraq


tag iraq bush

If there is a true wasteland for the Liberal Party in Canada, it must surely be Saskatchewan. Alberta is not much better, but in Edmonton, the provincial Liberals are the Official Opposition Party. In the Saskatchewan Legislature there isn't even one elected Liberal. David Karwaki, Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals, has tried two times to win a seat; both unsuccessfully.

The last Liberal government in Saskatchewan was the Ross Thatcher administration from 1967 - 1971. Saskatchewan people have a hate - hate relationship with the Liberal Party.

The only glimmer that the Grits have in Saskatchewan is Ralph Goodale who represents the affluent south Regina area as Member of Parliament and Gary Merasty who squeaked thru by a few votes to win in the far northern riding of Desnethe - Missinippi - Churchill River.

Stephane Dion was in Regina on the weekend. In typical fashion, the handful of local Liberals were paraded out in an attempt to ensure that there was at least a few faces for the photographers and national media. It was a pitiful affair.

CTV covered the Liberal leader's media scrum. "Dion said he believes there is the capacity to mandate a 10-per-cent biofuel content in gasoline by 2010 rather than the five per cent the Conservatives are currently proposing. That won favour with Lonny McKague, an farmer from Ogema, Sask., who said he considers himself a Liberal supporter. If the truth be told, Mr, McKague was actually a Liberal Party candidate in the Souris Moose Mountain Constituency.

There is NO possibility for a Dion breakthrough in Saskatchewan. Ralph Goodale will likely win his seat (as he usually does). The next election will be fought by and large between the New Democrats and the Harper Conservatives. Anyone who leans Liberal (outside of Goodale's Riding) who wants to stop Stephen Harper will VOTE for the New Democrats.

You see, a vote for Stephane Dion in Saskatchewan will help to elect Stephen Harper.

-CTV
-Macleans

American citizens are slowly but surely losing their traditional rights and freedoms under the Bush administration. Now that Bush can bug your phones, and since he has decided that he can open your mail, he has now decided that he needs to look into your financial records.

The Pentagon has been using a little-known power to obtain banking and credit records of hundreds of Americans and others suspected of terrorism or espionage inside the United States, part of an aggressive expansion by the military into domestic intelligence gathering. The C.I.A. has also been issuing what are known as national security letters to gain access to financial records from American companies, though it has done so only rarely, intelligence officials say.

Banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions receiving the letters usually have turned over documents voluntarily, allowing investigators to examine the financial assets and transactions of American military personnel and civilians, officials say.

The F.B.I., the lead agency on domestic counterterrorism and espionage, has issued thousands of national security letters since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, provoking criticism and court challenges from civil liberties advocates who see them as unjustified intrusions into Americans� private lives.

But it was not previously known, even to some senior counterterrorism officials, that the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency have been using their own noncompulsory versions of the letters. Congress has rejected several attempts by the two agencies since 2001 for authority to issue mandatory letters, in part because of concerns about the dangers of expanding their role in domestic spying.

CNN Money Matters


tag bush

The very next time you hear some Tory or other right wing groupie tell you what a wonderful job PM Stephen Harper is doing in keeping his election promises, stop them in their tracks and laugh very loudly in their face.

The recent slight of hand that the Harperites have concocted with regard to surgical waiting times is a joke. It is such a blatant fib that we simply can’t let it go unchallenged.

While I have a reputation for slamming the honesty and integrity of these political fraudsters, listen to what others have to say on the newly announced Conservative plan:

"We have no problem with another study, but what happened to Harper's earlier promise of wait time guarantees for ALL patients in the five areas he identified, three of which, cancer, cardiac and eye surgery are now repeated here for children?"
Toronto Sun Editorial
January 13, 2006

"Saskatchewan Health Minister Len Taylor scathingly describes federal funding of a project to cut surgical wait times for kids as "a pittance" and "an unwelcome intrusion" into provincial jurisdictions. [...]
"Clement and Harper are so anxious to get some positive coverage on a national wait-time guarantee program that they propose, without consultation with the provinces, that they're now trying to find little ways of getting their foot in the door so they can say, 'We're putting some money behind our commitment,' when in fact the commitment really is engage the provinces because we're responsible ultimately for delivering the programs and not all of the provinces have the capacity to do that," Taylor said.
Regina Leader Post
January 13, 2006

And just to refresh your memory, here is what Mr. Harper and his horde of Tories promised you before the last election:

"Harper said Canadians will choose the composition of the next Parliament. Should Conservatives lead that Parliament, the Conservative Party will pursue the following five priorities:
* Clean up government by passing the Federal Accountability Act;
* Provide real tax relief to working families by cutting the GST;
* Make our streets and communities safer by cracking down on crime;
* Help parents with the cost of raising their children; and
* Work with the provinces to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee."

