Ouellet, Irving LNG Tax Deal, Harper, Auto Parts, Equalization, Grow-op Real Estate

We're owed truth about Ouellet audit Diane Francis, Financial Post, June 9, 2005

The Paul Martin Liberals continue to play games to protect former Canada Post CEO Andre Ouellet, who finally resigned in August, months after charges of cronyism and mismanagement at the Crown corporation came to light.

[. . . . ] Mr. Ouellet's entire tenure should be audited, and the minister in charge of the tax department should not be the same as the minister responsible for Canada Post.

There are other problems as well.

Mr. Ouellet was appointed chairman of Canada Post in 1996 by his pal, former prime minister Jean Chretien, at a salary of $160,000 compared with the $20,000 for his predecessor. He pushed out his CEO in 1999 so as to give himself the job -- at $400,000, the highest salary in Ottawa's civil service. There are rumours he also doubled his pension benefits, along with that of his cronies. Is this true? [. . . . ]

The Irving Oil tax act scandal Terence Corcoran, Financial Post, Jun. 9, 05

[. . . . ] Bill 70, an act to comply with the request of the City of Saint John on taxation of the LNG terminal.

The bill is, quite literally, the Irving Oil tax break. It wipes several clauses of existing law out of existence and makes a specific and exclusive exception for the Irving LNG terminal. [. . . . ]

One of the lost tax principles here is that taxes, tax increases and tax cuts should apply to all industries equally. Tax preferences on a company by company basis are distorting and unfair, if only because they pass the tax burden over to companies not receiving the benefit. Special concessions create utter confusion over the tax base and the nature of tax revenue. Even worse, perhaps, are the backroom-deal cutting and ugly political games that inevitably follow a system that gives politicians power to swing deals on a company by company basis. Looking deep into somebody's eyes doesn't rate as a guide to public policy. [. . . . ]

Copying the feds' in the "asymmetrical" aspect . . . The individual and small businesses on the losing side might not like it but the Liberals win every time they do it so it must be a winning formula. Just let the idea sink in for a bit; you'll come to like it . . . won't you? Or have you already moved to the cottage and you'll learn more later?





He'd "rather be robbed blind by the Liberals than vote for Harper"

Ontarians put Liberals first, tape dirt and all John Ivison, National Post, Jun. 9, 05. I think this is one of Ivison's better columns.

This suspicion is backed by another Decima poll that shows more people believed the Liberal explanation of the Grewal affair than the version offered by the Conservative MP. That impression has been shaped by the nation's public broadcaster and other Liberal apologists who have concentrated on poking holes in Grewal's admittedly threadbare story, while apparently forgetting that the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Tim Murphy, and the Health Minister, Ujjal Dosanjh, are implicated in borderline illegal vote-buying activities.

Official Ottawa has been compliant in burying the story under a rug. The claim by Ethics Commissioner Bernard Shapiro that he has no mandate to rule on Murphy's role is merely the latest example of his tendency to duck behind the nearest parapet when the shrapnel starts flying. You might have thought the nominally independent commissioner would be motivated to take an interest. Lest we forget, Murphy can be heard on the tapes saying: "To get the Ethics Commissioner to give an interim report or something to take the cloud off. That would be helpful." Of course, it's possible the entire passage was doctored by Grewal -- the King of Dub. Possible but as likely as the Prime Minister admitting Murphy might have strayed a smidgen beyond the bounds of acceptable behaviour. [. . . . ]

. . . . But Harper's moral absolutism offers a marked contrast to Martin's relativism and an alternative to "politics as usual" in this country. What is truly scary would be a willingness to ignore blatant cheating by the Liberals in a referendum and two general elections -- transgressions compounded by an apparent attempt by the Wire Brush and his henchmen to buy success in last month's budget vote. [. . . . ]

Parts makers see silver lining in GM downsizing -- 'Could be an opportunity for us,' APMA says Chris Vander Doelen, CanWest, Jun. 9, 05

WINDSOR - The sweeping job cuts and production cutbacks announced by General Motors Corp. this week could actually be a boon to Canadian parts makers, their industry association says.

If GM sheds some of its parts production, as it has promised Wall Street it will do to cut its losses, members of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association will be standing by to pick up part of the work.

[. . . . ] GM told shareholders it would cut 25,000 jobs, one million units of production and close an unspecified number of plants. [. . . . ]

Scrap equalization payments Herbert Grubel, Financial Post, Jun. 9, 05

[. . . . ] The extra taxation in the have-provinces punishes economic success and slows growth. The subsidies in the have-not provinces have slowed needed adjustments, reduced the growth in productivity, created a culture of dependence and caused excessive un- and underemployment, with all the social ills accompanying it. [. . . . ]

Penalties -- Trading Up

Frustrated residents of upscale B.C. neighbourhood fight back against grow-ops Elaine O'Connor, CanWest, Jun. 9, 05

[. . . . They are] "organizing a petition to urge city council to increase penalties for grow-ops. ". . . . "the commercial [growers] . . . . buy their own property and it's a way to launder their money at the same time."

The more money they make, the more upscale the property they can buy, I suppose. Now, the lads in the boonies are somewhat handicapped in that, chances are, they already live in a fixer-upper. Then, they have to earn the first few hundred thousand to get into the going-upscale agri-business. Life is so unfair, even in the a natural products line.




Never the Twain Shall Meet

COMMUNICATION
Female... The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with one's partner.
Male... Leaving a note before taking off on a fishing trip with the boys.

COMMITMENT
Female.... A desire to get married and raise a family.
Male...... Trying not to hit on other women while out with this one

ENTERTAINMENT
Female.... A good movie, concert, play or book.
Male...... Anything that can be done while drinking beer.

REMOTE CONTROL
Female.... A device for changing from one TV channel to another.
Male... A device for scanning through all 375 channels every five minutes


Thanks, JK, and have a good week-end.

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Bud Talkinghorn: Medical Care, Marijuana, Groping & Trains -- Khadrs -- Canada Viewed from Beyond

Two-tier Medicine Comes A'courting

Today's Supreme Court decision that declared Quebec's one-tier-only system was against the Charter opens a Pandora's Box of possibilities. As much as the current system has failed us, there are worse systems. Being a bum knees guy, I have my own horror stories to tell. While waiting (six months) for the other knee operation, I was given no advice on how to lessen more damage. One month before the operation I found myself--pedal to the metal--bombing up from LA to Silicon Valley. By the time I got there, my knee was howling with pain. That probably is the reason that when someone finally did the operation, I had to have it done again months later. Even then, I was given nada advice about rehabilitating it--not even "Don't play squash right away."

Still, in an era of doctor shortages, where are these private care doctors going to come from? The medical schools were deliberately kept under-enrolled so as to keep down federal/provincial costs. Last year's student increase is too little, too late. Short of admitting large numbers of unqualified foreign doctors--and we have seen some hideously incompetent ones among them--we have to accept that we have a finite number of doctors. These doctors are now going to be able to choose where they want to practice. Private practice offers them more quality time with their patients and a lot more money. So what happens to wait-times for treatment for the average citizen? Unless those finite doctors are going to do double shifts to handle both, we are going to see a real doctor shortage in the public system.

Some solutions might be to pay the doctors more, cut back on the electioneering fluff that the government doles out by the hundreds of millions, and boot up the nurse practitioner courses. Why are doctors still wasting their time giving blood pressure checks? The only answer for health care is to really increase the numbers in the medical school system and turn out quality students. Pay them enough to keep them here and happy. It would be beneficial to try to enroll the more altruistic ones; otherwise, we will continue to lose our doctors to the US. Today's decision is going to be another ball-breaker for the Liberals. That's the good news.

