"On July 29th, 2005, the Vancouver Police Department and RCMP executed a warrant from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, raiding the B.C. Marijuana Party Headquarters in Vancouver and arresting party president Marc Emery in Halifax."
The warrant my friends was Issued by a Canadian Judge on the request of the DEA via the Justice Minister of Canada.
"The United States is attempting to extradite all three to face life in U.S. prison for selling cannabis seeds, a practice that has been openly tolerated by Canadian authorities and the Canadian people for a decade."
It may be openly tolerated but non the less it is still an offence in Canada.
"On September 10th, people in cities in Canada, the United States, and across the globe are uniting in protest against this alarming infringement on
Canadian sovereignty and unprecedented escalation
by the Bush administration of the failed War on Drugs."
Good thing you live in a free country such as Canada or you would not have this right to protest! "infringement on Canadian sovereignty" What the hell is that all about? Canada has had a working relationship with many countries in regards to extradition of criminals for many many years. Our sovereignty is quite in tact and will remain so.
"The Canadian government must abide by the Extradition Act of Canada and refuse the extradition of Marc, Greg, and Michelle."
The Canadian Government is abiding by the Extradition Act of Canada Part 2 section 3(1)(b) clearly states "the conduct of the person, had it occurred in Canada, would have constituted an offence that is punishable in Canada".
"View the DEA press release they wish they never released, spelling out their political motivations. Under Canadian law, this requires the Justice Minister to deny the extradition.
"
Well now, I am no lawyer but if someone could please tell me how a simple press release from the DEA, and them taking credit for the arrest is grounds to dismiss this case? I would love an explanation for this. I simply could not find anything to back up this claim in my research tonight.
My final thought... in the form of an oldie but a goodie......
You faught the law and the law won...
You faught the law and the law won.....
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Free Mark Emery, I Think Not!
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Wingnuterer not far of the mark
In recent post over at The Wingnuter there were reports of and I quote..."ICED (improvised condiment explosive device) with the deadly "French Fry Fragmentation" on the side".
As it turns out... They may be deadly in vast quantities...
And here we thought this blog was just another tabliod filled with lies and misspelling!
SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has filed a lawsuit to force top makers of potato chips and french fries to warn consumers about a potential cancer-causing chemical found in the popular snacks.
The suit asks manufacturers of these products to identify the dangers of high levels of acrylamide, a chemical that studies have found is created when starchy foods are cooked at high heat.
World Health Organization (WHO) has more information on this topic available here
And yet there is another article regarding same here from "Center for Science in the Public Interest" (CSPI).
Talk of western separation 'overblown'
CTV.ca News Staff
While Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan contends that there is discontent among western Canadians, she says recent talk of separation is "vastly overblown."
(She thinks so does she? Maybe she should spend some time reading some of the "Alberta Blogs" out there)
"I think there is discontent in relation to certain things, there is some concern," McLellan said in an interview that aired Sunday on CTV's Question Period.
(discontent, concern... I know it is way beyond the scope that those two words suggest)
"But having said that, I think we need to be careful about the language we use, and I think the language of separation or alienation overstates that which is the real feeling of the vast majority of westerners."
(What language should we use Anne? Maybe if we in the west spoke french more, our voices would be heard!)
The Liberals assert that they have made attempts to reach out to western Canadians.
( hmmmm.... can't thiink of a single thing that shows that the Liberals "have reached out" to western Canadians..not one...oh unless you consider the next few lines reaching out....give me a break...)
Earlier, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale indicated that holding last week's caucus meeting in Regina was a "helpful step" toward conquering alienation in Western Canada.
(oooooh...they held a Liberal meeting in the west....thats reaching out?)
McLellan also noted that Prime Minister Paul Martin will visit both Saskatchewan and Alberta next week to celebrate both provinces centennial birthdays.
(Ahhhhhh....a visit from PMPM..he graces us with his presence....we should be grateful and bow down to the great Liberal machine for for allowing us to have him within our borders.....$%#&^*#@^*...)
Thank goodness Mr. Rutherford was on hand to enlighten the Liberals....
"Just having the caucus meeting in Regina is not going to do it. It's tokenism, and frankly that's embarrassing," David Rutherford said, appearing on Question Period.
He says there is a "general anxiety" about the fact that Quebec "has undue influence in the politics of the nation," he said.
Another concern, he says, is "the population imbalance, of course ,which gives Toronto and the GTA a tremendous balance in voting power."
Rutherford believes alienation may be alleviated by "an understanding of this part of the world."
One of the outstanding concerns that western Canadians feel has gone unaddressed is gun control, he said.
