Government Oversight

Ever wanted to know just how much of our tax dollars are being squandered by our elected officials? You know, the dweebs we put in government to serve our interests? Check out the Government-Wide Reporting page of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. It's quite an eye-opener -- and may just make a fiscal voyeur out of you. Here's one from my random sifting, that opened my eye a little:

• Ruth Dantzer of Canada School of Public Service -- the government organization responsible for educating the public servants -- spent $17,928.86 on a flight to South Africa to attend and give a keynote speech to the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Board of Directors Meeting, in April. WTF? A quick scan of Dantzer's expenses will show that she travels a lot in her cushy government appointed gig that she's held since 1995.

Canada Losing its Water to the US

Stephen Leahy has a post on the machinations of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP), a business-government forum that is an off-shoot of the NAFTA agreement, that is slowly plundering Canada's natural heritage for the sake of economic integration. As Global Warming, mismanagement and drought continue to dry the US, Canada's water stores in the north will be become very important the American machine. Not that I am not concerned for our American cousins, but they have yet to prove they're nothing more than a spoiled, ravenous beast, when it comes to the management of the environment. Canada isn't much better, but with a population ten times smaller than the US, at least we have an opportunity to correct the squander of the past.

The SPP today operates without public oversight. Negotiations are conducted in the dark, where short-term thinking and self-interest stink the air. The American public would be up in arms at some of the compromises being made on their behalf as well -- but we Canadians have much to worry about. We're dealing with the 50,000lb gorilla from south of the 49th. We don't negotiate on equal footing with the Americans. Our government and the greedy bastards who profess to speak for us are selling us out for their tactical gains.

Write your elected representatives folks!

Everybody Wants to Bomb Iran

While is playing up to American conservatives and promoting Iran as a land free of nuclear weapons and homosexuality, Israel is apparently turning up the rhetoric on first strike options on Iranian nuclear targets. Times is reporting that Israel is contemplating a two pronged attack at Iran's underground nuclear facilities, that involves an initial strike with conventional weapons, followed by an attack with low yield nuclear weapons. Mossad is apparently reporting that Iran is only a couple of years away from refining enough enriched uranium to make bombs -- and Israel either wants to US to act against Iran or stay out of it and let Israel do the deed.

Now guess: just what do you think the response will be from the Islamic zealots -- and maybe even moderates? If there isn't polarization yet, this is sure to put an end to any hope of respite from the madness. Have all the sane people left the world?

In God We Trust

It's time to stomp out atheists in America. The majority of Americans would love to see atheists kicked out of America. If you don't believe in God, then get out of this country.

The United States is based on having freedom of religion, speech, etc., which means you can believe in God any way you want (Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, etc.), but you must believe.

I don't recall freedom of religion meaning no religion. Our currency even says, "In God We Trust." So, to all the atheists in America: Get off of our country.

Atheists have caused the ruin of this great nation by taking prayer our of our schools and being able to practice what can only be called evil. I don't care if they have never committed a crime, atheists are the reason crime is rampant.

I don't think I need to clarify the letter to the editor above. It speaks too well for itself. These people are out there, and they will be the ruin of the world if they are not mocked, silenced and sent bleating back into the holes from which they crawled.

Update: Apparently, the letter above while really published in a newspaper, turns out to be a fake letter. Who wrote it? Why? But it has had other appearances prior to being published. It was penned by someone. Their intent unknown. Goes to show you -- you can't trust much found on the internet.

Whales talk French at the bottom of the sea?

A college professor in Red Oak, Iowa, claims he's been fired for giving an academic treatment to Christianity in his western civilization course. In the course, Steve Bitterman, teaches that the Biblical story of creation should not be taken literally. At the end of a recent class, he remarked to a couple of students that the story of Adam and Eve was just a fairy tale. Oops. The students apparently threatened a lawsuit in response, and the whole matter go escalated to the college administration -- who, with the usual intestinal fortitude of administrations everywhere, recoiled from confrontation -- and fired Bitterman.