© Bud Talkinghorn




The American Supreme Court's Marijuana Decision

By banning medical marijuana the court has effectively made criminals out of disperately ill citizens. What the h*** were they thinking? That giving morphine or oxycontin to extremely ill patients was superior medical reasoning, and more righteous, than allowing them to medicate with marijuana? I guess having 2.2 million of their citizens under lock and key--many for possession drug offences--is not enough. This, all the while knowing that if they could ever catch and incarcerate all the pot smokers in America, the entire civilization would collapse. The school system would do a melt-down to begin with, while many of the students and their teachers were in court--wouldn't that create a bonding situation? This would totally overwhelm the court system as a goodly number of lawyers, police witnesses and prosecutors would be there with them. I could run through every single profession and decimate it with this scenario. Luckily, the rich, powerful and educated don't have to worry too much, as the poor and stupid will take the fall. God bless Vancouver Mayor Campbell for calling for complete legalization of marijuana in Canada. And this guy used to be a RCMP drug enforcement officer. He, at least, saw the light. If only the federal Liberals were as brave. But having scared the farm folk with their gay marriage bill, they want to pretend that they know where to hold the line. The perverse logic that is their hallmark is shown again.

© Bud Talkinghorn




The Gropes of Wrath

It appears that the Japanese men do not mind the crowded subway cars, so long as they can grope, stroke, or probe their female fellow passengers. Two-thirds of women in Tokyo claim to have been sexually assaulted so the subway system instituted separate cars for the ladies. The upshot of this was that the ladies sit in comfort, while the remaining cars are jammed to the gunnels with men. Of course, this is the country where you can buy (clean or soiled) schoolgirl panties from a vending machine. Another subway habit of some men is to flip through sex comic books, even if seated next to females or children. Rather disconcerting if you were just groped before attaining your seat. Of course, Japan is not alone in separating the sexes on certain trains. Indian women are frequently groped also, I've heard.

Still, for an adrenalin rush, you can't beat taking Indian trains. Once I took the Taj Express out of New Delhi, bound for Agra. It was advertised as a scenic wonderland trip. Well, maybe the afternoon train got that, but the morning trip featured an endless array of village folk doing their morning toilet routine. The bum tour, I nicknamed it. This train, I learned, had been stormed by village mobs the day before. It was their way of ending the Holi festival. Our group met an Irish nurse whose arm was in a sling from a broken glass cut. She had been trying to keep the mob from stealing her purse by locking herself in her comparment. They smashed in the compartment's window and she was cut. Seeing all her blood flowing, the mob ran away. Halfway to Agra, the train stopped and what looked like a mummy was carried on board and stretched out across the ailse. What was the cause of death? The second immediate thought was: are we all being exposed to cholera or typhoid fever? Anyway you look at it, Asian train travel is extreme railway. Outside Bangkok, on another trek, some Thai kid in a rice paddy whiffled a balled-up water snake straight in the window and onto my chest. Luckily, the snake was as startled as I and slithered off me and up the carriage aisle. The conductor assured me if wasn't a water cobra.. Maybe this is some Thai kid game called nail the tourist. Whatever, my compartment window went up.

© Bud Talkinghorn--Bon Voyage!




Links worth checking:

The Khadrs in the Washington Post -- "In Canada, An Outcast Family Finds Support -- U.S. Detention of Teen Draws Concern", by Doug Struck, Washington Post Foreign Service, June 9, 2005


What the World Thinks of Canada Bill Narvey

[. . . . ] Interestingly, the generally stated conclusions have in various ways been the basis of many of the negative views expressed in this public message forum concerning Chretien, Martin and the Liberal party and government.

These findings stand in stark contrast to the Liberal's self proclaimed and self aggrandizing view of their's and Canada's significance in the world. [. . . . ]

Scroll down for the article from June 8, 2005 by Faye Mallett, "Step up to it Canada, World Says"

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No Laughing Matter -- Link for Hansard June 9, 2005, QP Excerpts

No laughing matter -- "Yes, reporters are used to liars, but good liars--ones who make the effort to sound moderately plausible. When the . . . " Kevin Libin, 13 June 2005


In the comments section, I'm with maz2 who wrote, "Down with National Socialism. Long live freedom and democracy."

The problem lies in the 'how to'. We have had governments which have used power increasingly over many years to subvert the will of the people . . . and, indeed, through various means, many sitting MP's. Examples:

* refusing to accept a vote in the House of Commons which was an obvious display of lack of confidence . . . and the GG appointed by the Liberals did nothing . . . as they probably surmised she would

* making activist judicial appointments and allowing the justices to make decisions which are properly the province of Parliamentarians

* pushing social legislation without due regard for constituents' wishes, and pushing more and bigger government, despite evidence that its big programs have been expensive boondoggles, or worse -- gun registry, health care, appealing to Quebeckers to stay in Canada, and now daycare which eliminates helping a parent who chooses to remain at home to parent

* holding advertising $$ sway over mainstream media to the extent that to cross the government is to negatively affect the bottom line and jobs -- hence, obfuscation and mendacity are reported with inadequate investigation, then repeated ad nauseam.

* acting with apparent disregard for Canadians' security, e.g. in allowing undocumented and possibly dangerous or criminal aliens to claim refugee having destroyed their documents, and then giving them the wherewithal to go about their business, et cetera

* refusing to answer reasonable questions in Parliament and in fact, coming nowhere near answering the questions put to them -- For the latest example, see Question Period- Hansard excerpts- June 9/05 -- or here for the government website.

It is difficult to fight all the means by which government controls information and maintains itself in power. . . . . not least of which is that Canadians in the Centre and the East seem to have shut off their BS detectors in return for . . . what?

Congratulations to the writers of the Western Standard for attempting to right this imbalance.

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National Marriage e-Referendum

Update:

Who Voted for Marriage on C-38?



Defend Marriage -- Act Now!

www.defendmarriage.ca -- National Marriage e-Referendum

[. . . .] Tens of thousands of Canadians have contacted the Prime Minister urging him to put the question of whether to legalize same sex marriage in Canada to a vote of the people under the Referendum Act of 1992. In fact, more than 45,000 of you have contacted him through our Defend Marriage Canada Project Web site alone.

But even with this outpouring of support, and even in the face of national opinion polls showing that a large majority of Canadians want this question put to a national referendum, >the Prime Minister stubbornly refuses to do so. Instead, he is doggedly trying to ram a bill through Parliament, Bill C-38, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Canada.

This is why we are launching the National Marriage e-Referendum to give every Canadian the opportunity to make their voice heard on this critically important issue.

The language of the referendum is simple: "Shall Parliament pass bill C-38 to legalize same-sex marriage in Canada?" It is posted on a special Web site, www.referendumcanada.org, and we have tried to make this site as neutral on the issue as possible. For those still undecided, we even provide links to Web pages of groups that have taken positions both for and against Bill C-38.

The results of the referendum will be provided to every MP before the third reading vote on C-38.

Time to act may be very short! [. . . . ]

Hon. Dr. Grant Hill, P.C.
Coordinator, Defend Marriage Canada Project

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Audio Engineer: Grewel Tapes 'unaltered' -- Pork-o-meter Fodder -- Fish: Ecological Disaster

Master recordings 'unaltered' -- Audio expert finds four places where taping was paused Allan Woods, CanWest, Jun. 10, 05

OTTAWA - Three weeks after releasing a snippet of secret recordings made by a Conservative MP in conversation with two senior Liberals, the original tapes have been deemed "unaltered," according to an Ottawa sound expert hired by the Tories. [. . . . ]

Taxpayers' Federation: Fodder for the Pork-o-meter

Ottawa’s pre-election spending binge -- "a shameless attempt to bribe voters with their own money" -- the details by Adam Taylor, Research Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Previous to last year’s federal election, (from April 1st, 2004,
until mid-May) the Liberals spent almost $7-billion of taxpayers’ money in pre-election spending announcements. This worked out to approximately $150-million per day.

Since April 20th, 2005, the day before Paul Martin begged for his job on national television, the Liberals have made over 250 spending announcements totaling over $17-billion of taxpayers’ money. This works out to $607-million per day or over $25-million every hour. [. . . . ]

Cod could be gone for good, study warns -- Crab and shrimp have a 'lock on the system' Margaret Munro, CanWest, Jun. 10, 05

The Science paper says it is "an open question" whether the ecosystem changes are reversible.

