Alert for USians Living In or Travelling to TO

Yup. Despite one billion loonies spent by HarperCo on security for the coming G20 summit, Washington has deemed it necessary to issue a travel alert. USians who live in or intend to travel to Toronto between now and June 28th are advised to "avoid protests" and avoid downtown TO altogether.

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He Talketh Out of Both Sides of Mouth

Liberal MP Joe Volpe tweets: "I stand with Israel. Critics would be wise to reserve judgment until all the facts are clear."

Clearly, Volpe considers his own advice to be valueless.

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Very Impressive

This is what a coalition agreement looks like - The Coalition: Our programme for government (PDF). BBC provides the summary here.

I am particularly impressed by this, from p27 of the agreement:

"We will whip both Parliamentary parties in both Houses to support a simple majority referendum on the Alternative Vote."

Canadian politics and the behaviour of Canada's politicians appear so petty and small in comparison.

My thanks to Doug Saunders, European Bureau Chief of the Globe and Mail, for tweeting the above links.

ETA: Some readers appear not to have noted the point of emphasis above. I support a referendum on electoral reform whose result is based on a simple majority, not the super majorities (60 percent) that Canadian provinces have imposed. I do not support the Alternative Vote, which is another winner-take-all system, not a proportional one.

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UK Forms Coalition Government - UPDATE 3

Details are starting to emerge regarding the deal between the UK Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Of particular interest is an agreement to hold a referendum on the Alternative Vote. While AV is another flavour of winner-take-all and is not proportional, it does use the preferential ballot. Therefore, AV helps citizens become accustomed to voting by preferential order rather than by either/or.

The agreement also includes moving toward having an elected upper house and by means of a proportional system. (The House of Lords is equivalent in function to the Canadian Senate.)

Would that Canada emulated the UK's example!

Original post.

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UK Forms Coalition Government - UPDATE

Confirmed, from the first speech by the new PM David Cameron. There WILL be a coalition government. Details to follow.

If the Brits can do it, why not Canada?

Why did Stephen Harper - and Paul Martin, and other leaders of parties that headed minority governments - never enter into a coalition with another party, in order to form MAJORITY governments?

Canada, and especially Canadian politicians, LEARN FROM THIS.

UPDATE: Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrats, is reported confirmed to be the new Deputy Prime Minister in the new Conservative-LibDem government. Also it's rumoured that the LibDems negotiated strongly and received many more concessions from the Conservatives than vice versa - unlike Canada's Ineffectual Opposition parties. In his speech, Cameron had spoken of a "full and proper" coalition. Looks like he meant it.

UPDATE 2: BBC reports (am watching the livestream) that aside from deputy PM, LibDems will get 20 posts in government (five ministers/15 secretaries).

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Haiti and Disaster Capitalism

Watch for it, warns Naomi Klein. She reads a post from the US Heritage Foundation website that gives us a glimpse, evidence that already the vultures are circling.

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24 Journalists Detained, includes Newsweek Reporter

From Al-Jazeera English:

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released the names of 23 Iranian journalists, editors and bloggers arrested since June 14 and said several others were believed to have been detained or had gone into hiding.

"The regime has been visibly shaken by its own population and does not want to let this perception endure. That is why the media have become a priority target," RSF said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran now ranks alongside China as the world's biggest prison for journalists."

It said that jailed journalists were under pressure to make filmed confessions and that there were allegations of torture.

Newsweek said that Maziar Bahari, who has been living in Iran for the past decade, had been "detained without charge by Iranian authorities and has not been heard from since."

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What's the Matter with People?!

I'm astonished at how little attention most bloggers, including progressive bloggers, are paying to the Iran situation.

Don't you CARE what's happening to the MILLIONS of Iranians protesting against Ahmadinejad's coup? Are you all so focused on your own little corner of the world? Or is it that Iran isn't sexy enough - while Gaza, for a time, was?

Wherever human rights are denied, progressives must do whatever they can to fight the good fight.

Want to help the Iranian protesters? I include some tips in the post below.

