--September 25, 2006--

It Matters Where You Live

Apparently "Losing Afghanistan" isn't important in the United States of America as the cover of the United States edition below shows.

I guess the US edition is the one we'll see in Canada, in spite of the recently noted fact that a Canadian soldier deployed to Afghanistan has six times the likelihood of coming home in a box as an American soldier deployed to Iraq. Maybe all of us Norte Americanos have minds that are much too beautiful to accomodate images of such tasteless things as war or body bags (thanx to the She-Beast herself, the Harridan who hatched the Dubya and turned him loose on the world barely housebroken, Barbara Bush). Or does NewsWeek tremble at the thought of publishing anything in the US that might hinder the Republican's chances this fall in the mid-term elections by suggesting any kind of failure in any of the Wunderkind's policies.

--September 23, 2006--

Loafing at FireDogLake

Today quotes of the late sportswriter, Jim Murray, were occasionally on topic, or becoming the topic, But how can you not like a guy that comes up with gems like:

"Willie Mays' glove is where triples go to die"

on Muhammad Ali:
"I'd like to borrow his body for just 48 hours. There are three guys I'd like to beat up and four women I'd like to make love to"

and of local interest:
"The only bad thing about Spokane is that there's nothing to do after 10 in the morning"

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

...............

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

....................

Rush Limbaugh said.
"......Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."

.........................

Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption.

"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two," Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do.

Me Too Dave!

Some hi-lites from Dave's screed are:

"A corpulent Steve Harper sat there and presented his view; something quite different from the truth."

...........

"For what it's worth, Harper, in an attempt to portray Canada's past military involvements as benignly obscure, told a blatant lie."
(that's how I saw it, too, as well as an insult to vets all over Canada)

..............

"Every time I hear Harper mouth the words "ultimate sacrifice" when referring to the abruptly-ended life of another young Canadian soldier my blood starts to boil. "Sacrifice" isn't a word Harper understands. He doesn't make any and the troops who have been killed didn't want to be the ones sacrificed - particularly for this:"

"I dislike all politicians, but
Harper is a particularly odious animal."

--September 21, 2006--

Gag Me With a Spoon, Please!

Last week as part of the neo-con orgy around the fifth anniversary of 9/11, Condoleeza Rice visited Nova Scotia to thank East Coast Canadians for allowing all the planes to land that the US was afraid to allow into their airspace. In no time the neo-cons and their enablers in the Mainstream Media saw the opportunity to distract the narcotized masses with a Luv Affair in the making between the Black Lady from Hell and the "most eligible hunk(?) in Parliament, Peter "crying in the mud wearing gumboots" Mackay. I keep getting the images of Peter Mackay and Robert Picton mixed up in my pea-brain for some reason. The very thought of the spawn of such a union is scary since they would most likely need to be on life support due to being born too dumb to breathe, and that's only if their inherited the sum of their parent's dim intellect. Then of course such spawn might need to be put down at birth to protect the world from an extreme concentration of evil. But it don't take much to distract the dis-interested from the real happenings.

Maude Barlow Spills the Beans

While the media were busy obsessing over rumours of a budding romance between Condoleezza Rice and Peter MacKay last week, a more significant relationship was developing behind closed doors.

Away from the spotlight, from Sept. 12 to 14, in Banff Springs, Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day and Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor met with U.S. and Mexican government officials and business leaders to discuss North American integration at the second North American Forum.

According to leaked documents, the guest list included such prominent figures as U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Mexican Secretary of Public Security Eduardo Medina Mora and Canadian Forces chief General Rick Hillier, although we have no final confirmation of attendees.

The event was chaired by former U.S. secretary of state George Schultz, former Alberta premier, Peter Lougheed and former Mexican finance minister Pedro Aspe.

it cannot comment on the minister's private meeting and that journalists should understand this.

While we're on US-Canada relations, it seems that the wimps who pretend to represent the interests of Canadians in Parliament laid down for Dubya and his cronies and have accepted the Softwood Lumber Sellout. Of course making it all possible was the party led by the man who wants to be an American (Stephen Harper) and the party from Quebec that doesn't even want to be part of Canada. Thanks a lot guys!

The Neo-Con disguised as a Hick

there is no one who stands up for George W. Bush more than David Wilkins does

--September 9, 2006--

Post-Democratic Alberta

He has completed the creation of the first functional post-democratic government in North America, run by elites for elites -- with the citizenry left on political standby to profit from a predatory economy if it can, and otherwise to fend for itself.

What is more breathtaking is that this constitutional coup d'état has taken place within the framework of the law, without the need of a secret midnight cabal, and is accepted (or at least acquiesced to) as one more Alberta Advantage.

