Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Stand on guard, run like hell



See the paid-off local bottom feeders
Passing themselves off as leaders
Kiss the badies shake hands with the fellows
And it's open for business like a cheap bordello
And they call it democracy - Bruce Cockburn


I haven't written much here about Canada (once, I think). There are several good reasons for that, and perhaps some bad ones, too.

Since I write about Canada elsewhere, for a Canadian audience, I suppose I think that's enough. Also, I have that annoying, self-effacing tick: who really wants to hear about us? But maybe the chief cause has been my lingering naivité that Canada is a place where politics still trumps deep politics. It's a presumption that doesn't bear scrutiny. After all, this is the home of Bush family interest Barrick Gold and of the Bronfmans, a family with a pedigree in organized crime that also has links to "the Nine." Montreal figures in the background of both John Kennedy's murder (it was the home of Louis Bloomfield, Chairman of Clay Shaw's Permindex) and Martin Luther King's (James Earl Ray met Raul in the city in 1967). And there's always more, when you look for it.

Prime Minister Paul Martin, a former protege of Maurice Strong, has a family concern called Canada Steamship Lines, "the world's largest fleet of self-unloading bulkers," that controls assets worth $700 million. He transferred control to his sons in 2003 when running for the Liberal leadership. Until then, the company had been in a blind trust during his years in government. Martin acknowledged when seeking the top job that $137,000 in federal funds had been received by his company while he served as Finance Minister. That was a slight miscalculation. The actual amount of grants and loans CSL received was $161 million.

And then there was the story that broke July 1, 2004: "Nova Scotia Police Seize Cocaine on CSL Ship." And again, it wasn't a piddling amount. Two duffel bags found behind a ballast grate on the bottom of the hull were found to contain 83 kilograms, worth $12 to $14 million. The ship was named the Sheila Ann, after the Prime Minister's wife.

CSL spokeswoman Martine Malka pulled the family’s nuts out of the bilge water. "This cannot be done through the ship," she said. "The only way this could have been done is by divers underwater." In other words, Gosh, officer, how'd that get there?

Susan Horne, president of the Customs Excise Union in Nova Scotia, agreed, and explained with some fuzziness that the drugs were almost certainly destined for Canada, as their placement would have interfered with the crew unloading coal in Sydney, and would surely have been noticed.

There are a few things that just don’t sit right about that.

For instance, what kind of argument contends that the hypothetical placement of the drugs in Sydney would have interfered with the crew, and yet the placement of the drugs in Venezuela supposedly proceeded without notice? A pretty damn circular one, I’d say. Also, how could the duffel bags have been retrieved without drawing attention of the crew, if their placement "would surely have been noticed"?

The quick presumption of innocence for the crew is bizarre, since it was only the earlier summer that RCMP canine units sniffed out sailors’ "personal use" narcotics on five CSL ships. A single crew member was found in possession of drugs valued at $250,000.

The Sheila Ann had arrived loaded from Venezuela. Leaving Sydney Nova Scotia, its next port of call was destined to be Miami. Empty. And after the fluke seizure, especially empty.

Perhaps most suspicious is the amount involved. Eighty-three kilograms is an exceptionally large amount to risk on an unwitting mule. For instance, the same week as the Sheila Ann seizure, no more than 369 grams of hashish and 706 grams of cocaine were discovered hidden in the wing of a Boeing 767 that had arrived at the Vancouver International Airport from Australia.

This suggests a couple of things: either this method had been tried and trusted over a long period of time, or the mule was not so unwitting. Either way, it certainly wasn’t the one-off authorities pretended it to be. And that the story broke not long after the Vancouver headlines of RCMP drug raids on provincial Liberals with strong Martin ties – well, this is Canada we're talking about, so let's not get carried away. Like last November's story, that a drug-related contract to hit Martin for $300,000 was shopped around the Toronto underworld - that just can't be right.

But that was then, and this is mid-January, and in two weeks Canadians will be electing a new government. And chances are high it will be led by Stephen Harper of the Conservative Party, whose braintrust brims with Straussians and Bohemian Grovers.

To get an idea what that would mean, last month The Washington Times ran a piece entitled "Gift from Canada?" It begins:

Why does President Bush hope Christmas comes a little late this year? Because on Jan. 23, Canada may elect the most pro-American leader in the Western world. Free-market economist Stephen Harper, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, is pro-free trade, pro-Iraq war, anti-Kyoto, and socially conservative. Move over Tony Blair: If elected, Mr. Harper will quickly become Mr. Bush's new best friend internationally and the poster boy for his ideal foreign leader.

Harper and his crowd are not the brand of conservatives Canadians have seen in office before. That party, the stubbornly oxymoronic Progressive Conservatives, was destroyed by the Bush family lapdog misrule of Brian Mulroney, and eventually absorbed by the far-right fringe of social- and neo-cons who needed a presentable vehicle to carry them to power. Now, to the casual voter, they're just "Tories," like those before whom they remember as governing not so differently than the Liberals. I think, even if they don't pay particular attention, they'll be surprised by what they get.

We're living at a time when all the pieces are coming into play, and that includes the other North America. If the next move is a Harper victory, I think we can expect a certain destabilization that will be welcomed by some in Washington who will be ready to exploit it. Because there will likely be an election in Quebec next year that will almost certainly elect a separtist government bent upon holding a new referendum on sovereignty. These Conservatives, led by alienated Westerners, have no love or understanding of Quebec, and many of them hope for its departure from Canada as it's predominently left values are regarded as impediments to untrammelled rule by the far right. Harper is already cutting deals with the sovereigntist Bloc Quebecois, whose leader has pledged not to bring down a minority government for three years.

