Terrorism alert--Don't worry, Jean Chretien and Pierre Pettigrew are on the case

Bud Talkinghorn: Even on Friday, you can't keep a good man down. NJC


You remember Chretien. He was the PM who got the master al-Queda terrorist Khadr out of a prison hospital in Pakistan. The Pakistanis believed firmly that Khadr was part of the group that bombed the Egyptian embassy in Islamabad. "No, no," Chretien claimed, "he was just a pious Canadian Muslim trying to help the dispossessed". Chretien never apologized when it was shown that, no, no, the man was a fanatical terrorist, along with his entire family. There were greater heights of international tomfoolery to which Chretien ascended. When he went to some meeting in Lebanon--ruthlessly ruled by the Syrians--he shook hands with Sheik Nassrallah, the head of Hezbollah, and had an amiable chat with him. When later told that Hezvollah was one of the major terrorist organizations in the Middle East, he said, "How would I know?" That comment seems to cast a larger net of ignorance, if his foreign affairs handlers couldn't have pointed that fact out. Still, this is the man, who must have seen the videos of the vicious pepper spraying / pepper gassing of protesters in Vancouver, and could make the simple-minded statement about it, "For me, I always like pepper on my steak."

Now Chretien's old buddy, Nasrallah, has publicly come out with the statement that Hezbollah has 12,000 rockets it is ready to launch into Israel. The same day, the Israelis released secret tapes they had seized from Hezbollah showing extremely detailed methods of how to rig up suicide vests to blow up Israelis on buses. They even had a tape of a real bus, with a mannequin wearing such a vest. It explained where to stand to inflict maximum damage. It also showed the bus blowing up and the analytical evidence of how it would have effectively dismembered a huge number of riders. The tape went on to show how everyday chemicals could be turned into bombs. It is beyond shameful to see how our PM could be so easily duped into colluding with such monsters.

In the same tradition, Canadians have our current foreign minister, Pierre Pettigrew, refusing to name Hamas, Hezbollah's accomplices, as a terrorist threat. This is an organization that publically accepts credit for endless suicide attacks and whose raison d'etre is the total destruction of Israel.

Pettigrew wants to see how they do in the up-coming elections in Palestine. Pierre Pettigrew is the sort of man, who in 1945, would have waited to see whether the Germans still would vote in Hitler, before condemning the Nazis. It's enough to make you weep.

© Bud Talkinghorn

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The Amnesty International Report

The CBC nightly news led off with this: "While the report mentioned such human rights abuses as the genocide in Darfur, it saved its greatest criticism for America." Later, Mansbridge mentioned Canada's guilt. It seems that we are not allowing bogus (sorry, my slip) refugees to enter Canada from the United Stakes. Then we have also allowed violence against native women. The Amnesty International crowd are far too politically correct to spell this last charge out. It is left to your imagination about who are the main abusers. If you fill in "Whitey" you get a gold star, though.

Total loonie-left misdirection of blame, of course. That is too bad, as the aims of the organization are fundamentally solid. However, we can see the dreary hand of the radical fringe writing this report.

I can almost reconstruct the discussion that went into it. "Let's see," Ms Khan, the spokeswoman, would state, "If we start with the monster abusers alphabetically we get America. What? You say Algeria. So the different sides have murdered at least 160,000 people and tortured thousands more; that doesn't count as they were all Muslim Algerians. My name is Khan and I'm presenting this report, so butt out."

Well, before you get to that other heinous abuser Canada, we should try to fill in some "B's". Burundi comes to mind. Besides their massive slaughters of Hutus in the 1980's, there are reports that they are still at it. However, didn't we mention them a decade ago? Scratch Burundi--90% of the world doesn't even know it exists. We want headlines here. On to the "C's". I know that Cambodia and the Cameroons come before Canada, but old abuses are a ratings killer. Yes, adding Canada to the list is an attention getter. Now, about those poor refugees stranded in the heartland of bigotry, i.e. America, This injustice has to stop. What, you say that according to the UN protocol on refugees, they are already in a sanctuary country, hence are not legible to asylum shop? Well, that is not the UN I have come to love. Enough quibbling;. on to the "D's". Denmark just jumps right out at you, doesn't it. They are actually thinking of throwing out people they refer to as "illegal immigrants and refugees". They have become so racist that some have taken to putting up posters of a blue-eyed, blond girl and claiming that she will become an minority in fifty years. My response: Put on your white sheets and show your true colours. I bet crosses are burning on Copahagen lawns as we speak. On to the "E's". Equatorial Guinea might fit in, if it wasn't a traumatized former colony. The list of the real abusers is endless, so why throw in red herrings? "F"? France of course. Moving along swiftly now we come to "Z". Which could only stand for Zealand. "Zimbabwe", you say? Another neo-colonial victim. What? You say the country is called New Zealand? But it must have been plain Zealand before they tried to hide their shame over their mistreatment of the Maori. They now think they can hide behind the "new" appelation. We here at Amnesty International are hip to these ploys. We know the baddies when we see them."

© Bud Talkinghorn

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Newsbeat1: "justice" increasingly takes a back seat to "law." & Gomery: Morselli, Gwyn -- & -- My Friday Inspiration

While you read:

Washington Classical 1035 -- classical vocal music at vivalavoce.com -- I just love it; it lifts me out of the mire -- metaphorically washing away the corruption and slime when I see the name Pickton or Homulka or . . . . fill in your worst news item characters. I highly recommend this.



"justice" increasingly takes a back seat to "law."

What's the holdup? -- Bre-X, via several lengthy cases give some idea via Newsbeat1, May 27, Peter Worthington, Toronto Sun.

Worthington takes the reader quickly through a problem with our justice system using the cases of: Robert Pickton, "the assassination of President John Kennedy in November 1963, and the subsequent assassination of his alleged slayer, Lee Harvey Oswald, by Jack Ruby. ", Paul Bernardo. O.J. Simpson, Robert Blake & Michael Jackson (why should I care about these two?) and Clifford Olson.




GOMERY INQUIRY: 'I wasn't the big boss,' ex-fundraiser tells inquiry -- Caterer was asked by Chrétien friend to restore funding for music festivals Tu Thanh Ha, May 27, 05, Globe and Mail


Why we've sunk so low in politics Richard Gwyn, May 27, 05

What's striking about the sponsorship scandal is that it should have happened in the affluent, educated, urbanized, international-minded society that we've become — so utterly unlike the rural, parochial Canada of long ago.

What's really striking is that when it happened we, unlike our ruder, cruder ancestors, have, quite unlike them, essentially looked the other way. [. . . . ]

And, to paraphrase Newsbeat1, where were the mainstream media journalists such as Richard Gwyn and his ilk during the time that the corruption was occurring?

My guess -- printing whatever the Liberal government released -- presenting propaganda as news. This is endemic in the best of possible, medicared, diversified, linguistically bought, though not paid for Canada.




A Friday Diversion:

A Light Dawns -- Business -- once the new marijuana legislation passes

For BC entrepreneurs: find a businessman with an airline--or a shipping company--and other businesses such as sun destinations and real estate abroad, add business know-how with cigarettes, packaging, greenhouses . . . perfect for BC grow-op land. If the growers could just arrange to rent greenhouses or arrange a deal--business initiative sounds so much more, well, important--package the product as cigarettes, fly or ship it out of an easily accessible place such as Vancouver or Abbotsford to wherever there is a scarce supply, the income would be awesome, given the current strength of the BC product . . . . but then, the government would probably get in on the act, once the new marijuana legislation passes, and they would tax away most of the profits . . . . to "invest" in "initiatives" and "friends" who own ad agencies or other "businesses" . . . . except for that part of the product which would be sold abroad. Thus it would fall outside current federal jurisdiction, I suppose. Maybe it is a better idea than I thought. Let's see, now, register the . . . in the Barbados or Liberia . . . or ship via . . .

Reminder: Please don't smoke; we need the product for the export trade. Besides . . . your health . . .

Obviously, weekend silliness has set in. Have a great week-end.

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Another Tour de Farce with One Glimmer of Common Sense -- Quebec bans Sharia

First major Metis land claim will go to court next year

If Metis refers to part white, part aboriginal citizens, how do they get to join the land claims settlement group? How are they identified? Could other Canadians dig back into their family history, find an aboriginal ancestor and get in on . . . ?

WINNIPEG - A Metis claim that much of Manitoba's most valuable land was illegally taken from the mixed-blood aboriginal community in the 19th century will finally be heard in court next year after more than two decades of delays. Canada's first major Metis land claim trial begins April 6, 2006, in Manitoba's Court of Queen's Bench [. . . . ]

Anti-Business

The anti-business book awards Peter Foster, May 27, 05. Foster lists some good books, as well as skewering the candidates for the prize, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and BMO Financial Group.

