Keeping Busy in our Free Time - Week 123 - Sep 2-9

I can't believe this is a thing.  Stephen Harper's hockey book is out soon.  Obama's book on basketball to follow.  Then Americans heads will explode and the government will fall in a revolution.  Because that's what would generally happen if a population found out that their leader had written a book about a sport.  In his "free time".

Because nothing is more important than some Albertans guns getting temporarily taken away during a flood...I can't believe this is still a story.  Do these people think this is America?  We don't give a shit about your right to own a shotgun.

And here's what's wrong with North American drug laws.  What percentage of Canadians have admitted to marijuana use?  50, 60%?  More?  And that's just those who have admitted it.  So this lawyer is pointing out that under US law, 50-60% of Canadians (and probably more) are barred from entry into the US.  I have to go look this up.  Ahhhh...can't find anything.  10% active users though.

An interesting article in the Tyee about Republicans coming around to climate change, and some that are even proposing a carbon tax.  Interesting tidbit: "Heartland ran a billboard in Chicago comparing believers in global warming to Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber... called off future billboards featuring Osama bin Laden, Charles Manson and Fidel Castro"  Reminded me of a discussion the CBC had a few months ago with Bob Inglis - former Conservative Congressman who considers a carbon tax.

A sad article on the state of BC Hydro.  I don't know much about IPP producers.  But I have dealt with BC Hydro through Powersmart, where they pay industry millions of dollars to implement projects that will save them money.  By them, I mean the companies that take Hydro's money.  Not Hydro.

This article on life expectancy in Slate was very interesting.  But what I really took from it was this.  People are stupid.  Always have been.  Seems like we always will be.

I thought it was a rule that University students were required to march around campus doing stupid shit?  Fuck, we would have all been expelled had we actually been held accountable for what was coming out of our mouths back then.

Guns and Stuff - Week 64 - July 16-23

This wasn't going to be at the top.  But read the article.  Holy shit is it scary.How is it that Rolling Stone is now one of the best sources of hard hitting investigative journalism?  Between Matt Taibbi pointing out all of the crazy financial stuff going on in the States and this guy writing about Global Warming, they're doing some good work.   Of course, he probably just made up all of those numbers.  Or they don't point to a pattern.  Or something like that.

It's pretty hard to talk about anything but guns and violence this week.  After the Batman shooting (I'm not going to link to anything here) and all the shootings in Toronto, one has to think a bit.  First, we have Rob Ford suggesting...who knows.  He doesn't even make any sense, but he seems to want to deport anybody who is violent.  Jason Kenney actually makes some sense and tells him that this isn't possible.  But it's scary that politicians seem to miss the point.  It's not like spending money on youth programs is going to solve all of these problems, but the politicians of the day seem to be able to talk about nothing other than longer jail terms (see earlier Rob Ford link and anything Stephen Harper has said in the last 10 years).

Speaking of Jason Kenney, a young refugee was arrested for interrupting his speech at a BBQ.  He paid for a ticket.  He ate his BBQ.  And he interrupted Jason Kenney's speech to ask a question.  It's illegal to interrupt a speech to ask a question?  How can that warrant getting dragged out of a room by four people and then an arrest?  That's crazy.


The Globe actually seems to suggest that Stephen Harper has made some mistakes recently!  The emperor is only wearing underwear?  Anyhow, even they can agree that blindly supporting Enbridge (honestly...follow that link.  They still claim that Enbridge knows what they're doing!) and completely screwing up every military purchase ever, are bad things.

Speaking of Enbridge, they finally realize what everybody else has: Their pipeline sucks and needs some changing.  Aren't you glad that you don't own stock in this company?  I mean, ignore all of the ethical questions of Enbridge Stock Ownership, these guys have proven that they don't really know what the hell they are doing.  They handed out raises after the last spill!  And, Christy Clark actually takes a bit of a stand against Enbridge.  Surprising.

