Buckdog

Let's see now ... it is the 21st Century but Canada is still jailing aboriginal leaders for trying to protect their treaty lands. The courts are supporting Platinex Inc. (PTX):

"It's hard to believe, but in 2008 -- in Canada -- the government is placing people in jail for their political beliefs.

During the past week, six leaders from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation in Northern Ontario were sent to jail for six months for contempt of court. The six include Chief Donny Morris, four band councillors and a band member.

The "KI Six" fought against mineral exploration in their traditional territory only to be faced with an injunction that they refused to recognize. We haven't seen anything like this in Canada since the Northwest Rebellion of 1885." [...] "This action has sparked outrage in Indian Country and Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine called it "shameful" to see a chief and his band councillors jailed for defending their rights. Anglican Archbishop Fred Hiltz was highly critical, calling it a "throwback to colonialism."

Meanwhile the KI Six are incarcerated at the Thunder Bay Provincial Jail. Protests and a vigil have been held outside the grounds. A sacred fire was lit, but it was doused by the fire department, adding to the tension."
Doug Cuthand
-Regina Leader-Post

-Anglican Church criticizes jailing of First Nations members
-Canadian Mining Journal


-So .. in Ontario ... dealings with First Nations people look like a page out of the 1800's!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-Why not send a message to Liberal Premier, Dalton McGuinty to tell him that you do NOT agree with the jailing of the 'KI6'
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Who is keeping the debate on global warming alive? The Fifth Estate has won awards for The Denial Machine, a documentary that exposes how a huge amount of money is being expended in an attempt to murky public perception concerning the science of climate change.

The documentary shows how fossil fuel corporations have kept the global warming debate alive long after most scientists believed that global warming was real and had potentially catastrophic consequences. It shows that companies such as Exxon Mobil are working with top public relations firms and using many of the same tactics and personnel as those employed by Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds to dispute the cigarette-cancer link in the 1990s. Exxon Mobil sought out those willing to question the science behind climate change, providing funding for some of them, their organizations and their studies.
The Denial Machine

The next time you see active climate change denial, or yet another of the endless, mindless 'Y2Kyoto' type blog posting, ask the person responsible how much they are receiving from either a petroleum producers association or other front.

Environmental Defence has released a report calling the Alberta Oil Sands the most destructive project on Earth.

Few Canadians know that Canada is home to one of the world's largest dams and it is built to hold toxic waste from just one Tar Sands operation," Rick Smith, the executive director of Environmental Defence.

And according to the report this is just the beginning. Approvals have already been given that will double the size of existing operations and Canada's leaders have been talking with the US government to grow oil sands operations in a "short time span."

Even a former Premier of Alberta is concerned. Peter Lougheed who served as Premier from 1971 to 1985 was recently quoted on the oil sands as saying:

... it is just a moonscape. It is wrong in my judgment, a major wrong... So it is a major, major federal and provincial issue."

However, there is a silver lining in all this. A recent Canadian parliamentary committee recently stated that:

A business as usual approach to the development of the oil sands is not sustainable. The time has come to begin the transition to a clean energy future."

Here's a few facts about the Alberta Oil Sands:

Oil sands mining is licensed to use twice the amount of fresh water that the entire city of Calgary uses in a year.

- At least 90% of the fresh water used in the oil sands ends up in ends up in tailing ponds so toxic that propane cannons are used to keep ducks from landing in them.

- Processing the oil sands uses enough natural gas in a day to heat 3 million homes in Canada.

- The toxic tailing ponds are considered one of the largest human-made structures in the world. The ponds span 50 square kilometers and can be seen from space.

- Producing a barrel of oil from the oil sands produces three times more greenhouse gas emissions than a barrel of conventional oil.

- The oil sands operations are the fastest growing source of heat-trapping greenhouse gas in Canada. By 2020 the oil sands will release twice the amount produced currently by all the cars and trucks in Canada.

This post previously appeared at DesmogBlog.com. It appears here through their kind cooperation!

"Mock the difference they won't make - increase your impact on our earth's resources. [...] So here's your chance! Share how your family plans to nullify any and all Earth Hour generated CO2 reductions in the comments. And should you capture the special moment to Youtube or digital still, pass it along, and I'll update with a feature post on the weekend."
Kate at smalldeadanimals

Demonstrating how most of them are actually 'adults' with untreated Oppositional Defiant Disorder, the kids over at smalldeadanimals are tripping over themselves today sharing their individual plans on how they intend to turn on as many lights as possible, idle their hummers for the whole hour and generally attempt to create as much CO2 as they can to mark 'Earth Hour 60' tonight.

