Buckdog

If you are blogging the Manitoba Election 2007 and would like to be listed on Buckdog's Manitoba Election Blog, just give me a shout and I will list your site on our blogroll.

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of Omar Khadr, the only Canadian imprisoned at the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

CBC

Buckdog on Khadr

Buckdog will take a short blogging break while I attend to a health matter. Back soon!

leftdog

OTTAWA (CP) - The Conservative government's erratic response to allegations of Afghan prisoner abuse took another sharp turn Thursday.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper appeared to contradict his Defence Minister by telling the House of Commons that there is no formal agreement with Afghanistan about access to detainees handed over by Canadian troops. A day earlier, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor told the Commons foreign affairs committee that a deal had been struck to allow Canadian officials to check on the treatment of captured insurgents "any time they wanted."

Harper then denied there was any problem at all.

At that point Stockwell Day got involved. The Public Safety Minister then stunned the Opposition parties by saying corrections officers have always had access to Afghan detainees after they have been transferred to Afghan officials.

-CTV
-940 News

James Travers, columnist with the Toronto Star has a blistering article in todays April 26th edition. It asks hard questions about the operation and political oversight of Canada's war in Afghanistan. Every Canadian who is going to vote in the next federal election should read this article. Here is an excerpt:

"These are multifaceted issues, and the failures now inflaming parliamentary debate have more than one cause. Still, there is an identifiable pattern.

One repeating part is profound military resistance to civilian control. It's understandable – if hardly acceptable in a democracy – that soldiers don't welcome what they dismiss as amateur oversight of technical operations involving life and death.

Harper compounded that problem when he appointed as defence minister a bumbling former Cold War general and arms industry lobbyist. As well as a political embarrassment, O'Connor is proving too weak to exert much control over Hillier, who is enormously popular with the troops and, in a break with Canadian tradition, a willing and powerful political player.

Adding other layers of complexity, Harper is using the Afghanistan mission as a wedge political issue. The unforeseen result is increasingly damaging to the Prime Minister.

O'Connor's performance doesn't instil public confidence, questions linger about what the government knew, or wanted to know, about prisoner abuse and there are even more disturbing doubts about political as well as bureaucratic control over the military. A prime minister positioned far above his cabinet and party must now answer those questions and dispel those doubts if he is to control the damage of this government's first crisis."


Toronto Star

The vindictive pettiness of the Dion loyalists in the Liberal party is becoming more and more evident daily.

No one can attest to that more then Justin Trudeau, who is attempting to win a Liberal Party nomination in Montreal.

The totally uncharismatic Dion has stumbled along with his shaky leadership over the last few months and the last thing his loyalists want to see is the smiling friendly face of Pierre Trudeau's eldest son as a candidate and eventually a Member of Parliament in the Liberal Caucus.

-The Star
-Globe & Mail

tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

The vast majority of Canadians are not happy with the deal struck between Stephane Dion and Elizabeth May.

The once noble Liberal Party of Canada has degenerated into something that barely resembles its former status as a governing party. Canadians are acknowledging the shift in Liberal tactics and do not like what they see.

This is not the old Liberal Party of Canada that we once new. It is a desperate group who believe it is their god given right to be government. It is one thing to aspire to and work for the trust of Canadians; it is another thing to expect and demand it.

Angus Reid


tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

Two former Liberal cabinet ministers attempted to distance themselves from the RCMP pension scandal when they appeared before a Commons committee Monday. Once again Canadians are reminded of the serious corruption in the former Liberal Party Government.

'Scandal, thy name is Liberal'!

Ottawa Citizen

tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

The Pentagon charged Canadian Omar Khadr with murder today, starting a process that will put the former Toronto resident on trial in Guantanamo Bay for war crimes.

Khadr is accused of throwing a grenade that killed U.S. Delta Force soldier Sgt. Christopher Speer during a firefight in Afghanistan July 27, 2002.

He was 15 at the time and was held for three months in Afghanistan before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he remains today.

The Star

All three of Canada's opposition parties demanded an immediate halt to prisoner transfers from the Canadian military to Afghan intelligence officers after the prisoners complained of torture and harsh treatment.

Mr. Harper promised the "serious allegations" would be examined by officials and followed up with Afghan authorities, "but what we will not do is bring the Taliban prisoners to Canada."

The Prime Minister also rejected calls by opposition MPs for the resignation of Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor on grounds he had failed to put mechanisms in place to prevent prisoner abuse after previous appeals from politicians and human rights advocates.

The issue of alleged Canadian complicity in torture of Afghan prisoners is already the subject of a criminal investigation, a military board of inquiry and an investigation by the military complaints commission.

Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association are seeking a judicial review of the detainee transfer process in the courts.

National Post

Al Gore spoke to approximately 5,000 people today in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The former Vice President was well received and listeners were treated to almost 2 hours with him.

However, on the topic of Al Gore - bigger things MIGHT be afoot!

According to Britain's Daily Telegraph, staff members who worked on Gore's unsuccessful presidential bid in 2000 have been approached to work on a possible campaign for 2008.

