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So, today’s message from Sun Media’s Peter Worthington is for anyone who stands in opposition to the Conservative Party of Canada to shut up, because things could be worse. He would characterize your dissent against some of the Harpercons’ policies as the bitching and moaning of a spoiled people. He says: “We’ve got a country and government that the rest of the world envies, and from which our own citizens benefit, even while we snipe and snarl at one another and think we are having it tough.”

I‘m not going to bother rebutting his qualitative assertions and commands to shut up. Clearly, here in Canada we are allowed to have ideas about what our government could be doing better, and we also have the right to be absolutely pissed off about some of the stuff Harper is pulling right now. Much to the Harpercons’ and Sun Media’s disappointment, blind obedience from the Canadian people will not be forthcoming.

But, he says a couple things that absolutely need correcting. I’m only going to deal with the big one.

Worthington repeats the mantra that Canada has the best banking system in the world, and it is the envy of obedient people everywhere. This myth is predicated on the idea that the Canadian banking system did not require a bailout as did that of many other countries, especially the United States. The fact is, our banks engage in the same kind of trading that got the American banks into trouble, they are highly leveraged, and have massive exposures to the derivatives market. And,… our banks were bailed out.

Canadian banks were bailed out to the tune of $114 billion. These bailouts came in the form of liquidity injections and distressed asset purchases. Compare this to the total value of tangible assets the banks held in 2008, which was $68 billion. Therefore, we see that the banks were given almost 2 dollars for every dollar in assets they held. If that ain’t a bailout of a troubled banking system, I don’t know what to say…

For more information, please refer to Anthony Philbin’s article: “Our Dirty Little Secret: The Canadian Bank Bailout.” It’s an eye-opener.

It seemed at the beginning of this piece, that Brian Lilley was going to write a defense of Stephen Harper’s attitide that the 30^th anniversary of the signing of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is barely worth mentioning let alone celebrating.

I was interested. I wanted to know what he could possibly say to defend Harper’s snubbing of a national achievement that every thinking person in this country holds dear. I know why Harper is doing it. I just wanted to know what spin Brian Lilley would put on it on behalf of Sun Media.

Stephen Harper, in his cold, blackened heart, feels that anything that was done by a Liberal, was not good for Canada. And, he sees a future in which the people of Canada remember him more like they remember Brian Mulroney as opposed to how they remember Pierre Trudeau. So, in surrender to his jealousy impulse, our Prime Minister moves to diminish the memory of a Canadian icon – Pierre Trudeau – again.

We see a pattern of attacking Trudeau’s legacy developing here. The same government that calls $10 billion a simple accounting error absolutely cannot afford $10 million for Katimavik – another important part of the Trudeau legacy. It showcases our former Prime Minister’s humanity, even while it helps develop young people into more excellent members of society.

But, I digress. Brian Lilley started what seemed to be a defence of Harper’s ignorance, but…  a la kazoo a la kazazz … presto bango … he made the 30^th Anniversary of the Charter disappear, and turned his article into  an attack on a woman’s right to choose – a right guaranteed under the Charter. Not only that, but he blamed the Liberals for the fact that Allison Redford, a Conservative, is against pharmacists and doctors bringing their religious prejudices into their relationship with patients. Apparently she has been disowned by the Harpercons, for not being as far right as the Wild Rose, and the Liberals are now to be blamed for anything she does that is not firmly grounded in Old Testament thinking.

Well, I’m just going to change the subject back to Harper’s direct snubbing of the rights and freedoms of all Canadians, and the indirect snubbing of Pierre Trudeau.  But, all I really have to say on the matter, is that I hope he continues. Days after Harper cut Katimavik, Justin Trudeau answered the challenge by drawing a Katimavik logo on his shoulder, putting on some boxing gloves and beating the living crap out of a mean spirited Conservative.

Please Mr. Harper, keep going after the Trudeau legacy. I dare ya… you already have one worthy opponent in your next election, why not try for another?

Tony Loeffen

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Sun Media continues to assist the Harpercons by whitewashing the F-35 debacle. In today’s column by David Akin, the technique being used is called: “Playing Dumb”.

He asks: “Why would the government do what the AG says the government did, namely mislead Parliament about the true costs of the program, fail to follow procurement rules, and to keep its paperwork in order”.

