It seems remarkable to me that the Privacy Commisioner's expenses weren't being queried at the time he made them. If he was an executive in a big corporation there would have been people working behind the scenes justifying these charges for various budgets.

At least the government seems to have recovered some money from him. That at least seems a good sign.

As bad as it is its small change compared to the corruption you see south of the border.

Yeah, Kate.

All good points and the one I'll comment on is the child porn ring, which included Canadians.

Specifically, I want to thank Microsoft.

I made a personal blog post where the punch line was at Microsoft's expense (although if you actually read the post, I was having problems because of MY refusal to follow their clear instructions so I guess the joke was on me!), but seriously...

Microsoft has committed significant resources to battling child porn, a problem they certainly did nothing to create since their goal was just to give the world great productivity and entertainment tools and make a buck doing so.

That sick evil child murderers and rapists use their tools to make create, record, and spread their filth has to fill Bill Gates and the other good people at Microsoft with horror.

I'm not a Microsoft apologist. I increasingly find myself preferring many open source solutions as I gain computer experience (although I find Windows much more powerful for a wide variety of supported applications and I prefer it to Linux as an OS... anyway!). LET'S GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE and say thank you Microsoft for taking this problem seriously, devoting resources, and working together with our dedicated and heroic law-enforcement folks (who must be pretty damn committed to do what is such a difficult job).

Keep up the good work and please develop more and better software to find these perverts and evil people.

They rape babies. Children. And want to see others do so.

These are our enemies every bit as much as the Nazis or al Quaeda and if they live in Edmonton, Winnipeg, or Victoria, they are STILL my enemy.

God bless the people fighting against it. All of them.

I do not think it is good enough for George Radwanski to just pay some of the money back. How come we can't go this route with David Dingwall as well?

Fellow SDA readers, expanding on my previous thought, this man (it's a video and you can see him starting at 3:22), Detective Sergeant Paul Gillespie, the Canadian who initially reached out to Bill Gates for help and who has worked so long is surely one of the greatest Canadian heroes working today.

Yes, his team too, the people who work with him. I suspect very strongly that Paul Gillespie would be the first man to deflect public appreciation from himself and spread it to his team and the others involved.

Yet just because he does that, doesn't mean I have to. Individually, each of them are magnificent cops, social workers, software programmers, etc., and human beings.

And he has been a great leader and child protection advocate.

Advocate?

Can I say avenging angel hero?

I mean, understatement is one thing, but of those two positive titles... I honestly believe he and his kind come closer to the second than the first.

What do you think?

Thanks Chris -- Paul Gillespie and Bill Gates deserve some kudos. Can you imagine being the one who has to examine the evidence? I hope there are many more arrests for this disgusting crime.

Chris, I too am no apologist for Mother Corp MS, however I read on a tech site that when Gillespie asked for MS help, MS not only said yes, but sent pros down there for extended help, free of charge. Kudos where due..eh?

Ms is also using resources to combat the Malware Mongers. [self interest? Sure, but still]

The latest is a Trojan that encrypts your files, thus freezing your system and then the perps have the gall to offer to unlock and de-crypt your OS for $300. Oh, here's the saved comment..

Remember when Trojan was funlovin’ rubber?

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6049449.html

Now comes the real fun. The Trojan first encrypts your files and then they contact you and offer to de-crypt and unlock your files for a reasonable $300. A real solution. Isn’t that nice?
Comox100 TG

Now lets hope our Injustice System doesn't let down the wonderful work of the police and nails these despicable perverts with the sentence they deserve. Sad that out of the 27 pedophiles arrested 9 are from Canada--another sign that our 'laws' favour this behaviour?
As for Radwanski, he was a good Privacy Commissioner who made the mistake of acting like a Liberal. Check out those who may be running for the Leadership--they have been big spenders of our money--yet they want to be rewarded. Dingwall profitted from his theft--and got a big severance--some Liberals are more equal???

Yeah, the sad thing about George Radwanski is that he was a great privacy commissioner — just also an alleged crook and an awful manager.

I exchanged emails with his son a while back and I never put two and two together about their relationship until tonight.

