A thought to ponder ...

Suppose you get on an elevator and the following is revealed as the doors close:




This from the very active mind of artist Tim Nugent. Check out his work.

... and the winner was ....

Osama bin Laden!!!!

Check this out:

"

Kristen Breitweiser, a 9/11 widow and an attorney, wrote that she was given all of two hours "advance notice" regarding the Justice Department’s decision to not prosecute the remaining alleged 9/11 conspirators in an open court of law.

She asked that we all ponder what this decision says about President Barack Obama, the Justice Department, and the United States of America. She provided her own thoughts:

"As for the Department of Justice, it shows their inability to prosecute individuals who are responsible for the death of 3,000 people on the morning of 9/11. Apparently our Constitution and judicial system — two of the very cornerstones that make America so great and used to set such a shining example to the rest of the world — are not adequately set up to respond to or deal with the aftermath of terrorism.

"To me, this is a startling and dismal acknowledgment that perhaps Osama Bin Laden did, in fact, win on the morning of 9/11. And chillingly, I wonder whether it wasn’t just the steel towers that were brought down and incinerated on 9/11, but the yellowed pages of our U.S. Constitution, as well."

"

I've always thought that history would judge Osama to be one of the most efficient and effective mass killers ever. Wow, imagine being known as the guy who planned and destroyed the United States!!

WARNING!!! ... The horror of war ...

That clichéd phrase has not been applied much to the current spate of battles in which our forces are involved.

If you wish to see what that phrase really means, then click on the following link and scroll down through the whole page:

http://mindprod.com/politics/iraqwarpix.html

I believe all children should see these so that they become aware of the consequences of war. Certainly every adult who supports our troops involvement in these things should be forced to view the pictures on a daily basis, preferably just before going to sleep.

For a more complete discussion of the issues involved, I offer up this article by Kelley Vlahos:

http://original.antiwar.com/vlahos/2011/04/04/the-censored-war-and-you/

Chris Floyd's analysis of a destroyed society

Here is an article which is very relevant to Canada as an election looms:

http://www.chris-floyd.com/component/content/article/1-latest-news/2099-a-nation-stripped-bare-fascism-has-come-to-america.html

Think about these ideas when you next approach the ballot box. Choose the party that most represents your ideals, if you still have any.

Harper wanted lies in news broadcasts

How else to interpret this article from Bartcops's Blog:

http://www.bartcop.com/Canada-says-NO-to-FOX-Lies.htm

We certainly didn't hear much about this Conservative gov't proposal, did we?

The Rude Pundit observes ...

Check out this bit if history and marvel at the extent to which our visions of society have changed. A character calling himself The Rude Pundit recently wrote this entry for his blog:

Quote:

"2/21/2011

Abraham Lincoln Would F*** Up Your Conservative Economic Ideology:
Just a quick one before taking a personal day: three quotes from the greatest great great president who's not Ronald Reagan (duh), since everyone's a-pondering what our forefathers and mothers might think of the Wisconsin uprising. These are from Abraham Lincoln, noted quorum-stopper and occasional Republican (whenever the GOP needs his corpse, they dig it up and make it dance, but otherwise, they just let him rot):

1. "I am glad to know that there is a system of labor where the laborer can strike if he wants to! I would to God that such a system prevailed all over the world." - From a speech on March 5, 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut, regarding a shoemaker's strike (which, believe it or not, involved 20,000 shoemakers who were not, apparently, elves).

2. "Inasmuch as most good things are produced by labor, it follows that all such things of right belong to those whose labor has produced them. But it has so happened, in all ages of the world, that some have labored, and others have without labor enjoyed a large proportion of the fruits. This is wrong, and should not continue. To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as nearly as possible, is a worthy object of any good government." - From his notes about tariff policy, scribbled down on December 1, 1847.

3. "Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Capital has its rights, which are as worthy of protection as any other rights. Nor is it denied that there is, and probably always will be, a relation between labor and capital producing mutual benefits." - From his 1861 State of the Union address, decrying "the effort to place capital on an equal footing with, if not above, labor in the structure of government."

Hey, patriots, on this Presidents' Day, suck on those stovepipe hats."

Unquote

More of this gent's ramblings can be found here: The Rude Pundit
Seriously adult language is involved, be forewarned.

One spin-off from the Egyptian adventure

This article suggests that Egypt's revolution may have sparked something truly revolutionary in the communications field:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16about.html

Imagine communicating with no chance of the info getting to anyone other than your intended audience, and with essentially no chance of the network being shut down by those upset with you having a means to communicate!