You have to wonder if the petroleum industry is actually getting its money's worth for all of this silliness? The endless weekly parade of 'Y2Kyoto' posts over there are convincing 'who' exactly?(Just asking!)

tag earth hour

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories join at a single boundary point in Canada's far north. The site is marked by an aluminum obelisk.

The monument was placed in 1962 and predates the existence of Nunavut (April, 1999). Because of the remoteness, very few Canadians have ever stood at this point.


Canada's Four Corners

"Our point is, let's lead in this area. We have the uranium, we're the Saudi Arabia of uranium and all we do is mine it. It's time for that to stop. It's time for us to take some advantage of the science and value-add opportunities around the uranium value-added chain."
Premier Brad Wall

Saskatchewan citizens are a bit unsure what it is that our new right wing Premier is talking about. Clearly he wants a reactor somewhere in the province, but many questions need answers. Who's paying? Where will the waste go? Does the province's power needs justify construction? Is all of this simply the entrepreneurial enthusiasm of a new government desperate for a 'mega-project? Wall would be well advised to be very cautious in this pursuit.

France's ambassador to Canada was in Calgary on Wednesday night to present Klein with the Legion of Honour for his role in nurturing ties between Alberta and France, which invests in the province's oilsands. [...]
"This is like receiving the Order of Canada — only from a foreign country," said Klein.

-CBC

"Iraq is a corpse. General Petraeus is an undertaker, putting makeup on the body, keeping the stench down and waiting for the next administration to clean up the mess."
Seymour Hersh

Seymour Hersh is the journalist who exposed the My Lai massacre in 1969 during the Vietnam War. He was in Regina last night to deliver a lecture entitled "Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Now: Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan," to journalism students at the University of Regina.


-Regina Leader-Post

MONTREAL -- "Federal Liberals from Quebec will move to show Stephane Dion the door if he doesn't give up leadership of the party on his own, Sun Media has learned.

Former Liberal candidate Pierre-Luc Bellerose, who ran for the party in Joliette, northeast of Montreal, said dissatisfied members will begin the process to revoke Dion's party membership if he doesn't quit as Liberal leader.

He said his strategy is supported by a number of influential members of the party, along with a dozen riding association presidents and a few elected MPs from across Quebec.

Bellerose said he is convinced Dion has lost control over the party in Quebec and the organization is no longer following its leader."
-Ottawa Sun

ESTEVAN -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper says provincial leaders who pursue a "confrontational" relationship with his federal government don't fare as well as ones willing to work together.

While Harper said federal money gets distributed fairly, he also said "the reality is that more gets done when governments work together than when they fight each other."
Angela Hall
Regina Leader-Post

Kyle Korneychuk is an elected Director of the Canadian Wheat Board. He has a letter to the editor today in the Regina Leader Post that should be read by all who are following the Harper government's attempts to kill the Canadian Wheat Board.

Taken Aback
The Leader-Post
Published: Tuesday, March 25, 2008

I was quite taken aback to hear Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz describe the majority of farmers in my district as the "tin-foil hat and decoder-ring crowd" for supporting single-desk selling. Recognizing that one seller can command a higher price than multiple sellers doesn't make us crazy -- it makes us entrepreneurs, ones who care more about our bottom line than partisan politics.

I'm more curious as to what the minister's comments say about him. Sixty per cent of the farmers in my district supported my campaign in the last wheat board elections. I campaigned on a platform of supporting the single desk, against an incumbent who supported the myth of the dual market. I would think an elected politician would support the democratic will of the farmers in my district. It appears the minister is unwilling to accept he should be listening to more of the 70,000 grain producers in Western Canada rather than the 130 members of the Western Barley Growers and the 400-odd members of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers. Perhaps he should also listen to the farmer-elected directors on the wheat board instead of telling us to get the hell out of this government's way!"
Kyle Korneychuk
Pelly, Saskatchewan

-Regina Leader Post

In an advisory detailing Harper's tour of the SaskPower Boundary Dam Power Station on Tuesday, the name of province was spelled "Saskachewan." The spelling was later corrected in the online version of the media advisory.
Calgary Herald

This comes on the heels of an incident where the Leader of the Saskatchewan Party could NOT spell the name of the province that he lives in!
BUCKDOG: If you want to be the Premier of Saskatchewan .... maybe learn how to spell it!

"The number of incidents involving RCMP stun guns has more than doubled since 2005, according to records obtained by CBC News.

Statistics prepared by RCMP officers on the use of stun guns, or Tasers, show Mounties across the country drew or threatened to draw their Tasers more than 1,400 times last year — a dramatic rise in incidents, compared with 597 in 2005.