That could be enough time to see the end of Canada, both conceptually and factually. There would then be nothing for us but Fortress North America. So US residents seeking shelter from the storm will need to look further. And may have some company.

The future, she doesn't look so good.



By the way, here is a provocative story for those who suspect weather manipulation during last year's hurricane season in the Gulf: "Hurricanes of 2005 were filled with mysterious lightning":

The boom of thunder and crackle of lightning generally mean one thing: a storm is coming. Curiously, though, the biggest storms of all, hurricanes, are notoriously lacking in lightning. Hurricanes blow, they rain, they flood, but seldom do they crackle.

Surprise: During the record-setting hurricane season of 2005 three of the most powerful storms - Rita, Katrina, and Emily - did have lightning, lots of it. And researchers would like to know why.

...

Indeed, the electric fields above Emily were among the strongest ever measured by the aircraft’s sensors over any storm. "We observed steady fields in excess of 8 kilovolts per meter," says Blakeslee. "That is huge - comparable to the strongest fields we would expect to find over a large land-based 'mesoscale' thunderstorm."


Gee. Fancy that.

66 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeff Wells is one of my favorite writers. Anything he writes is interesting.

Other faves: Jacques Vallee, George Orwell, Kurt Vonnegut, Gore Vidal, Immanuel Velikovsky, Pablo Neruda, Chalmers Johnson... Jeff Wells... so I guess he's in the top 10.

Keep up the good work, Jeff. I'll be reading it all.

4:39 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

shit, man.

5:44 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy New Year. Thank you for the beautiful site and readers.

Canada, place of many well known MK experiments in Montreal...

Strangeness Note: a housemate said that at a recent city council meeting a man came in, walked up, and asked who he was, what was up, as if he had amnesia, or was monitered and his device broke. My roomate said this has hapened on more than one occasion with difeent people coming into the city council meetings...and they do not seem insane, mentally ill, etc...that they act more like homing pigeons who have become temporarily defective. He wants to know if this is happenng elsewhere -- yes, we do live next to a giant, overblown military base...

Terence McKenna, Alex Constantine have been great reading as of late.

No word on the World Vison Hypnosis Center in Hawaii? Is it too deep doo doo?

6:12 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Jeff!

I'm wondering where else you write, specifically geared to Canadians as you mention in your report, up top somewhere.
I'm in Nova Scotia and would really like to read your commentary on Canadian doings and dealings.

You have an amazingly sane blog here about so much stuff, insane.

Thanks for all the hard work.

7:42 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You must forgive us for being naive about evil Canadians, because the ones we Americans tend to run into are intelligent, thoughtful, and decent.

For those who don't know the reference to Laura Secord, she's a heroine who walked 20 miles to warn about an American attack in the War of 1812. Referred to sometimes as a Canadian Paul Revere. There is a chocolate company named after her.

http://www.galafilm.com/1812/e/people/secord.html

8:02 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I wonder what a hit on Harper would be priced at ... might have to organize some neighbourhood fundraisers. I'll bake cookies.

Is this the other audience to which you refer, Jeff?

By the by, is it too soon to ask: when might we expect the next novel?

8:11 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

At least in Canada they don't openly advocate the presidential legality and executive privilage to TORTURE CHILDREN!

Who the hell are these demon's role models? (rhetorical question)

http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=504353

Bush Advisor Says President Has Legal Power to Torture Children

Posted: 01/09
From: revcom.us

John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody – including by crushing that child’s testicles.

By Philip Watts

01/08/06 "revcom.us" -- John Yoo publicly argued there is no law that could prevent the President from ordering the torture of a child of a suspect in custody – including by crushing that child’s testicles.

This came out in response to a question in a December 1st debate in Chicago with Notre Dame professor and international human rights scholar Doug Cassel.

What is particularly chilling and revealing about this is that John Yoo was a key architect post-9/11 Bush Administration legal policy. As a deputy assistant to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, John Yoo authored a number of legal memos arguing for unlimited presidential powers to order torture of captive suspects, and to declare war anytime, any where, and on anyone the President deemed a threat.

It has now come out Yoo also had a hand in providing legal reasoning for the President to conduct unauthorized wiretaps of U.S. citizens. Georgetown Law Professor David Cole wrote, "Few lawyers have had more influence on President Bush’s legal policies in the 'war on terror’ than John Yoo."

This part of the exchange during the debate with Doug Cassel, reveals the logic of Yoo’s theories, adopted by the Administration as bedrock principles, in the real world.

Cassel: If the President deems that he’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the person’s child, there is no law that can stop him?

Yoo: No treaty.

Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.

Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.

The audio of this exchange is available online at revcom.us

Yoo argues presidential powers on Constitutional grounds, but where in the Constitution does it say the President can order the torture of children ? As David Cole puts it, "Yoo reasoned that because the Constitution makes the President the 'Commander-in-Chief,’ no law can restrict the actions he may take in pursuit of war. On this reasoning, the President would be entitled by the Constitution to resort to genocide if he wished."

What is the position of the Bush Administration on the torture of children, since one of its most influential legal architects is advocating the President’s right to order the crushing of a child’s testicles?