"Gun control in and of itself is a Toronto-generated hysteria that cost us $2 billion and didn't save anybody's life, but it did persecute a lot of western people who have a lifestyle that includes rifles and shotguns," he said.
With a federal election approaching as early as the beginning of next year, such issues may return to the forefront.
"If there's another Liberal minority or Liberal majority government (after the next election,) look out, you're going to hear a lot from Alberta," Rutherford said.
The things Mr.Rutherford mentioned were not even the tip of the iceburg as far as I am concerned. The corruption in Ottawa and the bowing to Quebecs every desire. The wasteful spending on useless projects or by cancelling contracts. The list goes on and on. These people think that simply showing thier ugly mugs here is going to solve the problems they have in the west that they themselves, the Liberals, have caused? How pathetic!
Gas and Dash
I just returned from a quick trip to the corner 7-11 store. The attedndant who was taking care of me was more concerned with the cars at the pumps than she was with dealing with me. At first I was a little preturbed with this, when she suddenly grabbed a pen and starting writting on her hand. I noticed her hand was covered in ink. Believe it or not, the ink was licence numbers of several "gas and dash" vehicles from today alone. I began to speak to her in regards to this and she informed me it was the second one in the past couple of minutes and the fifth of her shift. Rightfully she was not very happy.
What I find amazing with this is that the people doing this don't even have the smarts to conceal their licence plate at all. I highly doubt that all were stolen plates. Maybe I am wrong on that point?
The price of gas is not going to go down in the forseable future, if ever. All that these thieve's are going to do is drive the price up even higher as the stations will have to make up the difference somehow.
I predict the other solution will be that more stations if not all, will require you to pay before you pump.
Canadian Political Beauty Contest Marches On
Poll #2 of the Canadian Political Beauty Contest is now up and ready for your votes.
Please note that if you have been to the site to vote previously you may have to "refresh" your browser to see the latest poles.
Thank you for your participation!
Canadian Political Beauty Contest
A big thank you to all who have taken part in the contest so far.
The polls are now closed for poll #1 of the contest. Poll #2 shall be up later today.
To see the results of the polls please go to this LINK.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Canadian Political Beauty Contest update two
The poll's for this round of voting shall be closing Sunday at noon MST. If you have not yet taken the time to vote, get your butt in gear!
Current results as of 8:43PM MST:
There has been 43 voters show up at the polls
Male poll: (with a total of 20 votes)
1m 5%(1 vote)
2m 0% (0 votes)
3m 0% (0 votes)
4m 15% (3 votes)
5m 10% (2 votes)
6m 5% (1 vote)
7m 35% (7 votes)
8m 30% (6 votes)
9m 0% (0 votes)
10m 0% (0 votes)
Female poll:(with a total of 30 votes)
1f 11%(3 votes)
2f 0% (0 votes)
3f 20% (6 votes)
4f 57% (17 votes)
5f 3% (1 vote)
6f 7% (2 votes)
7f 3% (1 vote)
8f 0% (0 votes)
9f 0% (0 votes)
10f 0% (0 votes)
Party Politics a Failure in Our System
As I wander from blog to blog, news article to news article, I notice, depending on the "political" views of each authour how everything is scewed to the "left" or the "right".
Everyone out in the blogging sphere it seems has their "pet" names to call members of the opposing parties. They also have a wonderful way of lumping everyone of a paticular party into some abstract visoin of what "they" think that party stands for.
Deffinitions:(as found in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
Liberal:
a) of, favoring, or based upon the principles of liberalism
b) capitalized : of or constituting a political party advocating or associated with the principles of political liberalism; especially : of or constituting a political party in the United Kingdom associated with ideals of individual especially economic freedom, greater individual participation in government, and constitutional, political, and administrative reforms designed to secure these objectives
Liberalism:
a) often capitalized : a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity
b) a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard
c) a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties
d) capitalized : the principles and policies of a Liberal party
Conservative:
a) tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions : TRADITIONAL
b) marked by moderation or caution (a conservative estimate)
c) marked by or relating to traditional norms of taste, elegance, style, or manners (a conservative suit)
Conservatism:
a) disposition in politics to preserve what is established
b) a political philosophy based on tradition and social stability, stressing established institutions, and preferring gradual development to abrupt change
c) the tendency to prefer an existing or traditional situation to change
Social:
of or relating to human society , the interaction of the individual and the group, or the welfare of human beings as members of society
Socialism:
any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
Conclusion:(using these somewhat vague definitions)
I consider myself a conservative. I do believe in traditional values, but not to a point where change is not acceptable. Change in society is inevitable and needed in order for that society to grow and improve.
