The War of Words

I am tired of beating my head against the wall repeating things I have been saying here in this blog for over 5 years, this week I am going to simply point you towards a few other folk who are also aware of the dangers of believing everything we are told by the truth spinning oligarchs that have the nerve to call themselves a democratic government. They are not, they are a regime whose sole stated purpose is to bring our government bureaucracy and election process to the point where they and only they can hold the reins of power for the foreseeable future, they are not in the slightest way interested in preserving the systems that define our parliamentary way of governance. You will not recognize Canadian Democracy when they are done with it.


One of the danger of following the destruction of so many things we have hitherto taken for granted, the freedom of government researchers to publish their findings, the assumption that government will protect our land, air & water from industrial pollution, that proposed changes in our laws will be fully and openly debated in our legislatures, that our election process will be fair and unsullied by fraud, and so on is that we blame the leader as if he and he alone is responsible. Whist we have most certainly moved much closer to that situation in recent years it cannot be emphasized enough that without the support of the conservative caucus, and more particularly the inner circle of 'ministers' none of these alarming actions could have come about. Even those in the conservative party who have little say in decision making but sit on the back benches cannot be let off the hook for if you ignore wrong doing and simply spout the party line and vote as directed by the party oligarchs then you are no less guilty than the leader who speaks for them. In short let us not put all our efforts in defeating “Harper” but in putting ALL of the Harper Regime on trial for their contempt for Canadian values, our Parliamentary Democracy, our freedom of speech and indeed contempt for all but their brainwashed disciples.
Let us not get too confident when pollsters say that their grasp on the electorate is slipping, for polls are a very inexact science at best, can be manipulated, and we have a long way to go yet to the next Election.
Remember the Harper Regime will do ANYTHING to win and playing within the rules is simply not in their playbook!


So I lied and had a good rant before recommending these well informed and eloquent bloggers who so often say it all so much better than this concerned but unprofessional scribbler.

Northern Reflections
Owen Grey brings us extracts from topical articles on a daily basis and puts thing in perspective from northern Ontario. You will always get a reply to your polite comments.


Saskboy
John Kleins blog has been the go to place for information on robocon details and several other similar issues. Check out his tag cloud for archival posts.


The Disaffected Lib
The Mound of Sound comments upon a wide variety of subjects from environmental issues to world affairs several time daily.


Politics & its Discontents
Lorne regularly gives us “Reflections, Observations, and Analyses Pertaining to the Canadian Political Scene” in particular that of the Harper regime.



These and many others who may be found at Progressive bloggers and elsewhere are aware that democracy requires more than selecting your choice of a person to represent us in the various legislatures but that it takes a daily fight to make sure that we can do so from a position of knowledge, accurate information, the truth about those who are want to form government. That we fight with words rather than fists or more direct means does not make it any less of a war, that the other side is firing bullshit does little to limit the damage for their volume of such ammunition is unlimited and they have no compunction on using it, or using our tax dollars to spread it.
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Successful Coverup, Fall Guy Convicted

The Conservative party has consistently said it ran a clean and ethical campaign and had nothing to do with what happened in Guelph and has also said that they 'fully cooperated ' with the investigation by Elections Canada. This being the case then how is it that only one person was charged, and now convicted, in what was obviously a far wider conspiracy?

November 14, 2013, One of Prime Minister Stephen Harper‘s top advisers instructed a potential key witness in the robocalls investigation to delay an interview with an Elections Canada investigator until she could obtain legal advice.

Jenni Byrne, who was the Conservatives’ national campaign manager during the 2011 election, emailed Guelph campaign worker Andrew Prescott on Nov. 30, 2011, to ask him not to talk to an investigator looking into the “Pierre Poutine” robocall until she had a chance to talk to the party’s lawyer.

Prescott, whose computer was later linked to the robocall through web data logs, consulted with party lawyer Arthur Hamilton, as instructed by the party, in December, but he didn’t speak with the investigator until more than two months later –  on Feb. 24, 2012, the day after the Ottawa Citizen and Postmedia News reported that the fraudulent election-day robocall had been sent through a Conservative voter-contact firm.

Prescott was given immunity for his testimony which turned ot to be “unreliable” and “selfserving” and another key person Ken Morgan fled overseas never to be heard from. It seems that the new Commissioner of Canada Elections will not be perusing this any further in that he can find 'no evidence' that any such calls took place outside of Guelph.