Perhaps the two most bizarre recent winners were Ingeborg Boyens' Unnatural Harvest: How Corporate Science is Secretly Altering Our Food and Naomi Klein's No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies.

Douglas Powell, a professor of plant agriculture at the University of Guelph, called Ms. Boyens' book "the antithesis of a well-researched, investigative and compelling report worthy of a national award." He noted that the book was "laced with New-Age hucksterism." [. . . . ]

Link for the whole article and his list of books that deal with Bombardier, Air Canada, Conrad Black and Edgar Bronfman Jr. which are on my wish list . . . . or for a trip to the library.



Failed refugees might receive second chance -- Class action claims thousands unfairly ordered out Adrian Humphreys, National Post, May 27, 05

Nearly 4,000 rejected refugee claimants -- including some denied status in Canada because of wartime atrocities and crimes against humanity -- could be allowed back to try again for residency if a lawsuit filed by a recruiter and fundraiser for a militant group is successful.

[. . . . ] The lead plaintiff, Vivekananthan Nalliah, in fact, is deemed in court records to be a member, fundraiser and recruiter for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Sri Lankan armed faction responsible for conscripting child soldiers, killing two world leaders and carrying out more suicide bombings than any terrorist group.

The LTTE was designated as a terrorist organization in the United States in 1997 but is not named as such in Canada.

[. . . . ] A legal notice of the proposed suit appears on the CBSA Web site, . . . .

. . . . may be entitled to return to Canada," it says. [. . . . ]

Criminals' Charter Guarantees & Other People's Money

Really, the Auditor General's reports, even old ones when you come upon a distillation of some particularly egregious facts, are best sellers.

I found this on the way to something else -- worth reading. Our government cannot adequately fund our own security; there is going to be a Charter Challenge over failed refugee claims ( Failed refugees might receive second chance National Post, May 27, 05) . . . . . and Canadians are paying for this?

Religious Diversity in Kingston Penitentiary: Jails struggle to accommodate religious diversity, audit says, copy of an article in the Globe and Mail by Gloria Galloway, Jan. 13, 03, A6.

Federal inmates who are religious but not Christian are dissatisfied with the level of spiritual services provided to them, a recent departmental audit has found.

[. . . . ] The Canadian Charter of Rights guarantees prisoners access to the accoutrements of their religion -- be it paganism, Zoroastrianism or Satanism. That guarantee plays out in all kinds of ways, from a separate outdoor space at Kingston Penitentiary that has been set aside for Wiccan ceremonies to the provision of meals to meet special religious requirements, says the audit completed in June

[. . . . ] That means any institution might find itself housing a sole member of a certain faith, a Rastafarian, for instance, but must still accommodate that person's religious needs as long as they are within the bounds of law and will not disrupt security. [. . . . ]

But "there are cost implications," she said. When "kosher food or halal food or specific things that are religiously required or justified, are needed in such small amounts, that always costs more." So much more that the department had to ask the Treasury Board this year for an additional $1.06-million to make special meals.

About $400,000 of that went to inmates who are on therapeutic diets. The rest was for the roughly 650 inmates who need distinct meals for religious reasons. [. . . . ]

Can you believe that, especially if your diet is determined by what is on sale, reduced, or given to you by a gardening friend or relative? If they hadn't committed crimes, they would not be in prison and the fact that they did says something about their spirituality . . . unless, of course, they were following their faith's teachings.




Religious Diversity Kingston

The number of Muslims in Canada increased by more than 128 per cent during the 1990s ­ a reflection of Canadian immigration patterns during that period. For the first time ever, there are more Muslims (579,640) than Jews (329,995) in Canada. Moustafa Fahmy is the past president of the Islamic Centre of Kingston and now a member of the centre. He said while Kingston doesn’t attract the same number of Muslim immigrants as bigger cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Kingston does have a strong Muslim population. He says the Muslim population has steadily increased here over the years and estimates about 1,000 people belong to the Islamic Centre. [. . . . ]

Unfortunately, I have come to see this as simply importing a fifth column movement or worse. Until Muslims rail against the extreme nature of Islamic practices in relation to women's rights, I see no compromise between Islam and democracy. I fear that the only reason for lack of problems with Islamic immigrants--men, in particular in the past--was low numbers. That has changed. I do NOT want Sharia in Canada.



PQ Common Sense

Quebec has few qualms about political correctness . . . which is good for women.

Quebec bans sharia -- Blow to proponents of using Islamic law in Canadian society Kevin Dougherty, with files from Mike de Souza, ElizabethThompson and Lee Greenberg, May 27, 05, National Post.

[. . . . ] "It's important to send a very clear message that there's one rule of law in Quebec," Premier Jean Charest said. [. . . . ]

Islamic fundamentalists have targeted Canada to introduce sharia law -- a code of conduct based on the Koran that critics say discriminates against women -- because of this country's rights guarantees and official multiculturalism, said Quebec Liberal Fatima Houda-Pepin, who proposed the private member's resolution.

[. . . ] Francoise Boivin, chairwoman of the Liberal women's caucus, praised the National Assembly's resolution, describing Islamic tribunals as "dangerous." [. . . ]

Why do Muslims come here if they want to live under Sharia? You will note, the traffic is one way.

The Tipping Point, De Guzman of Bre-X, Barbara Kay, Growing an Airline in Canada

The Tipping Point or here May 21, 2005 -- excellent



De Guzman of Bre-X Gold Infamy: Suicide possibly a hoax Brian Hutchinson, National Post, May 25, 2005

He taunts us still. Michael de Guzman, the Filipino geologist who many believe masterminded the $6-billion Bre-X Minerals Ltd. gold fraud, was supposed to have killed himself eight years ago after the giant scam unravelled.

[. . . . ] According to a report in yesterday's Singapore Straits Times, one of Mr. de Guzman's Indonesian wives -- he had several -- said she received a $25,000 money order from the ''dead'' geologist. The money arrived three months ago from a Brazilian branch of Citibank, the Straits Times reported.

[. . . . ] Yesterday's story in the Straits Times might be dismissed as conspiracy mongering, but for the fact it was written by John McBeth, a respected freelancer based in Jakarta.

Search: helicopter , Mr. Felderhof , David Walsh , salting scheme at Busang , Philippines

Why was no-one besides Felderhof charged -- other Canadians? Canadians who pushed that stock on unsuspecting "investors"? Or is it like everything else, no-one is to blame so the decent people lose?



"three zero-achievement years"

Sexism, stood on its head Barbara Kay, National Post, May 25, 2005 -- a must read.

[. . . . ] Never mind Belinda's opportunistic betrayal of her party (and her man) at a critical juncture in parliamentary history, cry Liberal critics and feminists. The real crime here is her detractors' use of -- the horror! -- gender-specific language in denouncing her perfidy.

Well, bring on the gender-specific stereotypes is what I say. It serves to balance a scale wildly skewed by the preferments Belinda has long enjoyed specifically because of her gender. Reverse sexism -- call it gender equity or affirmative action if you like -- got her where she is today, so it is poetic justice that she is now being hoisted by that particular petard. These sexist epithets are chickens coming home to roost, payback for Belinda having been beamed up from her Aurora dressage ring to a Cabinet seat in three zero-achievement years. [. . . . ]

Search: benign sexism , Would any man never before active in politics , sherpa , "an ageing politico, like the other male mentors"




How to Grow an Airline Business

Ho of Harmony Airlines & DTKH Robson Developments

Ho, whose diversified B.C. holdings include MCL Motor Cars, University Golf Club, DTKH Robson Developments and South Alder Greenhouses, has also explored the possibility of purchasing the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks. [or the Toronto Argonauts ]

[. . . . ] Ho and his older brother, Charles, are heirs to the fortune of Hong Kong Tobacco, the largest manufacturer and distributor of tobacco products in Asia that was founded by their grandfather more than 50 years ago.

[. . . . HMY] signed a bilateral agreement in July with China Airlines to provide Taiwan's flag carrier with Vancouver connections to HMY's [Harmony's] North American destinations.

[. . . . ] an agreement with Hainan Airlines . . .

[. . . . ] "It's the Chinese Hawaii," Chu said of Hainan, an autonomous region located in the South China Sea, less than an hour's flying time away from Macau or Hong Kong.

Search here: charter flights from Vancouver to Mexican sunspots , Jackie Chan , free as a favour to my friend , kung fu actor , sick and underprivileged children in B.C. , Toronto , Los Angeles , Las Vegas

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PSEPC: Impact on Canada of Corrupt Foreign Officials in Other Countries

Impact on Canada of Corrupt Foreign Officials in Other Countries, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness website

All I can recommend is that you go and read. There is a table of contents which will simplify finding what interests you.