He writes as though he is genuinely mystified. He has no idea what is to be gained by Harper and his inner circle commandeering a $25 billion procurement process, and concealing information about the cost from the opposition parties, and the Canadian people.

The media in Canada may be over-polite when discussing matters such as this, trusting the citizenry to understand the reasons why there needs to be an open and transparent process when large amount of taxpayers’ money is being spent.

It is one thing to leave the question of “Why” unmentioned and therefore unanswered, but when a right wing disinformation outfit poses it, in order to paper it over with ignorance, … it really needs to be addressed.

The answer to the question “Why” as it pertains to the F-35 debacle, has to do with the appearance of corruption.

There.

I said it.

Corruption.

The reason we, in Canada, do not place the power to spend billions of dollars in the hands of one man, or even a small group of his inner circle, is because we want to be different than your garden variety tin pot dictatorship.  If we are going to buy stealth bombers, and spend billions of dollars on them, and there is an open and transparent process, it is unlikely that the company that wins the contract will have any reason to “thank” the politicians that controlled the outcome, because no politician or highly placed military bureaucrat influenced the outcome.

See “Why” we have the process in place? See “Why” someone might have something to gain from commandeering it and controlling the outcome? Pretty simple.  If Stephen Harper, Rona Ambrose, Peter McKay, Tony Clement and a handful of generals were the only thing standing between me and 25 billion dollars, I would not hesitate to set up a few Swiss bank accounts full of money for them. It would be well worth it.

So, David Akin, the answer to the “Why” question is quite simply, personal gain.

I want to be clear, that I am not pointing an accusing finger at the Harpercons and calling them corrupt. But, what I am saying is that, since they rigged the process by which the F-35 was selected, and refused to share information about the process and the true cost of the planes, they put themselves in a position where Lockheed Martin could appropriately thank them for the contract.

I am not saying that the Harpercons are corrupt, because we may never have any way of knowing if they are.  However, since the procurement rules that are designed to prevent corruption, were clearly violated, we have no reason to believe that they are not corrupt. When the Canadian people even need to wonder about if their government may be corrupt, there is a giant problem.

And oh ya,…  I would like to point out to anyone struggling with the “Why” of the F-35 debacle…  that there was a previous Conservative Prime Minister who got himself all tangled up in accusations of taking kick backs for influencing the outcome of a procurement process wherein airplanes were bought.  I highly recommend Stevie Cameron’s On the Take: Crime, Corruption and Greed in the Mulroney Years.

People in David Akin’s position should never ask the question “Why” and not be prepared to seriously attempt to answer it. It just doesn’t pass the smell test, because David Aiken’s job is to know why.

Tony Loeffen

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Sun Media’s John Robson seems to want to spread the blame for the F-35 debacle around, and seems to assume that none of his readers have access to information outside of what is spoon fed to them by Sun Media.

Robson claims that the Auditor General’s report on the F-35 is a cause for embarrassment to all MPs, including those of the opposition, as it is their job to scrutinize Harper’s government. He is saying that when Harper’s government does wrong, it is equally the opposition’s fault for not catching him.

He claims that MPs were not minding the store.

However, they were minding the store.

In March of 2011, the House Affairs Committee tabled a report that said that Harper’s government was in contempt of Parliament for refusing to supply enough information on the cost of the F-35 jets, their crime bill, and their corporate tax cuts.

Harper’s government was found in contempt of Parliament, losing a confidence vote, and thereby bringing about an election on this very issue… courtesy of the MPs that Robson would make complicit in this scandal.

The Harpercons ran the whole election on fraudulent numbers while they kept the real ones to themselves – even though the whole election was happening precisely because they were keeping the real numbers to themselves.

This stuff is hardly secret.

I know what you’re thinking. How can John Robson, as a professional writing on this subject, possibly be ignorant of these facts? And if he was aware of these facts, what does that say about his motives for writing this article?

I’m thinking the same thing.

Tony Loeffen

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Peter Worthington is paid to write by a right wing company called Sun Media. Here are some words that he recently wrote: “The federal government has announced it will close the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development which it funds to the tune of $11 million a year. Funny, because most of us didn’t know it existed – had never heard of it in fact.”