His son is not only a good writer as are many he's also a heck of a nice guy.

I hope that he handles this well and if his father is convicted, learns from it, and supports his father to the limits of their father-son relationship and does not defend his father's actions. If, however, his father is innocent, then let justice prevail either way.

Sadly, I suspect that he's guilty as charged and I hope I'm wrong.

Heck, my girlfriend says I'm wrong a lot, but mostly when I suggest Paris Hilton is, in fact, hot, so maybe I am.

;-)

Watch: George Radwanski sentenced to 'house arrest', ( he can afford it)-with a rubber chicken tour of Quebec universities, lecturing on 'ethics'. Bwahahahahaha!

Here's to hoping the child pornographers find themselves atop the same pyre as Milosovic in the bowels of he!!.

Shapiro must help!!! SOS Shapiro Help!!!

Sbame snex mirage, aka SSM, aka S&M, haunts the ENNDEEPEE.
A gift to the NDP, SSM from ex-PMPM, ole lover boy himself. Queer isn't it?

Recall Svend; e-mail Scottie; call Willy Graham; roll out Libby the lover; get out the Egale Libre to throw/smear hkjlolhbt on Bev Desjarlais's doors. Same old hkjlolhbt from the NDP/Socialists. +

NDP Shocked to see their Former MP Working for the Conservatives

New Democrat MPs are shocked by the "mind-boggling" move of their former colleague Bev Desjarlais, who is now working for a Conservative cabinet minister. Ms. Desjarlais, 50, is perhaps best known as the MP who was stripped of her critic responsibilities by NDP Leader Jack Layton for voting against same-sex marriage +
via nealenews
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060316.wxdesjarlais16/BNStory/National/home

How on earth does our government expect a guy( George Radwanski) to live in a measely $210,000 and $500,000 for travel and socializing? Seriously, this is just another case of the madness the former regime fuelled and did not seem to want to put this fire out. I suspect that some of these guys found themselves dipping their fingers into the pot,when they saw that it was incredibly easy to do.

I am hopeful that Harper et crew can clean this mess up. We have a set of bureaucrats running our country, who seem to think they are above us normal geeks on the streets. It is them, in fact who are supposed to be the " public servants". A friend on mine was a member of the former Mulroney government ( he is now in the Senate, so he received his " gold star for service") told me that it was extremely hard for any government to clean up the bureacracy. He said that there had been many MP's who had gone to Ottawa with this as a major cause they were hoping to see some changes in. According to this man, he said that the bureaucrats collect any information they can find on each MP's past, in case they start to ask too many questions about the bureaucratic system or start to make too many waves. A simple brown envelope slipped under the Oppositions door with information about a MP that is getting too close to some bureaucrats with position, often creates enough scandel to make them back off. Often times it is some silly College pranks or anything at all that can be used to bring embarrassment to the MP. I have often wondered about this. It often seems to be some firey hard working MP who finds himself in these messes. The back bench MP, who sits there and does not move, never finds him/her self involved in this.

I personally have had this happen to me, so I know that this is at least partly true. It is a long story but all I will say is that I was apart of a major wrong doing by government officals and I went to work to right a wrong. After gathering much information, I was asked to travel to Ottawa and met with a very Senior bureaucrat. I was told that they would make sure I lost everything I had if I persued my mission any further.He made sure that this was made very clear to me. I was very shocked with what information he had on me, including my finincial information.

That said, I hope and pray that we now have a government that will start to clean up the ship. Unfortuately, th ship is full of rats, and a minority situation does not provide enough bodies to get rid of them all. In the real world, pest officers will tell you that if you see 1 rat, there are 100 more close by. I think this probably works in government circles as well.

To Chris in Victoria, I agreed with your posts until you included that last line. I am beginning to think that your taste is all in your mouth..... Paris Hilton is hot??? My God, you must be a twisted young man. Just joking. To me, she is nothing more than rich white trailer trash. If her daddy didn't have money, she would work part time at McDonalds, hook on the side so that she would hsve enough money to play Bingo. Sorry Bud.... can't agree with you on this one.

