Jason Kenney. Kind of an idiot. As chief chicken hawk responsible for taking Canada to war, he's really stepping in it this week. First, he actually brags about how we're going to cut and run in Iraq and Syria once we're done blowing shit up. This is why we are over there in the first place: The USA had no plans in place to deal with a post invasion Iraq. If we really wanted to help, we would do exactly the opposite: Let the US blow shit up and then step in to help rebuild. Leaving a vacuum allowed ISIS to flourish.
After that, he made up some stuff about precision guided munitions. And I think I forgot to link about his tweeting of misleading photos a few weeks ago.
ISIS...probably not the only people we should be worrying about in Syria.
Unfortunately, this seems to be what the Cons are about these days. Poor jokes and a lack of answers to questions on the ISIS mission.
Bill C-51 will see a fresh coat of paint. Well...maybe some pin-striping. This is a huge failure for Trudeau. Huge. Harper can say "We are trying to keep our country safe. Look at how great we are listening to criticism and changing things." Mulcair can say "Our opposition resulted in important changes to this terrible legislation." Trudeau can say "We blindly went along and contributed nothing to the discussion."
The Cons are still trying to shut down safe injection sites.
Here's my study on microbeads: They're fucking terrible and should be banned and we should probably take the manufacturers to court for the clean-up costs. I guess Environment Canada studying them is a step in the right direction. But come on Conservatives, you're known for your over-the-top knee jerk reactions without scientific facts to back you up. Why start now?
A good point. Everybody else seems to have their shit in order...why is Joe Oliver still unable to provide a budget?
The Cons have spent a lot of money so far battling to take away expats voting rights. Kind of sad that they're so afraid of people that have seen the world.
Holy shit! They won a court decision! Quebec can't keep their gun registry info.
It's amazing how the Snowden files keep giving and giving. Canada apparently has a number of offensive hacking tactics and tools. All this information is how old now though?
John Baird is going to advise Barrick Gold. And this details his involvement in the "Victims of Communism" memorial and its renaming.
I was wrong about the Toronto Terror Tunnel...good to know somebody who isn't a suburban white kid can catch a break with police. Very cool story about the guy/kid who built the tunnel. I'm glad it all worked out for him.
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
A short one to follow up on a long one - Week 203 - March 16-23
It's funny that when you criticize Harper everybody assumes you are pro Trudeau. Can't I just be anybody-but-Harper? I am kind of pro Trudeau, just because he seems like the most likely choice to make anybody-but-Harper happen. But, it does kind of feel like he's screwing things up. Please just cooperate with the NDP, put forward some meaningful electoral reform and call it a day. Please?
The government has been forced to buy $4.3 Million worth of marijuana. Medical marijuana. For veterans. My friend Slippin' Jimmy probably could have sourced it for a few hundred thousand and use of a warehouse.
Not to worry though. Even though we wasted that money on pot for Veterans, we put $24 Million to good use, advertising on behalf of our Energy Industry in the US of A.
The argument is made that there are potentially Billions to be saved with a National Pharmacare program. I heard Rex Murphy say something this weekend along the lines of "but can the taxpayers afford it?" I'm not really sure if he gets it.
Conservative MP Larry Miller figures that immigrants should "stay the hell where you came from". Which is bad English and a horrible sentiment. He actually thinks that terrorists can sneak into the country by...I think by impersonating another person and hiding their face during a citizenship ceremony? I'm not sure how that works, and As it Happens pointed out that he probably doesn't either. And sorry...I went on a bit of a twitter tirade against some jackass Realtor, agreeing with this garbage while proudly flying his Century 21 employment. I assumed they might care that their name is being attached to a horrible set of thoughts. But they didn't. Unless I made them aware by phone.
Looks like the knee jerk public reaction to Bill C-51 has shifted in the opposite direction. I mean, if you're going to base things on the opinions of people, many of which have not taken the time to research or understand the issue, I guess this is good news.
Microsoft is opening up a new office in Vancouver...and plans to staff it entirely with foreign workers. Well. Not entirely. 20 of the 400 jobs would go to Canadians.
The two Libs accused of...who even knows at this point...will be booted permanently from caucus.
Old news, but more detail on how companies are abusing the new Canadian Copyright rules. Because corporations never try to push the boundaries on legislation solely created for their benefit and always tell the truth in the process of pushing for their creation.
The government has been forced to buy $4.3 Million worth of marijuana. Medical marijuana. For veterans. My friend Slippin' Jimmy probably could have sourced it for a few hundred thousand and use of a warehouse.