Photo courtesy Hamilton Spectator

tag stephen harper

Alright all you music lovers - time to sing along, follow the bouncing ball!

bomb bomb bomb - bomb bomb Iran


tag bush iran

On January 2, 2006, Stephen Harper laid out his 'five Key Priorities for Canada' as he campaigned to win the election and form government. His fifth priority was: "Work with the provinces to establish a Patient Wait Times Guarantee."

On September 20th, 2006, Buckdog carried a post that pointed out Harper's total lack of action on the waiting times 'priority'.

It is clear now that the Prime Minister has reneged on the 'Key Priority' - BUT to cover his butt, he has come up with an innovative smokescreen, that being a project supposedly aimed at studying ways to reduce wait times for children's surgery. In typical Tory style, the program has been announced catching the provinces off guard. Ontario claims that there has been no prior consultation so it is logical to assume that this program is a rushed measure to politically fill the gap on the waiting times promise. More Harper jiggery pokery??

-CTV News
-CPC website
-'Jiggery pokery' defined

Canadian Auto Workers President, Buzz Hargrove has written to NDP Leader Jack Layton to say he and his union members had been "taken aback" by the tough comments on emissions.

"If this issue is not handled delicately and thoughtfully, we could see thousands of auto workers' jobs destroyed," he said in an open letter requesting a meeting with Layton.

But Layton said the plan being pushed by the NDP is the same "Green Car" strategy that the CAW supported when it was introduced in a joint appearance by Layton, Hargrove and representatives of Greenpeace in July 2003.

Reuters
CAW News Release


tag ndp green


Photo courtesy CBC.

According to the Air Force Times, the Pentagon has registered approximately 8,000 deserters since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. While many of them are living underground in the United States, the War Resisters Support Campaign estimates that there are "as many as 200 or more military personnel in Canada today."

Toronto Daily News

According to a report by Price Waterhouse Coopers, not only is the CWB the world’s largest marketer of wheat but also a major economic force in Canada.

The report points out the CWB plays a big part in Winnipeg’s economy also, adding $86 million a year to the city’s gross domestic product.

Winnipeg Free Press
CWB

Every news source on the planet is reporting that President George Bush is going to escalate the Iraqi conflict by sending more young people to die because of his failed policy.

Bush has come to depend on his pal, 'Steve' Harper lately. You therefore have to assume that Geroge W. would like to hear Harper praise or acknowldge the troop surge or escalation.

As a Canadian, I certainly hope that Harper criticises the escalation of Bush's mad adventure. What do you think the chances of that are?

Bush to raise Iraq troop levels




tag iraq bush

In an interview with CTV.ca's Bill Doskoch, New Democratic Party Leader, Jack Layton lays out some conditions for changes to the Tories' Clean Air Act that must be done in order to get support in Parliament.

Layton wants action from the Tories on the environment in general and he wants it before the next federal budget. "We see this as a critical issue, and we think it is vital that the government take action," he told CTV.ca.

CTV.ca

Paul Craig Roberts, an official in Ronald Reagan's administration has penned a column entitled The Surge: Political Cover or Escalation? wherein he states, "He (Bush) blames defeats on his military commanders, not on his own insane policy. Like Hitler, he protects himself from reality with delusion."

"If Bush ignores US military commanders and expert opinion and accepts the surge option advanced by the delusional neocon allies of Israel’s right-wing Likud Party, US troops will be engulfed in general insurgency. This is why General John Abizaid resigned on January 5. He wants no part of the Republican Party’s sacrifice of US soldiers to sectarian conflict."