And this came out of nowhere (for me).  Peter Kent announces tougher regulations on wastewater from municipalities.  Of course, there's no mention of how to pay for it...but I think this is good news.  I don't like poop in my water.

A Supreme Court ruling on the Etobicoke election paves the way for a by-election?  Maybe?  Elizabeth May has suggested that only the Liberals and Conservatives should run if there is a by-election.  I think this strategically makes sense for anybody that is not a Conservative.  Others don't agree.

Doesn't it seem odd that Canada is the only country in the entire world that refuses to deal with it's own Guantanamo inmates?  I don't care what you think of Omar Khadr.  He is a Canadian.  There is no reason to leave him in Guantanamo.  And then you read this article and it gets even worse.  For two reasons:
1) Stephen Harper continues to fabricate reasons to not bring him back.  This time, he wants to see video of psychiatric interviews.
2) The psychiatrist that conducted those interviews...ya, he says Omar Kadhr is an "unrepentant, dangerous, Islamic extremist who has been “marinated in the radical jihadism” during his imprisonent."  Yes.  I know.  Double quotes.  But what does this say?  "We threw a guy in jail with a bunch of terrorists but now we can't let him out because he's been hanging out with terrorists."  Joseph Heller would be proud.

Helena Guergis.  Good god.  Who even knows about this.  However, Stephen Harper seems to suggest that he hasn't done anything wrong here, based on a technicality: Crown prerogative and Parliamentary Privilege.  I'm sorry, but when I'm ducking out of blame based on a technicality, I find it's best not to suggest that the other party is speaking "gibberish".

Speaking of ducking out of legal responsibility, the BC and Canadian governments have responded to one of the RCMP harassment claims by, and I'm paraphrasing here, suggesting that the victim is a drunk who was asking for it (by daring to work in the same location as her harasser).

Strange Harper Obsessions makes a comeback!  Stephen Harper is issuing military personnel with pins to celebrate the War of 1812.  And they can wear them for 3 years!

I'm like a teenage girl when an American publication talks about Canada.  Here, Slate talks about our housing bubble.

Why are the Conservatives so hell bent on not letting this lady die?  I think the potential of an unscrupulous doctor or family member taking advantage of a patient's vulnerability is not a factor here (seeing as she has continually and consistently fought for her right to die with dignity), what' the problem?

Michael Geist talks about the Supreme Court copyright rulings.  It all sounds like it makes a lot of sense...but what's going to happen when the latest batch of laws take effect?

More Asbestos! More Asbestos! - Week 12 - July 18-25

I start this week with the most shockingly ludicrous thing I have encountered in an incredibly long time. How this is not bigger news puzzles me. Apparently the last Asbestos mine in Quebec (you know, the one that the Conservatives are selling out the rest of Canada for?) might be RUNNING OUT OF ASBESTOS. Yes sir. Apparently good leadership involves making your country a laughingstock over a mine that will probably have to close in a short period of time.

Youth advocates are worried that the "tough on crime" bill is going to have a negative impact on susceptible youth. Isn't it awesome that we have a government that completely dismisses the opinion of Criminologists? Why would the people that study this stuff for a living know what they're talking about. They must have a hidden agenda.

Adding to that, we have new statistics out showing that the crime rate is the lowest it has been since 1973. The Conservative response? "Unlike the Opposition, we do not use statistics as an excuse not to get tough on criminals." Wow. This is like a Trifecta of Conservative response awesomeness. Make the question asker feel stupid. Throw in a jab at the Opposition. Ignore and diminish all that silly sciency type stuff.

In this week's 2nd installment of Strange Stephen Harper Obsessions, we once again have the Arctic. Nothing new here, just more talk about Mr. Harper's blustering and an observation that what it lacks in substance is made up for in politicking.

It's funny that there is still a discussion about whether or not additional immigration will cause a drain in society. Most of the immigrants that I work with scare me, not because I fear I might have to pay for their health care. They work so damn hard and I fear that it makes me and my entitled ways look bad. So, ya, I don't think an extra 30,000 immigrants a year is going to ruin Canada.

