Israel to Continue Air and Sea Blockade

Ehud Olmert has rejected the appeal of Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the U.N., to lift the air and sea blockade of Lebanon. This is a direct violation of Security Council Resolution 1701. This is a crime against humanity. Aid must be allowed to arrive in Lebanon so that the Lebanese people may survive. Israel claims that Hezbollah is out to destroy Israel and the Israeli people, but it seems that Israel is the one out to destroy a country and a people. Israel is the one that has killed a massive number of civilians. Israel is the one that has used illegal weapons against civilian populations.

The Security Council ought to pass a resolution condemning Israel's actions and impose economic sanctions. But that will not happen because the United States is committed to using the Israeli forces as proxies to bring a "new Middle East" into being. Security Council resolutions against Israel over the past fifty years have been ignored by Israel with impunity, yet when Iran ignores a resolution, the U.S. leads the pack in saying that states cannot be allowed to get away with thumbing their nose at the United Nations. The same U.N. that the U.S., U.K. and Israel thumb their noses at. For shame.

Cheers,

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 884

Saudi King Says Oil Prices are Unjustified

The Bahrain Tribune is reporting that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia believes that world oil prices are unjustified. He reportedly believes that the world market is well supplied with oil. Wow. If the king of a country that benefits massively from high oil prices believes the prices are too high, then that really says something. It says that corporations are taking advantage of excuses to hike prices and raise record profits. The slightest hint of uncertainty sends oil up a dollar a barrel. And then gas prices rise accordingly. As if somehow the oil that the companies already possessed had gotten more expensive. It should take time for fluctuations in the price of oil to be reflected in gas prices. But of course, companies seize every opportunity to raise gas prices. And then, when the price of oil sinks again, there is only a marginal cut in gas prices and then only much delayed. If the Saudi king recognizes the problem, then why can't North Americans?

We need to sit up and realize that we are being gouged and exploited by big oil. We are being taken for a rid to provide big companies with obscene profits to pay to their wealthy stock holders. And the only response of the companies is to complain that government taxes on gas are too high. Bullshit. The gas companies should be prohibited by law from selling their gas at more than a 1% profit on the cost of the oil and of refining. The government should then charge appropriate taxes to cover the cost of environmental cleanup from the damage done by the emissions from vehicles. The government also ought to be providing tax incentives and subsidies for the purchase of environmentally friendly vehicles. Taxes should be reduced on ultra-low emission vehicles and raised on gas guzzlers like SUVs and minivans. We need to realize that this is the only earth that we've got, and that we have to take care of it. The Saudi king's statement should be the first step in waking people up the situation in which big oil has placed this planet, and the first step in allowing us to do something about it.

Cheers,
Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 877

Iran to Fire Up Heavy Water Plant

So, Iran has started up a heavy water plant. Heavy water is a necessary supply for many nuclear reactors. This in itself should not be alarming, but the U.S. in particular seems intent on painting this as the next step along the road to nuclear weapons. Let me just say first of all that I am against any use of nuclear fission. It is unreliable, creates wastes that will remain radioactive longer than there has been human civilization on this planet and is hugely expensive. For all of these reasons, no country should be using nuclear power. I might make an exception for fusion to generate power, but that is a different and longer discussion. All of this said, however, if Iran is hell-bent for leather on acquiring nuclear power, there is a solution staring everyone in the face that seems to have been missed.

One of the big issues the U.S. claims to have with the Iranian use of nuclear reactors is that they could be used to produce plutonium that could then be used to create nuclear weapons. The solution to this is to give the Iranian government access to nuclear power designs that do not generate plutonium as a by product of the reaction. CANDU reactors can do this. They do not produce plutonium, but do produce considerable amounts of energy (along with the usual other radioactive wastes that usually go with nuclear power). This really ought to satisfy the issues that the U.S. government claims to have, as well as suiting the claimed aims of the government of Iran. This should make everyone happy. If any party to the dispute were to take issue with such a settlement, it would reveal that the motives that were claimed were not the true forces behind the actions being taken. I am not an expert on nuclear technology, and if someone who reads this can show me a place where this suggestion goes wrong, I would be delighted to hear it. After all, we don't learn except by making mistakes.