"I was asked whether I would be available towards the end of the year if I am needed," one of Gore's former campaign workers reportedly said. "They know he has not ruled out running and if he decides to jump in, he will have to move very fast."

Gore has repeatedly said in the past that he has no plans and no intention of running for president again. But in politics, that particular language is ambiguous - meaning that it doesn't fully rule out a bid.

Daily Telegraph


tag al gore

Don Martin, columnist with the National Post has an article today that asks why it is that Prime Minister Stephen Harper continues to manipulate Conservative Party rules to ensure that MP Rob Anders wins the nomination in Calgary West. "By way of background, the fourth-term Mr. Anders represents the upscale Calgary West enclaves that overlook the city skyline or enjoy panoramic views of the Rockies.

Um, perhaps "represents" isn't exactly the appropriate term for an MP who, according to Hansard, has not uttered a single word in the Commons since last spring. He chairs a news-free committee and MPs confide he contributes nothing of substance in the privacy of their caucus meetings.

But only in Mr. Anders could invisibility and silence qualify as exemplary behaviour. His mouth has been an unchecked rightwing weapon of self-destruction. Now gagged, he does well sitting as a Conservative seat warmer who will vote on command."

Buckdog has been following the Rob Anders case for sometime. Stay tuned for further developments!

National Post

Oscar-winning environmentalist Al Gore is bringing his global warming lecture "An Inconvenient Truth" to a Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada on April 23.

Gore recently won the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award for his film "An Inconvenient Truth". He'll be speaking at the Brandt Centre Monday morning at 11 o'clock.

From CBC:
"A federal private member's bill that would grant the government new powers while imposing restrictions and penalties on Internet users and operators is off base, Internet experts say.

Joy Smith, a Conservative MP representing Kildonan-St. Paul, on Thursday introduced her proposed clean Internet act, or Bill C-427, for first reading in Parliament.

The bill's full name is: "An act to prevent the use of the Internet to distribute child pornography, material that advocates, promotes or incites racial hatred, and material that portrays or promotes violence against women."

The bill's provisions would grant the Industry Minister special powers to search data as well as the ability to order an Internet service provider to block access to content deemed inappropriate."
CBC.ca


Laws sufficient to control child pornography already exist on the Canadian law books. This proposed bill is a piece of political grandstanding if I ever saw one.

I also am QUITE concerned that Canada's Industry Minister would be responsible for monitoring data on offending sites.

Is Industry Canada tagged with being the Internet Police for Stephen Harper's government?

Canadians should see that we have no need for this kind of legislation. Right wingers are always about controlling the lives of Canadian citizens. Tell MP Joy Smith to leave the internet alone.!

Political junkies love a good election! Our friends in the great province of Manitoba are going to the polls on May 22nd.



To keep you up to date on the Manitoba race, Buckdog has created a satellite blogging site, Buckdog's Manitoba Election Blog.

At dissolution the Manitoba Legislature was composed of:
35 New Democrats
19 Progressive Conservatives
2 Liberals
1 Independent
1 Vacant

Bookmark us and drop in over the course of the Manitoba Election 2007!

Here is the official site of Earth Day Canada

... and International Earth Day has a site as well.

... as well as the Earth Day Network




tag earth day

An attempt by the federal Conservatives to delay a new nomination race in the Calgary riding held by MP Rob Anders was denied Wednesday by an Alberta Appeal Court judge. On Tuesday, a lawyer for Anders argued that the MP would suffer irreparable harm if he had to fight a new nomination race in the wake of his disputed acclamation last summer.

CBC

Buckdog has been following the Rob Anders case for sometime. This story is not done yet. Stay tuned for further developments!

Manitoba Premier Gary Doer has called an election and voters will head to the polls on May 22, giving parties little more than a month to campaign.

At dissolution of the Legislature the composition was:
35 New Democrats
19 Progressive Conservatives
2 Liberals
1 Independent
1 Vacant

CTV

tag manitoba election

Once upon a time there was the Berlin Wall which separated the West and the Soviet Bloc nations. Today, the United States Military is constructing a three mile wall in Baghdad.

U.S. soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division in Baghdad are “building a three-mile protective wall on the dividing line between a Sunni enclave and the surrounding Shiite neighborhood,” according to a U.S. military press release issued Wednesday.

Troops with the 407th Brigade Support Battalion began constructing the wall on April 10 and will continue work “almost nightly until the wall is complete,” the release read.

-New York Times
-Stars & Stripes

tag Baghdad Wall

Progressive individuals who are interested in labour news, issues and blog posts might want to bookmark LabourStart, a really well run aggregator.

Organized labour is a force to be reckoned with in the Canadian economy and those who are aware of that should NOT be without access to this site. Those who are not aware of the importance of organized labour also need LabourStart!

LabourStart

Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien says "when you give a toonie to a panhandler, that's just part of the money they are going to use to go off and buy some crystal meth or crack."

Ahhh.... good old fashioned christian charity .... 'eh Your Worship!?