This fascist logic has nothing to do with "getting information" as Yoo has argued. The legal theory developed by Yoo and a few others and adopted by the Administration has resulted in thousands being abducted from their homes in Afghanistan, Iraq or other parts of the world, mostly at random. People have been raped, electrocuted, nearly drowned and tortured literally to death in U.S.-run torture centers in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Guantánamo Bay. And there is much still to come out. What about the secret centers in Europe or the many still-suppressed photos from Abu Ghraib? What can explain this sadistic, indiscriminate, barbaric brutality except a need to instill widespread fear among people all over the world?

It is ironic that just prior to arguing the President's legal right to torture children, John Yoo was defensive about the Bush administration policies, based on his legal memo’s, being equated to those during Nazi Germany.

Yoo said, "If you are trying to draw a moral equivalence between the Nazis and what the United States is trying to do in defending themselves against Al Qauueda and the 9/11 attacks, I fully reject that. Second, if you’re trying to equate the Bush Administration to Nazi officials who committed atrocities in the holocaust, I completely reject that too…I think to equate Nazi Germany to the Bush Administration is irresponsible."

If open promotion of unmitigated executive power, including the right to order the torture of innocent children, isn’t sufficient basis for drawing such a "moral equivalence," then I don’t know what is. What would be irresponsible is to sit by and allow the Bush regime to radically remake society in a fascist way, with repercussions for generations to come. We must act now because the future is in the balance. The world cannot wait. While Bush gives his State of the Union on January 31st, I’ll find myself along with many thousands across the country declaring "Bush Step Down And take your program with you."

9:14 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah damn, I'm a Canadian and I've had this fantasy that I could always come home and somehow it would be better in Canada ... I guess there's nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Connut

9:33 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jeff is an old Frankster...writing great stuff for Frank magazine for I guess close to or over a decade now.

I happily called him the funniest satirist in Canada.

And stand by that.

Cheers,
Geoff

10:29 a.m.  
Blogger Jeff Wells said...

"Is this the other audience to which you refer, Jeff?"

No, that's not me. (Odd the number of writers I find named Jeff Wells.) I'm a satirist for Frank Magazine. (It went out of business under new management a year ago, and came back under old last fall.) Freelance elsewhere occasionally, too, like a recent piece on my Dylan obsession in The Walrus.

10:30 a.m.  
Blogger Jeff Wells said...

Hey Geoff,

Thanks.

10:37 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Secord's Warning"

Come all you brave young soldier lads
With your strong and manly bearing
I'll tell you a tale of a woman bold and her deed of honest daring
Laura Secord was American-born in the state of Massachusets
But she made her home in Canada and proved so faithful to us

Chorus
There's American guns and 500 men
So the warning must be given
And Laura Ingersoll Secord was the stalwart heart
Who braved the heat and the flies and the swamp
To warn Colonel Fitzgibbon

There's soldiers pounding at the door
And they come from across the border
American officers march inside
It's food and drink they've ordered
In comfort they have dined and drunk
Their own success they've toasted
But they pay no heed to the woman who hears their plan so idly boasted

Chorus

Oh, James I've overheard it all
A surprise attack they're making
Fitzgibbon they intend to smash
His men for prisoners taking
And James a warning never you'll take with your wounded knee and shoulder
I myself must carry it past the sentries and the soldiers

Chorus

It's an all-day tramp to the British camp
By way of Shipman's Corners
There're snakes and flies and sweat in her eyes
There is no respite for her
She's lost her shoes in the muck of the bog
Her feet are torn and blistered
But there's many a soldier lad to be spared if the message be delivered

Chorus

So all you Yankee soldier lads who dare to cross our border
Thinking to save us from ourselves
Usurping British order
There's women and men Canadians all
Of every rank and station
To stand on guard and keep us free
From Yankee domination

10:42 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The mentality that reserves the legal right to torture children is pathological. Basic human decency trumps any manmade law.

If someone seriously contends that the president has the right to torture children, they deserve a punch in the nose.

What Would Andy Griffith Do?

12:38 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cool on the CSL ships being used as drug mules.

And don’t forget Martin’s involvement with the tainted blood scandle – Arkansas prison blood that killed scores of Canadians:

http://paulmartintime.ca/story/000467.html

http://www.salon.com/news/1998/12/cov_23news.html

What are the alternatives though? Is Harper scary? Hell yeah………

Canada seems like a little patch of paradise, but when one looks about we realize that it may be more of an illusion than a reality.

2:23 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Tiospaye, you must have lost our new email addresses since we moved.

Visit my music website and you can drop me a line like that. Just click on my name... --MaryK

3:31 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

English:

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.


Français:

Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

3:43 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm gonna use this opportunity to say hello to tiospaye1. I've lost track of you, my friend, and bluenoser, too. Please e-mail me:

captaindragonfarstar@yahoo.com

Y'all may not know tio, but he is one of the bravest men I have ever known. I hope he writes that tale here some day.


We're still at it, the war goes on. It would be grand having you as a comrade-in-arms again.


