Big Baird's No-Name Country

Contributor: "Ron"

Welcome to the “Country with a Queen but no name”

As reported in today’s Globe and Mail, Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs DEMANDED that:

►“Canada” be dropped from his business cards

►his business cards be “English-only”

►the address “Lester B. Pearson Building” (Pearson was a Liberal) be dropped from his business cards, and that

►his business cards be gold-embossed

This from the same lunatic who required that a portrait of British Queen Elizabeth be hung in every Canadian embassy around the world. This clown Baird represents Canada - or should I say the “Country with a Queen but with no name”- around the world. You couldn’t make this shit up.

Perhaps he is planning to replace “Canada” with “Israel” on his minister of foreign affairs business card?
John Baird bares teeth in offering Canada's defence of Israel at UN

Click image to enlarge

-----

Ed Note: Did you notice the reference to "decorating tastes" in this news report?  Yet another sly media reference to Baird's rumoured gaiety? (See this.) Suggesting he has missed his true (stereotypical) calling of bossy interior decorator?

Superman does it again!

Making the world safer one bogeyman at a time.

Contributor: "YYC"

U.S.-born al-Qaeda cleric Awlaki killed in Yemen
Most prominent al-Qaeda figure to be killed since Osama bin Laden's death

"I give President Obama tremendous credit on this. He signed the order basically saying get Awlaki dead or alive, even though he was an American citizen."

 Okay, there are only a few things we need consider here:

►Like all the other trouble spots Yemen is an oil country.

►The "war on terror" is basically a cover for western control of oil/oil prices.

►Bogeymen are manufactured to justify the "war on terror"

►Bogeymen are "killed" when their usefulness has passed. (Even the "alternative Right" believe OBL was long dead when he was "killed".)

►The CIA and its counterparts in other countries are perfectly capable of producing "terrorist" websites.

►Anytime you hear that terrorists have contacted the mainstream media by phone or email, just enjoy a little chuckle. This is merely one way that "intelligence" helps the media "prove" there are terrorists.

►And, oh yes, Superman wants to get re-elected.

De fence! De fence!

Contributor: "YYC"

U.S. eyes fencing along Canadian border

They're sending us all to jail!

I'm reminded of a sweet song from my childhood, so long ago. I guess Roy Rogers (actually songwriter Cole Porter) saw this coming.

But what a hoot, eh?  And this is courtesy of Obama, the man of HOPE.

Canadian Beaver Tunnel

My comment: I suppose zey hef vays to prevent also ze tunnels?

Other comments attached to the Globe article pretty much stress the American insanity.  Here are some really good ones:

►"Show me a 20 foot wall, and I'll show you a 21 foot ladder" Dr. Winston O'Boogie 6:24 AM

►Another day, another bizarre episode from the Excited States of America. garlicktoast 6:28 AM

This one contains a pointed reference to 9/11:
►How's that fence's plane resistance?
“A republican stands up in congress and says 'I got a really bad idea!!' and the democrat stands up after him and says 'And I can make it sh!tt!er!!'” - Lewis Black - bainadamb 6:44 AM

These two are particularly astute:
►To keep people out or to keep people in? foodfuelandfighterjets 6:07 AM
►Shades of Handmaid's Tale -- they'll use it to keep people in.  Randal Oulton 6:38 AM

-----

Fantasy Island inspired the title of this post.

Image found here.

Occupy!

Contributor: "YYC"

See this comment about the international Occupy movement inspired by "Occupy Wall Street" and which appears to be growing by leaps and bounds via the social media. Here also is a Facebook site called "Occupy Together".

A Message From Occupied Wall Street (Day Eleven)
https://occupywallst.org/

Media funny business 101

When in doubt, state the opposite

Contributor: "YYC"

I seldom discuss pundital predictions, preferring a wait-and-see approach. After all, the media are just trying to sell copy and they'll postulate just about anything to accomplish that.

But this below strikes me as hilarious. The Natural Compost's Kelly McParland comes right out and admits that pundits have extremely poor guessing powers (as if we didn't know that) and then goes ahead and guesses anyway.

Stephen Harper’s 15 years as prime minister

... as a certified general pundit (second class) I can attest that pundits can rarely guess what will happen this afternoon with any certainty, much less successfully predict 10 years of politics. Harper’s probably drafting his resignation right now.

Basically, he's found he can get by during a dry spell merely by stating the opposite, like Seinfeld's George Costanza:

George: I always have tuna on toast. Nothing's ever worked out for me with tuna on toast. I want the complete opposite ... Chicken salad, on rye, untoasted ... and a cup of tea. Elaine : Well, there's no telling what can happen from this.

What's even funnier is the accompanying photo of Harper and security entourage wearing ballcaps and sunglasses, trying, like Batman and Robin, not to look conspicuous.

Très tiresome, however, is that both McParland and his pundital opposite cravenly serve the power structure by reinforcing the impression that Harper calls his own shots.

And to suggest that he has always had "respect for the monarchy" shows an abysmal ignorance of how he sneered at it before receiving new instructions.

The Stephen Harper Puppet Show

Canada mimicks even outdated American policy

Contributor: "BeeSting"

Ideological, mindless, Canadian would-be copycat?

Tories slap two-day limit on debate over sweeping crime legislation

... a move designed to thwart long hours of criticism from opposition benches over the controversial 102-page piece of legislation that wraps together nine separate bills the Conservatives failed to enact during their minority government years.

The debate can be viewed right now, live on CPAC. Meanwhile, here is some earlier opinion on this topic:

Canada’s youth crime plans bewilder international observers

If Canada follows through on plans to crack down on miscreant youth, it’ll be one of the few jurisdictions in the world heading in that direction.

Crime falls to 1973 levels as Tories push for sentencing reform

If the legislation becomes law, the prison population is expected to increase substantially. The government is preparing for the influx by retrofitting and expanding its correctional facilities at a cost it has estimated at about $2.1-billion.

Perhaps all this is because: "in the eyes of the corporation, inmate labor is a brilliant strategy in the eternal quest to maximize profit":  See - 21st-Century Slaves: How Corporations Exploit Prison Labor

-----

Image borrowed from here.

The definitive police-approved protest

Contributor: "YYC"

The photo below says it all about the pre-arranged co-operation among media, police and career activists prior to and during yesterday's highly symbolic critique of .... hmmmm .... not sure what ... was it an oilsands protest or was it a pipeline protest, or maybe it was a little of both, but mostly it was a couple of hours of speeches and then a symbolic display of defiance in which, according to some Tweets I saw yesterday, police gently assisted at least one protester over the fence (see the Tweet at 12.23 "Meanwhile, as an older, slightly less agile protester climbs the fence, the waiting Mountie helps her down on the other side." ).