I believe that we as a society are responcible for the welfare of human beings as members of society. In todays day and age there is no way to justify anyone living in poverty. That said, I believe in the old saying..."teach a man to fish" rather than "give the man fish".
I also believe in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties.
So how is it possible for me, a conservative, to be able to fall into all three catagories as defined here? Is it possible that we are more same than different? What we seem to be lacking is understanding and open honest debate on what is best for the country as a whole. We need to put party polilics aside as it only divides our nation when we all should be joining together to make it a better place for all.
Whether you live in Victoria, BC, ST. JOHN'S, NF or anywhere inbetween, does it truely matter what political stripe you wear on your sleve? Do you not want an honest, accountable, respectable and fair government? One that is looking out for every citizens best interest? One that promotes business in a way to create employment and further benefit shareholder's and it's employee's. One that will not waste or steal your hard earned money that you graciously hand over in the form of taxes out of every pay cheque? Is this too much to expect of any government? I personally don't think so. The question is, how do we get this kind of government?
Certainly not by name calling and childish behaviour!(ever watched CPAC?)
We must as a society come together, no, BAND together and demand more from all of our politicians. Let them know we are not going to let them continue down the same road as they have been. Insist they be accountable to you and I for every decision they make. Let them know that toting the party line on every vote is unexceptable. They are there to represent you the citizen's of this country, not the party!
Next time you have to vote at an election, whether it be municipal, provincial or federal, put on your party "blinders". Take a good look at what each candidate has to say and where they stand. Vote for the one who represents you best.
CanConv
My little contribution for anyone who cares to use it, is this little button for Linking to... Obviously...CanConv...
To link to this graphic use
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3929/354/1600/CanConv.gif
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Canadian Political Beauty Contest
With 35 voters showing up at the polls so far we are now seeing more canditates recieving votes. 17 votes cast in the male poll. Contestant 7m is in the lead with 35%(6 votes) followed closely by 8m with 29%(5 votes). 4m now has 18%(3 votes) while contestants 1m,5m and 6m all have 6%(1 vote) each.
Over at the female poll we have 25 votes cast with Contestant 4f still leading with 64%(16 votes). 3f has 16%(4 votes), 1f has 12%(3 votes). 6f and 7f both have 4%(1 vote)each.
Stay tuned for more results as they come in.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Lance Armstrong and EPO
With the ongoing contraversy with the 7 time winner of the Tour De France... I did some research on Erythropoietin(EPO). Low and behold what do I find. "EPO is effective in the treatment of anemia in cancer patients". What a coincidence... Lance is a cancer survivor. Is it possible that Lance was being treated with EPO and did not know it was part of his cancer treatment? I would like to think that this is the explanation. No matter how this turns out, one thing is still fairly certain. Lance was tested many times over the past 6 years and nothing was ever detected in those tests. Does that mean he is "clean"? Probably, the test's done now are far more safisticated than in 1999. The year these frozen samples came from. That concludes that he was still able to win 6 times in a row clean! An absolutely amazing feet.
All this from a guy who could care less about any sport...let alone cycling... go figure...
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
turtles turtles ya ya ya
MEXICO CITY - A campaign aimed at halting the illegal consumption of endangered turtles' eggs has run into trouble before it starts, with a women's group asking officials to block public service announcements featuring a scantily clad model.
Guess these folks won't be stopping by to vote at the Political Beauty Contest either. The add's makes perfect sense to me. They are made to target a specific audience and do just that. But then again... I am a bit bias here being a low life, single, middle aged, male. No I don't eat turtle eggs and viagra is deadly for diabetics so thats out too!
Maybe they should talk to Canada first?
CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak vowed to work towards a long-envisaged free trade agreement with the United States as he called for stronger economic ties with Washington.
Do ya think they know about NAFTA and how much fun we have been having with the good ol' USA over softwood lumber? Free trade when it is good for the US works, just don't expect it to work the other way around.
Stand Up for Canada
CPC has released 4 new TV adds now in ontario and soon to be through out Canada. I have taken a look at all four ads and personally think it is the best I have seen Mr. Harper look, calm, very casual and to the point. Maybe the BBQ circiut taught him a few things this summer. CPC's choice of "co stars" in the ads were also well chosen. My hats off to all involved in these ads.