An Important Glenn Greenwald article

Read and learn:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/02/11/campaigns/index.html

A concise description of our current situation wrt governments/corporation/individuals. Guess who loses?

Thought for the Day

Remember, belief in science can fly you to the Moon.
Belief in religion can fly you into skyscrapers.

This from Bartcop.com

Check him out.

Who's your poppa? ...

Here's a reminder of who actually controls where your tax dollars are spent and why:

http://original.antiwar.com/kevin-carson/2011/02/02/american-foreign-policy-promotes-our-interests/

The same principal is applicable in all so-called western democracies.

Fort Lauderdale, January 2011

We took a few days to go south to Fort Lauderdale, and hooked up with some old friends Kathy & Kimber from our Hong Kong days. They had us out for a great BBQ dinner at their estate, where a pretty party pelican prompted one to the poolside patio table. After a few hours, this is how we left their table, after exchanging all the news and gossip, and a few (?, I lost count) toasts, etc.


Next day, we used the water taxi to see the whole city. The picture below is either the Fort Lauderdale version of a tow truck, or the incompetent sailor's way of going for a sojourn on his yacht in the canal system downtown.


We met one of Florida's iconic citizens, but didn't stay for his dinner.


... and this little bird showed up again to remind us about the 17th Delbert McClinton cruise, but we already had our cabin booked.

Christmas Gift

Anna gave me this fun painting by Mary Moore for Christmas. It shows Bob Thompson, me and John Haysom blowing for Standing Room Only during a Tea Dance at the Almonte Old Town Hall.

Vermont tries to save the world

It seems that there are a few sensible people in the US:

http://www.alternet.org/news/149620/vermont_is_gearing_up_to_strike_a_major_blow_to_corporate_personhood,_ban_it_statewide/

Let's wish them all success and hope that the same attitude begins to prevail in Canada, soon.

Truthout.org has awarded Canada ...

The Golden Lemon Award goes to the Conservative government of Canada for shelling out $8.5 billion to buy 65 Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters. According to Defense Minister Peter MacKay, “This multi-role stealth fighter will help the Canadian forces defend the sovereignty of Canadian airspace.” Exactly whom that airspace is being defended from is not clear.

The contract also includes a $6.6 billion maintenance agreement, which is a good thing because the F-35 has a number of “problems.” For instance, its engine shoots out sparks, and no one can figure out why. It is generally thought a bad idea for an engine to do that. There are several different types of F-35, and the vertical lift version of the aircraft doesn’t work very well. It seems the fan that cools the engine, doesn’t, and the panels that open for the vertical thrust, don’t. Also switches, valves and power systems are considered “unreliable.”

The F-35 is looking more and more like the old F-105 Thunderchief, a fighter-bomber used extensively at the beginning of the Vietnam War. Pilots nicknamed it the “Thud” (the sound the plane made when it hit the ground after failing to clear a runway, a rather common occurrence). One pilot said it had all the agility of a “flying brick,” thus its other nickname: the “lead sled.”

The U.S. is spending $382 billion to buy 2,457 F-35s, although the price tag keeps going up as more and more “problems” develop. Maintenance and spare parts for the aircraft will run several hundred billion extra.

One normally thinks of Canadians as sensible, but the country’s Conservative government is apparently as thickheaded as our own. Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently had a summit meeting on the Arctic and didn’t invite the Inuit (whom most Americans call Eskimos).

Well, the F-35 may not fly very well, but it works just fine for Lockheed Martin: second quarter profits saw a jump from $727 million to $731 million over last year, and revenues rose to $11.44 billion, 3 percent over last year.

Here's a year-end progress summary ...

for your contemplation ( yeah, I know, nobody contemplates anymore...)

http://original.antiwar.com/paul-craig-roberts/2010/12/29/cheering-for-wikileaks-demise-is-cheering-for-our-own/

Buy gold, ... bullion .... if you don't want to pay capital gains taxes.

A glimmer of hope ...

... regarding the insanity of our drug laws:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/british-defense-secretary-time-legalize-regulate-drugs/'

The only possible reason for continuing with our current anti-drug regime is that politicians are being paid off by the 'criminals' to keep laws in place that will result in ludicrous street prices for simple chemicals and herbs which cannot (as yet) be patented by large corporations.