This of course, is Bitterman's claim only -- but the college has done little in their official response to counter his claim.

So, WTF Iowa? I'm well aware that America is reveling in its new new found religious fundamentalism -- but surely the people in charge know that the recent surge of the religious right is only a phase -- and should be limited to a very short one. Those in academia -- the educated -- better is expected of you. Giving in to the mindless morons of fundamentalism the way unchallenged is not the answer -- and leads to death of reason. We've seen the results of this. It's playing itself out in the Middle East right now.

Shiver me timbers!

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? Or when it falls apart really bad, and publicly for a scorned organization? In their battle against media pirates, movie studios and record companies have placed great store in MediaDefender -- a company that has been employing some nasty tactics to fight bittorrent traffic on the internet. MediaDefender however, just got a nasty surprise. It was outted on the internet by the very same protocol it sold itself as trouncing. It appears that a whole lot of internal MediaDefender emails have been made available via bittorrent. The leaked emails apparently came from an employee that forwarded most of his emails to his gmail account, which got hacked by a group called MediaDefender-Defender. The emails reveal some disturbing practices by MediaDefender -- including entrapment activities that posted torrent files to lure surfers. Bittorrent users are now having a good laugh.

Iraq Expels Blackwater

Blackwater USA is a private, mercenary army that is under the employ of the US military. It has quite a comprehensive operation in Iraq, protecting diplomats, contractors and other non-military types. The company has been regularly criticized for its operations in Iraq, where it operates as an unofficial extension of the US military, but without the oversight of civilian and military law. Iraqis have repeatedly complained that Blackwater's employees indiscriminately fire on, and kill, civilians during their operations. Now it appears that the Iraqis have finally had enough. The Iraq government has ordered the expulsion of Blackwater from their country after eight civilians were killed in the aftermath of a car bomb explosion -- although this expulsion may not affect Blackwater's operations that cater to the CIA or US State Department.

Of course, the US has quickly reacted and has promised an immediate investigation. The US military would be unable to operate in Iraq without Blackwater's presence. The US doesn't have enough soldiers to fight the war and provide security to the nation-building contractors on the ground -- half of whom are the guns for hire. In addition to the security detail, Blackwater also participates in clandestine operations on behalf of the US government. Most of these operations are shrouded in secrecy and can only be speculated on. American reliance on private armies for hire reached a pinnacle under the Bush Administration, which has successfully maintained a war while keeping congressional oversight to a minimum. This isn't disaster waiting to happen -- it has already happened, and Blackwater USA is making a killing keeping Uncle Sam's hands free of blood.

The US may be able to view Blackwater's soldiers as non-military personnel -- but the rest of the world, especially the Iraqis right now, see them all as being Americans. While the American government is now pursuing nation building, it's mercenaries are busily shredding any credibility it may be gaining. The situation is such a disaster that it must take a comatose population and administration mired in shit as to not notice.

For more on the private armies in Iraq, check out this BBC documentary.

Khaleej Times 9/11 Cigarettes

The Khaleej Times is one of the top English dailies in the Middle East, with circulation across the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. It also reaches into India and Pakistan. The paper, based in Dubai, recently ran an anti-smoking ad on the anniversary of 9/11. (Click the thumbnail image on the right to see it.)

The ad shows two smoking cigarettes standing upright, side-by-side, and carries the following text:

5.4 million die of smoking related causes every year. That's 2000 times a 9/11.

Another Middle East War?

The latest beat of the war drums south of the 49th, is for a possible massive blitz against Iran, in the continued escalation over the Iranians insistence on continuing their uranium enrichment program. The Americans could simply be rattling their sabres in the hopes of getting Iran to back down, and getting more teeth on the latest UN sanctions. Or maybe, in the twilight of the Bush Administration, ole George is about to ensure the world is even more fucked up before he's finished.

Who knows.

Regardless, if you're Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, you may want to read, "So you’re about to be invaded by the United States" -- a rant posted on Craiglist. The post informs the potential victim of an invasion of what they can expect -- and possible courses of action they can take. Enjoy!