The demise of Canada's cod stocks is widely seen as an ecological disaster. But Nova Scotian fishers are now making more money fishing shrimp and snow crab than they ever did fishing cod, says Mr. Frank. Last year, the Scotian Shelf fishery netted fishermen $140-million, 85% of it on snow crab and shrimp. (Nova Scotians netted no more than $100-million a year in inflation-adjusted dollars from cod).

While some see the lucrative crab and shrimp fisheries as the silver lining of the cod collapse, Mr. Frank and his colleagues say there are "ecological risks inherent in 'fishing down the food web' as is currently occurring on the Scotian Shelf." Some scientists have predicted there will eventually be nothing but jellyfish left to catch. [. . . . ]

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China-US: "prepare for the worst, hope for the best."

U.S. taking harder line toward China — on all fronts By Sol Sanders, Jun. 9, 05

Sol W. Sanders, (solsanders@comcast.net), is an Asian specialist with more than 25 years in the region, and a former correspondent for Business Week, U.S. News & World Report and United Press International. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.

Despite continued pressure to soften it from State, and perhaps CIA, holding up The Pentagon's annual review of the Chinese military [due in March], the Bush Administration's line appears to be hardening. The evidence is apparent on all fronts, economic, strategic and diplomatic.

[. . . . ] Washington has stepped up verbal assault on other economic problems such as notorious Chinese intellectual property piracy. [An Indian IT executive, for example, said a bumper sticker floated in the honeymoon following Chinese Prime Minister Wen's visit touting an Indian software-Chinese hardware IT worldwide juggernaut is a non-starter. He said association with the 90 percent of China's software which is stolen would jeopardize India's outsourcing and investment relationship with the U.S., Europe, and Japan.] A trade association says Chinese theft for moviemakers, software companies and music labels alone was $2.5 billion last year. Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez maiden visit was unable to get even token “gift” concessions on this or on textile imports ballooning over last year's $10 billion after China's takeover of other producers' turf when the world textile cartel terminated. [. . . . ]

But, in fact, Beijing has begun a new crackdown on dissidents and internet communications. [. . . . ]

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Auditor General: Security and Medical Surveillance of Immigrants & Refugees & Forms Control Problems

Is there a medical and financing bombshell coming down the pike? Very interesting.

According to the AG, of 137,119 skilled workers, 58,860 were principal applicants bringing 78,259 dependants. That is a program intended to bring skilled workers that brings 57% dependants. There is inadequate medical surveillance . . . another must read best seller from the AG.



There are two parts to what follows:

1. The Auditor-General's 2000 Report: Table of Contents -- which indicated areas that needed change

2. The Auditor-General's follow-up on Chapter 3 -- Some things never change.


1. Citizenship and Immigration Canada -- The Economic Component of the Canadian Immigration Program

* Main Points
o Background and other observations
* Introduction [. . . . ]
* Observations and Recommendations
o Immigration Offices Abroad Cannot Cope With the Task
+ Immigration levels not met, longer processing, and applications in process increasing
+ Imbalance between resources available and work required to ensure Program integrity
+ Much better information needed on resources required in offices abroad
+ Employees deeply concerned
o The Quality and Consistency of Selection Decisions Are at Risk
+ Selection criteria not conducive to attaining Program objectives
+ Visa officers receive insufficient training
+ Officers need better tools to evaluate applications
+ No framework for monitoring quality of decisions
+ Need for better ways to protect against fraudulent applications
o Controls to Protect Canadian Society Are Deficient
+ Significant weaknesses in determining medical admissibility
+ Serious constraints on ability to establish criminality and security admissibility
o Offshore Applications Add to Processing Difficulties
o Technology Used Does Not Permit Efficient Delivery of Services Abroad
+ Numerous efforts to upgrade the systems have failed
+ Offices abroad are buried in paperwork
o Department Highly Vulnerable to Fraud and Other Irregularities
+ Revenue control is inadequate
+ Visa form control needs to be improved
+ Computer systems are not adequately protected
+ Resources allocated to evaluation and internal audit are clearly insufficient
o A Need to Measure Results and Report Them to Parliament and the Public
+ Department focusses performance measurement on meeting immigration levels
+ The information provided to parliamentarians is limited
* Conclusion
* About the Audit

2.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada — The Economic Component of the Canadian Immigration Program

[. . . . ] 3.2 Citizenship and Immigration Canada has taken a number of steps with regard to medical surveillance including establishing a Medical Surveillance Unit in a new Medical Services Branch. However, we are still concerned that the Department does not know what percentage of immigrants comply with medical surveillance requirements and within what time frame. It is important that the Department ensure that immigrants under medical surveillance report to the relevant public health authorities and thus comply with the conditions attached to their visas. We also identified a new issue—refugee claimants and public health authorities in the provinces and territories are not notified when a claimant requires medical surveillance for inactive tuberculosis. [. . . . ]

3.26 With the implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, Business Immigration Centres no longer exist. All offices abroad now accept and process business applications. There is a need for training in this area, as most of the visa officers have little experience with business applications. . . . a new module was developed for the visa officer course given in the winter of 2003. [. . . . ]

3.35 Our field visits indicated that immigration officers at airports were familiar with and understood the new instructions. However, some officers at land borders were not familiar with them or their importance. After our field visits, the Medical Surveillance Unit provided training to immigration officers at airports in Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, and Calgary and at Ontario land borders at Fort Erie, Niagara Falls, and Windsor.

3.36 If the Department finds out that an immigrant is delinquent in reporting for medical surveillance, it takes no action apart from making a remark in the Field Operations Support System. The Department denies further actions such as citizenship or sponsorship until the immigrant resumes medical surveillance. [. . . . ]

3.37 Lack of medical surveillance for cases of inactive tuberculosis among refugee claimants. [. . . . ]

Criminality and security inadmissibility

3.40 Under sections 34 to 37 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, visa officers can deny applicants entry into Canada on several grounds related to criminality and security. [. . . . ]


Fraudulent documents

3.47 . . . . Submission of fraudulent documents and misrepresentation is a continuing threat to the integrity of the Immigration Program. In many countries people can easily obtain fraudulent documents and readily use them as support for immigration applications.

3.48 . . . . Our 2000 Report stated that the Department had noted an increase in the submission of false statements and fraudulent documents. We said the Department had been tolerant of applications accompanied by false statements and fraudulent documents. [. . . . ]

3.60 Limited progress in implementing a department-wide framework to monitor quality of selection decisions. [. . . . ]


Forms control

3.79 Visa forms control is an essential measure to guard against abuse. In the 2000 Report we had several concerns. We found that the Immigration Visa and Record of Landing document (IMM1000) was outdated and easy to falsify. In addition, departmental records showed that some visas had been stolen and that procedures were not in place to ensure that officers consistently applied controls.


The new Permanent Resident Card

3.80 The Department replaced the IMM1000 as of 28 June 2002. A new form, the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM5292) confirms the residence status of new immigrants. It is used to issue the new Permanent Resident Card. This card has a number of security features that the IMM1000 did not have. Another new form, the Permanent Resident Visa (IMM1346), is included in an individual's passport as a travel document.

Problems still exist with forms control

3.81 We found several problems with forms control during our visits to immigration offices abroad. Officers were not always following the required control procedures. Three examples: some offices were not reporting quarterly inventories of documents to headquarters; one office was not reconciling on a daily basis visas that were used; and not all offices had two Canadian officers present when counting inventories of forms.

3.82 One Canada-based officer is selected at each office abroad to be a forms control officer. Most forms control officers at the offices we visited felt that they needed training and guidance for their position. To address this need, the Department has developed new instructions on forms control and these are available electronically. [. . . . ]


Measuring results and reporting to Parliament [. . . . ]

3.85 Performance indicators and reports to Parliament remain focussed on immigration levels. . . .

3.86 The Department reports annually to Parliament in its departmental performance report. It also presents an annual report to Parliament on the operation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for the preceding calendar year as required by section 94 of the Act. We reviewed several years' worth of departmental performance reports and the 2002 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration.

