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.