A few items passed along recently.
An interview with Bill Vander Zalm.
Katrina’s fury exceeded only by her windbags.
Speaking of “windbags”, Canadians who have been critical of the US response to Katrina might do well to “stifle” and pay a little more attention to our own 10 billion dollar state of unreadiness.
As retired Canadian general Lew MacKenzie told the Sun’s Bill Rodgers yesterday, Canada couldn’t even muster half the 40,000 soldiers the U.S. government (albeit belatedly) has poured into New Orleans to restore law and order, assist in relief efforts and help rebuild shattered levees.
Via Newsbeat1. (Question – I seem to recall that the US military helped move Canadian Armed forces to the Manitoba flood in the 1990’s, but may be mistaken. Can anyone verify or discount that?)
Yahoo has been assisting the police. The secret police. In China.
This post on being poor has generated a lot of buzz. This reply, on staying poor, is the one that deserves it. (Kathy Shaidle is right – this is a very good smackdown – speaking as someone who still wears “supermarket shoes”.)
Add your own in the comments, or send a trackback.
“Being Poor” smackdown:
http://spleenville.com/wordpress/?cat=27
The US was not involved in the Manitoba floods.
I see you don’t like people critical of the US response to Katarina. You forgot to mention that you do not like people that are critical of the Canadian response to Katarina.
BTW, why has (the aptly named) Mr. HArper done nothing to help with KAtarina? He is invisible. What’s up with that?
We have 60,000 regular force members and 23,000 reservists. We could mount a response of 40,000. No problem.
With what, Gil?
PM Martin’s long-time mentor/pal/business buddy, Maurice Strong:
Maurice “Strong took tainted cheque, inquiry finds…” >>> Then follows the exculpation/alibi/phony story/ “I am innocent” pleading/lies all for Maurice Strong & AdScam Martin………. shameful corruption whitewash!!
No ‘direct evidence’ prominent Canadian businessman knew money came from Iraq
By SHAWN MCCARTHY
Thursday, September 8, 2005 Page A21
With a report from Alan Freeman in Washington
NEW YORK — Prominent Canadian businessman Maurice Strong accepted a personal cheque for nearly $1-million (U.S.) that was drawn on a Jordanian bank and came from a controversial international businessman who was working closely with the Iraqi regime, an inquiry into the UN’s scandal-ridden oil-for-food program has found.
The committee concluded there was no “direct evidence” that Mr. Strong knew that the money, provided for a business investment in July, 1997, had come from Iraq or that the man, Korean-born Tongsun Park, was attempting to buy his influence. Mr. Park has since been indicted by U.S. authorities for allegedly working as an illegal Iraqi agent…more>>>
http://www.rapp.org/url/?YD1HLTFQ
Globe & Mail
reminds me of the simple mantra
“Life is a series of lessons”
“Lessons will be repeated until learned”
I believe there is much truth in the article. The poverty industry is large & growing and those folks who get paid by sucking at the public teat will do all in their power to secure their sinecure. Doesn’t matter if the poor stay poor.
Socialists gotta love ’em.
Actually, this is even better:
What the Poor are Like, written by a long time social worker
http://www.gerrycharlottephelps.com/2005/09/chapter_4_what_.html
That’s it for the Yahoo account. I won’t support the leviathan’s snitches.
Refugees or Prisoners at FEMA Camps?
While some are suggesting that everything is fine and we should give Katrina emergency handlers a big pat on the back then shut up and wave a flag around, there are dissenting opinions from those who were actually on the ground in New Orleans for the …
The comments on John Scalzi’s original posts remind me of the Four Yorkshiremen sketch by Monty Python, where each man tried to top the other’s stories about how tough they had it as children.
“I had to get up at 10:00 at night, half an hour before I went to bed, drink a cup of sulphuric acid, work 29 hours a day down at the mill and pay the mill owner for permission to come to work…”
The post by Alison about being poor and transgendered reads so much like a parody that I can’t believe someone wrote it in all seriousness.