Political Beauty Contest update
In typical Canadian fashion, the voting numbers have been very low. With 22 voters showing up at the polls so far we have only 10 votes cast in the male poll. Contestant 8m is in the lead with 50%(5 votes) followed closely by 7m with 30%(3 votes). Over at the female poll we have 13 votes cast with Contestant 4f clearly leading with 85%(11 votes). Stay tuned for more results as they come in.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Lets not over react or anything silly like that
WASHINGTON — Canadian beef banned under mad cow disease rules was shipped to wholesalers in a half-dozen states and is now being recalled by a Wisconsin beef plant. The 842 kilograms of beef came from an Ontario cow, officials say.
"When it comes to a case like this, the retailer is never disclosed, how are you ever going to know whether your chuck roast was involved in this recall or not?'' asked Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union. "The consumer has absolutely no way of knowing."
Well Jean Halloran, director of food policy initiatives at Consumers Union,(quite the title) I personally have ate at least 4 meals of Canadian Beef every week for the past two years and two months (actually longer.. but I'm going back to day one of the Mad Cow thing). I am sure that there are many Canadians who could say the same. Amazingly enough, not one of us has had any medical problems related to doing so. Don't get your shorts in a not over nothing!
MP Chuck Strahl diagnosed with lung cancer
My sincere thoughts and best wishes go out to Chuck Strahl in his time of need.
Scary Shit
If you don't find all of this a little disturbing, then I have lost all hope for the human race.
China and Russia are playing war games using and I quote...'live' ammo!
From BEIJING (AFP) Via Yahoo news...
"Military vessels, fighter jets and amphibious tanks will start three-day live-ammunition combat practice tomorrow," a senior officer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was quoted by the China Daily as saying.
And then...
From SEOUL(AFP)via Yahoo news...
"US and South Korean troops launched major war games which Stalinist North Korea has denounced as a dry-run for an invasion."
Is it just me or has the whole frickin human race started to go mad? Have we not learned anything from our past? Yes, unfortunately war is a neccessary evil at times. But come on, lets get a grip and deal with things before we end up wiping out the entire planet. I am sure my as of yet unborn grand children and great grand children would appreciate it!
Ok....I am done now....I'll be okay.....honestly....
New Google desktop tool offers plenty of convienence
From Googles site:
Google Desktop doesn't just help you search your computer; it also helps you gather new information from the web with Sidebar, a new desktop feature that shows you your new email, weather and stock information, personalized news and RSS/Atom feeds, and more. Sidebar is personalized automatically, without any manual configuration required (though you can certainly make your own customizations if you want to).
Surplus surplus surplus
Seems as if there are surplus tax dollars everywhere these days.
First of all there was a surplus from last years National budget.
From ReutersGoodale said projections of a surplus of $6 billion to $9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2005, were "just way out of whack."
In May, the Finance Department released preliminary figures showing a surplus of $9.77 billion for 2004-05, but year-end adjustments will reduce that substantially. The final figure should be ready in two or three weeks, he said.
Guess the Liberals have not quite figured out where to hide all that money yet... I regress...
A report released today shows that Ottowa already has a 4.8 Billion surplus in the past 3 months. Estimates suggest federal coffers could take in another $5 billion due to oil-related revenues. Right there is 9.8 Billion. More is sure to show up as the year chugs along.
Alberta is on tract to post a budget surplus of at least 6.9 billion according to this article.
While all provinces and territories with the exception of Nunavut, Quebec, Ontario and the Yukon should have surpluses as well. At this time I could not find any stats regarding same.
Just taking Alberta's and the Canadian Governments surpluses into account we have 16.7 Billion in surplus taxes. That works out to a cheque for $509.07 to every person in this great country. Yes all 32,805,041 of us in Canada, everyone, not just the tax payers!
Now boys and girls.... can we say...'Over Taxed'.....
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Saddam Casts Self As Martyr
"My soul and my existence is to be sacrificed for our precious Palestine and our beloved, patient and suffering Iraq," said the letter, published in two Jordanian newspapers and made available to The Associated Press.
I don't think the people of Iraq should give him the opportunity. As much as I would like to see Saddam done away with, they should let him rot in prison for the rest of his life instead of giving him the death penalty. It would be a humiliation for the man, not to mention deprive him of his latest goal.
Intelligent Falling
From The Onion News....
Things fall not because they are acted upon by some gravitational force, but because a higher intelligence, 'God' if you will, is pushing them down," said Gabriel Burdett, who holds degrees in education, applied Scripture, and physics from Oral Roberts University.......(More story here)
Looks like Andrew over at Bound by Gravity will have to change his sites name... "Bound by Higher Intelligence" or how about "Bound by The Hand of God"... naaaaaaaa.....go with the first one....
'Apathy' The Canadian Way
Half of Canadians paid absolutely no attention to the last federal budget, despite its long list of expensive spending promises on subjects ranging from child care to the military to seniors, federal government polling suggests.