CFRA Radio Headlines

The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday that it would not hear a bid by Wal-Mart to challenge the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board over a union effort to organize company stores in the province.

Wal-Mart has been fighting efforts to certify unions at a number of its Canadian stores.

CBC.ca

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The New Democratic Party introduced a bill on Thursday to scrap bank-machine fees, intensifying pressure on banks which have already been targeted by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

"Its just been tabled today," NDP lawmaker Judy Wasylicia-Leis told banking executives testifying before a parliamentary finance committee.

"It calls for changes to the Bank Act -- which Mr. Flaherty says is quite possible -- to prohibit and eliminate fees in terms of electronic transfer of funds, that are used now by banks," she said.

-Yahoo.com
-Banks Will Not Reveal ATM Profits

The problem is that his consultant is on the public payroll paid for by taxpayers. Canadians should not be required to pay for him to look presentable!!

Canadians will soon tire of Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May running around ranting ... 'I'm the victim of an unfair system - I DESERVE a seat in the House of Commons!"

Canadian voters know that the honour of a seat in the House of Commons is earned, it is not handed to someone who exceeds at politcal whining and carping.

Overall, Green Party tactics have completely degenerated in the last couple of days now that their senior strategist has walked away from May's idiotic strategy.

Certain Green bloggers are now resorting to drive by smears on sites that no one can respond to - no comments allowed / no email address - no retort possible.

This is all going to backfire in May's face. People tire very quickly of self promoting victims. May has taken her 'victim' role to new heights.

Elizabeth .... you are not much of a strategist!

Photo courtesy The Gazette

Between the first and second shootings at Virginia Tech, gunman Cho Seung-hui mailed a multi media package contain a video and still photos.

-MSNBC Special
-BBC coverage
-The Chronicle


tag Cho Seung-Hui

Hat Tip to blogging a dead horse.

From CBC's The Current, Elizabeth May, Ed Broadbent and Val Meridith go over the Dion / May agreement.

Blow by blow commentary is dead on!

Again, thanks to BADH.

Confidential interviews with one of the speechwriters for President George Bush PROVES that he is not an idiot and his 'folksy' way of speaking - and supposed errors - are ALL carefully calculated!







tag bush is no idiot

Cruising the news today, I came across two separate stories where a soccer mom has taken a wrong turn in life and ran into the long arm of the law.

The first story concerns an out of control soccer mom's abandonment of her daughter on a highwayh and the second a soccer mom who turns to drugs. Mothers Day should not be celebrated for these two:

-Soccer mom who left her teen alongside interstate ticketed for neglect: police

-Soccer Mom who kept meth lab in car gets year


tag soccer mom

UPDATE: SERVICE SLOWLY BEING RESTORED!

The Blackberry system failed throughout the United States around 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday evening. Parent company, Research In Motion, didn't say when the problem may be fixed!

Many non Blackberry users are getting used to the 'click click click' of colleagues who seem to be using their hand held electronic devices constantly.

Withdrawl symptoms will become more evident the longer the system is down.

RIM shares fell 2% before the bell on stockmarkets this morning as a result of the difficulties.

-CTV
-Reuters

UPDATE: (System still down)

tag blackberry

Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich from Ohio will introduce Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Cheney later this week:

Dear Colleague:
This week I intend to introduce Articles of Impeachment with respect to the conduct of Vice President Cheney. Please have your staff contact my office . . . if you would like to receive a confidential copy of the document prior to its introduction in the House.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich
Member of Congress


Washington Post

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution states:
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

tag dick cheney

Derek Zeisman, who was the candidate in the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior, pleaded guilty to the smuggling charge Monday in Surrey provincial court.

He was fined $5,000 and forfeits his car.

CBC

Dan Baril, senior Green party strategist, resigned his post because of disagreements with Elizabeth May over the pact struck by the Greens with Stephane Dion.

Let me reassure ALL Green Party members and supporters that you have NOTHING at all to worry about. I am quite sure that Stephane Dion and all of the Liberal strategists have only the best interests of the Green Party at heart.

Just do as the Liberal strategists tell you and I am sure that you will be just fine!!!!!

The Star

tag The End Of The Green Party of Canada

I mean, I'm just wondering????

Backgrounder on Liberal Party of Canada Activity That Saw Our Tax Dollars Go For Their Own Political Enrichment - In Case You Forgot Exactly How This Crew Operated


tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

CTV story on the disgraced Liberal Party of Canada in case anyone has forgotten why the people of Canada threw the beggars out of office


tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

Technorati has a great new tag that you can use on posts about the bizarre nonsense Stephane Dion and his discredited Liberal Party are doing in Central Nova.

Just add the following script to your posts to tag it appropriately:
"http://technorati.com/tag/The+End+Of+The+Liberal+Party+Of+Canada" rel="tag">The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada"

tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

It is time to call a spade a spade.

- The discredited Liberal Party came THIRD in Central Nova last election.
- The fledgling Green Party came FOURTH.
- The New Democratic candidate came SECOND.