“Being poor and transgendered is being lucky to have money for two of hormones, food, shelter; and braving the sidewalk. Or worse, cutting out more meals to scrape up enough for androgen blockers.”
If it weren’t for the poverty of spirit expressed by so many of these posters, I’d die laughing.
AAAA’s comment that Mr. Harper has “done nothing” vis-a-vis Katrina is way off base. Firstly, Mr. Harper is not in command of any government resources which could be mobilized in the wake of the disaster. Secondly, a statement of support and condolences was issued by Peter Mackay on behalf of the Conservative party before a peep was heard from our fearless government ditherers who had to take the time to consider if there was any political up or downside before saying anything. A friend in need…indeed! Lord help us if this bunch is still holding onto the reigns of power should a disaster of even one tenth of the magnitude of Katrina ever hits Canada.
Here’s a snip from that Vanderzalm interview.
Fears Alcan will close aluminum smelter.
Vander Zalm is very worried that another major BC employer may move thousands of jobs out of the province � Alcan and its Kitimat aluminum smelter.
He says that Alcan may try to shut down the smelter, while continuing to produce hydroelectric power for export to the US at a huge profit.
“For crying out loud � Alcan is being allowed to sell electricity and there seems to be little limit to the amount they can sell and now they’re trying to go beyond BC Hydro and sell direct. And it’s all at the cost of jobs to the people of Kitimat.”
Vander Zalm doesn’t mince words either about why the BC Liberals might allow it to happen.
“Donations may have something to do with it, there’s no question about that. That’s another one of the flaws in the system,” he said. “It’s the system that bothers me � we’ve got to change the governance system.”
==================================== I knew it!
Same with the timber giants. That’s part of the game. Kick backs to Liberal coffers gets raw logs direct to your mills in Wa and Oregon, while our modern computerized razor sharp mill sits idle here in Courtenay B.C. Damn Libranos!
Sell out… retire to Turks and Cacaos and we are left holding the bag er.. idle mill.
Vanderzalm is a true conservative. He covers Harper, the MSM and other good stuff.
Wonder if he’s been watching SDA.73s TG
Being Wealthy
Kate has linked to the latest Alberta Blogs member, Sean McKormick, (he of Polspy fame) and his post on “Staying poor”, which was inspired by this post on ‘being poor’.
I’m going to do my version of “Being Wealthy&…
Vanderzalm was one of BCs worst premiers. His actions enabled the election of the NDP and the susequent near destruction of the BC economy. He was caught with his hand in the till (sale of fantasy gardens to Hong Kong interests for the sale of expo lands to Hong Kong interests)and was forced to quit.
To take credence from what he says is laughable. If you have questions on gardening, he may be your man though.
How is CNN going to spin this as being Bush’s fault?
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/08/004243.php
Fox News reporter Major Garrett is reporting that the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security prevented the Red Cross from delivering food, water, and medical supplies to the Superdome and the New Orleans Convention Center.
Their apparent reasoning was to make conditions so intolerable that these evacuees would be forced to leave, and would prevent others from arriving.
Enough, Is that actually the wording you intened to use around Fantasy gardens? It’s very much like a double negative.
I will grant you that there is some substance to what you allude to, but nothing is as simple as you make it seem.
Your absolute concrete and too singular assertion is misleading. Could you provide anything at all that would verify or clarify your hard and simple declaration? 73s TG
Gil doesn’t appear to be well informed on the present capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces, in fact his statement is laughable. Jake
Treaty Days, With Interest
Canada owes every person living on reserve enough to sustain their livelihood � and much more.
by Stewart Steinhauer, Saddle Lake Cree Nation
…In 1876, $5 bought a horse, and basic cash necessities for an entire year. … Calculating increased land value in 130 years and modest interest at .5 percent, Canada owes me about $140 000 in treaty rights payments…
…Agricultural use is the only use that our ancestors agreed to… All resource extraction is illegal, and the full value of everything extracted to date is owed to us…
…Until we find an effective way to deal with addictions, the injection of cash into a reserve economy goes directly to the addictions…
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature5.cfm?REF=385
If the CDN Forces could get 40000 soldiers in one place at one time without the US Army providing transport, I would die from shock.