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The Revolution WILL be Broadcast - Seven Demands

Just picked up on Twitter... The protesters, during their one MILLION strong march today, drafted the following demands:

1. Dismissal of Khamenei for not being a fair leader.
2. Dismissal of Ahmadinejad for his illegal acts.
3. Temporary appointment of Ayatollah Montazeri as the Supreme Leader.
4. Recognition of Mousavi as the President.
5. Forming the Cabinet by Mousavi to prepare for revising the Constitution.
6. Unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners.
7. Dissolution of all organs of repression, public or secret.

Source: TehranBureau.

Want to help? If you don't already have a Twitter account, get one! Then set your timezone under your profile to GMT+3:30 - Tehran.

Then start tweeting and include '#iranelection', 'iran9' (without the scare quotes) in all your Iran-related tweets. This will confuse Iranian government techs who are trying to track down Iranian citizen journalists.

The best way to follow what's happening in the Twitterverse is to use this site, which was set up by the folks at Twazzup, expressly for helping the Iranians get the word out.

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UPDATE 2: The Revolution WILL be Broadcast

CBC's Jian Ghomeshi speaks at a protest event earlier today.



See also the video in post below, which is getting a lot of attention. It shows both the size and strength of the protest, and compassion as some protesters protect and help an injured police officer.

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UPDATE: The Revolution WILL be Broadcast

Thank goodness for social media! What's happening in Iran is all over the Twitterverse. Check out the hashtag #iranelection for eyewitness accounts and other news, also this new Twazzup site which provides live second-by-second updates.

Among the latest: 120 academics have resigned at Sharif University, also this graphic video of riot police caught by crowd of protesters.

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Bush is Coming to Canada - Again

From Toronto Coalition to Stop the War:

From launching an illegal war on Iraq that has killed over one million people, to advocating torture at Guantánamo Bay and secret detention centres around the world, Bush has lots to answer for - and should be held to account. Join us for a city-wide rally on May 29 - the day that Bush is slated to speak in Toronto - to demand that he be charged and arrested for war crimes.

One week earlier, on May 22, join us for a public forum to hear international law experts and civil liberties campaigners explain the myriad of crimes committed by the Bush administration, and to find out how Bush could formally be charged with war crimes in Canada. Also find out how other US leaders - including former US president Bill Clinton, who will appear with Bush on May 29 - could be charged with war crimes, too.

Don’t let Canada be a haven for war criminals.

Visit their website for more info.

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Mass Suicide of 1,500 Farmers in India

I'd have expected environmentalists to be all over this, but nowhere in the blogosphere have I seen mention of it.

Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today....

"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine....

Mr Sahu lives in a district that recorded 206 farmer suicides last year. Police records for the district add that many deaths occur due to debt and economic distress.

In another village nearby, Beturam Sahu, who owned two acres of land was among those who committed suicide. His crop is yet to be harvested, but his son Lakhnu left to take up a job as a manual labourer. His family must repay a debt of £400 and the crop this year is poor....

Bharatendu Prakash, from the Organic Farming Association of India, told the Press Association: "Farmers' suicides are increasing due to a vicious circle created by money lenders. They lure farmers to take money but when the crops fail, they are left with no option other than death.... Development should be for all. The government blames us for being against development. Forest area is depleting and dams are constructed without proper planning.

And who pays but small farmers, the lifeblood of communities, while big business often funded from abroad digs into their livelihoods?

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US to Vie for UN Human Rights Council Seat

The headline wasn't particularly disturbing. Neither was this:

The United States is to run for a seat on the United Nations human rights council, the US state department has said. The decision reverses the position of the previous US administration under George Bush, to in effect boycott the council over its criticism of Israel.

In fact, I began to feel hopeful when reading that last line. But then there was this:

Susan Rice, Washington's ambassador to the UN, said that membership of the council would be "a tool to advance our interests".

"We don't view it as legitimizing the council. We will stand up and forcefully lead on those issues that we care most deeply about," she said.

"A tool to advance our interests." Not in any way to be construed as "legitimizing the council." "Forcefully lead."

