tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76450372024-03-07T14:04:14.761-08:00Pharos Reviewnews, books, film, science
and eclecticaigmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-56954825569285995792012-09-28T00:00:00.001-07:002012-09-28T00:00:55.048-07:00Conservatives Talk Tobacco Control But Slash Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the August 2012 issue of Tobacco Info, <a href="http://tobaccoinfo.ca/mag10/federal.htm" target="_blank">Geoffrey Lansdell reports on the Conservative government's decision to slash its tobacco control budget</a> by $15 million this year: "Over the last six years, the government's tobacco control budget has dropped by <b>$40 million, from $68 million in 2006 to $28 million</b> for the 2012 fiscal year."<br />
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This cut came on the heels of record tobacco tax revenues of <b>$3 billion</b>. The current tobacco control budget thus represents <b>less than 1% of tax revenues collected from Canadian smokers</b>. Put another way, From January 1 to January 3, cigarette taxes contribute toward federal tobacco control programs. For the remainder of the year, Harper's government does whatever it wants with this cash grab.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/tobacco_control_programs/program_development/sustainingstates/sustaining_funding/index.htm" target="_blank">US Centers for Disease Control recommend</a> that governments should spend $6 per capita to sustain a comprehensive tobacco control program. The $28 million in federal funding represents <b>just 81 cents per capita</b>.<br />
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The cuts were roundly criticized by the Canadian Cancer Society, the Non-Smokers Rights Association, the Ottawa Heart Institute, the Quebec Coalition for Tobacco Control, Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, the Canadian Medical Association, and on and on.<br />
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Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq described the cuts as a refocusing of the program on populations with higher smoking rates, in particular aboriginal populations. What is doubly tragic about this statement is that the Minister, an aboriginal Canadian herself, is presiding over a reinstatement of the First Nations and Inuit Tobacco Control Strategy with only $5 million in annual funding, half the level of funding for the program that was suspended shortly after the Conservatives took office in 2006.igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-89828492441215287122012-06-27T08:43:00.000-07:002012-06-27T08:43:30.735-07:00Conservative Sights Trained on NDPWith soaring poll numbers favouring Mulcair and the NDP (<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/business/ahead+Tories+Canada+wide+poll+Liberals+struggle/6827125/story.html" target="_blank">Ipsos' poll</a>, <a href="http://www.forumresearch.com/forms/News%20Archives/News%20Releases/74450_Canada-wide_-_Federal_Issues_%28Forum_Research%29_%2820120524%29.pdf" target="_blank">Forum's poll</a>, <a href="http://www.nanosresearch.com/library/polls/2012-05-BallotE.pdf" target="_blank">Nanos' poll</a>), the Liberals can finally enjoy a reprieve from being the target of Conservative Spindoctrination.™ It is now Thomas Mulcair who is the target of the attack.<br />
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Congratulations, Mulcair. You've Come a Long Way, Baby.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lz6KaYRdt6w" width="560"></iframe>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-32726563080630783272012-05-29T23:05:00.000-07:002012-05-29T23:07:37.476-07:00George Will on The Donald and other Colbert TreatsTonight on Colbert, Colbert quotes George Will "who said this, this week, on this week's <i>This Week</i>:"<br />
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<i>George Will: The cost of appearing with this <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloviating" target="_blank">bloviating</a> <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ignoramus" target="_blank">ignoramus</a> is obvious it seems to me: Donald Trump is redundant evidence that if your net worth is high enough that your IQ can be very low and you can still intrude into American politics.</i><br />
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Colbert also drops some Latin for you Classical Nerds, quoting Cato the Elder's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthago_delenda_est" target="_blank">Carthago delenda est</a>" (Carthage must be destroyed). Then he dismisses his audience's lukewarm response with: "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_gustibus_non_est_disputandum" target="_blank">De gustibus non est disputandum</a> (In matters of taste, there can be no disputes).<br />
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Colbert finds the silver-lining in Egypt's Presidential runoff between Mohamed Morsy and Ahmed Shafiq: "Nobody likes either candidate; <a href="http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/hundreds-march-form-shubra-tahrir-protest-morsi-and-shafik-news-1" target="_blank">angry protesters</a> are screaming in the streets; and only 46% of registered voters went to the polls--which means Egypt finally has achieved American-style democracy....Because democracy isn't about getting everything you want. It's about not getting most of what you don't want."igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-88199838040479720692012-05-18T00:04:00.000-07:002012-05-18T00:04:38.331-07:00Murphy: Mulcair Threatens The Confederation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>"Why is Mr Mulcair so very early in the game insulting premiers, attacking the West, and setting up, if he continues this tack, the worst possible outcome: frictions within the confederation, between East and West, Quebec and Alberta, provinces and the federal government?</i><br />
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<i>"It is the most divisive debut of any opposition leader I can recall, and potentially very dangerous to Confederation."</i><br />
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Rex Murphy, CBC The National, 17 May 2012<br />
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<br />igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-32321822289912956802012-05-17T22:51:00.000-07:002012-05-17T22:51:00.070-07:00Zoellick: The Best Antidote to Poverty Is Growth<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="374" id="ep" width="416"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
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<br />
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Global Public Square interview with outgoing World Bank
Chief Robert Zoellick.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fareed Zakaria:<o:p></o:p></div>
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What do you think is the answer to overcoming poverty. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Robert Zoellick:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Growth is still the best antidote for poverty, but one of
the things we’ve learned over the years is that growth is not enough so we talk
about inclusive growth. That means you
need all the components: you need the environment for private sector
investment, you need the opportunity for creating jobs through companies. But at the same time, what inclusive growth
means to me is that you also need an efficient social safety net, so that when
the vicissitudes of economies or world events strike that people at the bottom aren’t crushed, or you
don’t lose a generation to improper nutrition or education.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-29256265852962309412012-03-12T21:14:00.002-07:002012-03-12T21:20:58.572-07:00Getting Real on AfghanistanFareed Zakaria, on CNN's Global Public Square or GPS, gives a depressing reality check on Afghanistan. He wraps up with the following indcitment of the current American approach:<br /><br />"The United States could, of course, maintain its current approach, which is to bet on the success of not one but two large nation-building projects. We have to create an effective national government in Kabul that is loved and respected by all Afghans, whatever their ethnicity, and expand the Afghan economy so that a large national army and police force are sustainable for the long run.<br /><br />"To succeed, we would also have to alter Pakistan's basic character, create a civilian-dominated state that could shift the strategic orientation of the Islamabad government so that it shuts down the Taliban sanctuaries and starts fighting the very groups it has created and supported for at least three decades. Does anyone really think this is going to happen?"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><embed src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/apps/cvp/3.0/swf/cnn_416x234_embed.swf?context=embed_edition&videoId=world/2012/03/04/gps-fareeds-take-afghanistan.cnn" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="416" wmode="transparent" height="374" style="font-size: 100%; "></embed></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-3022282551087380112011-12-18T14:10:00.014-08:002011-12-18T15:45:32.087-08:00Paikin on Israel's Strategic Imperative<div style="text-align: left;">Zach Paikin is running for National Policy Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada. He is intelligent, charming, multilingual, respectful, and well-spoken. In a recent <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/zach-paikin/lets-work-together/10150435493739952?mid=55748">disavowal</a> that his politics could influence the Party, he wrote that the National Policy Chair "is powerless to affect the actual policy of the party." I decided to look further into his political writing and opinions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">“Israel needs to be prepared to enter West Bank cities if necessary, and must be able to create a territorial arrangement therein that suits its interests. Furthermore, ceasing all financial and diplomatic ties with the PA is sure to have major impact. Same goes for Gaza: Israel needs to be prepared to go beyond what it did in Operation Cast Lead and achieve something much more similar in scope and result as Operation Defensive Shield (2002).”</div><br />—<a href="http://jinsa.