The spike was greatest in jurisdictions such as British Columbia, where the number of Taser incidents rose from 218 in 2005 to 496 in 2007, and in Alberta, where it grew from 89 to 371 over the same period.[...]

But while reliance on stun guns has increased sharply since the force began using them in 2001, documents obtained under the federal Access to Information Act indicate that record-keeping about Taser incidents has either become less comprehensive or that the RCMP is unwilling to share all the details of the cases with the public. [...]

But records recently released to the CBC and the Canadian Press have been stripped of this information, as well as the precise date of each incident, actions taken by the officer before resorting to the Taser, and whether the stun gun caused any injuries — leading some to criticize the RCMP for a lack of transparency. The head of the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP, Paul Kennedy, said the RCMP is contradicting itself by not providing the additional information at the same time that it seeks to assure the public that police are being responsive to concerns about Tasers."
CBC News

CALGARY - A new gopher-killing tool called the Rodenator is behind a massive grass fire that threatened several homes just west of Calgary on the Easter weekend.

The Saturday blaze spread rapidly through tinder-dry prairie grasses. Several residents fled their homes as fire crews managed to stop the flames from devouring houses, although some out buildings were lost.

Victoria Times Colonist

Again yesterday, hundreds of Canadian Serbs marched and demonstrated their anger at the creation of the new nation of Kosovo. They decry the fact that the international community does not sympathize with Serbian nationalist aspirations.

Serbia LOST all moral claims to Kosovo when the Milošević government used the military to displace hundreds of thousands of Kosovars in the spring of 1999. Many of us still clearly remember the images of the aged and infirm, infants and families being forced to flee their homes and massed on the Macedonian border.

After NATO's military intervention, the mass graves of murdered Kosovar men of military age began being found throughout the province.

Kosovo is gone. Serbia needs to acknowledge that fact and get on with life.

Some will claim that Canada's recognition of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence has similarity to what could happen in Quebec. Nonsense! There is NO comparison between separatist aspirations amongst some in Quebec and the mass murder and displacement that Kosovars had to deal with at the hands of Milošević's tyranny.

Serbian nationalists say that atrocities occurred on both sides. They are correct, ethnic Serbians living in Kosovo have had their share of violence and misery to deal with.

The time has come for Serbia to make a choice; move into the 21st Century and abandon the misguided nationalist aspirations that Milošević inflamed in the 1990's or continue to wallow in the festering misery of lost national dreams.

Serbia must choose: Join the EU or fester in isloation.

A group of white supremacists marched in Calgary yesterday on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. They named it 'White Pride Day'. In response, another group of anti-racists countered the demonstration and Calgary Police were required to separate the two groups.

-Canada.com
-Edmonton Sun

WASHINGTON — President Bush contended that Iran has "declared they want a nuclear weapon to destroy people" and that the Islamic Republic could be hiding a secret program. [...]
" ... they've declared they want to have a nuclear weapon to destroy people, some in the Middle East. And that is unacceptable to the United States and it's unacceptable to the world."
McClatchy

A Coroner's inquiry still has not occurred months after the death of Robert Dziekanski at the hands of the RCMP in the Vancouver Airport. Authorities seem to have adopted a strategy based on a hope that the whole mess will just fade away if official foot dragging can be extended indefinitely. Meanwhile, no one has been charged, and all 4 Mounties involved in the killing are still on the job.


-CBC News

-Dziekanski probe won't include internal police investigations

-More Buckdog .....

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on March 21st. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly of the United Nations called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination

OHCHR

Researchers have found that red-light cameras are causing higher levels of vehicle accidents. Detailed studies indicate that the increase in accidents occurs as drivers slam on their brakes at camera controlled intersections to avoid tickets thereby causing chain reaction crashes from behind.

-The Star

- - - BLOGSWARM March 19, 2008 - - -

After 5 years of war, the death of tens of thousands of Iraqi's as well as 3,990 American troops, President Bush claims that the War in Iraq has been 'worth it'. History will not be kind to this man. Today, over 300 progressive bloggers are swarming the blogosphere with their thoughts and opinions on this fifth anniversary of Bush's War in Iraq.

-CBC


Photo is of President George W. Bush during his televised speech seen on March 19, 2003, as he announced that the U.S. military had commenced bombing Iraq.
(Rick Bowmer/Associated Press)

gut·less (gŭt'lĭs) Pronunciation Key
adj. (Slang)
1. Lacking courage or drive.
2. Lacking substance; weak or insignificant.

