CONservatives Now Say Afghan Detainee Torture, Just Didn't Happen.

IS THERE A MINISTER OF MANURE IN THIS GOVERNMENT?

Someone in the new CONservative government must have stepped in dog doo, because something stinks to high heaven on this issue.

Canadians have heard many different stories of the problem in Afganistan.

We have heard that Canadian soldiers have turned over captives to their Afghan counterparts for torture and beatings. Then our minister of defence Gordy O, says he has made a deal to give Canadian authorities access to these detainees. Then chief liar Harper tells us that HE'S making the deal, not O'Connor, and that it isn't hammered out yet, but will be as soon as he is finished waffling.

Then Doris, er Stockwell Day comes out and says, "hey, i sent some corrections canada officers over there and they said all was cool". The next day the Afghanistan Ambassador to Canada says, he has no idea what the Canadians are talking about because no one has seen any "supposed" detainees, and no one had made a request to see them anyways.

Today, the government says, through it's "security minister" Doris, they have no idea what anyone is talking about because there are no detainees, or tortured suspects anywhere and that there is absolutely no monitoring of anything going on anywhere..

So, obviously these people have zero idea on what is happening within their very own government, and obviously they have no control over our miltary.

Perhaps keeping their mouths shut was a better idea because it seems now that every time these guys speak, they choke on their own smelly feet.

Harpers' CONs Chastised By Al Gore

FORMER US VICE PRESIDENT CALLS CANADIAN "GREEN PLAN" A FRAUD ON THE CANADIAN ELECTORATE

Al Gore, the former democratic presidential contender who lost to George Bush in a hotly contested vote in 2000,was in Toronto yesterday to promote his film "An Inconvenient Truth" and to talk about the global warming issue with a packed house of over 1,000 people at the Green Living Show.

In the audience were David Suzuki, John Baird and Dalton McGuinty, the Ontario premier.

Before Gore presented his show he made an issue of lambasting Environment Minister Baird for his shoddy response to the global pollution pandemic, and his governments' inaction on global warming, calling the Tory green plan a "fraud" committed against the people of Canada, designed to mislead the populace.

Minister Baird responded to Gore by saying that as a member of the american administration that was responsible for not signing onto Kyoto, he had no business complaining about Canada. Baird pointed out that his government was the only government to introduce stringent rules and regulations. Gore retorted by stating that the plan had no standards, and that the emissions of green house gases could actually rise under the plan as they are intensoity based targets, instead of hard targets.

David Suzuki as well came out against the plan telling Baird he could have done better, at which point Baird says he has done better than any other previous government.

Point is, no one really cares what a previous government did or did not do. The problem is here and now, and as a result of that is the present governments' responsiblity, and not the responsiblity of some previously elected governmnet.

The only government that can be held to account is the present one.

Baird has missed the boat, I doubt he'll make it to the raft.

CONservative PM Harper Asks Police To Harass Opposition MP's.

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER HAS ASKED THE POLICE TO INTERFERE IN POLITICS

Canadas' "new" government led by right winger Stephen Harper has asked the police to harass the opposition into supporting his latest crime bill.

At a dinner honouring the York Regional Police force Thursday night, the Prime Minister called on the officers to "pressure" the Opposition to pass a number of key bills designed to make our communities safer.

"But rather than tell the truth of this matter, Mr. Harper is opting to shamelessly politicize an issue that should be above politics. His ongoing attempts to mislead Canadians know no bounds - he'll even use front-line officers as a way of pushing his partisan interests," Liberal Justice Critic Marlene Jennings said.

The bill the PM was most concerned about was bill C35, a bill that the Liberal opposition has already stated they would support when it came to a vote.

"Mr. Harper is trying to convince police officers that the Opposition is holding this up - even though he knows full well that in Stéphane Dion's speech last month, he specifically cited Bill C-35 as one the Liberal Party is prepared to move on immediately," said Ms. Jennings.

You would think that if the PM was truly intersted in solving crime on our streets, he'd be spending his time doing just that, instead of working the garden party circuit he is presently on.

Perhaps he would have saved the gun registry, something that police forces across the country use up to 5000 times a day in their efforts to protect us.

The Prime Minister has heavily politicized the crime issue, and as a result, there is nothing that will be done to reduce crime on the streets of Canada.