Not to worry though. Even though we wasted that money on pot for Veterans, we put $24 Million to good use, advertising on behalf of our Energy Industry in the US of A.
The argument is made that there are potentially Billions to be saved with a National Pharmacare program. I heard Rex Murphy say something this weekend along the lines of "but can the taxpayers afford it?" I'm not really sure if he gets it.
Conservative MP Larry Miller figures that immigrants should "stay the hell where you came from". Which is bad English and a horrible sentiment. He actually thinks that terrorists can sneak into the country by...I think by impersonating another person and hiding their face during a citizenship ceremony? I'm not sure how that works, and As it Happens pointed out that he probably doesn't either. And sorry...I went on a bit of a twitter tirade against some jackass Realtor, agreeing with this garbage while proudly flying his Century 21 employment. I assumed they might care that their name is being attached to a horrible set of thoughts. But they didn't. Unless I made them aware by phone.
Looks like the knee jerk public reaction to Bill C-51 has shifted in the opposite direction. I mean, if you're going to base things on the opinions of people, many of which have not taken the time to research or understand the issue, I guess this is good news.
Microsoft is opening up a new office in Vancouver...and plans to staff it entirely with foreign workers. Well. Not entirely. 20 of the 400 jobs would go to Canadians.
The two Libs accused of...who even knows at this point...will be booted permanently from caucus.
Old news, but more detail on how companies are abusing the new Canadian Copyright rules. Because corporations never try to push the boundaries on legislation solely created for their benefit and always tell the truth in the process of pushing for their creation.
Monday, March 16, 2015
Tonnes of stuff - Week 201 & 202 - Mar 2-16
Stepping away from a computer for a few weeks is illuminating. You come back, and the same people are talking about the exact same things. And the majority of people don't care at all. I was out at trivia the other night, and a question came up about Bill C-51. The question being, "A recent anti-terror bill has been announced. The name of that bill is Bill C *blank*." Please name the bill. And people were shocked when I got it! Like...what the fuck?
Onwards we roll.
Ha ha ha. Refugees are claiming more Canadian income than millionaire, line jumping, investor immigrants.
Another oil train derailment. And no, this is no an argument for pipelines. This is an argument for rail safety.
Brian Williams gets some stories wrong 15 years ago. Total shitstorm. Canadian government makes up confrontations in the Black Sea with Russia. Nothing. Jason Kenney said the Russian jets "buzzed" the Canadian frigate.. NATO officials say it was 128 kilometers away. He's also a bit confused about viral images on the Internet though, too.
More TFW awfulness. Facebook, who are supposedly in Vancouver because of all of our computer talent, ended up hiring a bunch of TFW's to fill Software Engineer positions. So, it seems like their office here is really just about skirting US labour law. Ant the Parliamentary Budget Officer suggests that there is no accurate information on TFW's, that the numbers have gone up substantially and we really have no idea what this means for Canadian workers.
And then...fuck...and then...a Conservative MP says it makes no sense to pay "whities" to stay home while giving their jobs to "brown people". This has somehow not generated a massive controversy.
A Canadian soldier has been killed...but we're somehow still not in a combat mission in Iraq.
For some reason, a bunch of white dudes hell bent on creating race war aren't as scary as Muslim terrorists. CSIS internally highlights the threat of white supremacists over Muslim terrorism, but that's not what we end up hearing about, is it? Meanwhile, Conservatives are definitely trying to stoke up fear of Muslims, doing lots of work publicizing threats by terrorists (and perhaps violating their own law in the process?). And another MP is creating some "with us or against us" type rhetoric in his mailouts.
Michael Geist talks Bill C-51. Surprisingly, not a fan.
Trudeau admits that they're supporting C-51 so that the Cons won't yell at them. This is pretty terrible.
Even Christy thinks C-51 might be a bad idea. But she's more of a "give money to corporations" kind of Conservative than a "control your citizens" kind of Conservative.
Our Privacy Watchdog won't be allowed to speak during the C-51 hearings. Because it's about terror, not privacy, right? I guess they already know he's not a fan.
The former Security Information Review Committee chair suggests we're in for a Constitutional mess with C-51.
A Conservative MP ignores the facts during a C-51 hearing, throws out a lot of general Muslim fear mongering and guilt by (perhaps non-existent) association.
Meanwhile, 300 criminal investigations have been sidetracked by terror investigations, according to the RCMP.
We're going to have police guard the soldiers at the National War Memorial. But who is going to guard them?
We're letting FBI agents testify under pseudonyms in terror trials.
Our good buddy Vic Toews is back in the news. He's been accused of inappropriately lobbying, and his wife may have received a huge chunk of money from a First Nation in the deal as well.
