Cows - Too Much of a Good Thing?

North Carolina Considers Making Sea Level Rise Illegal

By Scott Huler | May 30, 2012 Scientific American 
According to North Carolina law, I am a billionaire. Full story here.

Harper Government Targeted Artist for her Green Conscience, Internal Documents Reveal

Vancouver Observer
Franke James, a Canadian artist and environmental advocate blacklisted by the Harper government, has obtained internal documents indicating

BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR   Canadian officials worked behind the scenes to discredit her work. Full story here.

Update: Election Fraud Legal Cases

Council of Canadians.

Tories attack Council of Canadians’ involvement in election fraud court cases In the latest twist of the election fraud scandal, lawyers representing the Conservative MPs from the seven ridings involved in the citizen-led legal challenges to overturn election results have filed motions to throw out the cases. The initial legal skirmishes are now underway, and important developments are expected before the end of June. The Council of Canadians is supporting court challenges to overturn election results by nine electors who allege that they received a fraudulent call advising them of a change in their polling location, that these calls were made to other electors, and that this lowered the voter turnout to a degree that affected the outcome of the election. Several affidavits have been filed in support of these applications, including one from Frank Graves of EKOS Research, whose firm surveyed voters and concluded that there were a large number of fraudulent calls in each of the seven ridings and that they were targeted at supporters of the NDP, Liberals and Greens. EKOS estimates that between 0.8% and 2.2% of the total eligible voters in the seven ridings were successfully dissuaded from voting as a direct result of these misleading calls. The response of the Conservative Party of Canada has been to file numerous procedural motions, including to allege that the challenges are untimely and “without merit.” The most recent motion citesthe little-used legal doctrine of “champerty and maintenance,” meant to prevent frivolous litigation from outside parties with no interest in a case. With the motion, Conservative Party lawyers filed a scurrilous attack on the Council of Canadians that is more than 750 pages in length. On June 25, the Court will consider the Conservative Party motions and the applicants’ responses. “The strategy of the Conservative Party lawyers is clearly to try to divert attention away from the fraudulent voter suppression activity, delay the process and drive up the legal costs,” said Garry Neil, Executive Director of the Council of Canadians. Election fraud cannot go unchallenged Defending our democracy is difficult and expensive, but it’s something we must do. Even with the generous contribution of the law firm, the bills for the legal work and expenses to support the court challenges are expected to reach $240,000 by the end of June. Canadians have been extremely generous with their support for the Council’s Democracy 24/7 fundraising campaign. We thank everyone who has contributed. With only a few weeks to go, we are almost half-way to our fundraising target, and your support is needed now, more than ever. Please consider making a donation today and add your support to the fight for democracy in Canada. Visit our website to donate to the Democracy 24/7 Legal Fund and to see all the latest updates on our fight for democratic rights in Canada. You can also contact us by e-mail at inquiries@canadians.org, or call us toll free at 1-800-387-7177.

It's Time to Fight the Status Quo

By Bill McKibben - Solution

Climate protest, Regina, SK. 2009. PLT photo

My solution is: get outraged. Full story here. 

Stop Enbridge

A Local Manitoba Government Seems Set to Ignore Concerns Over a Planned Sewage Lagoon

Dear Editor,

It looks like my local government, the RM of Shell River, is pressing ahead with secret plans for a sewage lagoon with no intention of looking at alternatives.

It's now been a month since a Manitoba company, Blue Diamond Technologies, briefed a meeting of the RM Council. Blue Diamond has invented a system to treat and purify both hog and human waste, using a patented chemical process. Company officials are confident their technology is cleaner, greener, less stinky and even cheaper (possibly much cheaper) than an old-style lagoon!

(See "Company offers new way to deal with human waste" in the May 29th edition of "The Review," p. 9. Please read!)  

Just today, one of those officials told me,  they are still waiting to hear back from the RM, in terms of doing a follow-up or taking a closer look!

My elected representatives also seem just as determined as ever to keep information about the new lagoon from the public. They have now officially refused my request, under the Freedom of Information Act,  for results of soil-tests done on a potential lagoon site some time ago. Why? Because, "This information has not yet been discussed in open session and therefore cannot be disclosed...."

The soil tests were done in March. And I know there has been at least one "in camera" (secret) meeting on this since. (An informed source told me the drill truck struck water on the first try. I'm no engineer, but that can't be good can it?) If the soil there is not suitable, will the RM seek another site, or will it actually take the heroic step of installing a million-dollar liner, to prevent leakage?

As a result of their refusal, I will now file an official complaint with the Manitoba Ombudsman, as provided for under the Act, to get some answers.

A recent editorial in "The Review," points out, Manitoba is introducing legislation to address secrecy and lack of accountability on the part of local governments across the province and suggests this may be timely, given recent events here. (If you haven't read it, please do! It's in the May 22nd issue.)

It is regrettable that legislation is needed to make sure democratically-elected local governments do what they should be doing, as a matter of course. It just seems so basic. "Do public business in public!"

Sadly, it's not just the lagoon, it's the way council has handled the issue, that worries me.

Reeve Albert Nabe can't vote or discuss it at meetings because he owns the quarter where the tests were done, so has a conflict-of-interest. Councillor Jack Lenderbeck can't either, because he rents land from the Reeve.

That leaves a rather important decision on a major capital project to the remaining four councillors.

I'm also a bit puzzled at the seeming lack of public interest here.

There are plenty of folks in these parts who love fishing, boating and owning a waterfront property. There are others working actively to promote the Roblin area as a tourist destination. Are you OK with the prospect of another old-style lagoon? Experts say these facilities often leak, contaminating groundwater. (One of those experts, Prof. Bill Paton of Brandon University even claims, "I have not found any Manitoba lagoons that meet effluent license requirements." Quite a statement!)

According to the Lake of the Prairies Conservation District, phosphorous buildup in our waterways has been causing fish-kills and compromising drinking water quality for years. Do we really want to make these problems worse, or find better ways of dealing with them?

Boggy Crk. possible future "drain" for sewage effluent. PLT photo

If the lagoon goes ahead, a pipeline would apparently drain the effluent from there into beautiful Boggy Creek (above), where I fished, myself, when I was a kid, then, into Lake of the Prairies. 

Isn't that where a lot of you fish, or own cottages? Do you want that effluent to be as clean as it can be, or just "good enough," as seems to be the present mentality?

I'd love to hear how you "Bug-Chuckers," or anyone else for that matter, feel about this!

If you decide you'd also like some answers from the RM, here is some contact information which may help.

Reeve Albert Nabe tel. 937- 2610
Dep. Reeve Joe Senderewich 937-3257
Councillor Jack Lenderbeck 937- 2812
      "           Louise Smigelski 937-2346
      "           Craig Mohr 937- 2672
      "           Doug Cranwell 937- 4940
RM of Shell River 937- 4430
email - shellrvr@mymts.net
RM website:http://www.rm.shellriver.mb.ca/

While you're at it, ask them why the minutes from their April 13th PUBLIC meeting, have not been posted on their website yet!

Larry Powell, concerned citizen, resident and ratepayer,
RM of Shell River.