March 2006

March 16, 2006 - Funny. Glad to see some members of the Board are making creative use of their severance period, as well.

(Carry on, but use someone else's Hotmail inbox.)
http://www.warrenkinsella.com/musings.htm +

http://primeministerkinsella.blogspot.com/2006/03/draft-kinsella.html

Warren Kinsella For Liberal Leader

Draft Kinsella - ton chance pour le Canada q'on veut!!!
DRAFT KINSELLA!!!!
Since 1990, one true Liberal has stood above the rest. He has fought for the real values of the Party. He served under Jean Chretien, and as special assistant helped deliver huge political wins again and again for Canada's most popular Prime Minister ever.

One true Liberal stood up to Paul Martin and the business Liberals. During the 2004 and 2006 campaigns he used the internet to bring down "L'Equipe Martin Team."

And now, this ass kicking Liberal who testifies to the true meaning of... more ...

Please send your letters of encouragement and support to wkinsella@hotmail.com. The time has come to get Stephen Harper's strongest opponent into the right position. The tims has come to get a true Liberal who is supporting our Party during our period of transition into the right position. The time has come to get someone fair and just and respected by all into the right position. The time has come to elect a real leader who can see beyond personalities and work towards the strong progressive Canada the Liberal Party envisions.

The time has come for Prime Minister Warren Kinsella. Draft Kinsella - ton chance pour le Canada q'on veut!!!

posted by Kinsella Supporter at 7:07 PM
13 Comments:

Fklk Kinsella said...

Fklk you.

That asshole campaigned openly for the Tories. He wants to have it both ways. He wants to call himself a Liberal and support Harper.

Fklk him in the ear.
>>>>>>>>>> more

Maz2:

Liked the link about Bev Desjarlais.

The dame has got class and stuck to her guns.

Good to see she landed on her feet.

A maven with MOXY! Veteran Affairs will be the better for it.

"...the sad thing about George Radwanski is that he was a great privacy commissioner..."

Uhhh, sorry, the guy was a pompous ass, and a lousy Privacy Commissioner.

Remember the fight he initiated with the Kelowna RCMP over ONE CCTV camera focused on a particular downtown high-crime area. He hired his best-buddy lawyer in Toronto to pursue legal action against the RCMP, paying him nearly $2 million in the failed effort.

Good commissioner my ass...he was a fraud and a crook

Maz; I see you caught the Bev Desjarlais story. I found it via Nealenews. Heartwarming news esp. since JACK & JUDY are some p.o.'d! I'm lovin' it!

re: Kinsella; I have a tiny bit of grudging respect for the guy who took down P.M. but; God help us all if he runs. He was pretty nasty as a paid campaign manager for Chretien. I'd hate to be around to witness his management of his own campaign. Lastly, he is an ad-scam denier. He may have questioned it in the beginning but he still excuses Chretien's actions.

Morison, no I can't imagine being the one who must view the child porn videos, I know I would throw up - repeatedly. I do not possess the vocabulary to accurately reflect my feelings on this issue.

Kudos to Bill Gates?....How about $45 BILLION....$4.5 million is paltry. Surely he and his ilk can do better.

Maybe our government could do better now too.

My deepest gratitude to Paul Gillespie and all his co-worker-heros for doing this work. I imagine it to be soul crushing duty and a major sacrifice. I hope I'm wrong and they are well.

re: Kiddie Porn. I am relatively new to internet and for the life of me do not know how crap like this goes un-detected. From what I can surmise, I take it no-one is actively looking for it, policing it? So it only gets found out by accident? Some-one help me out please. This is sickening and the thought that it is going on under our very noses is appalling. Is it easy to find?