I find Gil’s numbers of 60,000 and 23,000 to be terribly outdated.Being ex-military and still following the Liberals trend of reducing the Forces by attrition and lack of recruiting, I believe Gen. Mackenzie has a better grip on the actual numbers. Of course, if Canada were to experience a major disaster, the Liberal government could always recruit personnel from their major supporters such as Power Corp and Brascan.
Yeah, right.
What’s wrong with supermarket shoes? That’s all I buy.
C’mon squid, you could never reqruit anyone from Power Corp and Brascan to do any actual work could you? I mean real, get your hands dirty, pick up a shovel, put on you rubber boots work. Given the Libranos track record, about all they’re good at delegating is work for money laund..er… uh…handlers!
Tony,
Vanderzalm was very much the equivalent of BCs Brian Mulroney. Charisma over substance, both wrecked their parties and saw their successors wiped out in the following election. Tales of corruption followed both. Vanderzalm was actually caught in a hotel room with a cash payoff that was connected to the sale of his Fantasy Gardens mini amusement park. Vanderzalm as premier did nothing but sow divisiveness. It took 10 years of the NDP to shake off the ghost of Vanderzalm.
At least Mulroney had free trade. Vanderzalm?
“We have 60,000 regular force members and 23,000 reservists. We could mount a response of 40,000. No problem.”
Sorry Gil, but PROBLEM indeed. General Lew is correct.
60,000 + 23,000 is everybody – navy, army, air force, HQs, reservists etc, etc.
Of that, it’s doubtful even 15,000 regulars and 10,000 reservists are actually the kind of personnel equivalent to the US troops mustered in support of Katrina’s aftermath. And only a portion of these would be readily available for deployment, perhaps 12,000 all up. But that’s pushing it.
Fom this you can take out the couple thousand troops gearing up for Afghanistan.
By the way, we have NO Chinook helicopters – no medium lift choppers at all in fact. Nor do we have any strategic airlift capability.
Gil, you need to spend more time examining the commands, formations, units and capabilities of the Canadian Forces rather than just spouting off numbers.
I just don’t know where to start. After reading JMs comment($5 horse) and following the link to the article, I still can’t belive this to be real. So the government lied to the indian… well join the club. That’s what governments do. And although I might have missed it, somewhere the author conveniently forgets the billions in handouts, free education (including post secondary), free medical and no taxes if they remain on the Rez. If this is moonie “trolling” then they got me.
And lets not be too hard on Gil. He was obviously reading Liberal pamphlets and has not seen a real Canadian serviceperson in a long time. Although, seeing the 12,000 or so warriors from NDHQ in Ottawa, wading in waist deep waste water being shot at and avoiding alligaters would be a treat.
Whatever anyone’s impressions of VanderZalm, I know someone who was almost family-like with the VanderZalm family long ago. I forwarded him the link as I’m sure he’ll enjoy it.
I’ve heard fascinating personal stories about VZ and my friend and their families, etc. But will refrain from telling any of it, naturally.
Incidentally, this friend is a descendant of people who lived in the same settlement in Alberta long ago with ancestors of Preston Manning. Just how do I end up meeting so many people who know so many prominent people? It boggles my mind.
Kate:
My fiance and I read through the “Being Poor” and “Staying Poor” essays together.
While there were many things in the “Being Poor” essay which ring true, the “Staying Poor” essay is a better essay and reinforces timeless truths about the value of attitude.