I would really like to see a proper cost/benefit study done regarding our drug policy which gets beyond the 'one reefer always leads to crack cocaine addiction' argument. By the way, what's wrong with having a bunch of addicts buying well-taxed drugs from the state to support their habits? They probably would not be any worse than the alcoholics and pillcoholics with whom we routinely associate (knowingly or not) during our day to day lives.

A petition to support Wikileaks

You might feel like adding your name to this document:

https://sites.google.com/site/wilibeaks/

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone signed it.

Trusting Politicians wrt War

Here's something to consider when expressing support for our government's military adventures:

http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2010-12-14.asp

Looking back, were the original goals that were presented by governments to start their wars ever achieved? Discuss this question from the point of view of the aggressor and the "good guys".

If only Wikileaks had been around in the past ... ... how many lives might have been saved? Discuss this question from the point of view of the aggressor and the "good guys".

Discuss who, exactly, are the aggressors and who are the good guys in each war you care to mention.

Oh, yeah, don't forget to support the troops. ... From both sides. You just can't have a war without them. After all, you wouldn't want the rich and powerful to have to actually, physically, fight ( and maybe die or be maimed) for their side in the wars they support, would you?

Assange's sins exposed!

Here is one version of the case against Julian Assange, for those who might be interested in the details:

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/12/07/julian-assange-in-the-honey-trap/

Better to think about this boring puerile BS than the implications of the information that Wikileaks and several world famous newspapers have presented to the world.

Why is nobody declaiming these leaking newspapers in the same vehement fashion that is being used to destroy Wikileaks (seized bank accounts, credit card companies refusing to pay donations made by individuals to Wikileaks, websites arbitrarily closed etc., etc.)?

Persecution of Wikileaks continues

Glenn Greenwald summarizes the illegal war against Wikileaks;

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/06/wikileaks/index.html

We are witnessing a truly pivotal time in western civilizations. Do we embrace the thuggery and criminal behaviour of those in power, or do we insist that the rule of law be enforced in our countries?

Could be the beginning of a new Dark Age.

PAKISTAN??!!!??!!! ... PAKISTAN??!!!

WTF?!!

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/?page=2010\12\04\story_4-12-2010_pg1_6

This is enough to make one lose one's faith in our freedom myth.

Where to find Wikileaks

Don't read this if you want to be a friend of the establishment:

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/12/03/wikileaks-registrar-problems-leave-site-difficult-to-reach/

Bookmark the page at the link above so that you can keep up with the latest active URLs for Wikileaks.

This is typical of repressive police states

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/12/03/state-dept-warning-students-not-to-read-share-wikileaks/

If you even attempt to learn what's going on, you are the enemy of the state.

What our government should be devoting its efforts toward:

Read this article (from an unlikely source) and ask yourself why we are pouring money, blood and our reputation into Afghanistan.

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2010/11/20101130181427770987.html

Al Jazeera seems to have a better handle on Canada's reasonable priorities than our government!

State of the confusion ...

Ponder this statement:

"An alert and informed citizenry, valued by presidents from Washington to Eisenhower, is now deemed by D.C. to be a nascent domestic terrorism threat."

Guess at its author. See HERE for the answer

Discuss its relevancy to our current era.

The world we choose to live in ...

as revealed by this little anecdote:

http://www.mybottlesup.com/2009/10/tsa-agents-took-my-son/

... and if you thought airport security makes us safer ...

Check this out, safety freaks!:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/tsa-screenings-kill-americans-highways/

So is your dead body better off smeared on a highway or a runway?

Do those who choose to restrict your freedom actually increase your safety? Seems not.

Consider this article which points out that radiation poisoning from the scanners is just as likely to kill you as a terrorist's bomb:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1331185/Airport-body-scanners-just-likely-kill-terrorist-bombs.html

The principle of unintended consequences comes to the forefront once more.

As I heard in an old cowboy movie way back when, "Ain't nothin' more peaceful than a dead man!"

Cower on in pious oblivion, you obsequious sheeple.

We're all in this together

... and then they came for me, and there was no one to ...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20023341-245.html

Enjoy your freedom!

Note to self:

Glenn Greenwald once agan posts a good summary of the state of our tawdry world:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/17/gates/index.html

The above deals with military and empire costs vs life in a civilized world, and torture as a tactic that is legal only in the exceptionally cowardly US.

Here's one for the security-conscious ladies

I don't make this stuff up, ... ... honest.

