Buckdog

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"Geologists from the University of Leicester propose that humankind has so altered the Earth that it has brought about an end to one epoch of Earth's history and marked the start of a new epoch.

Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams at the University of Leicester and their colleagues on the Stratigraphy Commission of the Geological Society of London have presented their research in the journal GSA Today.

In it, they suggest humans have so changed the Earth that on the planet the Holocene epoch has ended and we have entered a new epoch - the Anthropocene.

They have identified human impact through phenomena such as:
* Transformed patterns of sediment erosion and deposition worldwide
* Major disturbances to the carbon cycle and global temperature
* Wholesale changes to the world's plants and animals
* Ocean acidification "
NASA

Reactionary right wing mouthpieces will argue that none of this is occuring and will completely deny that mankind has affected the planet negatively. It is unfortunate that in our modern world, their uninformed opinion carries any weight at all.

"It's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path."
John Edwards
(announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race)

Campaign Obituary: John Edwards

WINNIPEG - Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has appointed a new president and CEO of the Canadian Wheat Board.

Ian White, who has agribusiness experience in Australia, Canada and the United States, will hold the position for a three-year term starting March 31. Ritz says in a release that White has "strong support" from both the Tory government and the wheat board.

Former president Adrian Measner was fired in 2006 over his public opposition to the federal government's plan to end the Winnipeg-based agency's monopoly on barley sales.

According to the release, White has most recently served as managing director and CEO of Queensland Sugar Limited, an industry-owned marketing company.

He has also served as a senior executive at companies including Grainco Limited, AgPro Grain and Elders Grain.

Canadian Press

Reuters has more .....

The National Farmers Union, the Friends of the Canadian Board and Save our CWB all asked to be included in a meeting this morning between Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, Canadian Wheat Board officials and barley industry groups. Their request was never acknowledged nor replied to by the Harper government.

Well, ignoring the will of farmers is something the Harper government is getting good at so the groups sent representatives to Ottawa anyway to inform the public exactly what is happening with the Wheat Board and the make-up of today's meeting.

The Harper Conservative government planned to end single desk barley sales after conducting a rigged vote that excluded thousands of producers. However, the plan was stopped when the Federal Court ruled Ottawa could NOT end the CWB mandate without a full vote of Parliament. The Harper government is appealing the Federal Court decision and the case will be heard in court late next month.

-Winnipeg Free Press
-Tory myths about barley marketing ....


Other related stories ....
-International Business Community Backs the Canadian Wheat Board - Shocked at Harper's Plans

-New York Times Does Feature on Canadian Wheat Board Fight

-Tories Sink To New Depths On Barley Vote

I don't recall the Saskatchewan Party election platform containing anything on the construction of a nuclear power reactor! Premier Wall is now bemoaning the fact that federal safety regulations take too long to license the construction and operation of a reactor. Using the Homer Simpson method of nuclear safety may speed up the approval process, however, it leaves Saskatchewan residents worried about where we are heading with nuclear power generation.

Premier Wall and his government better remember that they have NO mandate to construct a reactor or to store nuclear waste from other jurisdictions. Any moves that the provincial government makes in this direction must be fully discussed and debated by the people of Saskatchewan.

Speed up nuclear approval process, Sask. Premier urges

All signs seem to indicate that Albertans are moving closer to a provincial election sooner rather than later. Taking a quick pulse reading shows that this could be a tough campaign for Alberta's 37 year old Tory government:

-Alberta's Unpopular Stelmach Ready To Call Election

-Stelmach insists he represents change

-Call off the election,Stelmach - Tories At 32%

-How will voters respond?

-Calgary Tory MLA Quits

Political junkies will owe me a debt of gratitude for helping you wend you way through tonight's State of the Union Address by the WORST President in the history of the United States of America.

Here are the rules of the game .... ensure that you have sufficient liquid beverages on hand because ... well ... with Bush speaking ... trying to sound intelligent ... you are going to need them! Enjoy!

-CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS:
Every time Bush says ______ (see list) take ____ drinks (see list)
***The 2008 State of The Union Address 'Drinking Game'***

-DISCLAIMER: Buckdog does not encourage irresponsible use of alcohol. It is important to know your own limits and to act accordingly. We highly discourage improper use of alcohol (but acknowledge that one or two may dull the effects that George Bush has on your intelligence).

And if you want ... here is the Full Text of the Address.

A recent poll suggests that Canadian voters are reflecting an old saying in New Democratic circles:

OTTAWA -- A new poll suggests Canada's political parties might want to retract their claws and tone down their bombast as they prepare for today's resumption of Parliament.
According to The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey, Canadians have little attachment to political parties and increasingly view the two main political competitors -- the Conservatives and the Liberals -- as interchangeable.
Joan Bryden
Winnipeg Free Press

"We're still working at it and waiting for authorization to go to Poland and Germany to speak to potential witnesses and get a sense of Mr. Dziekanski's life in the hours before he arrived in Vancouver. We're still waiting for government approval for those funds."
Cpl. Dale Carr
RCMP

The four RCMP officers who were involved in the death of Robert Dziekanski continue on the job while the probe investigating his death has stalled over a technicality that is probably intended to delay the proceedings.

So .. because the RCMP are waiting for federal funds to go to Poland to investigate the killing of Robert Dziekanski, all progress on the probe to investigate his death have stalled. You have to wonder how critical the visit to Poland is to determine why the RCMP were involved in killing Mr. Dziekanski? How convienient for the four RCMP officers who tasered him and knelt on his neck prior to his death. How very convienient indeed .... !