Document: Afghani Taliban Consul Spoke of a Relationship Between Iraq and Bin Laden See Translation
Pentagon: Pre-War Iraq documents ^ | March/16/06 | jveritas

Posted on 03/16/2006 7:44:29 AM PST by jveritas

The documents of pre-war Iraq were published this morning on the Pentagon website, I did a quick search and I found a very interesting document written in Arabic and not yet translated to English. I did the translation and I found the following:

This document is a letter written by a member of Saddam Intelligence apparatus (Al Mukabarat) on 9/15/2001 (shortly after 9/11/2001) where he addressed it to someone higher up and he wrote about a conversation between an Iraqi intelligence source and a Taliban Afghani Consul. In the conversation the Afghani Consul spoke of a relationship between Iraq and Osama Bin Laden prior to 9/11/2001, and that the United States was aware of such a relationship and that there is a potential of US strikes against Iraq and Afghanistan if the destructive operations in the US (most probably he is referring to 9/11 attacks) were proven to be connected to Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban.

Below is a translation from Arabic to English of CMPC-2003-001488 document that was posted on Pentagon Website regarding the pre-war Iraq documents. (http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/products-docex.htm#iraq).

Text of the document in English translated from Arabic.

In the Name of God the Merciful

Presidency of the Republic

Intelligence Apparatus

To the respectful Mr. M.A.M

Subject: Information

Our source in Afghanistan No 11002 (for information about him see attachment 1) provided us with information that that Afghani Consul Ahmad Dahestani (for information about him see attachment 2) told him the following:

1. That Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban in Afghanistan are in contact with Iraq and it that previously a group from Taliban and Osama Bin Laden group visited Iraq.

2. That America has proof that the government of Iraq and Osama Bin Laden group have shown cooperation to hit target within America.

3. That in case it is proven the involvement of Osama Bin Laden group and the Taliban in these destructive operations it is possible that American will conduct strikes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

4. That the Afghani Consul heard about the subject of Iraq relation with Osama Bin Laden group during his stay in Iran.

5. In light of this we suggest to write to the Commission of the above information.

Please view… Yours… With regards

Signature:……, Initials : A.M.M, 15/9/2001 +
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1597459/posts

Jose - do you have to make everything ani-american - give me a break! At least "south of the border" they charge, prosecute and actually jail their criminals! They don't let them off with a "house arrest" and an order to teach a class on "ethics"!

Cheri: The reason they caught this child porn line was that a mother over heard 2 kids talking about it at a hockey rink in Edmonton,she took her concerns to the Edmonton police.Thats how they found this bunch of sick assholes

Re: Kinsella

He is celebrating this decision on his blog.

"For the first time in Canada, an Internet service provider has been found guilty and fined for hosting websites that spread hate messages"

IMHO he is a pinhead AND a lawyer.

The Liberals and NDPers who refuse not only to take up the tough fight for FOS, but then also work for the expansion of these soviet styled "rights" commissions are paranoid, deluded and grandious (and they make money off it).

These commissars are very dangerous to the adage I learned in fourth grade thru numerous repetitions, "sticks and stones can break my bones but names can NEVER hurt me."

Thanks Craig, that makes you wonder; if kids know about it and can find it... what's our excuse? From what I gather there is no one agency or funding to police this to actually look for it? Maybe it's time to find funding?

Re: Jane Creba story..."He is certainly a witness and we would like to speak with him as soon as possible."

Hoe long have the TO police had these videos?

It would seem this is now a cold case.

Being a former speech writer for Jean Cruton certainly has it's perks- don't forget the half million in unpaid income tax that was written off by Revenue Canukistan, days before Radwankski was appointed Privacy Comissioner! (Uh- how much does a person have to gross in order to owe a half million in taxes?)

I'd like to offer my thanks to the Province of Alberta justice system for keeping these cold blooded murderers off the street for a whole two weeks, the public at large was well served during that time.

"Teens charged in bus attack granted bail"

http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/story/ed-teensbail20060315.html

Cheri,
Part of the problem is that kiddie Porn is very hard to prosecute here in Canada, which to me makes absolutely no sense. It has something to do with our constutional rights and freedoms and this just makes me sick. A few weeks ago there was a report in the National Post about some guy that possessed volumes of this sick stuff on his personal computer. He was aquitted and is out there roaming our streets and playgrounds again, simply because we have a bunch of judges who have no balls. It should be these perverts who have no balls and they should be locked up in some dark dingy hole for the rest of their lives and fed nothing but pancakes and pizza ( I can't think of anything else that could be slid under the doors of their cells).
I feel that we need to stand up on issues like this and make enough collective noise that eventually we are heard. If the protection of our countries children, and their innocense, is not important, what in God's name is?
There is no part of Hell bad enough for these wastes of skin.