Only 49 per cent admitted they paid any attention at all to the budget, even though it drew huge political attention with spending promises aimed at winning opposition parties' support.
If more than half of the people of this country are unwilling to pay attention to how the governmet is spending our money, how on earth do they expect we keep the government accountable? Come on people, it is your money. It should be a very big concern to evey citizen. I am not saying that we the common folk should know every detail of every budget but we should at least know the basics and where the government priorities are.
Time for the people of this country to get thier heads out of the sand!
B.C. has put $10M mortgage on Pickton's land
The B.C. government has put a mortgage worth $10 million on accused serial killer Robert Pickton's notorious pig farm to cover his publicly funded defence.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press show a mortgage principal of $10 million with no interest rate and no repayment schedule.
B.C. Assessment, which tracks property values for tax purposes, valued the seven-hectare pig farm at about $5.9 million as of last fall, up from $4.2 million in the previous assessment. The Burns Road property is assessed at about $140,000.(Robert Pickton's share is roughly $1.96 million...over 8 million shy.)
Pickton, his brother David and sister Linda Wright each own one-third shares in the pig farm located on Port Coquitlam's Dominion Avenue, which they inherited from their parents. The Pickton brothers split the ownership of the smaller Burns Road property that housed Piggy's Palace, often used for parties.
An expert in real-estate law who didn't want to be named says it's not unusual for mortgages not to reflect the value of a property. The $10-million principal in the Pickton mortgage may represent an estimate of the government's maximum security, he says.
Whether it can recover any of that is another question.
If the government wants to foreclose on the properties it would have to take Pickton's brother and sister to court and apply to force a sale because of their joint ownership, the real estate lawyer says.(yet more costs to the tax payers of BC over and above the $8 million already possibly lost)
Once it does, the rule of "first in time, first in line," applies, meaning earlier creditors would be paid before the province.( and oh...how much would that be?... sounds like you folks in BC are going to be giving a bunch of lawyers a ton of cash and not going to see a penny of it returned)
How on earth in this day and age did it ever come to this? Yes it is a huge case and involves a ton of evidence, but 7 lawyers paid for by the tax payers of BC? Seems a bit extreme to me. Has this man not already cost the people of BC enough already? If found guilty, he will serve 20 years thanks to our spineless legal system.(I refuse to call it a 'justice system') That is less than 1 year for each murder he is accused of!(Unless by some chance they declare him a 'dangerous offender') Major reforms on in order!
The Liberals are coming the Liberals are coming
The coming Liberal caucus retreat in Regina will be a "helpful step" toward quelling alienation in Western Canada, says federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale. (who is he kidding?)
"It's an important opportunity for the caucus to learn more about Saskatchewan and to connect better with Saskatchewan people, so I hope it will be a good exchange going both ways," Goodale said, appearing on CTV's Question Period.( And Saskatewan represent exactly how much of the west?)
"I think (western voters) care about how well their national government understands them, whether we are paying attention, whether we get the issues that western Canadians are most interested in."(oh really... is this a new liberal policy?... are they going to be going around giving all us westerners big hugs too?)
"In all likelihood (the caucus retreat will) precede an election so it's extremely significant in terms of the policy development process, in terms of dealing with governance issues and it's very significant that we have a positive, productive caucus meeting...And the election readiness and the House strategy obviously will also be discussed," Liberal MP and national caucus chair Andy Savoy told The Hill Times last month.( Ahhhhhhh....... now I get it... more liberal lip service prior to an election call...)
Prime Minister Paul Martin will be making public appearances in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba from August 22 to 26.( and we the kind tax payers are footing the bill for these trips promoting the liberal party... we are just so nice...almost makes ya wanna cry...)
Even more of this Liberal love fest of the west, can be found HERE.
Quote Tagged
Many Thanks to Dino over at BPOC for draggin me in on yet another one of these tags.
Fortunately I do have some quotes on my web site that I can copy and paste here and there is always The Quotations Page to get others.
The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many', and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'.
Larry Hardiman
Nothing is so admirable in politics as a short memory.
John Kenneth Galbraith
Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.
Mao Tse-Tung
The best political community is formed by citizens of the middle class.
Aristotle
One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.
Plato
In the war for individual rights, common sense becomes the first and major casualty. Unknown
Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes. Ralph Waldo Emerson
And lastly my favorite quote is....
It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense. Robert Green Ingersoll
the poor saps I have tagged...
