Updated & Corrected: Honourable Men in the Liberal Tradition -- & More

Update 2 Aug. 13, 05

Andrew Coyne: Does Jean believe in Canada? -- on Governor General designate, Micaelle Jean, in the National Post, Aug. 13, 05

Question Period: Gurmant Grewel Duncan McMurdo, Western Standard, Aug.22, 05 (on the website Aug. 13, 05) -- worth reading in light of the "non-evidence" of wrongdoing, according to the RCMP.


End of Update 2.



Is it oui or non? Sovereigntist demands new GG tell us how she voted in Quebec referendum CP, Aug. 12, 05

Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said Michaelle Jean would not be an appropriate choice for governor general if she voted in favour of Quebec separation.

"Anyone who voted for sovereignty ... that is a vote for the separation of Canada," [. . . . ]

Klein said Ottawa should screen GG candidates for any sovereigntist leanings before making the appointment.

Scott Reid spoke for the PMO to refute any suggestion that Ms. Jean and husband are or were connected to sovereigntists. Isn't Reid the one who was taped by Gurmant Grewel "not" offering to sell preferment (government goodies such as a senate appointment or a ministerial position) for voting to keep PM and Co. in office this May? From that little episode, we know he's the soul of honour and so we can believe his PM would never choose a GG to satisfy Quebeckers nor to gain Liberal votes. PM is an honourable man in the Liberal tradition.


Update 1 and error correction Aug. 13, 05:

It was Tim Murphy, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, NOT Scott Reid, who spoke with Tory MP Gurmant Grewal but did NOT do anything the RCMP will be investigating further and no-one will be charged. (Reference: http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004600.php?dbd_day=07-29-2005) In view of the RCMP's non-political decision, "RCMP will not launch criminal investigation into Grewal tapes" Aug. 12, 05, one could ask Why not? via Jack's Newswatch and Newsbeat1. This information from Captain's Quarters on May 30, 2005, is very . . . intriguing.

Grewal Tapes Contain Bribe Offer: CTV

Despite Liberal denials, the transcripts apparently contain a specific offer of a ministry for Grewal in exchange for his vote on May 19th:

CTV News' Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reports that the Prime Minister knew of the negotiations. . . .

The PM surrounds himself with honourable men . . . so, no wrong-doing occurred. What a relief! The RCMP settled that; see Aug. 13, 05, A10, National Post, "No 'wrongdoing' in Grewel affair" -- "Criminal activity not evident so case closed".

Play it, Sam. I want those tapes broadcast so we all may hear no evidence. Gurmant, the knives are out for you.




But to return to Micaele Jean and her husband, Mr. Lafond. Much is in this morning's National Post concerning her appointment; Andrew Coyne raises some questions in "Does Jean believe in Canada?" in the editorial section.

End of Update


New governor general's spouse a rejected separatist Jack Aubry, Ottawa Citizen, Aug. 12, 05

[. . . . ] Novelist Rene Boulanger has written an article for the September issue of a sovereigntist periodical, Le Quebecois, in which he claims to expose Mr. Lafond's alleged FLQ connections.

Mr. Boulanger said yesterday the filmmaker was friends with many in the Front du liberation du Quebec-linked group until shortly after his 1994 documentary, La Liberte en Colere. [. . . . ]

Search: outspoken separatist Gilles Rheaume , Jean-Marc Leger, a pollster at Leger Marketing , Jacques Rose, a member of the FLQ cell that



Link for Video - Naresh Raghubeer on Global CHTV re Canada's Anti-Terror Steps: Real or PC window dressing? -- via CCD's Naresh Raghubeer and Derek Humble, risk analysis expert, are interviewed on CHTV on the subject of Canada's anti-terror measures... Worth listening to.




Abdullah Almalki, a Syrian-born Canadian who toiled in the Ottawa high-tech industry and spent time in Afghanistan, Toronto truck driver Ahmad Abou El-Maati, and Maher Arar -- All claimed to have been tortured. Jim Bronskill, CNEWS, Aug. 9, 05

[. . . . ] El-Maati drew RCMP attention after customs officials who searched his truck discovered a map of Ottawa featuring government and nuclear research facilities.

He left for Syria in 2001 and was promptly jailed. He too has since returned to Canada.