Dragon

4:19 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well Jeff, its certainly possible that the Conservatives might be ushered in by the champagne wishes and caviar dreams of the Americans, but over the years I've noticed a subtle pattern. In a nutshell, it would seem the Liberals use the threat of a Conservative victory in fact to prevent the NDP from gaining ground. The day before the election is the give-away; instead of campaigning against the Conservatives, the Liberal push is hugely against the NDP! As if they're actually not afraid of the Conservatives. Given the Liberals typical shoe-in, many voters might just vote with their hearts for the NDP. But given a choice between their heart and their fear, people vote to keep the wolf of the Conservatives at bay. Without the blocks to the NDP, they could actually gain quite a foothold over a couple of elections, and threaten the Liberals. The Canadian Liberal party, having dominated the history of democratic governence, might just have such a little tried and true trick.

Studying the American machine the past five years, gives me hope that they are not so subtle to be able to actually engineer the fall of the Liberals, no matter how much benefit they might get from installing a puppet in Harper.

Without a locked-in rulership like the four year term in the States, perhaps Canada has remained distinct by virtue of the ability to reject a government that really offends the people, and frankly nothing offends the Canadian people like being confused with their American cousins.

Sadly, your commentary on Martin et Bush lends some credence to the theory here. We'll know in 12 days.

If the Liberals win, we'll know that Gomery-report money was well spent well on the propping up a perennial straw man.

If the Conservatives win, both my theory and the bloody country go out the window!

If the NDP wins.. well it happened once in Ontari-ari-ari-O! LOL

8:20 p.m.  
Blogger TonyForesta said...

The fascist warmongers and profiteers in the Bush government totalitarian dictatorship funnel almost half a trillion dollars a year to defense and another 44bn to intelligence, and still resort to primitive torture techniques of the Inquisition such as crushing the testicles of children.

Sanctioning this kind of barbarity on any grounds is the epitomy of fascist conduct, not too mention perverted and sick.

Shouldn't Americans expect more sophisticated, and less depraved means of gleaning actionable intelligence from our hypersuperior military and intelligence industrial complexes?

Where and how exactly is our money being spent?

I am also curious if Canada is utilizing electronic voting technologies and if so, are Diebold, ESS, or SAIC involved?

12:44 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just saw a headline on Raw Story recently that said that the US had a plan to invade and annex Canada in 1930 (Hoobert Heever's admin.), revealed in documents publicly released in 1975, I believe. Is someone in the US government dusting off these plans once again, I wonder?

1:08 a.m.  
Blogger Jeff Wells said...

"I am also curious if Canada is utilizing electronic voting technologies and if so, are Diebold, ESS, or SAIC involved?"

Still paper ballots, at least federally. (Scanners were used for the last municipal elections in Toronto.) No Diebold machines, thank God, but I think we took a step backwards a few years ago by instituting a permanent voters roll, updated electronically by Elections Canada. Previously it conducted a door-to-door census of eligible voters each election. Saves money and is less labour intensive, but I think there's more opportunity for fraud.

1:15 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

…and they say Canada is the perfect place to live in,,, many people from my country dumped the American dream already for it's really hard to get a visa. While in Canada, they are really holding seminars for those who wants to migrate,, Whether USA or Canada,,, I’d better say think again!

2:50 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"And then there was the story that broke June 31, 2004"

Is that a Canadian calender you use Jeff?

Great blog nonetheless

3:43 a.m.  
Blogger Ouish said...

I hate to pile on with the nits, but James Earl Jones assassinated (or at least is connected with the assassination of) MLK, not RFK. I've read about his mysterious trip to Montreal before, though, so he's the one you mean.

The cocaine was an eye-catching detail for me. I suspect that the illegal drug trade, which generates hundreds of billions of dollars, or as much as ten precent of the world economy, is the main source of funding for all the invisible governments and/or government-sized crime syndicates that afflict us. I'm never surprised when establishment figures are found to be involved.

9:31 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The truth is....Canadians couldn't care less if the U.S. DID take over, officially. Right now, Canada is nothing but a U.S. "dummy" state, and has been from the time Lester B. Pearson sold out his country while ambassador to the U.S. just after WWII.

We prostituted our natural resources, and surrendered our "sovereignty" (Canadians love that word), a long time ago.

Question: Where were all the "patriots" when American son Brian Mulroney (a long established part of the Palm Beach elite) put the GST noose around our collective neck? "Eh"?! Not a peep! We are collectively a stupid, subservient, people. We are America's "bitch".

As an expat. Canadian living in the U.S. for many years, the differences between the two nations and their citizens are painfully clear....and the not so clear similarities. It's amusing to observe how, to a person, every single Canadian thinks they are smarter than their neighbours to the South....

Why, one must ask, do so many Canadians wish to emigrate to the U.S.?

In the final analysis, we have been groomed to be better "Americans", than Americans. Better consumers, quieter, more law abiding, citizens, etc.

Canada will be physically annexed to the U.S....more likely soooner, than later, and will inherit all the best, and worst, of the U.S. It started a long time ago. We should open our eyes and get used to it.

To paraphrase Jeff, "(Canadian) residents seeking shelter (in the U.S.) will need to look further"...

10:25 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is a disturbing precedent or foreshadowing of the possible annexation of Canada.
I am thinking of Austria.
But that would only happen in a crazy world, so nothing to worry about.

10:32 a.m.  
Blogger AJ said...

"Canada will be physically annexed to the U.S....more likely sooner, than later, and will inherit all the best, and worst, of the U.S. It started a long time ago..."

Couldn't agree more. I spent some time up in beautiful BC a few years back, and came back with a real attitude that cost me some jobs/friends.
One thing I learned at a young age from that was never to discuss politics or religion with people you want to hire you...
But I digress.