Hundreds protest against the tar sands on Parliament Hill in Ottawa September 26, 2011, with many climbing over a fence between them and police in a mass act of civil disobedience. Here, protesters (including teacher Keith Stewart, centre) sit down in protest after climbing over the fence as police take down their names. Photograph by: Julie Oliver, Ottawa Citizen

Actually, the reason given for the event was that American celebrities had done something similar - not all that similar though, since it lasted for two weeks and people went to jail. Maude Barlow was reportedly one of the ones who participated in the callout for that, but the Canadian woman arrested at that event was not Maude.

But now Maude Barlow and friends can feel more like American celebrities, although the average grassroots potential protester - decidely absent yesterday, having not been invited - will probably ask, "Maude who?"

But you know who Maude Barlow is; she's the one who got herself videoed abandoning 10,000 petitions to be trampled on at a Montebello police line.

Her Council of Canadians, with help from Rabble, took credit for what they claimed was the death of the SPP even though that deal is now firmly entrenched in Canada-US-Mexico policy and only its no-longer-needed website has gone defunct.

Barlow was then seemingly rewarded with the highly symbolic position of "Senior Advisor on Water to the 63rd President of the United Nations General Assembly (October 2008-2009)", making her one of "them" in my books, but which she has proudly added to her credentials anyway.

When Maude Barlow says "water is a fundamental human right" she is parrotting the UN mantra - another symbolic gesture, like "human rights day".

Take another look at the above photo. Where are the handcuffs? Where are the Darth Vader cops? Why did these folks not go directly to jail but were merely issued $65. fines for trespassing?  Wow, that was some "risk" they took. In Washington protesters were hauled off to jail.

The statement that the police "took down their names" made me laugh out loud. When I was a kid - and maybe the cops still do this to scare little kids - my name was taken down for playing on the frozen surface of Lake Ontario.  Instead of teaching me that it wasn't safe to play on the ice, the policeman decided it might be more effective to make me think I had committed a crime, and to this very day I am afraid to walk on ice. NOT.

Well, will these criminals pay their fines, or will they refuse on the grounds that Parliament Hill is public property?

Will funds be raised to help them out or will the more famous among them just increase their fees for speeches?

Now, refresh your memory of what a real protest looks like.

Photo lifted from here.

Ottawa rally to protest tar sands

UPDATES: LIVE TWITTER COVERAGE of the protest
"A dozen police wait on motorcycles across the road from the Hill"

CTV: Pipeline protesters to risk arrest in Ottawa
The rally is being organized by Greenpeace and other groups that oppose the Keystone XL pipeline ... Some temporary fences were erected around the parliament buildings on Sunday night which CTV's Roger Smith said was a sign of the increased security measures that police were implementing in advance of the protest.

Ed Note: It would appear that CTV's Roger Smith is talking through his sensationalist hat. Looking at the webcam, the fences seem to be the usual ones erected at the top and foot of the stairs that are there at many protests, large or small, for whatever cause. In fact, I saw them at a Christian rally where all they were doing was singing, dancing and praying for Harper.

Contributor: "Relayer"

'Say no to the tar sands' rally and sit-in in front of Parliament

Hundreds from across Canada will come together on Parliament Hill for a large peaceful protest, featuring a public rally and non-violent civil disobedience sit-in:

All people in Canada deserve a clean energy future that promotes climate justice, where Treaty and Indigenous rights are respected and the health of our communities and the environment are prioritized.

Why now?

This summer, 11 veteran U.S. and Canadian scientists and environmentalists -- Maude Barlow, Wendell Berry, Tom Goldtooth, Danny Glover, James Hansen, Wes Jackson, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, George Poitras, David Suzuki, and Gus Speth -- issued a continental call-out. The call was for Americans to come to Washington D.C. and join two weeks of non-violent civil disobedience actions to try to stop the massive tar sands Keystone XL pipeline. The response was overwhelming, over 1,200 people were arrested at a peaceful daily sit-in outside of the White House.

Read more for more details, sign-up and billeting information.

DATE OF RALLY: Sep 26 2011 - 10:00am

LOCATION: Centennial Flame, Parliament Hill Ottawa, ON Canada

Related:

Why I will be risking arrest tomorrow
Canada and the tar sands are dragging the world down

Videos of Washington protest

Parliament Hill Web Cam

Image borrowed from here.

US has lost its purchase on the ME

Contributor: "PAJU"

The Palestinians won't get a state this week, but they will prove that they are worthy of statehood. And they will establish for the Arabs what Israel likes to call "facts on the ground": never again can the United States and Israel snap their fingers and expect the Arabs to click their heels. The US has lost its purchase on the Middle East. It's over: the "peace process", the "road map", the "Oslo agreement"; the whole fandango is history.

This UN vote constitutes a kind of hinge; not just a page turning, but the failure of empire. So locked into Israel has US foreign policy become, so fearful of Israel have almost all its Congressmen and Congresswomen become, that America will this week stand out as a curmudgeonly, selfish, frightened state whose President, after promising a new affection for the Muslim world, is forced to support an occupying power against a people who only ask for statehood. Obama will this week prove that his re-election is more important than the future of the Middle East, that his personal ambition to stay in power must take first place over the sufferings of an occupied people.

US failures to stand up to Israel and to insist on a fair peace in "Palestine", abetted by the hero of the Iraq war, Blair, are responsible. Arabs too, for allowing their dictators to last so long.. Israel, too, when it should be welcoming the Palestinian demand for statehood at the UN. The game is lost. America's political power in the Middle East will this week be neutered on behalf of Israel. Quite a sacrifice in the name of liberty...

Adapted by PAJU from this article.

-----

Image found here.

Clarification re: Twin Towers and Bldg. 7

Contributor: "Timmy Timbit"

Just a point of clarification in response to YYC's post on the "aluminum and water induced explosion" theory recently put forth as a possible reason for the WTC towers' collapses:

YYC wrote: ".....why do these apologists keep forgetting that Bldg.#7 was not hit by any plane and came down in the exactly the same fashion as the Twins?"

Actually Bldg 7 didn't come down in quite the same way as the twin towers. The wreckage and rubble from WTC 7 was, for the most part, confined to within the building's own footprint (with a little spillover onto the surrounding streets). In this aspect, it seemed to follow the more traditional controlled demolition pattern as we see from time to time in TV shows when office buildings or hotels etc. are explosively demolished.