The Star

UPDATE: At the time of the incident, the Government of British Columbia promised an enquiry separate from the RCMP investigation ... now it looks as if the B.C. government is trying to let their earlier commitment just die ....

Regina man with neo-Nazi links charged with hate crimes
REGINA -- Police have charged a former university lecturer with wilfully promoting hatred after receiving a complaint about neo-Nazi and racist comments he allegedly posted online.

Police charge that between Feb. 1, 2004, and Nov. 1, 2007, Terrence Cecil Tremaine, 59, posted Internet messages that are hateful against an identifiable group.

Mr. Tremaine's house was raided by Regina police in June 2007. Police seized a computer, CDs, DVDs, software and books -- including a copy of Mein Kampf -- belonging to Mr. Tremaine.

The then-University of Saskatchewan math lecturer has been associated with the so-called National-Socialist Party of Canada, which uses the Nazi swastika and images of Adolf Hitler to promote itself.

A Web site he's been linked with claims it is being "attacked" by the B'nai Brith, the Canadian Jewish Congress and the Simon Weisenthal Centre.
National Post


Canadian Jewish Congress Applauds Laying of Hate Crime Charges
Toronto - Canadian Jewish Congress strongly endorses the decision of the Regina Police Service to lay charges under section 319(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada against Terry Tremaine for the content of his website www.nspcanada.org. Complaints against Tremaine were filed by Richard Warman and Canadian Jewish Congress in 2006.

"This website, which identified itself as the home of the National-Socialist Party of Canada, contained the vilest statements directed against members of the Jewish community," said CJC co-President Rabbi Reuven Bulka. "Jews are described in terms that might have been lifted directly from Nazi-era propaganda papers like Der Sturmer. Surely Canada's laws were meant to address this form of contemptible hatred."
Canadian Jewish Congress

A team of U.S. scientists is reporting that it has constructed the genome of a living organism for the first time. Assembling bits of lab-made DNA, researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Maryland say they have built the genetic structure of a bacterium from scratch in the lab.

The feat marks an historic, and controversial, milestone in the fledgling field known as synthetic biology. It uses chunks of synthetic DNA like Lego blocks, with an aim to creating life forms that can be genetically programmed to perform useful tasks.

Its proponents envision making micro-organisms that gobble up pollution, produce hard-to-make drugs, pump out clean energy, or, at the whimsical end, flowers designed to bloom on your birthday.

The field has raised profound ethical questions about human control of creation and its potential to produce new weapons of bio-terror. But the Venter project is also drawing criticisms of a different kind.

Bio-ethicists, and some scientists, allege the researchers have applied for such broad patents on their human-made genome that, if granted, they might give the group a monopoly on the making of all synthetic life forms – which some believe will fuel the next industrial revolution. (article continues ....)
CAROLYN ABRAHAM
Globe and Mail
January 24, 2008

John Cruickshank, Publisher, CBC News, addresses the recent controversy concerning reporters providing questions to elected politicians and their staff.

"In mid-December, as Brian Mulroney was appearing before the parliamentary ethics committee, allegations were made that a CBC reporter had provided Liberal MPs with written questions to pose to the former prime minister.

Once we established that a legitimate concern about professional conduct had been raised, we took the reporter off the story and turned to our Journalistic Standards and Practices guide to help us deal with this matter.

As Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC has a special responsibility to our national audience. Part of that responsibility is that the process of accountability has to be transparent. We are obliged to show how and why we reach the decisions we do.

In this case, the publicity surrounding it led to considerable debate in other media, a formal complaint to the CBC Ombudsman from the Conservative party and an internal disciplinary process, which has now concluded.

Serious complaints about CBC programming go to the Ombudsman, an independent arbiter accountable to the public and not CBC management. The Ombudsman informs complainants of CBC actions, as he has done in this instance, and launches his own investigation if an initial response is found unsatisfactory.

As the publisher of CBC News, I feel it is important to address some of the arguments made about this incident.

Some people have suggested that this kind of interplay between reporter and politician is normal practice in parliamentary reporting, the kind of give-and-take that goes on in the cultivation of sources and pursuit of information. Others condemn it as unethical and unprofessional.

From the beginning, members of the CBC radio and television news operation on Parliament Hill took the position that what happened in this case was neither normal nor in keeping with the practices to which they are committed.

After a thorough, internal investigation, I can only agree with that assessment and the reporter involved has been reassigned to a different job in Toronto where she can receive further training.
Perceptions of partiality

One of the key principles outlined in our handbook is that our journalists must not have any association, or engage in activities, that could reasonably give rise to perceptions of partiality.

On the surface, this seems like a straightforward rule. But in the heat of the journalistic hunt, I can understand how it can sometimes be overlooked.

This has not been an easy decision. Our audiences want us to bring them "inside knowledge." As their delegates in the press gallery, we get a front-row seat at a drama they can only watch from a distance.

What's more, I am convinced that the Canadian public is sophisticated enough to realize it is well served by the intense and proper competition for news scoops that exists at every parliamentary, legislative and municipal bureau across the country. That competitive spirit sustains the press in its watchdog function and it is a spirit I hope to encourage at every possible occasion.

But our role at the CBC is different from the private media whose obligation is, ultimately, only to their shareholders.

Our very mandate is to provide Canadians with a view of their political life unobstructed by bias. To do that, we must be detached from partisan interest, and professional and dispassionate in all aspects of our reporting. We must be seen to be all these things as well.
The case in question

When, as in the present instance, it is revealed that a reporter has been collaborating, even if only obliquely, with one party or another, an appearance of partisanship emerges that cannot be dispelled by claims that this is how political reporters interact with their sources.