Search: Corruption , Bribery , innocent confusion over whether welcoming gifts are appropriate , existence of corruption and the influence of organized crime , the evidence to support these assumptions has proven elusive , has not surfaced to date

There are more that could have been listed but you can get the tenor of the report from skimming it. Some excerpts of what I found to be interesting follow:

[. . . . ] It is common knowledge that some eastern European countries are havens for international criminal activity. It was suggested by one interviewee that approximately half the law enforcement officials with whom Canadian law enforcement officials interact in these countries are engaged in some form of corruption. Interviews with officials knowledgeable of the region, however, did not reveal hard evidence directly linking foreign officials and Canadian interests.

Domestically, in RCMP criminal investigations of drugs, money laundering, fraud and other serious transnational crimes, the involvement of foreign public officials has not surfaced to date. The RCMP, however, is aware of the potential of this involvement and investigators consider it in any relevant investigation.

A report that detailed how it is done was ordered destroyed. . . by whom, remains a mystery "to date". Google "sidewinder" and "Echo" and you'll be amazed at what you will find. Send a copy to Deputy PM McLellan, who may still be in the dark about this.

Search: Impact on Canadian economy or private business , Examples of Corruption: Immigration

Assisting others to circumvent normal immigration procedures (for example, by smuggling them across borders or supplying them with false documents).

In Asian countries, for example, there is ample evidence that government officials, including members of the armed forces, engage not just in illegal migration, but also in smuggling cars, fuel and cigarettes. Recently, such activities have been subject to investigations and arrests.

Admittance by some countries of immigrants solely on the basis of wealth (also called economic citizenship or passports of convenience)

The number of citizenship grants (including passports) from such countries is increasing. Background checks into the foreign nationals obtaining citizenship are often next to non-existent. It is possible, therefore, that some of those obtaining such passports of convenience are international criminals seeking to conceal their identities and their illicit gains. Human smugglers are suspected of using such passports of convenience to smuggle illegal migrants to countries like Canada, where these passports can be visa-exempt.

Theft, forgery and misrepresentation of documents or persons by local staff in our offices abroad (which, it is strongly suspected, involves foreign officials)

Immigration scams include adding ineligible persons as representatives of fictitious companies to lists of genuine attendees to conferences or trade missions in western countries. There is also evidence of manipulation of the CIC Business Partner program, a result of which could be the takeover by international criminal elements of heretofore-legitimate businesses.

Wrongdoing at Canadian missions has risen in the Africa/Middle East and Asia/Pacific regions and decreased in Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Almost half of all cases occurred in the Asia/Pacific region, which hosts a large immigration program and therefore offers increased opportunity. CIC reports that, since 1996, 45 local staff in missions abroad were found guilty of such acts as assisting ineligible persons to obtain visas; soliciting bribes for real or alluded services; and theft of cost-recovery funds. There were no cases involving Canadian-based staff.

It is time to google for the documents mentioned above. Also, check for news items on the Columbian, Beijing embassy staff and possibly other embassies and scams involving immigration to Canada. There are items on this website, Frost. Link to Prime Time Crime and search McAdam and Read (Hong Kong embassy) and China.

Skim down the government website psepc further and you will find:

Impact of Immigration Irregularities

Such activity incurs both direct and indirect costs to Canada. Fifty-three per cent of last year’s investigations by Citizenship and Immigration Canada required the assistance of the RCMP. [Undermanned and underfunded, still. This document is five years old.] Most ineligible persons who are apprehended after landing in Canada claim refugee status, which incurs administrative costs.

One estimate is that between 8,000 and 16,000 people arrive in Canada every year with the assistance of organized criminal groups at a cost to Canada of between $120 million and $400 million per year [1]. This includes, presumably, living, medical and educational costs, a part of which will be borne by each level of government.

Examples of Corruption: Bribery [. . . . ]

Impact on Individual Canadian Citizens and Public Safety

If corruption is facilitating crime against Canadians, whether here or abroad, there are very real effects on Canadian citizens and public safety. Whether criminals are members of political terrorist organizations, organized crime or are unassociated with such organizations, their activity in our country is a destabilizing factor. [. . . . ]

Impact of International Corruption and Crime

Import/export frauds, drug trafficking and money laundering can be facilitated by the involvement of corrupt foreign public officials. Drug trafficking itself is a source of tremendous wealth for organized crime, and carries with it a train of violence, theft, social disruption, and public health problems. [. . . . ]

Suggested Operational Policies and Priorities

Immigration [. . . . ]

Foreign Aid/CIDA [. . . . ]

What is really worth checking, since there is a paucity of details in this report are the following which are listed near the end of the above report:

Internet Sites

Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)

www.oecd.org/daf/nocorruptionweb/index.html

http://www.oecd.org/subject/bribery/

OECD Ethics & Corruption in the Public Sector - Public Management (PUMA)

www.oecd.org/puma

Internet Centre for Corruption Research (a joint initiative of Goettingen University and Transparency International).

www.gwdg.de/~uwvw/icr.html

Transparency International

www.transparency.org

World Bank - Anti-Corruption Knowledge Center

www.worldbank.org/publicsector/anticorrupt

International Monetary Fund

www.imf.org

U.S. Agency for International Development, Center for Democracy & Governance

www.usaid.gov/democracy/techpubs/

The Nathanson Institute for the Study of Organized Crime and Corruption, York University

www.yorku.ca/nathanson

Transparency International and the Nathanson Institute are worth looking at. There is a list of publications of interest, also.

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"Honour", Brison Dissembles, Security & Sharing Info, Privacy & Travelling Without Docs - Easy

No decency, no class, no honour

Why do I think this was planned and not an accident? -- There is nothing to which the ubiquitous "they" will not stoop.

Mr. Norquay said Jay Hill, the Conservative whip, was given invitations for Alberta's Tory caucus, but was expressly told Mr. Harper would receive a separate invitation. [. . . . ]

Of course, the Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition did not receive an invitation. Who would be in charge of sending out invitations to the Alberta dinner with the Queen? Such pettiness is beneath contempt, not so much for Mr. Harper, as contempt for the institution of Parliament for Stephen Harper is the Queen's Leader of the Opposition. No decency, no class, no honour . . . . . as expected.

The media will not pursue this, I'll bet. Not in Liberal Canada.

My guess: The PM needed his photo op with the Queen and he didn't want anyone else to have the same opportunity nor visibility. Paul, if you had anything to do with this, you are even more puny than I expected.




"Public Works Minister Scott Brison has called on Conservative leader Stephen Harper to stop acting like a 'petulant child' "

That's Scott Brison's "story" and he's sticking to it . . . despite evidence to the contrary. As punching bag for the PM, Scott should grow up and realize he's learning to dissemble from the best dissemblers in . . . . . well, you know.

[. . . . ] Conservative House leader Jay Hill responded that his party has not attempted to obstruct Parliament and that it has been the Liberals, not the Conservatives, who "shut down democracy" when they cancelled six opposition days, days in which the opposition is entitled to set the government agenda. Those days have since been rescheduled. "I would suggest that Mr. Brison and Mr. Valeri take a long hard look at who has been denying democracy in the chamber over the past number of weeks. The record is pretty clear on this," said Mr. Hill. "It had nothing to do with trying to stall legislation. It had to do with trying to hold the government accountable when they took away our opposition days." [. . . . ]

Have you read Scott Brison's own responses to legitimate questions in the House of Commons where he fronted for the Doling out Dollars Ditherer? Repetitious. He treated the business of the House with disdain as he responded to the questions which an Opposition is supposed to ask -- as though he were a parrot trained to spout one answer to all questions.

Scott Brison has always omitted the part about Justice Gomery NOT being able to lay blame. Can't you see the writing on the wall, the lies to come, the petering away of any justice to be had from the Gomery Commission, perhaps delaying the report somehow using the courts (the appointed justices who are apolitical), the calls to "let's get it behind us and get on with the business of governing" . . . and more in like vein.

Paul Martin needs the native votes in future so some sweet deals will get the chiefs on board. . . . If he keeps his word about an election, PM's got the media on side criticizing Stephen Harper (criticized no matter what he does), and the PM's got months for giveaways of other people's money to buy votes, even bringing into Canada new voters for the future. Same. Same, Same old.

Canadians, suckered by the masters of it. Pity.




Why is something sitting on my shoulder telling me there's a "deal" that PM was desperate to get in place for the future, to "ease access to natural resources" . . . and it was not your future or mine of which he was thinking. Min. Scott is just the messenger for the PM's plans, in my opinion.