The column criticising President Bush appears in a Libertarian online publication, 'Antiwar.com'.

Raw Story
Antiwar.com

Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed an ambitious plan to reform the state's health care system. He wants everyone to be convered by insurance.

California has 6.5 million uninsured citizens, nearly one in five of the state's 36.5 million inhabitants.

The governor also wants to ban insurers from refusing to offer coverage to some individuals because of their prior medical conditions. Insurers would have to spend at least 85 percent of their premium revenues on patient care, which would limit profits and the amount companies spend on administrative costs.

Last year, Massachusetts became the first state to require universal health insurance. Massachusetts companies must offer insurance to employees or pay into a state pool.

Chicago Tribune

Medical News Today

So here we have Harper's new Minister of the Environment doing a photo op with a bunch of dead trees in Vancouver's Stanley Park. Minister Baird flew to the west coast to do what, look at trees that were blown down in a wind storm? How does this help anything OR is it (as I am guessing), this is nothing but a shameless opportunity to take a photo and make it look as it the Harper government actually is doing something?

Let's not forget, that just three weeks ago, our prime minister referred to "so called green house gases." SO CALLED!? That doesn't sound overly sincere, does it?

I would love to see the polling that the senior Tory echelon has that has made them do such a complete reversal of policy. It is starting to look like their new found environmental concern is just a tad expedient.

-How Prime Minister Harper Flip Flops
-Global
-CTV



Photo courtesy Global TV

American prosecutors determined to pin 17 fraud charges on Conrad Black are positively salivating at the prospect that the rambunctious peer will take the stand in his own defence when his trial opens in a few weeks' time. Styling himself as a "freedom fighter", Lord Black has repeatedly denied the allegations that he looted hundreds of millions of dollars from his media companies, and in recent weeks he has told friends that he is resolved to testify.

The trial begins in Chicago on March th, 2007.

-The Independent
-More BUCKDOG on Conrad Black

The January 7th edition of the Ottawa Sun has an intersting article entitled, 'Adscam Rears Its Ugly Head.'

"We recently received an unusual call from a member of the RCMP commercial crime squad in Montreal, seeking our assistance in the feds' ongoing criminal investigations of the sponsorship scandal."

"Justice John Gomery's inquiry into the sponsorship scandal was specifically barred from probing anything that might become the subject of a criminal investigation, a huge constraint that left a gaping hole in the Adscam saga, a trail of missing millions now being pursued by the RCMP."

"We know from the Gomery inquiry that more than $1 million pilfered from the sponsorship program made its way into the coffers of the federal Liberal party. But what of the other millions that disappeared?"

"When the Mounties finally get their men, Dion can only pray the Liberals weren't left holding the bottle."

Ottawa Sun

So now we have the truth about George Bush's war in Iraq:

"Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.

The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972."

The Independent



tag iraq bush

The following excerpt is from an article written by: Uzi Mahnaimi, New York and Sarah Baxter, Washington.

"ISRAEL has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.

Two Israeli air force squadrons are training to blow up an Iranian facility using low-yield nuclear “bunker-busters”, according to several Israeli military sources.

The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb."

I am now asking Prime Minister Stephen Harper if he will consider the dropping of nuclear weapons on Iran by Israel to be a 'measured response'?

On the other hand, will Canada's Prime Minister express our nation's GRAVE CONCERNS about what may be about to happen in the Middle East?

-Times online
-BUCKDOG: Harper's Disatrous Foreign Policy

tag israel stephen harper

Prime Minster Stephen Harper hates Canada the way it is now and he is determined to remake this nation into a northern imitation of right wing America. You don't believe me??? Well, don't take my word for it - people should be held accountable for the things they say - here's what Stephen Harper has said about Canada in the past:



"Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a standard of living substantially lower than yours, a massive brain drain of young professionals to your country, and double the unemployment rate of the United States."
- Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"Your country [the USA], and particularly your conservative movement, is a light and an inspiration to people in this country and across the world."
-Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialistic country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status, led by a second-world strongman appropriately suited for the task."
- Stephen Harper in his article "It is time to seek a new relationship with Canada," December 12th, 2000.

"A culture of defeat..."
- Stephen Harper, describing the Atlantic provinces, May 2001.