Perhaps the single strongest point from the “Staying Poor” essay is:
“Staying poor is a result of dishonesty. Not keeping your word will cause successful people to shun you, creditors to refuse you, and employers to dismiss you. Nothing closes all of the doors that could be open to you like being dishonest. Give your word, mean it, and keep it.”
Trodwell at rightthinkingpeople.blogspot.com has the “Bloggin’ Blues” and the cure:>>>
Excerpt:
And I�m convinced that it�s also why I�m suffering the Bloggin� Blues. Simply put, the filter is clogged. It�s clogged with liberal lunacy. I�m full-up. My mental capacity to strain daily events has been overwhelmed by a seemingly endless deluge of moronic tripe and ludicrously indecent behaviour, predominantly amongst the benighted denizens of the sinister part of the political playing field. The drain-pipe is backed up and I find that events are simply washing over the gunwales without attracting my interest.
My lunacy filter is full – and it has been filled by so many different types of people. For example:
– people who think that Sean Penn was making a genuine attempt either to conduct third-track diplomacy in Iran, or rescue stranded people in New Orleans;
– people who think that hurricanes are caused by global warming (how many internal combustion engines were running when Galveston, Texas was wiped off the map in 1900? The Chad Mitchell Trio wrote a song about it, for crying out loud!);
– people who think that Iraq was better off under Saddam;
– people who think that Iraq is worse off now;
– people who think that Iraqis, and other �brown people�, don�t deserve to live in freedom or enjoy the benefits of democracy;
– people who think that Islamic suicide bombing is bad when it’s perperated by “terrorists” in London, but not really all that objectionable when it’s carried out by “militants” in Tel Aviv;
– people who think that Islam � the religion spawned in and founded upon conquest, and designed to offer subjugated peoples the choice of conversion or death � is a �religion of peace� that has no link to jihadist terrorism;
– people who think that emasculated values-based moralizing will somehow change the world;
– people who think that volunteer soldiers in the army of a liberal democracy are in fact �children� who need to be protected from the risks and dangers of battle, while refusing to deal rationally with actual armed children running about their streets and killing each other;
– people who think that the answer to problems caused by socialism is – you guessed it – MORE SOCIALISM; >>>> more
Addendum: Trodwell:
– people who think that it is right to kill an unborn human fetus, but wrong to execute a convicted adult murderer;
Enough,
You have not offered anything real. I don’t remember about the hotel room sting, yet I followed the news closely.
It’s hard to believe that police would pounce upon a premiere in a hotel room. You did draw in Brian Mulrooney with the idea of downgrading both people however.
Well I have you there. Mulroony suffered at the hands of the MSM, however he was vindicated and collected millions in damages.
========
Here are the findings of a well known member of the MSM and he credits Mulroony.
==========================================2002
ordinary decent folks are already telling pollsters by 58% that Mr. Chr�tien should retire, the great man is toast.
And should the most extraordinary, venal machinations of a dying power structure somehow subvert all of this, the spectacle will be so sickening that the public will have no difficulty throwing out the whole bunch at the next election.
This will not be pretty, but it will be a good thing for Canada.
On the international stage, the man is an embarrassment, earning none of the respect accorded the very different types of Pearson, Trudeau and Mulroney. And when clout is required, as in softwood lumber, there is none.
Domestically, we need briefly note only four things. He almost lost the country in 1995 and has pitted region against region since. Our standard of living has declined to 70% that of the Americans, when we ought to be the most prosperous country in the world. Our dollar has gone into the tank. And Mr. Chr�tien has brought the necessary art of politics into further disrepute.
=================================================
He is not yet as unpopular as Brian Mulroney at his nadir, but Mr. Mulroney left a great legacy of policy, for which he is now being recognized. Mr. Chr�tien leaves nothing of importance.
================================================
In the end, this has been a little man in a big job. It has cost us dearly. We will have another prime minister soon enough, whomever and whenever that may be. But the real job for Canada now is democratic reform, and to fix the system of four-year dictatorships that required us to helplessly watch a failed decade of governance.