Ottawa set to speed course toward native self sufficiency Sue Bailey, May 26, 05

OTTAWA (CP) - The federal government is set to sign a new deal that sources say would dramatically change how Ottawa treats First Nations.

The accord, to be announced at a Liberal cabinet retreat here Tuesday, is ultimately meant to ease access to natural resources and pave the way out of grinding poverty toward First Nations self-sufficiency. Strategies to improve dismal housing and education standards on reserves are also expected.

Indian Affairs Minister Andy Scott confirmed [blah, blah, blah. . . . ]

Search: rare meeting of aboriginal leaders with , private home ownership , native school boards

Why would that kind of "major announcement" not be made in the place of the nation's business, the House?

It is that "mineral wealth underground" and "oil" you should always search in the case of the ministry and the natives.

I'm a cynic and seldom disappointed.




Union: spies won't share info May 26, 05

[. . . . ] Customs union officials met last month with a Senate committee on national security to outline their concerns. The committee chairman, Sen. Colin Kenny, said security officials have nine different databases available to check.

"It is not a perfect system," Kenny said. "Whatever information can be shared, should be shared."

Helen Leslie, of the Canada Border Services Agency, said its officers are well-trained and have ways of contacting CSIS to obtain information on suspects.

CSIS spokesman Barbara Campion said the spy agency's anti-terrorism database is for internal use only. "There is no need for people to know who is being investigated," Campion said. [. . . . ]

Is that last bit a necessary part of security? I don't know. Maybe. The greater the number who know about anything, the more likely it is to get out . . . when it should not. However, in this country, "privacy" is too often used to hide what should be exposed. (For myriad examples, see government responses to legitimate requests for information.)




B.C. man in Chechen mystery resurfaces -- Friend allegedly killed in insurgency Stewart Bell, May 26, 05, National Post

Seven months after Russian troops claimed to have killed a Canadian they said was fighting alongside Chechen insurgent forces, a British Columbia man linked to the mystery has reappeared in Vancouver.

Azer Tagiev walked into the Canadian consulate in Seattle last week and asked for travel documents so he could return to Canada. He arrived in B.C. mid-week and was questioned by RCMP national security investigators.

He was not arrested, but officials are hoping he can shed light on the fate of his friends Kamal Elbahja and Rudwan Khalil Abubaker, who travelled to Azerbaijan to attend Mr. Tagiev's wedding but went missing.

[. . . . ] Neither Mr. Lipinski nor Mr. Abubaker's family have heard from Mr. Tagiev since his return, they said. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it could not comment because of the Privacy Act.

Friends? How did he get into the US without documents?

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Newsbeat1: Media, Gomery: Kroll Lindquist Avey, "Creative Integrity"

Update: I had misplaced a section of the Tu Thanh Ha and Daniel LeBlanc article, "Forensic study backs allegations from Brault", below; I have fixed it. Sorry. NJC



Illegal? Unethical? Or just politics? Lorrie Goldstein, May 25, 05

Wait a minute. When it comes to allegations of vote-buying, isn't the case of ex-Tory MP Belinda Stronach and Prime Minister Paul Martin far more damning than that of Tory MP Germant Grewal and Tim Murphy, Martin's chief of staff?

Search: Grewel , Murphy, Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh



EDITORIAL: Grits have Stars in their eyes via Newsbeat1 -- This is simply delightful, and so is this:

And now, for the rest of the story.... May 24, 2005, Michael Yon, Mosul, Northern Iraq

The media is an industry; but their business is not to report news. The industry needs a captive audience to beat the bottom line. The product is advertisement.

This is not a right or wrong. It's just a business concept for . . . . Only a reclusive holy man might argue otherwise, but most holy men also expect alms.

There are probably many reasons why violent acts get more attention than do acts of kindness. All of these reasons fit somewhere under the heading of human nature. . . .

"In the long run, Harper will prove by far the best choice -- a guy who learns and will win the next election."

Bob MacDonald: Ruthless pursuit of power -- "beneath contempt" May 22, 05

[. . . . ] Power, baby. It's the only thing.

[. . . . ] It comes after months of sworn evidence at the Gomery inquiry . . . ripping off federal taxpayers' money

[. . . . ] This is organized crime at a low level -- down in the swamps -- because the culprits were given a public trust by the voters. And this is Canada, the often self-righteous country that likes to point its prissy finger at corruption in other nations. [. . . . ]

Search: a gourmet dinner at 24 Sussex drive [delightfully written NJC] , his assurance , democratic renewal , can depend on the word of , a whopping $4.6-billion extra , higher taxes , NDP kept Liberal PM Pierre Trudeau , "bribe, cajole, lure" , a half-dozen Tories were

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Gomery: Kroll Lindquist Avey

A Year of Review: Annual Report on the Government of Canada's Advertising 2002-2003 -- scroll down for the graph



Forensic sleuths bolster Breault's credibility Christie Blatchford, May 25, 05 -- insider edition only

MONTREAL -- When just before the lunch break here yesterday, Judge John Gomery allowed that the evidence coming from the Kroll Lindquist Avey trio was just a shade dry, Robert Macdonald, one of the threesome from the firm who were assembled in the witness box, smiled and said, "I thought it was very exciting." . . . .

Forensic study backs allegations from Brault

Testimony at the Gomery Commission yesterday: Aide now in PMO says he was once paid by Corriveau Tu Thanh Ha and Daniel LeBlanc, May 26, 05

MONTREAL, OTTAWA -- A key report released at the Gomery inquiry yesterday bolsters the allegations of advertising executive Jean Brault that he made illicit donations to Liberal organizers.

The report, by the forensic accounting firm Kroll Lindquist Avey, says that the owners of nine well-connected agencies who benefited from the federal sponsorship program, paid themselves during that period more than $51-million in salaries and bonuses.

[. . . . ] Gaetano Manganiello testified that he was one of at least three party workers in the Quebec wing's Montreal offices in the late 1990s who were paid by Mr. Corriveau even though they did not work for his firm. Mr. Corriveau, a close friend of Mr. Chrétien and a key broker in the sponsorship affair, earned $8-million in sponsorship subcontracts, according to evidence presented at the inquiry. [. . . . ]

Search: Who got the contracts , The skunk , The Mustang , The schooner , The hockey teams

Does it offend anyone that someone else chooses how to spend your money? Do you give a hoot in **** about hockey teams? If you have to pay for visibility in one area of Canada, is the game over anyway? Canada used to be a good country in which to live. I think it insults Quebeckers when the feds throw money at adsvertising to tell them what they already know -- things which mere living will tell them anyway . . . or not. Does anyone else ignore advertising as I do? Quebeckers must be FURIOUS. I am.





Also, check Transcript of Kroll Lindquist Avey Testimony at Gomery Commission via Newsbeat1 -- See pages 32 to 192 which may have been updated with translation by now.




Ethics chief must tell all on Sgro stripper affair May 26, 05, James Travers

Written by Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro and tabled in Parliament May 10, the letter is identical to a confidential version originally sent to Sgro eight days earlier — except it omits information needed to fully understand the case. Shapiro's office first dismissed questions from the Star that there were two letters but later confirmed the original had been edited to protect privacy and that MPs were not told of the changes. [. . . . ]

Very interesting; do link.

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Canada: Is it time for "creative integrity"?

Is anyone "prepared to take that risk to career to do that which . . .was right"? -- to practise "creative integrity"?

This is a most inspiring website, particularly in light of Canadian news for the last two weeks.

HIRAM BINGHAM IV - WWII Diplomatic Hero - DESERVES U.S. POSTAGE STAMP -- "prepared to take that risk to career to do that which he knew was right"

"SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL (who granted a posthumous award to Harry's children): "This proud tradition of service has deep roots in American history and in the Foreign Service. Later in today's ceremony, we'll be honoring the memory of Harry Bingham, IV, a US Vice Consul in Marseilles who risked his life and his career, put it on the line, to help over 2,500 Jews and others who were on Nazi death lists to leave France for America in 1940 and 1941. I am especially, especially honored and pleased to welcome here today in the audience two people who owe their lives to Harry Bingham's "visas of freedom," two people who got out because Harry was prepared to take that risk to career to do that which he knew was right. . . . Powell called Bingham a diplomat 'who risked his life and his career' to do the right thing. Thomas Pickering, a seven-time ambassador who received an award yesterday for contributions to U.S. diplomacy, also paid homage to Bingham's 'creative integrity.'" [. . . . ]

Vad Yashem -- do not miss the inspired, evocative ending What does it feel like, as you look out?