"The NDP could be described as basically a party of liberal Democrats, but it's actually worse than that, I have to say. And forgive me jesting again, but the NDP is kind of proof that the Devil lives and interferes in the affairs of men."
-Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"In terms of the unemployed, of which we have over a million-and-a-half, don't feel particularly bad for many of these people. They don't feel bad about it themselves, as long as they're receiving generous social assistance and unemployment insurance."
-Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, in a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing American think tank.

"What we clearly need is experimentation with market reforms and private delivery options [in health care]."
- Stephen Harper, then President of the NCC, 2001.

"We also support the exploration of alternative ways to deliver health care. Moving toward alternatives, including those provided by the private sector, is a natural development of our health care system."
- Stephen Harper, Toronto Star, October 2002.


tag stephen harper

PM Stephen Harper wants to win the ethnic vote in the next election. In the January 6th Globe and Mail, journalist Campbell Clarke writes, "Stephen Harper's Conservatives hope to redraw the political map by softening the Liberal Party's traditional hold on ethnic communities with the appointment of a new junior minister and recruitment of a Liberal defector meant as symbols of the drive."

Traditionally seen as Liberal turf, ethnic communities have generally shunned the Conservatives (whether they called themselves the PC or CPC). Former Conservative MP, Garth Turner said of the recent cabinet shuffle; "Jason Kenney, Harper’s man-in-waiting, goes from Parliamentary secretary to junior cabmin, in charge of multiculturalism - a role he’s been doing in reality for almost a year, building Tory support in unTory places. This guy is PMSH’s secret electoral weapon, and you would not believe who he’s been talking to!"
Turner Report

So Jason Kenney is Harper’s secret electoral weapon in the fight to win the ethnic vote. Well isn’t that interesting.

It should be stated for the record that both Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney were major players as well as elected Member’s of Parliament for the old Reform Party of Canada.

Now those not familiar with the Reform Party, suffice it to say that it was riddled and plagued with racist elements during its entire history. "There is no room for racists in the Reform Party of Canada," said Preston Manning, leader of the Reform Party, on February 28, 1992. This statement came after reports that at least four members of the Heritage Front, and possibly up to twenty neo-Nazis, were involved with Reform riding associations in Toronto. On March 11, 1992, [ four] Heritage Front members (all of whom had gone to Libya in 1989), were expelled from the Beaches-Woodbine Reform Party riding association."

In June of 1992, Michael Lublin, an Orthodox Jew who was the director of community relations in Ontario for the Reform Party, resigned, alleging widespread racism and anti-Semitism within the Party. He also claimed that he had alerted the Party leaders of the Heritage Front infiltrators in August 1991, and that these claims were not investigated until the story broke in the press in February of the following year.

The Reform Party's stance against 'hyphenated Canadianism', federal funding of multiculturalism, and changes to the RCMP dress code (e.g. allowing turbans), in part explains the attraction of groups like the Heritage Front to the Party. Although Droege condemns David Duke's attempts to be accepted in mainstream politics, his involvement with the Reform Party points to a similar search for credibility, one which has led him from radical groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and the Western Guard to the Heritage Front. Droege's attempt to make a space for the Heritage Front in the Reform Party was a bid to make his views more acceptable through their exposure in a mainstream arena." The Nizkor Project

So let’e review. Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney were previously elected Members of Parliament with the Reform Party of Canada which had a number of image problems with regard to multiculturalism, immigration and ethnic minority rights in Canada. Now Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney are ‘Conservatives’ and they want to win the ethnic vote!?

Go figure.

tag stephen harper


VOTE

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said yesterday that he believes top officials in the Bush administration have privately concluded they have lost Iraq and are simply trying to postpone disaster so the next president will "be the guy landing helicopters inside the Green Zone, taking people off the roof," in a chaotic withdrawal reminiscent of Vietnam.

"I have reached the tentative conclusion that a significant portion of this administration, maybe even including the vice president, believes Iraq is lost," Biden said. "They have no answer to deal with how badly they have screwed it up. I am not being facetious now. Therefore, the best thing to do is keep it from totally collapsing on your watch and hand it off to the next guy -- literally, not figuratively."