Cheers,

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 878

Boris Wrzesnewskyj Chased from Critic Portfolio

Liberal MP Boris Wrzesnewskyj, until recently the party's foreign affairs critic, has been chased from his portfolio by Scott Brison and Carolyn Bennet, as well as the other eight candidates for the Liberal leadership, after stating that he thought the Hezbollah should not be on the list of terrorist organizations that Canada maintains. This is a shame because he was absolutely correct.

Some parts of Hezbollah use terrorism to achieve their end, and that is not acceptable. But many parts of Hezbollah are devoted to social and humanitarian ends, to helping the victims of war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli army. Canada's list of terrorist organizations lacks the complexity to recognize this distinction. So really, if the standard that was applied to Hezbollah was applied to every organization and actor in the world, we would have a very different list. To start with, Canada would have to list its own government as a terrorist organization. Our government sends our soldiers to Afghanistan to occupy it against the will of its population, many of whom now clearly resent the presence of the Canadian Armed Forces. If we applied the "Hezbollah Standard" equally, we would have to place the governments of the U.S.A., the U.K. and Israel on the list, along with many other governments.

This list is clearly a double standard. It is simply creating a list of "bad" groups that is really unnecessary. While there are some organizations that do not seem to have any object outside of terrorism, for example the Irish Republican Army or Al Qaeda, there are many organizations which are not as clear cut. I congratulate Mr. Wrzesnewskyj on having the courage to speak the truth (courage and principles being a rare sight among Liberals these days), though he began to back off the comments after being chastised. The candidates for the Liberal leadership, particularly Brison and Bennet ought to be ashamed of themselves for removing an MP from his position for speaking the truth. It is not as though he something anti-semitic, or called for the killing of Israelis. He simply spoke the truth. Just goes to show, principles and the Liberal Party of Canada don't mix.

Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 881

CMA Prepares to Pave the Way to Private Healthcare

The Canadian Medial Association elected Brian Day as president. This is a doctor who had only very recently attended his first meeting of the BC Medical Association and who runs a private orthopedic clinic. It is horrible that the CMA would elect a person devoted to tearing down the system that cares for the people of Canada. This proves that a majority of doctors in Canada care more about making a better buck than caring for Canadians.

Doctors may rationalize their support for private healthcare in a parallel system by saying that it would relieve the stresses on the public system, but this is bogus. The reductions in the public waiting times due to people receiving private care would be more than cancelled out by the increased delays due to fewer doctors practicing in the public system. The creation of a parallel private system, and the accompanying programmes of private health insurance would also pave the way for the influx of American "Health Management Organizations" and private hospital chains into the Canadian system.

The actions of the CMA are the thin edge of the wedge of the end of private healthcare. The CMA should recognize that they are making a mistake. They are eventually going to build up increasing resentment against them among the public that will not benefit from a private heathcare and who will recognize the avarice and greed of the majority of doctors when the public healthcare system melts down. Strong action must be taken now to keep this from happening. The government must recognize that doctors are a self-interested lobby and should not be listened to on this issue.

Cheers,


Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 882

Parkdale - High Park Byelection Called

Yesterday, Dalton McGuinty finally called the byelection in Parkdale-High Park for September 14. This byelection will be to replace Gerrard Kennedy, who is now running for the federal Liberal leadership. The candidates are Cheri DiNovo for the NDP, Sylvia Watson (the sitting city councillor) for the Liberals and David Hutcheon for the PCs. This will be an interesting race. The NDP holds this riding federally, but Gerrard Kennedy won with 58% of the vote in the last provincial general election. A key factor will likely be how much of a campaign the PCs run. If a strong PC campaign takes place, then it will likely draw voters from the Liberals allowing the NDP to win. I plan to do my bit to try and get Cheri DiNovo elected and send one more NDPer to Queen's Park.

Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 887

The Cost of War

The numbers are in for the fighting in Lebanon.