What a huge day for news!

Congratulations to Bev Desarlais, first off!

She is continuing to serve the country, however the NDP see it...suck it up Judy and Jack...you wanted a very capable person gone!

~~~

Does anyone know whether the laws that are on the books **right now**, are the laws that *will* apply to the sickos arrested in this porn ring?

Or can we try to bring in tougher penalties **before** their trial starts and have that be their fate?

Thumbs up to those responsible for bringing them down!!! It had to be the most gut-wrenching effort to have to deal with for them all!
~~~

Good luck on the new initaitive in Iraq today.

No time to read this whole thread?

Read Grant's insight...half way down..9:19am

Years ago I learned of Campaign helpers getting an office job with telephone and desk but having nothing to do. Clearing out the deadwood is bound to save us a $bundle.
Comox100 TG

Buffalo Bean, charges laid reflect the laws at the time. Changing them now will not affect the kiddie porn perverts' sentences (assuming they are convicted).

TY, Candace...and I guess that extends to them being put in a secure area of the jails, for their protection from other inmates.

Sometimes justice has strange partners.

re the shooting in khandihar when i was in the forces in europe decades ago there was a 5 step escalation before you could shoot someone, if memory serves,

Halt
Halt hands up
cock the weapon to put a round up the spout
fire a round over their heads
shoot at them,

I wonder if that changed? Any way this is the canadian military i doubt they just fire at anyone they don't like.

Nice to see that the RCMP are finally charging some of the librano fraud artists. Radwanski is one of the lesser ones IMO - let's hope they stick it to all the other crooks who have stolen hundreds of millions from the taxpayers during the librano reign of glutony. Perhaps the new government has something to do with the RCMP's change of policy?? Anyway, it's about time.

Maz2: re your research into pentagon files and the translated document (you translated it) don't you question WHY four years later -- long time for Pentagon to be only now reviewing them.

Doesn't make any sense. Propaganda is sometimes obvious and sometimes not. That's the democratic peoples' dilemna now isn't it?

What does the Gettysburg address have to do with Harper's three sentences regarding Canada's intention to "lead" on the world stage? The usual down south rhetoric is no indication of unprecedented heroics. Harper himself mentioned the word "debate" again in a quick one sentence when deboarding his jet upon return.

Can you focus your research on the planned pipeline and the spreading poppy crops for which the local farmers receive pittance subsistence pay. Organized crime (common knowledge) owns the cocaine trade. Where's the co-alition moral stance on this issue? Obviously, it's nowhere.

With regard to above questioner asking how is it possible for child porn to be served up on the IPs? Again look to organized crime as source at highest levels in telecommunications industry.

I hope Harper achieves Governmental Accountability Act and it works out to be more than a cover.

Canada and all democracies are in trouble people.
My theory legitimate and illegitimate business are so inextricably linked and really represents the 'first war on terror' to be addressed.

Yes and moot MPs intimidated and threatened into submission unable to represent their constituents is another not insurmountable obstacle. How about televised meetings of MPs with their constituents once a month at local conventions centres -- an viable idea to restore public trust and effective representation.

Americans are now reviewing minimum/border wage legislation and guess what business is returning for those states that have implemented it.

How about Canadians demanding through MPs judgment reviews of 'light sentences' handed down to Adscam defendents as being unacceptable making no amends to the public purse.

I'm new on net, really admire some of your research skills. I'm plugging along at it.

Wonder if the new government is happy with their washroom facilites in their corridors and cafeterias, etc. We expect to be happy with their performance on floor going forward after Apr.3rd.
Enough said.

Boz... I'm completely confused by Kinsella. Sometimes I think he's dead on, other times i think he's completely out to lunch.

Most of the time I just remember he's a avid Chretien fan, then I just hate him again.

I also feel bad about Radwanski... he actually was a good ethics commissioner.

I'm undoubtedly in Tax court again this year, so I fully intend to use the "Radwanski" defence... "your honor, I'm trying to get a job in Federal Government, so I shouldn't have to pay tax's".