The advent of 'corporations' has made the distinctions between borders rather illusionary. Who cares if you're waving a
stars&stripes
or a maple leaf
but can't afford to buy a house?

11:49 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ouish said...

I hate to pile on with the nits, but James Earl Jones assassinated (or at least is connected with the assassination of) MLK, not RFK.


Darth Vader? I knew it! :-)

(Sorry, someone had to place the last nit on top of the pile)

12:10 p.m.  
Blogger Jeff Wells said...

re

"And then there was the story that broke June 31, 2004"

Is that a Canadian calender you use Jeff?


and

I hate to pile on with the nits, but James Earl Jones assassinated (or at least is connected with the assassination of) MLK, not RFK.

I'm going to pass the buck and blame sleep deprivation. Thanks for the catches, I'll fix.

2:08 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Gad, has anyone ever thought to look into the psychology of these political entities? I have to wonder what makes a person have such an urgent need for more outrageous sums of money and degrees of power. Clearly none of these fucks are in even remotely good mental health. Washington is sometimes referred to as the "Halls of Power" but the "Halls of Pathology" is more accurate.

2:48 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Jeff,
been reading faithfully your blog for a while, very very interesting and informative ! I love the dots you're connecting ... article on Martin and Harper, I never heard of that story even if I'm living in Québec!...Keep up the good job, when I'll be less broke might be able to help $ you too !!

3:19 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

finn --

Gad, has anyone ever thought to look into the psychology of these political entities?

Folks over at SOTT are promoting the idea of a "political ponerology" ala the ideas of Andrew M. Lobaczewski -- a theory about institutionalized pathology driving nations' leaders to do their dirty deeds...

http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/
political_ponerology_lobaczewski.htm

SOTT can be a handful, so enter at your own risk...should be good to go with a toothpick.

7:36 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Laura Ingersoll Secord, huh? She must be a distant cousin of my husband's, then. He's descended from the Ingersoll's of Great Barrington, too. Cool.

Was Laura Secord an American?

Laura Ingersoll Secord was born and raised in Great Barrington Mass. Her father, Thomas Ingersoll, was an officer in the Massachusetts militia and had fought bravely against the British forces during the American Revolution. After the war, Thomas received a land grant in Upper Canada and in 1795 when Laura was twenty, the family relocated to what is now Ontario in the hopes of bettering the family fortunes.

11:01 p.m.  
Blogger Donald Hunt said...

Yes, the installation of a Neocon as heads of state in Canada would be a terrible thing, especially since it is happening in other places like Germany with Merkel and very likely next even in France with Sarkozy.

All this in spite of the complete lack of public support for Neocon policies. Of course no surprise that that won't stop them.

10:48 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Eh? Fought the Brits, and they give him land? Desperate for white faces to plant the peach trees were they?

Anyways, it's aboot time!

10:58 a.m.  
Blogger Whetam Gnauckweirst said...

An excellent, informative post! After the Mulroney years, I went into a shameful lapse of narcoleptic apathy from which I am only now awakening. The rule of Paul Martin has been like a wet fart in an elevator, rousing me in all the ways I don't want to be roused. Christ, I thought it was bad enough that lame reflagged his ships to avoid paying Canadian taxes. The importation of major league quantities of hard drugs is leaps-and-bounds more reprehensible (as well as the subsequent RCMP quashing or non-investigation that seemed to have turned up nothing) than the sins of Martin listed in the media.

Seeing "Paul Martin's Liberal Party" on lawn signs hits me the same way as reading "E.coli's hamburgers."

And what the hell kind of choice is Stephen Harper?

Thanks for the information.

7:38 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This guy, Cooper is tight with Harper. Seems Cooper is one of those power hungry club joiners:

From The Man Behind Stephen Harper


The new Conservative Party has tasted success and wants majority rule. If Tom Flanagan and his Calgary School have their way, they'll get it without compromising their principles.

by Marci McDonald

http://www.walrusmagazine.com/article.pl?sid=05/05/09/2119243

Today, its members can't seem to decide whether to bask in their ongoing celebrity or shoot down the notion entirely. "It's an external construct," scoffs Cooper, rhyming off the group's internal differences, then diving into his filing cabinet to unearth proof of their shared crusades. But it seems no accident that the group's first nod of recognition came from an American. Not only are Flanagan and Morton U.S.-born, but Cooper is a member of the Bohemian Club, a fraternity of Republican movers and shakers who fork out a $10,000 initiation fee to gather every year in the
redwoods outside San Francisco for a policy version of summer camp. In a crowd that has included Henry Kissinger and Vice-President Dick Cheney, Cooper gives a regular talk on Canadian politics – one reason the Calgary School's views may hold more sway in Washington than Ottawa.

8:56 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Long time fan here ..
Jeff you’re on a roll interesting segue from a late date Xmas,
Poppy style
to the boom of thunder and
crackle of lightning…

And onto a lean mean fightin
machine..

I can see now so..
I mean it is starting to read like a script isn’t it?

I’ll throw this bone into the pot…

See Paul Martin despite appearances to the contrary, may not be quite
at the bottom of the the bottom
feeder food chain or maybe he’s just been yanking the chain that feeds him or something like that, Interesting that...