This boingboing post explains precisely why we should not pursue a US style copyright system. Shortened version - Man creates song, posts it to the Internet. Major label likes song, wants Eminem to license it and use it as his own. Major label submits DMCA takedown notice to Youtube claiming it owns the rights to the song and that the youtube video is committing copyright infringement. Label initiates negotiations with the artist to take ownership of the song. Criminal. This is why music companies should not be allowed to arbitrarily decide what is and what isn't allowed on the Internet. This is what they are pushing for in Canada.

And to follow up on that, apparently there was a report commissioned to follow up on the purchasing habits of users of a raided and shut down file sharing site. The findings? Well, the average "internet pirate" on the site actually spent far more on legitimate entertainment expenses (movie theaters, media, etc.) than the average person. Which kind of reinforces the argument that piracy can help sell copyrighted items...but the company that commissioned the report didn't like the outcome so it was never released.

Lastly, apparently files are not always handed over from one MP to another in the event of a Parliamentary defeat. This does not seem like the best way for a government to transition, does it?

Summer Takes a Toll - Week 11 - July 11-18

Strange Stephen Harper Obsessions - The CBC. The Harper Government starts talking about cutting the budget on the CBC. And why not? There's so many other great, fair & balanced news agencies out there.

A rare attaboy for the Conservatives as they consider protection for Woodland Caribou.

Apparently somebody did a survey on the lack of decorum and respect in Parliament. Read, pause, and then weep for democracy.

John Baird goes to China. He doesn't seem to yell at anybody while he's there, either.

I'm not entirely certain, as this whole thing is so murky, but it appears that the entire Helena Guergis affair has boiled down to a slap on the wrist for sending out self-serving documents on official parliamentary letterhead. So much for the hookers and cocaine?

I just read this article on McSweeney's. It's one of a series highlighting "dream jobs you're glad you didn't pursue." "You learned that the reason the senate chambers are so empty most of the time is not because senators are abusing their powers and not doing their jobs, but because that is the only way a senator can keep his job" is just so sadly on point.

Celebrating the Crap out of Canada Day - Week 9 - June 27-July 4

This started out as a really boring week, before it picked up some steam over the long weekend. Can you believe that Parliament only sat from June 2nd-June 23rd? I mean, thank god. Who knows what kind of crazy crap they'd come up with if they actually stayed in session for any period of time. But 21 days? That's crazy. They're not back until September 19th.

Anyhow, I started the week grasping at straws, so we'll start with my panic post.

In honour of Canada Day, let's look back on some history. Did you know that Income Tax in Canada originated during the First World War? Indeed, it was meant as a temporary measure to help pay for wartime spending.

So, doing a bit more research...the Prime Minister at that time? Sir Robert Borden. Who happened to be a Conservative. Yes. The Conservatives brought in a "temporary income tax"...94 years ago. That's probably one of their oldest broken campaign promises.

Moving along to actual items...

This Globe and Mail opinion piece nicely sums up my exasperation with the political landscape of today.

Another Globe and Mail article talks about the Senate and it's handling of the Canada Post back to work legislation, pointing out that their reading of it added a "real, ongoing contribution to public discourse and public policy." Which is a fair point. In the past, Liberal senators have made some remarkable points about drug law, amongst other things. But honestly...we have an entire branch of government in place to add to public discourse and public policy? That seems a bit indirect and frivolous, no? Especially when nobody, especially the Prime Minister, is required to listen to them.

To further honour Canada Day, the "Harper Government" decided to show it's appreciation for the arts. So they've decided to micromanage arts funding because Canada does not want to "fund plays that glorify terrorism." They have cut off the funding to an entire festival because they didn't agree with one of the plays that happened LAST YEAR. Because anything that talks about terrorism is obviously glorifying it.