Hilights From The CONS Environment Plan

A BAD PLAN WITH VERY LITTLE SUBSTANCE

— Short-term emission reduction target of 18 per cent for existing industry by 2010, based on 2006 emission levels.
— A 26 per cent reduction target rate for industry by 2015.
— Canada's total emissions, including industry and other sources, reduced by 20 per cent by 2020.
— Industry can meet targets through reducing emissions, contributing to a technology fund, through domestic emissions trading and one-time credit for emission reduction action between 1992 and 2006.
— Plan predicts “real” but “manageable” price increases for cars, home appliances, electricity and fuel.
— National emission caps by 2012 for air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter.
— Plan predicts $6.4 billion in annual health benefits by 2015 from reduced risk of death and illness.
— Mandatory fuel-efficiency standard for auto industry, yet to be determined, to take effect beginning with 2011 model year.
— Economy expected to a hit of $8 billion in “worst” year of plan.

CONServatives Under Attack Over Their Botched Environmental Plan

CONServatives COMES UNDER ATTACK FOR FAILING TO DELIVER A DECENT ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN

David Suzuki stated yesterday in Vancouver to the media that "It's in our own interest for heaven's sake to show leadership on reducing emissions," after studying Canadas' new "green" plan.

"I think it's really shameful, what (Baird) has done. He's turning his back on the Kyoto process that we are signed onto and he's not setting hard targets starting right now and it's a big disappointment."

Denmark's Minister of Energy and Transportation, Flemming Hansen who was in Vancouver as well, insisted all members of the Kyoto protocol would have to honour their commitments in order to save the environment.

We simply have to reach the targets that we have set in order to achieve this and every country must participate or the environment will be dead.

The Harper government has replaced Canada's Kyoto commitment with a target calling for greenhouse-gas emissions to be five per cent above 1990 levels by 2020.

The Europeans, representing 500 million people, have agreed to lower their overall emissions by 20 to 30 per cent below the 1990 baseline.
"I must say I was really surprised that we succeeded, we (brought together) 27 head of states in this common program, and we did it because we knew we had to do something, and someone has to start," said Fleming, who noted his country has lowered its energy consumption over the past two decades, while its economy grew. "It's not the same as (saying) the economy is going down. It's old fashioned to say that."
Fleming stopped short of really criticizing Canadian policy as other European leaders have done in recent months.

A Flag???? They've Got to be Joking!

IT'S A ROYAL FLAG FLAP!

I read in this morning's paper that the county is giving serious consideration (county-speak for a done deal) to commissioning a design for a FLAG!

Does any one else think that with all the serious issues facing us that, just maybe, these people could find something more productive to do with their time and our money?

At any rate, as a good citizen I would like to submit a design.

In light of the methods used to assemble the land for Toyota and the fact that the design is public domain and therefore free, I submit ...

The Jolly Roger.

If they are looking for a County Anthem I think Sixteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest might be appropriate and any new logo should include a parrot and an eye patch.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

submitted by....aw

Federal CONservative Government Plans On Charging Cruise Ship Operators Who Dump Sewage

FEDS CLAIM THEY ARE "SENSITIVE" TO THE CRUISE SHIP DUMPING PROBLEM

The federal government will bring into force next month regulations that include prison and fines of up to $1 million for vessels that illegally dump raw sewage close to land.

CLOSE TO LAND?

Personally, I would think that dumping any sewage into the ocean is wrong! Do these people not realize that, well, SHIT floats?
"Protecting the environment is a priority for Transport Canada, and these regulations will mean big things for the industry," spokeswoman Kirsten Goodnough said yesterday from Ottawa.

Maximum penalty for violation of the proposed regulations under the Canada Shipping Act is a fine of up to $1 million, imprisonment for up to three years, or both.

Currently, the industry is only covered by voluntarily guidelines on waste-dumping, and Transport Canada has no authority to lay charges.

The new rules say that any sewage discharge within 3-12 miles of the coast must be "broke down, diluted and disinfected prior to discharge.

Don't eat the Tuna!

Who's Lyin"? Steve, Gord, Stockwell or all?

"NEW" GOVERNMENT HAS MANY VERSIONS OF ONE STORY

The Dildo award goes to: jeez, there's so many!

Canadians are used to being lied to by their government on many issues, but not very often do we have the opportunity to see so many liars in one place, and all those liars think they are right!

This is the case with the "new" CONservative government in Ottawa.

Recently there were accusations made that our military was handing over Afghan prisoners to the Afghan authorities and that they were being tortured while in that authorities' care.

Gord O'Connor says he's cranked out a deal with those very same authorities to allow for the inspection of those prisoners, Doris, err, Stockwell Day says, no, we've already seen the prisoners; we had some corrections canada officers visit them, and then the Prime Minister stands up and says he's in the middle of working out a deal that will give us access but it hasn't been hammered out yet.

So, we are left to decipher the silly party announcements all on our own, so I have determined that they are all lying, and that none of them have any odea what the hell they are doing.

Lets' bring the boys home, their families would love to see them.