• Lebanese Dead: ca. 1 100
• Lebanese Wounded: ca. 3 700
• Lebanese Displaced: ca. 900 000

This contrasts to the numbers for Israel as such:

• Israeli Dead: 40 civilians, 117 soldiers
• Israeli Wounded: ca. 1 000 civilians, ca. 450 soldiers
• Israeli Displace: not available
  

Israel has caused a catastrophic amount of damage to Lebanon and its citizens. The Lebanese Council for Development and Reconstruction put the damage to Lebanon's infrastructure at US$2.5 billion as of the end of July, after which there was another two weeks of fighting in which much more damage was done. On the Lebanese coast, 10 000 - 15 000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil spilled after the bombing of a power plant by Israel. This will cause a major environmental catastrophe and cost at least $100 million to clean up. In contrast, the damage to the Israeli economy as a whole is estimated by the Israeli central bank as US$1.5 billion. Israel can afford such a cost much more than Lebanon can afford to pay US$2.5 billion.
Source: http://www.dawn.com/2006/08/16/int13.htm

Israel claims that it desires to live in peace with the peoples of neighbouring states. To do that, it must realize that it cannot continue to destory the infrastructure of its neighbours and embitter their populace. Israel ought to make a gesture of good faith towards the people of Lebanon by paying most or all of the costs of rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure. Israel must also stop occupying the lands of Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Only then can everyone in the region live in the peace that they all claim to want so much.

Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 888

Harper Embarases Canada

Stephen Harper has just given everyone who is trying to fight AIDS the middle finger. By refusing to attend the AIDS conference in Toronto, he has very effectively shown that the Canadian government doesn't give two shits about the people suffering and dying because of HIV/AIDS around the world, from Johannesburg to Bangkok to Caracas to Toronto. The fact that he could not be bothered to come to this conference, and would rather be on Ellesmere Island announcing some new arctic sovereignty initiative, speaks volumes. It says that the millions of people infected with HIV/AIDS don't matter to this government.

This Conservative government is an embarrassment. With the billions of dollars being pumped into buying military equipment, we could make great strides toward better treatments for AIDS, and hopefully a cure. Why are we spending money on new ways to kill people when we could be spending it on new ways to allow people to live? Canadian values do not include allowing those worse off then us to die in squalor and in pain. Canadian values do not involve abandoning the sick to fend for themselves. Canadian values do not include telling the international community to fuck off.

There is still time for Harper to reverse some of the damage done to Canada's international reputation, at least on this issue. He should immediately fly from Nunavut to Toronto and take part in the sessions of the conference tomorrow. Harper should make it clear that Canadians will do everything possible to find a solution to the pain and suffering of the millions with HIV/AIDS.

Stephen Lewis, the U.N. Special Envoy for AIDS, said that the only reason that he can imagine for Stephen Harper not attending the conference is that he is afraid to be booed. Unfortunately, I can see another, more dangerous, motivation behind his actions. He likely believes, as many on the right do, that AIDS is a disease of gay men and intravenous drug users. This was the view advanced by Toronto City Councillor Rob Ford when Council was debating whether or not to provide funding to the conference. Ford said, "if you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you won't get AIDS probably -- that's the bottom line." This attitude reveals the ignorance, bigotry and hatred that underlie the position of the right on this subject. Obviously this attitude has no basis in fact.

AIDS is a horrible disease that affects everyone equally. Being straight or gay has nothing to do with whether one will or will not contract HIV/AIDS. Risky behaviour is what determines whether or not one will contract HIV/AIDS. Thus a person having safe sex is drastically less likely to get HIV/AIDS then a person, regardless of their sexual orientation, who does not practice safe sex. Infection rates among heterosexual men and women have more than doubled in Canada over the last twenty years, and in the developing world a vast majority of those affected by AIDS are heterosexual men and women. A drug user who can get clean needles from a needle exchange and thus does not need to share needles is at dramatically less risk of contracting the virus than a drug user forced to share needles with others. And everybody who is infected suffers. The attitude that HIV/AIDS is a disease of gay men and intravenous drug users ignores the facts, and the reality that everybody who is infected by the virus suffers in a similar way. Obviously, the attitudes of the right are not based on reality, or are based on a view of history that is at best warped and at worst outright false. Harper must disown this view, and must show that the government of Canada takes the problems posed by HIV/AIDS seriously.