Start setting my watch to the audits.

Sorry, I meant privacy commish. I didn't think he did a bad job Bruce... but then I suppose it's compared to what???

Re: Maple stumps link at 12:50 pm to stomping death on Edmonton bus.

"The court has imposed strict bail conditions on the accused teens including a curfew, staying away from each other and being forbidden to ride public transit."

Unbelievable.

These strict conditions were imposed on me too when I skipped school for a day in grade 12.

Looks like the search for justice will be a never ending nightmare for the victims family once again.

Jose

We haven't seen the true numbers yet on the Gun Registry from the AG, and being in the business of designing systems which do exactly what that one does, I can tell you that even if it comes in a $2 billion, it's 1.95 billion too much.

http://www.ottawasun.com/News/National/2006/03/16/pf-1490375.html

"Tories poised to create independent public prosecutor":

"THE CONSERVATIVE government will proceed with its election promise to set up an independent office of the director of public prosecutions to ensure that people who rip off taxpayers "pay the price," a government source told Sun Media yesterday.

The director would have the power to decide whether to go ahead with federal prosecutions once the RCMP investigates findings of wrongdoing alleged by the auditor general, the ethics commissioner or other officers of Parliament....

...The Tories promised a new director of public prosecutions would "have responsibility to conduct prosecutions under federal law" and would be able to make binding and final decisions on whether to prosecute. They could only be overturned if the attorney general or his deputy issued a public notice explaining the reasons for doing so."

Buffalo Bean, Well now, that is refreshing. Missed that one, glad to hear it.

BTW are you in the coffee roasting business too?
[Bean*] Seems a popular thing these days.

There is GreenBean.com and EcoBean.ca
Ecobean.ca is my friend Neil and the Canadian Sentinel.blogspot.com is also a roaster.

Must be a trend. TG

The two children, aged 5 and 9, that were overheard were the kids of the man that was initially arrested and charged. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years. One of the chat room administrators that was from Edmonton,Carl Treleaven, was charged and pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. The joint crown and defence submission is asking for a 3 1/2 year sentence. (Edmonton Journal March 16, 2006)

Let's hope that the judge in this case ignores the submission (as has been done in another unrelated case recently) and tosses this guy's butt in jail for a long time.

We all cry out how digusting and offensive child porn is.
We all demand that these perverts are brought to justice.
We all express horror when the #'s of victims of child molesters are made public.
We all demand that sexual predators be locked up for a LONG time.
We all believe we must protect all children from these animals.
We all let the government off the hook with it's failure to construct a sex offender registry.
We all sit on our hands as the courts just let these people out to offend again and again.
We all fail to be outraged that the system is failing to properly protect all it's citizens from these sexual predators.

We all are hypocrites.

Re: Kandhar Cabbies et al
I have mentioned this before but the drivers over there do'nt believe that the Laws Of Physics apply to them, never mind traffic laws.
Oh and other thing if we pay out the demanded $ 30,000 grand.Lav III's will just become self propelled taxi magnets!

I'm not a cartoonist, but if I were I'd do one like this: Milosevic standing at God's judgment throne with a caption "They were taking too long, so I've called your case to stand before a higher court".

Anonymous:

Re: Harper's Afghanistan Address & Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Brief speeches from men of few words. In totidem verbis.+

INTRODUCTION TO ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

Few documents in the growth of American democracy are as well known or as beloved as the prose poem Abraham Lincoln delivered at the dedication of the military cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

In June 1863 Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee moved north in an effort to win a dramatic victory that would reverse the South's declining fortunes. On July 1-3, Lee's forces fought the Union army under the command of George C. Meade, and before the fighting ended, the two sides suffered more than 45,000 casualties. Lee, having lost more than a third of his men, retreated, and the Battle of Gettysburg is considered a turning point in the American Civil War.

The dedication of the battlefield and cemetery thus provided Lincoln with an opportunity for a major address, but he disappointed many of his supporters when he gave this short talk. In fact, many of the spectators did not even know the president had started speaking when he finished. But in this talk Lincoln managed, as the great orator Edward Everett (the main speaker at the dedication) understood, to combine all the elements of the battle and the dedication into a unified whole.