If Dion's motivation had ANYTHING to do with defeating Peter MacKay, then the Liberals would throw their weight behind the New Democratic candidate.

So what is this all about? It is about Dion's fear of the New Democratic Party and his desperate attempt to shore up his dismal polling numbers (not to mention his disastrous 'leadership preference numbers').

The Liberal Party of Canada is corrupt, and crooked and has lost its way. This is NOT your grandpa's old Liberal Party. The Liberal leadership is playing with fire - I hope that Dion burns his fingers before this is all said and done.


tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

Canada's Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor says we may need to extend our military committment in Afghanistan another 10 - 15 years. Somehow I do not believe that Canadians will accept that view.

Ottawa announced last week that it was getting 20 Leopard II tanks on loan from Germany and purchasing another 100 tanks from the Netherlands. The total price tag is $650 million.

Globe & Mail

A serious family feud between senior Liberal Party strategists Ray Heard and Scott Reid has broken out over aspects of Stephane Dion's leadership style and recent decisions in Central Nova.

At the same time, a handful of dedicated Liberal bloggers are running around trying to convince New Democrats to vote Lib, almost unaware that their own party is starting to collapse around them.

Bourque provides excellent background to what is causing this little Liberal infight. This is must read stuff for both Liberals and Non Liberals alike.

Pierre Bourque

tag The End Of The Liberal Party Of Canada

Tory Cabinet Minister Jason Kenney required police protection at a meeting of his Calgary constituents who were angry about broken promises over changes to Income Trust taxation laws.

Police watched over the crowd while plain-clothed officers sat amongst the attendees.

Kenney, ever the Tory trooper, took all of the anger in stride. At one point during the uproar he told the crowd, "I wish I had brought some valium for my friends here." After the nasty little meeting, he told a reporter that sometimes promises have to be broken.

Canadians are becoming aware of the new 'Kenney Doctrine.' The Stephen Harper government has been practicing the Kenney Doctrine quite a lot lately raising the anger of Saskatchewan, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canadian Wheat Board supporters, in fact if you are angry at broken Conservative promises, 'take a number and get in line'.

Way to go Mr. Kenney. This couldn't be happening to a more deserving politician.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Definition of the NEW 'Kenney Doctrine':
'Just because a Conservative tells you they are going to do something -or- aren't going to do something, actually means shit.'
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-CTV
-Vancouver Sun

Photo courtesy CTV

Mahmoud Jaballah is a suspected terrorist living in Canada. He was arrested and held for six years in a Canadian jail. He was NEVER charged with anything. He has NEVER seen the evidence that has caused suspicion against him.

Canadian right wingers - most likely those of feeble intelligence who support Steven Harper and his crew, will call me 'soft' on terrorism for my position, but allow me to ask one question. What the hell goes on, when you hold someone for six years and after six years you have nothing to nail him with in a court of law?

I fully understand Canada needs measures and laws to protect us from those who would hurt us. Somehow, if authorities CANNOT come up with sufficient evidence AFTER SIX BLOODY YEARS - then something is VERY WRONG with our anti-terrorism laws and process.

So now he is only under 'house arrest' ....

CTV News

Thomas Walkom has a good article on Canada's future in Afghanistan in the Toronto Star today. Here is an excerpt:

"First, we are losing. This is not a popular thing to say. Nor is it a reflection on the skill and bravery of Canadian and other allied troops. But it is a hard fact that has to be faced.

The Taliban don't have to beat NATO to win. All they have to do is stay in the game, which is what they are doing.

But for NATO, a military victory requires much more. It requires that the insurgency be crushed. For a variety of reasons – including the fact that to many in Afghanistan's south, the Taliban are the home team – that is not happening. This is the fearful asymmetry of guerrilla warfare.

We might be able to succeed militarily if we stayed in Afghanistan indefinitely and were willing to accept hundreds of additional Canadian casualties. But we are not. Every death, every televised commemoration ceremony, further erodes public support for a war that was never widely popular.

This is the second reason why this war cannot be sustained. Support at home is limited and dwindling.
[...]
When Canadian officers refer to this war as one that will take generations to win – as did Task Force Afghanistan's deputy commander Col. Mike Cessford this week – the country viscerally recoils in horror."


The Star

"The conflict in Iraq is inflicting immense suffering on the entire population," The International Committee of the Red Cross writes in a report issued Wednesday.

The document, entitled "Civilians Without Protection" sketches major humanitarian issues facing Iraqi civilians and sounds a dire alarm about looming crises in infrastructural issues such as the food supply, clean water, medical care, electricity and fuel, as well as the effects of the war and security situation on civilians, including lack of protection from the war, and the sufferring of families separated by displacement and detention.

iraqslogger

On both sides of the Iraqi and Afghanistani conflicts, it is the children who are suffering the worst. Politics aside, This is what George Bush and Al Qaeda and the Taliban have done to children in these conflicts. Here is a sample of how children in Canada, Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering:



Children in 'real crisis' on Petawawa military base: ombudsman

Al Qaeda use children in attacks

Military docs treat Afghan war's suffering young ones

Iraqi kids get soccer balls from Omaha children

Yawn


-Green Liberals
-Dion & May ink election deal
-Green Candidate praises 9/11

A Psychological Expose' of Creationism's Secret Genesis
by Peter Michaelson
Peter Michaelson is a psychotherapist and author in Pasadena, CA.