In this case, our reporter provided questions to two Liberal MPs using her BlackBerry in the hope that these would be put to the former prime minister during the committee hearings.

I accept the reporter's explanation that she did not do this to advantage the Liberals or hurt the Conservatives — that she just wanted answers for her story.

She believed it was permissible to create a temporary alliance of convenience with the Liberals if it would help determine whether Brian Mulroney had lobbied a Tory minister on a recent matter.

But in this kind of information sharing, reporters can become part of the story they are covering, which is not our role. Any time a reporter plants a question and covers the results, they are deceiving their audience about their detachment and fairness.

For our reporters, this makes cultivating sources problematic. We can't make deals that leave us beholden either to members of the government or any opposition party.

We have to stand apart. Our mandate demands it and our audience, the people of Canada, deserve it."
John Cruickshank
Publisher CBC News
CBC News Editors' Blog

"It is inherently dangerous to allow a country such as Iraq to retain weapons of mass destruction, particularly in light of its past aggressive behaviour. If the world community fails to disarm Iraq, we fear that other rogue states will be encouraged to believe that they too can have these most deadly of weapons to systematically defy international resolutions and that the world will do nothing to stop them."
- Stephen Harper supporting the American invasion of Iraq, House of Commons, March 20, 2003. No weapons of mass destruction have been ever been found in Iraq.

As Canadians, let's NOT FORGET that Stephen Harper wanted Canada to join Bush in his military invasion of Iraq.

Harper and his Conservatives would have had us mired up to our necks in this disaster. Why is it that no one in the MSM is holding Stephen Harper to account for his statements on Iraq? Why is it that Kate and her 'smalldeadanimals' extremists are not being held to account for their support of Harper's position on Iraq?

Right wingers get off far too easy in the main stream media. Harper was wrong!

Canadians should be thankful that we are NOT losing lives in Iraq. REMEMBER THIS, our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper WANTED CANADA TO SEND TROOPS INTO IRAQ! His judgement was flawed on this issue. I suggest to you that Stephen Harper's judgement continues to be flawed on any number of other important issues.

The sooner he is thrown out of office, the safer Canadians will be.

Most civilized nations consider 'child soldiers' in a war or conflict to be 'victims'. Not so Stephen Harper and Canada's Conservative government. In the case of Omar Khadr, the Harper government has bent over and kissed the butt of George Bush's American war machine and have done nothing to ensure that Khadr is treated as a child soldier.

Entering the story is the very civilized nation of France.

"Pascale Andreani, a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, said Khadr must be given special treatment because he was a minor at the time. She said France considers "all children associated with an armed conflict...should be treated accordingly. As a minor at the time of the events, Mr. Khadr must be given special treatment - a point on which there is a universal consensus," Andreani said. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada won't intervene in Khadr's trial."
Canadian Press

"WASHINGTON - A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration's position that the world community viewed Iraq's leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat. [...]

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq's links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell's 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

"The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war," the study concluded."
DOUGLASS K. DANIEL
Associated Press Writer

Yahoo News

"We want a change in political direction on the major issues of the country. If Mr. Harper is prepared, in the context of a minority government, to change his direction on fundamental questions, we can continue. But we have no evidence that he will do that, so Canadians will be obliged to pronounce themselves on that direction."
Jack Layton
January, 2008

"We're not ruling in or out any particular parliamentary strategy,"
Ralph Goodale
Liberal House Leader
January, 2008

-Layton Pushing For Federal Election
-Liberals continue to wobble about tactics to topple Tories

Love him or hate him, Robert Lenuieux has his place in Canadian history as the lawyer for the Front de libération du Québec - FLQ.

"Robert Lemieux, the radical Montreal lawyer who made his reputation defending FLQ terrorists in the 1960s and '70s, was found dead at his house in Sept Îles Monday. He was 66. Lemieux was a handsome, highly emotional, volatile showman who was himself jailed for four months during the 1970 FLQ crisis under the War Measures Act on charges of seditious conspiracy.

During his career as a lawyer for the Front de libération du Québec, he defended more than 30 terrorists, and represented the members of the so-called Chénier cell, who kidnapped Quebec cabinet minister Pierre Laporte, who was strangled.

Lemieux was the eldest of six children in a Radio-Canada technician's family. He was educated at Collège Mont St. Louis, and in 1965 obtained his law degree from McGill University, where he was influenced by civil libertarian Frank Scott."
ALAN HUSTAK
The Montreal Gazette

Buckdog is featuring another guest blogger today. My friend, The Watcher, authors Fundie Watch with the sole purpose of keeping an eye on the Religious Right.

"I thought I'd drop in and see how everybody's favorite unbiased, right-wing encyclopedia is doing these days. It definitely looks better off than it was back when I first found them, but they've gotten a lot angrier and bile-spewing. Creator Andrew Schlafly, started out trying to be more neutral than Wikipedia, but they've left that goal far behind and now just appear to be a right-wing propaganda machine.

Let's have a look at their "In the News" section on the homepage. This includes headlines that would be of interest to conservatives. When it's not obvious why they're of conservative interest, there's a helpful smartass remark after each one.

U.S. "abortions dropped a stunning 8% between 2000 and 2005" and the ratio of pregnant women who have an abortion fell to its lowest ratio since 1974: "given truthful information about abortion," "many women will choose life." .... The post continues here ....