On February 24, 2005, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin made official Canada's decision not to take part
in the U.S government’s Ballistic Missile Defense program. (read Paul opposes the use of HAARP, thinking maybe it could be used on private citizen's, least that's what I heard)

Paul Hellyer, who now supports Canadian Parliament hearings on relations with ETs, on May 15, 2003, stated in Toronto’s Globe & Mail newspaper, “Canada should accept the long-standing invitation of U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio to launch a conference to seek approval of an international treaty to ban weapons in space. That would be a positive Canadian contribution toward a more peaceful world.” In early November 2005, the Canadian Senate wrote ICIS indicating the Senate Committee could not hold hearings on ETs in 2005, because of their already crowded schedule.“That does not deter us,” one spokesperson for the Non-governmental organizations said, “We are going ahead with our request to Prime Minister Paul Martin and the official opposition leaders in the House of Commons now, and we will re-apply with the Senate of Canada in early 2006.”

“Time is on the side of open disclosure that there are ethical Extraterrestrial civilizations visiting Earth,” The spokesperson stated. “Our Canadian government needs to openly address these important issues of the possible
deployment of weapons in outer space and war plans against ethical ET societies.” Canadian Exopolitics Initiative.

http://www.peaceinspace.net/

:woohoo: getting interesting

9:35 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it dense to believe the American scandals under Bush are real... Reading this article, then the comment thread, I wonder if any of the indicted individuals (or those under investigation) in the bribery scandals surrounding the M.I. complex... do these criminals have their hands in Canadian pols, too? Or does Canada have its own Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade?

Ah well... Jeff, thank you for sharing. I enjoy your writing immensely.

10:08 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Jeff,

thanks for your Blog. Have recently started reading a lot of your old posts - makes for interesting reading.

Your comments in regards to the election are interesting, and what is perhaps as interesting is the fact that Mr. Klein has kept a muzzle on it up this point. After all he shipped the "dinosaur" called Stockwell Day off before he became a liability in Alberta.

But I think you hid the nail on the head; Mr. "Firewall" Harper will do but two things if he becomes elected, namely rip the country apart by making sure that Quebec will vote yes during the next referendum, and re-introduce budget deficits to ensure severe cutbacks on social spending.

My apologies to our American friends for the political references that are perhaps a bit obscure.

Thanks again.

Donald-not-the-Duck

2:43 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We all know that US war on drugs provides the US with a way to "trapdoor" into other jurisdictions (ie, get involved in other countries) and a way to take down disobedient people.

There is every possibility that US is playing hardball with Prime Minister Paul Martin by planting drugs on his family's boats as a means of coercing Martin to go along with US.

THis may explain why there was no real investigation into the event. IF CSIS was aware of this blackmailing attempt, they would notify law enforcement agencies to stand down. Of course, that would be the case only if Martin did capitulate. And, it appears that Martin has gone along with many US initiatives like border security, missile defence, etc.

THis is not a black mark on Martin's record. How in the world could he prove he was blackmailed if he wanted to protect his political and personal reputation? His only recourse would be to go along.

How can one fight an adversary that can marshall such overwhelming force? If Steven Harper were ever to become Prime Minister (he won't, just like last election, Liberals will pull out miracle) he will be lockstep in policy and practice with Bush administration. Although Harper should beware, they always always get something on you, to keep you in line...

3:46 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Conservative gains momentum in Canada

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/3589230.html

9:53 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From The Shrike...

Jeff, I was in contact with Stephen Harper's office a couple of years ago and they confirmed to me that he had attended the most recent Bilderberg meeting.

2:09 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

jeff--

just came across this article from the post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/29/AR2005122901412_pf.html

thought it might add a little to this discussion, even though it comes a little late.

5:02 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

what do you know about brendan cross, or should i say Brendan William Cross?

He was the First Nations party leader, but also has photos with Chretien and Kim Campbell on his walls in downtown Regina. And a letter from Brian Mulroney. Is brendan cross being set up to lead the First Peoples party?

He is 30 and controversial like Andre Boisclair but only because everyone wants to know if he really can suck his own cock.
Yeah, Boisclair leading the separtists and Cross running in Wascana for the First Nations Party- maybe Michel Chretien and Cross could hook up with Belinda Stronach and Boisclair in a hotel and create a paris hilton?

7:52 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Loved your blog. Why not visit this site personal development products.

1:09 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Stockwell Day is Public Safety (Homeland) minister. Will he make writer Brendan William Cross who burned the Alliance leader in the 2000 election- have the First Peoples National Party policy speechwriter branded a terrorist and then the Indians will rally to his cause and make him party leader. Belinda Stronach will be the Liberal leader and will support the well-endowed flasher Brendan Cross. I hear Cross and MacKay are both mens' men.

4:31 a.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"WE WANT OUR FREEDOMS BACK/THE SINISTER PRIME MINISTER" SPEECH
Thursday, March 23, 2006

"We want our freedoms back!" The very phrase ten years ago would have been
treated as a fanciful slogan. "Yes, and power to the people, too!" But the
very fact I am having to use this phrase with at least three examples of
rights being taken away in Canada means we have a responsibility to do
something about it.

"We want our freedoms back!" Specifically, Prime Minister, the right to
smudge and pray in privacy at will in prison. The sinister Prime Minister
is taking away peoples' rights and freedoms, picking on the poorest in
society.

A second right is the right to vote while in prison. You are still a
Canadian citizen in prison, and most people agree the basic citizen rights
begin with the right to vote. The sinister Prime Minister strikes again to
take away the rights of the poorest in society- a minority.