"A Gizmodo investigation has revealed 100 of the photographs saved by the Gen 2 millimeter wave scanner from Brijot Imaging Systems, Inc., obtained by a FOIA request after it was recently revealed that U.S. Marshals operating the machine in the Orlando, Florida courthouse had improperly-perhaps illegally-saved images of the scans of public servants and private citizens."

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/tsa-sees-sanitary-napkins-body-scans/

Creepy.

Maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but, ... ... really!!?

Here is one suggestion on how to deal with all this:

"

Since the Department of Homeland Security ordered enhanced screening measures, anyone who refuses their random assignment to the backscatter machines has been subject to invasive pat-downs that, in many cases, have seen screeners groping passengers' genitals and breasts. Not even children are exempt.

Many fliers choose to opt-out over concerns about the health effects of exposure to x-rays, or because they do not wish to be seen in the nude by a stranger.

Techniques being employed against American travelers are actually more invasive than methods used by the US military to screen Afghan civilians. Military policy holds that overly invasive searches of Afghans might inflame anti-American sentiment and violence in the region. That's apparently not a concern with Americans.

The "superfantastic" twist to "National Opt-Out Day": If you feel the screenings are humiliating, let the government share your embarrassment (pun intended) by wearing a kilt. And if you're, ahem, ballsy enough, join the protest wearing it like a true Scotsman, sans underpants.

The idea was first suggested by The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg, who writes:

Think about it -- if you're a male, and you want to bollix-up the nonsensical airport security-industrial complex, one way to do so would be to wear a kilt. If nothing else, this will cause TSA employees to throw up their hands in disgust. If you want to go the extra extra mile, I suggest commando-style kilt-wearing. While it is probably illegal to fly without pants, I can't imagine that it's illegal to fly without underpants. If you are Scottish, or part Scottish, or know someone who is Scottish, or eat Scottish salmon, or enjoy Scotch, or have a vestigial affection for "Braveheart" despite Mel Gibson, you can plausibly claim some sort of multicultural diversity privilege -- the term "True Scotsman" refers to soldiers who honor their tradition and heritage by wearing kilts without drawers underneath.

The snarky and unsanitary proposal seems to evoke images of recent stories, like the man in San Diego who told TSA screeners, "I'll have you arrested if you touch my junk," only to be escorted out of the airport and threatened with a $10,000 civil lawsuit."

“mendocracy. As in, rule by liars.”

Here's a fun bit of reading:

http://www.alternet.org/story/148826/16_of_the_dumbest_things_americans_believe_--_and_the_right-wing_lies_behind_them

How many of these concepts do you believe in?

Canada'a national embarrassment - it's PM

Mindless acceptance of fealty to Israel - ...

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101108/harper-israel-101108/20101108/?hub=TorontoNewHome

Why doesn't Harper just pack up a go to Israel if he's such a fan of the newest fascist/pirate state in the mid-east? Even Israelis are allowed to bad mouth the Israeli gov't in Israel, but Canadians can't do that here.

A familiar story in this new age of security

How do you like this stuff?

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/11/09/manning/index.html

Where have we heard this before ...

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/11/08/justice-dept-no-legal-authority-for-court-to-oversee-obamas-assassinations/

This is the very definition of an absolute dictatorship, at least so far as I understand such a system.

One hopes that the court will stand up against the call for such blatant tyranny.

A Khadr summary

FYI:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/10/30-6

Every person who supports the Nuremburg trials and subsequent international treaties regarding war crimes and child soldiers should be very disturbed by the state of our society now that Omar has had his day in an American 'court'.

I wish I knew how to get Canada's Treaty obligations enforced. There is certainly no entity in our current government/legal structure who seems the slightest bit interested in doing what these laws, treaties and the Supreme Court of Canada say is required.

A Republican speaks the truth!!???

This is from Ron Paul:

"Some will argue that these arms deals are international trade which we should encourage and applaud. Sadly, the United States does not build much that we can export these days. But the fact is that the U.S. weapons industry is underwritten by the American taxpayer. From research and development to acquisition by the U.S. military, the costs of the U.S. arms industry are borne by American citizens. But, as so-called private companies, the enormous profits they make selling weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia are of course privatized. So the costs are socialized and the profits are privatized. There is a word for this arrangement, and it is not “capitalism.”"

Think about it the next time you yell 'Support the troops".