We are concerned that the information presented to Parliament on the number of skilled workers entering Canada may be misunderstood. For example, the 2002 Departmental Performance Report states that the number of skilled workers landed in Canada in 2001 is 137,119. The information would be more clearly presented as 137,119 skilled workers, consisting of 58,860 principal applicants and 78,259 dependants. The 2002 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration also did not provide the composition of skilled workers. We have the same concern for the presentation of the numbers of business immigrants. We noted that the information does exist in a document, Facts and Figures 2001, which can be found on the Department's Web site. www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2001/index.html

[Check for Facts and Figures 2001]

3.87 Recommendation. The Department should include additional information in its departmental performance report, such as the number of applications on hand and processing times for applications. In that report and in its annual report to Parliament on immigration, the Department should give the numbers of both principal applicants and accompanying family members. [. . . . ]

3.88 . . . Conclusion [. . . . ] This follow-up focussed on the recommendations made in our April 2000 Report, Chapter 3, The Economic Component of the Canadian Immigration Program [. . . . ]

3.89 Greater attention needs to be paid to medical surveillance of immigrants and refugee claimants to ensure that public health authorities are notified promptly of individuals that require surveillance. The Department still has to put into place a department-wide quality assurance framework to ensure the consistency, fairness, and integrity of selection decisions. [. . . . ]

Finally, the Auditor General mentions: "We did not look at controls over medical admissibility at offices abroad."

Does anyone else see a medical care and $$$ bombshell coming down the pike? We could probably add that to the criminality bombshell which is already surfacing from previous laxity . . . not on the part of the Auditor General, I hasten to point out.

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Canada noticed, finally

. . . Reuters

Opposition seeks criminal probe of Canada's PM June 8, 2005

OTTAWA (Reuters) - [. . . . ] Duceppe wrote to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that Martin may have violated an article of the criminal code that makes it illegal to offer a member of Parliament a job in return for his vote. [. . . . ]

But Duceppe said that Martin had acted as an accomplice in telling Murphy to pursue negotiations, even if no offer was being made.

"As Mr. Tim Murphy's superior, Paul Martin should have ordered him to stop all negotiations involving bargaining with a member of Parliament for his support," Duceppe said.

The Liberals ended up winning the May 19 confidence vote by one vote, after another Conservative defected to the Liberal side. If they had lost, Canada would currently be in the middle of an election campaign.

Note that Belinda Stronach, was made a Minister of the Crown by Paul Martin after she crossed the floor . . . after less than a year in politics as a CPC MP. I suggest she has neither the education nor the experience one would expect for such a position. Usually, backbenchers wait for years for this type of promotion.

I read somewhere today that actually, there are two ministers who will work on this . . . Would that be one to do the thinking and the heavy lifting . . . and the other to learn? I believe the PM said they would be co-ordinating, collaborating, co-operating or something to that effect.

Yet, to get BS to cross the floor and vote with his Liberal government, . . . . well, the government maintains there was no quid pro quo.

Check the excerpt from Hansard June 8, 2005; scroll down for it.

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Amnesty International

Did Amnesty International Call For Kidnapping Of American Leaders? June 09, 2005, via Newsbeat1

John Leo wrote earlier this week about the ridiculous Amnesty International assertion that Guantanamo Bay has become the "gulag of our time" in the statement issued by AI's Secretary-General Irene Khan, in his column about Stories Not Told. The "gulag" analogy has received the thorough thrashing it deserved from bloggers and even some in the media. [. . . . ]

Detailed -- worth reading.

Among the comments, search: "the LARK program!"

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I shoulda tho't o' that! -- & Asymmetrical Health Care

Update: We now have "asymmetrical health care" -- out of Quebec. My gosh. Is Canada a country . . . or a series of special interests, special provinces, special deals with whoever shakes the Prime Pinata-in-need-of-votes . . . special asymmetrical medical care and private medical / health care. Note, Quebec has a Charter; the Canadian Charter was not adequate to the province of asymmetrical . . . whatever. Check the latest news for this health care story.

Let's see, what groups have been developing private health services that will be able to spring into action suddenly? Check their network; follow the friends. Follow the $$$.

Unrelated? Appointing the justices who have been instrumental in changing Canada, along with the government, belongs to the PM/PMO and not to Parliament, no matter in what politically acceptable language the protests are couched when this is mentioned. Does he influence provincial appointments?




I shoulda tho't o' that!

Do you ever notice that just after you have had reason to check your pc's security, you get an offer from the ubiquitous company which controls your operating system--at least the vast majority of OS's--and guess what? That advertisement in your email is offering to sell you better security.

What a $$$ generating gig! First, develop the OS, then make sure there are enough back doors--front doors?--to compromise security, make money from security companies selling fixes / patches / advice / anti-virus / firewalls / et cetera, "the full catastrophe".

ID theft translates into revenue for some -- Credit agencies reaping fees for reports, scores and tracking -- "Worries about data security are translating into revenue opportunities for the nation's three biggest credit reporting agencies" Liz Moyer, Forbes, June 8, 05 via MSNBC/MSN.com

A new focus on protecting personal information, prompted by several recent disclosures by banks and other companies of lost or stolen data — the most recent being Citigroup's loss of confidential information on 3.9 million customers — stands to benefit all three credit-reporting agencies in the form of new fees for credit monitoring and fraud detection.[. . . . ]

Aside from all the other information of interest,

Search: Sales pitch goes on

Many free credit reports still aren't free



You might be interested in checking a post yesterday which mentions "Defectors & Spies", the particular post entitled "China Diplomat: Beijing Running Spy Ring". Also, within the last week, I have posted on visitors to my pc--hackers with evil intent, I assume. Funny, the plethora of them that emanate from China and China Railway. Why? What is their problem?



I suppose the following is unrelated . . . but I wonder if anyone else notices this kind of persist 'visiting', not from Canadians nor Americans, just from IP addresses which seem to be from Asia, and particularly, China. Do you suppose they want to be free . . . or to control information flow. Just go online and, after a bit, check. While not my definitive list, today's roll call includes:

61.232.0.0 - 61.237.255.255
CHINA RAILWAY TELECOMMUNICATIONS CENTER
Beijing,P.R.China

222.168.0.0 - 222.169.255.255
CHINATELECOM-JL
CHINANET Jilin province network
Jilin Telecom Corporation
No.518,Changchun Street,Changchun,130042,Jilin
China

61.152.156.0 - 61.152.159.255
SHANGHAI-GLOBAL-NET
Shanghai Global Network Co., Ltd.
China

222.240.0.0 - 222.247.255.255
CHINANET-HN
CHINANET Hunan province network
China Telecom


Again, my blessings on all the dear computer nerds I know. Please hack H*** out of the *&^(*&%$ -- and give them a bit of their own back. (Some thoughts are unprintable.)

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Check Again -- Out of the West

On June 6, I mentioned this blogger and the many links on that post. Today, I checked again -- some good minds at work.

Note, I added emphasis.

Be it Yours to Hold High West Coast Chaos, by Temujin, June 6, 05

At this point there seems to be only one Brigade member posting from the far east. Bob, at Canadian Comment [see below] questions the sanity of having Zimbabwe on the United Nations Human Rights Watch, despite a plethora of human rights violations. He then posits whether a nation could actually violate enough human rights to not qualify for the Human Rights Commission. Well Bob, they aren't as bad as Syria, so let's just cut them some slack.

Along the same lines, he questions why Canada would provide financial aid to communist China, recalling some of the less noble qualities of said communist regime.

[. . . . ] Damian at Babbling Brooks points the finger at the New York Times for trying to tell the greatest military machine the world has ever known how to recruit soldiers. He also reminds us of how Jean Chretien and the Liberal Party systematically deconstructed Canada's armed forces. Yeah, the very same armed forces that took Vimy Ridge, stormed Juno Beach, liberated Holland, and helped free the southern half of Korea. Our servicemen and women deserve better, as Damian so wonderfully points out. [. . . . ]

The Monarchist is looking for new recruits! To have your work posted there would be a true honour indeed, so if you are an aspiring blogger who fits the criteria, apply today! The fine folks there have recently been granted Large Mammal status, which comes as no surprise to those of us in the Brigade. A round-up of the always thought-provoking Walsingham can be found here, and you would do well to read them all. And the Monarchist takes Adrienne Clarkson to task for shaming and dishonouring the position of Governor-General.

