If you think Occupy folks should be beaten and locked up...

You have a model.  It’s been done before.

By this sandal-wearing hippie, according to what a lot of anti-occupiers believe -

He said such radical, anti-government things like:

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." - Timothy 6:17-19

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.  -Matthew 25:41-45

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” -Matthew 19:21

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." -Matthew 7:12

Imagine that.  Advocating redistribution of wealth and equal treatment.  Good thing they killed that radical, eh?

Maybe we can bring in the death penalty for rabble rousers.  If it was good enough for Jesus...

Change you can believe in!!!!!!!!!!!!

The issues remain the same, but look!  What a difference a few words make (emphasis mine)-

A new phrase has insinuated itself into Conservative talking points -- it tripped lightly from the lips of new junior finance minister Ted Menzies this week -- and will no doubt soon be adopted by the larger political culture: job creators.  As in: goodbye corporate fat cats, hello job creators.


Levant...has helped popularize the argument that oil-sands petroleum is ethically superior to petroleum produced by countries such as Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Iran – all nations that also sell crude to the U.S. market or Asian markets. It’s an attempt to beat back efforts by U.S. politicians and activists who want a boycott of Canada’s oil sands owing to its greenhouse-gas-heavy extraction methods and ensuing environmental damage. - hence, ethical oil.

Think of the money the government saves.  No action needed, just re-label problems as benefits.

Harper's War on poverty

Actually, that's a typo.

Should read "Heartless Harper's War on the poor - and seniors." (emphasis mine)

Low-income Canadian seniors could be driven into poverty next summer when they find out Ottawa has cut their federal income support. Some are poised to lose a key part of their monthly income because of a new policy approved by the federal government without public notice, according to internal guidelines obtained by The Globe and Mail.
 
So if a low income senior - who acted responsibly and put money into an RRSP over the years so they would be able to care for themselves - takes out a few thousand for say, medical costs, the funeral of a spouse, to fix a heater, that withdrawal is treated as income making it appear that they are making more that year than they actually did, and they no longer qualify for GIS payments.

I have to sign off now since I'm trying not to use foul language as much on my blog.  But this is so, so obscene.

Update:   Finley announced in the House today the change is on hold, for review because she was "very concerned" by what had been reported.  Sure Diane, except you can't pretend that you had no idea of the impact this would have on seniors -

“I think it’s immoral,” said Gerard Lee, who worked on benefits files for the federal government as a Service Canada client services officer in Corner Brook, Nfld., before retiring this year. Mr. Lee wrote to Human Resources Minister Diane Finley in August saying it was “grossly unfair” of the government to make the change without any public notice or effort to inform seniors.  In a written response last month, Ms. Finley defended the change and said the courts had urged Ottawa to clear up the rules in this area. 

So why the change of whatever it is Diane has in place of a heart?  Probably this - 

Ms. Finley’s office had more to say Thursday when informed The Globe would be writing a story on the issue.“The Minister has instructed the department to urgently review this policy,” said Ryan Sparrow, Ms. Finley’s director of communications. Mr. Lee later said the minister’s pledge was “excellent” news.

Damn those media folks, eh, Diane?

Update on update: we have Gerry Byrne, Liberal, to thank for Finley's sorta heart transplant.  Nice going, Gerry!  Finley still tried to act like this was all news to her, though.

Maybe it’s a Zen thing

Buddhists say "be thankful for your enemies because they help teach patience and caring."

Because it's damn hard to account for this (emphasis mine)-

The poll (which has the CONs in the lead) suggests that Conservatives continue to garner support among seniors, men, those born in Canada and those with middle levels of socioeconomic status. Meanwhile, Liberals continue to get support from the university-educated, non-Canadian born and Ontario residents.

It must be because the CONs have done such a bang-up job improving the lives of seniors, right?

The number of seniors living below the low-income cutoff, Statistics Canada’s basic measure of poverty, jumped nearly 25 per cent between 2007 and 2008, to 250,000 from 204,000, according to figures released on Wednesday by Campaign 2000. It’s the largest increase among any group, and as the first cohort of baby boomers turns 65 next year, could place increased pressure on families supporting elderly parents.

 
Oh...I guess it isn't that...

Maybe the CONs have made plans to fight this devastating trend.

The Harper government has rejected all 74 recommendations in a sweeping Senate report to combat homelessness and poverty.  The official Conservative response this week to the 300-page report was a 20-page list of existing programs and a promise to take the committee’s recommendations "under advisement" in the future.
 
Not that either.

Must be all those great senior appointments.  Yeah, that must be it.