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/the-arab-spring-and-its-strategic-implications-for-israel/">posted</a> by zpaikin 07Sep2011/2312h<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>“ceasing all financial and diplomatic ties with the PA is sure to have a major impact.”<br /></i>Israel’s blockade of Gaza has been roundly criticized from <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/israel-must-end-the-gaza-blockade-1.392890">within</a> and <a href="http://jfjfp.com/?p=25468">without</a> Israel for its humanitarian impact, obstruction of the peace process, and damage to relationships with Israel’s allies. To extend a similar policy to the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority will <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/opinion/05Thrall.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=gaza%20blockade&st=Search">further alienate Israel’s negotiating counterparts</a> in the occupied territories and inflict suffering on non-combatants in the continuing conflict. </p><br /><i>“Israel needs to be prepared to go beyond what it did in Operation Cast Lead.”<br /></i>Operation Cast Lead, <st1:country-region st="on">Israel’s invasion into Gaza in late 2008, killed 1,400 Palestinians at least half of whom were civilians. In the end, 13 Israelis were killed, three of whom were civilians. While the accusation that Israel deliberately targeted civilians (contained in the <a href="http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/documents/2009/09/15/UNFFMGCReport.pdf">Goldstone report</a>) has later been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/03/goldstone-regrets-report-into-gaza-war">retracted by Goldstone</a> himself, there is abundant evidence that homes, food production, schools, and healthcare facilities were destroyed, crippling Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. Israeli Defense Force veterans of the operation voiced their shame at the heavy-handed tactics employed in a <a href="http://www.breakingthesilence.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Operation_Cast_Lead_Gaza_2009_Eng.pdf">report</a> released by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_the_Silence_%28non-governmental_organization%29">Breaking the Silence</a>.<p></p><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KdeKnBVJ9wj1zZ4KaFZ4ZvgIaL_iw7DZsRwJYe2IW0txGmeBLocuYA3-T9L3_zWshxCFDla7aGMuyun_my9XsXZuGHY45LvcShfgt-idVBLrhGXKndIXxrsDBVU5EoqS5jOwRw/s400/gaza+casualties_498x166.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687603627428274962" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 133px; " /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="http://www.blogger.com/jinsa.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/the-arab-spring-and-its-strategic-implications-for-israel/" style="text-align: left; ">Paikin characterizes</a> the Arab Awakening as a Sunni Awakening, a religious revolutionary counterpoint to the Shia Awakening that followed Iran’s 1979 revolution. Yet the January 25 Revolution in Egypt was accompanied by a set of demands that included the scrapping of <a href="http://www.constitutionnet.org/files/Egypt%20Constitution.pdf" style="text-align: left; ">Egypt’s existing constitution</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> (whose second Article declares that Islam is the state religion of Egypt and that Islamic law is its principal source of legislation) in favour of one inspired by Western liberal democracies.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC-7x3WvsP1iYO9ponuk34u43bxyn7ZVQaisr8QspR00E_L6HX_M0f6mqO3Yz7fYPfpCKKkstlPQtr95M_QYoimtRmoAA4SMY04J_4FPSOGgm3858sXB2jul20343Of2zFwvVtw/s400/egypt_protest_981x327.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687604451321620866" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 133px; " /><br />The promise of a plural society and liberal democracy in Egypt needs to be enabled by the West, particularly by those purporting to be liberals themselves, rather than drowning out this rallying cry with a narrative that focuses on Israel’s strategic implications. The region is watching how successfully Egypt navigates its constitutional reforms. Egypt will doubtless be a model for other nations in the region, for better or worse. <p></p> There is no question that Egypt’s emergence as a liberal democracy is <a href="http://dissentmagazine.org/atw.php?id=633">threatened by a rampant military</a>—with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces casting itself as the sentinel on guard against the Islamists—and surging popular support for the Muslim Brotherhood. At least the Salafist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Nour_Party">Al-Nour Party</a> has a total of only 5 of the first 168 seats decided to date, a convincing renunciation of the party’s strict Islamist platform. The SCAF’s continued insistence on independence from oversight by the government could result in <a href="http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67742/aqil-shah/getting-the-military-out-of-pakistani-politics">another Pakistan</a> if the West throws its lot in with the SCAF and not the parliamentary assembly.<p></p><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 399px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-A9N-nddezOpXbRfGCn6Jy2qUY0sMhjxfotdYiFWn28sSH9n2KtrjGuXVmW-g-4y8xuU4V8Syq9NSOQY5vMIaOw55r7_TVKO59l2tD9GcOX1BO3UnGNrJ11GsEiPyg7jRhn7ZxQ/s400/gas-rationing-sign_399x133.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687604713582053282" /><br />Paikin links the threat of political instability in the Middle East to Western nations by raising the spectre of a reprisal of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis" style="text-align: left; ">OPEC Oil Embargo of 1973</a>. Rather than focusing on a policy of energy independence to remove this Sword of Damocles, Paikin instead advocates for a turning of the screw: pre-emptive strikes on Middle East states by Israel. He seems nostalgic for a time when compliant tyrants reigned everywhere in the Middle East. He juxtaposes this nostalgia for the devils we knew with his plug for </span><st1:country-region st="on" style="text-align: left; "><st1:place st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> as “the region’s only liberal democracy.” Does he truly aspire for </span><st1:country-region st="on" style="text-align: left; "><st1:place st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> to enjoy some company in this category? Or for </span>Israel to enjoy only hegemony, whatever the cost?</st1:country-region><div><st1:country-region st="on"><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbOAiNMnzSWGqnOkPkDCaxWIJtGHfwoDmweY8b0OtUEgeuAkQgyb8-X6L_MXFm32WtKDJEPAcAYvZ3jX1l2CHTRdBbGOQfdUEPwivf18uHoIhtVXkKiTaJpchigrC9gj2lJldbQ/s400/f_15_f_16_690x230.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687603929753045026" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline; display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 133px; " /></st1:country-region></div><div><st1:country-region st="on"><br /></st1:country-region></div><div>Columns by Zach Paikin:</div><div><a href="http://princearthurherald.com/news/detail/?id=1f1ddcf5-108c-4da4-88f5-08de721ccbe4">Paikin's Vision of Canadian Foreign Policy, pt 1</a></div><div><a href="http://princearthurherald.com/news/detail/?id=4b213f48-62fe-4550-a635-cf8ca3f6460d">Paikin's Vision of Canadian Foreign Policy, pt 2</a></div><div><a href="http://jinsa.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/the-arab-spring-and-its-strategic-implications-for-israel/">The "Arab Spring" and it Strategic Implications for Israel</a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Good</div><div>- combine US and Canadian resources to fight terrorism and cyber-warfare</div><div>- sign a joint Canada-US carbon tax policy</div><div>- go beyond traditional free trade agreements to reduce barriers to mobility and investment</div><div>- make bilateral agreements with India and China a top priority</div><div>- make education, agriculture, and technology prime components of our aid strategy</div><div><br /></div><div>The Bad</div><div>- proceed with the purchase of 65 F-35 fighter jets</div><div>- negotiate a ballistic missile defense pact with US and Europe</div><div>- double the size of the Canadian military</div><div><br /></div><div>The Ugly</div><div>- press the United States to keep Omar Khadr at Guantanamo Bay as long as possible</div><div>- designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization</div><div>- replace CIDA with "more effective, independent operating units"; i.e. eliminate CIDA</div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-40899081387060284722011-12-14T16:35:00.003-08:002011-12-14T17:26:36.982-08:00F-35: Multi-Billion Dollar MistakeMaj Stephen Fuhr (ret) served with the Canadian Air Force as a fighter pilot, flight instructor, and Operational Fleet Manager for the F-18 for over twenty years. He is increasingly frustrated with the government's promotion of the F-35 as the only solution to Canada's urgent need to replace its aging F-18 fleet. <div><br /></div><div><blockquote>"The people who are supporting it are in love with the idea of the F-35. The problem with it is that it can't deliver the capability it promised on time and on budget, and that's extremely clear to everybody on the planet except the current government."</blockquote></div><div><br /><object width="540" height="352"><param name="movie" value="http://www.chbcnews.ca/video/swf/GlobalNewsEmbedPlayer.swf?player.width=535&player.height=294&player.overlayImageUrl=&pid=5_Sz_yW_C3ptdKsYB27rBBmlGQbmGqeL&show=Evening News&episode=&season=&cliptitle=Multibillion+dollar+mistake?"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.chbcnews.ca/video/swf/GlobalNewsEmbedPlayer.swf?player.width=535&player.height=294&player.overlayImageUrl=&pid=5_Sz_yW_C3ptdKsYB27rBBmlGQbmGqeL&show=Evening News&episode=&season=&cliptitle=Multibillion+dollar+mistake?" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="540" height="352"></embed></object></div><div>There are <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/12/13/pol-f35-deschamps.html">cracks appearing today</a> in the Defense Department's resolve to go with the F-35. Finally, the Chief of Canada's Air Force, Lt-Gen Andre Deschamps, conceded that we are reaching the limits of what would constitute a minimum size for our air fleet with only 65 jets. As costs continue to grow, Canada may find itself having to make a decision about taking fewer planes or increasing the capital budget, a decision that Julian Fantino said is now being deferred to 2013. Deschamps noted that "The number 65 gives us the capacity to cover all our missions with confidence." The corollary? The Air Force could not fulfill its missions if the number of jets dropped below that level.