Friday, December 31, 2010 

We Need A Better Song For New Years Eve ...

"What Does Auld Lang Syne Mean And Why Do We Sing It On New Years Eve?
You’re probably going to go to a New Year’s Eve party tonight and as soon as the clock strikes 12, somebody will inevitably start slurring the tune “Auld Lang Syne” because they heard it in a movie. But people very rarely nail down the correct melody, nor do they know all of the words. And what does “Auld Lang Syne” even mean?

It began as a poem written by Scotland’s Robert Burns in 1788 (with a few of the lyrics cribbed from a James Watson ballad from 1711 called “Old Long Syne”). The tune is a traditional Scottish folk song, and it quickly gained popularity in the U.K. as a song sung at the end of the year as well as at funerals. As Brits emigrated to other parts of the globe, the tradition spread, and took hold in the United States as early as 1896. It didn’t become a popular American staple in this country until band leader Guy Lombardo played the tune during his year-end radio broadcast in 1929.

The title of the tune literally translates to “Old Long Since,” though people readily accept “Long Long Ago” or “In Olden Times” as reasonable transpositions. The first verse goes a little something like this: “Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?/ Should old acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?/ For auld lang syne my dear/ For auld lang syne/ We’ll take a cup of kindness yet/ For auld lang syne.” That second part is actually the chorus, but it usually just gets treated as another verse.

Republished from The Fire Wire blog

We need a better song for New Years Eve ... I REST MY CASE!!!

Thursday, December 30, 2010 

The 'Ideology' Induced Hallucinations Of Preston Manning


Preston Manning is an unapologetic advocate of unfettered free-markets. Regardless of how reality again and again demonstrates the flaws in his belief, Preston continues to white knuckle the right wing concept that health care should be considered a commodity where the rich benefit and the not so rich anguish, suffer and die.

We shouldn't be surprised. Preston's father, and one time
Premier of Alberta oversaw and retained Eugenics laws that required the forced sterilization of Alberta citizens who suffered from mental disabilities .. mostly aboriginal people.

When it comes to wing-nut, right wing politics, the nut doesn't fall very far from the tree, 'eh Preston?!

"It is December, 2018, and at long last Canadian health care has been reformed."
Preston Manning
Globe & Mail

-When Eugenics Was Law In Alberta

-Preston Manning Is Still Trying To Kill Medicare In Canada

Thursday, December 23, 2010 

Merry Christmas - Season's Greetings 2010


Merry Christmas - 2010 from 'Buckdog'!

Here's wishing a nice Christmas to all who drop by! I'm signing off for a few days. Stay warm and make sure that you have some fun as well!

All the Best!

Leftdog
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Wednesday, December 22, 2010 

Saskatchewan Is 'Down Stream' And 'Down Wind' From Massive Alberta Oilsands Pollution


"EDMONTON – An independent study suggests pollution from Alberta's oilsands is nearly five times greater and twice as widespread as industry figures say. The study says toxic emissions from the controversial industry are equal to a major oil spill occurring every year. Government and industry officials say contamination in area soils and rivers is natural, but the report links it firmly to oilsands mining.

"We found rather massive inputs of toxic organic compounds by the oilsands industry to the Athabasca River and its tributaries," said David Schindler, a co-author of the study. "The major contribution to the river was from industry." The study, published Monday in the U.S.-based Proceedings of National Academy of Science, also takes direct aim at Alberta's monitoring program.

"Our study confirms the serious defects of the (regional aquatic monitoring program)," it says. "More than 10 years of inconsistent sampling design, inadequate statistical power and monitoring-insensitive responses have missed major sources of (contamination) to the Athabasca watershed."

Toronto Star

Albertans seem content to allow the oil industry to pollute their province's air, streams, rivers and lakes with tons of toxic pollutants. Unfortuantely prevailing westerly weather patterns bring tons of pollutants across the border to settle on Saskatchewan farmland. As well, most river systems run from Alberta into Saskatchewan bringing toxic compounds across the provincial border. Yet, not one word of concern has come from Brad Wall's Right Wing, Saskatchewan Party administration.

