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.