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is time for the government to evaluate alternatives to the F-35 or risk an operational capacity shortfall: as the F-18's currently in our fleet are decommissioned, we risk not having enough fighters to cover the gap before delivery of our next generation aircraft.</div><div><br /></div><div>Australia, a country of comparable size and disposition, has elected to defer a decision on the F-35 and take <a href="http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/australia-to-buy-24-super-hornets-as-interim-gapfiller-to-jsf-02898/">delivery of F-18 Super Hornets</a> instead.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://ericpalmer.wordpress.com/2011/03/26/canadian-dnd-misleads-public-with-latest-f-35-brief-cndpoli-military-auspol/" style="font-size: small; ">Canadian DND misleads public with latest F-35 brief #cndpoli #military #auspol</a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/tag/f-35/"><i>Wired</i>'s 'Danger Room' on the F-35</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-81599576803904935062011-12-13T23:38:00.012-08:002011-12-20T22:35:55.740-08:00The Latest Immigration Innovation: Grappling Babies<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheI2TZH-9vAaC51Ug-dsl8_29ozbFykXwzJIOLmYp9JtVyYeKBt_clwCyqPInket-GQfmT_wMRR6smPqeMyn1SKyluRZ37L19vIxbbl_KDxAxezi0-q3mUF0E3RtaYkhuUsXx0vA/s1600/grappling+baby.JPG" style="text-align: left; " onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 540px;;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheI2TZH-9vAaC51Ug-dsl8_29ozbFykXwzJIOLmYp9JtVyYeKBt_clwCyqPInket-GQfmT_wMRR6smPqeMyn1SKyluRZ37L19vIxbbl_KDxAxezi0-q3mUF0E3RtaYkhuUsXx0vA/s540/grappling+baby.JPG" border="0" alt="Grappling Baby" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685890947334401826" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheI2TZH-9vAaC51Ug-dsl8_29ozbFykXwzJIOLmYp9JtVyYeKBt_clwCyqPInket-GQfmT_wMRR6smPqeMyn1SKyluRZ37L19vIxbbl_KDxAxezi0-q3mUF0E3RtaYkhuUsXx0vA/s1600/grappling+baby.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;">Stephen Colbert famously coined the term "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthiness">truthiness</a>" on the very first episode of the Colbert Report. His most recent neologism? Grappling Baby.</div><div><blockquote>grap-pl-ing ba-by. <i>noun</i> The all-too-common occurrence of a pregnant woman in Mexico aiming her birth canal at America to launch her baby over the border so then she could climb in using the umbilical cord.</blockquote></div><div><blockquote>Folks, if you don't think this is happening, you are living in a dream world. That's why I'm calling on the Department of Homeland Security to deploy thousands of volleyball players to the border to spike these criminals back to Mexico.</blockquote><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwudgDALt0MBQA-KRsK4EOre23RZYI8dYrVLyUk49hKQ594OTgrRraCf3W5kUMqOkgE_jeHtHMbLI-ko-JS_pqG8IvbiI4d-Vw7YrVRpFhrTxlMe6jdqDtkJ1C-rq7ZadI_t_Pw/s540/spike.JPG" border="0" alt="Grappling Baby Spike" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5685891074166980306" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 540px;" /></div></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-41585414280044775622011-12-01T22:33:00.008-08:002011-12-02T08:11:24.330-08:00Recommended Search From ConanWanna find out about Christmas? Conan suggests:<div>giant men with big packages squeezing into tight places</div><div><br /></div><div>Some Conan material for the faithful</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW51P-j41eu5yICqjWRmWSn6gHBKXNnO07qRkasTQgsgswi8_Oi8z2EYxTT7VMfO3htI-BiZtlMbma8lFelIdnQ_RX_706kuEDZqJ_KOJTwve8JBHtJInP-838aDCsP6JWVcmidw/s600/137_NpAdvHover.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW51P-j41eu5yICqjWRmWSn6gHBKXNnO07qRkasTQgsgswi8_Oi8z2EYxTT7VMfO3htI-BiZtlMbma8lFelIdnQ_RX_706kuEDZqJ_KOJTwve8JBHtJInP-838aDCsP6JWVcmidw/s600/137_NpAdvHover.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681421809512008466" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 330px; height: 400px; " /></div></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYud7z26VVqrd0ExNbFcs8X_zxQHXcGP5UbR8s2rsFK56ulmcfHXWeeHWq6VnJnVyHXzfEGYIqTxLRh-J1xaz7R_7Ra9-49lM1DReUYFoPim93bIK2ixSq0I1NfP5VYaJBT3o3g/s1600/birthdaymillionaire-150.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYud7z26VVqrd0ExNbFcs8X_zxQHXcGP5UbR8s2rsFK56ulmcfHXWeeHWq6VnJnVyHXzfEGYIqTxLRh-J1xaz7R_7Ra9-49lM1DReUYFoPim93bIK2ixSq0I1NfP5VYaJBT3o3g/s1600/birthdaymillionaire-150.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmavGh0IESyOxDz_SXV8GxcadjEje8BFtEyXe3A6OrWbM8aKWBZ541Fzb1iBAiJGI-bbvhmmtWGJwSTcbfl2u4s2Mxm_KrNZWQjceOzP6Ssfq0AseHpVlT1SCdC9zagWaVKQjVwg/s1600/Conan+O%2527+Brien.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmavGh0IESyOxDz_SXV8GxcadjEje8BFtEyXe3A6OrWbM8aKWBZ541Fzb1iBAiJGI-bbvhmmtWGJwSTcbfl2u4s2Mxm_KrNZWQjceOzP6Ssfq0AseHpVlT1SCdC9zagWaVKQjVwg/s1600/Conan+O%2527+Brien.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXwHBu4pQXnkCnQqYaJOLXTRHUNpgUcEnQxK08C4b-JWAjI3nBZx4ZT47oLTCfckbnoyjVQO8ziQZL3mO-xSCAr7yNFV1nxiPRMy9WdLLHjFkAJ6BNdFi0AnF-fEf8efH39qRhQ/s1600/Conan.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 382px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXwHBu4pQXnkCnQqYaJOLXTRHUNpgUcEnQxK08C4b-JWAjI3nBZx4ZT47oLTCfckbnoyjVQO8ziQZL3mO-xSCAr7yNFV1nxiPRMy9WdLLHjFkAJ6BNdFi0AnF-fEf8efH39qRhQ/s400/Conan.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422370452063202" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmavGh0IESyOxDz_SXV8GxcadjEje8BFtEyXe3A6OrWbM8aKWBZ541Fzb1iBAiJGI-bbvhmmtWGJwSTcbfl2u4s2Mxm_KrNZWQjceOzP6Ssfq0AseHpVlT1SCdC9zagWaVKQjVwg/s1600/Conan+O%2527+Brien.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 313px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmavGh0IESyOxDz_SXV8GxcadjEje8BFtEyXe3A6OrWbM8aKWBZ541Fzb1iBAiJGI-bbvhmmtWGJwSTcbfl2u4s2Mxm_KrNZWQjceOzP6Ssfq0AseHpVlT1SCdC9zagWaVKQjVwg/s400/Conan+O%2527+Brien.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422147005785458" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYud7z26VVqrd0ExNbFcs8X_zxQHXcGP5UbR8s2rsFK56ulmcfHXWeeHWq6VnJnVyHXzfEGYIqTxLRh-J1xaz7R_7Ra9-49lM1DReUYFoPim93bIK2ixSq0I1NfP5VYaJBT3o3g/s1600/birthdaymillionaire-150.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsOxffHHEJVC3PheK3Im6ymqVQz_DhSl0bwmbOQWKqchVOrGC6dGPfJPOrMNb51EU7vf-DYZX4htALSFXGf4AkcyfBBf7mQDdgnGl9JBeH2kvRWItxzfE51_2Pf1-ePM3lSBTmQ/s400/25May20101344033691.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsOxffHHEJVC3PheK3Im6ymqVQz_DhSl0bwmbOQWKqchVOrGC6dGPfJPOrMNb51EU7vf-DYZX4htALSFXGf4AkcyfBBf7mQDdgnGl9JBeH2kvRWItxzfE51_2Pf1-ePM3lSBTmQ/s400/25May20101344033691.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422119242408482" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 400px; " /></div></a><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxYud7z26VVqrd0ExNbFcs8X_zxQHXcGP5UbR8s2rsFK56ulmcfHXWeeHWq6VnJnVyHXzfEGYIqTxLRh-J1xaz7R_7Ra9-49lM1DReUYFoPim93bIK2ixSq0I1NfP5VYaJBT3o3g/s400/birthdaymillionaire-150.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422137002580962" /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YizFit_9dxtzc8hgQGznVeUFKOpqV7EicWpx1pKk739q1n__mUGwsLvuWalmD2XYd5bDjR8OBwir4q31L4BE3t0-lHwZ-BA5sFUlLVMyL-LfNHGf2g1kW1cEdbaX-udQZyXd3Q/s400/43625_1287352553.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4YizFit_9dxtzc8hgQGznVeUFKOpqV7EicWpx1pKk739q1n__mUGwsLvuWalmD2XYd5bDjR8OBwir4q31L4BE3t0-lHwZ-BA5sFUlLVMyL-LfNHGf2g1kW1cEdbaX-udQZyXd3Q/s400/43625_1287352553.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422124457204338" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></div></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlGSqf1kDvrDc0-0TmWGXmcAXioZhruLTj3zIEQ8mXu1qnbBCrKFxiLCNbpP3I-V2tYpfGjAlc2PGoXkAZOeSJhEJTYzxcnR3s21BHVIxSi3nO1eTcflTadezOF2eOaPR_4SeCQ/s1600/110120_legoconan2.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlGSqf1kDvrDc0-0TmWGXmcAXioZhruLTj3zIEQ8mXu1qnbBCrKFxiLCNbpP3I-V2tYpfGjAlc2PGoXkAZOeSJhEJTYzxcnR3s21BHVIxSi3nO1eTcflTadezOF2eOaPR_4SeCQ/s1600/110120_legoconan2.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlGSqf1kDvrDc0-0TmWGXmcAXioZhruLTj3zIEQ8mXu1qnbBCrKFxiLCNbpP3I-V2tYpfGjAlc2PGoXkAZOeSJhEJTYzxcnR3s21BHVIxSi3nO1eTcflTadezOF2eOaPR_4SeCQ/s1600/110120_legoconan2.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlGSqf1kDvrDc0-0TmWGXmcAXioZhruLTj3zIEQ8mXu1qnbBCrKFxiLCNbpP3I-V2tYpfGjAlc2PGoXkAZOeSJhEJTYzxcnR3s21BHVIxSi3nO1eTcflTadezOF2eOaPR_4SeCQ/s400/110120_legoconan2.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422131776253138" /></a><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzlGSqf1kDvrDc0-0TmWGXmcAXioZhruLTj3zIEQ8mXu1qnbBCrKFxiLCNbpP3I-V2tYpfGjAlc2PGoXkAZOeSJhEJTYzxcnR3s21BHVIxSi3nO1eTcflTadezOF2eOaPR_4SeCQ/s1600/110120_legoconan2.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmavGh0IESyOxDz_SXV8GxcadjEje8BFtEyXe3A6OrWbM8aKWBZ541Fzb1iBAiJGI-bbvhmmtWGJwSTcbfl2u4s2Mxm_KrNZWQjceOzP6Ssfq0AseHpVlT1SCdC9zagWaVKQjVwg/s1600/Conan+O%2527+Brien.jpeg" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); " onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXyuQoGt8zmUETGd8G31DJdpLCvpZKAzYDyzlUqnAfaS9lRN4mCfIVVorIxB1tGBQJIztdQyjNyZvHI0tnR9_PgyUngJz_xthMP_1BmmCRC7AqM95qdPK8Z5EG8yCZZgNX0rEYg/s400/tumblr_los69eF1tP1qzzvp9.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681422375160006914" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px; " /></a></div></div><div><br /></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-57996422037934242952011-12-01T15:08:00.006-08:002011-12-01T16:21:00.654-08:00Friedman on the Corporatist State<div style="text-align: left;">Milton Friedman, the <a href="http://reason.com/archives/2008/09/26/defaming-milton-friedman/singlepage" style="text-align: left; ">much vilified</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> </span><a href="http://thefire.org/index.php/article/9435.html" style="text-align: left; ">Chicago School</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; "> economist, put together a book and series of TV programs in 1980 to inculcate the public on his vision of capitalism called </span><a href="http://miltonfriedman.blogspot.com/" style="text-align: left; ">Free to Choose</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-align: left; ">.