It was while looking upVad Yashem, that I noted the following.



What has been done in Darfur -- UN? Canada?

Or have Khartoum and oil interests scuttled humanitarian activity? Remember, oil has been discovered in Darfur. Search for a post on this lately.

Vad Yashem (Jerusalem) and Genocide in Darfur July 21, 2004

"It is imperative that we learn the lesson from past failures
to respond in time to evolving, genocidal evil.” (Yad Vashem [Jerusalem], July 18, 2004, urging “immediate, concerted” international action in Darfur)

[. . . . ] ". . . it is impossible to distribute food in each of the hundreds of villages from which the Internally Displaced Persons have fled.” (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, July 20, 2004)

However deliberately destructive this policy may be, it has another sinister purpose, as Amnesty International suggests in a press release today (July 21, 2004), viz. to “ease the international scrutiny of [the Khartoum government’s] actions in Darfur and to give an excuse for removing the numerous humanitarian organizations at present working in the Darfur camps” (Amnesty International press release [London], July 21, 2004).

In furtherance of such a policy, the regime has also brazenly shut down (for “resurfacing”) the critical runway at al-Geneina, capital of West Darfur---and in the process is denying all humanitarian flights the ability to land. So far this extraordinarily consequential shutdown has been greeted with silence on the part of the international community. This in turn works to assure Khartoum that there will be no real pressure to grant unfettered humanitarian access.

Such dramatic interference with humanitarian transport occurs even as security threats to humanitarian personnel and humanitarian convoys are on the rise, with the clear prospect of a forced withdrawal by many organizations in the event of fatal attacks on professional expatriate personnel. Such withdrawal would cripple the entire humanitarian operation in Darfur. This is the real meaning of UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland’s recently declared fear:

"'my worst scenario [is that] that the security will deteriorate, that we will step back at a moment we have to actually step up [emergency relief]'" (BBC, July 14, 2004).

Attacks on humanitarian workers, drivers, and convoys have been definitively associated with Khartoum’s Janjaweed militia, and Khartoum may deliberately orchestrate a fatal Janjaweed attack on expatriate humanitarian professionals as a means of sabotaging operations.

UN FAILURES TO PLAN EFFECTIVELY FOR THE DARFUR CRISIS [. . . . ]

THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS HAS BEEN DELIBERATELY PRECIPITATED [. . . . ]
Eric Reeves
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063

ereeves@smith.edu
413-585-3326

How ironic that just yesterday, there was an Amnesty International spokesperson on CBC television, a Ms. Khan (No link. Search) and guess what country was deemed most dangerous, damaging or some such negative? . . . Right! The US.




France Calls for EU Ban on Hezbollah's al-Manar Television -- Coalition Against Terrorist Media Praises Move, Reiterates Goal of Removing al-Manar Worldwide

[. . . . al-Manar Television is] the official mouthpiece of Hezbollah, the Lebanon–based terrorist organization French Minister of Culture and Telecommunications Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres raised al-Manar's role in fostering terrorism at a May 23-24 meeting of European Ministers for Education Youth, and Culture in Brussels.

[. . . . ] Hezbollah uses al-Manar to recruit suicide bombers and promote hatred and violence. According to one al-Manar official, the station is meant to “help people on the way to committing what you call in the West a suicide mission.” Its broadcasts include programming that glorifies terrorism to children, spreads viciously anti-Semitic propaganda, and calls for attacks against U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

[. . . . ] The Coalition Against Terrorist Media , which was organized by the the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

[. . . . ] The Coalition Against Terrorist Media ( www.StopTerroristMedia.org ) is comprised of American Muslim, Christian, Jewish and secular organizations urging action against terrorist owned and operated media outlets, in particular Hezbollah's al-Manar television station. [. . . . ]

Are there any comparable activities or websites in Canada? Or is everyone now too afraid of retaliation by . . . well, those with the power to do so. Figure it out for yourself.

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Oil: Updates -- Note PM's Official Visit to China & Aftermath

This is an update to what was posted earlier today.



The dragon’s thirst for Canadian oil -- Canada is one of the most energy-rich countries in the world, while China needs greater amounts of energy to sustain its growing economy. By Wenran Jiang for The Jamestown Foundation, 25 May 2005, International Security Network

Note: The following is at the bottom of the webpage.

Wenran Jiang is associate professor of political science at the University of Alberta. As a member of the Canada-China Strategic Working Group, he has organized two large bilateral energy conferences for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada since last November. This article reflects only his personal views.

This article originally appeared in China Brief, published by The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC., at (www.Jamestown.org). The Jamestown Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan organization supported by tax-deductible contributions from corporations, foundations, and individuals.

Printed from http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=11350

Online version provided by the International Relations and Security Network

A public service run by the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich

What follows is an excerpt from the article. NJC

April marked a small leap forward in China's energy relations with Canada. China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) put down US$150 million for a one-sixth stake in MEG Energy Corp., an upstart oil sands company. This is China's first major investment in Canada's vast oil sands industry. Two days later, PetroChina International Co. Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada's giant pipeline company Enbridge Inc., promising cooperation in the $2.5 billion Gateway pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast that may supply China with 200,000 barrels of crude a day once completed. China's large energy corporations are predicting more such deals but at a "much bigger" scale. These developments followed the first official visit by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin to China last January. [. . . . ]

Search: assume [. . . .] after each.

Much thunder, little rain in past efforts (and " two Canadian CANDU 6 nuclear reactors in Qinshan ")
Canada huge oil sands catch China’s attention
Canada comes into play with new initiatives
Real business movement
Looking to the future
The NAFTA hindrance
Broader strategic implications

Note: I have not read all these but, through sheer number, this webpage looks as though it leads to some interesting material. Each has a link on the webpage.

Crude awakening May 21, 2005, Globe and Mail

Saturday
Welcome to the age of scarcity
Supply: Are Saudi reserves drying up?
Demand: China's unquenchable thirst
Reguly: Deal junkie set to play trust consolidation game
Key to making money in oil is getting trend right
North-South energy links are growing ever tighter
Sustained high prices redraw Canada's economic map
How to grind the oil sands into a 'sausage factory'

Monday
Deep pockets buy into high tech
Startup aims to feast on the scraps

Tuesday
The great Caspian Sea adventure
Hot Spots: Six emerging frontiers

Wednesday
Needle edging closer to empty
Extreme engineering: pipeline edition

Thursday
Clean coal: Soot gets another look
Fuel cell: Juice for buses, and laptops?
Wind power: Taking energy from thin air
Auto industry steers course to trim the fat from vehicles
What's fuel cost? Depends on our wages

Diversion: check MEC: Magna Entertainment which, if you check the menu at the top, there is a lead to "xpressbet" on horse racing, which I presume is some kind of online gambling, among other things.

Is that still part of Frank Stronach's Magna or Magna International?

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Ports-Pakistan & Louisiana, Cdn. Ports, Oil, LNG, Pipelines, Natives & Agreements, Sinopec "a 'much bigger' deal for oil sands" soon

Life imitates art

Building seaports in the middle of nowhere Judi McLeod, May 25, 2005

In the state of California, BNP Paribas acts as the sole agent for the state’s economic recovery bonds, the largest municipal bond sale in the U.S. Active in the municipal bond market for over 10 years, BNP is providing credit enhancement and liquidity support for the state of California’s sale of $2.97 billion of variable-rate Economic Recovery Bonds (ERBs).

Check BNP Paribas' connections. I have a vague memory . . .


Search: hidden compartments , Capturing Containers (www.bizneworleans.com) dated Nov. 1, 2004 by A.J. Mistretta , purchase of 2,800 acres , oil-for-food scandal BNP Paribas bank , roads and rail lines , Lykes Brothers Steamship Lines , Sea Point , two un-named Asian carriers to come , Amoss’s son Mark , Mandarin , Chinese tried to buy the port of Long Beach during , BNP Paribas , Panama Canal , Hutchison Whampoa , Lo Kashing

The title of this post will make sense if you link to and read the article.




Pakistan Today: China To Finance Further Deepening Of Gwadar Seaport (http://www.paktoday.com/gwader22.htm) Google cache for Pakistan Today, April 22, 05

JAKARTA: Chinese President Hu Jin Tao has conveyed Beijing's agreement to President Musharraf on financing further deepening of Gwadar deep seaport. China will finance the project from the remaining preferential buyers' credit of US dollars 500 million extended to Pakistan. [. . . . ]

Search: Asian-African Summit , Treaty of Friendship , China's expanding market , exchanged views on regional and international issues , UN reforms , cooperation in Railways sector , facilitating

There was no mention of Canada's Bombardier but it seems to me that if China has contracted with Bombardier on its railway to the top of the world to Tibet that Pakistan may need Canadian expertise, as well. Look for more business.