"With the release of the Oilsands Advisory Panel’s Report today, NDP Environment critic Sandra Morin sharply criticized the Wall Government for failing to implement an adequate plan to monitor and measure the level of harmful toxins coming from Alberta’s oil sands and polluting Saskatchewan’s air and water.

Morin said the Official Opposition is working on a Private Member’s Bill directly related to Alberta’s oil sands pollution, which will be introduced in the Spring Session of the Legislature. The Private Member’s Bill will ensure that the people of Saskatchewan are protected from environmental threats to their health and well-being.

“The Wall Government has already broken its election campaign promise to stabilize and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the province, so the public is demanding answers as to what Premier Wall is doing to tackle the very serious issue of Alberta’s oil sands polluting Saskatchewan’s water and air,” said Morin. "The Advisory Panel’s report notes that industrial oil sands activity in Alberta has potential effects that reach into Saskatchewan. What is the Wall government doing to address the monitoring gaps identified by the Advisory Panel’s report, and what demands is the Premier willing to place on the Alberta government in order to protect the health and well-being of Saskatchewan’s people?"

Morin noted that while the focus of the Advisory Panel’s report was the aquatic monitoring system, earlier studies cited in the press have raised concerns about air pollution as well: according to a Canadian Press report, 150,000 tonnes of acid-rain causing pollution is produced by oil sands activity each year, with 70 per cent of that pollution blowing into Saskatchewan. “This huge volume of pollution would obviously affect Saskatchewan farmland, forests, water and human health,” said Morin.

“If Alberta is sending these toxins into Saskatchewan, the people of this province deserve to have their health protected, and to be compensated for any damage. My Private Member’s Bill will see to it that the Alberta government, which profits from the oil sands, pays the people of this province for the cost of protecting our health and cleaning up our environment,” said Morin.

“This latest report on the environmental impact of the oil sands once again recognizes that Saskatchewan’s environment, economy and quality of life are being affected by activity in Alberta. Saskatchewan residents need every assurance that their right to a clean and healthy environment is protected, and my bill will help do that,” said Morin. “The first step to finding out how much we should be receiving to protect our health and clean up our environment, however, is to have a comprehensive plan to monitor and measure the pollution coming across our borders, and the Wall government must act to improve its efforts in this area right away.”

Saskatchewan New Democrat Caucus Office

Saturday, December 18, 2010 

Saskatchewan Political Columnist Catches Harper And Conservatives Playing Games With The Truth

BHP Potash deal: Facts Point To Political Factors
"A political insider familiar with federal Conservative ranks says Prime Minister Stephen Harper starts each day with a pretty thorough assessment of his seats and what events might have caused them to be more or less winnable.

This shouldn't be all that surprising. From the majority-obsessed Harper, we've seen political considerations slip into virtually every policy decision from cutting the GST to Afghanistan to set election debates to abandoning Saskatchewan's request to remove natural resources from the equalization formula.

So why would anyone have trouble believing that politics played a key role in the 11th-hour decision to nix the BHP Billiton takeover of PotashCorp?

Well, one suspects the only ones who don't really believe that are the Conservative and their self-appointed operatives.

Of course, one gets federal Industry Minister Tony Clement's amusingly hyperbolic defense that it's a "fable" that there was a last-minute change to the BHP Billiton approval and that he never actually changed position at all. (He seems well-acquainted with the once-upon-a-time stories, like the one that his decision to scrap the long form census was developed in concert with Statistic Canada.) A politician can't let a story like this go unchallenged.

One even gets that modern-day political debate now includes self-appointed agents for the federal Conservative government who will defend the Conservatives from any criticism.

But let's re-examine the sequence of events that led to the potash decision. And for anybody troubled by the notion that this has come to light from well-placed anonymous sources offering their insight, let's simply restrict this debate to what we know as fact.

Fact: Harper's very first utterance was that this was "an Australian company taking over an American company." The later explanation, according to Saskatoon Humboldt MP Brad Trost, was that the prime minister had received bad speaking notes. (Other sources claim the notes were fine, but Harper was determined to make a philosophical statement.)

Fact: Harper's statement was the first source of exasperation for Premier Brad Wall and his Saskatchewan Party government, which continually raised concerns that the federal government didn't seem to be getting Saskatchewan's position that there was "no net benefit" in the takeover.