However, in the case of the twin towers much of the wreckage, including remnants of heavy steel beams, instead of falling inwards into the buildings' footprints was ejected violently outwards in a 360 degree arc approximately 1200ft in diameter around each of the 2 buildings.

The DVD/video Blueprint for Truth explains the differences between the collapses of WTC 7 and the two towers. The video is posted in a 10min, a 30min or a 1hr version. The longer the video the more detailed and in depth the evidence presented.  Also on the sidebar there are two presentations, one a summary of the evidence for explosive demolition in the destruction of the two towers, and the other a presentation on the collapse of Bldg 7.

AE911truth.org believes the collapses of WTC 1, 2 & 7 all show evidence of being explosive demolitions as well as the dust from the buildings and remnants of salvaged steel indicating that a thermitic type incendiary was employed in the buildings' destruction, but strictly speaking, it would be incorrect to say that Bldg7 came down in "exactly the same fashion" as the two towers.

I am sure that the folks at AE911truth.org will have some type of formal response to this latest "molten aluminum and water" theory as soon as they have had the time to analyze the scientist's argument in detail. In the meantime, at 911blogger.com, engineer Jon Cole left this brief, sardonic comment in response to a thread about this same topic, indicating some degree of scepticsm of the new theory:

...that airplane aluminum, after it was initially shredded precisely like shot from 15 blasts from a 12 gauge shotgun, ripping off every stitch of insulation even on the backside of the columns, reformed itself into larger pieces as it heated up in that fateful hour. Suddenly the sprinkler system sprang to life, with its soothing water focused directly on that molten aluminum which had ample time to coalesce into series of pools at critical columns, creating a cacophony of explosions that previously went undetected by NIST.

Coincidently one intrepid aluminum pool managed to escape that cooling water, and poured outside about 7 minutes before the south towers final destruction, combining with wood paneling and desks, causing it's molten flow to look exactly like molten iron. Incredibly the pulsating jets of water, synchronistically timed as it exploded those aluminum pools, blew out the floors thrusting massive perimeter panels hundreds of feet, while turning acres of concrete into powder. Yet small gobs of aluminum doggedly clung to key points on the spire of core columns which stood tall long after the main floors fell, finally exploding from the humidity, dropping those very last remnants of a once proud icon, straight down. Alas dear reader heed my warning, and be ever vigilant when flying a jet plane with hot engines through a rainstorm, or this same tragic fate could happen to you.

-----

Ed Note: YYC has modified her statement.

Image borrowed from here

Latest 9/11 baloney

Contributor: "YYC"

New theory on 9/11 Twin Towers collapse: Study
A mix of sprinkling system water and melted aluminum from aircraft hulls likely triggered the explosions that felled New York's Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, a materials expert has told a technology conference.

Wow, the Toronto Hearings, particularly the rebuttal of high temperatures by Kevin Ryan on Sept.10, must have had a powerful impact.

But good grief, why do these apologists keep forgetting that Bldg.#7 was not hit by any plane? and came down in the exactly the same fashion as the Twins (See clarification.)

Well, at least they are now acknowledging that there were indeed explosions.That's reason enough to open a new investigation that includes all the witness reports of explosions that were ignored by the 9/11 Commission.

YouTube Videos of Toronto Hearings

Smart radiation reports

Contributor: "YYC"

Smart meters are adding to a radiation-rich environment
BC Hydro tells us the amount of radiation emitted from the smart meters is less than Health Canada's allowable limit ... Independent testing has shown that the radiation emitted is many times the amount they tell us.

For more information on this, there is plenty of discussion on the Net. But it's interesting that this opinion was expressed just as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has assured us that the radiation levels in BC fish and foods imported from Japan are well below acceptable levels despite the massive radiation leaks.

As per the media's job to manage perception, a CBC headline says (emphasis mine): "No radiation detected in West Coast fish."  None at all - which of course is not true, and even the article itself does not uphold the flat-footed headline and opening paragraph.

I suppose the question we ought to be asking is: with these and other sources of "safe" levels of radiation, just how minor can this be in the aggregrate?

Image borrowed from here.

Palestine: JPost's management of perception

Contributor: "YYC"

Mahdi Nazemroaya said that the job of media is "perception management".  Clearly, the Jerusalem Post takes its job seriously (emphasis mine):

Dozens of Palestinians protest in Ramallah, heeding officials' instructions to hold anti-Obama demonstrations in the West Bank [ ... ] PA civil servants and school children were ordered to hold rallies and demonstrations “in solidarity with President Abbas and to condemn Obama’s bias in favor of Israel.”

Hard to guess whether the author used these words or if he was edited without his knowledge prior to publication.

After watching this video below, you can deduce for yourself how many "dozens" of Palestinians turned out and estimate the level of enthusiam for what they were "ordered" to do.  If Israel is worried about Palestinian violence after the vote, why the attempt to make it look as if they're currently lethargic about the whole thing?

The last word in this video is "violent", so you're left with the intended impression, but the pictures speak for themselves.  The usual few kids throwing stones (the military have guns) and a suggestion that a military vehicle was fired upon but, of course, no pictures and no details of that supposed event.

Palestinian rally in support of statehood bid

Related: The humiliation of Barack Obama
As he prepares to singularly veto Palestine's statehood bid, he must be thinking to himself: 'This isn't right'.

Crudity in high places

Contributor: "YYC"

The final line of this BBC article says: Mr Assange held a lavish 40th birthday party at Ellingham Hall at the weekend, attended by celebrities and supporters.

Now take a look at this video that his admirers called "brilliant" but people like me think is just as smugly manipulative as the banksters themselves.

Tacky enough?

The guy lives like royalty - meaning that, just like royalty, he lavishly entertains the rich while taking charity from working people.

Add to this that Assange freely admits to being crudely aggressive in the sack (how macho) - there's such a thing as consenting to sex and then being shocked out of one's mind at what the other person thinks that gives him licence to inflict - you gotta wonder what Wikileaks has really been all about, and by whom he has been programmed.  Did his handlers anticipate he would mess up so ickily in Sweden?

Anyway, although he was publicly certain that what he did to those Swedish women was permissible within British law, he has nevertheless been judged extraditable. Note also that, although he said publicly the charges were a political vendetta against him, in court it was not even argued by him and his counsel - so that too appears to have been a manipulative bid to keep the sympathy (and donations) of his admirers.