Good will helps. Isn't it fortunate--even fortuitous--that Canadian taxpayers have just gifted resident of France, Ismaili from Pakistan, the Aga Khan and his organization with $30-million for his Ottawa 'centre for pluralism'; that may grease the wheels. Besides, Canada has honoured him; see (GG & Order of Canada-Aga Khan & Paul Desmarais, Jr., Tax $$$ to Khan's 'centre for pluralism', Maurice Strong, Zenon, China, Kyoto, Coal, Info Control Monday, May 9, 2005 )

Aside from that, it appears that some are making a concerted effort to gain port entry to North America, in this case, through Louisiana. ( Li Kashing (Lo Kashing / Li Ka-shing) has acquired rights to the ports at either end of the Panama Canal. )

Think of the port activity Prince Rupert, the pipelines and companies trying to build them, the LNG terminal. Did I mention expansion or agitation for construction in connection with the port of Vancouver? (Check. I forget the details just now.)

Then, there is a new NB Irving LNG terminal with, fortunately, infrastructure that was built by taxpayers for the gas-oil orimulsion deal with Venezuela which fell through because there was no signed contract. How fortuitous for the Irvings, since the infrastructure was built with taxpayers' $$$ and the Irvings will benefit. Did I mention the favourable tax concessions the Irvings have managed to acquire, much to the chagrin of smaller businesses in St. John, NB?

And all I got were these lousy hacks . . . out of China. Pity. How about some fortuitousness for the hoi polloi?




"The Deh Cho anti-pipeline stance is spreading through Native tribes"

Fueling America: Canadian Oil Showdown -- Frozen pipeline: Tribe's success at blocking natural gas delivery system threatens development of oil-sands mines Robert Collier, The San Francisco Chronicle, 23 May 2005

Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories [. . . . ] The tribe, the Deh Cho First Nation, is blocking an 800-mile pipeline that would pass through its lands carrying natural gas from the Arctic Ocean to the booming oil-sands mines of Alberta.

[. . . . ] The oil sands need natural gas to help steam-heat oil out of the sands. With natural gas reserves and production shrinking elsewhere in Alberta and North America, a new supply from the Mackenzie River is needed to fill the gap and keep the oil sands pumping ever-increasing amounts of petroleum south to the United States. [. . . . ]

The federal treaties that the Inuvialuit, Gwich'in and Sahtu Dene tribes signed in the 1980s and 1990s provide that if a neighboring tribe wins better terms, their own treaties will automatically match those. [. . . . ]

What judge made that decision? Not one who has to pay for it himself, obviously. Taxpayers . . . again.

Does that mean there is a precedent which may apply to all court cases in all areas or is it just just assymetrically?

Search: broad taxation powers and $40 million , Shell and its partners , center of the resistance , special destiny to uphold the rights , negotiations with the federal government , ownership of subsurface mineral rights , 81,000-square- mile claim , a level of autonomy "fundamentally different" , Herb Norwegian , Aboriginal Pipeline Group , treaties , if a neighboring tribe wins better terms , Stephen Kakfwi , the effects of easy money , Crystal meth , welfare state , $8 million in annual subsidies , a second pipeline, a 2,600-mile, $20 billion project , 10 tribal groups in British Columbia and Yukon




Sinopec: to come, a "much bigger" deal for oil sands

FUELING AMERICA/China moves fast to claim oil sands /Although Chinese holdings in Alberta are still small, they are a foothold on the North American continent as the U.S. rival seeks to develop energy sources worldwide to boost its rapidly growing economy Robert Collier, The San Francisco Chronicle, 22 May 2005

Calgary, Alberta - If Americans think the oil sands bonanza in their northern backyard will solely benefit the United States, they may be surprised. Chinese officials are making fast inroads into Alberta, snapping up petroleum deals with the skill of Texas oilmen.

[. . . . ] China National Offshore Oil Corp. bought a $150 million share in oil sands producer MEG Energy Corp. And PetroChina Co. signed a memorandum of understanding with Enbridge Inc. for half of the supply on the proposed $2 billion Gateway pipeline, which will move 400,000 barrels per day from Alberta to the port at Prince Rupert in British Columbia.

Hou Hongbin, a vice president of Sinopec, predicted his company would soon announce a "much bigger" deal for oil sands.

[. . . . ]

Search: China National Offshore Oil , Canada is a key , Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy



FUELING AMERICA: OIL'S DIRTY FUTURE -- Canadian oil sands: Vast reserves second to Saudi Arabia will keep America moving, but at a steep environmental cost Robert Collier, The San Francisco Chronicle, 22 May 2005

[. . . ] Just north of the oil boomtown of Fort McMurray, the forest suddenly falls away into a series of enormous strip mines as deep as 250 feet and covering many square miles each. . . .

Nearby, refineries burn natural gas to steam-cook the sands, separate the tarry residue and purify it into oil.

[. . . ] The oil sands industry now consumes about 400 billion cubic feet of natural gas per year, an amount that could triple by 2015 as oil production rises by the same amount. [. . . ]

Search: Syncrude , no minister of the environment on Earth who can , "Newfoundland province, Venezuela and even the Middle East" , requiring about four times as much natural gas , a consortium that has spent $5 billion , "Melissa Blake, the mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo" , 314 billion barrels , main energy gamble , plan for complying with the Kyoto Protocol includes , oil sands are the most dirty , global warming



Liberal candidate wins Labrador byelection CTV.ca News Staff, May 25, 05

[. . . . ] In a ballot considered critical to the fate of the minority government, the east coast riding's 19,000 eligible voters chose to send Liberal Todd Russell to Ottawa.

With 90 per cent of the polls reporting, the former leader of the Labrador Metis Nation had 50 per cent of the vote, compared to 30 per cent for his Conservative rival, former Labrador City mayor Graham Letto. [. . . . ]

Indian Affairs Minister Andy Scott was out to meet with with aboriginal groups, while newly-appointed Human Resources Minister Belinda Stronach swung through to give her first speech for the Liberals on Sunday. [. . . . ]

Search: announced a major international military exercise

Was it not fortuitous that Minister Scott has concluded a deal of some kind--or was it a quid pro quo?--with Labrador natives some time within the last few months. (Check this site for an article with a link.)

Has the cost for courting that particular identifiable voting bloc come out yet? Elections are so expensive.

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Part 1: Grits, Foreign Policy, Ports & Insecurity, China-Democracy-PM's Concerns & Oil

Note: This is only one part of the whole. See the menu at left for links to the other two parts posted previously, today.

* Part 1: Grits, Foreign Policy, Ports & Insecurity, China-Democracy-PM's Concerns & Oil -- including "Puppets of Beijing"

* Part 2: Global Players Perqs, Privilege & Those in the Inner Circle of World Players

* Part 3: A World View, Peacekeeping and the UN -- What if there is a mistake? Or worse?

NJC




Grits and scandal live on. May 20, 05

[. . . . ] But let's not kid ourselves about what's happened:

* The Liberal-NDP budget just passed hikes spending outrageously, wiping out any claim the Grits once had to fiscal responsibility. (Martin actually tried to tell his caucus last night the budget represented their ideas and vision -- when he knows full well it was concocted in a hotel room with the NDP and union leader Buzz Hargrove. Do even they believe this stuff?) [. . . . ]

Nothing has changed. Except that the Liberals now have up to 10 months to go on blowing our money, dangling sleazy favours and otherwise distracting us from their own corruption. Enjoy your summer.

Smuggling opportunities 'limitless' -- PORTS Criminals are well entrenched in Canada's harbours, RCMP report says Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver Sun, May 14, 2005

VANCOUVER I Organized crime groups and other criminals are "well entrenched" in Canada's three largest marine ports, and have "limitless" ways to smuggle goods into the country, says a recent report by the RCMP.

[. . . . ] The report, which was obtained by The Vancouver Sun under the Access to Information Act, says the large vessels that bring goods into the ports present "vast smuggling opportunities" and that criminals can quickly change their approach if one method of smuggling is foiled by authorities.

If I were a shipowner, I would be concerned about what might come in on one of my ships. Perhaps the PM should put more manpower and money into port security . . . and re-establish the ports police.




Foreign policy statement vague; judge Liberals by their actions

"The foreign policy of this government since Paul Martin became Prime Minister 18 months ago has consistently abandoned our natural democratic allies in Taiwan, Lebanon, Israel, India, Africa and the United States, and submitted to the will of tyrannies and terrorist organizations including Syria, China, Sudan, Iran, Tamil Tigers, Hamas and others who seek to crush the voice of democracy."