Fact: One of Clement's few public pronouncements during the process was that he didn't agree the takeover would cost Saskatchewan tax dollars because it was the federal minster's belief that BHP Billiton likely wouldn't go ahead with the Jansen mine. Wall insisted BHP offered everyone assurances Jansen would proceed. So if Clement didn't ever change his mind on the net benefit question, he evidently arrived at the same place as Wall by coming from the polar opposite direction.

Fact: The newspaper The Australian was reporting that Investment Canada had recommended the BHP Billiton bid and it and PotashCorp "had both been given indications the deal would be passed" before the last-minute political consideration came into play.

Fact: Both the Globe and Mail and former Postmedia columnist Don Martin reported that Ottawa was approving the deal with conditions.

Fact: Wall so believed Martin's column that the Saskatchewan premier used the word "betrayal" the day it was published. (Presumably, Wall or somebody in his government would have phoned Ottawa and asked: "Is Martin's column true?")

Yes, Conservative apologists scoff that the federal government would nix a $40-billion to prove Martin wrong. They are being deliberately misleading. The issue was never retribution for a column. It was the need to disprove any leaks had occurred for fear of lawsuits or an investigation into breaches of the Investment Canada and Securities Act, similar to what plagued former Liberal finance minister Ralph Goodale during the Income Trust affair.

Fact: Reporters were initially told BHP Billiton was making the announcement and that Clement would only react to it.

Fact: MPs like Trost were saying that morning that they didn't know what Brad Wall wanted.

Fact: The provincial government had no formal response prepared for a rejection of the bid.

No last minute change? The facts and political track record sure suggest otherwise.


- Mandryk is the Leader-Post political columnist.
Murray Mandryk
© Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

Friday, December 17, 2010 

$tephen Harper - He's A Real Nowhere Man!


Chantal Hébert points out that after five years as minority Prime Minister, $tephen Harper has done nothing to make his mark on history. He has built nothing in this nation.

That makes sense. All Harper ever wanted to do in office was to TEAR THINGS DOWN, not build anything up. He wants to kill the Canadian Wheat Board. He would kill publicly funded health care if he could. He has a blind idiotic adherence to 'unfettered free market' ideology. He claims to be a 'fiscal conservative' after recording the LARGEST deficits in Canadian history. This man is a blot on Canadian history.

What did we EVER do to deserve $tephen Harper?

Harper - A Big Nothing After 5 Years

Monday, December 13, 2010 

Farmers Once Again ELECT Pro-Wheat Board Directors - Stick That In Your Pipe You Right Wing Kooks!

"The Conservative bid to dramatically change the Canadian Wheat Board may have to wait another few years after farmers elected a roster of directors who largely favour the agency the way it is.

“Four out of the five directors who were elected publicly support single-desk marketing,” said Wheat Board chair Allen Oberg, who was himself was re-elected. “Our numbers tell us that farmers are generally supportive of the organization. I think this election confirmed that.”

Single-desk marketing refers to the Wheat Board’s monopoly on selling grain and barley. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has personally pledged to dismantle the barley monopoly in favour of giving farmers more choice in their grains sales. Supporters of that agenda were disappointed by the vote, which saw three directors re-elected and two new faces – Stewart Wells, a former president of the left-leaning National Farmers Union, and John Sandborn, who has served with several Manitoba farmer cooperatives."


Globe & Mail

Friday, December 10, 2010 

Brazos Valley Vuvuzela Athiest Marching Band Causes Stir At Texas Chrismas Parade



Texas parade watchers had no problem with the Sons of Confederate Veterans Marching Band but they sure didn't like the Brazos Valley Vuvuzela Athiest Marching Band!

 

A 'Marie Antoinette' Moment ....

Occasionally, even the most privileged of society come face to face with realization of their own utter insignificance ...




-Prince Charles Joked About Student Protests Before Car Attacked ..

Progressive Bloggers

Thursday, December 09, 2010 

Don Cherry's Vision Of The APOCALYPSE!