The Christian right is using pseudo-science and mass-marketing techniques as a Trojan horse against reason, journalist and author Chris Hedges argued last week. Obviously, he’s right to be alarmed. And we can go deeper into the issue by asking why the Christian right is so determined to undermine reason.

The danger of creationism, Hedges writes, “is that, like the pseudo-science of Nazi eugenics, it allows facts to be accepted or discarded according to the dictates of a preordained ideology.” Nazi eugenics refers to the doctrine that racial engineering and sterilization can help to create a master race. The doctrine of eugenics was a self-defeating coping strategy that arose following the German people’s collapse into self-doubt, despair, and even self-hatred after their humbling defeat in World War I and their country’s subsequent hyper-inflation and economic depression.

Creationism, which identifies humanity as a master species in God’s image, is also a coping strategy for a poor sense of self. The doctrine contends that human beings are special creations of God who have miraculously bypassed the evolutionary process that shapes all life forms. People embrace this belief as truth because doing so is emotionally satisfying: This belief elevates them in their own eyes. It’s really not about God at all. In a process that is mostly unconscious, these individuals are desperate to feel recognized and validated by something bigger and better than them. God just happens to do the trick. This desperation for recognition arises out of their underdeveloped sense of self. Even their great hunger for salvation is a craving for rescue from such an impoverished experience of self.

Like eugenics, creationism is also self-defeating. Because it is used to cover up psychological issues, it’s a blockage in the path of its adherents’ self-development. If they refuse to believe in the possibility of evolution, they reject knowledge of who and what they are. This obviously limits their potential for growth. They sacrifice their well-being for an ideology: Their self-imposed stagnation becomes their evidence for the falsity of human evolution.

People with a poor sense of self often compensate by convincing themselves that they are superior. This is the mechanism of narcissists, who also have an exceedingly weak sense of self. The doctrine of eugenics, too, was a statement of superiority, induced by self-doubt and self-loathing. Creationists are also eager for some means by which to feel superior. They can feel superior by believing they’re specially chosen by God. They can also convince themselves they are morally superior by condemning the beliefs and actions of humanists, secularists, and liberals. Their “superiority” extends, of course, to all creatures as well as the laws of nature.

Read the entire article in OpEdNews


tag christian right creationism fundamentalism

Wow! Talk about a cozy relationship ... is there more going on here then the fact that the Liberals are NOT going to run a candidate against the Green Party Leader in Central Nova? Where I come from, when two individuals are seen smooching and necking and holding hands, you have to wonder if something more isn't on the horizon.

Are we looking at a merger of two Canadian political parties? Are the Liberals courting the Greens or are the Greens courting the Liberals? Who gets to wear the wedding dress - Elizabeth May or Stephane Dion?


Let's look at the facts. The Green Party of Canada seems to want to have Leaders with a right wing bent. Jim Harris, the former leader, had been a Progressive Conservative and it is pretty hard to make a true 'progressive' out of someone who is a conservative.

Elizabeth May has been far too cozy with the Mulroney crowd and I have a hard time picturing her as a true progressive as well. Her 'anti-choice' position is also a bit uncomfortable for a 'progressive.'

Meanwhile, those of us who cautioned the Liberals that they were going to have a very HARD time selling Dion have been proven correct by poll after poll.

So what are we witnessing here? A desperate Dion trying to find something that is relevant to Canadians? Is May showing her true political colours? She is no social democrat, that's for sure.

If a political marriage is around the corner, I predict dire consequences for both of these parties. But as a New Democrat .... oh well. I simply can't see Canadians embracing the Green Liberal Party of Canada.


CBC

BAGHDAD -- An explosion ripped through the Iraqi parliament building's cafeteria inside the capital's tightly guarded Green Zone today, killing eight people -- at least two of them lawmakers -- in the latest security breach in what is supposed to be Baghdad's safest area.

It was the second attack in a day to shock even war-hardened Iraqis. Eight hours earlier, a truck bomb tore apart a major bridge spanning the Tigris River in Baghdad, sending cars tumbling into the water. At least 10 people died, and rescue workers continued to comb the waters for additional victims.

It is nice to see that George Bush's surge strategy is working so well!

LA Times

On March 29th, Federal Cabinet Minister, Stockwell Day announced that there would be an independent investigation into RCMP pension allegations. With much fanfare, a Federal Government news release stated, "Ottawa, March 29, 2007 — The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, today announced that Canada’s New Government will launch immediately a full, independent investigation into allegations made before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, related to the administration of the RCMP pension plan."

Two weeks later - nothing.