Another Conservative Minister, Diane Finley, committed a conflict of interest, awarding her own riding $1 Million in funding that she shouldn't have. Brazeau suggests she's been up to other things too, pulling funding from ridings after NDP wins.
Stephen Harper thinks that guns in the hands of citizens play an important role in keeping people safe in rural communities. Because....well...just because.
Maclean's looked at the potential impact on greenhouse gas reduction policies on Oil Sands profitability. Surprisingly...the impact would be fairly low. Meanwhile, Obama hasn't bought in to the Oil Sands greenwashing.
Several people have pointed out that forcing women to not wear a niqab is hardly a form of liberation. And then he runs around claiming he has the support of moderate muslims? Based on? And he claims the overwhelming majority are with him too.
After years of battling it, the Cons are going to provide a bit more support for disabled veterans, just in time for the eleciton!
Conservative MP thinks he's a member of the tea party. Argues against the "theory of evolution" with the time worn "It's just a theory" argument.
Onwards we roll.
Ha ha ha. Refugees are claiming more Canadian income than millionaire, line jumping, investor immigrants.
Another oil train derailment. And no, this is no an argument for pipelines. This is an argument for rail safety.
Brian Williams gets some stories wrong 15 years ago. Total shitstorm. Canadian government makes up confrontations in the Black Sea with Russia. Nothing. Jason Kenney said the Russian jets "buzzed" the Canadian frigate.. NATO officials say it was 128 kilometers away. He's also a bit confused about viral images on the Internet though, too.
More TFW awfulness. Facebook, who are supposedly in Vancouver because of all of our computer talent, ended up hiring a bunch of TFW's to fill Software Engineer positions. So, it seems like their office here is really just about skirting US labour law. Ant the Parliamentary Budget Officer suggests that there is no accurate information on TFW's, that the numbers have gone up substantially and we really have no idea what this means for Canadian workers.
And then...fuck...and then...a Conservative MP says it makes no sense to pay "whities" to stay home while giving their jobs to "brown people". This has somehow not generated a massive controversy.
A Canadian soldier has been killed...but we're somehow still not in a combat mission in Iraq.
For some reason, a bunch of white dudes hell bent on creating race war aren't as scary as Muslim terrorists. CSIS internally highlights the threat of white supremacists over Muslim terrorism, but that's not what we end up hearing about, is it? Meanwhile, Conservatives are definitely trying to stoke up fear of Muslims, doing lots of work publicizing threats by terrorists (and perhaps violating their own law in the process?). And another MP is creating some "with us or against us" type rhetoric in his mailouts.
Michael Geist talks Bill C-51. Surprisingly, not a fan.
Trudeau admits that they're supporting C-51 so that the Cons won't yell at them. This is pretty terrible.
Even Christy thinks C-51 might be a bad idea. But she's more of a "give money to corporations" kind of Conservative than a "control your citizens" kind of Conservative.
Our Privacy Watchdog won't be allowed to speak during the C-51 hearings. Because it's about terror, not privacy, right? I guess they already know he's not a fan.
The former Security Information Review Committee chair suggests we're in for a Constitutional mess with C-51.
A Conservative MP ignores the facts during a C-51 hearing, throws out a lot of general Muslim fear mongering and guilt by (perhaps non-existent) association.
Meanwhile, 300 criminal investigations have been sidetracked by terror investigations, according to the RCMP.
We're going to have police guard the soldiers at the National War Memorial. But who is going to guard them?
We're letting FBI agents testify under pseudonyms in terror trials.
Our good buddy Vic Toews is back in the news. He's been accused of inappropriately lobbying, and his wife may have received a huge chunk of money from a First Nation in the deal as well.
Another Conservative Minister, Diane Finley, committed a conflict of interest, awarding her own riding $1 Million in funding that she shouldn't have. Brazeau suggests she's been up to other things too, pulling funding from ridings after NDP wins.
Stephen Harper thinks that guns in the hands of citizens play an important role in keeping people safe in rural communities. Because....well...just because.
Maclean's looked at the potential impact on greenhouse gas reduction policies on Oil Sands profitability. Surprisingly...the impact would be fairly low. Meanwhile, Obama hasn't bought in to the Oil Sands greenwashing.
Several people have pointed out that forcing women to not wear a niqab is hardly a form of liberation. And then he runs around claiming he has the support of moderate muslims? Based on? And he claims the overwhelming majority are with him too.
After years of battling it, the Cons are going to provide a bit more support for disabled veterans, just in time for the eleciton!
Conservative MP thinks he's a member of the tea party. Argues against the "theory of evolution" with the time worn "It's just a theory" argument.