Why, then, other than to de-legitimize the human rights council is the US bothering? Seems to me the US wants to remove what teeth the council has left.

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Only in the UK, but wish it were here

Our governments could sure use a list like this.

Council leaders have compiled a banned list of the 200 worst uses of jargon, with "predictors of beaconicity" and "taxonomy" among the worst horrors. The Local Government Association says such words and phrases must be avoided....

LGA chairman Margaret Eaton said: "The public sector must not hide behind impenetrable jargon and phrases....

"Why do we have to have 'coterminous, stakeholder engagement' when we could just 'talk to people' instead? If a council fails to explain what it does in plain English then local people will fail to understand its relevance to them. We do not pretend to be perfect, but as this list shows, we are striving to make sure that people get the chance to understand what services we provide."

The BC welfare system could use a similar attitude, although there's a strong suspicion among welfare recipients that government jargon is there intentionally, in order to confuse and not enlighten people about their rights.

A Plain English Campaign spokeswoman said: "This gobbledegook has to go. Jargon has its place within professions but it should not be allowed to leak out to the public, as it causes confusion. It could even be used to cover up something more sinister."

Remind you of anyone?

See the full list of banned words and phrases.

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Jewish Canadians on Suppression of Criticism of Israel

This statement was rejected by both the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail (as an op-ed). Please help this important statement get into broad circulation - pass it on to your networks (faculty, community, MPs, university presidents, unions, etc.). You might also write to the papers, expressing your dismay that they have chosen not to publish it.

Jewish Canadians Concerned About Suppression of Criticism of Israel
James Deutsch, M.D., Ph.D., Judith Deutsch, M.S.W., R.S.W., Miriam Garfinkle, M.D.

Over 150 Jewish Canadians signed a statement expressing their concerns about the campaign to suppress criticism of Israel that is being carried on within Canada. The signatories include many prominent Canadians, including Ursula Franklin O.C., Anton Kuerti O.C., Naomi Klein, Dr. Gabor Mate, and professors Meyer Brownstone (recipient of Pearson Peace Medal), Natalie Zemon Davis, Michael Neumann, and Judy Rebick.

The signatories are particularly concerned that unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism deflect attention from Israel's accountability for what many have called war crimes in Gaza. They state that B'nai Brith and the Canadian Jewish Congress have led campaigns to silence criticism of Israel on university campuses, in labor unions and in other groups. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff unquestioningly echo the views of these particular Jewish organizations.

They strongly state that they are against all expressions of racism. While firmly committed to resisting any form of prejudice against Jewish people, their statement explicitly states that these spurious allegations of anti-Semitism bring the anti-Communist terror of the 1950s vividly to mind. The statement underlines the immeasurable suffering and injustice to the Palestinian people due to the severe poverty, daily humiliations, and military invasions inflicted by the State of Israel.

Statement: Jewish Canadians Concerned about Suppression of Criticism of Israel

We are Jewish Canadians concerned about all expressions of racism, anti-Semitism, and social injustice. We believe that the Holocaust legacy "Never again" means never again for all peoples. It is a tragic turn of history that the State of Israel, with its ideals of democracy and its dream of being a safe haven for Jewish people, causes immeasurable suffering and injustice to the Palestinian people.

We are appalled by recent attempts of prominent Jewish organizations and leading Canadian politicians to silence protest against the State of Israel. We are alarmed by the escalation of fear tactics. Charges that those organizing Israel Apartheid Week or supporting an academic boycott of Israel are anti-Semites promoting hatred bring the anti-Communist terror of the 1950s vividly to mind. We believe this serves to deflect attention from Israel's flagrant violations of international humanitarian law.

B'nai Brith and the Canadian Jewish Congress have pressured university presidents and administrations to silence debate and discussion specifically regarding Palestine/Israel. In a full-page ad in a national newspaper, B'nai Brith urged donors to withhold funds from universities because "anti-Semitic hate fests" were being allowed on campuses. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff have echoed these
arguments. While university administrators have resisted demands to shut down Israel Apartheid week, some Ontario university presidents have bowed to this disinformation campaign by suspending and fining students, confiscating posters, and infringing on free speech.

