Internet Access - NOT

Hi Readers:

Just letting you know - from an Internet Cafe - that I have moved to another city and there has been a delay in getting my DSL connection set up.

So, I won't be blogging for at least another day or so.

Hope you're having a good weekend. See you again sometimes soon. And thanks for your patience!

Corinne (YayaCanada)

Yo! How Kreepy is Karotz!

Contributor: "Yo Momma"

"Karotz: The RFID Rabbit That’ll Monitor Your Home "

You have to see this - it is totally creepy.

The song lyrics are almost chilling and the "sheep" flashing the hand signs at the end of the video is just over the top. (Aren't they happily flashing the sign of their complete domination by the PTB? The PTB must be laughing themselves silly over that) No surprise this comes out of France.

Good grief there's even an "all-seeing eye " in their logo... EWWWW

To the best of my ability, these are the lyrics that I could hear... (I haven't found them on the net yet, but I'm sure they will appear soon...)

"Gonna take my photo out
Gonna show I'm a real good scout
Is this what we've become
To prove that I am one of you
Gotta put my fingertip in the ink
so when I sin you will know it
and everybody else
And all of the time
you better get back in line
'cause if you don't you know there's hell to pay.
Gonna let you feel me up (does this refer to airport security?)
Haven't you had enough
Do what I am told
stand inside the fold
Gonna let you question me
turn around and say I'm free
but I've done nothing wrong
except writing this song
and OK fine
I'll get back in line
'cause if I don't I know
there's hell to pay
I won't try to fight
or try to stand up high
I won't think that I'm different
'cause I'm not"

Wow, who knew it was so cool to be a mediocre, obedient sheep?

The song is really sneaky - it seems on the surface anti-establishment but in reality it is all about accepting the societal panopticon - a "prison-society" controlled by the "all-seeing eye" (surveillance technology). And they use this song to sell an endearing, seemingly harmless robot bunny that is neither endearing nor harmless, but is in fact an instrument that essentially seduces us into welcoming the panopticon into the privacy of our homes.

I read recently an uncomfortably accurate description of today's society:

"We find that at present the human race is divided into one wise man, nine knaves, and ninety fools out of every hundred. That is, by an optimistic observer. The nine knaves assemble themselves under the banner of the most knavish among them, and become 'politicians'; the wise man stands out, because he knows himself to be hopelessly outnumbered, and devotes himself to poetry, mathematics, or philosophy; while the ninety fools plod off under the banners of the nine villains, according to fancy, into the labyrinths of chicanery, malice and warfare. It is pleasant to have command, observes Sancho Panza, even over a flock of sheep, and that is why the politicians raise their banners. It is, moreover, the same thing for the sheep whatever the banner. If it is democracy, then the nine knaves will become members of parliament; if fascism, they will become party leaders; if communism,commissars. Nothing will be different, except the name. The fools will be still fools, the knaves still leaders, the results still exploitation. As for the wise man, his lot will be much the same under any ideology. Under democracy he will be encouraged to starve to death in a garret, under fascism he will be put in a concentration camp, under communism he will be liquidated."

— T.H. White (The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished Conclusion to The Once & Future King)

I think the Karotz video pretty much illustrates this.

Karotz at a trade show - "It's so cool!"

Orange you excited?

Contributor: "YYC"

When the media come up with a catch phrase for a political party's standing in the poll, watch out.

Video: The Orange Crush

Geez, Jack could end up PM. If the Libcons decide to coalesce - and it's already being discussed - and Jack has more seats, he will insist on it. So because of the strageic voting of people calling themselves the Left, we'll be stuck with the same old, same old. And instead of Harper buying planes - at constantly rising prices - it might be Jack.

BUT, will Jack really get more seats than the Liberals? Again, remember our not-fair voting system. See the Election Almanac's contradictory seat projections. He could get more, he could get fewer.

What will the strategic votes have gained? Abortions will be allowed, women's and gay rights will receive the same token attention as before, seniors might get a little more pension money. That's something I suppose.

But no matter who sees himself as the head honcho of Canada - and don't think such a "victory" won't create some awfully swelled heads - we will still have unending wars, our economy will still be determined by corporate banksters, our police will be more and more militarized, our essential services will be privatized - and that's because we will still be ruled by the North American Union and the move toward global governance that you never hear any of these politicians talk about.

The stronger the NDP become, the more Big Brother laws we will see. Vaccinations, for instance, could become mandatory. And when the only jobs are in government bureaucracy, policing and combat fighting, it won't be much different from what Harper would have accomplished had he achieved a majority.

Breaking the wine barrier

Contributor: "YYC"

Mulligan set to take wine 'bullies' to task
A Prohibition-era law restricting wine importation across provincial boundaries is about to be tested by a well-known B.C. broadcaster.

See, this is why marijuana has to be kept illegal. No one can stop its seeds from floating on the wind across provincial borders. Oh, the chaos!

The way things are set up, if you buy your wine in another province it's money out of the pocket of your own provincial government. Mulligan will make himself more widely famous, but I doubt a province will want to relinquish control over liquor revenue.

He should have kept quiet. The law is not really enforced. People in Ottawa, for instance, buy their wine on the Quebec side all the time. Now there'll be an excuse to set up road blocks.

Gee, if Quebec separates, maybe there'll be a duty free shop at the entrance to the bridge. Interesting that Mulligan is BC/Alberta oriented - another part of Canada that's talking separation.

Of all of the causes Mulligan could have picked to enhance his image, this may well be the least important one, considering all the horrible things going on in the world.

Radiation Rabbit Hole, Anyone?

Contributor: "YYC"

Recently, from YYC Contributor "Bugman", we posted an article entitled: Radiation? Look Under the Carpet.

Since then, Blogger "Noor al Haqiqa" has left a comment suggesting that we watch the Dutchsinse Channel on You Tube. I believe we have linked before to Dutchsinse, but if you're interested in delving further into the mysteries of radiation, take a look.

As always, I leave you to your own judgment.

Jack be Nimble?

Contributor: "YYC"

As NDP climbs in the polls, markets start to listen up

Wow, for once the media are not quite exaggerating. Looking at the Election Almanac poll (and remember "polls don't matter"), Jack Layton's party really is ahead of Iggy's, and Harper has dropped to 130 potential seats.

The article is not necessarily correct about the number of seats the NDP might pull in, however. Have they forgotten our Not-Fair Vote system?

The poll of CEO's, however, gives an entirely different picture; of course, they want to see Harper continue as leader, and we know why.

Today's Chuckle

Contributor: "YYC"

RCMP survey shows public still has faith in Mounties, despite recent criticism

But confidence levels in British Columbia, the Yukon and around Ottawa fell below the national average, with results as low as 68 per cent for trust and only 50 per cent for strong leadership in the Yukon.