-Washington Post
-Did we not learn anything from the Vietnam experience?


Photo shows final evacuation of United States Embassy in Saigon, Vietnam, April 30, 1975.

tag bush iraq

"Wendy Holm is an award-winning agrologist, economist and journalist. Holms wrote a popular monthly opinion column for the Western Producer, until she was dismissed following her participation in the July 27 pro-Wheat-Board farmer rally in Saskatoon. Ms. Holm was there at her own expense as a concerned agrologist. She attended Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl’s media conference as a freelance columnist for the Western Producer, and asked if he was prepared to move without a grower plebiscite. The column she wrote and filed concerning the events of the July 27th demonstration never appeared in the Producer.

The Western Producer is wholly owned by Glacier Ventures, a VSE company initially formed to export bottled water. Glacier Ventures now owns the bulk of Western Canada’s farm and community newspapers. Agricore United’s CEO sits on the Glacier board. Agricore United stands to profit greatly from the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board. Archer Daniels Midland is Agricore United’s major shareholder."

Here is Wendy Holme's article which appears in the January, 2007 edition of Common Ground.

Strahl attacks Canadian Wheat Board

A big tip of the hat to 'Working For Change' and especially to Tom Tomorrow for his great cartoon

Dedicated to all of the young right wingers who hang out with the Blogging Tories and especially those who call smalldeadanimals 'home'.

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant!

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared the federal government's right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.

Experts said the new powers could be easily abused and used to vacuum up large amounts of mail.

"The [Bush] signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming," said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington.

"The danger is they're reading Americans' mail," she said.

NY Daily News
Daily KOS

tag bush

Eliminating official multiculturalism was one of the Reform Party’s founding principles. This policy was responsible for attracting some extreme elements into the party. When the Reformers realized they couldn't achieve government they became the Canadian Alliance Party.

At that time, they modified their position on multiculturalsim somewhat. For example, a 2002 policy declaration by Stephen Harper states that multiculturalism is a personal choice and should not be publicly funded. However, it also acknowledges that multiculturalism is a basic feature of Canadian society, and one with positive benefits.

This is consistent with the Conservative Party position outlined in their 2000 policy platform, that “While they cherish their diversity, most Canadians believe that institutionalized multiculturalism should no longer be publicly funded.”

So, who is it that Harper has placed in charge of 'multiculturalism' in Canada? Well the answer is not a good omen for those who value Canada's traditional policy.

Jason Kenney, former Reform Party MP and extreme right wing ideologue is the new Secretary of State for multiculturalism. His former job as CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has prepared him to be a 'fox in the hen house' and Harper is going to use those skills on multiculturalism.

I wonder where he will make his start in the destruction of multicultural policy and programing? He only has a few months before the next election and I predict that he will be swift in dismantling the agency.

It is a slow news day. Hence, for compulsive bloggers, the hunt is ever on to find interesting morsels of news for our sites. Here is a great one:

"VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - A Canadian lawyer has been awarded more than C$10,000 in damages by a British Columbia court after he was falsely arrested and strip-searched over rumors he planned to throw a pie at the prime minister."

Okay, I love this item not only for it's humour but because it occurred while Jean Chretien and the Liberals were still in power. I wasn't aware how sensitive they were to potential pie attacks. Now I know.

The main question I want to ask however is this; when they strip searched this poor fellow, exactly where on or in his anatomy did they expect to find a cream pie?

Reuters

"Little Mosque on the Prairie," a Canadian sitcom which debuts Tuesday, January 9th depicts immigrant Muslims living in a small town with locals in rural Saskatchewan.

The comedy follows the day to day challenges of an Islamic family in the middle of pure prairie culture. It is sure to give creative comedy writers lots of potential to work their craft.

Already dubbed by some as 'Allah In The Family' the comedy is certain to spark initial interest when it debuts.

Canada's most popular sitcom, CTV's 'Corner Gas' is also filmed and set in rural Saskatchewan.

