Helping the rich get richer

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The war on freedom

It's just as good as lost. Our masters have lulled us into a groggy state and have clobbered us with the club of oppression. We've reached the end of the line in a long struggle for personal freedom, privacy, liberty, security and human rights. We are now headed in reverse. It's anyone's guess how far back our overlords will take us.

I just read an article in The National Post concerning whether police in Canada have the right to order communications companies to forward text messages sent between their customers to police without a warrant. The  Supreme Court is expected to rule on this question today (March 27, 2013). In this same article, I discovered that police in Ontario have already won the right to peruse a person's cell phone (without a warrant) if it is not password-protected or not locked against unauthorized use.

This has infuriated me. Of all the preposterous reasons one can come up with to usurp our privacy, this is one of the most inane. It's the equivalent of saying that if you forget to lock your back door, police are free to enter and snoop around at will. Just because one doesn't fortify his private property doesn't mean he relinquishes all rights to that property. If you inadvertently leave your car door unlocked, can police legally search it? The argument is ridiculous.

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The illusion of choice

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If Romney were president

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The assault on English

The note on the link below reads...

Dated, but sometimes still used for humorous affect.

"affect"? Really? Such a basic error in a dictionary? The war against English has been won. 

LINK


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The war on sanity

Am I the only one who doesn't believe that North Korea is dangerous? Seriously, I don't know what all the hoopla is about. Does anyone actually believe that those in charge are anxious to have their country destroyed and for them to die an ugly death or be imprisoned for life? Does anyone not believe that would be the only possible result if they fired missiles at anyone? They aren't as loony as some would have you believe. Even if they were, I'm sure they're instinct for self preservation would trump any delusions they may have.

And the same thing goes for Iran.

When the U.S. spent trillions of dollars over decades on developing ridiculous numbers of nuclear weapons--enough to destroy the entire world many times over, I'm sure they didn't think of themselves as insane. But if today a country develops a single nuclear weapon, they're painted as individuals so unstable that they're apt to start a war with any of their neighbours at the drop of a hat. Give me a break. The United States has always been the most aggressive state since it's rise to power and even now should be feared more so than any other. If they can go to Iraq for no reason at all, what is beyond the realm of possibilities?

Gunfight at the OK Convention Centre

Hours before former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were scheduled to begin their "conversation" at downtown Toronto's Metro Convention Centre on Friday, dozens of protesters, cops and gawkers had gathered along Front Street to witness the historic meet-up. But the protesters, at least, had their sights on just one of the two men.

Resting against benches on the other side of the street from the convention centre were row upon row of placards decorated with pictures of Mr. Bush and the words "war crimes." Other protest signs carried the now-infamous picture of the hooded, electrode-laden Abu Ghraib prisoner in a crucifix pose. Members of the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War carried signs reading, "War criminals not welcome here." Another political group, Food Not Bombs, set up an impromptu buffet table on the street, featuring such delicious puns as "Condoleezza Rice" and "Chard (him with war crimes) stir-fry." Even local 1005 of the Steelworkers' Union got in on the act. Virtually every sign, cause and chant related to the 43rd, rather than 42nd president.

From today's news...

Canadians seem to know their politics. We like fornicators better than war criminals.

Canada defends north with Cannon

A bruhaha has been brewing at the North Pole. Canada's sovereignty has been repeatedly tested by a number of nations intent on using her northern waterways and even on making land grabs. The far north is believed to contain oil and mineral deposits and Russia has been posturing by planting a flag at the North Pole seabed and conducting aerial exercises in the region.

In reaction, Canada has been bolstering her military and coast guard presence. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday that the Conservative government will strive to "work peacefully" with other polar nations but "will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty." In February, two Russian bombers made an Arctic test flight, which Canadian military aircraft scrambled to intercept.

Stay tuned, kiddies. This cat and mouse game is not over. There is a lot at stake and it's anybody's guess where this goes.

It's no wonder people call it Faux News

I can easily imagine a few of the lines in the following video taken from a late night Fox News show being used in a Canadian comedy production. Making light of our army is as much a part of our identity as the fact that the Canada's military has participated in more U.N. peace missions than any other country, including the United States. But given that there's a war going on in Afghanistan, a war where Canadians have had more soldiers there than any other country except for the U.S., I find it to be in very bad taste. This coupled with the fact that this aired while we were honouring the latest four fallen soldiers, bringing the total number of Canadians lost in this war to 116, elevates the statements to deplorable.

Imagine that a Canadian news program went on the day after 9/11 and participants joked and laughed about how Americans can't build office buildings properly, etc. How appropriate would that be? In comedy, it's all about timing. And this segment's timing was way off. How funny does it seem now?

Whose side is God on?

I stopped on a religious channel where an American soldier was recounting his experiences in Iraq. Several times he explained how he kept asking God to show that He was on his side. It seemed bizarre and incongruent that a believer should call on God while he is directing his tank to bombard the hell out of people across the river.

It made me think of the old expression "Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition". Certainly anyone uttering this phrase sees the irony in it. Was the soldier's tale any different? How different was his situation from the enemy combatants possibly shouting "Allah is great!"?

I can understand a person defending his life with deadly force if he were in immediate danger. I cannot comprehend someone going half way around the world with the express purpose of killing people and then invoking God's name for his protection or even His help in killing other human beings.

How ironic is it?

How ironic is it that a video game about death, destruction and war is rated "M"? I don't know about you, but what I would call someone purchasing such a game is definitely not "Mature". Maybe the "M" rating stands for "Moron"?

Q & A's from around the web

Are u.s generals in the box thinkers? because it seems they havnt a clue in Iraq!

I think they are more like litter box thinkers because most of their plans are shitty.

In the box thinkers? They couldn't think their way out of a wet paper Baghdad.

War Drums

Damascus — Despite fierce opposition from the United States, Iran and Syria signed an agreement on Wednesday to place an Iranian missile defense base on Syrian territory.

The Israeli government has leveled sustained criticism against the Syrian plan, characterizing it as a hostile act near the Israeli border. But Syrian officials insist that the system will defend against threats from countries like The United States and would not target Israel.

“Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one,” said Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, who signed the agreement in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart, Prime Minister Naji al-Otari . “It is in our defense that we do this.”

Editor's note: I'm just curious--does the following news item give you a different sense at all?...

WARSAW — Despite fierce opposition from Moscow, the United States and Poland signed a long-stalled agreement on Wednesday to place an American missile defense base on Polish territory.

The Kremlin has leveled sustained criticism against the American plan, characterizing it as a hostile act near the Russian border. But American officials insist that the system will defend against threats from countries like Iran and would not target Russia.

“Missile defense, of course, is aimed at no one,” said Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, who signed the agreement in Warsaw with her Polish counterpart, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. “It is in our defense that we do this.”