CONServative Government Is Out To Squash The Arts Movement

AUTHOR MARGARET ATWOOD SAYS CONSERVATIVES WANT TO KILL THE ARTS

Booker award nominee Margaret Atwood has come out in defense of the Canadian arts Industry after the CONservative government cut funding to promote Canadian writers and arts in general.

Atwood says that the arts movement in the country is recieving no respect for their work from the government. I take it respect means money!

Atwood made her comments while at the Montreal based "Blue Metropolis international Literary Festival" after learning the festival saw cuts of $150,000.00 from its' festival budget.

Atwood is a guest of the festival where she is expected to recieve the Blues' "Grand Prix' award.

Attacks on Local Disabled Persons Not Very Nice

UNFORTUNATELY I AM LEARNING THAT SOME FOLKS ARE JUST ASSININE

Okay, so we've all had a bit of fun here the past few weeks, but exactly at whos' expense?

Yesterday, some poor misguided mouthpiece made some disparaging remarks about a person who wears an ad sign in the city who just happens to wear one for me at times...as well as a few other shops in town.

This person(who i will not name, but have their IP from their posts) stated that I was exploiting this person. They went on in their personal little diatribe that the sign guy was "slow", "disabled" and that he was being used in some sort of wierd way.

Well, fact is, the "sign guy" is paid well for his service, is quite able to read and write although he suffers from dyslexia. At present the "sign guy" is studying with a tutor, and hopes to someday achieve some better management of his dyslexia.

Too bad for this person that they felt they must pick on this guy for wanting to try, and for wanting to work and to better his life.

Perhaps this "person" should take a very close look at themselves and see what ugliness even their make-up cannot hide.

Pressure Mounts On Defense Minister To Resign

DEFENCE MINISTER IS ASKED TO RESIGN OVER AFGHAN DETAINEE TORTURES

The minister of defence, Gord O'Connor remains under scrutiny today after the opposition parties all asked for his resignation after allegations of prisoner torture continued to escalate.

PM Harper brushed away those concerns and stood up for O'Connor to show his continuing support for him.

Harper says they have not been able to corraborate any of the allegations as the prisoners themselves were handed over to Afghan authorities and Canada has no means to control what happens to those prisoners after they are handed over.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has been unbable to gain access to any of the prisoners and as a result cannot continue to do their work as contracted by the government.

Harper rejected opposition arguments that Canadian soldiers could be committing war crimes for torture if they continue to transfer people they capture into Afghan custody.

Prisoners of war are guaranteed specific human rights under the Geneva Convention while n the custody of their captors.

One Small Victory For Private Property Rights

Finally.

The courts have handed down a decision regarding the expropriation of Blandford SquareMall. The way has been cleared for Joe Chetti to sue the province(McGuinty), the county(Woolcott) and the city(Harding) for illegally taking his property.

TheOntario Court of Appeals unanimously concluded that the case could go to trial. This is a significant ruling. The courts have indicated that there is so much doubt that the various levels of government acted in good faith and within the limits of the law that only a trial can sort it out. Somehow the idea of seeing our Mayor as a defendant in a court case makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I wonder if Toyota is going to pay his legal bills.

submitted by aw

Boris Yeltsin, Dead at 76

FORMER CONTROVERSIAL RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DIES IN MOSCOW

Boris Yeltsin the former leader of Russia has died of congestive heart failure in Moscow yesterday according to sources from the Kremlin.

Yeltin who had been in failing health for several years recently went on a trip to Jordan where he fell ill from a viral infection.

Yeltsin will be remembered for his role in engineering the coup which left Mikhail Gorbachev's life hanging in a balance for several weeks after the disintegration of the Soviet Empire.

Yeltsin was a hard drinking, hardline ruler who left Russias' economy in shambles while bringing in a new era of democracy, something most Russian citizens had never experienced.

Environment Minister Baird set To Dump Clean Air Act

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER CLAIMS CLEAN AACT IS DEAD IN THE WATER

Canadian Environment Minister John Baird has stated to the media and environmental activists in a meeting yesterday that the CONServative partys' much vaunted "clean air act"is not acceptable to him with the amendments that the opposition has placed into the bill through committee hearings.

He told reporters that the government is still deciding what to do with the amendments and that he was unhappy with the changes made.

He said that ,"there was no way that he would put that into law," said John Bennett, of the environmental group Climate for Change. "I take that to mean that C-30, as far as the government is concerned, is dead."

If the government doesn't bring the bill into the house, they would lose an opportunity to engineer their own defeat.

The Clean Air Act was the "new" government's response to reducing greenhouse gases, but was widely considered inadequate. It was sent to parliamentary committee, where opposition members suggested a dramatically altered plan built around Canada's Kyoto targets.
The amendments would force companies that exceed the targets to pay a penalty of between $20 and $30 a tonne of greenhouse-gas emissions.