The Hill Times has a great article on the 20 Liberal Members of Parliament who ducked the vote on the Afghan War extension.

In view of the new found cockiness that I am detecting from Liberals after their luke warm by-election result, let's not forget how shaky their entire operation still remains.

-Hill Times

Even though 4 million Iraqis are still displaced and the International Red Cross said in a report on Monday that millions more are without clean water and medical care, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has declared the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq a "successful endeavour" during his visit to Baghdad.

Regina Leader Post

REGINA -- "Premier Brad Wall says Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested the province drop its constitutional challenge on equalization when the two leaders met early this year.

"He was very blunt. He just said obviously the federal government didn't think it had a chance to succeed and thought it should be withdrawn," Wall said of Harper's reaction to the legal challenge initiated by the province's previous NDP government.

The premier told reporters that Harper's reaction was taken "under advisement" and that there are "varying legal opinions" on the challenge."
Regina Leader Post

No one in Saskatchewan believes that Premier Wall will continue with the challenge. Wall is so anxious to get his political nose close to Harper's butt. The challenge will be dropped any day now. Problem is, Saskatchewan will be out $800 Million a year from what was promised by the Conservatives in their last two election campaigns.

-CBC has more ....

At least 22 UN police and eight NATO troops were reported injured after a raid to retake a court seized by Serbs.

-From the BBC

-More Buckdog on Kosovo ...

Have a look at the morning Irish papers:
-The Irish Times
-The Irish Independent

And a bit more St. Patrick's Day (The History Channel)

And for a bit of a musical tribute to the day ... here are The Clancey Brothers singing a great song of the Irish Revolution ... Johnson's Motor Car!

" ... we need to ensure that we move forward based on our philosophy,"
Ken Kravetz
Deputy Premier

Saskatchewan's new government has plans to do a right wing makeover of the province's agencies boards and commissions says deputy Sask Party Leader. Talking to reporters on Friday, Deputy Premier (and deputy leader of the Saskatchewan Party), Ken Kravetz, told reporters that his party plans to stack a number of boards with right wing ideologues who share his political philosophy. Health region boards, the Saskatchewan Legal Aid Commission and the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission are expected to be the next targets for right wing 'makeover.'

The Saskatchewan Party has also recently declared war on organized labour by introducing sweeping changes to the Labour Standards Act and the Trade Union Act intended to curtail the role of unions in the province.

There is a definite 'bullyboy' attitude in the Saskatchewan Party's approach. However, they may find out that they have run into a brick wall by taking on organized labour in the province of Saskatchewan.

Hold on to your hats ... there is going to be a wild ride for awhile in this province!

Regina Leader Post

Saskatchewan's new right wing government is moving quickly to make changes to the province's Trade Union Act and Labour Relations Act. The proposed changes are intended to slant the labour environment sharply to the right and to curtail the rights of both organized and unorganized labour.

At the CUPE Convention being held in Saskatoon this week, Labour Minister Rob Norris took a few on the chin for his cabinet colleagues from the assembled crowd.

The Brad Wall government has insisted that they are merely trying to 're-balance' Saskatchewan's labour legislation. Trade unions around the province think that is a bunch of crap!

SFL President Larry Hubich has more ...

-Norris in hot seat over essential services e-mail

-Union alleges Sask. gov't sought support on labour bill prior to its tabling

Proving that there is little difference between them and the Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal Members of Parliament voted for more war in Afghanistan!

Liberal Party of Canada loves war and voted for more of it in the House of Commons!

I have been inspired by Liberal blogger, James Bowie.

In a recent post, he is challenging Liberals to sit down and think long and hard about what it is that they are doing to help the Liberal Party of Canada. In the post, he tags a group of Libloggers and challenges them to say what it is that they are doing to help their party.

Here are MY two cents worth.

-I am helping the Liberal Party by reminding them that they are not God's gift to Canadians and that they do not have a divine right to be the government.

-I am helping the Liberal Party by not being a supporter of the Conservative Party of Canada ( or a reformer, or a Progressive Conservative, or a Saskatchewan Party supporter).

-I am helping the Liberal Party by ensuring that THIS thread IS NOT entitled:
-Liblogs 101 - Instructions On Proper Behaviour For All Liberal Bloggers

-The Federal Liberal Caucus Is A Disgrace

-Dion's Liberals And Their PHONY 'Green' Priority!

Saskatchewan Premier, Brad Wall was speaking to the Sask Association of Rural Municipalities on Tuesday when he mentioned that he allows his 14 year old daughter to drive on country roads. When reporters questioned him after the speech, he said, 'okay, that's enough about illegalities'.

