Saturday, April 30, 2005
U.N. Peacekeepers Guilty of Abuse
The U.N. has a little problem. That is the long list of rapes and abuses being committed by members of peacekeeping forces pretty much on every mission they have undertaken. For the U.N. peacekeepers to be taken seriously they must not be guilty of the same crimes they are supposed to be protecting these innocent people from. They must have an impeccable record and deal with any offences by their staff very severely. Transgressions by troops of individual nations should be tried at the international level as that is the organization they are supposed to be representing. The U.N. must be above reproach if they are to be effective in leading the world into a new era of co-operation.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Global Warming
In another fine example of the U.S. administration not being mature enough to take responsibility for it's own actions, they have repeatedly refused to accept the fact that there is any problem with global warming at all, much less accept the fact that humans have anything to do with it. This despite several American studies that show exactly that. Now there is a new study out in the U.S., this one more accurate than any that have come before. The question is, will the administration choose to ignore and belittle this one as they have done so many times before.
U.S. Starting to Accept Responsibility for the Past?
By now pretty much everyone should be aware of the actions of the U.S. regarding South America in the past. Essentially I'm referring to the policy of supporting any regime, no matter how dirty, so long as they weren't communist. To further those ends, the U.S. supplied many resources. Of particular interest would be projects like the School of the America's, now re-named but still teaching. Many of the best torturers and sadists in history gained all their best knowledge there. Finally, it looks like the American administration has come to the conclusion that they can no longer plead total ignorance of all of the above and is starting to make... well not exactly an apology. More like a fleeting reference to the fact that they may have made some mistakes. The first mistake they made was the policy of telling anything but the truth to their own people. This policy in large part continues to this day. The only time we actually get anything like the truth is when they are backed into a corner so completely that they can not possibly deny it. See History of the Iraqi Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Harper Makes The Call
So he's gone ahead and done it. Called for a non-confidence vote that is. He's a wee bit premature. I have to have a little sympathy for Paul Martin. Essentially he's inherited a political nightmare and being held guilty by association. It's not the time for another federal election which effectively adds that cost to the total cost of the entire Adscam thing. The best path is to wait out the inquiry before calling an election. Once Canadians have all the evidence then we can make an informed vote and let the results speak for themselves. The way things are going, we will never know whether Paul Martin would have ever made a good Prime Minister. It's simply impossible for him to lead under the current conditions and he may not last long enough for us to learn the truth in the matter and to decide on his level of involvement. One way or another, the Liberals have been in power for too many of the last thirty years. It is this fact which has led to all the backroom deals, and the resulting scandals. We need to shake the tree once in a while to see what falls out. The Conservatives are now ideally situated to be the next government of Canada. The question now becomes whether or not Steve Harper is going to blow this one for the Conservatives. Judging from his haste to call an election it looks likely that he will indeed blow the best political chance in Canadian history.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
While We're on the U.S.
Canada's ambassador to the U.S. has been trying to raise our profile down south. Judging from the plan to guard the border with civilians I'd have to say that he's right. Gingrich has apologized for spreading the myth that the terrorists are entering the U.S. via Canada. Virtually all the terrorists to date have been admitted to the U.S. legally, so to speak, if you don't count the lies on the applications, and received their flight training there. Most Americans don't know this as it has not received anywhere near the coverage as those claims did in the first place. So the first claims are what Americans remember. Canadians are not anti-American, just anti-Bush. Yet this crucial difference escapes the media in the U.S. My own personal experience living in the States have been among the most pleasant of my life. All the more reason that I shudder to think of the path that it's politics is now taking. Scary stuff that!
Coming to a Border Near You
They have already started the little private army of border guards on the Mexican border. They next plan to bring the operation to the Canadian border. Great... I can understand the desire to protect their border but this is definitely not the way to go about it. A bunch of ' good ol' boys' running around the borders at night making "Citizens Arrests". According to the reports they are not making arrests now, but who knows what happens in the night?