So folks, we will have to wait for a different government in Ottawa to see any changes to this problem.

Governing Party Contains Characteristics Of A Cult

jonestown

CONSERVATIVE PARTY RESEMBLES A CULT

A small list of things that I would say makes a group a cult.

Authoritarian in their power structure

Totalitarian in their control of the behavior of their members

Pyramidal structure

Uses thought reform techniques

Isolation of members (physical and/or psychological isolation) from society

Uses deception in recruiting and/or fund raising

Promotes dependence of the members on the group

Totalitarian in their world view

Uses mind altering techniques (chanting, meditation, hypnosis and various forms of repetitive actions) to stop normal critical thinking

Appear exclusive and innovative

Charismatic or messianic leader who is self-appointed and has a special mission in life

Controls the flow of information

Instills a fear of leaving the group.

Calgary MP Anders Has Sooo Little To Say

CALGARY WEST MP HAS NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE TO SAY

The constituents of Calgary west must be wondering what the heck is going on., and whether opr not they actually have representation in Ottawa.

Rob Anders who previously had big trouble keeping his mouth shut, has effectively been silenced since the election of the CONservatives to federal office.

Anders, who has a long history of spewing right wing diatribes has said not one word in the House of Commons since last spring when he was ordered to shut his face by the PMs' office.

Anders sits on a "news free" committee, and other members of that committee claim that Anders has not made any substantial contribution to that committee, even though he is chair of it.

This past week numerous(11) disgruntled CONservative members ended up in court to challenge Anders nomination for the CONservative nomination. The federal CONservative party sent herds of high priced lawyers to Calgary to attempt top ward off the legal challenge, but lost.

The constitutents of his riding have complained that Anders has not represented them effectively, and that the PMO interfered in the nomination process. The judge agreed in the case.

at least three challnegers will vie for the top spot in Calgary West.

One must wonder why the PMO would spend such effort on this one person who obviously has not done the job? Perhaps he needed to protect the right wing element that supported his leadership? We'll never know though because this PM is the most secretive, behind closed doors leader Canada has ever experienced.

Does Canadian PM Harper Develope His Policies With The Aid Of A Psychic?

CANADA BEING GUIDED BY HAIRSTLYIN' PSYCHIC

PM Stephen Harper is looking to the stars for direction on how to run the government.

The PM who maintains a full time hairstylist psychic bag carrying lady door opening can to kick around in the person of Michelle Muntean has been dodging reporters this past week who are eager to learn whether or not their dead aunt Bessie left them anything in the bottom of the outhouse.

What a scam. These CONS told the entire nation last week that the CONservative Party pays the bills for this person. A few days later the official Harper mouthpiece from the PMO reported that the PMO actually pays the wages/salary of this person, and as a result, the taxpayer is financing his foray into the occult.

Cool.

It's fine as a taxpayer to foot the bill for the Prime Ministerial bowl cut, but it is not okay that MR H needs a private psychic to fill him on on the nations future.

Things should come to a head this week as members of the opposition press the PMO for further clarification on the issue, something Harper does not seem prepared to give.

HUMAN COSTS OF NOT CONTROLLING GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS EASILY OUTWEIGH THE CONS.

Simply Put, It is The Balance That Is Tipped Towards Our Demise

This delicate tightrope we are walking is made with a thin guage fish line. We are all overweight and the line is stretched. We have a choice to decide to retreat, or to push the line to the limit.

We achieve the limit, proud of our right to succeed in some Machevellian manner but the line "snaps", and with one fell swoop, the majority of our compatriots expire in a frenzy of screaming mouths, consumed by the flames, floods and toxic gases that we have helped to create. We are being killed as we speak, in some small way by our very own hand, and the hands of the corporate mavens' agenda who will lead us into ruin if allowed to control our environmental agenda any further.

This is the state of the human race, and it is narrow minded of our reigning emperor to believe that all that matters is our internal economic prosperity, versus the collective right of all humankind to exist.

Our world is built on natural resources, and in the event of a manmade economic disaster from instituting massive greenhouse and other pollutant cuts(which I personally believe could be averted if we put our brains to work)we would need to move from the industrial design, to the human designed agenda, and from our over dependence on fossil typed industries as a mainstay of our base economy, to new evolving technologies and fuel sources.

There are numerous alternatives available for fuels, perhaps not the prettiest in terms of cost, but viable alternatives, especially if government were to move to cut greenhouse emissions, forcing the price of fossil derivatives to climb.