The Globe & Mail

One of the most brilliant authors of the 20th Century, Kurt Vonnegut died today at age 84.

The author of titles such as Slaughter House Five, Cat's Cradle, Breakfast of Champions and many other brilliant works, Vonnegut achieved near cult status with his fans.


-Fox News
-iht

tag kurt vonnegut

Two Canadians have been killed and three injured in Afghanistan, a military official at CFB Gagetown says.

Lt.-Col. Paul Kearney said the military unit involved is from Petawawa, Ont.

-Globe & Mail
-CTV

Federal Minister of Defense, Gordon O'Connor said the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan is conditional on local security forces being able to meet their own security needs.

"We don't want to be there forever. Our exit strategy is to try to get Afghan governance, development and security to such a level that they can look after themselves," said O'Connor.

Too bad he again has NOT used this opportunity to tell Canadians what is happening in the ongoing talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban!!

National Post

"The underlying military reality is that the United States has long since “lost” the war in Iraq. As many military and intelligence analysts recognize, it is not winnable in any normal sense of the word. The “surge” of sending tens of thousands more U.S. troops into Iraq only guarantees that the final body count will be higher and the piles of IOUs bigger."

'Surging' Toward Failure in Iraq
By Robert Parry
Consortium News
April 10, 2007

Iraqis Face Immense Suffering

'Warmonger'
Pronunciation: 'wor-"m&[ng]-g&r, -"mä[ng]-
Function: noun
def: one who urges or attempts to stir up war
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary

In his April 9th article in the Calgary Sun, entitled, 'Freed Sailors No Victory', right wing columnist Ezra Levant bemoans the fact that Great Britain did not make war with Iran.

"The Iranian kidnapping of 15 British servicemen -- legally in Iraqi waters on a UN-sanctioned mission, no less -- was as much an act of war as the Argentinian invasion [of the Falklands islands]. But instead of meeting war with war -- launching a raid to seize the hostages, or striking at military or strategic sites in Iran, or even attacking Iran's nuclear facilities -- Prime Minister Tony Blair did nothing but wait."
Ezra Levant
April 9th
Calgary Sun

Using this article to praise Margaret Thatcher for her war with Argentina, Ezra clearly is disappointed that the Blair government did not start the spark of war that just might trigger a massive tragedy in the Middle East.

Levant is irresponsible at best, a warmonger at worst. He should be held in contempt by all reasonable people.

Liberal organizers are scrambling to find suitable air transport for their leader's tour in the next federal election after Air Canada told them it has no plane available.

While the Conservatives and NDP have secured arrangements with Canada's largest airline in past elections, the Liberals have flown with other airlines.

CTV

The 2006 Canadian UFO Survey recorded the third largest number of sightings in its 17-year history and shows there's still a great deal of interest in unexplained phenomena in the sky.

British Columbia and Ontario had the highest number of recorded cases, but Saskatchewan posted an all-time record of 98 sightings. About half of the Saskatchewan sightings occured near the town of Maidstone.

It is interesting to note that a prominent federal politician, Paul Hellyer, Canada’s Defence Minister from 1963-67 under Prime Minister Lester Pearson and deputy prime minister under Pierre Trudeau, has publicly stated, "UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head."

In early September 2005, Hellyer made headlines by publicly announcing that he could confirm that UFOs exist. On 25 September 2005, he was an invited speaker at an exopolitics conference in Toronto, where he told the audience that as well as his official briefings, he had actually seen a UFO one night with his late wife and some friends.

CTV News

Andrew Coyne writes about Stephen Harper and the lies he tells in an article entitled, Harper has learned well published - Monday, April 09, 2007 in the National Post.

National Post

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is involved in ongoing talks with the Taliban.

"We have had representatives from the Taliban meeting with different bodies of the Afghan government for a long time. "I have had some Taliban coming to speak to me as well."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai

If talks are occuring, why are Canadians being killed in Afghanistan?

Why is the main stream media NOT asking this question of Stephen Harper?
Why is the main stream media NOT telling Canadians what is going on in that god forsaken country?

Happy Easter.

tag afghanistan Hamid Karzai taliban

Alpine climbers are worrying about the loss of classic ice climbing routes that are melting, from the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest and the Alps in Europe, to the Andes in South America and the Himalaya in Asia.

They are are bringing back first-hand accounts of vanishing glaciers, melting ice routes, crumbling rock formations and flood-prone lakes where glaciers once rose.

The observations are transforming a growing number of alpine and ice climbers, some of whom have scientific training, into witnesses of global warming. Increasingly, they are deciding not to leave it to scientists to tell the entire story.

CBC.ca

After more then a year of minority status in the House of Commons and two budgets, the prospect of a majority government is still eluding Stephen Harper and his not so new government.

An SES Research poll completed on April 5th shows the current pulse read of Canadians at:
Conservatives 36%
Liberals 33%
New Democrats 16%
Bloc Quebecois 10%

Canadians, by and large, have not been fooled by Stephen Harper's rhetoric and shell game budget tactics.