-Conservapedia

Outdoor clotheslines are currently banned under some municipal bylaws and contracts with home builders. But Ontario is looking at allowing clotheslines for anyone who lives in a freehold detached, semi-detached or row house where they are not allowed.

Allowing natural forces like the sun and a light breeze to dry clothes makes far more sense than using the electricity that a dryer requires.

-Cnews
-The Star

The ad is not authorized by the Huckabee team - just a bunch of good old southern boys telling you why they 'Like Mike'!

Twenty-five years ago today, on January 21, 1983, the ex-wife of Colin Thatcher was brutally murdered in her garage in Regina. Former husband, Colin Thatcher, son of former Saskatchewan Premier Ross Thatcher and a serving Saskatchewan Conservative M.L.A. and Cabinet Minister, was later convicted of murdering his ex wife.

Two years after an unsuccessful attempt on her life, JoAnn was found beaten and shot to death in the garage of her Regina home. After a lengthy police investigation, Thatcher was charged.


-Colin Thatcher Timeline

-Ex-wife of Colin Thatcher Murdered - VIDEO

-Colin Thatcher Granted Parole

-A Marriage Gone Wrong

"Alberta got a new political party on Saturday as the right wing Alberta Alliance and Wildrose Parties agreed to merge to form the Wildrose Alliance Party. The party will be led by former Alliance leader Paul Hinman, its only MLA."
CBC

Alberta has been like a conveyor belt creating new right wing political parties over the years. There was the Social Credit Party, The Reform Party, The Alberta Alliance Party and The Wildrose Party.

Over the weekend a threat to the Alberta Progressive Conservatives became a bit more realistic with the merger of these two fringe parties.

As Alberta prepares for the next provincial election, due this year, it will be interesting to see if the new Wildrose Alliance Party can steal enough votes from the PC's to allow the Libs and New Democrats to win a few more seats.

Merged parties take aim at Stelmach Tories - Edmonton Journal

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's military chief of staff said Saturday that Moscow could use nuclear weapons in preventive strikes to protect itself and its allies, the latest aggressive remarks from increasingly assertive Russian authorities.

Associated Press

All of the nuclear powers should immediately undertake to NEVER initiate the use of nuclear weapons on this planet!


- 'May you live in interesting times ...' -
(Ancient Chinese curse)

The ongoing Liberal soap opera in Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River riding continues. No one in Dion's crew seems able to cap this political blowout. Every day that it rages on, Saskatchewan residents find that their general shunning of the Liberal party is wise. Regina Leader-Post columnist, Murray Mandryk takes us through the twisty, windy corridors of Liberal antics in Saskatchewan!

"What's curious about the Liberal fireworks in the Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River riding is how long they're lasting.

Such nasty nomination fights in the normally tranquil night skies of politics are very much like fireworks -- bright and noisy enough to make us "ooh" and "ahh" and not want to look away for a few moments, but over so quickly that you barely recall the next day exactly what it was that you found so enthralling.

Well, the fireworks are still exploding and there are several reasons why -- not the least of which is the eagerness of some Liberals to use this fight to take out leader Stephane Dion and Ralph Goodale in Saskatchewan.

Had the controversy surrounding Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River followed the usual pattern, it would have fizzled in a day or two. By now, one would think, overtures would have been made to aggrieved nomination candidates John Dorion and David Orchard, who would be now be singing Dion's praises for insisting on running an aboriginal woman in what is still (amazingly enough) a winnable seat for the Liberals.

One might even think that Marcel Head -- the push behind setting up an entirely new Liberal riding association and perhaps Orchard's conduit in this affair -- would have by now found a reason to fully endorse Joan Beatty's candidacy as a sign of party unity and loyalty." (The article continues ..... in the Regina Leader Post

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Canadian and coalition forces trying to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people face the prospect of a new kind of insurgency as a result of mounting civilian casualties from military operations.

Frightened residents in one village say tension is brewing after Canadian gunfire hit civilians during a battle with insurgents about five days before Christmas.

A 12-year-old boy said he was there when soldiers — whom he insisted were Canadian because he recognized their vehicles — shot and killed his father and seven-year-old brother while they tended crops north of Kandahar city.

"I said ‘Let’s go. Let’s run.’ But my father said ‘What are you talking about? We have shovels in our hands, no one’s going to shoot us,’ " said the boy ..."

The Chronicle Hearald

Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large for National Review Online and rightwing extremist, had his political ass spanked by Jon Stewart on 'A Daily Show', last night.

Goldberg is the political alchemist who has penned a bizarre book called Liberal Fascism. In it, he uses his idiotic right wing logic to explain why 'liberals' have labeled Mussolini a 'fascist':
"The reason why we see fascism as a thing of the right is because fascism was originally a form of right-wing socialism. Mussolini was born a socialist, he died a socialist, he never abandoned his love of socialism, he was one of the most important socialist intellectuals in Europe and was one of the most important socialist activists in Italy, and the only reason he got dubbed a fascist and therefore a right-winger is because he supported World War I."

To quote Nicole Belle, "Um, actually, not so much. Mussolini was dubbed a fascist because he founded the Fascist Party, you big, fact-ignoring dope."

Canada's master political revisionist and hater, Kate at smalldeadanimals, simply loves Goldberg. I'm not surprised ...


Here is the link to a clip of the interview with Jonah Goldberg.

If you missed the launch last night - why not take a good look at our new site ... kick the tires ... and let us know what you think!