Khadr situation update

Now that a guilty plea has been entered, here's what's left to consider:

http://www.fff.org/comment/com1010f.asp

Are we all proud of our government and their friends now? Is this the sort of legal world for which our 'heroes' are fighting? Thanks, but no thanks!

Here is the paragraph from Mr Worthington's article which is particularly reprehensible;

"Despite signing the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict on July 7, 2000, and advocating on the world stage for the rights of child soldiers from other countries, the Canadian government acted illegally in sending interrogators to interview Khadr at Guantánamo in 2003, and violated his rights under Canadian law."

The Supreme Court of Canada issued the decision that declared our government's actions illegal, and thus this issue is not a matter of opinion but of Canadian jurisprudence. Do you support the rule of law or not?

A refreshing attitude from an unexpected quarter

Why hasn't a single Canadian judge, MP, police official, or media star acted similarly to this Israeli politician in order to preserve the rule of law and uphold the Nuremburg legacy? Check this out:

http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=192696

Today's history lesson

Here's something I hadn't heard before regarding Tricky Dicky:

http://consortiumnews.com/2010/101510.html

More reason to distrust your friendly neighbourhood politician, and the governing system they create. Back-room deals to get elected always cost the country big time.

Wikileaks forever!!

Canada was first ...

... to suppress all civil liberties and suspend basic human rights, lest we forget:

http://original.antiwar.com/henderson/2010/10/17/trudeaus-war-measures-act-a-reminiscence/

The Yanks just do it in a more blatant way.

Manipulating the media for the new feudal system? ...

Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, offers some thoughts on money & power:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/opinion/04krugman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

I seem to recall something similar in Atlas Shrugged about toady politicians being foisted upon the public by vested interests.

It's not at all about left versus right, it's much more primordially thuggish than that.

A civics lesson ...

Jacob Hornberger elucidates the essence of what the liberal western democracies used to regard as their judicial system:

http://www.fff.org/blog/jghblog2010-10-13.asp

I am certain that rogues like Omar Khadr can appreciate the distinctions described in the article. Unfortunately most of the citizens of Canada don't get it.

Rule of Law

Glenn Greenwald writes about how to deal with terrorism suspects, using a 57 year old Kenyan precedent regarding the Mau Mau uprising as one example:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/10/02/assassinations/index.html

Why are our governments so afraid of the liberal tradition which arose from the Nuremburg trials?

Quaint morality concepts

Glenn Greenwald elucidates some ideas about our society that have been coagulating in my thoughts for a while.

He writes quite well:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/09/25/secrecy/index.html

Jason Ditz examines Obama's latest court filings:

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/09/26/justice-dept-assassinations-up-to-executive-branch-not-courts-to-decide/

... Justin Raimondo explains the reasoning behind recent FBI raids:

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/09/26/the-obama-boomerang/

You can be sure that our government is involved in similar acts and plans. There are many in CSIS who drool over the possibility of getting at the RIM database discussed here:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/09/27/privacy/index.html

You should all feel safer after reading all of the above. Do you not?

... and the winner is ...

Not us:

http://original.antiwar.com/roberts/2010/09/24/it-is-official-the-us-is-a-police-state/

I hope those who support gov't power will be happy with their choices.

Here's the overseas version of this process:

http://www.chris-floyd.com/articles/1-latest-news/2025-murderers-cowards-morons-and-thieves-portrait-of-an-empire-in-a-political-season.html

Be goood or they'll getcha!

Here's an article from Forbes, catering to my well developed sense of paranoia:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/09/15/intellectual-property-copyright-opinions-columnists-jason-ditz.html?partner=yahootix

It seems that gov'ts are quite creative in finding new reasons to thump you if they see fit.

Goin' to meet its maker

Back in to early 90s, I bought a 1986 Chev Astro van (the big V6, 5-spd manual tranny, air-con, 4ch CD/MP3 stereo, and a CB radio!) from my neighbour Harald. He had converted it for camping and never drove it in the winter. I was also able to avoid using it in the winter and had many years of fun with the old beast.

Today, I sold it back to Harald, who will take it on as a restoration project (the original paint has finally just worn off in places). I'm glad to see the two re-united and hope that he's able to get another 24 years out of it before things start to go wrong.

Thanks to Anna for the picture.

More about Omar Khadr's situation

For those interested in the actual legal issues which are involved in Canada's forsaking of one of its child citizens, I can suggest this article:

http://www.fff.org/comment/com1008e.asp

Will my country ever recover from this horrific allegiance to the American view of humanity?