And then there's Strauss-Kahn, who we now know admits to having indulged himself extramaritally with both of the complainants who insist he forced himself upon them, and thinks a "sincere" apology will save his political bacon. It probably will, and that's a sad commentary on the state of world so-called leadership.

I don't even want to read what went on between Charles and Camilla while he was pretending to be a loving husband to Diana. {{{{shiver}}}} The Google search term for that link came up as I started to type Charles Camilla. I guess that's all they're known for now.

In ancient times ending up with one's head on a platter was a pretty dire circumstance. Now it's a coup for profiteers, and that is a sad indictment of the sheeple who have been conditioned from kindergarten to waste money on such mooshie-gooshie (as a friend used to call it) and display it proudly in their living rooms.

"Underwear Bomber" Cover-Up

Contributor: "Timmy Timbit"

Kurt and Lori Haskell are a husband and wife team of US lawyers who were on Northwest Airlines Flt 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Dec 25, 2009.  This was the same flight the "underwear bomber" was on when he tried unsuccessfully to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear shortly before landing.

History: False Flag Operations

The Haskells claim they observed, prior to boarding in Amsterdam, a sharply dressed, older man of apparent East Indian ethnicity assisting another, at the time, unknown man they later came to identify as Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber, to board the flight without having to show a passport. They allege they overheard this unidentified man telling the ticket agent that Abdulmutallab was a Sudanese refugee (not true) and that boarding flights without a passport was allowable for such refugees.

The authorities later denied the existence of this individual and yet have so far refused to release the security videotapes of the check-in process that could resolve the issue of whether or not this alleged accomplice was present or, if he really was present, presumably assist in his identification.

As well, events that occurred on the flight itself and the manner in which the passengers were deplaned and debriefed on arrival led the Haskells to suspect this entire event was a setup. Their conclusion was that the underwear bomber was most likely another entrapped  patsy in some type of false flag event or sting set up by an intelligence or security service.

Here is the first paragraph from a recent entry by Kurt Haskell on their family blog describing his disillusionment with the US Government and the mainstream media after seeing how government and media have apparently worked together to cover up relevant aspects of this case and to discount the Haskells' own eyewitness testimony of the events they saw transpiring before them:

With jury selection set to begin in the Underwear Bomber Trial set to begin tomorrow, I've spent the evening reminiscing about Christmas Day 2009 and the 21 months since. The Underwear Bomber attack has fundamentally changed my life. Not in the way most would think, but it has destroyed any faith I've had in the U.S. Government, the media and this country as a whole. To say that I believe the government is corrupt and the media is complicit doesn't fully explain my beliefs. Not only have I come to those conclusions, but I've witnessed that an ordinary person who sees something important can be silenced despite his efforts to spread the truth. Such is the Underwear Bomber case. I can do nothing but laugh at the TSA's new policy of "If you see something say something." That is exactly what I did, and not only did the U.S. Government not want to hear what I had to say, but it actively lied about it, attempted to get me to change my story, and hid, by withholding (secret government) evidence or putting a protective order on the evidence and nearly everything that would support my eyewitness account.

Read More

Related:
Underwear bomber shouts 'Osama's alive' in US court (five days ago)
Underwear Bomber Renews Calls for ‘Naked Scanners’

Ed Note: Timmy Timbit has also provided a number of fascinating links regarding the truth of 9/11 in the comments section here.

Global Gov't & Harper's predictive tongue slips

Contributor: "YYC"

In the 2009 video below, I'm fascinated by three predictive (Freudian?) slips. PM Harper says "it is important that we fit" before saying "fix the financial sector" [1:00]; he almost says "toxic acids" before saying "toxic assets" (he most certainly is thinking of "balance sheets" when he fails to even order an assessment of the toxic acids created by the oilsands operation) [1:28]; and he says "sevelance" before saying "semblance of global governance" [3:35], making me wonder if he had severance on his mind.

Certainly, with a fully functioning global government certain functions of local government would be severed and handed over - a decided loss of sovereignty. He also uses the term "nation states", more commonly used by secessionists when describing the future rearrangment of North America. In such a scenario, Quebec, Ontario, the Maritimes and BC/Alberta would be severed from what would remain to be called "Canada".

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper: "There Is Going To Have To Be Global Governance"


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNYx2Ryaaps

US "class war": taxing hard-stolen money

Contributor: "YYC"

Republicans cry 'class warfare' over millionaire tax

Some millionaires get a big break because investment gains -- such as capital gains, dividends and "carried interest" compensation paid to investment managers and hedge fund partners -- are taxed at a lower rate than wages.

If you have to work for a living, you're penalized for it, but if you're rich enough to sit on your derriere and gamble over the phone - even if you're laying odds that a disaster will occur - you're rewarded.

Damn right equitable taxes for the rich spells class war, and high time too. Except that Obama knows this is merely good optics for him prior to the coming election, and he also knows that the rich (including himself) know they'll just find another way out of parting with their hard-stolen dough. The Repugs know this too, but did I mention there's an election approaching?

Obama campaigned on "Hope" and people fell for it. D'oh! Hope is not nearly the same as bona fide Action.

And here is wisdom: actions are far more informative than words.

Ever wonder why Obama's income suddenly "skyrocketed" not long before he started campaigning for the presidency? Lots of people do. For starters, he found that being friends with a mover, shaker, fraudster, briber like Tony Rezko never did him any harm.

Related: Easy stolen money - it's fun being Canada's Defence Chief

“I will be transparent, honest and ethical as I have been for my entire career.”
Thursday’s report said that Natynczyk’s travel costs included trips to the Calgary Stampede, the Grey Cup and several other sporting events at a price tag of over $700,000.

Natynczyk also said that one of the more scrutinized of those flights, one to St. Maarten — an island east of Puerto Rico — to meet his family for a pre-planned vacation, was authorized by Defence Minister Peter MacKay

Libya: Fat lady still not singing

... the final act has been delayed

Contributor: "YYC"

Assault on Gaddafi bastion ends in chaotic retreat

Since taking the capital Tripoli last month, motley forces of the ruling National Transitional Council have met stiff resistance in Bani Walid and Gaddafi's birthplace Sirte, which they must capture before they can declare Libya "liberated." ... "We have been trapped here without a car and with no food. Snipers are everywhere."

The article contains a lot of propaganda about people being scared not to support Gadhafi, but they are doing such a determined job of it that, even with NATO's help, the final act has been seriously delayed.