Progressive Bloggers

Hat Tip to TWITTER maestro Wham_City

-A letter to Don Cherry from a Leaf fan

Cartoon courtesy Brian Gable - Globe & Mail

 

Tom Flanagan Apologizes ... Yet AGAIN!!

"A Toronto woman who felt threatened after receiving an email response from a former aide to Prime Minister Stephen Harper is “satisfied” after she received an apology Wednesday.

It was the second apology Tom Flanagan, Harper’s former chief of staff and campaign director, made in the last week after wisecracking on a talk show that the WikiLeaks founder ought to be “assassinated” for leaking sensitive documents. [...] In the email, Flanagan apologizes for not sending a more serious response to her note and says his comments were “glib and thoughtless.”

The Star

Wednesday, December 08, 2010 

If I Had A Subscription To The Edmonton Journal .. I Would Cancel It

"But surely, surely, we have advanced to the point where every one knows former Harper aide Thomas Flanagan wasn't serious when he mused darkly about an assassination of WikiLeaks' Julian Assange."
The Edmonton Journal

Excuse me??! Would the Editorial Board of the Edmonton Journal please explain how 'every one knows' that Flanagan's murderous proclamation was not serious? If Mr. Flanagan joked about a bomb in his shorts at the Edmonton Airport, should we expect the security guards to merely laugh and slap good old Tom Flanagan on the back for being such a funny joker? NO! He would have been arrested on the spot and charged.

Piss off you Right wing idiots!

Tuesday, December 07, 2010 

Mr. Cherry Goes To City Hall .......

-=-=-=CTV News Online=-=-=-

 

Blogging Tories Guru - Stephen Taylor Named New Director At National Citizens Coalition


Progressive Bloggers

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Stephen Taylor Joins the National Citizens Coalition

OTTAWA (December 7, 2010)

The National Citizens Coalition is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Taylor as a Director.

"Stephen Taylor is one of the brightest minds in the country that is currently involved in social media," says Peter Coleman President and CEO of the National Citizens Coalition. “Together we will be able to provide increased insight and information to a greatly expanded number of Canadians both in the main stream media as well as in the vastly growing internet and social media universe”.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity of working with the NCC to advance their principles of individual freedom and responsible government by engaging the growing movement online"," Taylor said of his new role in the organization.

The National Citizens Coalition has had a great deal of success in this field, with a burgeoning blog following and constant updates. With the addition of Stephen Taylor’s expertise and visibility, the NCC will be even better positioned to interact with concerned citizens, social media users, politicians and journalists.

"As all levels of government and most non government organizations are exploring and expanding their use of social media, it is very important to stay on the leading edge of this technology. As more and more Canadians turn to these sources for political news and discussion, the NCC will remain an important destination," added Coleman.

The National Citizens Coalition is Canada’s largest organization that stands for the defense and promotion of free enterprise, free speech and a government that is accountable to the taxpayer. Founded in 1967, the NCC continues to fight for more freedom through less government.

Contact
Peter Coleman
President and CEO
National Citizens Coalition
Office: 416-869-3838
Cell: 416-388-5633

Stephen Taylor
Director
National Citizens Coalition

-Stephen Taylor's Blogsite

... more to follow ...

 

Ottawa Bank Firebomber Convicted - Sentenced To 3 1/2 Years In Jail

THERE IS NO ROOM FOR VIOLENCE IN CANADIAN POLITICS WHETHER IT COMES FROM THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT! ..... PERIOD!!

"A retired civil servant who firebombed a Royal Bank branch in Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood last May was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Roger Clement, 58, plead guilty last month to arson causing damage and mischief in the May 18 firebombing of the Bank Street bank branch. Clement said during his sentencing hearing on Monday that the firebombing was a protest against the bank's connections to the Alberta oilsands and the Vancouver Olympics."
CBC.ca

 

Why Right Wing Mouthpiece - Professor Tom Flanagan - MUST Be Charged For Advocating Political Murder

Most Canadians (except for the extreme Right wing) despise anyone who calls for the murder / assassination of political opponents. A civilized society simply cannot tolerate anyone who calls for murder and violence as a viable political tool.