We're cutting funding to a program to treat sex criminals and prevent them from re-offending. Because somehow, cutting off your sexual predator to spite your citizens makes sense.
Monday, March 2, 2015
It's a Milestone! - Week 200 - Feb 23 - Mar 2
200 weeks! Holy shit! I mean, I've probably gotten my math wrong somewhere along the way, but it all sounds impressive. I can't wait for the next election. So I can stop having to do this shit.
An MP admits that omnibus bills are so large, they seldom have any clue what is in them.
Law professors. What do they know about such things? 100 academics speak out against Bill C-51.
The Cons aren't really interested in hearing from experts before voting on C-51. I see their point. I mean, if you have your mind made up already, why bother with more than a couple of days of listening to experts?
Some documents have been released showing that our Security apparatuses were on "high alert" prior to the October attacks. But weren't able to do anything. And wouldn't have been able to do anything with their new powers.
Steven Blaney insists that families know all about their radicalized children and their beliefs before they head oversees. Except for all those times when they have no idea.
FactsCan is checking up on some of the statements Conservatives are saying to get C-51 passed:
An MP admits that omnibus bills are so large, they seldom have any clue what is in them.
Law professors. What do they know about such things? 100 academics speak out against Bill C-51.
The Cons aren't really interested in hearing from experts before voting on C-51. I see their point. I mean, if you have your mind made up already, why bother with more than a couple of days of listening to experts?
Some documents have been released showing that our Security apparatuses were on "high alert" prior to the October attacks. But weren't able to do anything. And wouldn't have been able to do anything with their new powers.
Steven Blaney insists that families know all about their radicalized children and their beliefs before they head oversees. Except for all those times when they have no idea.
FactsCan is checking up on some of the statements Conservatives are saying to get C-51 passed:
Daryl Kramp: “You have to commit a criminal offence” to fall within the scope of C-51 powers - False
Jason Kenney: “Bill C-51 does not add new powers to CSIS, it adds new powers to our independent judiciary, to the courts, to judges.” - False
This sounds ominous and terrible but it's sort of one of those "What did you think they were doing?" kinds of things. CSE monitors visits to government websites and e-mails to government.
We're really taking this terror think a little too far. Somebody built a giant hole! Kind of near a stadium! It's just a hole...but it could be more than a hole! It could be a terror hole. Or just a hole that some 20 year olds built because they were bored and wanted somewhere to hang out. Can you imagine if they hadn't of been white guys?
This is a few years old, but gained traction on boingboing. Anyhow, a man exhaustively details Conservative cuts and attacks on science.
These fucking children. Our Natural Resources Minister sticks his tongue out at Liberals in the House.
Oh boy. The reasoning the Cons are giving for no National inquiry into missing aboriginal women? They're just all victims of domestic violence. Yikes.
The Cons, those pillars of public communication, are thinking that maybe they should have a whole pile of debates for this upcoming election so that they can try to embarrass Trudeau.
Finally. Inside the mind of Stephen Harper, thanks to an exclusive interview in the Costco Connection, conducted by the hard hitting editor of that well respected rag.
Chicken Hawk Steve is working hard to deport American deserters back to the US.
SNC Lavelin is turning into a smear on our entire country. The World Bank highlights all it's corrupt subsidiaries, and it's a huge chunk of their "corrupt companies" list.
Student loans are a hot topic in BC. First, the Advanced Education Minister conducted an interview where he made up some numbers about student loan rates. Nobody cared. Next, the BC Government is proposing to not issue you a drivers license if you have unpaid student loans.
The transit referendum in BC is making me very nervous. It shows just how easy it is to torpedo an idea with a bit of fear mongering. That's not to say that criticism of Translink is not valid...but to torpedo public transit in Vancouver over CEO salaries? It reminds me of how election reform was torpedoed...and the HST was torpedoed...basically, if you want a policy to not be enacted, put it to a public vote.
I think I might start highlighting one story every week that contains the most clueless comments. This week "Calgary students disciplined for wearing KKK robes" - shit...let's take this further. Let's highlight one particularly ignorant comment. Oreillia Hoover of Calgary Alberta:
Most White teenagers don't tend to have guns... Most White teenagers as a rule don't go out and shoot people just to see how it feels like or for bragging rites or to pass initiation in a gang...! I don't believe I've ever heard any comments regarding black youths in Calgary/Canada...! These teenagers ARE in Calgary...!
You want me to keep going cause I could...! And please spare me your terms of endearment...!
You want me to keep going cause I could...! And please spare me your terms of endearment...!
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