There is nothing funny about how this government is gutting every thing that slightly smells like social conscience in Canada, but I do appreciate the man’s logic. At this time of year, I bet I could get millions of people to disavow any knowledge of Revenue Canada in order that Stephen Harper could feel justified in de-funding it and thereby relieve us of our tax paying obligations. In fact, I can produce a fair number of adults who do not know that Stephen Harper is our Prime Minister, if Mr. Wothington will agree that Stephen Harper’s service, by virtue of this fact will no longer be required by the Canadian people.

But seriously, this is the kind of argument that passes muster at Sun Media. It is actually insulting.

And he goes on. He has more logic.

Apparently, the $11 million per year that Canada is spending on promoting Human Rights, and Democracy around the world is not producing enough bang for the buck according to Worthington. He laments that, in spite of our generous investment, China still lacks democracy, Afghanistan has not yet learned to respect women’s rights, and Colombia still neglects the rights of its aboriginal peoples.

I can just imagine Peter Worthington in a dimly lit room, going over his previous month’s credit card statement, seeing the $25 he gave to the Canadian Cancer Society, flying in to a rage, picking up the phone and demanding a refund due to the fact that he is not seeing a return on his investment. He would consider an appropriate return on his investment to be nothing less than a cure.

Here is what he is not reporting. These are some facts pulled from a piece written by Haroon Siddiqui of the Toronto Star…

Harper appointed members of the board of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. They were outraged that 3 small grants were given to groups that are critical of Israel, 2 of which are Palestinian, and 1 of which is Israeli. We know how Harper feels about Israel, and not surprisingly, Harper’s board members hounded the elderly president, Remy Beauregard, who died of a heart attack following a particularly tumultuous board meeting. On the weekend of the man’s funeral, there was a break-in, Watergate-style at the offices. 2 laptops were stolen. The staff proceeded to rebel. Harper closes the agency.

Nice eh?

Tony Loeffen

Peter Worthington is paid to write by a right wing company called Sun Media. Here are some words that he recently wrote: “The federal government has announced it will close the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development which it funds to the tune of $11 million a year. Funny, because most of us didn’t know it existed – had never heard of it in fact.”

There is nothing funny about how this government is gutting every thing that slightly smells like social conscience in Canada, but I do appreciate the man’s logic. At this time of year, I bet I could get millions of people to disavow any knowledge of Revenue Canada in order that Stephen Harper could feel justified in de-funding it and thereby relieve us of our tax paying obligations. In fact, I can produce a fair number of adults who do not know that Stephen Harper is our Prime Minister, if Mr. Wothington will agree that Stephen Harper’s service, by virtue of this fact will no longer be required by the Canadian people.

But seriously, this is the kind of argument that passes muster at Sun Media. It is actually insulting.

And he goes on. He has more logic.

Apparently, the $11 million per year that Canada is spending on promoting Human Rights, and Democracy around the world is not producing enough bang for the buck according to Worthington. He laments that, in spite of our generous investment, China still lacks democracy, Afghanistan has not yet learned to respect women’s rights, and Colombia still neglects the rights of its aboriginal peoples.

I can just imagine Peter Worthington in a dimly lit room, going over his previous month’s credit card statement, seeing the $25 he gave to the Canadian Cancer Society, flying in to a rage, picking up the phone and demanding a refund due to the fact that he is not seeing a return on his investment. He would consider an appropriate return on his investment to be nothing less than a cure.

Here is what he is not reporting. These are some facts pulled from a piece written by Haroon Siddiqui of the Toronto Star…

Harper appointed members of the board of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development. They were outraged that 3 small grants were given to groups that are critical of Israel, 2 of which are Palestinian, and 1 of which is Israeli. We know how Harper feels about Israel, and not surprisingly, Harper’s board members hounded the elderly president, Remy Beauregard, who died of a heart attack following a particularly tumultuous board meeting. On the weekend of the man’s funeral, there was a break-in, Watergate-style at the offices. 2 laptops were stolen. The staff proceeded to rebel. Harper closes the agency.

Nice eh?