Watch the below video from Sept.16. Quotes: "There's no way NATO will stop its air campaign - they will lose within days" ... you will find Zionist dirty plans" [at work in Libya].

Fat lady image borrowed from here.

Magic Money

Banksters: "If you believe in magic, come along with me."
Apologies to the Lovin Spoonful

Contributor: "Lucilla"

Central banks act as economy hits 'dangerous new phase'

The central banks are to provide commercial banks with three additional tranches of loans to help ease funding pressures. Banking stocks rose sharply, with BNP Paribas up as much as 22%. IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said "bold action" was needed.

The Federal Reserve, Bank of England, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan and Swiss National Bank have all agreed to lend money (in otherwords print more money out of thin air) to provide liquidity.

I don't think this is really about stimulating the economy in any kind of productive sense but is simply a means to to prolong the ponzi scheme*. More money means inflation, which probably will drive the economy towards stagnation again anyway.

The banks are addicted to debt as it is the only way to take wealth away from the public and consolidate it - which seems to be the whole purpose of the current banking system.

Is all of this wealth and property just going into the greedy hands of a few rich families or is it being used to back a global currency or is it to finance a global government or is to consolidate global wealth and resources into a "public trust" (haha) of some kind to be administered by some elite governing body?

I don't know, but the major banks do seem intent on squeezing every last drop out of all sovereign nations and their people.

No amount of money out of thin air in the system is going to convince me to borrow for any reason.

* Explaining ponzi scheme to 5th Grader
Wikipedia: Charles Ponzi, Swindler

----

Ed Note: Rage at the banks has apparently inspired a call for violent protests among youth. Not sure who's behind this video, but if it catches on ... well, you imagine.

Image found here

IJV Action Alert

Protect Palestinians threatened by Israeli backlash to UN vote on statehood

Contributor: "YYC"

The following is a message received from Independent Jewish Voices:

Next week, the Palestinian Authority will ask the United Nations to grant statehood to the occupied territories. The US, doing Israel's bidding, will veto the motion at the Security Council. The PA is likely to then seek approval of the UN General Assembly to make Palestine a non-voting member of the UN.

While Independent Jewish Voices takes no position on the Palestinian Authority's demand for statehood, IJV supports the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people. We are alarmed by the threats of violence directed against Palestinians by Israel, settler 'militias', and Israel’s supporters as punishment for going to the UN.

Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman vows "harsh and grave consequences" for the Palestinians. Respected Israeli activist Uri Avnery reports that Israel is training settlers to act as a militia along with the army in violently opposing any Palestinian demonstrations and resistance following a rejection of the UN proposal - vowing a bloody repression of anything like a Palestinian intifada. For example, the Jewish Defense League in France is recruiting military-trained members to join the settlers.

We cannot tolerate any backlash against Palestinian aspirations for dignity and self-determination. IJV urges you to take a simple step to help ensure that those most vulnerable do not become victims in this potential storm.

Let the Canadian government know with this simple message:

Hon. (name of Minister or MP),

The Palestinian motion to the UN for statehood is being met with the threat of Israeli and settler violence, and a promised US veto at the Security Council. We urge you to firmly uphold Canadian policy and oppose the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestine, and oppose any military and settler actions against Palestinians that suppress their right to protest against the rejection of the statehood request. Canada must not condone any further Israeli trampling of Palestinian human rights.

Sincerely,
(Your name)

Please send this message to:

Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird:
Telephone: 613-996-0984
Fax: 613-996-9880
E-Mail: john.baird@parl.gc.ca

NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, Paul Dewar:
Telephone: 613-996-5322
Fax: 613-996-5323
E-Mail: paul.dewar@parl.gc.ca

( Your local MP - click here for contact info )

Moe Harkat needs your help

Contributor: "Sophie"

I am the wife of Mohamed Harkat, - Moe to his friends - a Security Certificate Detainee since December 10th, 2002

Thank you very much to those who signed the statement against Secret Trials in Canada (Security Certificates) which allows for detention of refugees and immigrants without charge or access to the evidence for national security reasons.

Moe & YYC: Who's the terrorist?

As many of you may know, Moe lost in court on Dec. 9th, 2010 (one day before the 8th anniversary of his arrest) when his certificate was upheld. The decision was based on the lowest standard of proof in any Canadian court proceeding, and  was apparently based solely on secret information. The court ruled there were reasonable grounds to believe that he could be associated with terrorism in the past, present or future - no crime has been committed. The secret information was never released to Moe or his legal team; he has been in the dark ever since his arrest.

Now, Moe faces deportation to Algeria where he faces imprisonment, torture or death because of the allegations. It's very clear that refugees like Moe are not welcome in Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government. Moe received a letter from the Canadian Border Services Agency in January 2011, warning him of his pending deportation. We are currently waiting to hear from the Minister's delegate who will make his final recommendations on whether the risk to Moe outweighs the risk he supposedly poses to Canada.

That's where you come in ! We REALLY need your support once more. We hope to double or triple our numbers of signatures on our statement before the decision comes down in the coming weeks. Time is of the essence. 3700 individuals (many high profile, unions and groups) have already endorsed (view signatures).

Let's take a strong stand against Secret Trials in Canada (Security Certificates)!

How you can help:

1. Please ask your friends, family, and co-workers to endorse our statement.  Also pass on this message to all of your online contacts - email, facebook, twitter, etc. But, please don't stop there!

If you are unionized, and have not done so already, please download and print out the statement and take it to your union's executive meeting, general meeting, committee meetings, etc. and ask individual members to endorse. Please also ask your union to pass a motion endorsing! If you are part of a local, please ask your local to endorse. Ask other brothers and sisters to endorse.

2. If you are active in a community group or organization or a religious group or a mosque or church, please print out our statement, take it to a meeting or gathering and ask people to sign on. Please also ask your group or organization to endorse the statement online.

3. Please send us the pages at:
The Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee
14 Perkins Street Ottawa, ON,  K1R 7G5

4. Please support our work. Help with our campaign, support our legal and political research, consider making a small donation to support travel and other related expenses. Donations are always needed.

Please send your cheque or donation to:
The Justice for Mohamed Harkat Committee
14 Perkins Street
Ottawa, ON,  K1R 7G5

Your support is crucial ! Please help any way you can. Thanks for your continued support and time.

Recycling the Order of Canada

Contributor: "YYC"

Should Conrad Black and Garth Drabinsky be stripped of the Order of Canada?

Well, since the question's been asked ...