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>In one of these, <a href="http://youtu.be/FOMI0ORGH44">Friedman faces off against Michael Harrington</a>, of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee. In the course of his response to Harrington, Friedman surprised me—alarmed me—with views that echo my own.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FOMI0ORGH44" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>"I am not an anarchist. I am not in favor of eliminating government. I believe we need a government. But we need a government that sets a framework and rules within which individuals, pursuing their own objectives, can work together and co-operate together."</div><div>--Friedman</div><div><br /></div><div>"I do not believe it’s proper to put the situation as “Industrialists vs Government.” On the contrary, one of the reasons I’m in favor of less government is because when you have more government, industrialists take it over and the two together form a coalition against the ordinary worker and the ordinary consumer. I think business is a wonderful institution provided it has to face competition in the marketplace and it can’t get away with something except by producing a better product at lower cost."<br />--Friedman</div><div><br /></div><div><i>this version is suitable for framing:</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5ddQarU-4XOdipXtgizyDB23fPyYq8Ockk0J0aejfYFJ8WUITEBp_Vp47mjWlfKCjIsZZbleOFDgwT8ZgFYCOsGgjrqE9Ym33clD6pwO6pmKv6OhQXZqB-JCOqDupNs-InA2LQ/s924/FRIEDMAN.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681316573995954546" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " /></div><div></div></div><div>"My own view is that market systems are the most efficient means of allocating resources. But a free, unregulated market produces outcomes that are harmful to the commonwealth. The state is entrusted with serving the interest of the commonwealth by structuring protections against exploitative or harmful practices: safeguarding the air we breathe and water we drink; protecting workers from hazardous workplaces; protecting consumers from fraud; protecting our commerce from foreign ownership; and so on. The state sets and enforces the rules of the market, then allows the market to operate."</div><div>--<a href="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=pharos%20free%20market&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharosreview.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F10%2Fchris-hedges-on-occupy-wall-street.html&ei=JxfYTuu2JqSLiAL2s-WwCg&usg=AFQjCNEDz8JcLxKxS4kEUfK0t7bh8V5zjA&sig2=AmnhkcoT10C4Eu6g4V8l-w">Me</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Where Friedman and I differ most profoundly is not on the role of the state in the market economy, but on the role of the state in supporting the vulnerable in our society: the sick, the young, the poor, the unemployed.</div><div><br /></div><div>For Friedman, the individual is left to his own devices: You're on your own. Are you sick? Tap your savings, tap your benefits from private insurers (you know, <a href="http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html">those great altruists</a> who have only your interests at heart?), tap your family or your employer (as long as your health is in their enlightened self-interest, they'll help you). Are you unemployed? It must be a consequence of that pernicious measure known as the minimum wage. Eliminate that and the free market for labour will allow you to find an employer willing to pay you something for your services. It might take more than one job to achieve a subsistence wage, though. Maybe three. Or make yourself more marketable by buying your education from a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/collegeinc/">private college</a>.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>When the vulnerable are neglected, addiction rates rise; crime rates rise; illness, illiteracy, poverty all rise. Life expectancy falls. Our society becomes more hostile, and more suffering is packed into our shorter lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Friedman's warning about the corporatist state are accurate, though. For example, our current government <a href="http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3991">shills shamelessly for the oil sands</a>, and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/12/01/pol-kent-durban.html">obstructs any impediments</a> to their development, choosing corporate over commonwealth interests. That's the <a href="http://www.davidorchard.com/online/media-2004/flannagan-walrus-macdonald-200410xx.html">Calgary School</a> of Economics at work.</div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-75277584112575492352011-11-02T11:48:00.003-07:002011-11-02T12:25:37.654-07:00In-A-Gadda-Gaz-ebos, Baby: Clement Faces Music TodayGreg Weston <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/11/01/clement-parliamentary-committee-g8.html">sets the stage</a> for today's committee hearing thusly:<div><br /></div><div>"The federal minister responsible for cutting government waste is being called before a parliamentary committee Wednesday to explain how his own Ontario riding became paved in $45 million of political pork."</div><div><br /></div><div>This has to be one of the <a href="http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/ppv1n01.html">best opening lines of a work of prose</a> since "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."</div><div><br /></div><div>In brief, the government earmarked funds in support of border security and the G8 summit. Over $45 million was spent in Tony Clement's riding of Muskoka on projects that neither improved border security nor supported the summit. Many spending decisions were made directly by Clement in concert with the municipalities, circumventing the government's own safeguards against spending abuses. The man who treated these millions as his discretionary re-election slush fund is now the head of the Treasury Board.</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember a certain up-and-coming Leader of the Official Opposition who <a href="http://openparliament.ca/hansards/1604/120/">rightly chastised</a> the Government of the day for misappropriating funds from the public purse:</div><div><blockquote><i>"Mr. Speaker, the Liberal Party somehow believes it can make a plea bargain with itself. It is trying to be above the law.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>"This scheme was not set up for the benefit of a few bit players or a few ad companies. This was a scam, first and foremost, by the Liberal Party, of the Liberal Party and for the Liberal Party.</i></blockquote><blockquote><i>"Will the Prime Minister get up and admit that he has a responsibility to go after every single cent of the $40 million that are still missing"</i></blockquote></div><div>Who was that intrepid MP, holding the Government to account for the People of Canada? Why, none other than 2005 Stephen Harper, a distant cousin of 2011 Stephen Harper. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today's Stephen Harper is not merely above the law, he is the law. When his Minister <a href="http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/02/28/what-it-takes-to-get-fired/">tampers with a document</a> and lies about it to the House, he stands up beside her and says she's his gal. When a Minister <a href="http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Specials/20080527/bernier_history_080527/">leaves behind Top Secret documents</a> at his main squeeze's flat, he makes a show of bouncing him from Cabinet, only to have him <a href="http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/05/18/harper-unveils-new-cabinet/">return</a> three years later. When the integrity commissioner he appoints shuts down all complaints and shields the government from scrutiny, he gags her testimony, hands her a half-million dollar <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/disgraced-integrity-czars-400000-severance-deal-includes-gag-order/article1930343/">severance</a>, and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/10/06/pol-auditor-general-reports-shelved.html">blocks any inquiry</a> into the gross malfeasance of her office.</div><div><br /></div><div>Follow Kady O'Malley's coverage of the G8 committee's proceedings <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/inside-politics-blog/2011/11/in-a-gadda-gaz-ebo-baby-liveblogging-tony-clement-et-al-on-g8-legacy-fund-at-public-accounts.html">here</a>.</div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-67052116073604193192011-10-21T22:46:00.005-07:002011-10-22T00:09:15.442-07:00We Are The 99, Eh?<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPsk5ds_1Wc9WOT7v8eg4mpBUPCoLeal1MlC4dBtKZB1sSF4URK0cIsTzZf-_SZGHdyxc5ymC5jeTMs33i-gGpGu4fI1wugr9B88UFlqlpqH1aDjUt4ybFIlDIoMo8MKutvgwng/s1600/EDM_OILERS.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPsk5ds_1Wc9WOT7v8eg4mpBUPCoLeal1MlC4dBtKZB1sSF4URK0cIsTzZf-_SZGHdyxc5ymC5jeTMs33i-gGpGu4fI1wugr9B88UFlqlpqH1aDjUt4ybFIlDIoMo8MKutvgwng/s400/EDM_OILERS.jpg" border="0" alt="WE ARE THE 99 EH" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666189521028149714" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><u><br /></u></span></div><br />Couldn't resist. Reminds me of watching the Great One and one of the all-time great hockey dynasties, the 1980's Edmonton Oilers.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPsk5ds_1Wc9WOT7v8eg4mpBUPCoLeal1MlC4dBtKZB1sSF4URK0cIsTzZf-_SZGHdyxc5ymC5jeTMs33i-gGpGu4fI1wugr9B88UFlqlpqH1aDjUt4ybFIlDIoMo8MKutvgwng/s1600/EDM_OILERS.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><div><br /></div><div>Some Canadian stats courtesy of the Globe and Mail.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPsk5ds_1Wc9WOT7v8eg4mpBUPCoLeal1MlC4dBtKZB1sSF4URK0cIsTzZf-_SZGHdyxc5ymC5jeTMs33i-gGpGu4fI1wugr9B88UFlqlpqH1aDjUt4ybFIlDIoMo8MKutvgwng/s1600/EDM_OILERS.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLAABjwVh1C8oa1japrwnJrP5XfQ90En4jyNAs3eYFP7jUG6likoD7LvqHfrrsrCp86NhRbumzmpDBRlEM7oaeYt15tavbY7AhEL2a6Be9-3TsxpE7NMelYnrF-p3hT34jR26Ig/s1924/globe99.