-Here's what is happening!
-New Democrats Online NEW Blogroll

Introducing New Democrats Online ...
"Welcome to the Beta version of New Democrats Online, the next generation site for the Blogging Dippers community. The Blogging Dippers is an online community of bloggers who support the New Democratic Party or its policies. This site is part of an ongoing project to build a new online home for our community. Our goal is for the new site to be a better resource for our members by making it more user friendly. This is part of a broader strategy to attract new bloggers and readers, facilitate political discourse through emerging media, and promote the values and policies of the NDP."
New Democrats Online


-New Dippers Site in Beta... It's True
-Beta New Democrats Online Launched!
-New Democrats Online now in Public Beta
-New Democrats Online Beta Made Public

Call this shameless self promotion, but Buckdog has been nominated in 4 categories in the Canadian Blog Awards.

I'd be honoured to receive your vote!

Here is how you can help this blog get a little bit of recognition in the CBA's: Vote BUCKDOG!

-Best Canadian Blog

-Best Canadian Political Blog

-Best Canadian Progressive Blog

-Best Blog Post - Buckdog: 1 in 4 Americans Believe Jesus Will Return in 2007

Thanks!

Buckdog is featuring a guest blogger today - my friend Polishifter who blogs at Pissed On Politics:

"Bush is continuing his whirlwind tour around the Middle East all the while agitating for war against Iran.

Today he arrives in Saudi Arabia bearing $20 Billion in weapons gifts including precision-guided bombs.

What am I missing here? Isn't Saudi Arabia the country that was just going to execute a girl for being raped? Isn't Saudi Arabia a country that gives money to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers? 40% of the foreign jihadis in Iraq are from Saudi Arabia. They've emptied their jails of their violent offenders and sent them to Iraq. Saudi Arabia has been quietly funding the Sunni Insurgency. Saudi Arabia is just as guilty of arming and funding the insurgents as Iran is.

I guess because Saudi Arabia owns a large amount of our debt, Bank of America, television stations, various U.S. companies, tons of stock, and sell us badly needed oil there's not much we can threaten them with. Somewhere in all that there's a lesson for Iran.

Meanwhile you've got Israel saying they won't accept nuke weapons in Iran.

Bush and Israel continue to agitate for war against Iran while ignoring the real issue.

The real issue is Putin and Russia building Iran's nuclear power plants. If Iran gets any help building nuclear weapons, where do you think they will get it? 1) the internet 2) Russia.

Russia is building Iran's nuclear power plants which will produce electricity for Iran. The 'centrifuges' Bush likes to talk about are used to enrich uranium for the nuclear power plants, not nuclear weapons. Our concern is that without international monitoring, Iran could in theory at some point in the future enrich enough nuclear material to make a bomb. Then they still need the missile technology and guidance systems to deliver it.

If we were smart we'd be talking to Russia about our concerns and asking them to help us monitor Iran's nuclear activity.

Bush has been flying all around the Middle East threatening Iran with war but he remains silent about Russia. Nothing regarding Iran's nuclear program can be resolved without tackling Russia. Further more, any preemptive action against Iran is going to be met with resistance from Russia.

Maybe that's the goal. Perhaps what Bush is really doing is forcing us into another major Cold War with Russia. Maybe Bush is not so much concerned with actually bombing Iran as much as he is concerned with making sure the contracts to the military industrial complex don't stop after he leaves office."

Mischief's Artful Dodger
Feb 7, 1994 - January 14,2008
He was a good dog.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A telephone company cut off an FBI international wiretap after the agency failed to pay its bill on time, according to a U.S. government audit released on Thursday.

The Justice Department's inspector general faulted the FBI for poor handling of money used in undercover investigations, which it said made the agency vulnerable to theft and mishandled invoices.

It cited the case in which a wiretap under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which governs electronic spying in terrorism and intelligence cases, was disrupted due to an overdue bill.

The FISA program, denounced by critics as overly intrusive and unconstitutional, is up for renewal in Congress.

Yahoo News

Alberta NDP Leader, Brian Mason, has called on the Provincial Auditor General to conduct a special audit of the contract the government has with a company that has extremely close ties to Stelmach's Conservatives.

Barry Styles, a member of Ed Stelmach's 2008 campaign team, is president of the company (Highwood Communications Ltd.) that received $6.4 million of Alberta government business last year, mostly to buy print, radio, TV and Internet advertising for 19 ministries. Over the past 10 years, the company has been paid $41.3 million for similar work, including more than $7.6 million in 2006.

Highwood Communications Ltd. is also owned by Barry Styles, who is listed as a member of the Conservative election campaign team.

-Edmonton Journal
-Alberta NDP Caucus News Release

Well Ezra met with the Alberta Human Rights Commission today - and as you may expect he came out with 'guns a'blazin'!

Here is some of his lengthy opening statement to the Commission:

Kangaroo court
By Ezra Levant
January 11, 2008

I have just returned home from my session at the kangaroo court, called the Alberta human rights commission. Here is my opening statement that I delivered at the interrogation. I will post more details about the interrogation soon.