What a hoot! The mounties want so badly to be liked they have resorted to polls - with craftily worded questions, no doubt - just like the polls the politicians claim they don't pay any attention to.

Despite the positive-sounding headline, it's clear that where the RCMP are most in evidence is where they are most disliked.

Image borrowed from here: RCMP Officers Face Impaired Charge

Neckties prove theory of evolution

Contributor: "YYC"

Hah! You thought I would be talking about the election today, didn't you. Well, in a way I am. Surely you've noticed how politicians remove their neckties, the symbol of their God-given right to rule, when appealing for empathy from what they imagine to be "the common man".

But God did not create the necktie, poor men's mothers did. They knitted sturdy mufflers to protect their boys from throat ailments, and the welltodo, living in warmer homes, envied the poor their dashing attire and so began to dress up their own necks - in laces and silks, of course.

There are many theories about why neckties are still worn in an age when so many choices of attire are available, but it's clear that the modern necktie can be likened to the appendix - a silly, useless appendage that men are afraid to have taken out (of their wardrobes).

Why? Because royalty still wears them. (And that's the closest I intend to come to talking about the upcoming royal wedding - unless something more freakish than the standard pomp occurs.)

There is no more hidebound an institution than royalty. They are a living symbol of power based on tradition, and tradition always gets in the way of personal freedom. (Just try to forego Christmas, for instance, or go skiing instead of home for Thanskgiving.)

The old cravat eventually evolved into a necktie that is still a symbol of superior status. And sadly now, even the poorest man will tie one on at weddings and funerals. (Pun intended. He has to get drunk to be able to tolerate the noose around his neck.)

Meanwhile, the superior man can somehow still take himself seriously wearing a cute little bow at his neck on occasions deemed important. And in colder climes, superior men have taken to wearing both a necktie and a muffler, which seems as neurotic as wearing both a belt and suspenders.

There is a theory that the necktie represents the phallus, which symbolizes power, which is why only men, for the most part, wear them. But the very fact they are worn at all indicates impotence in the face of tradition. It is actually a form of penis envy.

Not wearing one has become a sign of rebellion. Somebody should do a survey of the tied and the tieless to assess their feelings about the monarchy. I'll bet there's a direct correlation.

And don't get me started on the Pope. He evolved from God Almighty, so he has lots of stuff strung around his neck.

Out of Chaos ... Disorder?

Contributor: "YYC"

Cheering Conservative partisans shield Harper from awkward terrorism questions

Excerpts:

A Tory candidate in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough has been shown to be a vocal supporter of the banned Tamil Tigers, prompting Conservative cabinet minister Peter Kent to say someone in his party's organization "obviously dropped the ball."

And a Vancouver candidate is trying to distance herself from an endorsement from a high-profile Sikh advocate who has long been linked to the Air India bombing and the controversial Babbar Khalsa movement.

The prime minister shrugged off both controversies.

"Our candidate in Scarborough has been very clear on his rejection of the Tamil Tigers, very clear on that," said Harper.

Paranchothy did issue a statement to that effect. But it hasn't stopped Peter Kent, Harper's environment minister, from disassociating himself from his fellow Toronto-area candidate, withdrawing a written endorsement and stating there was a "lack of due diligence" in permitting Paranchothy to run under the Tory banner.

I don't recall ever seeing so much chaos in a federal election. I hate to say this, but it comes from the same sorts of mindsets that cause all the factions and sects among religions. People aren't into religion because they want to be spiritual and live better lives; they are into it because it's fire insurance - they fear retribution from God. And they are terribly superstitious, hence the nitpicking over minutia.

Like children suffering under an unpredictable and forbidding father, they will scrap among themselves about their interpretations of what Daddy wants of them, whether in a church setting or a political one.

These people can't afford to be wrong, though they are just as ambitious and greedy as any secular or atheist. Consequently, they stick by any leader who smells vaguely religious (unlike Iggy and Jack) no matter how much scandal surrounds the party, and just like their leaders, they spend most of their time trying to fool God (and/or the public) by rationalizing their baser proclivities and finding ambiguous words to describe their activities.

Harper's source of support and party make-up has been heavily among ... shall we say the more orthodox? Infighting cannot be avoided, which is why Harper has kept such rigid control over his MPs. But now they're out there in the wild, so eager for votes their true colours are showing.

The Tamils have been officially designated a terrorist group, and the Air India bombing is officially listed as a terrorist act and not a false flag event; so why are some Cons behaving as if the official stories might be bogus? Maybe because they really are bogus?

Quoting from the Gospel of Harper: "It's simply not true ...". If repeated often enough, the people who want badly to believe in "the Harper Government" will absorb it as fact.

Sorry, but it is Sunday, and Easter to boot, and I can't resist a little sermonizing.

Image borrowed from Off the Mark

ConTV Election Ad: A Deal for Dimitri

Contributor: "Ron"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-wzbbKmLos

Related:
Soudas dogged by new influence questions
There is a pattern, we have [former Harper adviser Bruce] Carson, we have four people accused of election fraud, we have Soudas possibly not telling the truth to a parliamentary committee," Ignatieff said in Montreal.

Recordings raise more questions about Port post
Harper calls allegations of interference in appointment process 'completely false'

Harper aide denies receiving kickbacks in Montreal port job
Conservative leader Stephen Harper’s chief spokesman denies he received any kickbacks for allegedly trying to influence the appointment process at the Montreal Port Authority.

STOP AIPAC's ADVOCACY FOR ISRAEL

Contributor: "PAJU"

Help end the hateful policies and destructive influence of AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee)

On March 19, the Israeli army fired artillery shells into the besieged Palestinian Gaza Strip, instantly killing Emad Farajallah and Qassem Abu Otaiwi, two 16 year old boys from the al-Nussairat Refugee Camp.

The shells that killed them were likely some of the 337,861 artillery shells, valued at $9.2 million, that the United States gave to Israel and paid for with American taxes from 2000 to 2006.

Three days later, the Israeli army fired four artillery shells into a residential area of Gaza City. According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, "the third shell landed near a number of boys who were playing football near their houses." Two boys - Mohammed Harara and Mohammed al-Hilu - were killed and their bodies dismembered.

The fourth shell killed another child, as well as his grandfather, while they were trying to evacuate the wounded to a hospital. In addition, 11 Palestinians, including eight children, were injured in the barrage. These shells may have been from the more than 47 million pieces of ammunition and ordnance, valued at $9.5 million, that the United States sent to Israel from 2007 to 2009. The misuse of U.S. weapons to commit these human rights abuses is s crime under U.S. law.