Tony Loeffen

A new exposé in Wired Magazine has revealed new details about how the National Security Agency is quietly building the largest spy center in the country in Bluffdale, Utah, as part of a secret NSA surveillance program codenamed “Stellar Wind.” According to investigative reporter James Bamford, the NSA has established listening posts throughout the nation to collect and sift through billions of email messages and phone calls, whether they originate within the country or overseas. The Utah spy center will contain near-bottomless databases to store all forms of communication collected by the agency. This includes the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails—parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases and other digital “pocket litter.”

Sperm-hunting women prowl Zimbabwe highways

Susan Dhliwayo was stunned when she pulled her car over recently to pick up a group of male hitchhikers and they refused to get in. The reason? They feared being raped.

Sensational reports of gangs of beautiful women picking up male travellers to have sex and harvest their sperm in condoms have gripped Zimbabwe in a dizzying mix of taboos, rituals and the downright bizarre.

“Now, men fear women. They said: ‘we can’t go with you because we don’t trust you’,” 19-year-old Dhliwayo recounted.

‘Kony’ creator Jason Russell will remain hospitalized for weeks

Invisible Children filmmaker Jason Russell, who created the viral “Kony 2012″ video, will remain in the hospital for several weeks for what his wife described as “reactive psychosis.”

In a statement released Wednesday, his wife and other family members said they believe this condition caused him to act strangely last week, ranting and roaming around a San Diego street in the nude.

The family said the treatment could take months.

“Jason will get better,” they said. “He has a long way to go, but we are confident that he will make a full recovery. He is, and will remain, under hospital care for a number of weeks; and after that, the recovery process could take months before he is fully able to step back into his role with Invisible Children. During that time, we will focus not on a speedy recovery, but a thorough one.”

5 Deadly Threats to Our Precious Drinking Water Supply

The people hardest hit by the water crisis are in developing countries — places it is easy for many world leaders (and the rest of us) to overlook. And even the number of those without clean water — last tallied at 884 million — can be hard to grasp. Here’s another way of looking at it: if you take that number and translate it into the population of developed countries, the people living in the world today without access to clean drinking water would equal all the people living in the US, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, England, Italy, Spain, Japan, Australia and Norway.

Like our economic, food, health and climate crises, if you’re a person of color and/or poor, you’ll be hardest hit. According to the United Nations, if you are a poor person living in a slum you’re likely to pay five to 10 times more for water than wealthy people living in the same city. And so too, are women disproportionately affected because they are the ones responsible for getting water each day in most developing countries — work that often means hours of difficult labor under dangerous conditions.

NDP ties Tories in popular support

The New Democrats will begin their leadership convention on Friday with a remarkable wind filling their sails. For the first time in 25 years, the polling firm Environics has them in first place, tied with the Conservatives.

That wind isn’t quite as brisk as it might seem: The NDP is not doing better in public opinion, the Conservatives are simply doing much worse. And the Bloc Québécois is surging in Quebec.

NDP looks to define leader before Conservative ads do

The NDP is preparing a “significant” ad campaign to promote its new leader before the Conservatives get a chance to taint Canadians’ first impressions with attack ads of their own.

The new leader, to be chosen Saturday, will have to approve the plan but the idea is to beat the Tories to the punch.

“The NDP is not going to be caught flat-footed. We are going to be defining our own leader to the public,” NDP spokeswoman Sally Housser said in an interview.

Former DND official says Parliament, Canadians were ‘misled’ about F-35 procurement

The bad news about the F-35 fighter jets just keeps mounting.

Alan Williams, a Former Department of National Defence official who inked the initial deal on the F-35 project now says the procurement process was flawed, and that Conservative ministers knowingly pushed the project forward.

“The whole process was twisted to suit the needs of the military, with the acknowledgment and support of ministers. It was totally unacceptable,” he told the National Post.

Hebert: Pauline Marois hoping Thomas Mulcair loses NDP leadership race

Place Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois near the top of the long list of non-NDP politicians who do not wish Thomas Mulcair well in Saturday’s leadership vote.

From the PQ’s perspective, a Mulcair defeat would be an across-the-board win.

It would solidify the party’s ongoing recovery in provincial voting intentions in the lead-up to an election expected within the year.

It would maximize the chances of a return of the Bloc Québécois to a position of strength in Quebec and in the House of Commons.