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5666209506060161074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; " /></a><div></div></div><div><br /></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-13164276432098295672011-10-12T09:59:00.006-07:002011-10-12T17:20:40.846-07:00Chris Hedges on the Occupy Wall Street Movement<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfqByi7dY4g92K5K_LPnGIw4J8lc5G-gFYedXY9579cLHEq8X6EDQrOsWW9JzSKzwMeG2VuIkOkWtxyNwqnM9LYe_IrcdBVVw-uQ8Va6il3e2DJp9bP3nIW_B7l4thwYlfemjAQ/s1600/615+occupy+wall+street.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 560px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfqByi7dY4g92K5K_LPnGIw4J8lc5G-gFYedXY9579cLHEq8X6EDQrOsWW9JzSKzwMeG2VuIkOkWtxyNwqnM9LYe_IrcdBVVw-uQ8Va6il3e2DJp9bP3nIW_B7l4thwYlfemjAQ/s400/615+occupy+wall+street.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662693336376269858" /></a>Speaking on CBC's the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/lang-and-oleary-exchange/index.html">Lang and O'Leary Exchange</a>, Chris Hedges (author of <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/World-As-Dispatches-Human-Progress/dp/156858640X"><i>The World As It Is</i></a>) fended off O'Leary's ham-fisted personal attack to clearly enunciate <b>the root of the Occupy Wall Street movement's grievance</b>, and where he fits on the political spectrum:<blockquote><div><i>"Those who are protesting the rise of the corporate state are in fact, on the political spectrum, the true conservatives because <b>they are calling for the restoration of the rule of law</b>.</i><p></p></div><div><i>"The radicals have seized power, and they have trashed all regulations and legal impediments to achieve a reconfiguration of American society into a form of neofeudalism."</i></div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MAhHPIuTQ5k" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>See how consistent this sentiment is with the <a href="http://www.teapartypatriots.org/Mission.aspx">Tea Party Patriots' mission statement</a>, which includes the following on Free Markets:<br /><blockquote>A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. The founders believed that personal and economic freedom were indivisible, as do we. Our current <b>government's interference distorts the free market and inhibits the pursuit of individual and economic liberty</b>. Therefore, we support a return to the free market principles on which this nation was founded and oppose government intervention into the operations of private business.</blockquote> </div>The anti-corporatist agenda is fuelling both of these movements because both the state and the market have betrayed the trust of the people they serve. Where the Tea Party movement diverges from Occupy Wall Street is in how it regards the role of the state and the virtue of markets.<div><br /></div><div>My own view is that market systems are the most efficient means of allocating resources. But a free, unregulated market produces outcomes that are harmful to the commonwealth. The state is entrusted with serving the interest of the commonwealth by structuring protections against exploitative or harmful practices: safeguarding the air we breathe and water we drink; protecting workers from hazardous workplaces; protecting consumers from fraud; protecting our commerce from foreign ownership; and so on. <b>The state sets and enforces the rules of the market, then allows the market to operate</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>The state should not pick the winners</b> by direct investment in the marketplace; it should invest in infrastructure that enables the market to function. <b>The state should not encumber development</b> with inefficient regulatory review; it should have the organizational capacity to expedite reviews such as environmental and foreign ownership assessments. <b>The state should not bolster industries</b> that the market has consigned to the trash heap; it should enable the retraining and redeployment of labour when the market changes tack.</div><div><br /></div><div>What is clear from the outrage on the streets is the despair that Americans increasingly harbour for their future as a nation. Implicit in these movements is the pledge that <b>never again shall American taxpayers be asked to shoulder the burden for the malfeasance of the market and the abandonment of the state</b>. Americans should celebrate the sentiment that unites these movements instead of what divides them, and exert their full force in the political arena.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>See <a href="http://pharosreview.blogspot.com/2011/08/paradox-of-populist-shift-to-right.html">The Paradox of the Populist Shift to the Right</a></div><div></div></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-40475868532509081792011-10-11T23:02:00.005-07:002011-11-07T08:07:45.404-08:00Colbert Benefits From Hugh Jorgan<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAdLM6pTKjOxJDYcIrTcs9MGizUk9OrIPoFOkeik2i1TwoyZynxzcxPnTPBowIa4LJKH-_0pUCWhQB8XSpz5a9kLtpqvruw77SXaPmjkn14fClDNQRkJxe2K1-fULLL533vUvIw/s1600/DSC_0898.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 540px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihAdLM6pTKjOxJDYcIrTcs9MGizUk9OrIPoFOkeik2i1TwoyZynxzcxPnTPBowIa4LJKH-_0pUCWhQB8XSpz5a9kLtpqvruw77SXaPmjkn14fClDNQRkJxe2K1-fULLL533vUvIw/s720/DSC_0898.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662489515103892322" /></a><div><br /></div>I was watching a rerun of last week's Colbert Report wherein he <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/09/colbert-explains-roves-money-laundering-scheme/">exposes the 501c4 scheme </a>of laundering political contributions from an anonymous shell corporation into a PAC or Political Action Committee. The dialog was so good, I transcribed it for your enjoyment below. During the conversation, I noticed that on the screen crawl of HEROE$ listing Colbert's PAC contributors appeared the name Hugh Jorgan [screen cap above]. Cute.<div> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: These c4s have created an unprecedented, unaccountable, untraceable tsunami, and I feel like an idiot for not having one.<span> </span>Here to make my move to secrecy and obfuscation completely transparent, please welcome former general counsel to the McCain campaign and my personal lawyer, Trevor Potter.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Now, Trevor, I have all these people at the bottom of the screen who’ve been giving me money, individual Americans.<span> </span>But I haven’t gotten any of the big corporate money.<span> </span>That’s why I have a SuperPAC! Why wouldn’t a corporation give money?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Well, they’d be nervous about giving in a way that their name is publicly disclosed. People might object to what they’ve done: their shareholders, their customers…<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Okay, so that’s where a c4 comes in.<span> </span>A corporation or an individual; can give to a c4, and nobody gets to know that they did it.<span> </span>Right?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: That’s right.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Okay, so how do I get one?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: And that money can be used for politics.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Oh great, that’s good too—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: So, we need to get you one.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: As long as it goes through me, it can go to anything it wants.<span> </span>So how do I gets me one, Trevor?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Well, lawyers often form Delaware corporations, which we call shell corporations, that just sit there until they’re needed—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: So they’re just some anonymous shell corporation?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Right, and I happen to have one here in my briefcase.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Let’s see it.<span> </span>What’s it called?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: It’s called Anonymous Shell Corporation—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: That’s got a real ring to it Trev.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: —registered in Delaware—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: I don’t have to go to Delaware, do I?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: No, it’s already been done for you.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: [whistles] Okay, okay, badadum, badadum, okay: Anonymous Shell Corporation, filed in Delaware.<span> </span>Okay, I got this; so now I have a c4?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Right, now we need to turn it into your shell corporation, your anonymous one, and we do that by having normally a Board of Directors meeting.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: And who’s on the Board of Directors?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Well, just you.<span> </span>We can—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Sounds like a nice group of people.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: —just have you do this.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Okay, let’s do this. [hammers gavel] And I’ve shattered my champagne glass.<span> </span>I hope there’s no sensitive electronic equipment down there.<span> </span>Alright, call to order. Let’s do this thing.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Alright, so, this says that you are the sole director of the corporation—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: I am. [begins signing document]<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: —and that you are now electing yourself President, Secretary, and Treasurer—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Sounds like a great board.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: —and you are authorizing the corporation to file the papers with the IRS in May…2013.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: So I could get money for my c4, use that for political purposes and nobody knows anything about it til six months after the election.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: That’s right, and even then they won’t know who your donors are.