Prescott, however, cannot be charged because he was given an immunity agreement from the Crown in exchange for testimony against Sona — testimony that, ultimately, Hearn found unreliable.

Ken Morgan, the campaign manager, has refused to speak to Elections Canada investigators and moved to Kuwait during the nearly three-year investigation. He has not been charged.

Unclear is whether Commissioner of Canada Elections Yves Côté, who investigates alleged violations of the elections law, will re-open his investigation of the Guelph robocalls to find the other alleged collaborators or simply let the matter drop.

Côté has already said he could find no evidence to support allegations of misleading calls reported in more than 200 ridings that Elections Canada during the election.

Prescott involved more than he said

One person mentioned in the judge’s ruling was Andrew Prescott – the deputy campaign manager and IT professional who received immunity to testify against Sona.

Hearn threw out the majority of Prescott’s evidence, calling it “self-serving.”

“There certainly is some basis for the court being concerned Mr. Prescott was involved more so than he indicated,” Hearn wrote.

Prescott declined to comment Thursday. Throughout the trial, court heard that Prescott withheld information from investigators, even after he struck his immunity deal in December 2013.

In short can you say “successful coverup” and “fall guy convicted”

For more news articles and details of this 3 year 'investigation' see my Electoral Malfeasance page, my apologies if there are some articles that have disappeared since being originally posted.

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Peacekeepers ignored by Harper.

Today our Canadian military members and veterans as well as police officers come together in ceremonies across the country to honour and remember all Canadian peacekeepers who have served or are currently serving in support of peace operations around the world. Among those who will NOT be there are PM Stephen Harper, Veterans Minister Julian Fantino, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney and National Defence Minister Rob Nicholson, Veterans Affairs have condescended to send a parliamentary secretary provided that the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping write his speech!

It remains to be seen if the regimes censors will remove the section of the prepared speech that promises a change to the monument.
“The three military figures on the monument behind me recognize …  the variety of military missions in which our country has participated,” the speech prepared for parliamentary secretary Gill reads. “But there is something missing — a police officer. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the government of Canada is resolved to correct that deficiency by adding a fourth figure.”

As Wayne Mac Culloch, national president for the above organization said after inviting the 3 ministers back in Febuary.
“The first one to say no was National Defence, followed not long after by Public Safety. I had to prod Veterans Affairs to give me an answer, which I only got two weeks ago. And at that point, they said, ‘No, it’s going to be the parliamentary secretary. And you write his remarks.’”
“Surveys show Canadians are very proud of Canada’s once-strong reputation for being at the forefront of international peacekeeping efforts,” he said in an interview. “The fact that this government would ignore the efforts of the UN peacekeepers’ association is a shame.”

Indeed given their efforts to beat the drum at every opportunity regarding war and conflict both past and present one would think that the Harper Regime would be quick to put themselves in front of this gathering and highlight the regard in which Canada is held for its peacekeeping efforts across the world since 1948, when the first Canadian peacekeepers went to the Middle East, 150,000 Canadians have followed suit and over 100 lost their lives during such missions. Today Canada is way down on the list of contributors to international peacekeeping efforts, with fewer than 120 people participating in missions around the world.

That Harper and his minions ignore such an opportunity to thank this relatively small but respected group says much about his regard for the UN, peacekeeping, and international efforts to prevent conflict rather than encourage it. His recent rhetoric re current conflicts rings hollow and adds little to efforts to reduce the carnage that religious and ethnic extremists across the world are creating.
In my view what these UN peacekeepers do is far more difficult and dangerous than those who would make war and we should all thank them for their efforts to make the world a safer place and our 'government' should be at the head of the line in that regard, a routine press release hardly counts!

Thanks guys we are all proud of you.

 
PS. Here are a few other ceremony’s that Harper will not be attending anytime soon. The opening of the promised Artie Deepwater Port, the arrival of the first Sea King replacement helicopter for our SAR folks, delivery of a new reliable twin engined military jet and................ if we all get our wish, the swearing in of a new government in 2015!

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Defence or Destruction?