My answer is no. In fact every Canadian should receive this award because we all, good, bad or indifferent, contribute to the fabric of what we call society. It would definitely be a slightly better prize in a Cracker Jacks box than the cheap, stupid things you find there now.

Okay, maybe Con-Man Black shouldn't keep it because he renounced his Canadian citizenship. But everybody else, for sure.

Take a look at some of the many winners. Most of them pretty much just did what they wanted to do and made good money at it. If they were really famous for their good deeds, wouldn't we know who the heck they are? Steve Fonyo is in the minority - he was (is) actually famous for his good works - despite media sour grapes - and now, unfortunately, for his bad.

There are baloney awards for just about everything nowadays, though you'd think that at some point in life we would have grown out of needing gold stars on our little baby foreheads, and just do our best because we like ourselves better when we do.

Thousands of Canadians quietly do their best every day and, in the aggregate, have contributed far more to building this country than all of the snooty OC recipients combined. But awards change nothing. In my youth I received a few that have moldered away somewhere in my storage room, and strangely, my life has gone on the same as if they'd never happened.

Still, it might be fun to find the Order of Canada badge in a Cracker Jacks box, just so I could ceremoniously drop it in the recycle bin. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Image found here.

Free sex vacations

... the real reason for all those tax-funded foreign political jaunts?

Security Certificate Victims: If Dechert can claim innocence when his risky actions are patently made public, how much more innocent then are people whose purported actions are kept secret even from themselves?

Contributor: "YYC"

Memo to Bob Dechert

As the Canadian government moves to tighten ties to China, MPs should be told relationships with state news reporters are a serious breach of security, writes J. Michael Cole

The very authorship of the above article reveals yet another example of the much-denied government/media love affair: J. Michael Cole is a former CSIS "analyst" turned news chief for the Taipei Times.

And he is nothing if not humourous in his heavily-veiled reference to John Baird's gayness (something I'm sure makes CSIS spooks very antsy) when he says the Chinese would not target Baird with a "honey trap", but would instead focus on a well-placed underling like Dechert.

It's a bit sexist to suggest, however obliquely, that "honey traps" are always female, nor can Cole possibly be as naive as he seems when stressing the blackmailability of heterosexual married persons who commit indiscretions while ignoring that closeted gays are at least as vulnerable to blackmail.

To say that Dechert has committed a security breach, Cole serves his former employer in keeping alive the belief that there really is such a thing as "national security" beyond merely a wall behind which the dirty dealings of CSIS and government can hide, and a conscience-less excuse to wreck the lives of Muslim immigrants under the guise of fighting a "war on terrorism".

Too late, however, since by accepting Dechert's "apology",  Harper has made it eminently clear that "national security" is of little or no importance.

And that alone ought to be argument enough to free the security certificate victims. If Dechert can claim innocence when his risky actions are patently made public, how much more innocent then are people whose purported actions are kept secret even from themselves?

Maybe somebody should look into the real reasons Harper was at least twice late for the group photo-ops while in foreign countries.

And maybe we should reconsider the true motives of politicians who spend inordinate amounts of taxpayer dollars in frequent foreign travel for seemingly no other purpose than to read prepared speeches they could have phoned in. Are they actually on free (for them) "sex vacations"?

Related: Baird stands by Tory MP despite amorous emails

Related on YYC: The word "innocent" has lost all meaning
... along with the word "apology".

The definitive 9/11 video!

Contributor: "YYC"

My thanks to a family member, who rightly commented: "James Corbett is a genius!"

 Everything you ever wanted to know 
about the 9/11 conspiracy theory in under 5 minutes.

The word "innocent" has lost all meaning

... along with the word "apology".

Contributor: "YYC"

Tory MP apologizes for flirty emails to Chinese journalist

"These emails are flirtatious, but the friendship remained innocent and simply that – a friendship. I apologize for any harm caused to anyone by this situation.”

This dork "apologized" for being "flirtatious", but he's lying. "I miss you even more", is strongly suggestive of a passionate romance, not a meaningless dalliance.

The journalist's husband knew what it was, and no doubt so does Dechert's wife.  But that's their problem.

Our problem is the facile dishonesty of a representative of the people, and this being yet another example of the secret love affair between the Harper crew and the media - even foreign media.

This guy denies any inappropriate behaviour.  What is he trying to do?  Render meaningless every descriptive in the English language?

From now on, when you see a politician smiling on CPAC, are you going to wonder whether the smiler's mind is on parliamentary business or an "innocent" flirtation? And what about the term "National Security"?  Will we think of Dechert every time we hear it now?

The Associated Press is a baloney factory

UPDATE:  CTV has since removed the original AP article from its website and substituted one that makes the same claims although stating repeatedly that it's unconfirmed.  But the AP version has gone viral, so the entire mainstream media are repeating this baloney.
----------------------------------------------------

Baloney is made from scraps of offal swept up off the cutting room floor, heavily spiced up and loaded with fillers.  It is the food of the poor and the ignorant, who themselves end up as human debris on the battlefield.

Contributor: "YYC"

U.S. citizens may be involved in 9-11 threat: officials

Al Qaeda may have sent American terrorists or men carrying U.S. travel documents to launch an attack on Washington or New York to coincide with memorials marking the 10th anniversary of 9-11, government officials say.

A CIA informant who has proved reliable in the past approached intelligence officials overseas to say that the men had been ordered by newly minted al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahri to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks Sunday by doing harm on U.S. soil.

"May" this and "may" that,  the usual unnamed sources, with no suspicion at all that "Al Qaeda" "may" be a CIA invention.  And CTV prints it verbatim.

Now here's a big surprise!

The tipster says the would-be attackers are of Arab descent and may speak Arabic as well as English. (link)

It's 1984 and over the loudspeaker comes yet another report about the "enemy" Goldstein.

But really, here's all you need to know (emphasis mine):

Counterterrorism officials have been working around the clock to determine whether the threat is accurate, but so far, have been unable to corroborate it ...

Now, that's not surprising at all.  But they don't need to corroborate it, do they.  40% of the population will read the headlines, will BELIEVE, and will enjoy their two minutes of hate, while the rest keep their suspicions to themselves for fear of being called "conspiracy theorists".

It's a little bit surprising that the AP knows what Al Qaeda "has long dreamed of" (link).  Looks like they just threw that in gratuitously; another scrap of debris from the cutting floor.

What you can be reasonably certain of is that if "Mayor Michael Bloomberg ... made a point of taking the subway to City Hall" (link) he and his handlers knew there was no danger at all.