Nevertheless, securing more weapons for Israel to brutalize Palestinians will once again be the top lobbying item on the agenda of AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) at its annual policy conference in Washington, DC, this May. AIPAC is one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, but we won't let AIPAC's advocacy for more Israeli human rights abuses, military occupation and anti-Palestinian apartheid go unchallenged.

On May 21-24, join more than 80 peace and justice groups at the "Move Over AIPAC" conference in Washington DC. This historic gathering will feature speakers such as: John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt (authors of the groundbreaking book "The Israel Lobby"), Holocaust survivor Hedy Epstein, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, Jewish Voice for Peace Director Rebecca Vilkomerson and many more!

Join us at "Move Over AIPAC" to challenge the harmful policies that AIPAC promotes and to condemn AIPAC’s dangerous and destructive influence on American foreign policy.

For more information, please see: www.moveoveraipac.org and www.endtheoccupation.org

Election Polls: "Simply Not True"

Contributor: "YYC"

Ipsos Pollsters: NDP Surge to Second Place Nationally and First in Quebec as Liberals Stumble, Bloc Collapse - Conservatives Cruising to Victory With 43%Support, NDP (24%) and Liberals (21%) Battle it Out for Second Place

I don't know what Ipsos is up to - or do I? Considering how the media ran with it, I suppose Canadians now believe it.

To quote Harper, "It's simply not true" that the Conservatives are at 43% and the NDP are second in line. Or if it is true, where is Election Almanac getting its other polls?

Ignatieff still thinks he could form a government on the strength of his budget. He wouldn't (technically) form a coalition - Harper has made that idea too scary for the voters - but he would get support from the NDP and Bloc for his budget, and thereby best Harper.

For the same reason, Harper denies having designs on the abortion laws. But it depends whether you're talking to Conservatives or to the general public, whether or not this is truly the case. The defunding of Planned Parenthood should provide a clue.

Here's an audio clip of Brad Trost stating that Harper is cutting abortion access.

Maybe Iggy will explain all these fine differences in his upcoming Town Hall. Like the entertainment business, Iggy has put out a "teaser" video. Bad choice of word when what you want is a promise in which you can actually put some stock.

Iggy says it's not about him, "It's about what kind of Canada you want ..."

But watch for an eery deja vu experience. You will be reminded of this video where he said "You have to decide what kind of America you want; it's your country just as much as it is mine".

I must be getting balmy, because I thought Ignatieff was personally almost tolerable, almost seemed human in that ad for his Town Hall. I'd better get to an advance poll before I start thinking about voting Liberal. Not really.

(Actually, I have to go to an advance poll today because I'm moving to another city before election day. If I seem deliquent here for a bit, that's the reason - up to my ears in boxes and bruised from tripping over them. Yes, I'll still be doing the blog; just not from Ottawa.)

On the subject of the Harper mantra:
When Harper Says 'Simply Not True'... Is It?

Tanks for nothing

Contributor: "YYC"

UPDATE: April 23
When I wrote this entry the message at the Calgary Herald was "sorry this article does not exist". It must have been sent out for cleaning, because it's there now.

Look at this list of sites carrying the headline: Layton as PM would tank our economy

They all lead here.

Hmmmmm. I've seen this happen rather often lately. Is the headline really the most important thing? I suppose it's done its job hasn't it? Not that I would recommend Jack Layton as PM, of course, or any of the other major choices, but I do understand something of how the media shape elections.

Managed to find a snippet from the ghost article here:

Layton has also vowed to impose a moratorium on oilsands growth and bring in a cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions, which will devastate Alberta, the engine of Canada's economy. Layton is a likable fella and he's run a good campaign, ...

But?

What is the matter with Mary Jane?

She's perfectly well and she hasn't a pain *

Contributor: "YYC"

Ottawa appeals ruling that could lead to legalization of marijuana in Ontario

In a ruling released last week, [Judge] Taliano says sick people cannot get access to medical marijuana through appropriate means and must resort to illegal actions such as growing their own supply.

As a result, ill people who should be able to get the drugs are branded as criminals, the decision said.

I'd rather see chronically ill people smoke pot than get into the medical system and wreck their bodies with prescription drugs.

If it becomes legal, I'll grow some and give it away free. I won't smoke it; I tried that once and was quite put off when I felt a sip of coffee hit the bottom of my stomach. Yes, it can make one more aware, but I don't want to be that aware.

The Marijuana Party is running a candidate in my riding again. Watch John Akpata explain the many benefits and uses of Mary Jane and hemp.

John Akpata told me you can eat it as a salad and in other ways as well. There's a longer video of "Cooking with Marijuana, the Gourmet Menu" on YouTube, with all sorts of neat recipes.

The chefs are hilarious being both named Hans and because they go to great lengths to hide their identities; otherwise it's just like any other good cooking show - and the salmon recipe will make your mouth water). For the salad you'll need a nice dressing. Here's a recipe for a marijuana seed dressing.

There are some Canadian Internet outlets for hemp seed, and you can buy a mild hemp seed oil in the supermarket. But just try to use it as a medicine!

I see they've got the full version video of Run from the Cure on YouTube. Maybe I'll get Rick Simpson's recipe for making a hemp oil that cures all sorts of things, including cancer. His oil is more concentrated and meant to be a medicine, and that's not allowed. Which is just one more indication of how powerful the Pharmers are.

* From a poem by A. A. Milne

Yo! Where's the Birth Certificate?

Contributor: "Yo Momma"

Where's the Birth Certificate?: The Case that Barack Obama is not Eligible to be President

This is a book to be released on May 17, and there's also a really interesting documentary video "A Question of Eligibility" that is fascinating and asks some very good questions.

It's in 5 parts on Youtube:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

I imagine the PTB believed that locking up Obama's records and producing a birth certificate (not the long form) would have been enough, and they didn't count on the public being persistent.

Also, the fact that he is running again in 2012, even though it seems pretty clear that the truth will get out eventually (that, and the many comments in the Internet media about Bush saying the Constitution is "just a piece of paper"), seems to indicate that the global government is already operating and that the US is no longer a sovereign nation - meaning the Constitution and its rules for presidency no longer apply.

What was also interesting is that even though the Constitution states that a president must be a natural born US citizen, it doesn't state who has the responsibility to check a potential candidate's eligibility - and this provided a convenient loophole to get Obama in.

-----

Ed Note: The author of the book, Jerome R. Corsi, is the subject of a huge controversy among Wikipedia editors. He's accused of spreading disinformation, of course, but it appears there's plenty of disinfo about Corsi himself. So he must have hit home a few times in his several books.

The guy's a Christian right winger, no doubt about that (he fits in too well at World Net Daily), and it's mostly Republican partisans who are out to bring down Obama, but the question of Obama's eligibility is a valid one, as are the issues of 9/11 truth and the scope of the elder Bush's "new world order".