The Number Three right I hear people wanting back is the one taken away from
our very own NDP Premier Lorne Calvert. Mister Premier now considers large
traffic within and around the houses of the most poor in his province to be
battled under anti-gang discrimination. Yes, the black cats are in power-
the fat cats- and now it is a brown mouse demanding our freedoms back!

Merci, Miigwetch, Thank you very much,




Brendan William Cross"

----------

6:55 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I asked Brendan cross about his sexual escapades as a flasher and whether he thought peoples deserve to know the truth and he said "Everybody knows." I think he is right that everybody knows girls like to give him head at parties and chase him around wascana when he runs around naked. That's why there's always curious reporters hanging out with him for an hour to see what he's really like. Yes, he likes to show off his hot bod, and he's always dressing in clothes his rich benefactor buys him so he looks good. Yeah, his eyes can see into your soul when he's telling your something his soul sees. I swear he's possessed or something. And the girls who come out like he's the pied piper. Gauranteed all eyes are on him wherever he goes. He says hello to everybody he knows which is a lot of people and if you are with him he'll introduce you to the peoples he bumps into. Oh, this is the mayor, your worship, this is my reporter friend so and so...

The wascana flasher for leader. If you thought Clinton was fun, wait til you get to "know everything" about Brendan Cross and the real him. Big.

9:18 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just saw Brendan Cross in Red Deer at Whiskey 7 club. He was hanging out by the dance floor with some friends and every five minutes or so some girl or another would come by and dance while he did this wierd energy thing with his hands like he was sprinkling fairy dust on the girls while they would dance for him. I am not making this up. The girls would hump his leg and dance on him like he was a pole or something, he would just stand there vibing I guess. And dancing like Jim Morrison or a Medicine Man, like Michael Jackson in a way. He would dance all around the bar and girls would start doing the slut thing on him again and again. They would "come to" and realize that they just melted over a politician in front of everyone and then they'd be on there way, only to be back twenty minutes later to dance freaky and get Crosses attention. Totally wierdness! I want him to sprinkle fairy dust on me- in a bar, in a car, or at a restaurant. I'll do whatever he wants me to do! Just tell everyone Ria told you so.

Sunday after

4:51 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FIRST PEOPLES NATIONAL PARTY DELAYS CONVENTION

http://www.firstperspective.ca/story_2006_04_10_firstp.php

(by FP/Drum staff)

The First Peoples National Party of Canada of Canada has delayed the date of its leadership convention by several weeks, but one candidate has already broken from the starting blocks and is off and running.

Interim leader Barb Wardlaw, who will be stepping down following the convention, says the convention will be this fall, rather than in June as had been planned earlier.

The party, which ran five candidates in the January federal election, has been busy completing work connected with that election and it needs time to prepare for the convention, which will likely be in November. The executive will be working on developing strong, stringent regulations guiding the convention, she said.

Wardlaw said she never intended to seek the leadership. As interim leader of the party that was founded in 2004, her role was to help build a foundation for the future. Initially, the party planned to have the convention in Winnipeg, but now it appears it will be in a small, western Ontario city that has a large Aboriginal population within its region. Potential sites include Sudbury, Thunder Bay or Sioux St. Marie, Wardlaw said.

All party members who join by a designated date will be eligible to attend, said Wardlaw. Provisions for voting by computer link or through mail are also being considered.

So far the only declared candidate for the leadership, is Brendan Cross, a 30-year-old member of the Saulteaux First Nation near North Battleford, Saskatchewan. He was a founder and leader of First Nations Party of Saskatchewan. During his time as leader he was described by critics as being flaky and flamboyant. When he stepped down as leader folding the party with him, Cross said he had to deal with personal issues and get in touch with his Indian heritage. He had been placed for adoption as a baby and grew up in a non-native home and at age 18 began his long-journey to re-connect with his heritage.

In March and April Cross visited locations in Saskatchewan and Alberta in his quest for support.

[The preceding article is copyright The First Perspective]

http://www.firstperspective.ca

----------------------------

2:03 p.m.  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF BRENDAN CROSS
Saturday, April 22, 2006.

I awoke at 8 A.M. My mom brought me the phone. It was a young man from Ontario wanting to tell me the Ontario Provincial Police had raided a protest camp set up by the Six Nations Grand Council of the Haudenosaunee.

"I needed to call you," he told me. "I knew you could do something..." After a lengthy chat with this young Metis I encouraged not to give up, I went upstairs to check my email- happy to find another email from the Prime Minister's Office responding to policy ideas I sent about justice reform.

I checked the news.

Sure enough, the OPP had descended upon the protesters. CBC Newsworld was reporting live from the scene. I forwarded the news to people on my email list.

My mom was visiting a retired Anglican priest in Moose Jaw, and when she left, I continued to watch CBC News. By now they had interviewed protest spokesperson Janie Jamieson who filled the public in with details about the raid. Complemented by photos provided by Turtle Island News, I learned police showed up en masse to pull teenagers out of their tents, beat a woman five-on-one, taser teenagers and men, and scare the hell out of children with M-16 automatic rifles. Jamieson said there were only a couple dozen protesters- half teenagers, a quarter women, and a couple men. Sure enough, the OPP reported they arrested 19, and charged 1.