Angry Roughneck
Blue Perspective
Blogette
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Climatologists Wager on Global Warming
Two climate change sceptics, who believe the dangers of global warming are overstated, have put their money where their mouth is and bet $10,000 that the planet will cool over the next decade.
The Russian solar physicists Galina Mashnich and Vladimir Bashkirtsev have agreed the wager with a British climate expert, James Annan.
I wonder how many rubbles that works out to? James might as well write that cheque now. He is going to lose!
Think you know the speed of light?
Guess again... the speed of light has been known as 186,000 miles per second. Well all that has just changed.
A team of researchers from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) has successfully demonstrated, for the first time, that it is possible to control the speed of light – both slowing it down and speeding it up – in an optical fiber, using off-the-shelf instrumentation in normal environmental conditions.
British troops get new weapon to fight terrorism
The British government has started to issue it troops some new equiptment. It includes boots with rubber soles designed to withstand temperatures of up to 572 degrees, wraparound sunglasses, light Kevlar-nylon helmets, combat sandals for off-duty wear and get this....germ-fighting underwear.
Meanwhile...Here in Canada our military personel make due with military surplus items some inginuity and paint. Go figure... Mr. Graham its time our forces get properly funded. Get Mr. Martin to stop putting our money in the pockets of liberals. Use it for what taxes were intended for, including our military.
Friday, August 19, 2005
OH MY GOD!
Look what we have done! Our military had to fire shots at a vehicle in Afghanistan's Khandahar region today. How will we ever live this down? It is a disgrace to the 'long standing' peace keeping history of our country. Thank god no one was hurt! I am sure Paul Martin will gladly issue a cheque to the owner of the taxi that was shot for its replacement. Its the Canadian way don't ya know.
Now that I have managed to shake the Liberal poltergeist out of me...
I would like to thank all of our troops in Afghanistan and wish them all a safe return. I am very proud of our military personel no matter what role they are playing. Yes we do a great job at peacekeeping, better than any other force in the world. But when push comes to shove our forces are second to none and will always shine above all the rest. I know they will do us all proud!
Fishing weekend cancelled due to soaring gas prices and falling bank account
I had planned on being on my way to my other home up at Fawcett Lake by this time. After checking out my bank account, and calculating the cost of fuel for getting there and for the boat...well here I am. Think the lake will have to be every other weekend for a while. Guess my yard work around here will finally get done. The nieghbours will be happy if nothing else.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Croc Blood
Reaserchers have found that crocodiles have a much more advanced imune system than do humans. They can fight off far more infections and may be the link we need to fight off many of our ills.
Now if only it will lead to a cure for the hangover... then I will be impressed...
Google Introduces Blogger For Microsoft Word
Google has released a Blogger for Word toolbar that lets people post musings directly to their Google Blogger sites from Microsoft Word this week.
Blogger for Word is a free download plug in that enables you to easily save a Word document as a post to your Blogger blog without having to open a browser, as well as save drafts of blogs and edit their work offline for later posting.
Wooooho....fast and easy grammar checking and spell check... lord knows I need both in a bad way...
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Operation Deep Saber
The exercise is a practice run of intercepting ships carrying weapons of mass destruction. Taking part are some 2,000 naval, coast guard and other service members, 10 vessels and six aircraft from Japan, the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia and Singapore. Malaysia, Pakistan, Vietnam and Brunei are taking part as observers at the invitation of Singapore.
Is this just a coincidence or is it a well orcastrated show for China, considering it latest threats?
Global Warming
Global warming my ass! These folks should have had this meeting here in Edmonton. I would be pleased as punch if global warming would speed up and give us at least a few warm days this year. This has got to be one of the coldest summers on record for this area. I certainly cannot remember a summer with such low tempatures in my life time. Hopefully we will get a long indian summer later on.
Michaelle Jean
She speaks!
Will anyone listen, or believe what she has said? Why did it take so long for her to speak out and deffend her good name and honour? Why is the english version of her statement different from the french version? More questions than answers...
Unfortunately we the people have no say in this country and we will all have to wait and see as she fulfills her role as governor general. I hope I will not have the oppertunity to say..."I told you so"... but I personally think we have not heard the last of the controversy from Michaelle Jean. We have only seen the tip of this iceberg.
Taber Killer Identified but...
Now that he is back in custody his name is no longer allowed to be used and many of the stories mentioning his name have been removed from the net. Wait a second... did he not just commit a crime as an "adult" by running away from the half way house? Does this not now make him fair game for the media to continue using his name and picture regarding this new "crime" commited by an "adult" and not a "young offender"?
Michaelle Jean
Queen Elizabeth must be sleeping well in her palace knowing Paul Martin Has chosen such a loyal Canadian citizen to be our next Governor General.