"According to the law books, advocating a "hit" or calling for the murder or "assassination" of anyone in Canada, and apparently abroad as well, is a very serious offence indeed; and thus nothing to laugh at, deride, trivialise, or casually shrug off. It is presumably a punishable misdeed according to the Canadian criminal code."
Digital Journal

Progressive Bloggers

Monday, December 06, 2010 

Retard-a-Palooza ... or ... 'Inside The Mind Of Don Cherry"



-baby Jesus ...
-asking that a particular player gets 'smacked' ....
-dissing 'Natives' ....
-slandering David Suzuki ....
-the troops ....

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"So the mayor wants Don Cherry to hang the chain of office around his neck; what of it? Here’s what of it: The Clamshell is not Coach’s Corner.

Rob Ford is the chief magistrate of the corporation of the city of Toronto. He demeans his office — our office — if he turns the investiture into a sideshow.

The symbolism of these things is such that, if anyone is going to hang anything around the mayor’s neck, it ought to be someone who represents the people of the city. Cherry may be a fine fellow, but he doesn’t live in Toronto, shovels no snow in this city, pays no taxes here. His only currency is his chippy celebrity.

Oh, relax, you say, his presence would be fun. Not even close. Fun would be showgirls, cabana boys and monkeys riding Shetland ponies.

Joe Fiorito
-Don Cherry Has No Place At Mayor's Inauguration

UPDATE!!
-Globe & Mail: Don Cherry slams ‘pinkos’ in the ‘left-wing media’ during Ford inauguration

Saturday, December 04, 2010 

Tom Flanagan Damaged U of C's Reputation - Calgary Herald

... From the Calgary Herald ...

The following is an open letter to University of Calgary President Elizabeth Cannon by alumni and students of U of C.
---

On Nov. 30, U of C political science Prof. Tom Flanagan advocated for the political murder of Julian Assange, the founder of the international nonprofit media organization WikiLeaks.

Speaking on a national CBC broadcast of Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, Flanagan said: "I think that Assange should be assassinated, actually. I think that Obama should put on a contract and maybe use a drone or something."

When Solomon interrupted saying, "Tom, that's pretty harsh stuff," Flanagan replied, "Well, I'm feeling very manly today."

He ended the segment with, "I wouldn't feel unhappy if Assange disappeared."

Flanagan has since apologized for his comments, telling CBC News: "I regret that I made a glib comment about a serious issue."

He later added: "I am glad that everyone is condemning it, and I condemn it also."

His prompt apology is most certainly welcome, but unfortunately for the U of C's reputation, the damage has been done. A number of the most prominent English-language news sources in the world including The Telegraph, the Nation, the Jerusalem Post, National Public Radio (NPR) and the Guardian carried Flanagan's remarks, along with major Canadian news outlets and countless blogs.

Flanagan's initial remarks remain relevant to the U of C community because although debate and even harsh disagreement about the WikiLeaks release are not only inevitable, but perfectly natural for an open and democratic society like Canada's, we must draw a line at advocating for political murder, something that Flanagan failed to do.

Better than most, a professor of political science should understand that academic freedom is not possible without political freedom, and that political freedom cannot survive in a climate where journalists and opponents of a ruling regime hear public intellectuals advocate for their assassination on a news program.

If this were a Russian, Chinese or Iranian intellectual calling for the murder of a regime opponent, Canadians would be appalled. Considering Canada's proud tradition of political freedom, it is all the more offensive to hear an active member of the U of C faculty and the former chief of staff and campaign manager for the sitting Canadian prime minister do the same.

The University of Calgary should distance itself publicly from Flanagan's initial remarks, condemn him in the harshest possible terms, and censure him for abusing the good name of the university and for the damage this has done to the reputation of not only the school, but of the 150,000 alumni and the degrees they hold.

This should be done peacefully. After all, even though thousands of U of C students, staff and faculty have disagreed with Flanagan's opinions over the years, no one has publicly called for him to be murdered, even in jest.