[. . . . ] * When China passed its Anti-Secession Act authorizing the use of military force against Taiwan, Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew called on "leaders from both sides to [pursue] mutual understanding and reduced tensions", as if Taiwan was as much a belligerent as China.

* The Paul Martin government approved over $50 million in aid to China in 2005 and even more in 2006. This is in addition to over $100 million provided between 2000 and 2004. In 2003, China had a GDP of $1.4 trillion, the world's largest army, its own space program, 700 missiles aimed at a peaceful democracy, exports flooding Canada totalling over $20 billion, and an appalling human rights record. Yet, Paul Martin believes China should be among the top recipients of foreign aid from Canadian taxpayers and enjoy preferential tariffs for Chinese products. [. . . . ]

* Under Canada's foreign policy as dictated by Beijing, democratically elected leaders from Taiwan are not allowed to set foot in Canada, not even in transit or to visit family. Unelected leaders from China are welcome. [. . . . ]

Search: Darfur , LTTE (Tamil Tigers) , failing to support Israel , evidence linking UNRWA to the funding and logistical support of Hamas terrorism




If you read nothing else, link to this article and read the whole thing. The next two posts are related in that they cover Canada, world players, the UN and peacekeeping, with related items.


Puppets of Beijing Kevin Steel, 30 May 2005, Western Standard

[. . . . ] "Paul Martin's opposition to a visit to the family of a deceased leader of a democratic movement within China is entirely in keeping with Paul Martin's China policy in general," says Alastair Gordon, president of the Canadian Coalition for Democracies based in Toronto. If anything, says Gordon, Martin has taken pains to coddle the Communists. "He is submitting to the will of Beijing when he denies the right of any democratically elected Taiwanese to even set foot in Canada to visit family or in transit to some other destination," says Gordon. "He submits to the will of China when he refuses to treat the Dalai Lama as a political leader, only as a religious leader, and refuses to speak about human rights with him. He is submitting to somebody's will when he approves $50 million in foreign aid to a country that has a gross domestic product of $7.4 trillion, the world's largest army, its own space program, and 700 missiles aimed at Taiwan." The fact that Canada is sending millions in relief to an undemocratic country with the fastest-growing economy on the planet--and successfully launched its first space mission in 2003--does seem odd when you consider that, on April 19, Minister of International Co-operation Aileen Carroll announced that foreign aid is being given on the basis of need and good governance.

But Martin had more pressing matters to discuss with China's Communist rulers than to nag them about executed dissidents, persecuted Christians or the systematic obliteration of Tibetan culture. There was a little matter of oil. [. . . . ]

Search: Desmarais , Power Corp , With a direct stake in such a broad swath of China's economy , CITIC , Martin, Tangshan Jinshan Marine Co , Ward Elcock , nephew of Michael Pitfield , Pierre Trudeau , PRC operatives had managed to infiltrate , rocked the Clinton presidency , Former Ontario premier Bob Rae , SIRC , Rae's brother, John , Paule Gauthier , Concord Pacific Group Inc , "a foreign national, was privy to a meeting where things were discussed that are now considered too sensitive for Canadian citizens to hear." , Jean Chretien , Maurice Strong , family ties to the Communist state , Elaine Dewar , Elaine Dewar , Cloak of Green [book] , Comintern , Kyoto Accord , becoming more menacing , William Hawkins , "John Thompson, director of the Toronto-based MacKenzie Institute" , the emerging security threat , lift a 15-year ban on arms sales , public pro-democratic gesture , Paul Martin scrupulously avoided

The usual power names names pop up. A must read article.


Related:

Canada shipbuilding in Shanghai Judi McLeod, Canadafreepress.com, May 16, 2005

How the biggest scandal in history unfolded Canada Free Press, Mar. 5, 05.

Search "CONNECTING THE POWER" -- scroll down for the graphic of power in Canada

There is much more related material on the Canada Free Press site.

Then, there is the Gomery Inquiry with the suggestions of criminality, even violence. An article worth reading: Mon, May 16, 2005, by Ezra Levant, Calgary Sun, "Real-life 'Libranos' Questions of criminal activity remain unanswered" one sentence of which is:

"Joe Morselli, Gagliano's fixer, pointed a finger in Dezainde's face and said he was declaring war on him."

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Part 2: Global Players, Perqs, Privilege & Those in the Inner Circle of World Players

Note: There are two related posts, this and the one which follows it on peacekeeping, entitled: A World View, Peacekeeping and the UN -- What if there is a mistake? Or worse? NJC


What follows is an idiosyncratic tour of what interested me, based on several items which came to my attention lately or which I found while on the way to something else.

There are some familiar names, ones which have made the news lately--though more likely the online news since the MSM prefer the status quo and do not adequately research nor report on anything which might really change that status quo.


Perqs, Privilege & Those in the Inner Circle of World Players

Remember Eleanore Clitheroe's tenure at Ontario Hydro and the outrage when her perquisites became public knowledge? Well, read this. Maurice Strong did not garner the same outrage but . . . . if you ever wanted to combine a large and secure salary with flitting around the world, taking care of . . . . affairs (your own? . . . . well, somebody's), he has been a master of acquiring such positions.

Today, I re-read this and it is full of details of interest to anyone desirous of knowing more about:

Maurice Strong, Ontario Hydro, "public-private partnerships", the fine line--or lack thereof--between public money and private interests, sustainable development, privatizing Ontario Hydro, state-sponsored industrial growth, mingling of public and private, Pierre Trudeau, PetroCanada, water (check an article on Canada's PM, Strong and Zenon water in Canada Free Press), rain-forest land deals (Costa Rica -- scroll down for "Maurice Strong, the UN & "Collectivist Tides" -&- Flight of the Earth Council from Costa Rica", May 20, 05 or link to it here and scroll down), connections to the most powerful people in Canada. You will recognize the names; they keep cropping up.


Book excerpt online at Western Standard: Rae Days: The Rise and Follies of the NDP by Thomas Walkom, 1994, Pages 245-257. The excerpt is from Chapter 13: "Mo of the Jungle: On and off the privatization bandwagon", posted by Kevin Steel on May 15, 2005 at 12:55 PM

September 1992 Another crisis. . . . over Ontario Hydro. . . . Although nominally under government control, Hydro had operated almost as a law unto itself . . . .

[. . . . ] Hydro had borrowed heavily to pay for Darlington, Pickering, and the province's other nuclear plants. By 1992, it found itself with a massive $36-billion debt.

[. . . . ] [Bob] Rae turned to Stephen Lewis for advice.

[. . . . ] The fixer's name was Maurice Strong. When [Stephen ] Lewis suggested Rae hire Strong to run Ontario Hydro, the premier thought it a capital idea.

[. . . . ] What defined Strong's style was the elaborate network of friends, partners, and acquaintances he created--a network that wound through the business, political, and intelligence communities of three continents. In particular, Strong's life was interwoven with New York banking, U.S. oil interests, Canadian big business, and the Liberal party. As journalist Elaine Dewar points out in an intriguing Saturday Night magazine feature piece on Strong, the same names kept appearing in his life: the Texas Company, the Rockefellers, the Loebs, the Bronfmans, Power Corp., and the Paul Martins--both senior and junior. In Ottawa, one of the influential Liberal mandarins Strong kept up with was Saul Rae, Bob's father.

[. . . . ] reminiscent of George Smiley, the self-effacing master spy of John le Carré's novels . . .

[. . . . ] Strong worked to spy on suspected Communists in the Canada--U.S.S.R. Friendship Association next door (the Friendship Association's wartime treasurer would later become one of Strong's business partners). . . .

. . . Africa and the Middle East, Strong . . . U.S. oil interests embroiled in the region's politics. . . .

[. . . . ] In 1968, . . . Canadian International Development Agency [CIDA] . . . .

[. . . . ] picked by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to head Petro-Canada, . . . .

. . . state-sponsored industrial growth, the Canada Development Investment Corp. . . . .AZL Resources Inc., which itself was connected to Saudi Arabian arms dealer and Middle East political wheeler-dealer Adnan Kashoggi.

[. . . . ] pump out the water that sustained this valley and pipe it to Denver.

By 1992, the environment was the issue. . . . U.N. Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro . . . Maurice Strong.

[. . . . ] chairman of Ontario Hydro.

. . . Strong's signature throughout his business life had been the "mingling of public and private in the cause of public policy." . . . . musing publicly about privatizing [. . . . ]

Hydro had kept the entire Ontario-based Canadian nuclear industry alive. . . . Inflated Hydro contracts. . . uranium mines of Elliot Lake, . . .