A Proud Member of the Human Rights Commission posted by Bob cross-posted to theShotgun

How serious can the United Nations be about human rights when they have countries such as Zimbabwe on the Human Rights Commission? Check out how the government of Zimbabwe, as reported by South Africa's Mail & Guardian, starts what it calls an 'urban renewal campaign'. [. . . . ]

Also, check out Does Democracy have Weaknesses?, cross-posted to the Shotgun.

Out of the West, freedom of thought, writers who are unafraid! Bloggers who are free! Boggles the mind. Not controlled! No wonder Hillary is so anxious to exercise control--I forget the details of how it is to be done--over the internet, while a few UN countries would like to wrest control out of the West where it is not so easily controlled . . . only by virtue of a love of freedom and democracy. (Guess who's getting into bed with that lot.)

If you don't believe me, place a note in the comment section; I'll dig around for the references.

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Bud Talkinghorn -- Defectors & Spies -- Torture Claims -- Turkey -- Columbia U

Pat O'Brien--A Liberal politician of principle

It is strange to write such a title, considering the fierce control that the PMO has over the vast majority of that party. "Clapping seals" does not do them justice as an epithet. They are more llike like chameleons; they can change their beliefs depending on the leader's edicts. The much lauded "caucas solidarity" isn't far removed from the fanatical Nazis who followed Hitler to the bitter end. Whatever higher human values they once held could be subsumed by the party doctrine. I can only hope that O'Brien's moral stand will be emulated by those other Liberals who see the evil social engineering that is transpiring to erode marriage.


© Bud Talkinghorn



The CBC bias

The Fraser Institute has documented how CBC usually shows its prejudice against America. Its sucesses in the Iraq war are played down and its failures played up. CBC's supposedly insightful documentaries on Rough Cuts and The Passionate Eye seem to hone in negatively on President Bush and his voter bloc. Last night there was a replay (third or fourth time?) of "Stupidities", where Bush was prominently put forward as a prime example. Then a few days earlier, there was the Dick Cheney expose, where he was portrayed as some kind of Dr. Evil, who had no interests above personal gain. Gee, the Yanks must be colossally stupid in general, because they voted in this pair a second time -- unlike Canadians, who again voted in those paragons of virtue called the Liberals.

It would be too time consuming to go into all the shady little tricks that CBC uses to discredit any Republican platform--to be 'fair', they do exactly the same with our Conservative party. Let's just say that two methods are Mansbridge and his acolytes having perfected the censorious dying tone of voice, or the doubtful arched eyebrow, when forced to give the Right any good news. Other targets that are given a "hatchet job' are churches, anti-gay marriage groups, immigration critics (racists all), opponents of official bilingualism-created inequalites, and anything that doesn't pass their politically correct test.

I actually broke out laughing when I read that Ruth-Ellen Soles, a CBC spokeswoman made this rebuttal to the Fraser report, "CBC News takes fairness and balance very seriously" and "The report is patently false" (The National Post, June 8, 05). Perhaps she could explain why the censors didn't cut the Carolyn Parrish bit on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, where she childishly stomped on a Bush doll. For that matter, perhaps she could explain why that program and Canadian Airfarce couldn't find enough in Canada to satirize, without consistently relying on Bush-bashing? The truth of the matter is that CBC has grown more virulently left-wing in all their programming. I suspect you don't even get hired if you can't prove you belonged to The Student Socialist Movement, or at least to the Young NDP, while at university.

© Bud Talkinghorn--Don't take my word for this, or The Fraser Institute's; simply watch their programming attentively and observe what they choose as their viewpoints.

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China Diplomat: Beijing Running Spy Ring Jun. 8, 05

CANBERRA, Australia — Two Chinese defectors — one of them a diplomat who walked away from his post — claim that their homeland is running a spy network in Australia and other Western countries.

The diplomat, Chen Yonglin (search), left his job as the first secretary at the Chinese Consulate-General in Sydney last month to seek political asylum in Australia. Chen, 37, claimed China ran a ring of 1,000 spies in Australia involved in illegal activities including abducting Chinese nationals and smuggling them back to China.

[. . . . ] But a second Chinese official seeking asylum in Australia, Hao Feng Jun (search), backed Chen's claim [. . . . ]

RCMP probe on Taiwan trio shut down again 2002

[. . . . ] RCMP investigators in Ottawa had been given letters and notes addressed to the 'contact' dated in 1992 that were signed by a principal of Imperial Consultants.

The correspondence involved the processing of immigration files and the RCMP had been told that the contact had top-level access to Canada's Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System.

[. . . . ] In the mid-nineties, Imperial Consultants was riding the crest of the immigration wave that preceded Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. The company was among the top groups bringing in entrepreneurs via the investor immigration program. The government program described as a passport-for-sale scheme offered permanent residency in exchange for a $250,000-to-$350,000 investment in the Canadian economy. [. . . . ]

We could get no cooperation to proceed from Immigration Canada and were blocked several times [. . . . ]

The details are of interest.

Have you ever checked our who have so many of the computer jobs in Canada? Check the students in our computer science departments; what did they work at before coming to Canada? How old are they?




Captives told to claim torture Rowan Scarborough, Jun. 8, 05, Washington Times

[. . . . ] In a raid on an al Qaeda cell in Manchester, British authorities seized al Qaeda’s most extensive manual for how to wage war.
A directive lists one mission as “spreading rumors and writing statements that instigate people against the enemy.”

[. . . . ] insist on proving that torture was inflicted on them by state security before the judge. Complain of mistreatment while in prison.” [. . . . ]

Is Turkey Going Islamist? by Daniel Pipes, New York Sun, June 7, 2005

Is it on the road to implementing Islamic law, known as the Shari'a?

[. . . . ] Actions that confirm one's doubts about the AKP having changed goals since it came to power in late 2002 include attempts to criminalize adultery, to transform religious instruction at public schools into propaganda for Islam, and to loosen the penalties against free-lance Koranic instruction. Condemning Christianity as a polytheistic religion and purging members of the Alevi minority from the government's Religious Directorate also raise red flags. [. . . . ]

Columbia Teaches "Hate" by Hugh Fitzgerald, FrontPage Magazine, June 6, 2005

Gil Anidjar is an Assistant Professor at Columbia, with his primary responsibility the teaching of Comparative Literature – but there is a lot of comparison, and very little literature, in his writing. He offers two Comparative Literature courses. One is on Freud and Derrida. The second, a course that is listed as part of Columbia's Middle East offerings, is called, dramatically, "Hate."

The course on "Hate" is not really about the history or literature of the Middle East at all. It is an extended rumination upon two matters. The first is the evil of Europe, which has for its own purposes not merely created "the Other" (or rather, being especially awful, as Europe will be, creating two "the Others" – "Arab" and "Jew"), and subjecting both of them to identical diabolical persecution. [. . . . ]

And finally, Anidjar asks:

There is, in fact, a level at which I simply lack all understanding. Can anyone seriously claim that the problem with Islamic countries is Islam?

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Correction: May 9, 2005 Post

Correction: My apologies for neglecting to check . . . again.

Someone posted a correction to my post from May 9, 05 concerning the Aga Khan's receiving an Order of Canada honour -- GG & Order of Canada-Aga Khan & Paul Desmarais, Jr., Tax $$$ to Khan's 'centre for pluralism', Maurice Strong, Zenon, China, Kyoto, Coal, Info Control

Since these corrections did not show up in the week's compilation when I checked (Frost Hits the Rhubarb: May 8 - May 14, 2005), I am including the corrections and the dates when they were written here.

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...

The Aga Khan is not from Pakistan, so there is now a missing link in your chain of connections.
June 03, 2005 9:47 AM
Anonymous said...