Paul Coffin
He testified at sentencing arguments in his case that he owed the federal government $1.5 million and recently settled the civil suit for $1 million.
So, if I read this right... Paul coffin ripped off the people of Canada the amount of 1.5 million. The government sued him in civil court and settled for a payment of 1 million. This means Paul coffin walks away with $500,000 of our money. Not a bad gig if you can get it. Where does one sign up?
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Racial Profiling
When you have 44 homicides in one city, the vast majority of which involve a visable group and are in specific area's of that city. Does it not make sense to focus your resourses in those area's and towards that visible group to prevent more of the same?
I don't know about you, but I know that there is a certain group in the city where I live that are responsible for most of the shootings here. I can point them out very easily as I am sure the local police can as well. They are young, from a visible minority and drive expensive, heavily modified import cars. I am not saying that everyone fitting this vague description is guilty of a crime. They do however fit a general description of suspected criminals thus should be under scrutiny by the police when necessary.
It would be no different than the police pulling me over if a crime was commited in the area and I fit the general description of the suspect. It is called "reasonable grounds". I for one would not have a problem with that at all, as I know I have done nothing wrong. Yes it may be an inconvience, and oh my god...I may be late to where ever I was going...hopefully work... at least I know the police are doing thier job and hopefully the next person they pull over is the guilty person.
We must take the handcuffs off of the police and put them on the criminals.
I applaud Michael Thompson for having the guts to come out and state the obvious no matter how politically incorrect his statement was.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Holiday is over
My little holiday at the lake is over. The weather was not all that great the whole week. Cloudy raining off and on and very windy. Not condusive to a great holiday. We did make the best of it though. We caught plenty of walleye and a few northerns. We saw plenty of deer, a bear, bald eagles, pelicans, beavers, but not a moose anywhere to be found! Did a little quading in the back trails. Took the kids tubing when the weather finally allowed on Friday.
Now it is time to get back to the grind and get this Political beauty contest rolling.......
Thursday, August 04, 2005
GONE CATCHING!
Gone "fishing" implies that I may or may not actually catch anything. I will be catching plenty of fish in the next week, that I can guarantee!
Do to the lack of an internet connection at the cabin, this will be my last post until Sunday August 14,2005. When I return I will get busy on the Political Beauty Pagent. Miss Universe look out! So glad I don't live in the centre of the universe. Pun intended!
While I am gone and actually catching fish...unlike someone I know... keep an eye on that Dino character over at BPOC. You just never know what he might dig up next. Maybe another bison mystery yet unsolved, or perhaps something regarding Sydney Crosby...ya just never know....
Have a great week everyone!
P.S. I will bring you a couple walleye upon my return Dino seeing you were unable to "catch" your own...:P
Our New Governor General
I have been searching the net far and wide to find out as much as I possibly can about the newly selected Governor General, Michaelle Jean. To my surprize I have not found much. I was exspecting to find volumes about her and her accomplishments. Pretty much everywhere I looked I found the same words repeated over and over.
The following are excerpts from CNEWS and The Globe and Mail. My comments follow in().
"a Haitian-born television journalist based in Quebec, will be
Canada's next governor general"
"Ms. Jean will be Canada's first black governor-general and the first Quebecker appointed to the post in 21 years"
"At 48, Jean is one of the youngest people ever appointed to the vice-regal post.
( This is Canada right? What does it matter where she was born, what colour she is, how young she is, or what province she resides in? Race, creed, gender, sexual orientation and all that stuff.)
"She said she has a particular interest in standing up for women, youth and the disadvantaged." (I am hoping "disadvantaged" means everyone else in Canada. Probably not though. As a heterosexual, white, single, middle aged, middle income, male that smokes(thanks Dino), I am probably in one of the most "disadvantaged" groups in the country at the moment.)
"Ms. Jean is fluent in French, English, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole. She studied at the University of Montreal and universities in Florence, Milan and Perugia, Italy." ( yee haa.....finally something that matters... she is obviously well educated and has some smarts.)
"I want this office to continue to have life to it and connect with people from all walks of life, all backgrounds and circumstances" ( A life? Now what does this mean? A life of it's own as Clarkson gave it with uncontroled spending?)
"A regular contributor to CBC Newsworld's The Passionate Eye and Rough Cuts documentary programs, Jean may be best known for her work on RDI, the French-language all-news channel, as host of the documentary series Grands Reportages." (I'm not a fan of the CBC so it is no surprize that I have no clue to what any of these are.)