Monday, April 25, 2005
Looks Like I'm Not The Only One
The recording industry has been frustrated with the less than stellar performance of it's online business. Apparently I'm not the only one who feels that the price for online songs is slightly high. Make that obscenely high. Now there is word out that they want to increase the price not lower it. Perhaps it's time for a new recording industry that will settle for more normal business profits and hand the savings over to the customer and more importantly, the performers who create the songs. New artists could charge perhaps five or ten cents a song while proven musicians might charge twenty-five, no more. Maybe a buck or buck-fifty for the whole album. This would still be very profitable for music distributed over the internet and be better for the environment to boot. The industry might notice their online sales climb and illegal copying go down.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Bush Pounding The Environment
Looks like George Bush has taken the steam out of the environmentalists in the U.S. Hell, not only them. Anyone who has tried to speak out against the war in Iraq is under attack from all sides in the States these days. Big tip oh bastions of democracy, this ain't it yall. Democracy means freedom, of the press, of speech, and of political association. Not exactly the list of freedoms present in the U.S. today!
Canada, High Speed Leader?
I have been very surprised to learn that Canada is considered to be a world leader in the use of high speed technology. They say that there is a super high speed network in use. Hell, this sounds great. Where do I sign up? Nowhere, is the reply. See, it's not available for everyone. Now that's the Canada I know and love. I live less than thirty minutes from Canada's capital and if I want high speed, I have to get it by satellite. No DSL, No high speed over the phone! Not available! So if I can't get high speed living this close to the nations capital, how can we possibly be among the best in the world. I would have to say that this opinion is definitely flawed.
Of Course, They're Not Responsible
Well. all the big players in Iraq have been cleared of any wrongdoing. The systemic use of torture by U.S. military personnel was all a matter of individual initiative as opposed to a matter of policy that was authorized from the very top. The fact that these abuses have taken place on such a wide scale has obviously been ignored. The very fact of the scale should be enough to realize that these actions have at the very least been tolerated if not outright approved of, as the lower ranks have been saying. Apparently, I'm not the only one to come to this conclusion. Others are now demanding an inquiry into these allegations and an explanation as to how multiple investigations have resulted in no responsibility being assessed to senior staff. Whatever happened to the concept that in the military, responsibility comes from the top and flows down. That has all changes as we now hear over and over about lower ranks being charged while senior staff are cleared of wrongdoing. My definition of military responsibility is considerably different than this.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Wired World Sounds Like a Good Idea
No, I'm not talking about the internet. I'm talking about the new global weather and disaster monitoring system that the U.S. is proposing. The problem is, I can't find anything wrong with it. There must be some hidden intelligence application that they are not telling us about. I just can't imagine Bush having anything to do with a plan that only has the goal of helping everyone on the planet with no extra reward for the U.S.
South Pole Warming Much Faster
The Antarctic is melting much faster than had previously been thought. Of course, they are still arguing about the actual cause of global warming. In the end, the big issue is not going to be what is causing it. The big issue is going to be how we are going to survive.
Runaway Iceberg
The massive iceberg that has been playing with Antarctica for the last months has hit the continent knocking a huge five km. chunk of another glacier loose. The picture speaks for itself.
Wendy's Hoaxer Arrested
Looks like the big finger-in-the-chili scare was all a scam as many had predicted. The police still don't know where the finger came from. The most important point however is the fact that it didn't come from Wendy's.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Nugent Leads the N.R.A. Charge
Ted Nugent is calling on all N.R.A. members to sign at least ten new members in the next year. This guy gets more nuts every year. I won't even go into his latest ravings, you can check it out for yourself. I fail to see the merit in using him as a spokesman. Listening to him speak amounts to about the same as listening to those old commercials, "this is your brain on drugs". Perhaps a new commercial could be made showing Ted's speech and then the caption, " this is your brain on gunpowder". More ventilation Ted, more ventilation! The affects of not enough air circulation is starting to show!
Another Aid Worker Victimized in Iraq
You really got to wonder what the hell some of these guys are thinking. One particular group of bad guys in Iraq has taken the life of yet another of the aid workers whose only mistake is their attempt to help some of the many innocent victims of the game being played between George Bush et. al. and the insurgents. From all their words we might come to think that George and the insurgents are all trying to gain the freedom of the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, from their actions, the freedom of the Iraqi people seems the furthest thing from their minds.