In Saskatchewan, a young person may obtain a Learner's License at age 15 and drive with a parent of other adult driver.

This comes on the heels of Premier Wall's admission that he has also smoked marijuana in the past.

While all of this seems fairly minor, one only needs to recall last spring when Wall and his Saskatchewan Party spent weeks in a political tizzy over a case where the NDP were accused of breaking the law for not pressing charges against a caucus employee who had inflated expense accounts. After a lengthy RCMP investigation, it was determined that no wrongdoing had occurred.

Wall is in New York and was not available for comment to the MSM.

UPDATE: Wall Says He Regrets Comment ...

-CBC has more ...
-Canada.com

When the disgraced David McLean left the Canadian Taxpayers Federation last summer, Lee Harding was hired as the Saskatchewan Director.

At a meeting of the Regina School Board on March 11, 2008, parents expressed their frustration with the closure of 3 public schools in the city. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation strongly supported the school closures.

At the end of the meeting, Sask. CTF Director Lee Harding, ripped a sign from the hands of one of the parents and threw it to the floor. The local CTV affiliate in Regina showed the incident on a story concerning the school closures. I do not have a digital video capture of the event, but I am working on obtaining the visual evidence to link with this post.

So much for 'turning the other cheek' Reverend Harding!

CORRECTION: Mr. Harding has commented on this post and advises that the title of 'reverend' is not appropriate as he has not been ordained. For your information!

Jason Cherniak put together a rather handy 'Do's & Don't's' post for Liberal bloggers! Here are a few snippets:

"... all grassroots Liberals - including bloggers - should ask themselves what they have done to make us ready." [...]

"Are you involved in your local riding association? Are you donating money or asking others to donate? Are you canvassing or making phone calls for Martha Hall Findlay, Bob Rae, Joyce Murray and/or Joan Beatty?"[...]

"Is your blog helping the cause or hurting it? If you want an election, are you more likely to get it by complaining in public? Or are you more likely to get it by showing your support for Stéphane Dion?" [...]

"You don't get anywhere internally by complaining in public. When you write your blog, you need to think about what message you are sending to the media - not internal Liberal strategists."


Cherniak's Do's & Don'ts For Blogging Liberals!

-Are you a Liberal?
-Are you single?
-Are you lonely?

Have I got a website for you!

We know that it is difficult to be a Liberal these days and without some companionship, it can be extremely lonely. To the rescue is an online dating service that is perfect for single, lonely Liberals!

OTTAWA - "Although he continues to sit as an MP, former prime minister Paul Martin has made no statements in the House of Commons and hasn't voted once during this parliamentary session. The House of Commons does not publish attendance records for MPs. But the official transcript of the debates, Hansard, records no statements by Martin since the session began in October."
-Canada.com


OTTAWA, March 11 (Reuters) - "Canada's Liberal Party will not bring down the minority Conservative government on a vote that will scrap an education tax break and is likely to take place for this week, a legislator said on Tuesday."
-Reuters


OTTAWA — "The Liberals have refused to bring down the minority Conservative government over its alleged failure to combat climate change. Only 11 Liberals showed up to vote on an NDP non-confidence motion condemning the government for failing to respect international climate agreements and for its refusal to adopt opposition approved legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
-Canadian Press


OTTAWA - "Canada's minority Conservative government easily survived a final confidence vote on its federal budget Tuesday, averting an election. The House of Commons voted 125-90 in favor of the budget. Two opposition parties, the New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois, voted against it. The biggest opposition Liberals, lagging in opinion polls and struggling to raise funds, had decided to keep the government in power. Only a handful of Liberals showed up to vote against the bill."
Xinhuanet.com


OTTAWA: - "Parliament rejected a Liberal amendment to the Conservative budget last night, closing one more door on a possible election.The amendment, which referred to "an NDP-like lack of fiscal prudence" was crafted to be completely unpalatable to the New Democrats, whose support was needed for it to pass. Only seven Liberals turned out to vote."
-Globe & Mail

Here is a major Canadian political myth: - 'Stéphane Dion’s environmental agenda is detailed, (and) substantive ...'

Here is a major Canadian political reality: "Only 11 Liberals voted for an NDP non-confidence motion condemning the government for failing to respect international climate agreements and for its refusal to adopt opposition-approved legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Other Liberals MPs were present but didn't vote."
The National Post
March 10, 2008


In one of his recent posts, Liberal blogger, Jason Cherniak wondered, "As Liberals, we should not ask whether people care that our MPs are abstaining. Most people don't follow politics and have no idea what's going on. Instead, we should ask whether they will care when they find out during an election. Will they shrug it off as political strategy, or will they think "I can't believe the Liberals were doing that". I'm not sure what the answer is."