These men fought, and died, for the Union. Now their work was done; they had made the supreme sacrifice, and it was up to those living to carry on the task. But Lincoln's rhetoric, as subsequent generations discovered, did far more than memorialize the dead; it transformed the meaning of the Constitution for those still alive. Lincoln read into the Constitution a promise of equality, the "proposition that all men are created equal." That, of course, had been a premise of the Declaration of Independence, but everyone understood that the drafters of that document had not intended to include slaves and other "inferior" peoples in their definition. Now the country had fought a great war to test that notion, and the lives of the men who died at Gettysburg could be hallowed only one way -- if the nation, finally, lived up to the proposition that all of its people, regardless of race, were in fact equal. The power of the idea still informs American democratic thought.

For further reading: James M. McPherson, Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution (1991); Philip B. Kunhardt, A New Birth of Freedom: Lincoln at Gettysburg (1983)
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/25.html

Harper's mission statement

Stephen Harper’s visit to Afghanistan was significant on many levels -- as a gesture of support to the troops, a signal of Canadian commitment, a teaching moment for the public on Canada’s interests in that fight, and in the broader struggle against international terrorism. It was also, needless to say, a masterpiece of political theatre, showcasing both Mr. Harper’s well-known determination and a subtler sense of tone that many doubted he possessed.

But it will be remembered most for what it said of his view of Canada, and the meaning of Canadian nationhood. Though Mr. Harper’s brief address to the troops contained many good lines, memorable for their pith if not their eloquence, it was much more than a rah-rah speech. It was a national mission statement.
...
http://andrewcoyne.com/2006/03/be-leader.php

CBC Paul Martin said he will resign this weekend as Liberal leader. Goodbye Paulie!

Tony Guitar, a Buffalo Bean is a kind of 'has' bean.

Growing up on the prairies, the grasslands and pastures would flush out in spring with a flower, now much more difficult to find, called the 'buffalo bean';)

It signalled a new season to prepare for planting, new calves, foals and chicks, and **hope**.

To Grant who posted at 9:19 AM:

Yes, undoubtedly you are right... but if she worked at McDonald's, I'd still say she is HOT.

(Who says women who work at McDonalds aren't hot??)

Ugh, just read your comment in its entirety. I've got to add that in seriousness your crack about hooking was inappropriate.

She's a person and there's no reason to accuse her of saying that she would hook without proof.

Jack:

I too would like to see that cartoon you mentioned in your post. It's nice to know that someday all judges both corrupt and ethical will stand before the Supreme Judge to answer for all their actions.

Canadian Observer.... I agree with you about us all being hypocrites, in regards to allowing our system to have children molested by these much more than perverted predators. What do you suggest would be a good way for us of like mind to start on this mission. I think many of us have hesitated to react as we are not sure how we can be heard in such a sea of apathy. I feel it is time we make it very clear that we want our courts to do what courts are supposed to do... make bad people pay for their bad actions. Our present system is beyond laughable... it is really pathetic.

A few years ago, a neighbour kid broke into several homes and businesses and was eventually was caught. He was charged and convicted. He got been in and out of trouble for a few years so the judge came down on him bigtime( at least he thought so). He handed him a 6 month sentence, to be served on weekends. This allowed him to keep his job and also allowed him to get his rest as he partied all week. To top it off, our great Canadian judical system considered every 8 hours he was in jail as being a day so he actually used up 6 days every weekend. After a few weekends he was all done. This kid even joked about the great time he had in jail.

I for one, have had it with this wimpy hug and heal system that is only making our crime situation worse. Our juveniles know full well they can learn all the trade secrets to doing crime the right way, while they are young as there will not be any consequences.

We are also hypocrites if we continue to allow these mush heads, who make our laws and have developed our criminal system to continue to control it. It is time for those who truly do care to take our society back before it is too late. I for one, think it can still be fixed. It will take some guts as well as large ear plugs to protect our ears from the whining of the Left.