Radiation? Look under the carpet

Contributor: "Bugman"

This whole Fukushima disaster is brushed under the carpet by Western Governments and the media. Health Canada does not put any radiation figures out for any location in Canada. Radiation counters are costly, hard to get, and in some areas their sale is prohibited. So we depend on searches on the Internet to find some useful info.

Here are some articles, for which we have no proof they represent the correct facts, but still show the effort in Japan is an absolute complete mess, and no real improvement is in sight.

Alarming New Fukushima Reports (Steve Lendman)
“Think of driving a car, and….all of a sudden (it) lunges out of control. You hit the brakes,” but they don’t work because “the earthquake wiped out the safety systems.”

Potential dispersion of the radioactive cloud over The Northern Hemisphere (Weather Online)
... animation displays a potential dispersion of the radioactive cloud (Caesium 137 Isotope)

Coverup! (Seattle Examiner)
Canada under radiation as high as Japan

Quebec says, "I don't".

Contributor "Ron"

Listen, we have to talk. This arranged marriage between us never worked out. When I got into this mess, I was young and naïve. And as an orphaned bride in the new world, I was powerless and desperate. But let’s face it, we were always two very different people and we both wanted different things in life. In reality the only thing we had in common was we lived next door to each other. But convenience alone doesn’t make for a good marriage.

Like many young brides, I hoped you might change. Sadly, I was wrong. Instead you’ve gotten much worse with age as your Harper face reveals. Now whenever I look at you, I see George Bush or Ronnie Reagan or Margaret Thatcher or Barry Goldwater. Let’s face it, the Thrill is Gone. (BB King VIDEO)

At night when you come home, your breath reeks of war and corporatism and imperialism. And you hide things from me all the time. Things I have a right to know as your spouse. And you are getting more violent with each passing day. All this talk of more unregistered guns for everyone scares the crap out of me. Your crazy shopping sprees have gotten out of hand, what with $30 billion wasted on F-35 Fighter Jets without engines - who would mortgage our children's education for such boy's toys? And what about compassion? All you want to do is build more US style jails and put my children into them.

And another thing, you are really bad for my health. At night when you are asleep, you speak out your perverse fantasy of privatizing health care in Canada. What’s with that? And your voodoo evangelical cult faith is beginning to frighten me, the kids and the neighbours. All this talk about good and evil and the imminent return of your sandal-wearing guru who will float you up into the sky are the words of a madman. And your babblings that the universe was formed during the Bronze Age and that your buddy Stockwell Day played baseball with dinosaurs is psychotic.

Let’s face it, we have irreconcilable differences. It’s best we divorce now before things get really ugly. This way we can both go our own ways and rebuild our own lives in the way we each see fit. We’ll both be much happier that way. No hard feelings. These things happen all the time. I’ll have my lawyers call yours to take care of the details.

By the way, from what I hear, there’s an American Woman down south who is looking to hook up. She wears all those shiny baubles and heavy makeup you so much love. You should give her a call, if you haven’t already.

-----

Ed Note: Ron has outdone himself this time. He's invented the reverse of "it isn't you, it's me, dear." Reminds me of my own failed marriage. We had religious differences - I didn't believe he was God.

Related: PQ leader predicts another sovereignty referendum
She told the delegates her goal is to achieve “the project that has been in our hearts for years” —making Quebec a country.

Image borrowed from here.

Harper's pig-in-a-poke planes can't fly

Contributor: "Ron"

Canada’s F-35s: Engines not included
Government will be required to provide powerplant for stealth fighters, documents show

Who would buy a plane without a frickin’ engine? Clearly GI Joe Harper is a sucker for the American Military/Industrial complex, also known as Lockheed Martin’s used car lot of lemons.

And guess what, you will pay for Harper’s blunder by seeing spending on Health Care slashed by $11 billion, as Finance Minister Flaherty’s “secret” list no doubt shows.

Harper: “Fine Corinthian leather” interior makes up for no engines, and the sound system really rocks!

-----

Ed Note: Those planes will make great lawn ornaments.

Pig lawn ornament image borrowed from here.

Get the globalists where they live

Contributor: "YYC"

Destroy the Globalists, One Fat-Cat Corporation at a Time

Contains a decent guide on all sorts of products to avoid. Also has a link to a report commissioned by the US Council on Foreign Relations entitled: "Building North American Community", and headed up by none other than Canada's best-known and most anti-social political personality, John Manley. (See him engaging with the public.)

Manley, a former Liberal Deputy PM was appointed by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper to head an "independent, non-partisan panel" on Canada's future role in Afghanistan, which recommended, quelle surprise, an indefinite extension (See VIDEO of Manley justifying with all the same rhetoric we heard from Harper.)

As a Nortel board member he was one of those who presided over its strange and unaccountable demise. He was supposedly the "credibility" factor. In this interview it's noted that he spoke of Nortel "in the past tense" before it went under.

He's now President and CEO of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives - Canadian corporations (US owned?) who wield power over monetary policy, taxation, regulations, the environment, competition, trade, investment, corporate and public governance, and oh yes, the North American Union/SPP, as well as "Canada's role in the world".

Here's the CCCE's membership list. If you tried to boycott this bunch, there might not be anything left that you could buy.

-----

Related: Your real government: When dark deeds unfold, point the finger in this direction

Vintage Conservative Attack Ads

Contributor: "YYC"

In case the election has got you down, here's something that might bring a smile.

... from 22 Minutes: Link

My favourite is how the Conservatives did nothing about the environment in a much shorter time than the Liberals.

If you want to get serious - see Rick Mercer's rant about Harper.

Radioactive Clouds over North America

Contributor: "Bugman"

VIDEO: US Preparing for Large Scale Radiation Leak

About 10 members of the U.S. Marine Corps' Chemical Biological Incident Response Force arrived at U.S. Yokota Air Base in Tokyo on Saturday as an advance party. They arrived on a U.S. transport plane from Maryland.

They will be joined by two similar units scheduled to arrive Sunday and Monday. In total, the response force will deploy 155 personnel to Japan.

The team comprises six squads, with specialties such as detecting extremely dangerous levels of radiation, search-and-rescue operations in areas contaminated by radiation and decontaminating people exposed to radiation.

With the Fukushima reactor break-down, the latest reports show a meltdown in three of their reactors, with the resulting spread of radio activity across the world.

In the video you will see the spread of radioactive particles across North America. The heavier, dark blue radiation is going right across our heaviest populated areas.

The question is, where is the information on these potential radiation levels coming down with the latest snowfall across Canada. All we get is electioneering and posturing for the TV by our glorious leaders, but nary a word on what is coming down on us from Japan.

By the way: Check out this Gerald Celente video on the unending war situation. All I can say to this one is "Wow"!