Why should people vote for the Liberal Party when the Liberal Party DOES NOT VOTE FOR THEM?!!!

Many of us are going to ensure that voters are aware of the voting record of the Liberal Caucus!


-Liberals' green card turns into a Joker

Workers in Saskatchewan are dealing with bad legislation introduced by the new Saskatchewan Party government. Bills 5 & 6 are intended to cripple organized labour in the Province. That's the bad news. The good news is that the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour is led by president Larry Hubich who Brad Wall will soon learn is a formidable foe!

Larry Hubich is quickly gaining a broad audience on his blogsite, which many progressive bloggers are now aware of.

As the Saskatchewan Legislature convenes today for the spring session, it will be interesting to see if the NDP Opposition is able to mount even a modest strategic battle against these unfair labour Bills.

Saskatchewan workers are indeed lucky to have Mr. Hubich in place at this time to lead the fight against Brad Wall's ideological pursuits!

Provincial Convention
Regina
March 14, 2008 - March 16, 2008

Saskatchewan's New Democrats will meet at the end of this week for their annual convention.

Something will be quite different this year because for the first time in sixteen years they meet as the Official Opposition Party. The NDP were in office from 1991 to 2007 but were defeated in last fall's Provincial Election by the right wing Saskatchewan Party lead by new Premier Brad Wall.

There won't be open revolt at the convention, but many delegates are quite concerned about a number of unanswered questions:

-why was over $1 Billion left unallocated in the provincial treasury for the current fiscal year ? ... (money now left for the Wall administration)

-why was the issue of the 'Equalization' battle with the Harper government not featured more in the election?

-why has the membership in the party been allowed to deteriorate to such low numbers?

-what are Lorne Calvert's plans ... ?

-what is the role of the Caucus in regard to the Party?

-how will New Democrats work with organized labour in Saskatchewan to ensure that the Wall government is not allowed to cripple existing labour laws?

-can the Caucus renew itself? While there were 3 excellent new young male members of Caucus elected in the fall, where are our committed young women MLA's?

-during their last term in office, who set the government's policy priorities: (the civil service, the Cabinet or the Party)?

Rumour has it that there may be a surprise or two in store at the convention as well.

Saskatchewan's New Democrats have a long tradition of rolling up their sleeves and doing the work necessary to rebuild the party to fit the times. After the defeat by Ross Thatcher in 1964 and by Grant Devine in 1982, Saskatchewan's New Democrats cleaned the cobwebs and dead weight out of the Party and Caucus and propelled themselves into Government in 1971 for a twelve year term and 1991 for a sixteen year term.

Never, ever, count the Saskatchewan NDP out! They may be back in the government offices sooner rather than later!


This is the first in a series of editorials that will appear this week on Buckdog to coincide with the Saskatchewan New Democratic Provincial Convention.

**Sean In Saskatchewan has an excellent post on the upcoming NDP Provincial Convention.

"I object to being told that I am saving daylight when my reason tells me that I am doing nothing of the kind. I even object to the implication that I am wasting something valuable if I stay in bed after the sun has risen. As an admirer of moonlight I resent the bossy insistence of those who want to reduce my time for enjoying it. At the back of the Daylight Saving scheme I detect the bony, blue-fingered hand of Puritanism, eager to push people into bed earlier, and get them up earlier, to make them healthy, wealthy and wise in spite of themselves."
Robertson Davies
The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks

Canadians change their clocks this weekend ... unless of course if you live in Saskatchewan!

"Because the danger remains, we need to ensure our intelligence officials have all the tools they need to stop the terrorists. Unfortunately, Congress recently sent me an intelligence authorization bill that would diminish these vital tools. So today, I vetoed it. And here is why. The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror — the C.I.A. program to detain and question key terrorist leaders and operatives. This program has produced critical intelligence that has helped us prevent a number of attacks.
[...]We have no higher responsibility than stopping terrorist attacks. And this is no time for Congress to abandon practices that have a proven track record of keeping America safe."
President George Bush
March 8, 2008
Radio Broadcast

-BBC International

WASHINGTON — "Hundreds of thousands of dollars are missing and presumed stolen from the chief fund-raising arm of House Republicans, according to party officials who described the findings of emergency internal audits.

The financial records of the group, the National Republican Congressional Committee, may also have been falsified for several years, Republican officials said. The campaign committees of several Republican lawmakers may also have been victims of a scam that is now under criminal investigation by the F.B.I."
New York Times

I am fairly disgusted with many of my fellow progressive bloggers lately.