Little Mosque
CBC.ca
Yahoo.com

The FBI released a disturbing report on alleged abuse of detainees that its own employees witnessed at Guantanamo Bay military base. More than two dozen FBI workers described aggressive mistreatment and harsh interrogation of the prisoners by other government agencies or outside contractors at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

• Detainees seen "chained hand and foot ... with no chair/food/water"
• Prisoners "urinated or defecated on selves and were left there 18, 24 hours"
• A detainee "with a full beard whose head was wrapped in duct tape"
• Witness saw detainee draped in an Israeli flag

This is the America of George W. Bush.

CNN

Right wing pundit, Ezra Levant, is not sounding his normal confident self on the matter of Stephen Harper's chances for re-election. In his January 1st column in the Calgary Sun, it is pretty clear from Ezra's opening and closing paragraphs that he is not overly optimistic about Tory fortunes.

First paragraph:
The new year will bring a federal election, likely in May or June. It will not be a slam dunk for the ruling Conservatives, but they have a surprisingly strong record to run on, considering their brief tenure and modest minority.

Final paragraph:
This is the year the Liberals think they will retake Parliament. They might just be right, if Dion's record of policy failure and policy double-crosses remains hidden.

Between the first and final paragraphs, Mr. Levant goes to great lengths to slam Stephane Dion.

The Tories are worried. At least Ezra is. He should be worried. After the dismal record of the Conservative government in their first few months, it is obvious that they have lost a lot of friends.

The Income Trust matter has hurt them. While anyone who is angry at the Tory flip flop likely will not run out and vote against Harper, a number might just stay home on election day.

The heavy handed manner that Harper has used with the Canadian Wheat Board has hurt him politically. There is no denying that on the prairies, many who voted Conservative in 2006 will not do so in 2007.

Hey, and where are all our promised tax cuts? One stinking cent off the GST is supposed to make millions run out to vote for the Tories? I think not.

And the big one, the one that will see Tory seats in Quebec go somewhere else, is Afghanistan. Tie that with the cozy relationship that Prime Minister 'Steve' Harper has with George W. Bush and it's all over for the Conservatives.



Calgary Sun

White House officials say a troop "surge" almost certainly will be the centerpiece of Mr. Bush's new strategy for Iraq to be unveiled mid-month. But while administration officials have gone to great lengths to emphasize that the extra troops will be in Iraq only temporarily, there is no clear definition of how long that might be.

The proposal will be highly controversial. Already one senior Republican senator has called it "Alice in Wonderland".

BBC News

Bush's 'Old' Iraq Plan - failure after failure after failure (NY Times)

Canadian Press and Broadcast News have chosen the War in Afghanistan as the Canadian News Story of the Year.

"A gritty little war half a world away was the overwhelming choice as the top Canadian news story of the year chosen by Canadian Press and Broadcast News.

The war in Afghanistan started in 2001 and steadily faded from the world's headlines as the focus shifted to Iraq, but five years later Canada's small part in the fight to calm the country hit home with bloody clarity."

Canadian News Story of the Year

In the January 1st, 2007 edition of the New York Times, there is an article in the World Business section concening the fight over the Canadian Wheat Board.

In his article entitled, The Sleepy Subject of Canada’s Grain Exports Perks Up, Times reporter, Ian Austen does a good job of identifying the nature of the dispute and provides a number of interesting observations on how well the single desk approach has benefitted Canadian farmer's bottom line.

"There is absolutely no doubt that part of the reason the Conservative government is pushing as hard as it is pushing is, I suspect, that they are feeling pressure from the Americans,” said Murray Fulton, an agriculture economist who directs a center for the study of cooperatives at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

The wheat board concept is simple. In exchange for its monopoly over wheat destined for export from Canada’s three prairie provinces, as well as a small part of British Columbia, it pays every farmer the same average sale price. Overall, Professor Fulton said, price averaging has provided most farmers with greater stability and higher prices than they would have obtained in an open market.

A study commissioned by the wheat board on barley prices released in December gives more specifics. The report, by Richard S. Gray of the University of Saskatchewan, Andrew Schmitz of the University of Florida and Troy G. Schmitz at Arizona State University, concluded that farmers’ barley revenue from the wheat board was 59 million Canadian dollars higher from 1995 to 2004 than it would have been in an open market system."

Ian Austen Article


Photo courtesy New York Times.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2007 - MMVII -


Image courtesy tiiws.com