Journal

(Updated below)

Canada's slow march down the road of perdition to authoritarianism and enabled abuse of power continues unabetted.

This blogger aims to "throw the book" at the abusers.

(Updated below) (Update II) (Update III) (Update IV) (Update V) (Update VI) (Update VII) (Update VIII) (Update IX) (Update X)

Remember these questions that I asked?

I) To which extent is the privacy of Canadian citizens being illegally invaded, through indiscriminate sharing of private information and data, for the benefit of the FBI and CIA - in clear violation of our privacy of information laws?

II) To which extent Canadian citizens are being illegally spied and monitored, either by the RCMP, CSIS, the CSE, the FBI, the CIA or the NSA, in clear violation of our constitutional rights?

And last, but not least, III) Why is there not a single Canadian MSM journalist currently asking these questions?

Well, looks like things are beginning to come out, thanks to a slowly awakening MSM (emphasis mine):

From the LA times:

Study finds left-wing brain, right-wing brain

While it’s easy to get into rant mode about what we perceive to be conservative stupidity, here’s an interesting news story that might allow you to take a deep breath the next time your conservative family member refuses to see what is blatantly obvious to you.

Exploring the neurobiology of politics, scientists have found that liberals tolerate ambiguity and conflict better than conservatives because of how their brains work. In a simple experiment reported today in the journal Nature Neuroscience, scientists at New York University and UCLA show that political orientation is related to differences in how the brain processes information.

As much as incompetents can constitute a veritable danger to society, especially when they are placed in positions of governmental decision-making, the fact remains that their lies and spins fall apart under the glaring light of truth - sooner or later.

Another case in point: Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not be holding a vote in Parliament on Canada's Afghanistan mission unless he can get some other party to support his desire for an extension beyond 2009.

See the catch-22?

Or, is there something in that Australian air? It can't be the water.

President McFlightsuit is off to a roaring start at the APEC meetings in Australia. Are we roaring with laughter or roaring in embarrassment? Gaffe overdrive.

"Thank you for being such a fine host for the Opec summit," Mr Bush said to the Australian prime minister, John Howard, confusing two completely different groupings of nations. "Apec summit," he quickly corrected himself.

He then joked that Mr Howard had invited him to the Opec summit next year (for the record, an impossibility, since neither Australia nor the US are members of the oil exporting cartel).

But, wait. It gets better.

President George W. Bush claims to have seen ghosts emerge from the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House, according to a new book on his presidency.

In a retold episode from 1992 in said book, Mr. Bush's father, George Bush Sr., was still president and George W. was visiting the White House. After exercising in a White House gym one evening, the younger G.W. Bush told a friend he froze in his steps while approaching the Lincoln Bedroom, insisting that "he saw ghosts - coming out of the wall".

Well, Mr. President G.W. Bush, thanks to your forthrightness, I now find myself obligated to confess that I see dead people too.

Case in point:

BC Provincial Court justice Steven Point has been appointed British Columbia's new Lieutenant-Governor.

Steven Point, a provincial court judge and the former chief of a Fraser Valley First Nation, has been appointed B.C.'s new lieutenant-governor.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the appointment in a statement Tuesday.

(Updated below) (Update II)

On July 31, 2007, I wrote an article titled "Operation Enduring Propaganda", concerning an unrelenting blitzkrieg-like, coordinated propaganda counter-strike to sell the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while making the case for more war in the Middle-East (especially Iran), through it all playing on the fear and insecurity of Americans.

In a follow-up article of August 13, 2007, titled "On Why The Surge Must Appear To Be Successful", I further discussed Operation Enduring Propaganda with regards to Iraq and the surge, and how it has been keeping in full swing despite the rise of discordant voices rising louder and louder - voices largely ignored by the MSM, of course. This then begged the question: why must there be at least an appearance of success with regards to the surge in Iraq? And my short answer was: Iran. I also discussed at the time the up-coming Petraeus-Crocker report (before news came out that the White House would be actually writing it), as follows (emphases mine):

Last year in Surrey, BC, (2006 population estimated at about 456,000), the RCMP responded to 1,200 domestic violence calls. There have been a few high-profile murders of women, one who's husband, a suspect in her murder, recently is alleged to have committed suicide. Another was found dead in a pool of blood in her home, with one of her small children sitting on her body. Yet another's charred remains were found, and her husband has since been charged with second degree murder.

(Cross-posted from APOV - I encourage everyone to use this letter to send it to the PM's office and/or send it as letter to the editor to your favorite newspaper. I did. This morning I received the acknowledgment of receipt from the PM's office. Now imagine dozens and dozens of such letters sent his way ...)

To: The Right Honorable Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen J. Harper;

Re: To cease and desist with regards to the unlawful excercise of appointing Conservative Party "governmental liaisons" in ridings with, or without, duly elected MPs;

One more time, from the U.K. Guardian Unlimited: does the gutting of FISA allows U.S. to spy on Britons?

Still a damn interesting question ...

Indeed, almost twenty days ago now, I asked the following:

Wisconsin's domestic violence laws mandate that when officers are called to scene, they must make an arrest. They have to haul someone off. Okay, I'm not sure I agree (opportunity for abuse) but that's the law and I'm sure it's that way to help the victims when they're intimidated by the abuser.

"Unfortunately it is the majority of one race that is making up the major majority of the problems with drug abuse and the penitentiary occupation in Saskatchewan."

It wasn't me. But I did say something alarmingly close to that in my last journal here - Crime - by johnny-come-lately. It was about crime statistics and what I referred to as the 'elephant in the room (EITR) '. A report is out now that puts Saskatchewan at the top of the list for substance abuse problems.
This article from the Leader Post talks about differences in the use of alcohol.

There seems to be in Western Canada -- a different attitude towards drinking than there is say in the urban centres or larger centres in Eastern Canada. Somehow, binge drinking is a right of passage and that it is somehow OK [Graham Addley - Sask. Healthy Living Services Minister]

(Click on images to get your own fair-use copies.)

This bland news release would not give any hint that Mexico, Canada and the USA may be about to be merged:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070818/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_canada_mexico

This is all being done under the radar, without consulting citizens in a democratic process. This integration by stealth is an unconstitutional, but great grab by greedy corporatist neoconservatives. Someone - not Canadians - wants this to be official policy:
http://www.spp-psp.gc.ca/
Chambers of Commerce in the USA and Canada are chief supporters of this White House-led subversion of democracy:
http://www.chamber.ca/cmslib/general/SubmissionSPP070525.pdf

Finally, the buck stops. Bye bye loonie, twonie, dollar - hello Amero:
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=15017

What Prime Minister Harper said:

"I've heard it's nothing. A couple of hundred? It's sad."

What Prime Minister Harper could have said:

While I may not agree with the views of the various protest groups, I understand their inherent right to make their voices heard at Montebello and I commend them for accepting that as a civic responsibility and acting on this most important principle of Canadian democracy. On another day, I may well have found myself among them, proudly and honourably seeking to be a part of our great and ongoing national debate.