Removing all subsidy components from oil exploration, and the petro-chemical industry would help. Move to nationalize the canadian oil industry, and offer those oil companies that are now in control of our government, a way out by forcing them direct all research to "green" initiatives.

The oil industries combined wealth if nationalized, would pay down the costs of any economic crisis that corporate Canada wishes to exact upon our fine peoples.

Instead of forming new tax credits for "green" based industries, offer a cut on all taxes for a period of so many years.(providing they supply the government with proper records validating their research) We would be able to monitor the research more actively, and as well, instead of paying out credits, companies would use their own monies for research in lieu of paying a portion of tax. All companies would require an efficiency audit on their research to see where and how it is going with a specific date.

The oil industry executives who still wish to be employed might assist us in bringing some of their 100 year research history into developing an alternative, which will prevent job losses in the present oil industry as they convert to new ideas.(they just might invest some money in an idea if they thought they could make some cash I bet instead of being nationalized!)

There will be hundreds of thousands of new jobs in the environmental restoration field and thousands upon thousands more in new industry that revolves around people and the planet.

Our government could create a new industry by allowing for the legal sale of marijuana, and benefit from a new source of governmental funding in the form of new taxes on numerous levels from this industry in particular. There would be cost savings in a reformed drug law in our country that are very difficult to ascertain as numbers are not readily available, but some numbers have been thrown around by various studies(including the Fraser Institute) that talk of billions a year in dollar savings as well as those billions more in new taxes. This would allow for our jails to be used for serious criminals, making streets safer as well.

Fact is, we have alternatives, and if our present government wants to change things, they could but refuse to act for fear of alienating corporate Canada.

We need to act now. Our tightrope is thin and twisting in the wind.

This delicate human race sobs waiting on its' demise.

CONservative MP's Decide Not To Run In THe Next Election

HUGE NUMBER OF MP'S UNWILLING TO RUN ANOTHER TERM

Twenty- One federal MP's are refusing to run another term in federal office including numerous CONservative MP's who feel they just won't win if they do run.

Conservative MP Norman Doyle who recently rammed his smelly foot down his own throat when he said Saskatchewan Leader Lorne Calvert was a "socialist who would rather keep Saskatchewan on the dole" has decided to call it quits. Good.

Government needs less bullies in its' midst. (Now lets' get rid of the PM.)

This guy has sat for 9 years too many in government and has accomplished zero for his riding.

Good thing, he'll have a nice big fat pension that we taxpayers get to pay for, and is better than anything the private sector offers. It was expected that he would lose his riding anyways to a Liberal or a NDP person in the next election.

So far 6.8% of Canadian MP's have said they will not be returning to office.

That means...there is a possibility that we will see some new faces.

NDP AND CONSERVATIVES WILL TEAM UP ON CRIME BILL

Jack Layton Backs CONServatives On Crime Bill

It almost seems like Jack would do anything to avoid going to the polls, including siding with the CONservatives on their crime bill.

In an effort to remain tight to the CONservatives, Layton has agreed to back the CONservative measure that would see harsher sentences for crimes.

The Conservatives confirmed that Bill C-10, the Mandatory Minimum Sentences Bill, which was gutted in the House committee, would receive report stage support from the NDP to restore most of the bill to its original state with some minor changes. As part of the government's tough-on-crime (except their own crimes)agenda that all opposition parties originally were against, it was highly speculated that the Conservatives would deem the upcoming motions to restore the bill to be debated on this week as confidence measures in order to trigger an early election. With the support of the NDP, however, it's likely the bill will now pass easily.

"Our government remains committed to getting through with gun crimes. We have therefore moved amendments to restore C-10 closer to its original version in our continued efforts to get tough on gangs, guns and drugs and make our streets and communities safer for all Canadians," said Geneviève Breton, communications director to Justice Minister Rob Nicholson (Niagara Falls, Ont.). "During committee, the government moved amendments on C-10 that reflected the policy concerns of the NDP. These are amendments are currently on notice and we expect the NDP to continue to support them as they did during committee."

NDP MP Joe Comartin (Windsor-Tecumseh, Ont.), his party's justice critic, said that the NDP support tougher sentences, but in its original form, the government's bill was "just too radical, too extreme an approach." Mr. Comartin said he brought forward amendments, but the Liberals and the Bloc voted them down.

It is quite apparent that the NDP are in a major state of decline. Ed Broadbent would never have stepped into the bedroom of a CONservative PM as long as he was leader.

The NDP's fear of the polls are well justified. It is believed the Liberals and the Greens will eat up most of their base in any coming election.

APRIL 22 IS EARTH DAY...BE NICE TO IT TODAY!(AND AS WELL, TOMORROW)

Events Planned Globally To Celebrate Earth Day

Today I fully expect everyone to go out and do something cool and good for their planet. Yesterdays' spring cleanup in Woodstock coincided well with International Earth Day which is today.