Broken promises on Equalization and Income Trusts have hurt the Conservatives and even thought they are putting a brave face on these issues, Canadians will not be fooled by these political tricksters.

I've had enough of Stephen Harper, how about you?

Reuters

Alberta Conservative MLA's have found a nifty way of lining their bulging pockets with even more taxpayers cash. By sitting on numerous 'advisory' committees, Alberta Tories sitting in the Legislature in Edmonton have found that attending a few extra meetings can be quite lucrative. Criticism of the practice is outlined in a well researched article in the Calgary Sun.

Here is a sample of some of the important committees that Conservative MLA’s need extra money for attending:
-Youth Secretariat
-Advanced Education Committee
-Northern Alberta Development Council
-Court Workers Program Review
-Agenda and Priorities Comm.
-Adv. Education Comm.
-MLA Task Force to launch Rural Development
-Standing Policy Comm.
-Treasury Board
-Committee on Workers Compensation
-Alberta Mental Health Advisory Comm.
-Standing Policy Committee
-Trade and Transportation Committee
-Local Authorities Election Act Review
-Regulatory Review Steering Comm.
-Public Affairs Bureau Review
-Alberta Film Commission
-Council of Status of Persons with Disabilities
-AISH Review Committee
-Endangered Species Conservation Comm.
-P.I. and Security Guard Review
-Healthy Aging and Continuing Care Comm.
-Task Force on Continuing Care Standards
-Alaska-Alberta Bilateral Council

Calgary Sun

I think that Toronto Sun columnist, Michael Coren may have completely lost it now, with proof evident in his article entitled, Answering Christianity Haters.

His new theory is that 'the fragile, beautiful and delicate religion of christianity is in peril as a result of those godless ones who hate christians'.

He states, (with a straight face and stern disposition) "Hitler was a Catholic. Not at all. He was born a Catholic but hated Christianity and some of the most devoted Nazi theorists wrote that their contempt for Judaism was based less on anti-Semitism than the fact the Jews gave the world Jesus."

Talk about historical revisionism!

Think for a second what Coren is suggesting here; 6 million Jews were slaughtered not because the Nazi's hated Jews, but because they hated Christians and the Jews were obviously responsible for Jesus and christianity!

NOTE TO THE EDITOR OF THE TORONTO SUN: - How much do you guys pay for nonsense like this? ... Oh, and maybe one of you editors may want to pay a bit more attention to what it is you are publishing by this character - because if I were Jewish, I think I may want to have a few words with you about what is being said in this article!!!

POSTSCRIPT: By the way, Michael Coren is the DEVOUT Christian who wants to "NUKE IRAN."

"We have had representatives from the Taliban meeting with different bodies of the Afghan government for a long time," Karzai told a news conference. "I have had some Taliban coming to speak to me as well."
Afghan President Hamid Karzai

So will Stephen Harper now start referring to the President of Afghanistan as 'Taliban Karzai'? If he won't, why not? That is what the mean spirited Tories were calling Jack Layton for merely suggesting that we may have to talk with the Taliban.

It is time for Canadians to ask Mr. Harper a very direct and pertinent question. Exactly what are Canadians fighting for in Afghanistan, sir?

Newsday.com

tag Hamid Karzai taliban

Science is science. It is based on observation and experimentation to determine fact. Climate change is observable and the facts are in.

So what are reasonable persons to think of the vile rantings of right wing bloggers like the owner of the smalldeadanimals blog site?

Her abrasive and abusive verbal skills are lately obsessed with denying climate change. To that individual, science is perceived as 'political'. Her mindset is structured in such a way that she believes the scientists have decided to somehow 'hurt' the capitalist business world by demanding regulations that are not necessary.

What should responsible citizens do in the face of this kind of insanity? There are lots of them like her out there. They would allow the planet to be destroyed due to their small minds and nasty dispositions.

Let's not forget, this is the same sort of mindset that has perverted science and aims to teach young children that the planet is only 6000 years old to fit some mindless primitive religious doctrine that they are too fearful to move on from.

tag climate change Al Gore

During the Second World War, Canadian newspapers reported that the Nazi Germans had destroyed our war monument at Vimy Ridge.

But while the Germans did in fact destroy many historic French military sites, scrapping statues and rubbing out reminders of past defeats, Vimy was spared.

Hitler was even said to have admired the big Canadian landmark, imposing but with an elegant triumphal sweep.

To prove the allegations of destruction false, Hitler and his brass toured Vimy and the Nazi propaganda mill kicked in, cranking out their photographs. The above photo was intended to prove that the Vimy memorial had not been destroyed and the German media mocked what they considerd British war propaganda.

CNEWS

Former advertising executive Jean Lafleur, charged with 35 counts of fraud in relation to his involvement in the sponsorship program, has been arrested.

Quebec provincial police arrested Lafleur after his plane touched down at Montreal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport today.

-CTV.ca
-CBC.ca

Canada's Anti-terrorism Act allows government lawyers to meet secretly with a judge to decide what evidence should be hidden from the defence.