Thanks for the correction. I checked and he is from India. Think of the possibilities of that connection with Ismaili Muslims, India, immigration (fast tracking) and business. Note also that China and India have new agreements that might interest any Canadian businessmen involved in construction and . . . is it oil or gas . . . pipelines or terminals? Honouring the Aga Khan furthers a positive relationship with Muslims--perhaps just Ismaili Muslims--in India and throughout the Muslim world . . . and the business repercussions may be positive as well. NJC
June 07, 2005 6:53 AM

I still think there may be a connection, but it involves India, not Pakistan; however, the Ismaili Muslim connection can be transnational, and hence include Ismaili Muslims anywhere.

Whistle-blowing Poll, Collonette, Chiang - Gazprom: Media Control -- Globalization & $$$ -- Keegan: Civil vs Military Law

In March 2004 (11? 21?), I wrote on proposed whistleblowing legislation and why the legislation proposed is inadequate since its effect is to protect the government, not to reveal what should be revealed to the citizens who pay.

Poll: Whistle-blowers get bosses' backing -- When in government Barbara Shecter, FP, May 30, 05

Remember, this is a survey of business leaders who fear the costs of whistleblowing, presumably.

. . . a National Post/COMPAS poll.

[. . . . ] The online survey, conducted between May 25 and May 27, also concluded that business leaders see the greatest need for whistle-blower protection for government employees, with 59% of respondents selecting that group.

[. . . . ] A majority of the business leaders who responded to the survey, or 56%, oppose following legislation in the U.S. that allows whistle-blowers at corporations to keep up to almost one-third of the value of savings resulting from their revelations. However, 40% of respondents said Canada should have a similar law.

[. . . . ] But those who responded to the survey were largely in favour of modified laws to make it easier for employees to sue their employer -- government or private sector -- if there was retaliation for revelations of wrongdoing.

Seventy-five percent were in favour of changes to the law to protect private sector workers, while 85% said such modifications were desirable for the protection of public sector workers. [. . . . ]

Whistle-blowing -- from one who used to work in the PMO Penny Collenette, Financial Post, Jun. 6, 05

Penny Collenette, School of Management Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa

Note: She did not blow any whistles, herself.



Re: Whistle-blowers Get Bosses' Backing, FP CEO Poll, May 30

As someone who teaches a law course entitled "Whistle-blowing: The Busy Intersection of Law and Ethics," I applaud both the poll and the recent story on this subject.

However, while "whistle-blowing" and "whistle-blowers" are traditional descriptions, the words "ethical reporting" and "ethical reporters" are also gaining ground. Similarly, the federal government's Bill C-11 speaks of "disclosure of wrongdoing" rather than whistle-blowing. These alternate phrases reflect a global trend to lessen the drama and emotion connected to the subject. The emphasis should be on the message, rather than the messenger. An individual who believes there is wrongdoing and reports it, is simply doing his/her job and under some legislation, is obligated to report suspected wrongdoing.

An efficient and discreet system for [. . . . ]

. . . hushing it up? In the heyday of Adscam, she knew nothing? Nothing caused her nose to twitch? She teaches a course on whistleblowing.



David Chiang, Director of The Institute of Internal Auditors, Vancouver Chapter David Chiang, FP, Jun. 6, 05

The Institute of Internal Auditors would support the suggestion that the use of "hotlines" is one method of persuading employees (and others) to reveal wrongdoing. An article published by IIA (Internal Auditor Magazine, April, 2004) quoted an industry report that organizations with a fraud hotline cut their fraud losses by approximately 50% per scheme.

While proven effective, hotlines are just one means. A sound set of internal controls, strong code of ethics, an objective and independent internal audit function, combined with an organizational climate that does not tolerate unethical behaviour are all essential components for improved corporate governance. [. . . . ]

That last part -- therein lies the rub.

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Gasprom: Media Control

Government-controlled Gazprom acquires control of Izvestia Jun. 4, 05, AFP / Financial Post

. . . one of the country's most respected newspapers, in a move that pushes the state's control of the media . . . . The Russian government is the main shareholder in Gazprom, the world's biggest producer of natural gas and the largest company in Russia. The news media have seen many of freedoms curtailed during President Vladimir Putin's five years in power. Gazprom already owns the NTV television channel and Echo Moscow radio station. [. . . . ]

Why does this sound just like home?

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Earlier today, I posted "Taiwan's gangs go global". On the way to looking for something else, I found these, which touch upon globalization and crime.

Casino Connections -- A lavish feast to signify the reemergence of the 14K Triad in Macau will have ripple effects in B.C. Jul 8, 2004, The Asian Pacific Post, which might lead you to search: "Stanley Ho , RCMP" and find this book

PAPER FAN: The Hunt for Triad Gangster Steven Wong, Chapter 1 online by Terry Gould -- fascinating -- Here is one source: Amazon

CASINO CONNECTIONS Part 2 - Stanley Ho's house of cards Jul 22, 2004, The Asian Pacific Post

Money laundered through Macau casino ended up in Richmond and Vancouver banks.

[. . . . ] But all the alleged criminal connections are downplayed and Ho continues to build his global business empire with little hindrance and a lot of influence.
Now, however, an investigation by the Far Eastern Economic Review magazine shows that police suspicions about Ho‘s operations are not too off the mark.

A report by prize-winning writer Barry Wain alleges that Ho‘s multibillion-dollar gaming flagship Sociedad de Tourism e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) is allegedly at the centre of a money-laundering scheme moving billions of dollars out of China through Macau into Hong Kong.

Some of the laundered money has already made its way into B.C. banks and casinos.

Prosecutors in Hong Kong who are handling the Bank of China scandal say US$1.4 million of US$26.5 million allegedly embezzled by a former bank branch manager was
illegally moved in the form of an STDM cheque.

The money was allegedly taken by Hui Chiu Fan who with two accomplices entered Canada via Vancouver using false identities. [. . . . ]

Canada's immigration system is so helpful if you are rich and powerful -- with connections.

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Keegan: Civil vs Military Law

Bad law is making a Just War so much harder to fight John Keegan, June 2, 05

[. . . . ] The mobilisation of legal procedures within a law-abiding army, such as the British, against its own people, has the most undesirable effects. No one wants law-breakers to go unpunished. The reality is, however, that once military police and military lawyers start investigations, the normal understandings and assurances of mutual confidences on which normal army life subsists go out of the window.

[. . . . ] Military lawyers, in the nature of their job, cast their net as wide as possible. Comrade is questioned against comrade. Suspicion is aroused. The law of self-protection sets in. Men who would never in everyday life impugn a brother in arms are driven to hint at wrongdoing. Worse, those in positions of command who would normally object to any accusations being levelled against their subordinates become affected by the desire to distance themselves from criminal proceedings.

[. . . . ] Under court martial, it is unlikely that officers or soldiers, pleading that their actions should be understood within the military realities of fear, confusion and concern for each other's safety, would be condemned for lack of understanding of such circumstances. Good civil law is likely to make for bad military law. Only a lawyer would argue otherwise.

PepsiCo Pres.: Giving the Finger?

The Straight Story -- An American soldier tries to get PepsiCo to answer a simple question. by Scott Johnson, 06/03/2005
Scott Johnson is a contributor to the blog Power Line and a contributing writer to The Daily Standard.

[. . . . ] In her apology, Ms. Nooyi admits making a "thoughtless comment," but the fact is that this was a prepared speech that had a carefully-crafted theme about America's role in the world, with an extended metaphor of the fingers. These were not spontaneous remarks, which is the main cause of my concern. The underlying values indicated by the speech surprised me, especially when the nation is involved in a shooting war and U.S. troops are dying in the effort to stabilize the newly-freed nations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Not surprisingly, the email reply did not answer my one question: Does such U.S. sacrifice constitute "lending a hand" or "giving the finger" to the rest of the world?

[. . . . ] The question that I have asked since my first communication on this topic is whether PepsiCo agrees with the values that underlie Ms. Nooyi's statement made as the president of PepsiCo, not as a private citizen, since she is the company's president who made the remarks from a prepared text before a high-profile graduate school with media present. In regard to our relations with the rest of the world, does PepsiCo believe that America is "giving the finger," or "lending a hand?"