Yesterday I went and pulled garbage from the side of Mill Street, and as well worked on cleaning up flower beds, manually pulling weeds that had begun to sprout, and hauled away enough "found" beer and liquor bottles from the side of mill street that we were able to buy 18 beers, and gave my son a $29.50 in extra spending money...thanks to the folks that threw their empties out of the windows of their cars as they were driving past my home.

We raked and swept around the shop I operate In Woodstock,(although I am sure the folks in the area that let their dogs shit everywhere could care less.) and I picked cigarette butts from the flower planter in the area.(gross..especially since there is a large ashtray in that area)

Today there will be marches around the world celebrating this sphere we live on.

The history of Earth Day goes back to the 1960's and was started by a man named Gaylord Nelson.

Nelson passed away July 2005 at the age of 89. He believed strongly that education is the key to changing people's attitudes about the environment and he devoted much of his energy to that challenge. Not long before his death, he answered some of the questions he was most often asked about the how he conceived the first Earth Day, why and what his hopes for the observance were.

By Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked. Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day. I continued to speak on environmental issues to a variety of audiences in some twenty-five states. All across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was appearing everywhere, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's political agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not. After President Kennedy's tour, I still hoped for some idea that would thrust the environment into the political mainstream. Six years would pass before the idea that became Earth Day occurred to me while on a conservation speaking tour out West in the summer of 1969. At the time, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," had spread to college campuses all across the nation. Suddenly, the idea occurred to me - why not organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment? I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda. It was a big gamble, but worth a try. At a conference in Seattle in September 1969, I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance. For the next four months, two members of my Senate staff, Linda Billings and John Heritage, managed Earth Day affairs out of my Senate office. Five months before Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the astonishing proliferation of environmental events: "Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam…a national day of observance of environmental problems…is being planned for next spring…when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'…coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned…." It was obvious that we were headed for a spectacular success on Earth Day. It was also obvious that grassroots activities had ballooned beyond the capacity of my U.S. Senate office staff to keep up with the telephone calls, paper work, inquiries, etc. In mid-January, three months before Earth Day, John Gardner, Founder of Common Cause, provided temporary space for a Washington, D.C. headquarters. I staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes as coordinator of activities. Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.

So folks, in memory of a remarkable man with powerful foresight, get out and do the world a favour today. You and your kids will be glad you did.

Day Decides To Stick His Hand Into Prison Reform

MR ANYTHING TO GET A HEADLINE, STOCKWELL DAY WILL NOW MESS WITH CANADAS' PRISON SYSTEM

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day named Rob Sampson (a former Ontario CONservative MPP that designed Ontarios' failed boot camp experience) to lead the team of people who will be reponsible for prison reform.

Sampson will be paid $1200.00 a day for his services for a maximum of $60,0000.00 .

Day hopes to have his party crony come up with a new way of running Canadas' federal prisons which he claims are full of bullies and gangs and have an unacceptable return rate for former prisoners.

Canada has approximately 12,500 federal prisoners. There are 14,000 prison employees at the federal level. It is believed the rate of recidivism runs at 38% for most federal prisoners.

The "warehousing" of non violent offenders with the more serious offender results in a training ground for new criminals. There is no long term benefit to placing people in a prison situation where there is no emphasis placed on rehabilitation. Some emphasis should be directed towards educating these people, and identifying which ones suffer the ill effects of mental health issues.

Identification and placement in prisons should include a psychological aspect as well.

Building new jails without facilities for retraining, re-educating and re-integration, will only result in a larger portion of the prison population returning to the prison upon release as a re-offender.

Looking at the socio-economic history of these persons as well may give us some true insight into how poverty has played a role in the increased numbers of people in prisons.

Several years ago I read a report that stated the majority of federal prisoners were adopted. If that is the case, then we should look towards identifying why this is, and work towards helping these people fit back into society. Inevitably someday they will all be released.

Canadian Environment Minister Paints A Bleak Picture Of The Future

CONSERVATIVE JOHN BAIRD CLAIMS INSTITUING KYOTO WOULD BANKRUPT THE NATION

Canadas' Environment minister has come out against instituting the Kyoto agreement after an incomplete study showed a projected impact on the economy of catastrophic proportion.

He claims that even a 1/3 reduction in greenhouse gases would throw 275,000 canadians out of work, and that the price of fuel would double and electriclty rates would double.

He failed to address the impact of new "green" industries on those numbers and as a result it is impossible to determine what is truth based on the report he submitted to a senate committee that is addressing climate change in Canada.

The Prime Minister reiterated his position that he was not about to make any changes that would affect Canadian workers.