[. . . . ] Maurice Strong, . . . . required to put himself at arm's length from business affairs that might create a conflict-of-interest. . . . had taken the Hydro job on the condition that he be permitted to continue jetting around the world to minister to those he continued to hold.

[. . . . ] The Hydro chair travelled the world at will. . . .

[. . . . ] Strong had begun negotiations to purchase a 12,500 hectare rain forest in Costa Rica. Opposition MPPS pointed out that Strong had investments in Costa Rica and questioned why a crown corporation that was $36 billion in debt needed a rain forest. The newspapers had a field day with, as one Toronto Star headline writer called him, "Mo of the Jungle."

Strong, . . . . Jungle acquisition . . . . sustainable development. . . . .

[. . . . ] Strong . . . privatizing Hydro,

[. . . . ] Inside government, the crisis in Hydro. . . . the "debt spiral."

[. . . . ] characteristic management style. . . . .jetting back and forth to his headquarters in Geneva, his ranch in Colorado, and to other interests around the world, returning from time to time to make major decisions.

[. . . . ] More important though, Strong had laid the foundation. Whichever party won the next election would inherit a utility in which the groundwork for privatization had already been done.

I have tried to indicate the scope of the chapter by what is included above. Frankly, the book sounds quite intriguing. So does Maurice Strong . . . . . if you like government control and management of your life . . . . . . for the greater good, of course. . . .




"You always had to clean up the mess after him" posted by Kevin Steel, May 19, 05

Peter Foster [author of Blue-eyed Sheiks] has an interesting piece in the Financial Post "The Prince of Power" about Maurice Strong and "global salvationism." Global salvationism is a term used by David Henderson, former chief economist for the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, in his book, The Role of Business in the Modern World. On global salvationism Foster writes:

[. . . . ] "A former colleague of Strong at Dome remembers him as a good wheeler-dealer, 'but you always had to clean up the mess after him.'"

Strong resigned as the UN Special Envoy to North Korea a month ago while the allegations against Park are being investigated. Whatever will happen to North Korea without Maurice and the UN? [. . . . ]

Saddam's Business Partners from the May 30, 2005 issue: How the Oil-for-Food scandal happened and why it matters, by Stephen F. Hayes, 05/30/2005, Volume 010, Issue 35, via Newsbeat1

The details of a U.N.-supervised program allowing Hussein to sell more oil in order to better provide for his people were debated for another year, with U.N. negotiators, encouraged by France and Russia, acceding to Hussein's many demands. One concession, little noticed at the time, was a provision that would allow Hussein to choose who bought and sold his oil, pending approval by the U.N. On December 10, 1996, the deal was struck.

[. . . . ] Officials at the highest levels of the Iraqi regime--including Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan, Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, and Oil Minister Amir Muhammad Rashid--chose the recipients.

The U.N. did not see any of this until . . . . The Iraqis, however, kept scrupulous records of each step in their bribery scheme.

[. . . . ] AT A SENATE HEARING LAST TUESDAY, the Coleman-Levin investigators highlighted the bribes the Iraqi regime paid to foreign officials from Britain, Russia, and France. The dramatic testimony of British member of parliament George Galloway, . . . . well-known apologist for Saddam Hussein, . . .

Two other men under investigation by the Coleman-Levin committee, however, were close advisers to the two chief opponents of the Iraq war--Jacques Chirac and Vladimir Putin.

[. . . . ] And last month, a criminal complaint against South Korean Tongsun Park, who also acted on Hussein's behalf, mentions "U.N. Official #1" and "U.N. Official #2" as recipients of bribes from the former Iraqi regime. The two officials remain unnamed. Many news articles have pointed out that Park is a longtime friend of former U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and a business associate of Maurice Strong, an adviser to Kofi Annan who currently serves as the U.N. envoy to the six-party talks on North Korea. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.

So has Kojo Annan, Kofi Annan's son. The younger Annan was consulting for the Swiss firm Cotecna while the firm was bidding to win a contract to monitor the Oil-for-Food program. Cotecna won the contract on December 31, 1998, the same day Kojo Annan's consultancy ended. Cotecna continued to pay Kojo some $2,500 per month as part of a "non-compete" clause. The payments continued until February 2004. Both Annans and Cotecna contend that Kojo's work had nothing to do with Oil-for-Food.

Liberals won't bring Canadian oil-for-food angle under microscope by Judi McLeod, Canadafreepress.com, May 19, 2005

The Liberals nixed any notion for an examination of Canada's oil-for-food role and also opposed any mention of Canadian companies implicated in the affair. The examination was requested by Stockwell Day, the Official Opposition's Foreign Affairs critic. [. . . . ]

Thursday Sep 30, 2004 GENEVA: CANADIAN UN RIGHTS CHIEF WANTS WORLD BODY PERSONNEL IN DARFUR INCREASED

Canadian jurist Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, says the UN should massively boost staff numbers in Sudan's embattled Darfur region to help protect refugees.

[. . . . ]



Louise Arbour welcomed as new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Minority Rights Group International congratulate Louise Arbour on taking up her new post as High Commissioner for Human Rights following the tragic death of Sergio Vieira de Mello in a terrorist attack in Baghdad August 2003. Louise Arbour brings a wealth of valuable experience to the including her period as Chief Prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda

Is it promotion of minority rights or is that a pretext or cover for other controls and coercion. . . or for promotion of the UN itself? (see below) In the realm of control and coercion, think of the NGO's. Who decides who represents us? I don't remember an election or canvassing of opinion on them. Think of the influence of NGO's in over some aspects of the UN agenda. Who are in control of UN human rights and the like. (Think where some of the most repressive states in the world are positioned in the UN.)

Note: The following quotation came from the same source as the quotation with congratulations for Mme. Arbour

Using the United Nations to promote respect for minority rights and, incidentally, itself.

Much of the work of the UN on human and minority rights can seem inaccessible and distant particularly to those who are the victims of prejudice, discrimination or exclusion. Yet NGOs and minorities themselves can play a hugely important role in the work of the UN and by using the UN system effectively they can promote and strengthen not only the rights of minority communities, but the UN system itself. MRG has produced an essential guide, 'Minority Rights: A Guide to United Nations Procedures and Institutions' which aims to encourage people belonging to 20 minorities and the groups themselves to use the procedures and forums of the 20 United Nations increasingly and effectively in order to promote respect for their legitimate rights. Fully updated in 2004 to incorporate changes and developments in the UN system, MRG's guide has been written and revised by experts and offers a useful and effective tool towards using the UN to promote respect for minority rights.

Training Manual

I could not download it but check here.

United Nations Guide for Minorities

Neither non-governmental organizations (NGOs) nor members of the public have any decision-making role in the UN's deliberations. However, NGOs are essential to the UN's work, both in providing support for UN programs and in lobbying the UN and its member States to adopt new initiatives or act with greater effectiveness. At some levels, the UN does allow NGOs to participate in its meetings, but final decision-making is restricted to member States. (The only exception to this general rule is the International Labour Organization , whose unique tripartite system gives equal representation to trade unions and employers' organizations, in addition to governments.

[. . . . ] Many of these bodies come under the umbrella of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which reports to the General Assembly.

Subsidiary to ECOSOC is the central human rights body in the UN, the 53-member Commission on Human Rights.

[. . . . ] Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Although they are not specifically provided for in the UN Charter itself, non-governmental organizations are vital to many of the UN's functions. The Economic and Social Council has adopted arrangements for appropriate NGOs to be granted "consultative status" with ECOSOC, which enables the organizations to receive UN documentation and participate in many UN meetings. Both international and national NGOs are eligible to apply for consultative status, so long as they are concerned with issues that are relevant to the UN's work. There are approximately 1,000 NGOs in consultative status with the UN at this time.

Organizations applying for consultative status must fill in a questionnaire and provide detailed information about their structure, finances, and other matters. The application process and other matters relating to NGOs are handled by the Non-Governmental Organizations Section of the Department of Economic, Social and Cultural Affairs (DESA) in the United Nations in New York.

Defining human rights

[. . . . ] Since the most effective instruments are generally those that enjoy a high degree of agreement, governments generally prefer to have consensus on the text. This makes it more likely that a treaty will be widely ratified or that a declaration represents a meaningful political commitment by States. [. . . . ]

If the UN is able to find out anything about the finances of NGO's in Canada, it is doing better than the citizens who actually pay an unknown amount of money to them via the government. Again, how does one get to be part of an NGO and recognized as such by one's government, relevant to all Canadians since NGO support comes from taxpayers . . . and then how are NGO's chosen? and by whom? to represent some, if not all, Canadians at the UN? What if someone doesn't agree with them as our representatives? To whom does one turn?

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