Oil Defence? ... ??

Here's an article that posits a disturbing idea about the connection between our wars and why we fight them:


http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/05/the_ministry_of_oil_defense?sms_ss=email

It seems to be saying that our military has been created and is being used as the corporate security department for a bunch of businesses that operate offshore! IE, our taxes are paying for a large part of what can only be considered the normal cost of doing business if you choose to leave Canada for your operations. Whyzat?!! Last I heard, we certainly don't get to share in the profits for these businesses!

And if you consider recent history, it doesn't seem that the wizards running these companies know very much about how to deal with the citizens of the countries in which they choose to operate. When they don't get their way, they just call in our army to thump the locals into submission, and taxpayers end up footing the bill (including veteran's care costs).

If this business model was applied within Canada, it could only be called armed robbery. ( I know, I know, these sorts of things are handled via expropriation within Canada).

Hmmm ... .... ? Somethings strange here ...

Check it out. What's goin' on here?

Crumbling country characteristics

I hope this doesn't start happening in Canada, but I suspect it will unless we convert Harper and his government to the path of wisdom and logic. Thanks to Glenn Greenwald again:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/08/06/collapse/index.html

A New Hampshire voyage

Bought a new MP3 player, complete with a van to carry it in, last April.



We checked out the new van as a camping implement last week and were pleasantly surprised by its utility, comfort and convenience.



We saw many awesome natural vistas ...


... and some awfully tacky tourist traps like Clark's Trading Post.

Bruce Fein's article in instructive

Consider these ideas, if you will:

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=836

I was struck by how far our governments have gone in repudiating the values and ethics that resulted from WWII and the Nuremberg trials. It seems to make all those deaths back in the thirties and forties a total waste of time. If we are so enamoured of Nazi-like actions now, why didn't we just let them roll over us back then? Surely they would have allowed us to speak english if they had taken over, n'est-çe pas?

Wikileaks is important

Here's why:

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/07/25/bradley-mannings-gift/

See! Now we can know more about what each of us taxpayers is actually sanctioning with our dollars.

Are you proud of what you've paid for?

Don't read this article.

It's too true and depressing. Once again Glenn Greenwald nails it.

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/23/intelligence/index.html

Canada is not far behind in its fall into depravity.

Next time you drive the Highway of Heroes ...

Here's some ideas from William J. Astore to think about:

"*By making our military generically heroic, we act to prolong our wars. By seeing war as essentially heroic theater, we esteem it even as we excuse it. Consider, for example, Germany during World War I, a subject I’ve studied and written about. Now, as then, and here, as there, the notion of war as heroic theater became common. And when that happens, war’s worst excesses are conveniently softened on the "home front," which only contributes to more war-making. As the historian Robert Weldon Whalen noted of those German soldiers of nearly a century ago, "The young men in field-grey were, first of all, not just soldiers, but young heroes, Junge Helden. They fought in the heroes’ zone, Heldenzone, and performed heroic deeds, Heldentaten. Wounded, they shed hero’s blood, Heldenblut, and if they died, they suffered a hero’s death, Heldentod, and were buried in a hero’s grave, Heldengrab." The overuse of helden as a modifier to ennoble German militarism during World War I may prove grating to our ears today, but honestly, is it that much different from America’s own celebration of our troops as young heroes (with all the attendant rites)?"

What did the gov't gain by lying?

I bet you didn't read anything like this in a Canadian newspaper:

http://original.antiwar.com/kitson/2010/07/18/treachery-as-public-policy/

Why do politicians always cover each other's ass? Why do they allow their predecessors to, literally, get away with murder? What is the problem with throwing the book at liars, war criminals, thieves, and murderers just because they happened to win an election just prior to their crimes?

My heroes, D'Arcy and Wylie at work

Don't worry, be happy:


See! It's contagious!

It's been a while so I thought you'd be ready for more

This has all the hallmarks of a good movie:

http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2010/07/13/the-shahram-affair/

It's too bad that 'our' side is playing the bad guys. But, that's just the way it is these days.

What the troops think ...

For anyone who still believes that 'our' side is doing good over in Iraq (see previous posts), Afghanistan and the rest of that region, here is a story about two of those who were on the ground during the action:

http://www.antiwar.com/blog/2010/04/16/collateral-murder-veterans-apologize-to-iraqi-families/

I think one can say that their career in the military has been capped by their admissions.