Slate takes Canada to task for it's stance on Asbestos. They point out that as we're busy exporting the stuff we're making sure we remove every last molecule of it from the Parliament buildings. Another Globe and Mail article on asbestos as well.

Tony Clement steps in it by tweeting a candid shot of the visiting Royals. Once again, I don't think it's the photo or the tweeting that bothers me, it's the complete lack of acceptance that he may have done something wrong. Only a Harper Cabinet Member could be oblivious to the questionable optics of using your government post to put yourself in a position to take a photo of the backs of two of the most privacy-crazed individuals on earth and then tweet about it. And then...standard Conservative response..."We did nothing wrong. You're stupid for even raising this as an issue. The whole thing might even be your fault." Perhaps the last bit might be a bit of a stretch, but not much.

Moving along to even more concern about the G8 Summit. This time, the RCMP has pointed out that if somebody had decided to shoot one of the 8 leaders, Muskoka probably would have worked out pretty well for them. The same report also points out that several planners had little relevant experience, information and file sharing (amongst security groups, I assume) was poor and that six undercover teams were quietly monitoring all protest groups. Because obviously that's going to be your source of assasination attempts and other "criminal activity".

And finally, in our Strange Stephen Harper Obsessions posting for the week, a "show of force" in the High Arctic is planned for the near future. I'm not sure if I'm more troubled by us wasting money running around in the arctic thinking that people are impressed or by us considering 1,000 troops to be a "show of force".

Actually...more finally...let's end the week off with a running list of Strange Stephen Harper Obsessions:

The Arctic
Asbestos
The Long Gun Registry
Per Vote Subsidies

I feel like I'm missing a couple. But honestly...he just can't let some of that stuff go.

Government Mandated Truth - Week 8 - June 20-27

I'm sure nothing will come of it, but it's been announced that the RCMP is looking in to complaints on G8 spending. Which probably means that somebody at the RCMP read something about it on the Internet. What bothers me the most is John Baird's outright dismissal here, calling it a "public relations stunt". I'm sick and tired of these yabbos blaming everything on the person asking the question. That's actually the opposite of accountibility.

Next, the Conservatives target climate scientists at Environment Canada with job cuts. Well. Climate Change doesn't exist. Why would you waste money studying it?

Canada continues to embarrass itself by officially denying a UN declaration of asbestos as hazardous. And since the declaration has to be unanimous, there will therefore be no declaration of Asbestos as hazardous by the UN. And we complain when China or Russia step in and derail things with their Security Council vote. Even India, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan came around to changing their stance on this item. Actually, this probably opens up some Harper spin. "Canada Valiantly Opposes Baltic/Near East Asbestos Denial Axis at UN Summit". (In the end, the axis joined up with Canada. But I'm not writing a whole new paragraph just for that.) Add this to the lengthening list of "Strange Stephen Harper Obsessions."


And another case of "this is the truth because I say so." The Conservatives call the investigation of detainee abuse in Afghanistan closed because nothing in their redacted documents indicates that anything happened. Missing from the records...anything deemed legal advice or related to cabinet confidence. It would seem to me that any important discussion would probably be related to one of these two things.

Oh man. This is like...our two favourite things combined into one topic of awesomeness. Christy Clark...encourages Senate reform...and the addition of 10 Senate seats for British Columbia. Actually...she encourages abolition of the Senate, but if that doesn't work, then she wants to make it bigger. Ya...that doesn't make any sense at all.

And then...What the hell? Gordon Campbell is going to be the Canadian Ambassador to England? Sorry. "High Commissioner". Ya. We should probably reward criminally convicted premieres run out of office on a rail.

After an NDP filibuster (I didn't even know that was possible in Canada), the Conservatives passed back to work legislation for Canada Post employees. This article points out that this is the sort of thing that's supposed to happen in Parliament. I think the Conservatives were probably upset that they might once again miss a chance to stick it to striking workers.

And finally, John Baird begins his new role as International Courier with a quick trip to Libya.