Cheers,

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 891

The U.N. Resolution

Good news. At last. The U.N. Security Council has finally passed a ceasefire resolution. This resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire (well, not really immediate, effective on Monday), and then a phased withdrawl of Israeli troops from Lebanon. This would be accompanied by a deployment of the Lebanese army to the south of Lebanon, and the strengthening of UNIFIL, the U.N. force in the region, to 15 000 soldiers to enforce a buffer zone. This deal is not perfect, in that it does not call for the immediate withdrawl of the 30 000 Israeli soldiers now occupying southern Lebanon, and that it does not condemn the murder of over 1 000 Lebanese civilians by the IDF. But this deal is better than nothing.

Or would be if Israel was actually going to honour it. The chief of the Israeli army said yesterday that Israel has tripled the number of soldiers it has on the ground in Lebanon to 30 000, and that they expect to continue fighting for another week. This is to clear as much area as possible of Hezbollah fighters to supposedly "make things easier for the international force." And how many more Lebanese civilians are going to have to die to make things easier? The Israeli PM Ehud Olmert claims to have accepted this deal, but in reality is sabotaging it by pouring more troops into Lebanon and surging to, and beyond, the Litani river. This type of duplicity is not acceptable. Either Israel will abide by the decision of the Security Council, or it will not.

As well, the U.S.A. effectively gave Israel a veto at the Security Council during negotiations. The U.S.A. said that it would veto any resolution of the Council that the government of Israel did not accept. This is not appropriate. Israel does not sit as a member of the Security Council and thus does not have a vote, but the United States is prepared to hold the rest of the Council hostage to the opinions of the Israeli government? How much more disdain for the U.N. and the international community can the U.S. government show? It has to stop.

Hopefully Israel will reverse its decision to continue to fight and kill for another week. Israel must realize that to so openly flout the U.N. resolution, over which it held a veto and which its political leaders have openly accepted, will bring nothing but ill will from the international community. Israel makes no friends for itself by proving that it holds itself to be better and more rational than the other 190 countries of the U.N. As well, the U.S.A. has the power to stop Israel from doing this. The U.S. could make this stop now. But the U.S. government seeks the birth of a new Middle East, and if that means the blood of 1 000 innocent Lebanese and 40 000 innocent Iraqis then so be it. What bullshit.

Thanks to Tehanu at EnMasse for the tip on the Israeli flouting of the ceasefire.

Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 891

New Terrorism Plot Uncovered in the U.K.

Very early this morning (in Ontario anyway) the British police arrested twenty-one people on terrorism charges and announced that they had been planning to blow up trans-Atlantic flights to the United States with liquid explosives. As a result, the air travel world has gone to hell in a hand-basket. In London, and in fact all airports in the U.K. with flights to the U.S.A., all carry-on luggage is now verbotten. All people are allowed to take on are wallets/small purses, passports, baby milk/formula and medicines. The last two on the list have to be tasted by the passenger before they are allowed on-board. The U.S. has gone on high alert as well, deploying heavily armed (read: armed with machine guns) police to the airports receiving international flights. And all people travelling by air in the U.S.A. today have to have their shoes x-rayed. Even Canadian airports have gotten into the act, with the airport in Ottawa getting in on the act, not allowing passengers to buy drinks after passing through security. Apparently these restrictions will be in place for the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours.

These restrictions are playing all hell with the travel plans of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. I have seen footage of London Heathrow airport and it looks like a zoo. Wall-to-wall people. No space to move. It must be absolutely hellish.

And already, the blaming of Muslims has started. The American Homeland Security Secretary declared that the plot appeared to be the work of Al-Qaeda. Even the CBC was airing footage of a few bearded men dressed in stereotypically Muslim clothing (white robes and caps) pushing carts of luggage at Heathrow as though they were doing something wrong just by being there. People don't even bother waiting for the results of the investigation, they behave as though it is all predetermined, you know what I mean. The whole "Oh my God!! They wanted to blow up a plane?!?! They must be Muslim fundamentalists!! 'Cause no-one but Muslims ever blows anything up." That attitude makes me sick.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 894

Isreal Expands Lebanon Invasion. Again.