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June 6: Anniversary of the Allied Landings Normandy, France -- Taiwan's Gangs Go Global -- Oil and Nfld

Be it Yours to Hold High West Coast Chaos, Jun. 6, 05

He has a great round up of bloggers with information on each, a great find.

Remember.

Over the last couple of weeks, North Americans have had a number of times to reflect on our history. Memorial Day, designated as a day for Americans to remember the sacrifice of those who died in war. Victoria Day, when Canadians from coast to coast are invited to remember our shared history with the British. And today, June 6, the anniversary of the allied landings on the beaches at Normandy in France. Why do we remember such things? What is the sense in bringing up the past? Shouldn't we step in the 21st century and just move on?

[. . . . Read what causes him to write this. ] And people in this country choose to forget. [. . . . ]

I have been a proud member of the Red Ensign Brigade since November 23, 2004. As I said back then, I repeat now:

It is an honour and a privilege to fly the Red Ensign Standard.

A Must Read Article

Taiwan's gangs go global By Mac William Bishop, Jun. 4, 05

TAIPEI - It isn't often that the dark, slimy world of organized crime gets exposed to the light of day, but on May 29 more than 10,000 gangsters from dozens of crime syndicates from across Asia gathered in Taipei.

They came to pay their respects at a memorial for one of Taiwan's most well-known and "respected" gang bosses. Even gangsters, it seems, get sentimental and wax nostalgic.

The gangster's name was Hsu Hai-ching, but everyone knew him as "Wen Ge", or "Mosquito Brother".

[. . . . ] "The Final Arbitrator".

[. . . . ] It is because of the growing links between Asian crime syndicates that US law enforcement agencies have begun to describe Taiwan as a major transshipment point for illicit drugs, guns and human trafficking. [. . . . ]

Search: Yamaguchi-gumi , triads from Hong Kong and Macau , Bamboo Union-linked gangsters are active in , the reclusive regime of Kim Jong-il has been using Taiwanese gangs , Golden Triangle , human trafficking on a global scale , Fujian province , "the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), used gangs"




Williams must rethink oil policy -- Newfoundland could be big loser -- not winner -- if Big Oil retreats Claudia Cattaneo, FP, Jun. 6, 05

[. . . . ] Exploration activity is on its last legs. Frustrated with poor exploration results, high costs, too much regulation and unreasonable government expectations, industry is quietly pulling out.

[. . . . ] But they backed off doing key work a month ago [in Canada's Western Arctic], rather than put up with aboriginal demands and red tape they considered unreasonable. The betting is the companies will pull out altogether unless there is a meeting of the minds over the summer. [. . . . ]

Read her advice. I don't know whether she is right or not.

My own opinion is that much oil and gas activity is just awaiting the current federal government's getting past its current problems (How this is accomplished, I've alluded to before -- check anything on MSM and LPO-CBC methods, add uncritical lashings of mendacity from several directions and . . . well I believe I might have mentioned that, up to now, mendacity works every time.) and then all the big players will get together and make deals--in that they'll see that all the right people profit, the troublesome are (insert politically correct word here) for bought off, and everything will be hunky dory again . . . an opinion based on my cynicism and instinct, I hasten to add . . . and the fact that Danny Williams is a Conservative and hence his reputation must be blackened and he must be removed, if business is to prosper . . . for the right people.

Don't forget there are minerals in Labrador and maybe more that will be developed / exploited as soon as . . .

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PBS, Audit: Security lapses & Rumsfeld on China's Military Threat,Taiwan & Korea

Rumsfeld blows whistle on China military threat -- Defense secretary warns of hundreds of missiles targeting Taiwan, Beijing weapons spending June 5, 2005, wnd.com

China's massive military buildup and its targeting of hundreds of missiles at Taiwan makes it a growing threat to Asian security, said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday.

Rumsfeld criticized China at a regional security conference in Singapore, noting it was expanding its military spending and the purchase of large amounts of sophisticated weapons despite facing no threat from any other country.

[. . . . ] China has said it will attack Taiwan if the island tries to declare independence, and it repeatedly calls on the United States to stop selling weapons to Taiwan. [. . . . ]

Search: world's third-largest military budget , European Union , ban on selling weapons to China , North Korea

Canada will support the repressive regime rather than the democratic one. Our government is so concerned about . . . well, put global warming, greenhouse gases, for the good of the planet, UN protocol, Kyoto and the like together with Canada's "ethical stance" and you'll get it. Unfortunately, the plight of the Tawanese people doesn't hold a candle to the opportunities . . . not when business is involved and China has that large, untapped buying population . . . along with a network of Canadian friends. BS and realpolitick put the pedal to the metal. . . .

Check out the Bricklin-Chinese Chery vehicle which was shown at a Shanghai auto show; see the photo and article in the Financial Post today.

Update: concerning the oil patch off Newfoundland, Claudia Cattaneo in today's National Post advises Danny Williams to consider that oil and gas companies have been pulling back from deals where they consider the demands too onerous (pipeline, the North West, native demands, Kakfwi, Deh Cho) because the rise in the price of oil and gas means they will make money anyway and there is much going on elsewhere. Apparently, Husky will hang in but is interested in some concession(s).



Audit: Security lapses at Atlantic CRA offices Murray Brewster, Jun. 5, 05

HALIFAX (CP) - Months after they left their jobs at the Canada Revenue Agency, a handful of former employees in the Atlantic region still had the ability to access sensitive case files belonging to taxpayers, a recent federal audit concluded.

The security lapse involved identification codes and passwords that employees use to log into the agency's central computer. [. . . . ]

Since it appears to have occurred within the local area network and thus be internal, it would appear that there is not identity theft which John Williamson, executive director of the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation fears. There was no mention of whether there would be political uses to which the information could be put.




PBS.org: Simply wonderful programs

Along with the history channel, PBS provides hours of great programs.

NOVA Online Flying Casanovas -- Sir David Attenborough narrating & bowerbirds courting

Nature: Forces of the Wild -- Retrace how extreme natural forces formed and shaped the world in which we live. narrated by James Earle Jones (I think)

Check for the Jungle series and for more of the NOVA Nature series. Jungle: "Canopyworld" was enchanting. In it,

Charlotte Uhlenbroek examines rainforests using specially developed platforms, walkways and rope systems to penetrate the high jungle canopy. Also: time-lapse photography highlights how the forest grows.

Check www.pbs.org for another in the series of Jungle programs, "Underworld" on the creatures and plants of the forest floor in an African rainforest.


Could we not have more of this kind of programming early in the evening on our Canadian channels, especially for the young--and people like me--along with more programs made in Canada by Canadians on Canada's features? Surely, with webcams and modern technology, it should not be as expensive as it had been. Or would that put too many in the Mothercorps out of their cushy jobs? I really enjoy some of our made-in-Canada programs. Why not put the late-night programs such as The Passionate Eye and Rough Cuts on earlier, instead of . . . well, mind candy?

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Tour de la izquierda: its apologists, its promoters and its enablers -- & -- McCarthyism, "POOF" & the Democratic Deficit in Canada

This is a continuation of several posts from yesterday and earlier today.

My final word for today:

This post rounds out my Sunday in June . . . and my Saturday, come to think of it. I just couldn't get away from all of it. What kind of nut case reads this stuff . . . even is fascinated? Me, I squeak. Somebody, use the comment space; say something . . . anything. Write that I'm crazy . . . whatever. Just indicate that someone looks at this stuff . . . someone besides my ever present hacking contingent, of course. Otherwise, what is the point? NJC


Scratch that promise for only one more (I promise) post which I am inserting here because it is so important to democracy in Canada. It concerns disappearing public documents, documents which would trouble the guilty or compromised and which the good bloggers find--scratch that too, "found", until they went "POOF".

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McCarthy Era of the G & M coming?

"Are you now, or have you ever been, a Christian?" -- from "The Christian conspiracy of the north!", Jun. 4, 05, www.wnd.com

[. . . . ] "Christian activists capturing Tory races," shouted the headline. (The "races" were Conservative nomination contests.) A sub-headline elaborated: "Some in party worry new riding nominees will reinforce notion of 'hidden agenda.'"