Alberta Human Rights Commission Interrogation
Opening remarks by Ezra Levant, January 11, 2008 – Calgary
My name is Ezra Levant. Before this government interrogation begins, I will make a statement.
When the Western Standard magazine printed the Danish cartoons of Mohammed two years ago, I was the publisher. It was the proudest moment of my public life. I would do it again today. In fact, I did do it again today. Though the Western Standard, sadly, no longer publishes a print edition, I posted the cartoons this morning on my website, ezralevant.com.
I am here at this government interrogation under protest. It is my position that the government has no legal or moral authority to interrogate me or anyone else for publishing these words and pictures. That is a violation of my ancient and inalienable freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and in this case, religious freedom and the separation of mosque and state. It is especially perverted that a bureaucracy calling itself the Alberta human rights commission would be the government agency violating my human rights. So I will now call those bureaucrats “the commission” or “the hrc”, since to call the commission a “human rights commission” is to destroy the meaning of those words.
I believe that this commission has no proper authority over me. The commission was meant as a low-level, quasi-judicial body to arbitrate squabbles about housing, employment and other matters, where a complainant felt that their race or sex was the reason they were discriminated against. The commission was meant to deal with deeds, not words or ideas. Now the commission, which is funded by a secular government, from the pockets of taxpayers of all backgrounds, is taking it upon itself to be an enforcer of the views of radical Islam. So much for the separation of mosque and state.
(Mr. Levant's statement continues HERE)

January 11, 2008 marks the six-year anniversary of the arrival of the first detainees at Guantánamo Bay. The prison at Guantánamo Bay has tarnished America’s image and diminished our ideals. It is a symbol of torture, abuse, and injustice. Its closure is long overdue.

On January 11 people of conscience everywhere are invited to symbolize and express their disgust with the national shame that is Guantánamo Bay.

Quick Facts:
- Number of people detained at Guantánamo since January 11, 2002 - 775
- Number of trials completed - 0
- Number of detainees still at Guantánamo as of December 1, 2007 - 305
- Youngest known detainee held in Guantanamo - 13
- Oldest known detainee held in Guantanamo - 98

"Today at 2 p.m. I will appear before an Alberta "human rights officer" for an interrogation. I am being interrogated for the political crime of publishing the Danish cartoons in the Western Standard nearly two years ago."
Ezra Levant

One of Canada's most notorious political 'haters' faces the Alberta Human Rights Commission today to answer to a complaint concerning the publication of cartoons in the now defunct (and extreme right wing) Western Standard magazine.

Canada .com

"We have a hurdle right now, and that's to re-educate the Canadian public on Tasers."
Stephen Tuttle
Vice-President Communications

LAS VEGAS -- The makers of the Taser want Canadians to be able to buy the personal defence version of the popular stun gun, including the new female-friendly pink, red and leopard-print models announced this week.

Ottawa Sun

H/T to Pissed on Politics

The following is an article from Consortium News:
'Iron My Shirts' Taunt Helps Hillary
By Robert Parry
January 9, 2008

Hillary Clinton helped turn her political fortunes around in New Hampshire by flipping a tasteless shock jock stunt – two guys shouting “iron my shirts!” – into a case study of male oppressors blocking her route to the presidency.

The two yahoos, who interrupted one of Clinton’s last speeches on the Monday before the New Hampshire primary, were later identified as Nick Gemelli and Adolfo Gonzalez Jr., who are associated with Toucher & Rich, a white-guy-oriented talk show on Boston’s WBCN radio.

Upon hearing the chants of “iron my shirts,” Sen. Clinton called for the lights in the auditorium to be turned up. Then, seeing the two young men near the front of the audience, she said, “Oh, the remnants of sexism alive and well.”

As security guards escorted Gemelli and Gonzalez from the auditorium in Salem, Clinton added: “As I think has just been abundantly demonstrated, I am also running to break through the highest and hardest glass ceiling.”

She later joked, “If there’s anybody in the audience who wants to learn to iron his own shirt, we can talk about that.” [See New York Daily News’ blog.]

Clinton’s comments drew a standing ovation from the crowd as well as widespread media attention on New Hampshire’s news shows in the hours before the first-in-the-nation primary.

One source inside the Clinton camp said the “iron my shirts” comment appeared to anger and energize women in particular, boosting Hillary Clinton’s share of the women’s vote and pushing her to a narrow upset victory over Barack Obama.

The Clinton source said Hillary Clinton’s tearing up at another Monday event seemed to play better with men who suddenly saw her as more vulnerable and appealing. The two incidents together were viewed by Clinton insiders as helping to explain how Clinton succeeded in righting her foundering campaign at the last minute.

Though her deft reaction to the “iron my shirts” taunt may have helped her politically, her depiction of it as an example of male oppression holding her down would appear to be a gross exaggeration.

Rather, the disruption looks to have been the tasteless act of two juvenile publicity seekers who work for WBCN’s Toucher & Rich show, which prides itself in broadcasting content intended for “immature audiences.”

On Wednesday, the host opened the show by running down the roster of its participants and referred to Gonzalez as someone who “single-handedly changed the course of American politics.” But instead of explaining how Gonzalez achieved that feat, the show veered off into a mocking discussion of “Afros” worn by black baseball players.

The show’s Web site lists a few “fun facts” about Gonzalez: “He weighs 345 lbs. … He couldn’t speak ANY language until he was five. …He has never had health insurance. … He talks to himself. … He has a very messy room.”

Rather than male oppressors protecting the presidential glass ceiling, the two hecklers come across as dumb-guy losers.

Still, by angering New Hampshire’s women with their “iron my shirts” chant, these two losers may have helped turn Hillary Clinton into a winner.

Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek.

-Here is the full article from Consortium News

- Here is the actual event on YouTube. You will see the two hecklers escorted out and I particularly like the one woman who yelled out 'iron your own shirt!" as the two left the auditorium.

"Philip Agee, a former CIA agent who became a bitter critic of Washington's Cuba policy, has died in Cuba at the age of 72. Agee quit the CIA in 1969 after 12 years in which he mainly worked in Latin America. He was later denounced as a traitor by George Bush Sr and was threatened with death by his former colleagues.