Isreal has decided to send yet more soldiers into Lebanon and to occupy the country up to Lahani river. And surpise, surprise, the Bush Administration has nothing to say on the matter. This plan would see the Israeli army occupy a massive swath of southern Lebanon, including the city of Tyre. This is unnacceptable. How can Israel possibly justify this? How can the United States sit by and not even comment on the aggression of Isreal?

Because these are the "birth pangs" of the "new Middle East" according to a U.S. government statement issued at the beginning of invasion. Even CNN has been reporting that this new influx of troops means at least a month more heavy fighting in Lebanon. This is illegal aggression. This is the Israel making territorial aggrandizement under the guise of defeating Hezbollah. But Hezbollah was already joining the political process in Lebanon. It was a part of the legitimately elected government of Lebanon. Hezbollah was less of a threat to Israel than it had ever been. And yet there is this invasion. The citizens of Lebanon, close to a thousand of them, are paying the price for the territorial expansion of Israel.

The citizens of the world must continue to stand up and say "NO! THIS IS NOT RIGHT!" The people of Lebanon must know that we stand with them against illegal Israeli aggression; against illegal Israeli occupation and against the illegal Israeli closure of southern Lebanon to humanitarian aid. There was a reason that Israel deliberately destroyed the U.N. observer force. It is because they do not want to be observed! We must say no! This cannot go on. Violence breeds hate, which breeds more violence. But peace breeds understanding and reconciliation. Peace brings the chance for everyone to live a normal life. I am sure that most of the citizens of Lebanon want peace, just as I am sure that most of the citizens of Israel want peace. But you cannot bring peace through war. It does not work like that.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 895

Lamont Wins Connecticut Primary

This just in: Senator Joseph Lieberman has just conceded defeat in the Connecticut primary for the U.S. Senate. Ned Lamonte has won the primary and will be the Democratic candidate for the Senate seat. Lieberman however, has announced that he will run in the election as an independent. This defeat, however, is a stunning fall from grace for a man who was the running-mate in the 2000 Presidential election. Lieberman has disgraced the voters of Connecticut. Hopefully they will see the truth in time for the election. Best of luck to Mr. Lamonte.

Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 896

Lebanon's Proposal

A new proposal was advanced at the U.N. Security Council today. The Lebanese government, and the Arab League as a whole, proposed that Lebanese national army would deploy fifteen thousand soldiers into the south of Lebanon, and the Israelis would withdraw. This is, if not the best thing, then almost as good. This proposal would allow the Lebanese government to reassert its authority over the entire country, it would end the needless slaughter of Lebanese civilians by the IDF, and it would stand a decent chance of ending the launching of rockets into northern Israel. It is important that the Lebanese government unanimously agreed to this proposal, including the two Hezbollah members of the cabinet.

Also important to this proposal is that the Israeli government has announced that the proposal will be seriously considered. The Israeli government must agree to withdraw its soldiers. It is unnacceptable that Israel should remain in Lebanon's land. Israel should never have invaded, it should never have bombed the civilians of Lebanon. Israel has committed illegal aggression, and that must be recognized. But unfortunately, the assent of the government of Israel is needed to put this proposal into effect.

As well, the permanent members of the Security Council must recognize that this is the proposal that will end the fighting for the near and medium term in Lebanon. Aid organizations must be allowed to bring aid to the citizens in the south of Lebanon. The killing of Lebanese civilians must be stopped. And the Lebanese/Arab League proposal is the way to do that. The U.N. Security Council and the government of Israel must recognize this, and the agreement must be implemented.