-----

Ed Note: The radiation video originates from newstsar.com and seems quite professional, but for some reason they give no information about themselves, and their domain is registered privately with GoDaddy, so it's anybody's guess who's behind it. As always, we expect our readers to do their own critical thinking. The same applies to Gerald Celente. Never forget that there are plenty of expert disinformation agents on the Internet who mix lies with truth to confuse and spread fear.

Of course, there are no more expert disinfo agents than our own mainstream media and politicians. ;-)

Political Noodles

Contributor: "YYC"

Either politicians don't know their own motives or they do but think they know how to disguise them. It may be that some folks are born with political minds and have been telling lies since first learning to talk. Maybe it is they who invented the ruse: "My dog ate my homework".

And then they got more creative: "No, I did not dip my finger in the icing." (It was my thumb.) Maybe the reason so many of them are ... shall we say "portly" ... and their egos so huge is because most of their gymnastics are intracranial.

Only a doting mother, would continue to believe in such a child - or a confirmed partisan who just can't bear to be wrong about his/her party and/or its leader.

The following are excellent examples of political noodle activity.

U of Guelph ballots valid

"The Marty Burke campaign states that none of its workers or volunteers interfered with the process; in particular, none of its workers or volunteers touched a ballot box or ballot," the Conservative statement said.

Bren Anstett, a University of Guelph student ... said she was trying to vote when “a guy came up making a huge scene stating that this polling station was illegal and tried to grab for the ballot box.”

He "tried" to grab the box, and was prevented. So now the Cons can say, with absolutely straight faces, that he never "touched a ballot box or ballot".

Harper 'tossed me under a bus': Guergis

Deposed Helena Guergis is running as an independent, but calling herself that and being that are two different things. In the next breath she reveals her long-range plan - vengeance - a leadership coup:

"I intend on finding my way back into my Conservative family, but perhaps under a different leader"

She's not an independent. She's not even an independent thinker. She's a partisan career politician who isn't fit for any other job, and seems cut off from a subconscious desire to play a self-destructive, albeit historical role, that of a Judas, a Brutus - or a Paul Martin, who had it in for his party's leader from the gitgo.

(Here's a thought: Is Guergis instrumental in all the revelations of scandal in the PMO?)

It ain't just the Cons who are cut off from their own reality. With all the desperately orgasmic fervor Iggy responded to in Sudbury, one has to wonder what it was he was hoping would "Rise up" - and when the post-coital - er - post-electoral Kool-Aid would be served.

Oh dear, perhaps the Kool-Aid has already been imbibed:

“I am honoured to have the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin join the Liberal campaign as we work to restore Canada’s progressive, fiscally responsible Liberal legacy,” said Mr. Ignatieff. (emphasis mine)

I realize Iggy was out of town for quite a long time, but has nobody told him about the Sponsorship Scandal (Paul Martin's karmic undoing; something that Guergis ought to pay heed to)? Or does he think the voters have forgotten all about it? Come on, nobody doesn't not still ridicule Paul Martin!

It seems my theory may be correct - that Iggy's out to destroy the party he claims to represent, finishing the job that Martin began for the Liberals, and which Lyin' Brian Mulroney did a more complete job of for the Progressive Conservatives.

Just as the PCs had to merge with the far right Reform in order to survive at all, will the few remaining elected Liberals eventually merge with the NDP and Greens, perhaps with Jack Layton as leader - who seems to be enjoying himself these days and actually saying, "I'm running to be your Prime Minister" - in order to create a neo-Lib conglomerate and a two party Bobbsey twin system more amenable to a North American Union?

Probably not coincidentally, Martin's old foe, former Liberal PM Jean Chretien has weighed in, hitting the global nail on the head:

" ... few countries around the world even have a majority government."

Freudianly, perhaps, he's telling "strategic voters", who want to vote Liberal, NDP or Green to prevent the Cons from getting a majority, that they're playing into the hands of the global strategists, who wish to control populations by polarizing them. He says the Liberal party is doing "not bad." What a glowing recommendation!

If all nations are to be governed by a central entity, do you think the PTB will want any "leader" anywhere to actually gain a modicum of real power? To have a cohesive, unified following, that might upset the Corporate/Bankster apple cart? Not at all, but it's important that voters believe they are participating in a democratic process even though they are presented with so few and such unsavory or useless choices by the corporate media.

If the whole or most of the voting population used their own noodles and voted for a non-mainstream party or individual, instead of holding their noses while voting "strategically" for what they imagine is the lesser of evils, the global agenda might be foiled, or at the very least stymied on the home front.

Related on YYC:
Grey Matters
Strategic What?

Image borrowed from here.

A Big Milestone for "Bugman"!

Contributor: "YYC"

Fellow YYC contributor "Bugman" celebrated his 80th birthday this week.

He says his writing and researching are keeping him young.

So here's to many more years of writing, researching and other good stuff for our friend "Bugman".

A rare recording of Happy Birthday done by the Beatles.



The recording is from an appearance on the BBC's 'Saturday Club'...which is who/what they are singing Happy Birthday to.

If the Beatles had known about "Bugman" they would have sung his name, but they probably didn't.

Harper Staffer: White Christian Nationalist

Contributor: "Ron"

Harper advisor glorified White Christian Nationalism and attacked anti-fascists

The Harper advisor who put out the ethnic stereotyping casting call for “Arabs in Ethnic Costumes”, to serve as props for a Harper photo-op, is Zeljko Zidaric.

Mr. Zidaric is on record as glorifying White Nationalist Croatians as the “Bulwark of Christianity” and attacking anti-fascists:

Croatians have been exceptional soldiers from the very beginning of their history when Emperor Heraclius invited them as foederati to defeat the Avars in what is present day Croatia. Upon arriving to the new lands the White Croatians along with the indigenous tribes descended from the Celts and Illyrians converted to Christianity and have been one of Romes greatest but least well known allies.

In recognition of the sacrifices in defending Europe and Christendom from the invading Ottoman Muslims, in 1519 Pope Leo X proclaimed Croatia to be Antemurale Christianitatis the "Bulwark of Christianity". Croatia still to this date has a special relationship with Rome ...

Mr. Zidaric is also the author of the Canadian study “Voter Needs – Understanding Segmentation and Tribes” (Microsoft Powerpoint document).

In addition to working for Harper’s Tories, Mr. Zidaric "worked on developing market strategy for one of the candidates in the latest presidential election” in Croatia. (See Who are the Anti-Fascists - scroll down page for English version)

Excerpt: VoiceofCroatia.net received an interesting view by Croatian-Canadian expert who worked on developing market strategy for one of the candidates in the latest presidential election: Mr. Z. Zidaric spent three months working in Canada and four months in Croatia for the campaign, and portrays its current political spectrum based on his observations, in English and Croatian (hrvatski).