His famous 1975 book, Inside the Company: CIA Diary, cited alleged CIA misdeeds against leftwingers in the region and included a 22-page list of people he claimed were agency operatives.

Radio Havana, said Agee had been in hospital since last month, where he died following several operations for perforated ulcers. [...]

In comments published last year, Agee defended his decision to expose the CIA: "It was a time in the 70s when the worst imaginable horrors were going on in Latin America.

"Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Guatemala, El Salvador - they were military dictatorships with death squads, all with the backing of the CIA and the US government. That was what motivated me to name all the names and work with journalists who were interested in knowing just who the CIA were in their countries."
The Guardian


-Associated Press
-Pensa Latina

If you want to keep track of the Democratic Primary result from New Hampshire tonight ... click HERE!

NOTE: Voter turnout in New Hampshire is very heavy with some polling stations running out of Democrat Ballots!







POSTSCRIPT:
Here is an interesting article on Hillary Clinton's win in New Hampshire! 'Iron My Shirts Taunt' Helps Hillary In New Hampshire

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper needs to rethink a confrontational approach to relations with China. [...] China's human rights record should not be ignored, but neither should its value as a trading partner. These days, quiet diplomacy on the former and active engagement on the latter would be the preferred strategy."
Harper hits Chinese Wall
The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, November 16, 2006


Since the day he took office, Prime Minister Stephan Harper has publically taken a very hard line with China on a number of issues. Harper was warned to be cautious on how he deals with the People' Republic of China lest it hurts trade with that nation.

Harper and his Conservatives did not listen. He allowed hard line right wingers like Jason Kenney to be openly critical of China and the chickens have come home to roost.

"In 2006, over 28.8 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad and figures are expected to be 17% higher for 2007. Only 139,000 visited Canada, though, as Chinese can only get business, student and family visas for travel here. There are 134 countries on the ADS list for Chinese tourists. Mr. Emerson would not discuss why Canada is not on it, although Beijing has complained in the past about Ottawa's criticism of China's human rights violations."
Globe & Mail

-China Snubs Harper
-British MP Slams Harper's Foreign Policy
-Harper's Foreign Policy Falls Short
-Harper Hits Chinese Wall

"I think we're going to have to ask him where he got his information." Brig.-Gen. Marquis Hainse

I am sure that the Hon. Peter MacKay's political handlers wish that this controversy would just go away. It won't.

When the House of Commons reconvenes, I certainly hope that one of the very first questions goes to MacKay and pointedly asks him what the basis of his statement was that 'Iran is supplying weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan'.

Experts in the field are questioning what the basis of MacKay's statement is.


Montreal Gazette

Thanks to Rick Mercer for his meticulous investigative journalism.

"ISRAELI security officials are to brief President George W Bush on their latest intelligence about Iran’s nuclear programme - and how it could be destroyed - when he begins a tour of the Middle East in Jerusalem this week. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, is said to want to convince him that an Israeli military strike against uranium enrichment facilities in Iran would be feasible if diplomatic efforts failed to halt nuclear operations. A range of military options has been prepared."
-Times of London

"In one of the largest security operations in years, more than 10,000 Israeli police officers will secure US President George W. Bush's visit to Jerusalem next week, police said Wednesday. The three-day visit, which gets under way on Wednesday, will see a total of 10,450 police officers on the streets of Jerusalem to safeguard the president and his entourage during his stay, Jerusalem police chief Cmdr. Aharon Franco said at a police briefing."
-Jerusalem Post

Clearly, George W. does not see himself as a lame duck president counting down the days until he vacates the Oval Office. You would have to think that he is on a ‘legacy’ mission trying to find a way to put a better public opinion on his presidency. Were it a ‘normal’ individual that we were talking about, you would think that whatever legacy Bush is seeking would be positive and cast him historically as a great world leader. However, since it is George W. Bush that we are talking about here, he may want his legacy to be that of an iron fisted president who beat the crap out of his ‘enemies’. Whatever the outcome, this is going to be a very interesting middle east trip, well worth keeping your eye on.

-Highlights of Bush's Trip to the Mideast

"We are very concerned that weapons are coming from Iran. We're very concerned these weapons are going to the insurgents and keeping this issue alive."
Hon. Peter MacKay
Minister of Defence

"I cannot say from what I see on the ground that Iran is behind that."
Brig.- Gen. Guy Laroche


CTV News

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two strong 6.7-magnitude earthquakes struck off Canada's west coast early on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quakes were both at a depth of 10 km in the Queen Charlotte Islands region, and followed a smaller earlier 5.3-magnitude temblor in the area. The larger quakes were 221 km and 235 km west north-west of Port Hardy, British Columbia, the USGS said on its Web site.

There were no immediate reports of damage, or warnings from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

CTV News

"The outgoing military ombudsman is criticizing Ottawa for failing to provide adequate support to families of fallen and injured soldiers, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Yves Côté said his office has dealt with many families who complain of too few answers after a death in Afghanistan or little help after loved ones return home with mental health problems.

"All too often, the system is just 'we'll come to you when we come to you'," Côté said. "Just take the time to show you have a heart as an organization and care about people."

CBC

Okay there is dumb and there is dummer! The Member of the Saskatchewan Legislature for the Sask Party, Dustin Duncan (Weyburn), has shown that his political logic is not working, it is not working at all!