Can anyone explain how this sort of brutality is in Canada's best interests? Why are we not demanding war crimes investigations into all those who do these things, and into the actions of those who attempted to cover them up??

Summing up our moral superiority

Once again, Glenn Greenwald puts things into perspective:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/06/iraq/index.html

And furthermore:

"We've shot an amazing number of people and killed a number and, to my knowledge, none has proven to have been a real threat to the force."

That was General Stanley McChrystal, supreme commander of United States forces in Afghanistan, late last month - during one of the virtual "town hall" meetings held with US troops every two weeks, as reported in the New York Times.

McChrystal added, "To my knowledge, in the nine-plus months I've been here, not a single case where we have engaged in an escalation of force incident and hurt someone has it turned out that the vehicle had a suicide bomb or weapons in it and, in many cases, had families in it."




We are despicable

What we should be fighting against ...

... and it doesn't involve using Canadian troops as cannon fodder:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/04/05/afghanistan/index.html

I bet this never gets mentioned in our parliament or our TV and Print news sources.

Here's a follow-up, mentioning the heroic work of Canadian Brig Gen. Eric Tremblay, ISAF Spokesperson in 'reporting' the incident:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/04/05/us_forces_afghanistan_killings_open2010/index.html

And finally, for those with the stomach, here's some more of our 'heroic allies' at work:

http://news.antiwar.com/2010/04/05/wikileaks-releases-video-of-us-copters-killing-iraqi-civilians/

How the war is sold

Here is an interesting report on why you support killing people in foreign lands with your tax dollars:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/03/27/wikileaks/index.html


Neat, huh? It's just like selling deodorant.

I Found Him!

This guy is still saxually obsessed! Good thing he's kept locked up on the Delbert cruise ship.

Certified Mexican Chefs!!

Just check out these masterpieces!

Catching up

A view from the couch after a night out with friends down in chilly Florida this January:


... ahhh ... breakfast!

State of Your United States

Here's why Osama bin Laden will be judged as history's most effective user of violence. He managed to destroy the world's mightiest constitutional democracy for less than a million dollars and a handful of his own men.

Read Phil Giraldi's summary of events here;

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/02/12/civis-romanus-sum/

Some light reading ...

Here ya go:

http://www.amconmag.com/blog/losing-the-bill-of-rights/

Sort of re-definition of who the bad guys are, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century.

Who benefits from wars? - Further educational reading

Sorry to intervene in the seasonal gush of niceness, but I wanted to highlight a bit of commentary that seems appropriate as we look forward to our troops ending their mission in Afghanistan ( ... any bets on the actual date?)

Enjoy!

http://c4ss.org/content/1558

What corporation are you fighting for?

And for another historical look at this modus operandi, check out this article from Ray McGovern:

http://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/2009/12/22/break-the-cia-in-two/

Something to which one can look forward ...

Pianos on the quarterdeck ....



.... and guys for whom one sax ain't enough :



Won't be long now!

Flowerzilla returns!

This thing just popped open in the dining room the other day! Doesn't it know that it's winter outside?

-20C in Ottawa, but not down here ...

... was it really three years ago that we visited this place? ...





It's feeling like the time to have another warm adventure, methinks.

Glenn Greenwald, nails it again

Here's a pretty clear exposition of what really drives our government's anti-human activities:

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2009/12/18/corporatism/index.html

With increasing corporate control of all the media to which we are exposed, is it any wonder we never get to hear about the arguments Glenn Greenwald advances?

Whimsy from the past

A friend, Tim Nugent, hand-painted these ties for me about ten years ago. They were too good to wear so Anna framed them.




They should really be seen by more people.

It's coming ...

It started one morning this fall when we saw this:




... and then last week we saw this horror!...




AAGgghhhh... winter!

More cheery reading

Here's where we are today:

http://original.antiwar.com/roberts/2009/11/06/the-evil-empire/

Feeling better?

Grey Jazz at the Aviation Museum

It's now cold and damp and daylight savings time ends this weekend and so it seems like a good time to go back to the heat of summer and reminisce a bit. Here's the Grey Jazz Band on July 1st at the Aviation Museum in full flight, as it were.


And for the truly fanatical fans of this blog's author, here's the trombone section pumping out the sounds.


Have you ever seen a more appropriately named group?

Thanks and all credit to Richard Lawrence (R_M_Lawrence@hotmail.com) for his photographic skills.

Squirrel-proof bird feeders

Say What??!!