Re: Harper's call for an ethnically costumed photo-op: You want me to bring my frickin’ camel, flying rug and Aladdin lamp, you bunch of stereotyping, ignorant, patronizing Conservative bigots? As far as I'm concerned, Harper and his Tory racists can kiss my Arab-Canadian ass.

-----

Ed Note: During Harper's visit to Toronto there was a Rally to protest Conservative "ethnic costume" email

About 50 protesters took place in a peaceful rally full of colourful costumes ... The men and women represented the Tamil, Chinese, Arab and even alien communities, while one person dressed as a native of Pandora, a fictional land made famous by Avatar.

Harper insists: "I think that story is absolutely bizarre, we have never done that... that is not how we do business." But the rally announcement contains the original email request from "Zeljko 'Zed' Zidaric".

Related on YYC: Desperately Seeking the "very ethnic"

Strategic What?

Contibutor: "YYC"

The Catch 22 Campaign is "independent of all political parties, campaigns and candidates".

Except that the candidates they tell you to vote for in ridings that have weak Conservative candidates all belong to the better-known, media-approved parties. They don't seem aware of the dozen or so other parties that might be running a candidate in your riding, or of any independents.

Catch 22 is trying to guide you without telling you all the choices. Does that sound like something a politician would do, or what?

Enter your postal code here and find out who's running in your riding, then exercise your freedom of choice. Look at the many choices in my riding!

Rabble, which has pretty good articles most of the time, seems to be using the election to advertise its own product (and NDP pops out pretty strongly on their list of reading materials).

"Strategic" voters seem to think Harper is the big problem and if we just get rid of him maybe things will right (left?) themselves. If you remind them that our government is run by foreign corporations and a US/Bankster global agenda they just go blank, and then start talking again about the need to take out Harper.

It's this kind of head-in-sand attitude that got Obama elected, and have things gone from bad to worse in the US, or have they not?

Heck, even Harper, in the leaders' debate, blamed the financial crunch on the fact that "we're in a global economy". He said it straight out, and repeated himself for emphasis. What do people think that means? It means our sovereignty is kaput. We're not masters of our own domain, and taking out Harper won't change a thing.

Iggy will take Harper's place as chief puppet, and our dollars will still be squandered on unending wars, privatization of essential services, and corporate tax cuts that supposedly, according to Harper, produce (a House of Cards called) "corporate growth" which in turn "creates jobs" - nevermind that the profits will be in offshore bank accounts and the "jobs" will be in foreign sweatshops.

To me, "strategic voting" means en masse voting for anybody but the major parties, to foil the whole system. What is this fixation with only media-recognized parties and candidates? Maybe fluoride really does dumb people down?

Then there's the "Silver Fox Alliance", a group of seniors, ex-Nortel workers, whose main concern is bankrupty protection, and who seem to think that writing letters to Conservative MPs will somehow beat Harper at his game.

I can hear Harper replying phlegmatically, "Well, that's simply wrong ..." and "Canadians need to understand ...".

Looking deeper into the crystal ball: Harper will win the election because the polls are still in his favour despite the many scandals, and because he was a Bilderberg invitee, and, as far as we know, Iggy was not. But maybe Bilderberg has gone farther underground? One thing is certain, Iggy is back in Canada for no good purpose.

Gray Matters

Contributor" "Bugman"

Brain Structure Differs in Liberals, Conservatives

Liberals have more gray matter in a part of the brain associated with understanding complexity, while the conservative brain is bigger in the section related to processing fear ...

So they seem to have brains after all. Sometimes one wonders whether they are filled with sawdust or peat moss. This study explains some of the differences, but leaves some questions after the leaders' debate (CPAC Re-Play Video).

The fact is that our present government, including both Conservatives and Liberals, is very much tied in with know-nothing policy makers in Washington.

There are plenty of reasons to doubt whether a few hundred cruise missiles will beget harmony in the Libyan desert. But one of the biggest mistakes would be to assume that U.S. government policymakers understand what they are doing.

The good Lord help us all with such a basket of leaders now running for election and later tying us through treaty and policy to this glorified bunch of nitwits calling themselves a " US Government”, trying to run the world.

Related: Canadian jets fly nearly 100 missions in Libya

-----

Ed Note: When God was handing out brains the Cons thought he said planes so they ordered big expensive ones.

I wonder what political stripe the brain researchers are ...
New Study of Talk Show Host Brains Calls For Compassion Not Scorn ... "Except for O'Reilly..."

Image: Brain of a talk-show host

Desperately seeking ...

the "very ethnic".

Contributor: "BeeSting"

"The opportunity is to have up to 20 people in national folklore costumes which represent their ethnic backgrounds," the email said.

"These people will sit in front row behind the PM — great TV photo op."

It is a given that political parties court the "ethnic" vote - but the Conservatives have outdone everyone else and brought the wooing to a new level (high? low?). We all know that Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, seldom refuses an invitation to a "community" event (conflict of interest since he is responsible for immigration? Not a problem!), which he considers an occasion to ply his trade as Conservative spinmeister.

He carries the proof around his midriff - ultimate dedication to a god-like leader, or groundwork for a run at the leadership of his party?

Funding was provided to specific communities and then came the Conservative ethnic media strategy, later exposed when a memo [PDF file] on Kenney's official letterhead was sent - error or serendipity? - to an NDP MP.

The Conservative remedy: an aide, Kasra Nejatian, was responsible and was sacked).

Now, the latest: Conservative campaign worker asks for 'ethnic costumes' at Harper photo-op.

An Arab community leader is incensed over an email from a Conservative campaign worker seeking people in "ethnic costume" to serve as props at an event with Stephen Harper.

The email was sent by Tory candidate Ted Opitz in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre. Amongst others recipients was Kenney's very good friend, the Canadian Arab Federation (CAF).
Once again, the staffer is the offender and off with his head - almost.

For Conservatives, responsibility seems always to reside with the lowest echelons when things go awry, and with the "leaders" when things are rosy.

Some "very ethnic" Torontonians decided to tell those who compartmentalize Canadians according to their ethnic or religious background, and treat them differently, that: "Oohing and aahing over an auntie's delicious samosa is no substitute for fair policy".

-----

Related on YYC:
Canada Election: Go Ethnics!
Jason Kenney's “Us” vs “Ethnic” caste system ... finding my allotted slot
And the greatest of these is charity

Canada Election: Go Ethnics!

"We have to show them that we're more than a vote ..."

Contributor: "Ron"

VIDEO: Go Ethnics Go !?!?

Please watch and send to all your friends, lists, groups etc. across Canada and around the world. Harper is pissing off a lot of Canadians. Let’s all defeat Harper and his Conservative bigots!