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: That’s my kind of campaign finance restriction. Okay, so now I’ve signed it. I have a c4?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: You have a c4, it’s up and going.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: So, without this, I am transparent. With this, I am opaque.<span> </span>Without it, you get to know.<span> </span>With it, “You go to hell.”<span> </span>Without it, “Here’s who gave me my money.” With it, “You know what, your mutha gave me my money.”<span> </span>Well, I like that, Trev.<span> </span>Okay, now I can get corporate unlimited donations of unlimited amount for my c4, what can I do with my money?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Well, that c4 can take out political ads and attack candidates or promote your favourite ones—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Uh-huh.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: —as long as it’s not the principal purpose for spending its money.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: No, the principal purpose is an educational entity, right?<span> </span>I want to educate the public that gay people cause earthquakes.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: There are probably some c4s doing that.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: Can I take my c4 money and then donate it to my SuperPAC?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: You can… [sly nod]<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: [smile spreads slowly across face] Wait, SuperPACs are transparent—<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: Right, and…<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: —and the c4 is secret.<span> </span>So I can take secret donations from my c4 and give it to my supposedly transparent SuperPAC.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: And it’ll say given by your c4.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">SC: What is the difference between that and money laundering?<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">TP: It’s hard to say.<o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-64991634664546216402011-10-05T22:52:00.005-07:002011-10-05T23:56:08.977-07:00Wikileaks: Old School Liberal Backroom Politics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u4AiGTgA5YbuEiERRTPUzYezvtM_-8KSUUaEz7eUhyphenhyphenNBih-cFYN9WzEPqUOMkvb63aO_Nbx0bStzpTddogrexvGXunYAz0SxpFXNYfui3VR-OlNOaN6XXbPXlrxDSKmJLpsOKw/s1600/chretienmartin+1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9u4AiGTgA5YbuEiERRTPUzYezvtM_-8KSUUaEz7eUhyphenhyphenNBih-cFYN9WzEPqUOMkvb63aO_Nbx0bStzpTddogrexvGXunYAz0SxpFXNYfui3VR-OlNOaN6XXbPXlrxDSKmJLpsOKw/s400/chretienmartin+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5660259379861670002" /></a><br />A <a href="http://wikileaks.org/cable/2003/06/03OTTAWA1567.html">wikileaks cable released on August 30 </a>has given me the most compelling reason to date to be involved in the Liberal Party's renewal. The cable describes the Liberal leadership contest of 2003: the calculated withdrawal of Chretien, the charade of electing Martin in order to placate the membership's sense of democracy, the compliance of Manley and Copps in the charade and their respective exit strategies. The sordid details of the process were breezily reported in the cable issued from the US Embassy in Ottawa to Washington. <i>[emphasis added]</i><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 15px; "><pre style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; font-family: monospace; line-height: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap; text-align: justify; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-right-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-bottom-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); border-left-color: rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 540px; ">SUBJECT: (C/NF) CANADA,S LIBERAL LEADERSHIP CONTEST: A RACE FOR THE CURE <br />Classified By: POL M/C BRIAN M. FLORA. REASON 1.5 B and D.<br /><br />1. (C/NF) SUMMARY. With the official launching in April of the leadership campaigns of Deputy PM John Manley and Liberal backbencher Paul Martin, the three-way contest to succeed PM Jean Chretien -- Canada's race for a political cure -- is officially on. Though the Liberal Leadership convention is slated for November, observers believe that Martin,s victory will be sealed in September when the dozen or so delegates from each of 301 Liberal ridings across the country are announced. The trick will be getting Chretien to quit before his announced date of February 2004 -- a daunting task -- in order to minimize the transition chaos. Meanwhile, our meetings with Martin supporters and close advisors indicate a pragmatic leadership-in-waiting already engaged in damage control within the GOC and at work on a blueprint for U.S.-Canada relations. If Martin's May 1 foreign policy speech is any indication, under his leadership we can expect a positive change in Canada's handling of the bilateral agenda. END SUMMARY.<br /><br />2. (C/NF) A successful businessman and former Finance Minister, Paul Martin leads the three-way race in campaign funds, organization and name recognition. Discussions with a range of Martin supporters, from consultants to Members of Parliament, and Martin staffers, suggest that <b>PM Chretien,s likely successor already has a quiet handle on the rudder of the Canadian ship of state</b>. Chretien's reputation as a gritty and tenacious politician notwithstanding, we understand that <b>pro-Martin MPs dominate the Liberal Caucus and are poised to quash controversial "legacy" initiatives -- such as political party finance reform and, it appears, marijuana decriminalization -- that would undermine the new PM,s agenda.</b> Whether the Caucus and the Party can persuade Chretien to retire early -- for the sake of Party and Country -- is another question.<br /><br />3. (C/NF) In his first major foreign policy statement May 1, Martin painted a pragmatic and business-practical vision of "Canada,s Role in a Complex World," identifying Canada,s relationship with the U.S. as a cornerstone of that role. He pledged a "systematic and coordinated effort to confirm and strengthen the Canada-US partnership," to include a permanent Cabinet Committee on Canada-US Relations chaired by the Prime Minister and a House of Commons Committee on Canada-US relations. In the context of North American security, Martin called for development of a comprehensive national security policy for Canada, the only G-8 country without such a policy. Though the very fact of articulating a "vision" would distinguish Martin from Chretien, the one-time Finance Minister and backbench challenger was also well spoken and thoughtful in his delivery.<br /><br />4. (C/NF) A key element of the Martin campaign strategy has been to emphasize the differences between Martin and the PM, in both style and content, and to portray a pro-active and pragmatic (as opposed to reactive and ambivalent) philosophy of governance. The contrast could not be greater, or easier, to achieve: While the PM pledges (non-existent) support for a UN intervention in the Congo, Martin offers to share federal gas tax revenues with Canada,s beleaguered, cash-hungry cities. Similarly, as Martin and his advisors focus on a blueprint to re-invigorate the US-Canada bilateral relationship (6 months ahead of the convention), Chretien seizes the international venue of the G-8 summit to sharply criticize the economic leadership of President Bush and boast about Canada,s economic success. Fortunately, if anecdotal evidence and media comments contain a shred of truth, so far the PM is not winning the PR battle.<br /><br />5. (C/NF) Veteran observers have speculated that <b>the three-way leadership contest is a fig leaf to avoid the "un-Canadian" and "un-Liberal" appearance of a Martin coronation, and probably involves behind-the-scenes agreements among the PMO, the Liberal Party and the candidates themselves.</b> A retired former Canadian Ambassador-turned-consultant who claims to "know" Chretien says that such political arrangements are not unusual and would be desirable for the sake of image among the Canadian public. Deputy PM John Manley's stake in such an arrangement would be to develop his prospects for a post-Martin Prime Ministership (visibility, experience etc.) whereas Heritage Minister Sheila Copps' likely reward might be a prestigious "permanent" (to age 75) appointment -- perhaps as Senator -- that would guarantee her income to retirement age and a generous government pension. Proponents of this theory point to the recent and unexpected retirement of a senior Senator -- at Chretien's "request"-- as paving the way for such rewards to loyalists.<br /><br />6. (C/NF) COMMENT: With a majority of Liberal MPs (including Cabinet Ministers) openly in the Martin camp, as well as Liberal Party President Stephen LeDrew, the logical reality is that PM Chretien no longer controls the House Caucus. This could explain his bizarre anti-American public musings -- the only thing under his control, and with the added benefit of making PR mischief for the growing majority only too eager to push him out the door. In this regard, we should not underestimate Chretien's capacity to manipulate the system if it serves his purpose, including to prorogue the Parliament until after the November election and/or sticking around as PM some three months after Paul Martin is elected Liberal Leader. At the same time, <b>at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.</b> END COMMENT. CELLUCCI</pre></span></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-85364205997222936812011-09-27T00:03:00.006-07:002011-09-27T01:10:26.408-07:00Conservative Attack Zone: Target the CBCThe CBC will soon be the target of an aggressive disinformation campaign by the Conservative Party. The main strategy: have Canadians do a spittake when they learn the CBC costs them one billion dollars a year.<br /><br />To pre-empt some of the disinformation that will be circulated along with this attack, I thought it would be valuable for Canadians to put the cost of the CBC in perspective.