Marburg Still On the Loose
The W.H.O. is having difficulties gaining the co-operation of suspected victims of the Marburg Virus currently affecting Angola. Despite a 90% fatality rate, many affected people refuse to accept the help being offered out of fear. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Latin America Setting the Ground Rules
In what is an enlightened era, Latin Americans are refusing to submit their countries to the rape of strip mining. They are demanding safeguards and environmental concerns be placed first. Maybe we could learn something from them and certainly George Bush can. George has been the worst President for the environment in history and continues to break new ground in his disregard for the future of our planet. Note the Arctic Wildlife Refuge development planned.
Google Steps In
Google is now making available satellite photos of the U.S. Great! Except one thing, I'm Canadian, when do we get ours?
The Depravity Goes On
In another case of human thinking gone wrong, a young virgin in Peru is auctioning off her virginity in order to pay for her mother's medical bills. Of course, everyone is in an uproar over the matter. The real problem is not the fact that a virgin is going to prostitute herself to pay her families bills. This occurs every day all over the world where children are sold into slavery, sexual and otherwise. Precious little is done by mainstream society when it comes to them. It's the old out of sight out of mind thing. Perhaps we should be addressing the little problem of global hunger and lack of medical care as a whole? Then we might avoid these embarrassing little public admissions from the poor and the rest of us can get back to ignoring the problems of the less fortunate as usual.
The Jackson Saga
Several reports out today on Mike's ongoing battle. The first essentially tells of the testimony of the accuser's mother. The second essentially goes over everything that has occurred in the trial to date. In the end what really comes out of it all is the deep impression that there are certainly no innocent people involved with this trial at all. The trial appears to be more than anything a great testament to everything that has gone wrong with our society and the lengths that people are prepared to go in order to gain from those defects.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Another Cougar Attack
The guys were able to fight off the attack, but it;s still a mystery. Why would a cougar attack a man, much less two of them. Cougar sightings in Canada are quite rare. So much so in fact that they have long been called the ghost cats. In this instance the cougar was young. Perhaps it was not really a full blown attack so much as a warning.
It's Become All Too Obvious
More and more the world is starting to notice the ambiguities in the American position on Cuba, among others. The U.S. has professed that the reasons for their position on Cuba is because of the human rights abuses, yet supports other governments that do far worse. It's time for the American people do demand the truth from their government as well as the more ethical treatment of ..., well...., just about everyone else.
Don't Let The Facts Get In The Way of A Good Story
This time it's a Boston reporter who has taken liberties with the truth. Apparently she had her story all prepared about the seal hunt. The problem is she was reporting on the actual hunt, a hunt that hadn't started yet. So much for objective reporting. Not a real surprise for me, I haven't been a reader of The U.S. Media for some time. The facts are too often slanted or outright fabrications.
So, We've Mishandled the Kazemi Case
Well, we've been told. The Iranians are saying that our ability to see anything resembling justice in the Kazemi state sponsored, rape, torture, and murder is really our fault because we've been going about it all the wrong way. Certainly, the concept of the Canadian Gov't doing things the wrong way comes as no surprise. However, I think that the Iranians have to understand that to us, the procedures for getting a journalist rape, tortured and killed in Iran seems very clear, we don't fully understand the steps necessary for getting some kind of justice or accountability for the killers. Silly us!
Somali Cabbie's Death
Ten years ago while waiting for the birth of my sister's baby, my elder sister , wife, and I decided to have something to eat. We walked to a Chinese Food place near the hospital and followed dinner with drinks. We decided a cab was a better idea than walking back. What followed was without the slightest doubt the most enjoyable time I've ever had in a cab. The driver was a Somali, in Ottawa. He couldn't speak the best English but it was enough. The man was pleasant, intelligent, incredibly funny, in short, an absolute delight of a human being. I've remebered that trip, and that cab driver with fondness ever since. What was already a very nice time I was having with my out of town sister became that much more so because of this man whose name I've always remembered. The name that I read the other day in the papers. The name of the dead cab driver in Edmonton. Now I not absolutely certain that this is the same man. The first and the last name are the same, but I never knew his middle. In any case I doubt that this really matters. They have now arrested four people in the killing. So far, they seem to be treating it as a robbery. I somehow hope this proves true and that this was not a case of racism. I hope that I am wrong about the name and that this is not that cab driver from so long ago, but I saw his picture and it sure looks like him. If it is than these abominations of nature disguised as human beings who killed this man have done much more than robbed and killed someone. They have stolen the father and husband of the family in Ottawa. They have robbed every person who may have had the pleasure of a trip in the cab of this man. We have been blessed with many treasures in Canada. This man who came to Canada as an immigrant not so long ago, was most certainly one of them. The people who did this should not experience one moment of freedom for the rest of their lives. This would not even begin to pay for the lost the rest of us have suffered as a result of their actions, but we owe them at least that much!