CAPTION: Communities of Colour reject the tactics of certain politicians in their targeting of particular ethno-racial groups in pursuit of so-called "very ethnic votes" !?

We're more than just a vote. Take a stand. Have a say !! VOTE !!

Colour of Poverty - Colour of Change

LYRICS -

They never ask you what you do around here
Don't wanna know your name, or if you really care
See the truth behind the lies, and reject their words of fear
So beat it, just beat it !!

You have a choice, you better speak when you can
Don't wanna be an ethnic, be Canadian
It's time to take a stand, get a ballot in your hand
So beat it ! You want a fair and equal chance !!

CHORUS -

Just eat it !! eat it !!
baklava, wada, okra
springrolls, samosas, chopped up or sliced
It doesn't matter, cassava or rice
Just eat it, eat it......

They're out to trick you, never show their real hand
Don't wanna be a ploy, you better take a stand
It's time to have your say, let's all do what we can
So beat it !! just beat it !!

We have to show them that we're more than a vote
We have our views and voice, our rights are not a joke
They call us when they need us
To join their campaign bus,
So beat it, we are not an ethnic vote !!

So beat it !! eat it !!

Repeat CHORUS

HAARP Music

Contributor: "YYC"

Somebody sent me a bunch of links today and got me way off the leaders' debate, which was not exactly music to my ears. Derivative at best, those guys were singing a familiar pre-election tune. Harper's most employed riffs: "Well, that's simply wrong..." and "Canadians need to understand that ...". Yeah, we're all a bunch of dummies.

To hear some of the callers-in you might think the people who vote Conservative are dummies. As if orchestrated, a number of them said: "Harper looked prime-ministerial." As if that matters! Anybody can look prime-ministerial with the right up-tight suit, tie, girdle, hairpiece and script. If a PM looks like a mannequin (as one person said Harper did) then, yeah, he looked prime-ministerial.

So, lets play the HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) instead.

First, a VIDEO about HAARP's weather modification activities, with reference to a VLF (Very Low Frequency) webpage archived by the Wayback Machine. (You can find the old YayaCanada.com there as well - 2003-09.) If you scroll down the VLF page you will see the reference to HAARP.

An updated version of that Standford U. webpage also shows the link to HAARP info.

Now, here is the current, most up to date Stanford U. VLF page which hides its HAARP data behind a colourful icon (second row from the bottom, second icon from the left).

If you scroll right down to the bottom of the HAARP page, just above the Bibliography, you'll see something that is no longer an uncommon occurrence:

ELF/VLF Research at HAARP is supported by the Office of Naval Research, Air Force Research Laboratory, and Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency.

Many American and Canadian universities are on the military dole, which, one has to assume, directs the direction of their research.

So, HAARP is doing "ionospheric heater" experiments in Alaska. Could that mean that HAARP can melt the polar ice cap and blame it on global warming? Could some of the dead birds falling out of the sky be cooked geese?

Here's a PDF copy of a report on the HAARP Alaska experiments - archived at the forum Above Top Secret.

Here are PDF documents (provided by the person who wrote this seemingly fantastical article: "Mind Games") released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), including patents for such things as:

"A method for encoding and transmitting speech by means of the radio frequency hearing phenomena." ... a) "A useful psychological warfare communications tool". . . c) A "no wires or receiving apparatus" communications method required for high acoustic noise environments such as: aircraft, space missions, and hostage situations. . . .

More videos:

HAARP for Dummies

Tesla was no Freemason

CAPTION: Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen speaking on this official government website at a press conference in 1997 ... Cohen answers the press saying, quote "Others are engaging even in an eco- type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves. So there are plenty of ingenious minds out there that are at work finding ways in which they can wreak terror upon other nations. It's real, and that's the reason why we have to intensify our efforts, and that's why this is so important."

He says it, and they post it on an official government website. We say it and we're called "Conspiracy Theorists". Maybe that's because we're pointing the finger at a more likely suspect. And it ain't the Smurfs!

RELATED ON YYC: Japan Earthquake: a little HAARP playing?

Gallop v. Cheney lawsuit: "The Fix is In"

Contributor: "YYC"

Bush cousin presides over 9/11 suit against Cheney, Rumsfeld, Myers

George W. Bush’s cousin, Judge John M. Walker of the 2nd Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, is part of a three-judge panel hearing the case of April Gallop vs. former vice-president Dick Cheney, former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers.

OMG, he's even got the stupid GWB grin.

The case has been ignored by the mainstream media in the weeks leading up to it going to court April 5. And most media have ignored the developments concerning the involvement of Judge Walker. One exception is CNBC, which carried an online story with the headline: “Extraordinary Conflict of Interest: Bush Cousin Presides Over Federal Court Case Against Former Bush Administration Officials.” Good for them, but this is an all-too isolated exception. That the story is being kept almost entirely out of the media further reveals that the idea of a free and vigorous press is largely a fantasy.

Gallop is raising a controversy even among 9/ll truthers. She says she exited the damaged Pentagon through the hole reportedly made by a plane, but saw no evidence of any plane.

Article found via "The Philosopher's Stone".

High Radiation in US Milk

Contributor: "Ron"

According to the EPA, the radiation in US milk is now 3 times the maximum permitted.

“The Philadelphia sample is below the EPA’s maximum contaminant level (MCL) for iodine-131, but the Little Rock sample is almost three times higher.”

“The EPA’s MCL for iodine-131 is 3 picoCuries per liter. The Little Rock milk sample contained 8.9 picoCuries per liter. It was collected on March 30.”

Clearly the Canadian Government is hiding the seriousness of the situation, which has very serious negative implications for Canadian health and safety.

-----

Ed Note: So, now they're talking in "picoCuries". Back in the 70's it used to be roentgens in milk, and recently it was cesium in fish. There are also rads, rems and millisieverts. They wouldn't be trying to simultaneously scare and confuse us, would they?

Interesting that Former US Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. says the deficit is America's biggest challenge. Sound familiar?

Image borrowed from The Philosopher's Stone. Take a look, it's an interesting site.

Israel's new discriminatory laws

Contributor: "PAJU"

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has denounced two new Israeli laws, saying that they will promote discrimination and stifle free expression. One law would authorize rural Jewish-majority communities to reject Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and other "unsuitable" applicants for residency. The other law would stifle expression regarding a key moment in the history of Palestinian citizens.

"These laws threaten Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel and others with yet more officially sanctioned discrimination," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch. "Israeli parliamentarians should be working hard to end glaring inequality, not pushing through discriminatory laws to control who can live where and to create a single government-approved view of Israel's history."