===============================
Gordon Gibson’s writing is carried in many leading papers and tends to be very accurate. It also stands well in the hard light of 20/20 hindsight.
73s TG
Hmm.. let’s see… The U.S. is 10 x our size.. so no, we probably couldn’t mount as many troops to assist as was done in the U.S. How could we?
My favourite comment that I saw this week…
Some Republicans are so eager to slant everything that the President does in a positive light, that if he was to eat a baby in broad daylight, they’d find some rationale for it.
Kate, don’t you *EVER* find anything wrong with the Republicans? I mean, are they really that close to God for you? FEMA, an agency run by Mr. Arabian Horse himself, appointed by the President seemingly for his chumminess, has done a dreadful job by most measures. Is there nothing that you can say that they’ve done wrong? Or do you truly believe that they have done an amazing top form job?
“Hmm.. let’s see… The U.S. is 10 x our size.. so no, we probably couldn’t mount as many troops to assist as was done in the U.S. How could we?”
No one is suggesting we could. But if we are talking magnitudes of scale, our military should number 250,000 or so.
Now that would be pushing the budgetary envelope in my view BUT, for a wealthy G8 country with overweaning opinions of its own geopolitical influence, Canada should at least have a solid and credible regular military of 100,000.
With the necessary kit too, of course.
Instead, we’ll do what we’ve always done for the last thirty years: carp about the Americans while taking a free ride on their military power.
Tony G., I agree with Gord Gibson. Sure, Mulroney made some annoying errors, but at least he tried- a lot, and did some things right as compared to Jean and Paul. Like at least try to maintain the Forces with some new equipment like the frigates and the new whirlybirds. Certainly compared to the more recent “Liberal” bums under whom we’ve been slaving…
Mulroney, for all his mistakes, was still superior to the Streetfightin’ Cretin and to the Grimacin’ Candyman.
There is no excuse for the Liberals not to at least have maintained the Forces. None. Money is not an issue and never was, as the Libs blew billions all over the place on unimportant stuff.
A real sovereign nation has a powerful military. Guess the “Liberals” want to cede our sovereignty to the despots and butchers who’ve hijacked the once-relevant UN. Just look at Dalton McGuinty feeling he has to seriously consider the implementation of Islamofascist legal doctrine in Ontario. Just surrender to Islam to be PC? No thanks, stupid Dalton!
As the Libs blew money all over the place like items on the list at BendGovt.blog.ca
Or the list at Anticorruption.ca
Or the list at Johnwilliams.ca/wastereport.htm
Or the list at Readersdigest.ca/mag/2003/09/taxdollar.html
Or the list at taxpayer.com/main/index.php
Or thr….Stop!
That’s enough allready!
73s TG
Lists are for those who want to be freed from Moonbat status.
Notice that many of the million dollar rip-offs are different from list to list.
Become aware that the Libranos have had their way with you in the night.
Moonbats be aware that you have lost the naieve virgin status, have been Royally Rolled and are morphing into a….
Thinking Canadian!
‘3s TG
Need i remind any of you that the Liberals were not the only ones to help dismantle the Canadian military. Mulroney also cut the military budget and continued what the Liberals had begun.
On a bright note, that’s when the PC’s were virtually indistinguishable from the Liberals. Mulroney gets the blame for the destruction of the PC party and the splitting off and creation of Reform. Here in the west the anger was so great at Mulroney that the Reform was created. Not to mention the Bloc Quebecois can also be attributed to Mulroney. I remember that vote and it was pretty much an anything but PC vote.
Yes, he had a couple of good policies but i will still fight the sanitizing or whitewashing of Mulroney. A bad and corrupt government, Mulroney perfected the art of the delayed bribe. I don’t believe he was ever entirely cleared of the airbus affair.
“Mulroney also cut the military budget and continued what the Liberals had begun.”