Mr. Duncan put out a news release today demanding that the New Democratic Party pay the full cost of the provincial by-election that will result with the departure of MLA Joan Beatty FROM the NDP to run for the Liberals!

Duncan! Maybe your outrage should be focussed at Ms. Beatty or even the Liberal Party of Canada to pay the cost of a by-election .... but the NDP!? You can take partisanship a bit too far, and Mr. Duncan ... that is what you have done! As a result, you win the Buckdog Dunce of the Week Award! Enjoy!

(Basic PoliSci concept for the politically impaired)
'Reactionary' re·ac·tion·ar·y /riˈækʃəˌnɛri/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ree-ak-shuh-ner-ee] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation adjective, noun, plural -ar·ies.
–adjective
1. of, pertaining to, marked by, or favoring reaction, a knee jerk 'reaction' generally without logic - esp. extreme conservatism or rightism in politics; opposing political or social change.
–noun
2. a reactionary person.

Photo of Dustin Duncan courtesy Saskatchewan Party Caucus Website

Convicted felon, Lord Conrad Black, (or Prisoner # 18330-424 as he is now officially known) is asking Federal US authorities to grant him the same status as an American citizen. Why? Well as a British citizen he is not entitled to be housed in a minimum security facility for his period of incarceration.

"In a four-page letter to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, filed in court this week, Lord Black's legal team asked officials to waive the regulation because of Lord Black's many contributions to the United States.

“Mr. Black's oral and written admiration for and support of the United States is well documented,” the letter said. It added that Lord Black, who is a British citizen, “has been a very productive member of society, extensively investing in the American economy as a business owner over many years."

Having renounced his Canadian citizenship in order to take a seat in the British House of Lords, it is laughable that the 'Lord' now would like to do away with his British citizenship. Opportunist! Egomaniac!

I have NO sympathy for Lord Black! American authorities should simply tell him 'NO'!

Globe & Mail




-Conrad Black May Regret Giving Up Canadian Citizenship
-Becoming Canadian Again - That's What Conrad Black Wants

Joan Beatty, a New Democrat MLA from northern Saskatchewan has announced that she will be resigning her seat in the Legislature to seek election as a Federal Liberal Candidate.

OTTAWA - A former Saskatchewan NDP cabinet minister has officially been selected to run as a Liberal candidate in one of four byelections to be held on March 17. "Joan Beatty brings to the Liberal Party of Canada a strong mix of local knowledge, aboriginal expertise, political experience and a tradition of service to the people of Saskatchewan," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said in a news release late Thursday.
"I am confident that her passion for her home riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River, coupled with her passion for her province and country, will make her a strong member of Parliament and I am so pleased to welcome her to our caucus."
Canadian Press


Here is the Liberal Party take on the announcement .....
... and CBC's ...

Photo courtesy Sask NDP Caucus website ....

If you want to keep track of the Democratic Caucuses result from Iowa tonight ... click HERE!


With a big Hat Tip to The View fronm Seymour

"OTTAWA - A YouTube video parodying the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski has drawn censure from the RCMP ..."

"A spokesman for the B.C. RCMP said he found the video offensive. But Staff Sgt. John Ward said he was hardly surprised it emerged on the Internet, given the culture online.

"Any right-thinking person who would look at the video would be offended by that. A gentlemen lost his life and it is in extremely poor taste," said Ward. "

Oh really! .... And the RCMP is doing what about Mr. Dziekanski's death ....? We know that the RCMP officially lied in the aftermath of the killing and only the video of Mr. Dziekanski's death demonstrated RCMP misinformation.

-So here is the parody video that has the RCMP upset ....

-Versus the video of the RCMP killing Mr. Dziekanski which has Canada and the world upset ....

On Oct. 14, 2007, Robert Dziekanski died at Vancouver International Airport after the RCMP used their Taser guns to subdue him, knelt on his neck, and then refused to remove his handcuffs when requested to by medical personnel.

Why has no one been charged in the death of Robert Dziekanski?


-Dziekanski Was Dead By The Time Medical Help Arrived: RCMP Would Still Not Remove Cuffs!

-RCMP Death Squad Could Face Criminal Charges

-"I want to get out, help me find the way...Police! Police! Can't you help me?"

Washington - The woman who tried to assassinate President Gerarld Ford has been freed from prison after serving 32 years.

Sarah Jane Moore, 77, walked out of Dublin prison near San Francisco a free woman Monday after being paroled. Moore was released for good behaviour, though she had been sentenced to life after trying shoot Ford in 1975 outside of a San Francisco hotel.

Moore was only about 40 feet away from then President Ford when she pulled out a 38 caliber pistol and managed to get one shot off that flew over the President's head thanks to a guick-thinking disabled former Marine standing next to her who managed to see Moore readying her shot before he knocked her arm upwards causing her to miss her mark.

Moore had been an informant for the FBI shortly before her attempted assassination of President Ford, who died about a year ago. At the time, she was involved with the radical Symbionese Liberation Army, the group that had kidnapped Patty Hearst.

UPI.com

"OTTAWA-When the Conservatives were elected, they promised to do business differently. No more cronyism, no more backroom deals with party hacks. They were going to clean up Ottawa. However, critics say Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has appointed hundreds of people with Conservative ties – the kind of cronyism the Conservatives and their predecessors used to howl about."
Richard Brennan
Toronto Star

"The lack of a public appointments commission seriously undermines any credibility that Mr. Harper is serious about cleaning up how business is done in Ottawa,"
Charlie Angus
New Democrat
Timmins-James Bay

The Star

Cheers!!