The Knesset [Israeli parliament] passed both laws on March 23, 2011. One officially authorizes "admissions committees" in about 300 Jewish-majority communities to reject applicants for residency who do not meet vague "social suitability" criteria. The measure anchors in law a practice that has been the basis for unjustly rejecting applications by Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel as well as members of socially marginalized groups such as Jews of non-European ancestry and single-parent families.

Human Rights Watch’s denunciation of Israel is highly significant. The organization is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated, HRW gives voice to the oppressed and holds oppressors accountable for their crimes. HRW’s rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuses. For 30 years, HRW has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.

The Ivory Coast imbroglio

Contributor: "BeeSting"

Once again, our mainstream media are shining by their lack of interest and for toeing the line of the most powerful. Accordingly, Laurent Gbagbo is bad and Alassane Ouattara is good. Well, how about both bad.

We now know that “Gbagbo has been arrested by French special forces in his residence and has been handed over to the rebel leaders .” He will face justice, the French said. Too bad that only the loser will, considering that:

“Human Rights Watch said on Saturday that forces loyal to Ouattara had killed hundreds of civilians, raped over 20 women and girls perceived as belonging Gbagbo camp and burned at least 10 villages in western Ivory Coast .”

Ouattara served as Prime Minister under the now late dictator, Ivorian President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, while Gbagbo opposed the Houphouët-Boigny dictatorship and campaigned for increased independence from its former colonial power, France.

France took sides and intervened in Ivory Coast, although Sarkozy had said about Tunisia in early January, that:

“[A] colonial power even several decades afterwards is always unjustified in pronouncing a judgment on the internal affairs of its former colony – and you know it, and everybody knows it."

Consistency is certainly not one of those "values" in the panoply of democracies, so the cover is that Ouattara was “democratically” elected. Well, is that so?

Some explain why [VIDEO in French with English subtitles] they consider that there was an electoral fraud in Ivory Coast. It seems that Gbabgo wasn’t as compliant as he used to be, therefore let’s anoint US-trained, former IMF number two, Ouattara.

Considering the report (PDF format) by African Union Observers, the critics may have a point. Add to this the fact that French president Sarkozy is one of the Ouattaras' personal friends - back in 1990, when he was mayor of Neuilly, he performed their marriage ceremony - and the waters become very murky indeed.

(For those with short memories, Sarkozy is a Zionist, and was the first to enthusiastically bomb Libya - not a former French colony like Tunisia. Does the haste to bomb and silence indicate that Sarkozy could be afraid of what Gaddhafi may reveal about their shady wheeling and dealing?)

Given the context in which the election was held and the tensions within Ivory Coast, the International Institute for Justice and Development offered:

“... three options [that] will ensure respect for the rule of law and due consideration for the circumstances surrounding the dispute. The IIJD calls upon the international community to act fairly in its resolution of this crisis and to fulfill its UN mandate of fostering democracy justly and impartially.”

These were however ignored by an international community that has taken sides and shown little interest in the well-being of the Ivorian people.

But Ouattara is not without enemies amongst the powerful outside of Ivory Coast. The specter of his becoming president has rattled a few.

The US Christian right “flies the flag for Laurent Gbagbo”, one of their own. Simone Gbagbo, wife of the beleaguered former president, is a fervent evangelist.

Even French ultra-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has joined in, finding that Ouattara's victory would put Ivory Coast "under Muslim influence." Hey, religion is always a good trigger for those who seek to pitch people against people.

Israel too is present in Ivory Coast, having sold helicopters and drones and trained Gbagbo’s forces. Israel Valley writes that Israel has nothing to fear from either of the two leaders as Simone Gbagbo “knows all the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem” and both she and Dominique Ouattara are very good friends of Israel. (Google English Translation)

So what now? It will be months before Ivorians feel safe in their own homes and streets, months before those who fled can return. Who will benefit from the lucrative cocoa business? Who will be in charge of law and order? Will the French troops and the UN forces remain in Ivory Coast to protect Ouattara or will it be subcontracted to Mossad – who may have operatives there already?

Ivory Coast is clearly divided by regional and religious lines. Will the various factions reconcile or will there be armed insurgency? "Leaders” come and go, but the effects of the policies that divide their societies remain for a long time.

What will it take to remove Harper?

Contributor: "YYC"

I once read somewhere that in a room of 100 people listening to a persuasive speaker, especially one that gets a lot of favourable media attention, 40% of the audience will be suggestible enough to believe what they're told, while 60% will reserve judgment. And that's why Harper has maintained his minority hold on the government, despite the fact that 60% of Canadians don't want him there.

About the only thing that would dissuade his staunch little following - who are more afraid of being wrong than anything else - is if he were caught in the arms of a prostitute. And even then, if he cried like a TV evangelist and said "sorry" he would probably be forgiven and the bad prostitute would be blamed for enticing him.

On the other hand, it doesn't matter if close buddy Bruce Carson has been caught in the arms of a hundred prostitutes; if Harper says he didn't know about it, then he didn't know about it.

So anti-Harper types are trying to find the flaw that will have broad appeal. For instance:

NUPGE: Don’t forget Harper’s record on international affairs

I doubt most Canadians know or care much about foreign affairs - unless they're the adulterous kind. But they might pay attention to this paragraph:

His priorities are $60 billion for corporate tax cuts (which won’t create jobs), $30 billion for fighter jets (which we don’t need) and $10 billion for federal prisons (when the crime rate is falling). His priorities are not job creation, health care, education, pensions, early learning and child care.

The following is not likely to be terribly dissuasive either:

Tories misinformed Parliament on G8 fund: AG

Industry Minister Tony Clement, the mayor of Huntsville, and the general manager of Deerhurst Resort chose the 32 projects that received funding -- with no regard for the needs of the summit or the conditions laid down by the government

As one commenter ("Tara") below this followup news item said: "Amazing how so many people fight to keep their heads in the sand."

Meanwhile the other parties are free to promise the sky because there's so little chance they'll have to pony up. Ignatieff might get some students rallied behind him - a smooth move considering the "vote mobs" being formed, and considering that Harper had them barred from his rallies. (His later apology may not have contained enough tears to be convincing.) Jack is losing points to the Liberals, apparently:

The phenomenon could be partly due to Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff's call for NDP supporters to turn to the Liberals as the only means of stopping Prime Minister Stephen Harper from winning a Conservative majority.

Ah, yes. The "left" believes that "strategic voting" is the only way to bring Harper down. They still think in terms of the major parties, one seemingly less unpalatable than another, and can't bring themselves to consider voting for anyone the media don't talk about.

They will hold out a last-resort hope (and Iggy has been verbally playing the "hope" card) that Ignatieff might decide to coalesce after all. And that would fulfill both Harper and Iggy's mandate - to create a two-party Bobbsey-twin system in Canada so it will fit better into the North American Union.