Commenting on the Radwanski affair, NDP MP Pat Martin appeared on Mike Duffy Live yesterday. Martin was a member of the government operations committee.

As the interview was concluding Pat Martin made the following appalling statement:
"Yes, Mike. Although it's pretty rare for a rich white guy to go to jail in this country. It seems all the prison cells are full of Indian guys who stole a loaf of bread to feed their family."

The comment, besides being outrageous, is inaccurate, racist and offensive.

He should make a full, immediate and formal apology to all Canadians for these hateful remarks.

Grant,thanks for understanding exactly my message.You make some strong points yourself.

I believe it will be a very laborous job reforming our entire justice system.Think it would be best to tackle this issue separately as it should be easiest to qualify childrens rights ahead of child molesters'.(keeping in mind the leftists' mindset you described.)

To solve it,we need to pummel MP's(who make our laws) and media(who love to become part of a story)with a barrage of e-mails,letters,phone calls and faxes.Power comes to the people who can make the most noise.How we get our JP's to enforce EXISTING laws?Sorry,they don't appear to have to answer to anyone,maybe current gov. can accomplish some changes there.

Believe we now have a parliament that will be definitely more pro-active on causes such as this though.The "fly in the ointment" of course is how you get all us fat complacent Canadians to act.Especially frustrating now that it takes only a few moments to fire off an e-mail.(BTW,got an"automated"reply to e-mail I sent PMO supporting Harper's troop visit,so they do keep track.)

Anyways,left,right,top or bottom you would think Canadians of all beliefs could get together to defend our own children,but alas,we cannot even seem to find that common ground.

I guess all we can do individually is act on what we believe in and hopefully inspire others to do the same.Grant,if we both contact a number of MP's with our concerns,well,at least it will be two more than yesterday...will send mine ASAP.
Thanks for inspiring me.

Canadian Observer... I will be emailing my MP and cc-ing it to every MP email address I can find. There is no time like the present, and the present offers a new government who hopefully will be more sympathetic to common sense. As for some of the dead wood in the judicury, some will make the neccessary changes if the laws are changed... for some others, we will have to wait until they retire their bleeding hearts... or die.
Hopefully we will have many other people do the same thing... email your MPs. Id not, well, at least two have spoken and that is two more than there was a few minutes ago.

Canadian Observer and Grant. Good that you fired off a few Emails to to our Harper team.

I got a thoughtful reply from the Edmonton office, and felt pretty good about it all day. 10words.ca TG

re Buffalo bean's post above:
" The director would have the power to decide whether to go ahead with federal prosecutions once the RCMP investigates findings of wrongdoing alleged by the auditor general, the ethics commissioner or other officers of Parliament...."

Of course, one weak link here is still the fact the the upper echelon of the RCMP are accountable to guess who - corrupt politicians, who make sure that their friends and acomplices are protected from damaging investigations which could build the case for criminal prosecutions.

Another weak link is the judiciary - similar argument: they are peppered with all sorts of librano sympathisers and appeasers.

So while an Independant Prosecutor sounds like a good idea, it is only part of the solution.

BuffaloBean, the element of spring and all things fresh and new again.. Well now I have a new respect for the concept. VG.. TG

Canadian Observer "We all fail to be outraged that the system is failing to properly protect all it's citizens from these sexual predators.

We all are hypocrites."

I agree there's more that we should be doing. The american Catholic church says they have recieved 20,000 different complaints of sexual abuse directed at 5,000 priests.

Geuss how many of those guys are in jail?

Candian Observor; I know what you are trying to say but with all do respect it's like someone using the logic that I personally voted for the Liberals when they were in power. I doubt I have to explain the faults of our parlimentary ssystem to you. With that being said I have done what I could over the years of Liberal reign to protest their legislation, judicial and political appointments. So plese leave me out of your "we all" sentiments. Now that the M.P. I voted for is actually in power and not opposition, I can hope that they will introduce some good common sense justice reforms to put these creeps in their place. The Liberals had years to go after guys like Robin Sharp but did nothing except bat the ball in to the Supreme's Court. The Liberals have made a mess of our Country and "we all" did NOT vote for them.