Yet this "news" item blathers on and on because there can't be too many unsubstantiated rumours and buzzwords in the news these days. What are they churning out this baloney in aid of?  Stupid question?

NOTE: The Toronto Truth Conference is still in progress.  Watch it live.

Image borrowed from here.

US of E: Bankster's delight?

Contributor: "Lucilla"

David Cameron: Eurozone should become United States of Europe
... repeats pledge that Britain will not join euro while he is in charge

The biggest problem the EU has is national sovereignty. Statehood will destroy the last vestiges of the economic sovereignty of its member states as all members will be legally required to harmonize all economic policies to ensure the survival of the Euro, the Euro zone and most importantly, the European banks and European Central bank.

The banks and the Euro can't be allowed to fail because these are the (very effective) tools the elite use to take wealth and property away from the masses and consolidate it into their own coffers.

All of this is on track with creating a global centralized government that holds all wealth and resources in trust and distributes it among the global population according to whatever criteria it decides on.

Related: 50 facts about the EU

Image borrowed from here.

Israel's Nuke Games

Contributor: "BeeSting"

Reminding neighbours, without admitting, that Israel is a nuclear power ...

IDF to simulate missile attack on Dimona nuclear reactor

Home Front Command, Israel Atomic Energy Commission to hold large exercise called “Fernando”; drill will simulate Hezbollah, Hamas attack.

(Click to enlarge)

Disagreements Persist on Mideast WMD-Free Zone Talks

Insiders planning a 2012 conference on freeing the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction said friction has persisted over procedures for designating an individual to guide the meeting and the country in which it will be held, Arms Control Today reported in its latest issue.... Arab nations do not want the meeting to take place in Canada, Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations Maged Abdelaziz said on Aug. 19. The United States suggested Canada as a location for the event during last year's NPT review conference, he said.

Israel's "shadow" nuclear arsenal inspires other countries across the Middle East to seek nuclear weapons. It undermines sanctions against that pursuit, and destroys any hope of implementing a Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.

Related: Video - The story of Mordechai Vanunu

-----

Ed Note: What's wrong with having the meeting in Canada?  Are we scheduled for a false flag event, or something?  They shouldn't worry because we have it on record that Canada is terror-safe -- for now. In fact the whole world is safer than it was before 9/11 and we must thank NATO for that (although Norway was way down the list of probabilities just before it was hit.)

Image borrowed from here.

Nazemroaya: Israelis in Libya

Contributor: "YYC"

Algeria is "on the agenda"with a transitional council already in place; Israelis are inside Libya

Mahdi - Algerian TNC formed - Israelis were present in Libya



"Look at when Mahdi lost his internet connection....
he was at his office in Montreal, Canada 
at the Centre for Research on Globalization."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCS50YZVF0Q

----

Ed Note: Although a National Transitional Council has also been set up in Syria, pundits express concern that Syria has more capability than Libya to strike out at Israel.

All YYC posts featuring Mahdi Nazemroaya

The Toronto 9/11 Hearings

This is the official broadcast site of the International Hearings on the Events of September 11, 2001, at Ryerson University from Sept. 8 to 11, 2011. The official website of the Hearings is: http://torontohearings.org/

Countering a few lies

UPDATE: Two Libya items:
Message From Aisha Qadhafi
"Friends of Libya" meet in Paris for imperialist carve-up

Contributor: "Lucilla"

Here are various items that demonstrate how we are constantly lied to and which should be of interest to all:

► LIBYA

Video: The REAL Gaddafi

Article: Saif al-Islam embarrasses rebels yet again, counters constant opposition disinformation

► HEMP OIL

Government Study Proves THC from Cannabis Destroys Cancer Cells

► SOMALIA

Somalia: Famine for Profit and the East African food crisis

That last item is very long but worthwhile - lots of information about the history of the region and the effect of colonialism in the past and "neo colonialism" now. Pretty much sums up what I've always felt about the issue of famine - that these people we see in the news, these pitiful mere skeletons of humans, are economic pawns, used by the leaders of their own countries to leverage aid money, and exploited by the media to manipulate us into either giving money or accepting cutbacks or new taxes to off-set our "shared reponsibility" (which isn't yours and mine, of course) for the suffering of these people.

-----

Ed Note: Regarding the Hemp Oil revelation, this is yet another example of governments exerting control over medicines, no doubt in order to tax them. Remember Rick Simpson? Video: Run from the Cure. Simpson wanted to give away his secret but was harrassed by government and treated like a criminal "drug dealer" - as if doctors themselves are not drug dealers.

Yo! Your "rescue" team might just kill you!

Our addiction to corporatism is eroding our ability to survive!

Contributor: "Yo Momma"

This "Supressed News" item recently came to me from a friend who commented:

The first item on the page is about the cholera epidemic in Haiti, and questions why there were so many deaths when oral rehydration therapy usually saves lives. Natural recipes are given for rehydration mixtures, and the very first one appeals to me because it uses tea - which I'm assuming is black tea since black tea is said to be an antidote for diarrhea.

It also measures in "bottle caps" which is thoughtful since dislocated people probably don't have measuring spoons but might have access to one-litre bottles. Naturally (or should I say "unnaturally"?), the WHO formula is the most complicated and inaccessible since it includes pharmaceutical rehydration salts including potassium chloride.

Here's a piece of my mind on that score:

(Click to enlarge)

First, note that the suppressed news item states: "Cholera is not usually a fatal disease and yet it is doing the work of death in Haiti, as it did among the poor in Zimbabwe."

In fact (underlining mine), a WHO report says cholera's "main symptom is copious diarrhea" and that only "[b]etween 5% and 10% of those infected with the disease will develop severe symptoms, which also include vomiting and leg cramps."  It confirms that only "[i]n its severe form" does cholera "cause death by dehydration".

And it's wasted time that allows it to reach the severe form!

The WHO dehydration formula is an example of the corporatization of emergency services. We are all surrounded by "services" that have obliterated our ability to look after ourselves. It's like we, ourselves, are addicted to corporatism.

I'll bet people in developing nations who have had to struggle with cholera outbreaks, likely throughout history, have always had some sort of natural cure, but these days "help" in a cholera epidemic has been taken over by agencies that are dependent on products and if the products don't arrive on time or get distributed properly people die. I would not be surprised that organizers have sat by and watched people die because a shipment of rehydration salts never arrived when quite possibly if they had even bothered to look around they would have found an adequate alternative in the community.