And for the rest of us...

Because what do you suppose happens to those who aren't part of that powerful club?

Pioneered by the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico in 1994, the only "freedom" they bestow is to investors through investor rights clauses that empower corporations to trump the democratic rights of citizens and their governments to enact laws and policies for the public good.

Investor rights clauses are reminiscent of colonialism, says Osgoode Hall Law School associate professor Gus Van Harten.

Corporations will count on (and can count on) the masses being too wrapped up in -  wondering how to pay their electricity bill or if they can ever get electricity; how to keep their kids off drugs, or how to get their next fix; how to hold back the relentless push of extremists who want to turn the clock back 100 years or how to push that tide of extremism forward - to fight these anti-democratic trade agreements.  But this will only last a short while.

Unlike colonial times, more people have had a taste of equal rights, more are at least aware of them, and more have access to vast amounts of information they can check and cross reference.  We are more aware this time around that our rights are being trumped, and many can communicate with each other instantly, with a few key strokes.

This time around, the masses viewed by the corporations and compliant governments as meek sheep will not have to go through centuries of education to know they are entitled to certain fundamental rights, and they will push back.  However, having little money or positional power to effectively fight back against corporations and governments who have positioned themselves to be relatively untouchable, there will be spontaneous and simultaneous outbursts of violence all over the globe.

We are seeing some of these already in the protests in Greece, Spain, England, and France.  Cornered, desperate people who bear the anger of injustice as a flag don't act rationally.  They are driven by powerful emotion, drawing in others as their rumblings grow to thunderous roars.  Then it's a self-powered tsunami that only exhausts itself after a great deal of bloodshed.

Chaos reigns.

And how many pregnancies have you had, Lawrence Cannon?

The Conservative government has offered an explanation for why it will exclude contraception from its initiative to improve the health of mothers in poor countries: Birth control doesn't fit with saving lives.

"It does not deal in any way, shape or form with family planning. Indeed, the purpose of this is to be able to save lives," Mr. Cannon told the Foreign Affairs committee.

Riiiiight.

I wonder if Cannon has ever been to a puppy mill. 

Here is a 12-years-old dog in very frail condition (after she was been rescued and treated), a Athrowaway mom@ from a puppy mill. Her front feet are permanently crippled and she is unable to walk properly . Too many pregnancies and no exercise leached the calcium out of her bones.  

It stands to reason that if the mother suffers from deficiencies, her pups will not fare well resulting in health issues, and even early death in some cases.

Now consider a human female deprived of birth control.  Her body has no chance to recover from one pregnancy as she faces the possibility of getting pregnant again.  She may be breast feeding a baby while pregnant.  Give her a few years, she could end up, pregnant while breastfeeding and caring for a half dozen or so kids under the age of twelve.

Think of this woman living in poverty - belonging to the group Cannon wants to deny birth control to so that the Harper party of Canada doesn=t alienate its base - and think how her and her children=s health will be affected as she exhausts herself caring for her brood and cannot come up with enough healthy food for her kids and herself.

Look at this woman as she gets pregnant yet again, and see how she suffers a miscarriage because her body is just too unhealthy to spare anything for a foetus.  Watch as she dies far younger her sisters in Canada who have access to birth control and can work on their health between planned pregnancies, can take the time needed to raise their children, can feed them quality food so that they are not as likely to catch whatever illness is travelling the neighbourhood that week.. 

Now, Cannon, you pompous, self-righteous bastard - tell us again how birth control doesn't fit with saving lives.  Or better yet, get a woman living in extreme poverty with 8 kids and preggers with #9 to tell us.  If she has the energy.

(photo)

Does anyone not see death's shadow here?

You have blood on your hands for that, Larry.

Post-Christmas trivial pursuit question

Which other governments have cut back on social, health and arts spending in order to fund their military?

The Canadian military is looking for savings of more than $190 million by March to help pay for the Harper government's defence strategy...Steve Staples, president of the Rideau Institute in Ottawa, said the Defence Department is in a better position than other departments to weather the expected cuts to the federal government's planned disbursement. He said social, health and arts spending likely will be hit hardest as the Conservatives tighten budgets. 

Don’t be too concerned for the military as it faces cuts in training for its reserve forces, fundiing for infrastructure maintenance and repairs, and a scale back on flying time for airforce personnel:

The Canadian Forces is not calling the reductions a "cutback." Officers instead refer to them as "adjustments" as the money saved is being redirected toward the priorities of the Canada First defence strategy.

Right.  And Pete MacKay doesn’t lie, he just mis-speaks.