Kris Kotarski, BA History & International Relations '04, MSS Military and Strategic Studies '09; Maria Cristina Bacalso, BA Political Science '08; Chris Beauchamp, BA Political Science '08; Richard Bergen, BA Economics '04; Darcy Ippolito, BSc Geography '06; Sara Klimes, BA Law & Society '06; Nicole Kobie, BA Political Science '04; Jeff Kubik, BA Communications '05; Kristian Leach, BA English '06; Lindsay Luhnau, BA Political Science '04; Dan Pagan, BA Greek & Roman Studies '11, BA Law & Society '11; Andrew D.F. Ross, BA Philosophy '04; Michael Soron, BA Political Science '07.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald


Calgary Herald

Friday, December 03, 2010 

The American And Canadian RIGHT Are Taking Us To A Place We Shouldn't Be

If you only read one OpEd in the next month .. make sure it is THIS one:

"--- A Few Questions We Wouldn't Be Asking In A Sane World---
On Wednesday, in response to a question from the opposition, a minister of the Crown stood in the House of Commons and assured the honourable members that neither he nor the Prime Minister of Canada advocates the murder of Julian Assange.

Which is nice, I suppose. But it's also troubling.

How is it possible that in this most civilized of nations, in 2010, a member of Parliament felt the need to raise the matter? And while we're asking rhetorical questions that would not need to be asked in a sane world, how is it possible that the Republican party has so completely embraced aggression and brutality that almost all its leading figures feel the near-drowning of suspects is a valid interrogation technique and imprisonment without charge or trial is a legitimate practice that should be expanded?

Why is it that most people in the United States and elsewhere are not disturbed in the slightest that, despite abundant evidence, American officials who apparently committed heinous crimes in the war on terror will not be investigated and held to account, while WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who apparently did nothing illegal this week, is hunted to the ends of the Earth? And how in hell is it possible that when a former president of the United States of America admits he authorized the commission of torture -- which is to say, he admits he committed a major crime -- the international media and political classes express not a fraction of the anger they are now directing at the man who leaked the secrets of that president's administration?

I marvel at that paragraph. It would have been inconceivable even 10 years ago. Murder treated as a legitimate option in political discourse? Torture as acceptable government policy? No, impossible. A decade ago, it would have been satire too crude to be funny.

And yet, here we are.
The question in the Commons Wednesday was prompted by the televised comments of Tom Flanagan, political scientist and former chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "I think Assange should be assassinated, actually," Flanagan said Tuesday.

This was the hard-right id laid bare. The day before, Sarah Palin said much the same. Explicitly or implicitly, so did many others, including journalist Bill Kristol, Congressman Pete King, blogger John Hawkins, and the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal. Even in Canada, Flanagan wasn't the first to advocate Mafia tactics. That honour, such as it is, goes to Ezra Levant, a columnist with the Sun newspaper chain and the man who distinguished himself on the Omar Khadr file by arguing it was unfortunate American soldiers didn't grease the wounded 15-year-old on the spot. "They should have walked up to him and shot him like a mangy dog," as Levant so memorably put it.

Incidentally, Ezra Levant will soon host a primetime show on the new Sun news channel. One expects many more such bon mots.


Happily for the cause of decency, sanity and civilization, Tom Flanagan apologized for his comments. Less happily, the others did not. "The way in which so many political commentators so routinely and casually call for the eradication of human beings without a shred of due process is nothing short of demented," wrote Salon's Glenn Greenwald.

It started on Sept. 11, 2001. We were frightened. We were prepared to think the unthinkable, to accept what had been rejected, in the name of security. What was it Ben Franklin said about those who would trade liberty for security? We couldn't remember.

It was small stuff at first. There was talk of "stress-and-duress" interrogation techniques. It's only sleep deprivation and a little pain, we were told. It's not torture. Oh, no. When Abu Ghraib revealed what this meant in practice, we were shocked. Or most of us were, rather. Some had already become morally numb.

Incarceration without charge or trial. Kidnapping. "Enhanced interrogation." Detainee deaths. We learned more and more but cared less and less.

A 2009 Pew poll found half of Americans think torture is "often" or "sometimes" justified when interrogating terrorists. Another 22 per cent say it's "rarely" the right thing to do. Only one-quarter say it's always wrong.