It used to be that in an emergency those who could would run around looking for useful resources. People had to make do but help came more quickly.  Now such people "get in the way" of corporate aid organizations and everyone is told wait to patiently until help arrives.

Corporatism literally allows aid teams to stand around and watch people die with the excuse that their "hands are tied".

Our addiction to corporatism is eroding our creativity, our ability to survive, and our empathy for our fellow humans!

-----

Ed Note: Here is a "health" blog that addresses the cholera deaths in Haiti and states (emphasis mine): "The treatment for Cholera is rapid re-hydration through inexpensive IV solution powders that are mixed with water."

That's it. That's all they know! First it has to actually arrive, then they have to find the clean water to mix it with. And the IV equipment to administer it with. And the sterilization products to administer the IV equipment ...

Image borrowed from here.

Voyeurism is a crime?

Contributor: "YYC"

‘Up-skirt’ photos snapped at CNE air show: police
Bruno Lombardi, 57, of Richmond Hill, has been charged with two counts of voyeurism for sexual purpose.

"Voyeurism for sexual purpose?"  Doesn't that happen in living rooms the world over every day?

As usual, the media are in such a rush to get out a titillating story that they literally have no story to tell.  Just like movies that rely heavily on sexuality and/or violence in lieu of actual content.

How long were the skirts, for instance? Ultra short ones invite curiosity, much the same as kilts do. How did the women discover they were photographed?  Were they together, or was this a random act? Did the women have features in common, such as the same colour hair? How did the police locate and identify the man who took the pics?

Were the skirts long but the women were wearing patent leather shoes? That was a big no-no back in my youth because men could see your undies reflected in them, and it only egged them on.

See, this is why I prefer to wear pants. For sure, you don't want to be wearing a skirt when you're walking up a set of metal stairs with no risers. Were the women sitting on bleachers? Same thing.

Look at this video clip of former Governor General Michaelle Jean and interviewer, and be honest with yourself about what most drew your attention.  The camera people knew what would. Is this a dignified view of a former representative of royalty?

Women are far too vulnerable in skirts, yet they wear them - and those hobbling high heels - to emulate what they see on TV and in movies - even a Governor General. They don't want to just be attractive women, they want to appear seductive. Nowadays, even wearing a dress that looks like a petticoat, or a blouse that looks like a camisole, is the done thing.  Women are wearing their underwear on the outside, and pictures get taken every day of women doing that.

Not to defend this sicko at all, but if voyeurism is a crime why are we all, male and female, being encouraged in it by the entertainment media?  So many of today's movies rely on sexualized images (combined with frantic car chases, murder, torture, general scenes of violence, mayhem and destruction) to attract audiences. Characters are not well drawn, stories not very complex.  How very modern.

It certainly diverts minds from what's really going on in the world today.

I can't believe the lack of mental nutrition available on the DVD shelf at the local branch of my public library. I look at those sweet, school teacherish ladies behind the desk and I wonder, do they know what they're stocking their shelves with?

Personally I'm thankful that the grossest (puking, peeing, farting) or raunchiest scenes often come in the first few frames of a movie, so it doesn't take long for me to figure out there's probably not much of a storyline and I can just turn it off.

Full frontal female nudity is commonplace, but in general the male organ is still considered ever-so-sacred, so we make do with views of male buttocks instead, in the act of copulating, masturbating or urinating. Maybe they put this stuff up front to induce people to watch further in the hope there'll be more of the same, but if that's all they've got to sell a movie, I say forget it.

I'm not a voyeur. I've never even had the slightest curiosity about other people's personal lives, unless they're public figures who have presented false images of themselves. I figure this is an indication that I have an interesting life of my own.

Even in a movie I think I might like, once the face-sucking or rutting begins to overstate its point (come on, there's artful, tender love-making and then there's animalistic behaviour you would be shocked out of your mind to find your teenager indulging in on your living room couch) I find myself muttering, "Okay,  I get the idea. Point made. Move on. Tell the story, why doncha - if you've got any to tell. That's enough. That's enough."

Some people have no clue when enough is enough, and for those pathetic individuals the impact on the nervous system creates a mindset where it's all they can think about. It's true that once you see certain images, you can't unsee them.

It's little wonder there's hardly a couple alive who don't think there's something missing in their sex life - because movies create entirely selfish and unrealistic expectations. Consequently, there are too many "happily married" Col. William Russells out there running around.

Sickos aren't born; they're created.  And then we charge them with a crime.

Harper's hidden, requited love affair with media

Contributor: "YYC"

PMO appointment signals Quebec’s fading presence

That's not all it signals, although pretty significant.  It's also yet another example of the hogwash CTV tried to feed us recently about how there is no mechanism whereby PM Harper could influence or be influenced by the media, a la David Cameron's Murdoch troubles.

We tried to counter that blatant B.S. in two earlier blog posts, here and here, but it just keeps pouring in. Not surprisingly it's the Star pulling punches this time, saying mildy that Persichilli "has a track record of lamenting Quebec’s influence on national affairs".

It was in his Star columns that Persichilli virtually poked sticks at Quebec, and the Star may well have been letting a smalll kitten out of the bag with the headline: Be careful what you wish for, Monsieur Duceppe.  I don't know about you, but that sounds sort of threatening, doesn't it?

It's a rather schizophrenic article, however; at the beginning it suggests that separation might well be a possibility, though not so favourable for Quebec, and at the end it states that Duceppe is alone in his ideas:

... if Duceppe wants to see Quebec separate from Canada, why is he trying to convince the rest of the country when he has failed to convince the people of his own province?

Well, now Persichilli's appointment is being challenged on the grounds it's not constitutional since he doesn't speak French and therefore can't directly communicate with the province he invected in English, so what we've got here looks a lot like a deliberate shove in the direction of separation.

Now that Harper has his majority we will increasingly see his underlying raison d'etre, that is to facilitate the breakup of Canada in preparation for a North American Union (not to mention trashing the Constitution).  The Star helped lay some groundwork in the person of Persichilli, and Harper has repayed the favour.  The scratcher is now the scratchee.  I wonder if Jason Kenney thinks "grise" means "grease".  Regardless, the term itself indicates a secret influence.

Harper himself feels no need to comment on the controversy; he's learned from top US officials how to brazen out any situation until another focus for the heat can be found.

Related on YYC:
►Harper , Murdoch, CTV, Zionism ... and "the B.S. we are expected to trudge through"
►Quebec says, "I don't"
►Harper Majority: End of Canada as we know it