After the 2004 election, government MLAs were given heavy gold rings, graduation-style, denoting their elected office and paid for by the public. Opposition MLAs were given no rings, even though they are elected to the same office and sit in the same legislature. Those rings delineate a caste system that taunts centuries of hard-won parliamentary tradition

Of course maybe Ralphie is just moving to BC to escape the environmental devastation he has helped enable in Texas North. If he's retiring and doesn't have to be there for his work, why live in the rubble left behind by the moilers and toilers for black gold. Ralphie probably knows that you can actually eat the fish from our rivers, unlike say the Bow, which flows through his old home town. Now that Ralph is joining up, can we really refer to the Fraser Institute as a Think Tank. Maybe they will send Gordo the Soup guy there when he is done giving away the assets of the people of British Columbia, then we could call it a Drunk Tank!

Trouble for His Friends

In Iraq, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is riding a tiger of separatism and sectarian conflict which the latest Pentagon report at last recognises as a civil war.

In Kabul, President Hamid Karzai - put in power and propped up by the United States and the West -- is rapidly losing public support....... Even Kabul is no longer safe.....The year has also seen nearly 60 suicide bombings, when last year there were none.

In Pakistan, President Pervez Musharraf (known as Busharraf in some circles-rhk) is being hounded by critics on all sides

In Israel, a rising tide of criticism is threatening to drive Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from office, and bring down his ruling coalition. His criminally destructive war against Hezbollah in Lebanon -- planned and waged in conjunction with the United States -- has plunged the Jewish state into political turmoil and into agonies of self-doubt.

According to Haaretz: Giuliani is 'best' presidential candidate for Israel

Now they are talking about the best president of the United "Daddy" States for Israel, but why fool around, just send him on over to the Chosen Land to rule over the Chosen People. I'm sure lotsa folks in New York City and other parts of the United States would be able to bear the loss of his presence. They're gonna need somebody to replace Olmert the Macho, soon!

while we're on the subject of poor little Israel,

Olmert the Macho Threatens Syria

JERUSALEM • Israel will use full military force in any armed confrontation with arch enemy Syria, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned MPs yesterday, army radio reported. "In case of a confrontation with Syria, we will lift all limits that we imposed on ourselves in Lebanon when it comes to using our force," Olmert was quoted as saying by the radio. Olmert made the remarks in an appearance before parliament's foreign affairs and defence committee.

I would like to end today's posting with a thank you to the voters in the Republican primary in Florida to contest Senate seat that is dem Bill Nelson's to lose this fall. They came through for the whole country by nominating the Queen of Hideousness herself, Katherine Harris, symbol of all that is wrong with the Republican party and a 24/7/365 walking reminder of voter suppression, presendential selection and just general Republican repugnance that Georgie's bro, Jebby, as well as many other ReThugs would really rather just went away and became forgotten. So from now 'til November we can look to Florida whenever we need a laugh, or to avoid that finger down the throat method of encouraging vomitus to expel.

Bill Nelson can probably go campaign for candidates in other states, and send in one absentee vote for himself while Ms. Hideous scares everybody else away from the polls!

Labor Day 2006

Meanwhile - in the Not So Nice World

The pessimist who occasionally makes me laugh over at the Left Coaster, has a piece today titled -Happy Management Day

The time, circa 2016. The place, the Corporate States of America.

Gentlemen of the Board, I greet you in the name of the Profit Annual Maximum.

It has been a good and highly profitable Extended Daylight Season, and I offer gratitude to those who facilitated this day of corporate celebration.

It took over 120 years, but finally victory over the common laborer - the epitome of waste, sloth, and lost productivity - was achieved. Labor will never again threaten to raise its ugly organized head again! That's why, when corporate victory was declared back in 2010, and the former day for the celebration of human labor became obsolete, the date was retained for the celebration of the glorious dominance of the corporation.

Then we could go back to last week's Tyee where Tom Sandborn wonders why Canadian Ironworkers Shut out of Big Bridge Job while foreign firms beg for exemptions to allow foriegn (low cost, easily intimidated, NON-UNION) workers into BC due to a claimed labor shortage (of skilled people willing to work for food). I would advise Gordo, the Falcon and the VanOC bunch to take a look at the footage of all the car bonfires last summer in France, before we decide guest workers are the answer. There are enough marginalized people in BC already, the mentally ill, the poor, the aboriginal to mention only a few. As somebody said, "the people that can't do their own laundry will someday be having to go somewhere and do somebody else's.

Is it too much to ask
......................... for some leaders with some vision?