It was also his government that lowered the age of consent in Canada from 16 to 14, making many more children legally available to pederasts. This act alone should guarantee Mulroney a place in Hell.
That was him? Lowering the AOC to 14? I thought it was the Libs. Ah, well, I was just a kid back then, so I really only remember very well what happened since the early nineties.
Worse than what Mulroney did, however, is all the stuff the Cretin and the Candyman have done wrt social reengineering, tearing down whole foundations and building new houses on the bare, soft ground just to be able to say, hey, we built new houses- see, we’re “progressive”. Just watch the houses sink into the ground at weird angles… you won’t catch me moving into one of them.
I was certainly not trying to “whitewash” the Mulroney epoch, which I admittedly didn’t follow closely, being between twelve and twenty, but was merely opining that the Libs have proven to be even worse in every way imaginable. AND the worst hasn’t yet happened, believe it. I see it coming.
The worst has not happened. Yet. I firmly believe that continued Liberal governance will lead to the breakup of the country. I cannot see the Liberals changing who they are without first being forced out of power.
The only thing that will wake up the sheep in Ontario will be a disaster either natural or manmade. And is in Ontario.
The Liberals have been the worst disaster to hit Canada.
The Liberals could obviously care less whether there’ll be a Canada in the long run. They only care about easy, fast moneymaking on the backs of us less fortunate, less privileged citizens.
That’s corruption. Think Pinochet, Ceausescu, Annan, Arafat, etc.
Enough, I agree that Mulroney shouldn’t be whitewashed, but Chretien’s corruption and patronage outdid Mulroney’s by a huge margin! I find myself longing for Mulroney now after 10yrs of Cretin and another couple of PMPM.
As for VZ, I love that guy! I don’t remember anything about a hotel room either but I’m willing to admit his other single indescretion with the chinese-hat-lady-realtor (what was her name again?). VZ provided great leadership and although he deserved to be turfed, the MSM was the one that destroyed Social Credit, NOT Vanderzalm. The NDP destroyed B.C., not VZ. I fled the Left Coast in the late ’90s because of how they completely destroyed the economy. I know of 6 other families like myself who left for Alberta in the same timeframe for basically the same reasons!
Jordan PM in historic Iraq visit
Posted by Valin
On 09/10/2005 3:06:19 PM PDT
BBC ^ | 9/10/05
Iraq has hailed Saturday’s highly symbolic visit to Baghdad by the Jordanian prime minister. Jordan’s PM Adnan Badran met Iraqi Vice-President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari in Baghdad to bolster relations. It comes weeks after Iraq accused its Arab neighbour of hosting people involved in “terrorist acts”. Mr Badran’s visit was the first by an Arab leader since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. Secure border In a press conference after the meeting, Mr Jaafari said: “This visit means a great deal to us and marks a great political turning point. “I call on all…>> more
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1481966/posts
Link from newsbeat1>>>
String Of Shootings
Gun violence has reared its ugly head once again on Toronto streets. Two days after a 21-year-old man was shot to death in a west end park, homicide detectives are busy trying to solve two more murders.
Around 3pm Friday, police were called to a stairwell in a building at 25 Bishop Tutu Boulevard, in the Bathurst and Lake Shore area, after a man had been fatally shot in the neck.
The victim�s name hasn�t been released and police are asking for the public�s help in tracking down two men wanted in connection to this deadly shooting, who are described as:
#1
* Black
* 5�8�, 160 lbs
* He has gold front teeth and his hair is braided in a zig-zag pattern
#2
* Black
* 6�4�, 200lbs
* Clean-shaven and his hair was also braided in a zig-zag pattern
* He was wearing a long white shirt and dark pants
Investigators are urging a third man who was present when the shooting happened to come forward.
If you have any information that could help police, call (416) 808-7395 or CrimeStoppers at (416) 222-TIPS>>>>>>more
http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20050910-001/page.asp