All of the opposition parties have ratified/backed the Kyoto protocol and there is some talk of the opposition filing a legal challenge to the governments' refusal to move on the issue after receiving passage through the house of commons.

PM HARPER BILLS TAXPAYERS FOR HAIRDO'S(*AND LOOK AT THEM!)

No Record Of Employment Exists For Harpers' Hairstylist

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been nabbed for billing the taxpayers for his travelling stylist contrary to reports published earlier in the week.

The Conservatives finally revealed Wednesday that Michelle Muntean is on Harper's government staff after immense pressure from the opposition to come clean on the issue. Turns out as well, we are paying the bill through the PMO.

Earlier in the week the Pm's communications director Sandra Buckley stated that the Conservative party itself paid for the style specialist on its own.

Harper has previously stood for accountable government, but only when in opposition.

Go Figure.

NDP And CONservatives Show Signs Of Stress Over Dion-May Alliance

NDP AND CONSERVATIVES SHITTING BRICKS OVER THIS ONE I'M SURE NOW!

I thought for certain all of the hype from the Layton and Harper camp would die down in a day or two but for some reason it hasn't.

The PM made a major issue of pointing out the red green alliance in the House of Commons when he commented on the new "Red green" show that Canadians were watching this past weekend in earnest.

Jack Layton has not been much better. Complaining about the "underhanded backroom" deal he railed on against the "reduction of choices" for voters.

Well Billy Bob, that's the way she goes Sir.

How many deals have the NDP made in order to gain access or gain something relative to their agenda?How many times have the CONServatives done the same?

Has the Bloc made a deal with anyone lately?

Obvuisly, if they weren't concerned, they'd be sittin' back and relaxing instead.

NDP And Tories Unite In Their Common Cause

NEVER THOUGHT I'D WRITE THAT ONE, BUT SURE AS SHIT, THEY'VE AGREED WITH EACH OTHER

A large amount of vomitus is rising from my gut.

Jack Layton and Stephen Harper have formed a coalition of idiots to fight against the other coalition of idiots in the Dion-May union of the Greens and Fiberals.

(check this out...this is the german green party....)

http://www.nazi.org

They have all agreed to call themselves, in Pythonesque speak, The Silly Parties.

Okay, why don't they all just get together, and plot a strategy to get them all elected again. There's tons of room now for May since most of the Liberal Party has chosen to resign, retire, move on, or vanish(hi Sheila). And those CONservatives with the help of Jack should easily find themselves in power again as a minority.

The political parties of Canada have only one thing in mind: how to get re-elected, and how to extract more money from the unelected balance of the population in the form of taxes, or payments from the crown for their electoral expenses.(remember the $1.74 for each vote they get during an election, and for the length of the mandate they continue to recieve these Elections Canada welfare payments)

All of the parties operate on an agenda of entitlement.

Next time, lets' put some independent thinkers in place and form a government of people who have only the vested interests of their constituents at heart.

John Baird Represents A Failed Environment Ministry

JOHN BAIRD IS THE MOST UNLIKELY OF ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS

Orwellian by nature, Baird leads the charge to force the right wing agenda down the throats of an unsuspecting populace.

Similar to the old story about a wolf in a sheeps' skins, Baird represents all that is naturally evil about the CONservative agenda of religion, division, and the conquering of a nation through the use of the political divide. Rather than delivering a decent environmental plan to Canadians, he has used the majority of his time playing pretty boy to the media, while accomplishing nothing on the environmental front. Our country requires immediate medical attention; like an artery about to give way, we are bleeding from the inside, on the way to becoming septic.

We can regard him as the Goebbels of the Propaganda Ministry and nothing more. His assertations that Canadas' "New Government"(which by the way is more fantasy courtesy of the reigning CONs, as only a few people changed at the party level, not the bureacracy which controls the nation) is making headway on the environmental scene is pure and unadulterated fascist bullshit at the extreme. There is only one stench larger than that, and that is to fall into the local sewage pond.

Our waterways are languishing, our people are suffering more incidents of disease per capita, and our minster of the Environment who replaced the failed Rona Ambrose who made a mockery of Canada on the world stage, cannot come up with a plan to prevent large and small industrial polluters to cede their right to pollute, or to force the industrial base and municipalities to clean up their systems of environmental abuses.

Corporate Canadas' right to entitlement; courtesy of our federal "New Government", has got to come to a complete and utter end at this immediate point in time. Allowing the Oil patch to continue to drive the governments' environmental policy needs to stop. As Canadians it is entirely up to us to tell this government that we wished for change, but not in a reverse manner.