I watched as a spokesperson for the OPP held a news conference. He explained two officers were injured, one hit by a bag of rocks, requiring stitches in his head. "This could turn uglier," I thought.

I prayed.

I called friends.

I phoned Barbara Wardlaw, the Leader of The First Peoples National Party of Canada. I left a message on her voice mail.

I was concerned the OPP would return to face the protesters again, who now numbered in the hundreds. The OPP Communications spokesman mentioned they had a thousand man reserve ready to be sent in. "This is war," I thought. "Why are the OPP being so fierce and stupid?"

I sat down at the computer and wrote a press release reaffirming policy statements I had made during the Election on behalf of The First Peoples National Party. My speeches were vetted by both the leader and president of the party and were consistent with both the 60-page policy handbook chaired by Jerry Fontaine, and a policy guide later released by Leader Barbara Wardlaw.

The press release flowed out of me, no mistakes, no corrections. I Googled every "@opp.ca" email I could find, eventually emailing a couple dozen police officers and the Communications spokeman. I sent copies to the First Peoples National Party of Canada executive and phoned the Assembly of First Nations. National Chief Phil Fontaine was travelling, so I vetted the statement with his Communications department. They emailed me the National Chief's statement.

My statement drew a firm line in the sand.

I phoned Janie Jamieson and her communications advisor. They were fine, she told me. I admired how precise and concise they were on CBC Television. I emailed them my statement. Then I emailed it to reporters I knew, and media all over the country.

Some reporters called and I told them only to refer to my statement on FPNP policy, which was on the record for the past six months. The Globe and Mail posted it on their website, as did the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network. Good, the word was getting out.

I continued to call people on my phone list and email as many people I could.

I prayed for a while and watched CBC Newsworld and CTV NewsNet. In the midst of my anxiety both networks launched into their afternoon "Politics" shows, so there was no more on-the-scene reporting for an hour.

I decided to listen to music and pray (and pray!) for peace.

After the political shows, there was news the OPP was trying to reassure the hundreds of militant protesters the police would not return. Good. Could they be trusted? Who knows. But the prospect of nation to nation warfare involving a thousand OPP police officers was no longer present, I hoped.

By the end of the day, I was satisfied our party was standing "in solidarity" (the word of the day) with the Six Nations protesters.

A few people from across the country phoned me. They had read my statement on the internet and were quite concerned, almost scared like I was earlier, about the prospect of war. I reassured them. An elder phoned and invited me to her home to see her Mohawk flag.

I watched a movie, and went to bed, emotionally drained but content.

I awoke the next day to recieve an email from "the National Executive" of The First Peoples National Party of Canada stating:

"...the statements made by Mr. Brendan William Cross DO NOT represent official First People's National Party policy as these have yet to be developed and ratified by our membership at convention..."

I was not surprised.

I was dismayed, however, that the email was sent to reporters I knew, government officials I was in dialogue with, editors of magazines I had written for, and friends I had made during the chaos of the day before.

I decided, then and there, my time with The First Peoples National Party of Canada was over. My struggle for acceptance and respect with candidates and official agents within the party was intolerable. Especially when they were telling me that the statements I had made concerning policy positions I had written (which were adopted by the Leader and President of the party) didn't represent the friends and political allies I had known for over a year.

I emailed the Party Leader and Party President that I would no longer be a member, but I would love to meet them face to face, if and when, I visited their cities.

-Brendan William Cross

Former leader of the First Nations Party of Saskatchewan, 2000-2001.

---------------

POLICY REGARDING SIX NATIONS PROTEST IN CALEDONIA

April 20, 2006

As I watch on CBC Television a protest developing in Caledonia, I want to advise concerning the policy of The First Peoples National Party of Canada.

I have stated on behalf of our party:

"Peace Treaties must be honoured by both sides. ...

... our Chiefs and ancestors pledged within the Treaties not only themselves, but their descendants, to maintain perpetual peace. All of the Treaties are Peace Treaties."

With this in mind, I am shocked The Ontario Provincial Police would execute a "raid" on sleeping teenagers, women and children, and men. I have heard Janie Jamieson describe how a woman was beaten by five police officers, how tasers were used, and how police failed to alert them of their impending presence.

Our people are to be protected "from molestation" which is the only way to describe these events.

I urge Aboriginal people to maintain non-violent protest in the example of Ghandhi. However, I give my blessing to any Aboriginal person touched without their permission to respond in the appropriate manner, always and only in response to the choices made by individual police officers.

It is not the role of the OPP to act against the citizens they are paid to protect. Land and property are not citizens. People are.

I respect the authority of Chiefs, Elders, Clanmothers, and Warriors, and I trust they will make responsible decisions.

The OPP with their track record of sniping Aboriginal protestors should stand back for as long as it takes for the emotions of protestors to transform into sleep, non-violence, and negotiation.

Sincerely,

Brendan William Cross

---------------------

Brendan William Cross divides his time between Saskatchewan (where his family resides), and Alberta (where his children live).

He is a member of Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Cathedral and Holy Trinity Anglican Church of Canada.

Cross, 30, won the 2005 Peer Support Award for outstanding contributions to the students of Red Deer College.

Brendan Cross has appeared live on CBC NewsWorld, CTV, CBC Radio, and local television and radio stations throughout Saskatchewan.

from http://www.angelfire.com/sk/brendancross/

1:34 a.m.  
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Anonymous Anonymous said...

and then what happened?

11:30 p.m.  

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