"Canadians are going to fall in love with this woman," a source told The Globe and Mail on Wednesday. "There is no other word to describe her than inspirational. She is extraordinary." ( Hopefully this "source" knows her very well and is correct.)
"Her name did not appear on any of the speculative "short lists" published in newspaper columns in recent months. In fact, Jean has a relatively low public profile in English Canada." ( Again I know nothing of her, so this statement could very well be right.)
Paul Martin..."She really represents the story of Canada - the story of Canada in who she is, how she came here, and what she has done,"
Paul Martin...."She is a reflection of that great quality of Canada, a country which focuses on equality of opportunity."
(End of excerpts)
Very well said Mr. Martin..... Your speech writters have chosen your words well... give them folks a big raise. "Equality" a word Mr. Martin seems to use alot to defend his actions in parliment. "Oppertunity" Something Mr. Martin knows well as he is very much an opportunistic politician and will take every opportunity to to swing votes his way at any cost.
I continue to search the internet to find anything at all that Michaelle Jean has done that makes her stand out, that qualifies her to be Governor General.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Ernest Alvia Smith
Lest we forget
The last of a rare breed.
Ernest Alvia ("Smokey") Smith, the last living recipient of the Victoria Cross left in Canada, passed away today at the age of 91. Born: May 3, 1914 - Died: Aug. 3 2005.
A complete list of Victoria Cross recipients and details of thier actions is available at the Vetrans Affairs Canada web site.
War for Oil Part Du
Thanks for your comments and the link Dino,Mike and Mark on my last post regarding "War for Oil.
I have to agree with your points in #1 to a degree Mike. I am in no way saying the U.S. could just walk into any country without a fight, and by no means would I suggest that our Canadian Forces are not up to the fight. I do know that despite the lack of support from our government, that our troops are one of, if not the best trained force in the world. Would be nice if they were as well equipt as they are trained though.
The point I was trying to get across was the size of the forces. You must admit that the US has far more military resources and one on one would eventually win through attrition.
Attacking any country does not makes fiscal sence... the war in Iraq has cost the American citizens something in the nieghbourhood of 211 billion dollars. At $38/barrel(the average price per barrel during the war) thats a hell of alot of oil. 5,552,631,579 barrels actually! The equivalant of 278 days of oil used by the entire US population completely paid for and yet not a drop to be seen anywhere. This does not factor in the cost of the lives lost or personel injured and the medical cost incured due to these injuries. The lives alone make the whole thing un-feasible in most peoples eyes(approx. 1990 soldiers from the coalition forces killed and close to 14,000 wounded, latest estimates say close to 25,000 Iraqis have lost thier lives. I could not find any numbers for the wounded Iraqis). Mind you are are talking politicians here, and they are far from "most people".
Second largest proven oil reserves? I guess that all depends on who's numbers you are using. The sites I found showing the numbers at best placed Iraq at #3 and as far down as #6.
Oil in the future...not likely...Oil will be just as coal is today. Other forms of energy are sure to take its place and 211 billion would have gone a long way in R&D. Alternatives to oil, The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program, The Canadian Wind Energy Association and Galvanize Research and Development for Alternatives to Oil are a few good reads on this subject. Haliburton making money in the oilfield industry... well seeing they are one of the largest in the business and have been around since 1919 and have joined forces with other long time oil field busnesses such as Dresser and Brown and Root, makes sence that they would be involved in Iraq regardless of who was thier past CEO. I don't think anyone would benefit from an upstart company in this possition. Do you? Yes there is going to be a ton of cash made by companies over in Iraq. Thats what companies are suppose to do. Making a profit is not a crime and I would hate to see any company go over there and end up in the red because of it.
But I am a cautious optimist I guess.
Convergence of interests... such as? Maybe peace on earth and oil? Justice for all and oil? Fix our past mistakes(backing Sodamninsane) and oil? Take over the world one country at a time and oil? Finish what Dad started and oil? Not sure where you are going here Mark.
The US oil reserves can only supply one quater to one third of thier current use. They must import between 15 to 18 million barrels per day to make up thier shortfall. Who would'nt want to be friends with the Saudis? It always nice to have a few "rich" friends to chum around with.
Struggle? I don't think so! Politically Correct I am not. It is a War just the same as the "Police Action" in Korea was a War! I will call it what it is.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Political Beauty Contest
As Dino has already mentioned on his blog over at BPOC I am currently working on a "all party" Beauty contest. As not to offend anyone, there will be one for the female politician as well as the male politicians. I plan on first breaking them up into age catagories for the first elimination round...this will take a few different rounds to get the 307 members down to a managable contest number....stay tuned...