[. . . . ] Now for Christians, Muslims and religious Jews, the source of all morality is religious. God is the only moral authority they know. Therefore, if they are prohibited from allowing their religion to influence their view of the laws they are called upon to pass, then they are – according to this judge and the Globe – unfit to hold public office. And since some 90 percent of Canadians avow belief in God, this would restrict public office to about 10 percent of the population.

In the meantime, how exactly the Globe would have the Conservative Party meet this ominous "Christian" peril, it did not say. Will candidates for nomination be formally questioned under oath: "Are you now, or have you ever been, a Christian?" Canada is not there yet, of course. But we're progressing.

Big Democracy Problem in Canada

Things that go *POOF* in the night via Jack's Newswatch

Note also, further down on Kate's site, posted by maz2 [mailto:rald@hotmail.com]

http://www.namebase.org/sources/cE.html
Perhaps, some of those who make it poof are shown at the above site. Go and enter names, Conrad Black, P. Desmarais, Choker Jean, Wm. Davis, Larry Zolf, and lots more names.

Includes a social diagram Flash thingy.

The oligarchy which controls Canada.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Francis, Diane. Controlling Interest: Who Owns Canada? Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1986. 352 pages. [. . . . ]

Francis has been the editor of The Financial Post since 1991, and is a syndicated columnist and broadcaster. A website at www.dianefrancis.com includes descriptions of her other books.

ISBN 0-7715-9744-4

On amazon.com, Controlling Interest: Who Owns Canada? -- It sounds like a barn burner.

And further down,

As Jean the Choker said, da poof is da poof is da poof, and when it's poofed, it's poofen.

Scroll some more for this on smalldeadanimals Posted by: Sean at June 5, 2005 12:08 PM


Finally, back to Jack's Newswatch, for The Hard Truth Of Immigration

"No society has a boundless capacity to accept newcomers, especially when many of them are poor or unskilled workers." . . . .

Also scroll down for a couple on the RCMP and note that criticisms are directed only at those who deserve them, not at all who do a great job under duress. It is the RCMP who are charged with investigating so much. Read and see what you think.

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Tour de la izquierda: its apologists, its promoters and its enablers

" Shine the spotlight, name the names... and comments which includes a link to "How Wrong They Were" by Hussein Shirazi in FrontPageMagazine.com, June 1, 2005

The author is a British academic of Iranian descent who lives in London.

On May 17th, British parliamentarian George Galloway treated a sub-committee of the US Senate to a tirade which appeared to bemuse and amuse in equal measure.
If we edit his testimony for shameless mendacity (e.g. presenting himself as a consistent opponent of the regime of Saddam Hussein), Galloway did make a couple of points which reflect the consensus of the anti-American left, namely that the current situation in Iraq is a “disaster” and that the root cause of the violence is the “occupation” of the country by US and allied forces. The implication, stated explicitly in a recent article by Jonathan Steele of the Guardian, is that withdrawal of the multinational forces would dampen if not terminate the insurgency. While the flaws in this argument are obvious, given that the prime target of the insurgency is now the elected government of Iraq and its employees, there is another question we should ask:
what is the track record of those who want an immediate pull-out from Iraq in providing accurate analysis and timely advice? What would have happened, let’s say, if the US and its allies had followed their advice in October 2001, at the start of their campaign in Afghanistan?

[. . . . ]
The current situation in Iraq is that of an elected government seeking to establish control over its national territory with the assistance of US and allied forces acting with its consent and under a United Nations mandate. This government has been recognised by all of Iraq’s neighbours, including regimes in Iran and Syria which are antagonistic to the US.

[. . . . ]
The anti-American left is a de facto ally of the terrorists and insurgents now operating in Iraq. It spreads their propaganda, it shares their hatreds and it supports their main aim: the humiliation and defeat of America.

One link in the above leads to: The Fourth Conjecture The Belmont Club, June 2, 05

Item: a letter has been delivered to the Indonesian embassy in Canberra containing anthrax-related spores. [Scroll down for ""Just walkin' in the rain" -- twirling my brolly" ] The attack is believed motivated by outrage over the sentencing to 20 years imprisonment of Australian Schapelle Corby, widely believed innocent, in Indonesia on drug charges after Bali mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir was given 30 months for murdering nearly 100 Australians. The terrorist weapon was supposed to bring America to its knees, but as terrorist methods proliferate it is increasingly being used in internecine fighting throughout the Muslim world and by non-Muslims in retaliation. [. . . . ]

What was that about a faculty lounge in Islamabad?

Postscript

One of the conclusions of the Three Conjectures was that terrorism was a universal threat; that paradoxically, it threatened Islam most of all. Even in Postscript to the Three Conjectures , written right afterwards, it was plain that the engine of unbridled force, once unleashed, would find its most bloody employment in intramural warfare between terrorist groups and the communities in which they lived. Looking back on the post now, I regret the florid style but not the thought. [. . . . ]

If Islam desires the secret of the stars it must embrace the kuffar as its brother -- or die.

posted by wretchard at 4:44 AM

[. . . . Comments]

The daily bombing and killing of Muslims in Iraq has caused many Muslims to see the true nature of AQ [al Qaeda]. This discrediting of Radical Islam has ironically begun to unify the Arab world that the only other alternative is Democracy - albeit Muslim-style. And as the turn to Democracy takes root, it has hardened the oppoenents [sic] to it.

The current war in Iraq is now between Iraqis who favor freedom and Islamists and Pan-Arabists who favor a different principle. The War in Iraq is now a Civil War, but a Civil War that stretches all around the Middle East. One that pits the Isrealis, Jordanians, Iraqis, Kuwaitis and Lebanese against the Syrians, Saudis, and Palestinians. On the surface the division appears to be religion, but its not.

Its no accident that the Wahhabists on one hand the the Baathists ( Socialists ) are unified in some respects in Iraq. We see the same unification here with the Left sympathizing with the Islamo-fascists.

If you follow a link in the above, you will find the: 14 traits of fascism, which was explained, subsequently, as follows:

As a teenager I used to like to go down to the local bookshop and buy cheap (mainly Penguin) paperbacks. Looking back it is actually quite shocking to me to discover that most of these books were written by Marxists. Educating the masses it seems was largely a matter of supplying books containing the thoughts of those who admired Stalin.

Not that Penguin is unique in this respect. With hindsight vast swathes of intellectual life in the last hundred years have been dominated by totalitarian loving apologists for evil.

It is quite odd that despite listening to Leftist propaganda on the BBC, reading Leftist propaganda in my spare time, and being lectured at by Leftists during my compulsory State education, I did not become another Leftist clone. Actually it is not so extraordinary, because anybody stops being ‘educated’ for a moment and starts to think, it is obvious that Leftism has been one of the greatest moral disasters in human history.

I suppose this is why I am rather fond of societies that instead of seeking to destroy your independence and forcing you to behave in ways that suit the interests of the Nomenclature uphold truth and goodness as ideals whose pursuit requires freedom of choice.

In other words, what matters is not that there are stupid and wicked people in the world, relevant as this is, nor is it even having the freedom to expose the actions of such people, but living in a society in which nobody, no matter how benevolent their aims, are given so much power that they can direct the details of how you live your life. [. . . . ]

Somebody, copy this and send it to Canada's PM.

Or might it entail a respect for the religions that promote democracy and the family, not daycare, bathhouse weddings, pot poor enough to tax, but not to smoke, so the globalized agri-business will thrive alongside the meth labs, any deal that will allow the elites to thrive . . . the crowd which also happens to contain Belinda, Paul, Jean, the powerful Paul, Mo and all the rest . . . to make a killing making $$$$$ while suppressing and subduing free thought, personal freedom and responsibility, along with our intuition about what all this means to the rest of us? . . . to choose and even to make and learn from mistakes . . .

Oops, I'm getting carried away again. In recompense, check out Carnival of the Recipes from Conservative Friends -- I've checked two and they look yummy.

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