The role of government is to listen to its' people, and to govern with all Canadians interests at heart. Canadas' "New Government" in Ottawa will soon become the old tired government in Ottawa if it doesn't bring some major changes to the way Canadian businesses do business and the way the environment factors in to those decisions. The right of the populace to a healthy environment should always supercede those rights that have been granted to corporate Canada by succesive CONservative and LIEberal governments alike.

The time to act on the environment was 25 years ago, now its' time to force the change in mentality that is required for a life saving surgery if we are to attempt to save it at all.

Unfortunately the minister of the Environment resembles the Cheshire Cat.

Liberals and Greens Form A Non-Agression Pact?

HOOKING ONES' WAGON TO ELIZABETH MAY IS A MISTAKE

Stephane Dion and Elizabeth May have finalized a telephone agreement that would see the Liberals refuse to run a candiddate in the Central Nova riding where Peter Mackay holds the seat. In return, the Greens will not run against Dion in his riding, and have in effect endorsed Dion as Prime Minister.

Dion and May are very similar in many respects.

The Liberal party is busily grasping at elctoral straws instead of working towards making an impact on the CONservative movement through ideas of their own. Engineering a riding to fall in a particilar is not democratic and leaves the constituents of that riding with no choice in who they are to vote for. Either it's the Greens(somewhat CONservative in their policy) or the CONservatives. The NDP do not have a presence in the riding, but may have after the next vote.

Although parties working together to defeat a government is a common practice, it is rare that the leader of a federal party would forego running a full slate of candidates in order to propr up the campaign of another party.

Just goes to show, that the Greens are as dirty as anything and their purpose electorally will be to remain a fringe party.

JUne Callwood..Somewhere Hanging out With Pierre Berton Now.

DEATH REAPS MANY BENEFITS: ITS' GOT JUNE CALLWOOD ON ITS' SIDE NOW.

Another of Canadas' greatest persons dies this weekend.

June Callwood was the social conscience of Canada who worked her entire life towards the goal of a just society.

So, I will leave it at that. She has died, was great, and people should get out and read about what June has done over her many years.

There is a ton of information out there and worth the read for all.

CONservative MP Jason Kenny Attacked For Being A Liar

Ahhh, Poor Mr Kenney gets A Kick In The Groin

Jason Kenney, who is secretary of state for multiculturalism in Stephen Harpers' CONservative government was repeatedly lambasted for his role in lying to the population on the issue of Income Trusts and taxes during a public forum in Calgary this weekend.

Kenney got a verbal beating Saturday when angry lobbyists took him to task for his government's decision to tax income trusts - a reversal of the party's election promise, effectually a lie. The CONServatives promised during the 2006 campaign not to touch these trust funds during their tenure should they become elected.

Kenney said the experience of actually having to listen to constituents and other Conservative voters outraged by the decision was "humbling" and he would take those concerns to the government, but does not expect anything to change. "We need to maintain stability and predictability in Canada's tax policy and that's what the government is committed to doing."

In other words, they'd say anything to get elected, and then make up the platform after they're in office.

John Deilwart, president and CEO of ARC energy trust and co-chair for the Coalition of Canadian Energy Trusts, said they are facing a long, uphill battle against the government."The level of arrogance on a file like this is unlike anything I've ever seen," he said, following the a forum in Kenney's constituency, which was dedicated to the income trust issue. "It's never too late to do the right thing."

But Kenney disagreed. He pointed out that he didn't think his government would make any changes and they have the right to make up their programs on the fly because they are the elected government and that's the kind of leadership Canadians want.

About 150 attended the open house, where speakers thanked Kenney for the opportunity to be heard, then berated the government for how they have handled the issue, saying promises have been broken and that they'd never vote CONservative again.
At a second open forum Saturday, where attendees were encouraged to speak on any subject, many still talked about income trusts, then heckled or booed others speaking in support of the government. People were thrown out of the meeting for voicing their opinion according to the press.
"Sit down. You're a plant," the crowd shouted to one man.
"I wish I had brought some valium for my friends here," Kenney remarked at one point during the uproar. (nice thing to say about your constituents)
Some speakers said they lost up to $25,000 with the change to income trusts and vowed not to vote Conservative again.
Kenney said he has received about 1350 letters and e-mails about the trust issue, but there are 14,000 constituents in the riding so he's not too concerned about a few people in the community.
"There's a certain group of people who are heavily vested in the income trusts who are understandably concerned," he said. "My sense is that the majority of constituents in Calgary think the government is getting the job done, and the ones that don't agree can vote for someone else."

Kenney left through a back door and was transported to Calgary airport where he fled the city on a government plane. Protesters were dissappointed at the front door and were forced to find other targets to throw their pies and dog pooh at. Ralph Klein was unavailable as he retired recently.