Let's see ...
-7 Liberals showed up in Parliament to vote for their own Budget amendment.
-11 Liberals showed up in Parliament to vote against Harper's budget.
-The Libs have put forward a motion of 'non-confidence' in the NDP and Bloc.

There is NO DOUBT that the Liberal Party of Canada is propping up, supporting and allowing the Harper government to stay in power. And yet ... Lib bloggers and others (!) are attacking the NDP!

Well I am going to say it ... the Liberal Party of Canada might as well just join the gawd damned Conservatives .... gutless, stupid, without ethics. The Liberal Party of Canada are as bad as Conservatives - WORSE in fact because they, of all parties, should be doing their job as the Official Opposition and taking Harper to a general election!

The Conservative government of Stephen Harper COULD be out of power TODAY if the Liberals had any courage. So for those who want to attack the New Democrats today ... go right ahead! Anyone with a functioning brain can see how stupid you are!

I don't actually want to hear from any Liberals today! It's bad enough I have to deal with right wing retard trolls on my site most of the time.

If you are a Liberal and are reading this .... how can you support what Dion is doing to your party?

WASHINGTON--As Congress debates whether to wipe out lawsuits accusing telephone companies of allegedly illegal wiretaps, the Bush administration has argued such cooperation is key to keeping Americans safe from terrorists.
Cnews


In other words, 'the law be damned! Bush is going to do whatever the hell he wants and the Democrat controlled Congress can just kiss his butt!'

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper resisted calls to fire his most senior official Thursday over remarks that triggered a tempest now sweeping over the Democratic primary in the U.S. election.

The prime minister deflected demands for his chief of staff Ian Brodie's head when opposition parties accused him of damaging the campaign of Barack Obama and possibly Hillary Clinton's.

Harper did not mount the same vigorous defence of his chief of staff that he did earlier this week, and did not even mention Brodie by name when opposition parties accused him of influencing the U.S. race.

He simply indicated that a probe into the so-called NAFTA-gate affair will not just include bureaucrats in the Foreign Affairs Department - but also his own office.
Canadian Press

"Fair and sustainable trade, that's what we've got to put together here."
Jack Layton

The leader of the New Democrats appeared on CNN's Lou Dobbs tonight to discuss the general state of NAFTA as well as allegations related to leaks that have affected the US primaries.

National News Watch

Government lawyers will argue in Federal Court today, that Canada has NO responsiblity to ensure that prisoners we turn over to Afghan authorities are not tortured!

Human rights groups are currently challenging Canada's military policy on prisoner exchange. The position of the Conservative government will simply be that there is no burden on the Canada's military to prove detainees handed over to Afghan authorities will be well treated. As well, the government will argue that there is no legal responsibility for Canadian officials who decide there is no risk of torture but are later proven to be wrong.

The Toronto Star

While waiting for Senator McCain to arrive at the White House today, George Bush did a little 'soft shoe' for reporters.

The MSM has also picked up on the dance:

Bush Shows Off Dance Steps

WASHINGTON (AP) — Left waiting for John McCain, President Bush paced back and forth and finally broke into a little tap dance at the White House on Wednesday.

Bush was playing for the cameras and stalling for time at the North Portico while waiting for McCain to show up for an endorsement of his campaign as the Republican presidential nominee. It was an unusual scene — the almost-always punctual Bush left cooling his heels for McCain. The president clapped his hands in impatience and called to his personal aide about the delay.

Finally he did a little jig. "I'm just going to tap dance the day away," Bush said with a laugh.

It became clear McCain wasn't yet in the driveway or approaching the White House.

"We'll start over, play it like it never happened," Bush joked to reporters.

Then, he turned on his heel and walked back into the White House.

McCain and his wife, Cindy, arrived a few seconds later and Bush re-emerged.

-Associated Press

Two years ago today I wrote a post called, 'Did We Not Learn Anything From The Vietnam Experience'?

"What was the Key military lesson that was learned during the Vietnam War? The lesson was simple; when you deploy conventional military ground forces against a civilian insurgent or guerrilla force, it is hard to determine who the actual enemy is. During the '60's and '70's , the US military threw everything they had at the Viet Cong and still lost the war. The smiling citizens who walked amongst the troops during the day were often the same guerrilla fighters who shot and bombed US troops after the sun went down.

Flash forward to today, 2006. Iraq & Afganistan. Was nothing learned from the disaster of Vietnam? Exactly who in the Canadian Armed Forces High Command believes that we are going to be effective in curtailing insurgent activities when we aren't even sure who it is that is planting roadside explosives ...?"