Critics now call the Republicans the "party of torture" for good reason. Almost two-thirds of Republican voters think torture is "often" or "sometimes" justified, while only 14 per cent think it's always wrong. Dick Cheney's bizarre and legally absurd claim that the near-drowning of prisoners -- "waterboarding" -- is acceptable because it isn't torture is now dogma among leading Republicans who either don't know or don't care that this and other policies they advocate would be deemed major crimes by any court in the civilized world.

Then along comes George W. Bush with a memoir and the boast that "damn right" he had authorized waterboarding. "It is hard to overstate the enormity of this admission," wrote Boris Johnson, the Conservative mayor of London. Waterboarding is torture. Torture is a major crime. Bush freely admitted it. And the Convention Against Torture requires authorities everywhere to investigate and prosecute "wherever there is reasonable ground to believe that an act of torture has been committed."

Which they refuse to do. And most people are just fine with that. Stuff the law.

Now, contrast this with Julian Assange. One can certainly argue -- as I would -- that Assange is an irresponsible zealot. One can also argue that there should be a law forbidding what he did this week. But there isn't. Legal analysts have looked hard but it seems that what Assange did wasn't a crime.


And a lot of people want the U.S. government to murder him.

I suppose, if I were considerably more cynical, and liked crude satire, it would be funny. But all it makes me feel is a vague sadness for something that has been lost."

Dan Gardner

Ottawa Citizen*

 

University of Calgary Jams Out Over Tom Flanagan's Call For Assassination As A Legitimate Political Tool

The University of Calgary is not going to take any disciplinary action against an advocate of political assassination who teaches there. Professor Tom Flanagan, who believes that assassination is a viable political tool, has been let off the hook and is free to continue to teach poison and venom to the youth of Alberta. Pity.

Flanagan's call for the assassination of the WikiLeaks CEO has now spawned other calls for the murder of the entire Assange family.

Flanagan is a mentor, friend and former adviser to PM $tephen Harper. His call for assassination as a way to deal with a political enemy is vile and disgusting.

Tom Flanagan is a disgrace to academics and educators everywhere.

-Calgary Herald

Thursday, December 02, 2010 

Please DON'T Try And Find Logic From The Mind Of Professor Tom Flanagan

University of Calgary professor, Tom Flanangan wanted the CEO of WikiLeaks to be assassinated for leaking sensitive material that makes the Bush and Obama administrations look bad.

But hold on .. WikiLeaks released material that was picked up and published by the MSM globally.

In Canada, CBC - CTV - GlobalTV - Globe & Mail - National Post - Toronto Star - etc etc etc .. have all 'republished' the supposedly sensitive material. Were Tom Flanagan a logical man, would he not want someone assassinated from each of the MSM agencies that actually brought the sensitive material to the publc? To be logical, should he not have been calling for the assassination of dozens of news directors across the nation?

.... and this creep continues to teach at the University of Calgary.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010 

Conservative Economic Voodoo -'Tax Cuts For The Rich' - Have Made The Rich Even Richer - the rest of us just pay all of Harper's bills ....

The Right Wing in Canada and the USA follow ideology that advocates tax cuts for the rich and corporate elite. Their belief is that this money will be immediately reinvested in the economy and all will prosper. It does not work. It is economic voodoo.

On January 1, 2011, $tephen Harper will borrow billions in order to give large corporations yet ANOTHER tax cut. You and I will pay off the loan. The average Canadian will not benefit in any way from this ongoing handout of Corporate Welfare.

-Ultra-rich getting richer while middle class stagnates, report says: Winnipeg Free Press

-Billionaire Warren Buffet says Tax Cuts to the Rich have failed to stimulate the economy!

 

PM Harper's Ex Advisor Calls For Assassination Of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange



Progressives who study the history of politics, knew that it was merely a matter of time before Canada's extreme Right Wing began to call for assassination as a political tool. Stephen Harper's mentor and former senior advisor, Tom Flanagan, is now acting like a true Nazi and has declared that the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange be assassinated. Flanagan is a professor at the University of Calgary.

The very next reporter who gets a chance to talk to Professor Flanagan should ask him who else he believes should be assassinated as a political exercise of Canada's conservative movement?

"A former senior adviser to Prime Minister Stephen Harper has joined some pundits and politicians in calling for the assassination of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange."

CBC.ca



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