Gaza deaths reported to July 8 - July 30 – 1,363, Injured – 6,780 the majority being civilians, including women and children.
Israeli deaths – 58 just two of which were civilians....
Whilst it is very difficult for those of us just observing from a distance via various news media and other online sources to know the true situation in Gaza, it is clear that the virtual imprisonment of an entire population and the targeting of civilian infrastructure by a far superior Israeli force is not simply 'defending' themselves and should not be supported by ANY democratic nation. I do not endorse my governments stance on this issue and therefore agree with the opinions expressed in this open letter to my government and others.

Dear Prime Minister, Minister Baird, Mr Mulcair, Mr Dewar, Mr Trudeau, and Mr Garneau,
We, the undersigned academics, lawyers, and community leaders, are profoundly perturbed by the unbalanced and partisan position adopted by the Canadian Government and federal political parties regarding the current violence in Gaza. While more than 650 Palestinians [update: more than 1000 Palestinians] – 75% civilians, according to the United Nations – have been killed in Israel’s latest military operation, official statements have focused exclusively on denouncing Hamas’s rocket strikes (responsible for two fatalities) and uncritically proclaiming Israel’s right to self-defence.
While Hamas’s indiscriminate rocket firings are illegal under international law, Israel is still bound by basic international humanitarian law principles protecting civilians during times of war and prohibiting collective punishment. Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian life and infrastructure in Gaza violate fundamental norms of international law. As of July 22, the toll of the ongoing offensive (the third major military assault on Gaza in six years) includes:

• at least 147 children killed, including four by missile strike while playing soccer on a Gaza beach;
  
• 3 504 Palestinians injured (it is uncertain how many are civilians, but the number includes 1 100 children and 1 153 women);
  
• 2 655 families whose homes have been destroyed or severely damaged;
  
• 117 000 people displaced;
  
• at least 90 schools and 18 health facilities damaged (including the destruction of al-Wafa Hospital, the only rehabilitation hospital in Gaza and the West Bank);
  
• 1.2 million people with no or very limited access to water and sanitation services.
  

And the toll increases by the hour.
Multiple human rights groups have documented and condemned likely Israeli war crimes in Gaza. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay concluded two weeks ago that “Deeply disturbing reports that many of the civilian casualties, including of children, occurred as a result of strikes on homes . . . raise serious doubt about whether the Israeli strikes have been in accordance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.” This week, Ms Pillay confirmed: “There seems to be a strong possibility that international law has been violated [by Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip], in a manner that could amount to war crimes.”
Amnesty International’s report observed, “In several cases of [air strikes on civilian homes in Gaza], no evidence has emerged to indicate that the alleged ‘Hamas operatives’ were inside the homes at the time of the attack, that the homes were being used to store munitions, or otherwise being used for military purposes.” According to Philip Luther, Director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Programme: “Unless the Israeli authorities can provide specific information to show how a home is being used to make an effective contribution to military actions, deliberately attacking civilian homes constitutes a war crime and also amounts to collective punishment against the families.”
Human Rights Watch similarly found that “Israeli air attacks . . . have been targeting apparent civilian structures and killing civilians in violation of the laws of war.”
The disregard for international law conveyed by the Government’s silence on such potentially grave violations committed by Israel discredits Canada domestically and internationally. Moreover, adoption of such a one-sided position subverts Canada’s own official foreign policy goal of achieving a “comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement” between Israel and Palestine. Rather than maintaining a studious silence in the face of these documented violations of international humanitarian law, a true friend would act responsibly and call Israel to account for those violations.
As a country claiming to champion universal human rights and dignity, Canada’s foreign policy must align with international law, and reflect the equal value of Palestinian and Israeli life. The callous devaluation of Palestinian life communicated by our political leaders does not represent us.
Sincerely,
Signed by over 900 academics, lawyers, journalists and community leaders and other professionals.

This letter is continuously updated to reflect “current casualty figures and findings of human rights organizations,” and list of signatories at Canadians4Gazans.com.


"And I condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization for sending missiles into Israel, but the Israeli retaliation and the invasion of Gaza violates international law and humanitarian norms, and any Prime Minister of Canada worth his or her salt would say that as a friend and ally of Israel, “you’ve gone too far - you must move to peace talks.”
Elizabeth May in her keynote address to GPC Convention, July 19, 2014


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