Now, aren't you just thrilled that he returned "home"? How does one tell whether a Muslim extremist is dissembling in order to advance the cause of Allah and the Islamicization of the world, which, incidentally, is considered perfectly acceptable in Islam, from what I have read? Leave a comment if I am wrong about this.





Crystal Meth

[. . . . ] "They're doing the same old thing. They're saying we've got to do something so let's toughen up the penalties," said Ottawa drug lawyer Eugene Oscapella, of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy. "When you get right down to it this is politics. These are politicians pretending to do something." [. . . . ]

Conservative justice critic Vic Toews said emulating the U.S.'s approach to the war on drugs is a good start, but does not go far enough.

"I can't remember the last time anyone dealing in meth received 10 years, so what is the point of increasing it to life in prison?" he asked. "The real issue is if you want prison to be the punishment for methamphetamine ... then you have to impose mandatory minimum sentences. We have to be looking at at least two years."

Search: Alan Young, a law professor and marijuana advocate at York University

Crystal meth, which is highly addictive apparently on the first try, is a devastating drug. Parents need more than BS and the court system should oblige with sentences to devastate the perpetrators of this horrible addiction. Might I suggest a few photographs of "meth mouth" in the local newspapers . . . or might that offend some voting bloc?




Shootings start to hit home Editorial, Aug. 12, 05, Toronto Sun -- Read a solution offered here.
Aug. 12, 05




Commission Coverup? Was this done to protect Clinton-era Justice Department honcho Jamie Gorelick, Deborah Orin, Aug. 12, 05, NY Post

This week brought the stunning revelation that elite military spies pinpointed Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers as a terror cell more than a year before 9/11 — but were barred from alerting lawmen to try to lock them up.

Search: top deputy to then-Attorney General Janet Reno , the elite military unit known as Able Danger , U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White

A must-read.




Global craziness Diana West, Aug. 12, 05

[. . . . ] We may be citizens of a nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, but our liberty has shrunk under measures we take to ward off Islamist terror attacks, and our dedication to equality looks tatty as we go about making the world safe for ... sharia. [. . . . ]

This is a must read.


The time has come to issue a fatwa to excommunicate Osama bin Laden and his followers from the world of Islam. In fact, as terrorism rages, we need a stream of solid counter-fatwas - legal pronouncements in Islam — from the Muslim community. Op-Ed. USA Today, Aug. 11, 05




What is bias?

Here are the "7 Violations of Media Objectivity":

Misleading definitions and terminology.
Imbalanced reporting. Opinions disguised as news.
Lack of context. Selective omission.
Using true facts to draw false conclusions. Distortion of facts.
See the Code of Ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists

There are very good explanatory examples on this site. Incidentally, many fit our Liberal Propaganda Organ aka CBC.




O Canada! -- in case our government and media hadn't noticed one little word

A fellow stopped by today and pointed out something I hadn't even thought about and CBC's sneers or sneering tone concerning anything Christian would bely that God is invoked in our official O Canada!

Official Lyrics

(English)

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

(French)

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une épopée,
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

[. . . . ] The official English version, shown above, includes the changes recommended by a Special Joint Committee on the Senate and House of Commons in 1968. The French lyrics (also above) remain unchanged since they were written.

Oil Industry Profits: Analysis of Recent Performance -- a pdf download from the US government via Newsbeat1

[. . . . ] As shown in Table 3, increased net income was not derived from large increases in oil and gas production for most companies. For 2004, more than half of the companies produced less oil during this year of high prices than they did in 2003. The total increase in oil production by the group of 1.9% was largely attributable to the 19% increase of one company, BP. The production results for natural gas are even more uniform. Every company, except one, Occidental, produced less natural gas in 2004 than in 2003, yielding a total 3.1% decrease in production from the group as a whole.

Table 4 reports the downstream (refining and marketing) results for the major integrated oil companies. This sector accounts for approximately 23% of the total net income earned by these companies. Data in Table 4 show that net income from this sector increased by almost 100% in 2004, compared to 2003, but production increased by only 1.5%. Again, consistent with the upstream results, it seems the integrated oil companies derived increases in net income from price increases with little support from increased production in the short term. [. . . . ]

The graphs and the summary, at least, are worth reading.

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