<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Proportion of annual federal expenditures: 0.428 %</div><div>($1,074 m of $250,860 m)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cost of CBC per capita: $31.23 per year or less than 9 cents a day</div><div>($1,074 m per 34.39 m Canadians)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cost of servicing the national debt per capita: $881 per year or $2.41 a day</div><div>($30,300 m per 34.39 m Canadians)</div><div><br /></div><div>I took a look at how spending on the CBC has changed over the last five years, and I selected a few other government programs for comparison.</div><div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFuU6PtyhLIK0znvetfV_eE6JXrqTtVVA9EpQ1EQ-IJ0gM-mTeezbwcCkcKC4KA9Te2n6f4KyU9xYys7ukzXklBcuMQwPTJx6Uev_nuaY3IIOAuNCiE8DvNNdqhqKb2mRiBzkKYg/s400/cbc+table.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656937883373219346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 194px; " /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Even the most partisan Conservative can see that while the government is calling for public broadcaster blood in the name of budget cutting, the security apparatus of the government has enjoyed dramatic increases in funding. The military, border security agency, and intelligence agency all received dramatic funding increases of over 40%, and correctional services expenditures increased a whopping <b>74%</b> while CBC's funding declined slightly. </div><div><br /></div><div>During this period, CBC rolled out extensive web-streaming services, podcasting, a third radio network, and still preserved an actual news-gathering organization, not mere infotainment punditry.</div><div><br /></div><div>The real agenda here is not cost-cutting, or value for Canadian taxpayers–they're already getting that. What's really going on is that the government wants to neutralize the public broadcaster:</div><div><ul><li>first by changing the rules of the game (<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/crtc-plan-to-lift-ban-on-false-news-prompts-political-investigation/article1898147/">CRTC now has a weakened standard</a> of what constitutes news reporting), </li><li>then by approving a propagandist media outlet (Ezra Levant of <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/crtc-gives-green-light-to-sun-tv/article1815026/">SunTV</a> coined the term Ethical Oil, now <a href="http://hilltimes.com/page/view/kentenviro-01-17-2011">embraced by our Environment Minister</a>, and the network's champion <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/kory-teneycke-gets-back-in-saddle-at-sun-tv-news/article1858766/">Kory Teneycke is Harper's former spokesman</a>), </li><li>now by undermining its credibility to the public, </li><li>then diminishing its capacity through massive budget cuts, </li><li>and finally by cowing it into submission.</li></ul><div>Public broadcasters are frequently the target of Conservatives because they consume public funds and they speak the truth. And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MoGi4AHpn0&feature=related">as Stephen Colbert observed</a>, "reality has a well-known liberal bias." (at 6:38)</div></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-16194753327941075682011-09-21T09:42:00.003-07:002011-09-21T09:50:18.382-07:00Caution Re: Apparent Cancer Progression<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0oWRI8hrMWLpYH43G1krGqZBJ4Wlfg56DLIJlRn6OyZz1HuPooPnMXZu6s0SEL-KehF3j0uej0cZyEoW-Tm7JH1VHmPQADF2caVzUti1m95uvX_bA25dl2q_WCNYyvL5SoXItA/s1600/ct+nodule.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0oWRI8hrMWLpYH43G1krGqZBJ4Wlfg56DLIJlRn6OyZz1HuPooPnMXZu6s0SEL-KehF3j0uej0cZyEoW-Tm7JH1VHmPQADF2caVzUti1m95uvX_bA25dl2q_WCNYyvL5SoXItA/s400/ct+nodule.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654855723195628386" /></a><br />In the August 10, 2011 issue of the <i><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Journal of Clinical Oncology</span></i>, authors from Memorial Sloan-Kettering published a simple and provocative study (<a title="http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/29/23/3114.abstract" href="http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/29/23/3114.abstract">abstract</a>). Lung tumour nodules were measured on CT scan, then patients were rescanned just fifteen minutes later and the nodules remeasured.<p></p> The main findings: differences in nodule measurements in excess of 1 and 2 mm were common (57% and 33%, respectively). Most significant is the risk of misdiagnosing progression. RECIST criteria for progression (>=20% increase) were met in 3% of these cases, about 1 in 30.<p></p>Oncologists need to keep these findings in mind when evaluating small serial changes in tumour measurement, and when making decisions about initiating or abandoning treatment.<p></p>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-74861899390221372342011-08-31T21:53:00.008-07:002011-08-31T23:19:52.153-07:00BC Premier Clark Dumps Early Election Promise<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuSngY2xVUyCcs_trM6Y-K7nEbA8-bct20Vt3c4c9LwT2ruw03rjslUwRE0DxWC-zhhJLMzHIgQjlSKIdKpdPDRGXjQA6ss0gWatewjC6KZVHlbmmQjt5nCKegjaEpnANyhM1jA/s1600/800_cp_christy_clark_sworn_in_110314.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuSngY2xVUyCcs_trM6Y-K7nEbA8-bct20Vt3c4c9LwT2ruw03rjslUwRE0DxWC-zhhJLMzHIgQjlSKIdKpdPDRGXjQA6ss0gWatewjC6KZVHlbmmQjt5nCKegjaEpnANyhM1jA/s400/800_cp_christy_clark_sworn_in_110314.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647270938608789394" border="0" /></a>
<br />Christy Clark made a few significant promises during her run for the leadership of the BC Liberal Party, and the premiership of BC. Among these was a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/12/14/bc-clark-snap-election.html">promise to seek a mandate as an elected premier</a>:
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I think two and a half years in government as an unelected premier is an awful long time," Clark said in Victoria. "I think British Columbians might be right to say, by the time 2013 rolls around … 'We want to get a chance to vote for you under the basic principles of democracy.'"</span>
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<br />Sounds pretty laudable. Today we learn <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Clark+early+election+focus+shifts+jobs/5336472/story.html">that commitment to democracy is out the window</a>.
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">“I was really clear about [seeking an early mandate] when I ran, but I've had enough citizens tell me that they don't think it's the right time for an election,” she said.</span>
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<br />I get it. You pledged to do one thing during your campaign, then when the political context shifts immediately after you're confirmed, you decide to renege on your pledge. That seems really familiar...where have I seen that scenario before? Oh yes, it was your immediate predecessor, Premier Campbell. <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2010/11/03/bc-premier-gordon-campbell.html">His broken promise was the reason for his abrupt departure</a>.
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<br />So, how does this play out? <a href="http://www.investmentexecutive.com/client/en/News/DetailNews.asp?Id=59388&cat=147&IdSection=147&PageMem=&nbNews=&IdPub=">It'll take eighteen months to restore the PST</a>, apparently. Before that time, the fight will have gone out of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/06/bc-vancouver-hst-campaign-vander-zalm.html">Vander Zalm's army</a> of canvassers, and a new preoccupation will emerge. Then you can campaign on a new mandate that includes maintaining the HST. Lo and behold, no change in the tax, and the 'people' will have endorsed keeping the tax.
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<br />Maybe I'm wrong.
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<br />igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-71244901449979816722011-08-07T23:31:00.003-07:002011-08-08T00:58:11.909-07:00The Paradox of the Populist Shift to the Right<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyCMYerZDelTB9G0BXXZ310wv5zf8KkgEY7oDf8btp74iBjDlFB0szoqAeg0KXAdu59KVz_JKe1OpmMmYe6GwjjNeWi-YA9VSQqXDoUQt6WhVpLfVMj-bdO066xx1XBggfHd1Hw/s1600/fareed-zakaria-gps-0.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyyCMYerZDelTB9G0BXXZ310wv5zf8KkgEY7oDf8btp74iBjDlFB0szoqAeg0KXAdu59KVz_JKe1OpmMmYe6GwjjNeWi-YA9VSQqXDoUQt6WhVpLfVMj-bdO066xx1XBggfHd1Hw/s200/fareed-zakaria-gps-0.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638390665558298610" /></a>On <a href="http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/07/arianna-huffington-joe-klein-on-debt-u-s-politics-and-more/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Fareed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Zakaria</span> GPS today</a>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Zakaria's</span> panel discussed the debt ceiling, the deficit, and the downgrade. One thing that caught my eye was this exchange <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Zakaria</span> had with Ariana <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Huffington</span>:<div>
<br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">FZ</span>: Ariana, how can you explain this: that you have had the biggest financial crisis and recession one would argue, in some part caused by the irresponsibility of the private sector, and the response not just in the United States but across Europe, has been that the right has been strengthened and the left has been discredited?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>AH: I think the reason is that the public mistrusts government because government has bailed out major financial institutions that brought us to the brink of collapse, that basically government now is providing welfare for many entrenched interests. Government is not there any longer to support the weakest among us or the most vulnerable. I mean, you see this sort of intersection of lobbyists, big corporations, and Washington is really what people are turning against. If somebody--</div><div>
<br /></div><div><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">FZ</span>: And they think of the left as the party of government, so--</div><div>
<br /></div><div>AH: Exactly, even though, in truth, government has bailed out many more powerful [financial] institutions...</div><div>
<br /></div><div>I think the exchange encapsulates the paradox of the populist shift to the right and its underlying cause:</div><div>