Anna just installed the latest in technology to ensure that the birds got fed this winter,

Regardez le film!

Since it's 9/11 ...

and everything changed on that day, here's a good summation of the progress achieved since then.

We probably should insist that our government(s) provide some evidence to support their actions over the last ten years. There is an election coming, n'est-ce pas? Might be a good time to ask some questions.

Here's a starter: Exactly why are Canadian troops in NATO and thus in Afghanistan? For the money and lives that have been spent, what do we get out of it? Why is that more important than unemployment insurance, arctic sovereignty, fisheries research, pension guarantees, good public transport and clean fresh water in all our houses? If we must fight NATO's adventures in Nowhereistan (far from the North Atlantic), why aren't our allies coughing up the cannon fodder and equipment at the same rate that we are?

Something I had not considered ...

Lifted without explicit permission from Bartcop.com:

"Is God an atheist?

Does God believe in a higher power? Of course not, he's God.

Think about God, using his Heavenly computer to, say, investigate the origin of the universe.
He can find evidence of the Big Bang because that exists, but he certainly won't find any evidence of
God being involved, so wouldn't He, by definition, be an atheist? Certainly God's too smart to lie to Himself.

If God doesn't believe in a higher power, why should you?

When God is facing a big problem, do you think he prays?
Of course not, he's God. Who in the hell is he going to pray to?

All God could do is what you and I should do:
Look at the available facts and study the evidence and come to a logical conclusion.

Seriously, do you really need angels and prayers to make good decisions?
Be like God, and forget that higher-power crappola.

..."

Logic in a dangerous world

Our tax dollars at work. Here's a lovely discussion of the modern way of fighting that Canada's government thinks is just great.

But the real problem is why this is all happening. Who is funding these adventures in nation-building, and more importantly, who benefits from these activities. Here is a reasoned opinion that makes sense to me, and starts to illuminate the answers to the foregoing simple questions.

I think we have been eliminated from having any say in how out taxes are spent. In the late 1700s, a group of people objected to this sort of thing with some success, for a few years. Now it's the same-old same-old running things again.

SERFDOM - the natural order of your life!

A prediction I can accept

Here's a Philip Giraldi prediction that I want to place here so that all you closet warriors can respond in six months time and discuss:

Six More Months

Let the debate begin!

Welcome to (Canada + US) = (Austria + Nazi Germany)

Here's a little item about how our government interprets their mission in life.

We really seem to be sinking into the slime along with our southern neighbours.

Ottawa Folkfest

We checked out the Folk Festival this year as Anna had provided a floral box that was to be in a silent auction to raise funds for the event.

Ray Bonneville was on hand and found himself involved in a 'workshop' with some performers from Cameroon.


The Arrogant Worms from Kingston were back wowing the crowd ...


... and Bruce Cockburn gave a great show to round off the days events.

Too much fun ..

Anna threw a birthday party for me yesterday, and around 80+ folks showed up to schlurp and burp and slide and glide and toot and hoot and holler.

Trouble is, I forgot to digitally document the occasion and don't have a single picture or video to show you the extent of the frivolity. Ah well, maybe next year.

Fortunately, Anna got some evidence and you can check things out at her blog here.

Trend spotting: Check this out!

I thought this was what was happening; somebody else finally got the numbers to prove it.

A new direction for our civilization

Feel better yet?

More to consider ...

Here's some reading for those who might wonder what's going on ...

Societal Trend?

I think I detect a large phalanx of police state sympathizers oozing up from the slime of 9/11. We are really no safer now than we were on 9/10, but the bully boys are back to brutalize those who won't be adequately obeisant to the thugs in OUR governments who claim to be protecting us from THEM.

Oh well, ... nothing to worry about ... .... really ... ... or is there ... ?

Tremblantbleu

There's a place in the mountains of Quebec that used to reverberate to the sounds of Can-Am and Trans-Am V8s roaring through the hills. Now, a different sound shakes you and forces your feet to move. Click to play the little movie ...



Yep, there's a Blues Festival in the new Mont Tremblant! And it's free!! And you can stumble around with your beverage from stage to stage without being hassled!!! And the bands are great, with half of them Americans touring to or from the Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto etc., etc., festivals and the others being the best of the regional blues guys!!!! Like here's Rick L. Blues on stage for the final day!!!!!! These guys are so great I even bought the CD!!!!!!
(If you know me, you will understand the significance of that act of commerce.)