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Seal Hunt Again
The U.S. Humane society is announcing a boycott of Canadian Fish in protest over the new Seal hunt. My question with the boycott is their reasons for having it. To suggest that this is because of any abuse of the animals is asinine. More animals are abused in the U.S. in the name of research than will be killed here, not to mention the subject of the food industry and their practices. I actually agree with the ban, but for different reasons. My reasons have to do with the fact of the highly suspect science that is stated as the cause for allowing the hunt in the first place and the Canadian Government's refusal to re-examine the evidence after so many experts have recommended that they do so.
Arctic Ice Cover
They are saying that the polar ice cover has declined twenty percent in the last thirsty years. Now considering the accelerating rate of decline, how much do we think is going to be lost in the next thirty?
The Syrian Problem
Not to long ago in a post about the bombings in Lebanon, I suggested that from a tactical standpoint, the people who had the most to gain from a " Syrian " attack was the Israelis and the Americans. Now word is out that two Jewish people have been charged with plotting to place bombs in Israel in order to de-rail the peace talks over Gaza. Co-incidence you say, I don't think so!
Iraqi People Rally
The Iraqi people are more and more starting to protest the American presence. Two years into the occupation the Iraqis are starting to wonder just when the Americans are going to leave and are demanding a timetable. Can't say I blame them.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Chinese Justice a Little Lacking
Talk about divine intervention, it goes like this. Man is convicted of killing his missing wife, based on a body that was found. Now here's the divine part. The man wasn't put to death. Highly unusual for a country which sentences death for pretty much everything. Suddenly his wife turns up alive, oops. I still can't believe this is happening in China and not Canada or the U.S.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Average People in Iraq Getting Fed Up
Looks like the people of Iraq are getting tired of waiting for the authorities, American and Iraqi, to stop the never-ending series of attacks and bombings. Can't say I blame them any more than the people in Florida who are demanding a way to protect themselves from the random violence that threatens there lives every day. In the end, if the powers that be can't or won't protect our kids, doesn't that make it our responsibility?
Can You Blame Them
So it's legal in Florida to shoot someone trying to assault or kill you. Actually, I'm surprised that it has taken this long for this type of law to pass. The bad guys have had the legal advantage in North America for far too long. This has always been an attempt to prevent abuse by the state. It hasn't and the bad guys are still getting away with murder and the innocents have to virtually get themselves killed before they would be in a legal position to defend themselves. Nowhere is this more true than in Canada where even killing in self-defense is liable to get you a five year sentence. However, with this type of law becoming popular, can armed mobs be far off?
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Jackson Takes Another Hit.
I sure hope that these people testifying against Mike are telling the truth. The latest round has definately gone against him. Now a gaurd is saying he was an eye witness to an assault that Mike did back in the nineties. This is also another witness who seems to have a little something in his past. In this case. he is a disgruntled former employee who has lost a wrongful dismissal suit against Mike. Many of the key witnessess have something very disturbing in the past and many have had direct disputes with Jackson. One of the accusers has lost a case against another celebrity who they were found to have falsely accused. It's clear that Jackson has to be one of the biggest dopes on the planet to have not seen this coming. What is not quite so clear is whether any of these crudes who are testifying against him have any credibility whatsoever. One thing is for certain, Mike certainly has given a great many people the opportunity to destroy him. Hey Mike, ever wonder why most doctors have a nurse present when examining women or children. In the case of children, they usually have the parents present also. They do this to protect themselves from false allegations. It also can make the patient more comfortable knowing that their is someone else in the room. Not only have you failed to protect yourself from this type of attack, you in fact have invited it openly as a result of your actions and statements. You have become such an easy target in fact that now we will never really know the truth about your innocence. That won't stop you from being convictted as the line of people testifying grows and grows. Even if many of them are discreditted, there are just too many of them for the jury not to be persuaded.