<br /></div><div>- The government reduced oversight of the financial industry</div><div>- Deregulated financial institutions destabilized the economy and caused the recession</div><div>- The recession dispossessed citizens of their homes, jobs, and wealth</div><div>- Government bailed out financial institutions with taxpayer money</div><div>- Government can't be trusted with our money</div><div>- Government must be smaller: Vote Conservative!</div><div>- Smaller government will lead to reduced oversight of industry</div><div>- Repeat democratic death spiral</div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-15830888583312599042011-08-05T10:34:00.001-07:002011-08-05T10:37:08.950-07:00Harper Selects Senators Alone In His Shower<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NJsh0uS91Q8tb_nu5sSXvfPFtGH3FvvmpX559vSuVyNB7gTnFveaG12EdcBuo5wlDzoHpxlgJDlqcvmXI4AnOFyM4WnCFHYaf2tOLWveMEthlSjeZ3GXS5slFAb6v5_YuheESw/s1600/Stephen+Harper+not+to+care.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637241429846317346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 257px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NJsh0uS91Q8tb_nu5sSXvfPFtGH3FvvmpX559vSuVyNB7gTnFveaG12EdcBuo5wlDzoHpxlgJDlqcvmXI4AnOFyM4WnCFHYaf2tOLWveMEthlSjeZ3GXS5slFAb6v5_YuheESw/s320/Stephen+Harper+not+to+care.jpg" border="0" /></a> Mike Duffy on Senate reform, speaking on CBC's The House, June 25, 2011:<br /><br /><br /><div><br /><div>"If you get a process whereby a Prime Minister by convention respects the democratic rules set out in <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/06/15/pol-senate-reform-house-pm.html">this legislation</a>, and only appoints people who have been elected, it'll be very hard in the future for any other Prime Minister to go back to the stand-in-the-shower-and-consider-who-you-want-to-appoint method of democracy, which is <a href="http://harperlies.blogspot.com/2009/06/elected-senates.html">what we have now</a>."</div><br /><br /><div>Maybe this statement has more to do with Mike Duffy's fantasy of his own Senate appointment process than with how the Prime Minister actually select senators.</div></div><br /><br /><div>Duffy gave more insights into the current process as he explained the value of a nine year senate term.</div><br /><br /><div>"The nice thing about a nine-year non-renewable term is that if you gain election, you do have independence because you're not going to run for office again, you're not trying to curry the favour of the Prime Minister to get some sort of event for yourself in the future, you can be brutally independent in fighting for what's right, both for your province and for the public, and I think that is a very good mix."</div><br /><br /><div>A nine-year non-renewable term also ensures that the senators are beyond the reach of their electorate. Pretty nice gig in theory: get elected, do whatever you want for nine years, receive pension and don't look back.<br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637239344956426946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMWDfp3GvdtYHNlaLOhLsK8yyUXeFdajpLJTjMURnlfRsr_B2NpV6MLXqZggRymfMu06Vq4m-QiwYUl4KCBKsSTpxWPs4x0ZNV5jSenGgPyGcHk6gn3BwEPHGrWeZ-K8BKSEbxw/s400/senate-cp-w-6151462.jpg" border="0" />igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-67297696736465567052011-07-28T15:32:00.006-07:002011-07-28T16:15:41.265-07:00Canada Demands Israel Renounces Nukes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna7JL_dqBdKRx9orFXtCYUOzl_ruZtT2KBA_LaeywmjtHHZxifwjR3cU63_AhK4IiJ0HXnaA8bWWOnCx7B_XmRlONGgAuN8iaqxmAhvbPnhlHDJQy-AAwkWtgPJw2ZS8MwRquQA/s1600/nuclear+480.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgna7JL_dqBdKRx9orFXtCYUOzl_ruZtT2KBA_LaeywmjtHHZxifwjR3cU63_AhK4IiJ0HXnaA8bWWOnCx7B_XmRlONGgAuN8iaqxmAhvbPnhlHDJQy-AAwkWtgPJw2ZS8MwRquQA/s400/nuclear+480.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634544958442310930" /></a><br />In distinction to Stephen Harper's <a href="http://pharosreview.blogspot.com/2011/05/terry-milewski-journalist.html">high profile sophistry about the pre-1967 borders at Deauville</a>, Canada stood with nearly all nations of the world in support of nuclear non-proliferation in the Middle East. <div><br /></div><div>Included in <a href="http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/517/82/PDF/N1051782.pdf">Resolution 65/88</a>, <a href="http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/680/40/PDF/N1068040.pdf">adopted December 8, 2010</a>, are clauses specific to Israel:</div><div><br /></div><div> "The General Assembly...</div><div><br /></div><div>"<i>Recalling </i>that Israel remains the only State in the Middle East that has not yet become a party to the [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]...</div><div><br /></div><div>"<i>Reaffirms</i> the importance of Israel's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, in realizing the goal of universal adherence to the Treaty in the Middle East;</div><div><br /></div><div>"<i>Calls upon</i> that State to accede to the Treaty without further delay, not to develop, produce, test, or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, to renounce possession of nuclear weapons and to place all its unsafeguarded nuclear facilities under full-scope Agency safeguards..."</div><div><br /></div><div>All nations—including DPR Korea and Iran—voted in favour of this resolution except for Israel and India, who voted against it, and Pakistan, Bhutan, Cote d'Ivoire who abstained. Unsurprisingly, India and Pakistan, wanting to shield nuclear programs of their own from scrutiny, decided to align with Israel's rejection of oversight, despite being the second and third <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Muslim_population">most populous Moslem nations in the world</a>: Pakistan, 174m Moslems; India, 161m Moslems.</div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-41083413220166854372011-07-11T09:00:00.003-07:002011-07-11T09:18:32.891-07:00CBC Perpetuates Myth Of Harper Opposing 1967 Borders For IsraelIn a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/07/11/canada-palestine-state.html?ref=rss">report on CBC's website</a> today, a caption beneath a photo of Harper at the G8 read as follows:<div><br /></div><div>"<em>Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed that Canada had objected to any language in the final communiqué that included mention of Israel's pre-1967 borders at the G8 meeting in Deauville, France, May, 2011."</em></div><div><em><br /></em></div><div>In actuality, <a href="http://pharosreview.blogspot.com/2011/05/terry-milewski-journalist.html">when pressed by Terry Milewski</a> at that conference, Harper acknowledged that Canada's position on Israel—with support for UN Resolution 242 and support for a two-state solution—is long-standing and that he is not deviating from it. Moreover, Harper signed the Deauville declaration which states the signatories' "strong support for the vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace outlined by President Obama on May 19, 2011." That "vision" explicitly supports the use of the pre-1967 borders as the starting point for any negotiation.</div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-54261473443326056542011-06-14T09:08:00.007-07:002011-06-14T21:41:49.836-07:00Is This Your Canada?: More Aid For $2m, More Bombs for $60m<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOPkVafm3xONqGecVUbboiv8thNmSDZziS60r6El5_lS9dGIuUhHgJjfXZnjlxZBh_f_eXgqeOrfwS3ArYI1JLarVcLShuAKf66_pHpbLk49ESisRWlzNSN_Q-G9zer9bXCCjuQ/s400/oda0217.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 223px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618111682020912578" border="0" /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The discredited Minister of International Development, Bev Oda, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/06/14/pol-libya-aid.html?ref=rss">announced yesterday</a> that Canada would increase its aid to Libya with another $2m. Last Thursday, Defense Minister Peter Mackay <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/calling-for-patience-ottawa-prepares-to-extend-fight-against-gadhafi/article2054580/">sought another $60m</a> to extend the combat mission in Libya.<div><br /><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC4lHdmV0la6ZOMw5arj1kBpLVnyUuK8YZJHxOnSUNaYx0xNrGk0oj8XlWn2rbbHp-UOEo2kWpd_HNJbB2BcinUooju-4xFQi74A1t_ve-a4WYKg1urmNucria3FOvNTSDFgd8lw/s400/600_peter_mackay.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 225px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618111833965379442" border="0" />Your taxpayer dollars are being used to deliver democracy to Libya from the payload of a bomber. Is that your Canada?<br /><br />And just so we remind ourselves of this government's commitment to democracy at home: the extension of the bombing missions in Libya to September 2011 would sustain <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/05/25/pol-flaherty-budget.html">the per-vote subsidy to political parties</a> in Canada until September 2013 ($27m per year).<br /><br />I am relieved Peter Mackay <a href="http://pharosreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/former-canadian-ambassador-says-canada.html">resisted the temptation to 'assist' Egyptians'</a> fledgling steps toward democracy.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigOUuBzpQsmh5Lm62AA62tOtk8ETd6jgHAlhgx8u5ZtZqm9hIf_fcwjPZTsT3m-uSc833HBAOnaXD6wxq9w2dwB7Cr4KvanSV3DsxboHqIsp0QlTrpZ22CumN08XgUzrXbxNMe9g/s400/egypt_protest_10.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618111973223198034" border="0" /></div></div>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7645037.post-70236692442283168762011-06-08T22:04:00.004-07:002011-06-08T22:10:39.436-07:00Republican Health Plan HaikuOn tonight's Colbert Report:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Blood in the urine<br />A tingling down the left arm<br />Walk it off grandma<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNIRCKomT_XtYAORRumJgUfGQtryXnwbKD2EAwqHwbxxMvhaUoKGuhrpSvlPeoTFojVBFz-ITxnaONQDxgGAoIGKDjWUfusycOsqPFSwnEEw5IeiGs50FeMjzebeYpMvo56eWoA/s1600/CherryBlossoms.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidNIRCKomT_XtYAORRumJgUfGQtryXnwbKD2EAwqHwbxxMvhaUoKGuhrpSvlPeoTFojVBFz-ITxnaONQDxgGAoIGKDjWUfusycOsqPFSwnEEw5IeiGs50FeMjzebeYpMvo56eWoA/s400/CherryBlossoms.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5616082655354634450" border="0" /></a>igmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11376800741776945590noreply@blogger.com0