The Federal Court of Canada is currently hearing a matter where Section 38 of the Canada Evidence Act is being tested. Lawrence Greespon is representing Mohammad Khawaja who insists the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is being overruled by Canada's anti-terrorism measures.

How can any Canadian be expected to defend themselves properly if you are not able to face your accuser and to see the evidence that is being presented against you? Day by day, step by step, it seems as if Canadians are losing our freedoms as citizens. As long as right wing ideology is at the centre of our government, we are all in peril of losing our Charter protections

CBC

From Associated Press
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he has pardoned and will free the 15 British sailors and marines detained in the Gulf last month.

Ahmadinejad also gave medals of honor to the Iranian coast guards who intercepted the 15 British sailors and marines in the Gulf, saying Iran will never accept tresspassing of its territorial waters.

CTV

From Associated Press

PITTSBURG, N.H. -- A group that has patrolled for illegal immigrants along the United States borders with Mexico and parts of Canada is planning to extended operations in New Hampshire.

Organizers say the Minuteman Civil Defence Corps wants to patrol starting this weekend, but it needs more volunteers and contributions. Ron Oplinus, director of the state chapter, says the Minutemen do not welcome vigilantes or racists, although some members carry guns, which they are instructed to keep holstered.

He says the state chapter was established a year ago and has 36 members who have visited the Canadian border to establish an operating post.

-Union Leader
-CTV

The Independent has an exclusive today that sheds some light on the British captives in Iranian hands. Essentially it explains how a bid to kidnap Iranian security officials sparked a diplomatic crisis.

By Patrick Cockburn
Published: 03 April 2007

"A failed American attempt to abduct two senior Iranian security officers on an official visit to northern Iraq was the starting pistol for a crisis that 10 weeks later led to Iranians seizing 15 British sailors and Marines."

Independent


tag iran

Other then forcing millions of people up earlier in the morning, the promised energy savings from moving to an earlier onset of daylight savings time, has had NO measurable energy savings benefit.

Reuters

The Shiveluch Volcano in Russia erupted last week with an explosion of gas and ash that could be seen from satellites orbiting the earth.

Surrounded by fresh snow cover, the eruption stands out in stark relief.

UND.edu


tag volcano

Proving once again that right wingers talk 'democracy' and then use every trick in the book to impose their ideology on us, President George W. Bush has told Congress that he will veto 16 Bills if they come to him for his signature.

Despite the fact that American voters gave control of the House of Representatives and the Senate to the Democrats, Bush is going to do whatever he wants.

Washington Post


tag george bush

In a sweeping 5-4 decision released Monday, the United States Supreme Court rejected the Bush government's position on carbon dioxide. The Court has declared that The Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars.

The Bush administration has argued that carbon dioxide isn't a pollutant under The Clean Air Act, and therefore, the agency has no power to regulate them.

ABC News


tag global warming

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the authoritative U.N. network of 2,000 scientists and more than 100 governments will present a major report on Friday. No matter what the right wing 'Climate Change Denyers' are saying ... we need to listen to what the science is saying:

-Warming will cause demise of some species: Panel

-Scientists, diplomats to finalize report on impact of climate change

-IPCC: Global Warming Highway To Extinction

-Panel identifies species impacted by climate change


tag global warming

The story on the Chocolate Jesus sculpture is one of those news stories I had no interest in and was only vaguely aware of on the periphery of my daily news addiction. It is one of those things that creates a bit of a din in the background that I try not to hear.

However, when I finally took a look at the cause of the consternation, it became clear to me that there was one element to the story that seemed to be causing the most offense to 'believers'.

-It had nothing to do with creating a representation of Jesus in chocolate.
-It had nothing to do with the plan to let people eat the chocolate sculpture.
-It was all about the fact that the depiction of Jesus had his represented genitals exposed.

The Catholic League was the loudest and best organized voice in opposition to the public display of the sculpture.

In a series of News Releases from the Catholic League, it is clear that the 'genitals fully exposed' aspect of the art piece is what set them off. Every single news release mentioned the 'genitals' aspect.

It is too bad the more of these so called 'Catholics' don't do their Stations of the Cross - because the name of the 10th Station is 'Jesus is stripped of his garments'. From the official Vatican website we read the following excerpt under the 10th Station:
"Jesus is stripped of his garments. Clothing gives a man his social position; it gives him his place in society, it makes him someone. His public stripping means that Jesus is no longer anything at all, he is simply an outcast, despised by all alike. The moment of the stripping reminds us of the expulsion from Paradise: God’s splendour has fallen away from man, who now stands naked and exposed, unclad and ashamed. And so Jesus once more takes on the condition of fallen man. Stripped of his garments, he reminds us that we have all lost the “first garment” that is God’s splendour. At the foot of the Cross, the soldiers draw lots to divide his paltry possessions, his clothes."

UPDATE:
Artist says offers are pouring in for chocolate Jesus sculpture!

Houston Chronicle Article and photo of the offending sculpture


tag chocolate jesus