The Auditor-General
I can't help but agree with this one. A report has come out stating that the auditor-general needs more power if there is going to be any benefit to having someone in the position. In the past, despite scathing reports, very little change or charges have come out of the auditor-general's work. The government may slowly be changing it's practices but the operative phrase hear is slowly. The scandals we're hearing about lately surely have to equal anything that has gone on in the past. So yeah, I'd say that he/she needs more power to stop the waste and outright theft that appears in the report year after year.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Bush Says Intelligence Requires Change
I can't believe that I actually agree with George about something. That is that the intelligence network in the U.S. needs change. The problem is the reasons stated. George says that the change is needed due to the failures in Iraq and 9/11. I say that the change is needed because the Whitehouse was far to easily able to edit the material presented to accomplish their own goals. It should be interesting to see exactly how long George and company are going to able to continue to fool the American people into buying all this bull.
George Bush the second has single handedley managed to turn the phrase American Intelligence into an oxymoron
And More on Jackson
A prosecution witness in the Jackson case is none other than the same guy who reported the false accusations against the California day care back in the eighties. Now I would have to think that this bit of information is going to hurt the case against Jackson quite seriously.
Let Her Rest in Peace
If anyone has been following the events down in Florida then you are already aware of the strange illness that caused Schiavo to fall ill in the first place. Many have suspected foul play in the matter. Now that she is dead, it doesn't look like she is going to get peace anytime soon. Now the husband and family are fighting about where she is to be buried. It's also interesting to note that the family was not allowed to have their own experts examine the body. I can't imagine why they were not allowed especially considering the suspicions involved. I would have thought that an innocent man would welcome the input of objective examiners if only to put all these allegations to rest.
Police Arrest.... Military Police
The first of the suspects has been arrested in the mass murders in Brazil. Anyone else getting the impression that things are becoming worse by the minute in Rio?
Now They're Blaming a Drunk
In yet another strange twist in the campaign to whitewash the President's involvement in the decisions making process, they are now saying they had no control over the information they were receiving and that its source was a drunken liar. The whole thing would be hilarious if it didn't involve the deaths of so many innocents.
Camilla to be Princess of Whales
In a move which clearly shows lack of good judgment, Camilla will gain the title of Princes of Whales upon her marriage to Charles. Considering the fact that she was the former Miss Pokenhorn ( illicit object of Charles desire) and in the process both Camilla and Charles betrayed the last holder of that title, this is in particularly poor taste. I suspect that if the people of Britain were polled, they would vote to award the title to Diana for ever, thereby retiring said title.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
It's Getting Crazier Everyday In Brazil
On the one hand you have cops death squads killing thirty people in Rio and on the other hand a band of ranchers, loggers and others are having activist nuns killed. I've got to imagine that all this brotherly love must be hurting the tourism industry somewhat not to mention all the innocents who always get caught up in the middle.
Oh Yeah, That's Just What You Need.
Just when you thought there were just too many illegal immigrants getting past the over-worked Border patrol, out come the armed, civilian, militias to the rescue. Now if you thought getting the occasional bad cop was bad, just wait till you come up against a bunch of good 'ol boys in the middle of the desert somewhere. Better be careful George, the line between the situation in Iraq and the one in the U.S. just got a little bit dimmer.
No, There's No Cover-up
He's actually saying that he never intended to cover anything up by hiding secret documents in his pants and socks.. While I agree that under George the opportunities for mis-information have been aplenty, even Berger's going to have a hard time not cracking up as he says this crap.
Meanwhile Others Give Praise
Despite the ex-nuns criticism the rest of the worlds leaders are heaping praise for the efforts of the Pope in his lifetime. From Jews to Muslims to Christians these leaders are showing how the efforts of men like the Pope can bring us together and perhaps one day lead to real peace.
Ex-Nun Shows Lack of Class
I didn't agree with every word the man said either. That doesn't mean that I don't respect the Pope's beliefs and even more importantly, the integrity that he brought to his office and his never-ending attempt to make this world a better place for all of us. An ex-nun has chosen to show her lack of class by bath mouthing the man just as he dies. It's most unfortunate that this woman didn't show the same degree of respect to him as he did to the rest of the world.