We do not believe that Israel acts in self-defense. Israel is the largest recipient of US foreign aid, receiving $3 million/day. It has the fourth strongest army in the world. Before the invasion of Gaza on 27 December 2008, Israel's siege had already created a humanitarian catastrophe there, with severe impoverishment, malnutrition, and destroyed infrastructure. It is crucial that forums for discussion of Israel's accountability to the international community for what many have called war crimes be allowed to proceed unrestricted by specious claims of anti-Semitism.

We recognize that anti-Semitism is a reality in Canada as elsewhere, and we are fully committed to resisting any act of hatred against Jews. At the same time, we condemn false charges of anti-Semitism against student organizations, unions, and other groups and people exercising their democratic right to freedom of speech and association regarding legitimate criticism of the State of Israel.

To view the list of signatories, please see the first post in this babble thread.

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US Mayor Stands Up for Workers

WOW. The Mayor of Lansing, Michigan lambastes Faux News. Here's the video.

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Canada Apes US, Boycotts UN Racism Conference

While the Obama administration has stepped leftward in acknowledging the right of states to enact their own laws regarding medical marijuana, it has lurched rightward in boycotting the UN's Conference Against Racism, to be held in Geneva in April.

The rationale for the boycott: references to Israel in the draft resolution of the conference's final document.

Robert Wood, speaking on behalf of the US state department, said

the US would not participate in the conference unless its final statement does not criticise any one country or conflict. The US also did not want the document to take up the issue of reparations for slavery, which was another hot topic in the Durban 2001 conference.

Naturally, Tzipi Livni, Israel's foreign minister, is delighted.

"Under the fig leaf of combating racism, this conference is blatantly anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli," Livni said in a statement on Saturday.

"The decision of the United States should be an example to other countries that share our values."

Those values would include unstinting, unequivocal support for all things related in any way, shape or form to Israel. For to be otherwise is, of course, "anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli."

Naturally, pro-Israeli groups laud the US stern resolve.

"President [Barack] Obama's decision not to send US representation to the April event is the right thing to do and underscores America's unstinting commitment to combating intolerance and racism in all its forms and in all settings," the American Israel Public Affairs Committee said.

Ha ha ha ha ha ... canna catch my breath ... ha ha ha ha ha.

Canada, of course, obediently supports the boycott. Good boy, Harper, good boy.

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A Step in the Left Direction

The Obama administration has come through and is forbidding the US DEA from any further raids on state sanctioned medical marijuana outlets.

In response to a question at a Wednesday news conference, US Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department will no longer raid medical marijuana dispensaries in states where they are legal under state law. The announcement marks the fulfillment of a President Obama campaign promise, and it marks the end of 13 years of stubborn federal resistance to state medical marijuana programs.

As the US Justice Department's stance on it's oppressive approach toward the use of medical marijuana heavily influences Canadian policy, this is good news for patients in both countries.

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US "Personhood Law" Inching Forward

I'll tell you straight away that Ocean and I are pro-choice on the abortion issue and vehemently against the State of North Dakota legislators attempting to pass the Personhood of Children Act.

Pro-choice groups have warned that a law passed by legislators in the US state of North Dakota recognizing the "personhood" of a fetus would not only outlaw abortion but could also bar access to birth control.

Lawmakers in the North Dakota lower house voted 51 to 41 on Tuesday to pass the Personhood of Children Act, which confers the same basic rights on "all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born."

The bill is expected to go before the state senate in around two weeks.

If passed, it would be used to challenge the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe versus Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States and gave the country some of the least restrictive abortion laws in the world, experts said.

The actions being taken by lawmakers in North Dakota to restrict a woman's autonomy are regressive, oppressive, controlling, inane and downright morally incomprehensible.

Imagine the outcry if nine men in ten would be required, by law, to be sterilized. Imagine men having that decision forced upon them, whether they agreed or not.

You may not concur with this comparison but we can think of nothing else that would give pause for thought, as North Dakota lawmakers inch toward such a despicable decision.

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