Cheers,

Days Remaining in Bust Presidency: 896

V for Vendetta

I saw V for Vendetta tonight. That movie was awesome. The representation of a democratic society fallen into dictatorship is chilling. The use of fear to force the compliance of citizens is an apt, if rather overdone, metaphor for the techniques being used by many of the countries in the West today. The spectre of terrorism, West-Nile virus and religious intolerance are being used by governments from the U.S.A. to the U.K. to Australia to reduce the freedoms of democracy. The limitations placed on rights, and the enhancement of police power by laws like the U.S.A. Patriot Act, the Anti-Terrorism Act (2001) in Canada and similar legislation around the world, are dangerous. The denial of rights to citizens of supposed democracies marks the end of that democracy. When we are prepared to give up our rights to be theoretically more secure, we give up that which we seek to secure. By making ourselves less free in the cause of supporting our "democratic way of life" we lose that way of life that we seek to protect. Benjamin Franklin had this straight when he said: "They who give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security. V for Vendetta presents an excellent representation of what we flirt with when we allow the government to restrict the rights that ours by virtue of being human.

I read a criticism of this film saying that we should be very wary of a hero who fights dictatorship by blowing up the Old Bailey, a law court, and the Houses of Parliament. The reviewer argued that these are the icons of democracy, and that someone attacking them cannot be committed to democracy. I must disagree with this view. When the courts and the elected bodies of the government are perverted to serve the needs of the dictator, then those bodies are no longer legitimate. The destruction of instruments of the oppression of the people is legitimate. When the laws are used to keep the people from exercising our human rights, then the laws are illegitimate. When the parliament does not represent the people, but is instead a tool of the repression of the people, it is illegitimate. When the icons of democracy subvert the democracy they are supposed to represent, the people have a responsibility to either reclaim them or destroy them. V for Vendetta recognizes this perfectly. An excellent movie.
Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 898

The Cost of War

As of two days ago, the count of Lebanese dead was at 900. Nine hundred! How Israel can do this anyone is beyond my comprehension. The murder of innocent civilians must stop.

And now, the U.S. and France have reached a compromise on a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire, but again it contains the American language about a "sustainable peace." What is needed is a stop to the fighting now! Once the fighting stops negotiations can proceed. But the demand that a ceasefire can only occur when there can be a sustainable peace is simply a means to make sure that there is not peace. The conditions for a future, long term peace, can not be created when there is fighting going on. That should be obvious to everyone.

Cheers

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 899

Boys Safe, Whitmore in Custody

CBC.ca is reporting that Peter Whitmore, the convicted paedophile has been taken into custody and that Jordan Bruyere, 14, and Zachary Miller, 10, have been rescued and reunited with their families. It is a great relief to know that they are safe.

Whitmore has been convicted on multiple occasions of abusing children or violating his probation conditions by being in the company of children. Crimes against children, especially sexual crimes, are one of the few occasions that I support the call for longer prison sentences. People like Peter Whitmore who cannot seem to control themselves, and who have reoffended on multiple occasions ought to be thrown into jail for a very long time. No child should have to suffer so.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 902

Ugghh ... Much ... Too ... Hot

It was far, far too hot in Toronto today. With the humidex today, the temperature was above forty-five degrees celcius. At work it was excruciating, despite the fact that work is supposed to be air conditioned. Fortunately there is only one day of this weather left.

We have got to do something about global warming. How can we sit back doing nothing when the climate is changing to fast? This level of heat kills people. The homeless die. In a recent heat wave in California, over 120 people died. It is not acceptable that the governments of Canada and the U.S.A. continue to sit back and do nothing to save the people of this world out of fear of the possible economic effects of cutting greenhouse gases. How are we supposed to reap the benefits of these economies if we are all dead or living in an ecologically traumatized world that cannot grow enough food to support its population? Something must be done, and it must be done NOW!!!

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 903

Castro in Surgery

This just in, Fidel Castro is undergoing surgery and has temporary transferred presidential power to his brother Raul. Castro's surgery is reportedly for gastrointestinal bleeding. It will be very interesting to see how this develops and whether Fidel will resume the presidency after this surgery or whether he is done as Cuban president. It will also be interesting to see how the United States exploits this situation. CNN is showing footage of jubilation in Miami, as though Castro was already dead. I'm sure I will have more to say on this issue, but for now we will all have to wait and see.

Days Remaining in Bush Presidency: 904