Judy Rebick: Inside Occupy

In this excerpt from her new book, Judy Rebick recalls her first encounters with the Occupy movement in New York City

Zuccotti Park is located in my least favourite neighbourhood in New York City, halfway between Ground Zero and the Stock Exchange. It’s usually a grey and lifeless part of the city inhabited by gawking tourists and rushing traders. The moment I stepped off the subway, however, I noticed a difference. Lively discussions were going on everywhere, one on one and in groups. Even before I stepped into the encampment, something felt different. It took me a while to understand what it was.

I arrived at Zuccotti Park, the site of Occupy Wall Street (OWS), on Sunday evening, October 16, two days after protesters had miraculously avoided eviction. The day before there had been massive global demonstrations in solidarity with them. Occupy sites were sprouting in cities across North America and around the world.

Maybe you’re like me, and all of a sudden, your child or your students ask, no, insist that you watch the viral video “Kony 2012.” “So, like 70 million people have seen it, it’s so amazing! You HAVE to see it!” She wants your opinion or he wants your approval because they are totally excited and plan to purchase the kits and go out with friends and plaster “Kony 2012″ posters everywhere.

Joseph Kony, for those of you who have not been connected to the media buzz in the last few days, is an African leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army that kidnapped children for his murderous army that terrorized Uganda. He is now on the run in neighbouring countries. Invisible Children’s campaign to capture him, is suddenly the hot cause. Not surprisingly, they are coming under flack from Ugandan human rights activists for misrepresenting the issue, and the fund-raising community for pocketing most of the donations.

But that is not why I’m writing this letter.

How do you explain to enthusiastic kids that this persuasive campaign, urging them to do human rights direct-action, is, uh, well… Great, but… there’s a problem… ?

Former U.S. vp Dick Cheney deems Canada too dangerous for speaking visit

Former U.S. vice-president Dick Cheney has cancelled a Canadian speaking appearance due to security concerns sparked by demonstrations during a visit he made to Vancouver last fall, the event promoter said Monday.

Cheney, whom the protesters denounced as a war criminal, was slated to talk about his experiences in office and the current American political situation at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on April 24.

However, Ryan Ruppert, of Spectre Live Corp., said Cheney and his daughter Elizabeth had begged off via their agent.

Florida Teen Tries to Rob Porn Store With Gun, Gets Talked Into Filling Out a Job Application Instead

Cody Conner, 17, walked into an adult novelty store in Debary with a loaded gun and intended to stick-up the cashier. Instead, the employee talked Conner out of the robbery, and actually convinced the kid to fill out a job application.

Of course Conner won’t be getting the job. The employee turned over the application, with all of Conner’s personal information on it, over to police.

The incident occurred at Cupid’s Corner store, which promises on its website that it sells “everything for your erotic desires.”

Ex-Tory Riding Execs Question Fantino’s Election Finances

Three former members of the Conservative riding association in Vaughan, Ont., are asking Elections Canada to investigate the campaign’s finances.

In sworn affidavits, Richard Lorello, Tracey Kent and Carrie Liddy allege possible irregularities in Julian Fantino’s 2010 byelection and 2011 election campaigns.

CBC vs. the music biz: How much is a song worth?

How much is a song worth? In the world of Internet-based music services such as Pandora, Grooveshark and the CBC’s new streaming Web radio, nobody seems to have a clear answer.

This week, the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada indicated it believes the country’s national broadcaster may not be paying music publishers enough for the rights to play their music – rights that were in part negotiated before the explosion of on-demand, Web-based music services that have shaken up the recording industry.

Obama to announce rare earth trade case against China

US President Barack Obama will Tuesday announce a new trade suit against China prompted by Beijing’s restrictions on the export of rare earth materials used in manufacturing high-tech products.

A senior White House official said on condition of anonymity that the United States would bring the case at the World Trade Organization with the European Union and Japan, in a new sign of election-year trade tensions with Beijing.

China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths — 17 elements critical to manufacturing a range of high-tech products from iPods to missiles — and its moves to dictate production and exports have raised a global outcry.

Police take on rising wave of Tide detergent theft

Law enforcement officials across the US have been left baffled by a crime wave targeting an unlikely item — Tide laundry detergent.

Theft of Tide detergent has become so rampant that some cities are setting up special task forces to stop it and retailers like CVS are taking special security precautions to lock down the liquid.