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Showing posts with the label Politics

Lynton Crosby Abandons Harper

THINKPOL The Australian dirty tricks strategist brought in last month to salvage Stephen Harper’s re-election campaign has abandoned the Conservatives, according to the spin doctor’s partner. Story here.

How John Baird Bungled Mohamed Fahmy's Release

NATIONAL OBSERVER Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy wasted no time in blasting the Harper government just 18 days before the federal election for overstating its role in securing his recent release from an Egyptian jail. Details here. RELATED: "Pick up the Phone, Steve! Demand Justice for Mohamed Fahmy!"

Harry Smith Is Coming for Stephen Harper

THE Tyee The 92-year-old anti-austerity campaigner, a UK sensation, sets his sights on Canada. Story here.

North America's Biggest Proponent for Climate Action - 350.org, Celebrates the Alberta Election

Friends, We’ve said before that the oil price shock could lead to profound shifts, and last night Canada got its first real taste of what that could look like.

Jeb Bush Isn’t Running From the Worldview of His Brother George W. Bush — He’s Just Emphasizing it.

By Ed O'Keefe - -Washington Post If Jeb Bush is elected president, the United States won’t be on speaking terms with Cuba and will partner more closely with Israel. He’ll tighten sanctions on Iran and urge NATO to deploy more troops in Eastern Europe to counter Vladimir Putin. And he’ll order the U.S. military to root out “barbarians” and “evildoers” around the globe. Far from running from or playing down the views once expressed by his brother George W. Bush, Jeb Bush is embracing them — and emphasizing them.

Are Canadians Starting to "Catch On" to Harper? (Letter)

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RELATED: "Blogger Takes Harper to Task for his War Games." "Canadian Majority Opposes Syrian Airstrikes: Poll"

Who Owns Stephen Harper - Canada's Prime Minister?

NOW - Linda McQuaig More than $2 million was donated to the Prime Minister's two leadership bids, but the identities of his major backers have never been publicly disclosed. Story here.

What Would "Madiba" Have Done?

by Larry Powell Prime Minister Harper's attendance at the funeral of Nelson Mandela has conjured up some fascinating scenarios for me. While South Africa's repression of its black people will live on in infamy, Canada's treatment of our own indigenous people has hardly been exemplary, either.  So, if Mandela, who so famously led his people out of bondage, were Prime Minister of Canada, what would he do here?  Would he be;  slashing grants to native organizations?  refusing to hold a public inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women?  passing legislation (using closure) which leaves traditional native territories vulnerable to disruptive and polluting projects? rubber-stamping expansion of the tar sands which has, for years, been sickening the people of the Fort Chipewyan First Nation, downstream with rare cancers and other diseases?  cheerleading massive pipeline projects that cross pristine wilderness and fragile marine ecosystems on the door

Why Would Anyone Celebrate the Death of Margaret Thatcher? Ask a Chilean

The Nation Never have I witnessed a gap between the mainstream media and the public quite like the last twenty-four hours since the death of Margaret Thatcher. Details here.

Green Party Leader Gob-Smacks the Media Darling of the CBC and National Post

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Greens do politics differently (But not in the way that Rex Murphy thinks) By Elizabeth May In his Saturday National Post column , Rex Murphy claimed that Canada’s  Green party has no  goal other than to get me elected as an MP —  and that this has been the case for “two or three general elections.”   Full story here. Rex Murphy caricature courtesy  of By the Bay Art Studio

This Is What Democracy Could Look Like

Murray Dobbin's Blog One of the many things that Hugo Chavez, the charismatic and revolutionary president of Venezuela contributed to the world was his demonstration for people everywhere the difference between democracy and liberal democracy.  Details here.

Saskatoon Scientist Breaks Silence About Muzzling

CBC Radio A retired federal researcher based in Saskatoon is going public with concerns Ottawa is muzzling scientists like her.  Details here.

Canada's Governing Party Blows a Golden Opportunity to Curb the Brutal Practice of "Shark-Finning" on the High Seas

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by Larry Powell                    Robert Sopuck, MP for Bottom-Trawling & Shark-Finning.                                                                              It may be deplorable.  But, for the Harper government (and my own MP, Robert Sopuck), not quite deplorable enough. I'm talking about "shark-finning." Each year, worldwide, an estimated 100 million sharks are caught for their fins, only. The sharks, still alive and bleeding, with their fins cut off, are then dumped back into the ocean, either to die a slow death, or be eaten by other predators.  Shark fins are considered a delicacy. While shark fishing is legal off Canada's coasts, finning was banned here years ago. Still, tonnes of fins obtained elsewhere in this manner, often from endangered species, are imported, yearly. So an NDP MP introduced a private members' bill to help curb the practice by simply banning imports into this country. Sopuck (CPC - Dauphin/Swan River/Marquette), sp

A Song Worth Remembering on Remembrance Day

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Buffy Sainte-Marie talks about and sings "Universal Soldier." Video

Superstorm Sandy—a People's Shock?

Naomi Klein - the Nation Less than three days after Sandy made landfall on the East Coast of the United States, Iain Murray of the Competitive Enterprise Institute blamed New Yorkers’ resistance to big-box stores for the misery they were about to endure. Details here.

Canada-China Trade Deal is Too One-Sided

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Financial Post - Diane Francis. There is nothing in this deal with China that will protect Canadians. Details here. ===== PinP : Francis is no raging left-winger. She describes herself as a free-enterpriser and her columns over the years are testament to that. There's no doubt this China trade deal, which apparently our leader, Stephen The Great, has already ratified with no formal debate in parliament, sells out our country.  Just recently, a Canadian military intelligence officer was tried for selling secrets to Russia. When all is said and done, I wonder,  who will have done more harm to our country, the traitor or the Prime Minister?  Think about it.

In Defence of Science

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Schindler's Pissed - Alternatives Journal - Canada's Environment Magazine.  Freshwater science pioneer David Schindler fires back about tar sands development, closing the Experimental Lakes Area, and why researchers should speak out. Full story here. Also in this issue, "Field of Nightmares," exposing the dark side of Roundup. 

Latest Hurricane Shows Interesting Timing

Sooo.....Hurricane Isaac has forced the Republican National Convention to take a recess.....couldn't happen to a nicer group of climate-deniers.  PLT

After Rio, we Know. Governments Have Given up on the Planet

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George Monbiot - the Guardian It is, perhaps, the greatest failure of collective leadership since the first world war. Full story here. PLT photo  Please also read: "Governments and the Climate Challenge. Leadership Failure on a Psychotic Scale"

Prime Minister Harper, Where's My Canada?

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Dear Larry, Canada has become a country that I barely recognize. My Canada, the one that respects people and places, has vanished. Since when did this country bully charities, trash environmental laws, thumb its nose at the international community and silence its own citizens? Columbia Icefield, Jasper Nat'l. Park Since Harper took office in May of last year, His Canada starts and ends in the Tar Sands. Whatever Big Oil wants, Big Oil gets. Fish, forests, wildlife be damned. Our government’s actions are appalling. That’s why this Canada Day I’m honouring my country by vowing to bring back my Canada . I invite you to join me by making a gift to ForestEthics Advocacy today. Here’s why. Like millions of Canadians, I value clean air and water. I take great pride in this country’s stunning landscapes. I believe government is entrusted to act on behalf of its citizens. And I think every voice must count. This is My Canada. ForestEthics Advocacy is working hard to