Told you so!

Is it just me or does it seem that all of a sudden the Harperite Conservatives are dealing with a number of politically damaging scandals? First we have the Cadman Affair, followed now by the NAFTAgate, and topped off with the Baird/Mayor O'Brien Affair

-Canada will investigate NAFTAgate leak

-PM Insists Party's Financial Offer To Help Cadman Completely 'Legal'

-Baird office call to OPP made hours before force about-face

Lawyers for Lord Black are not ruling out the possibility of seeking a pardon from President George Bush, who could commute Lord Black's sentence if the pending appeal does not pan out.

In the United States, the President could spring Black from federal prison if he issues a Presidential commutation or pardon.

The Globe & Mail

It is bad enough that we have a Federal Conservative government who will say and pay anything to remain in power but we also have an official Opposition Liberal Party who are so weak and morally bankrupt, all they can do is play games in the House of Commons.

"The House of Commons voted 202-7 against a Liberal amendment to the budget which would have brought down the government if it passed. The Grits intentionally crafted the amendment to fail to avoid an election which insiders say the party is ill-prepared to fight. They laced the wording with criticism of the NDP as big spenders. As a result, the NDP -- which wants to defeat the government -- did not support the amendment. And to be sure their amendment failed, only a handful of Liberals showed up for the vote. "
Ottawa Sun

-The Star

by Frank James
posted on the Chicago Tribune Blog

Well, this is interesting. MSNBC has shown video of today's Canadian Parliament session in which Jack Layton, the head of Canada's New Democratic Party, which is loudly accuses Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative Party government of trying to sabotage Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

LAYTON: The prime minister’s office has been interfering in the Democratic primaries with false accusations trying to silence Barrack Obama who simply wants to amend the Nafta. It is completely unacceptable for that kind of interference to be taking place. Will the prime minster fire the source of the interference, fire his chief of staff?

HARPER: The Canadian embassy in Washington has issued a statement indicating its regret at the fact that information has come out that would imply Sen. Obama has been saying different things in public than in private. Mr. Speaker, the government of Canada does not not condone this and certainly regrets any implication… (the video ends)

Today's dustup in the Canadian House of Commons was a follow-on to charges made by Canadian liberals in recent days that Canada's Conservative government, upset by Obama's anti-Nafta rhetoric, is trying to harm the senator from Illinois's electoral chances as reported in this story from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp website.

One year ago today, I published a post on Conrad Black's looming trial. Over the last year, I have written over 30 separate posts on Black.

He's going to federal prison today. He claims that he did nothing wrong. He and his high maintenance spouse believe that the only reason he is going to jail is because everyone is 'jealous' of him.

Nonsense.

Conrad Black is going to jail today because he is a crook. He is a criminal. He still believes that the excessively rich are entitled to get away with anything they want simply because they are rich.

-CBC: Black Reports To Prison
-National Post

Legendary blues and jazz guitarist Jeff Healey has died, his publicist said Sunday. The Canadian musician had battled cancer his entire life. "It was something he fought with considerable bravery," his publicist, Richard Flohil, told Newsnet late Sunday. Healey was 41.

-CTV
-CBC

Photo: Chris Wattie/Canadian Press

Tomorrow we will see if anyone can shake up the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party who have been in power in that province since 1971!

-Voters urged to junk 'rust bucket' tory government

-Are Calgary and Edmonton trading loyalties?

-Calgary vital to Conservatives

-Calgary giving Tories cold shoulder

If I were in Calgary Alberta today, I would be going door to door for my friend and fellow blogger, Tyler Kinch!

-The Weal - SAIT Paper: 'Student politics goes provincial'

Tyler has been endorsed by the Conservation Voters Of Alberta

Lord Black of Crossharbour plans to hold a farewell party for friends and neighbours at his waterfront mansion in Palm Beach before checking into a Florida prison on Monday to start his 61/2-year sentence for fraud.

The British Lord will become Prisoner No. 18330-424 at the Coleman Federal Correctional Institute effective 2 p.m. CST on Monday, March 3, 2008.

Ottawa Citizen

With the typical bullying that has become business as usual for the Harper Conservatives, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz once again threatened farmers and warned that the Federal government will not relent it its advancement of unfettered free market ideological priorities!

" ... if we have to use a hammer we'll get out a big one."
Hon. Gerry Ritz
Minister of Agriculture

-CBC Saskatchewan
-Regina Leader-Post
-Leader-Post Opinion
-Globe & Mail


EXCLUSIVE!
Buckdog has acquired a photo of Minister Gerry Ritz's so called 'BIG HAMMER'!!