Mr. Ed makes up a new conspiracy theory

The cheetos commander over at the Steering Gear Compartment is at it again. This time it's on the Firearms Registry. No matter what your position is on the Canadian Firearms Registry (CAFC), Morrissey produces some interesting fantasy.

Canada's new government has begun scrapping their controversial gun-registration program, and the incoming minister of Public Security warns his countrymen that the total cost of the program will shock them.

Then...

The RCMP did not get the full funding necessary for the registration program, in part because the Liberals kept insisting that it didn't cost as much as it did. In order to run the registry, the RCMP had to eat up internal resources to keep up with the registry's mandate.

So which is it? Either the money was spent, as Day says it was, or it wasn't, as Morrissey is telling us. The truth is, the Auditor-General, in 2002 clearly showed the money had been spent and that it was nearing $1 billion. The RCMP not only got full funding for the program, it went to the Solicitor-General for more. The result was the Solicitor-General pushing through Supplementary Estimates for about 70% of the cost of the registry up to the time of Sheila Fraser's audit. Interestingly, the opposition was made up of the Reform/Alliance who sat across the Commons and didn't say a word to the public about the amount of money that was going out in SuppE. I guess they were busy.... with something.

Why is that so significant? Americans may not relate to this, but in Canada's parliamentary system, the government only gets checked by the Commons and the RCMP, which has the power and resources to investigate government malfeasance -- under normal circumstances.

Well, there's a new one. I guess I had better go back to grade 11 and ask for a re-do. The Canadian government answers to Parliament as a whole. That's the House of Commons and the Senate. The RCMP is not a part of the equation any more than the FBI is considered a part of the check on the US Government's executive branch. The RCMP is charged with the investigation of criminal complaints and the apprehension of suspects in relation to possible charges arising from an investigation. Morrissey is suggesting the RCMP is permitted to conduct "fishing expeditions" on government, which simply isn't true. It sounds like the captain of the heads has been taking Canadian civics lessons from some prairie air-brush artist.

However, the government exists because it controls either a majority of seats or the support of a coalition of parties that comprise a majority. Unless and until that majority decides that the government has acted so egregiously that MPs are willing to throw their own party or coalition out of power, the only political check comes at mandated election times.

Well, yes and no. Morrissey has an overly simplistic view of the Westminster parliamentary system. For one thing, no government with a parliamentary majority would ever be brought down by it's own hand in parliament. (That is like saying George Bush would resign because he got caught lying again.) A government with a parliamentary minority does live with the possibility that it can be brought down by the House of Commons, but Morrissey's suggestion that such votes of non-confidence are as a result of "egregious" acts is deliberately misrepresenting the truth. Most minority governments fall as a result of losing a Commons vote on a money bill, such as a budget. "Mandated election times" is a hash-up of what actually occurs. The Governor General is required to call an election every five years but may do so, usually on the advice of the Prime Minister, at any time sooner than that, which is typically the case.

The RCMP, as the national law-enforcement agency, can act independently to investigate corruption and malfeasance.

Only on receipt of a complaint or when provided probable cause. Again, Morrissey is suggesting the RCMP can go "fishing" for wrongdoing and he is completely incorrect.

A government that wanted to avoid having the RCMP looking into its actions -- say in Adscam or other hidden scandals -- could handicap the agency by burdening it with a populist but massive new program, selling it as a low-cost civic safety program, and then underfunding it so that it ate up all of the agency's resources. That would leave the agency with no time and no people for other efforts, including political investigations.

Don't step in that. It's difficult to get off your shoes. My gawd, what a load of bovine scatology. The RCMP was no more "handicapped" than they wear scarlet all day long. At the time of the so-called Adscam (or other of Morrissey's hidden scandals) the RCMP was not responsible for the Firearms Registry. It hasn't been since 2002, at which time it also dumped the handgun registry which it had been managing since 1932. The CAFC is an independent body which has been outside the responsibility and the funding envelope of the RCMP since before the Sponsorship scandal was exposed and the RCMP would have had no reason to investigate. What Morrissey doesn't point out, (because it doesn't fit his ridiculous conspiracy theory), is that the RCMP was asked to investigate as soon as possible wrongdoing came to light.

There is little doubt that Stockwell Day is in a rush to bring the Firearms Registry to an end. Whether you view that as good or bad is irrelevant. But you can count on one thing for sure. The kids at Powertools will be crediting the call-center manager for single-handedly bringing it down. Hope they have lots of kleenex.

Well, it's about time! Red Green C.M.

That internationally renown leader of men and jury-rig inventor extraordinaire, Red Green, (aka Steve Smith), has been invested in the Order of Canada by Governor General Michaëlle Jean, at a ceremony in Ottawa yesterday.

Steve is responsible for putting Possum Lodge on the map and convincing men that they might just have to change. He is also the inventor of some of the worlds most useful gadgets such as a parallel parking machine which lifts a car into a tight space and a family-sized bread-maker made from an old automatic washing machine.

The thing that makes him famous though is how he demonstrated the unbelievable usefulness of duct tape, something that was adopted by the US Department of Homeland Security as a primary defence against terrorist attacks. (He denies having sold USDHS the rights to their colour coded alert system and points out that if it had been his idea, "plaid" would be the highest alert level.)

Well done, Steve! It couldn't happen to a better guy. Keep your stick on the ice.

We accept! (Well, one of us does.)

The Wingnuterer has revealed that we have received a phone call from Prime Minister Stevie Harpoon offering one of us an appointment as Minister of Unicorns. Apparently, despite us having once had Rhinocerous leanings, Harpie's selection is based on what is ultimately best for Canada and the fact that we were aware of the unforgiveable neglect this position has had in the past. Our thanks go out to The Wingnuterer for his tireless lobbying in securing us this appointment. (The cheque is in the mail, by the way, and there's no need to worry about your status as a lobbyist since the rules aren't in place yet and even when they are they only apply to the other side.)

The appointment is causing some considerable marital discord since it appears either one of us may assume the post. I am claiming "top beaver" status then Cheryl flips it all around saying she is the beaver on top and I am nothing but a unicorn's ass. Right now we are endeavouring to resolve which one of us is able to wear the ceremonial uniform and which of us would be able to spare the necessary 6 months to work in a wingnut cabinet. Of course, there is a Senate seat which goes with the job and which will outlast any cabinet post. (This is a good thing since, whichever one of us takes the seat, we are ultimately there for the indexed, gold-plated pension and whatever take-out is available from the parliamentary dining room.)

Despite the fact that we campaigned against the wingnuts, we feel there is no ethical issue here and that being unelected, with no intention of ever letting the voters have at us, clears any possible conflict that could arise from having a bunch of pesky constituents. For this reason, we will not be polling commenters for their suggestions on this matter, although feel free to leave notes of praise and adoration.

We, (whichever of us), are honoured to be chosen to further represent British Columbia, particularly the denizens of Wreck Beach and the burgeoning population of the west coast of Vancouver Island, at the federal cabinet table.

I say, does anybody have any Grey Poupon? And please pass the pork.

Thanks to Zorpheous for the graphic.

Whittington's apology. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

You have to admire it. The Bushco spin factory is one impressive piece of work. It is mind-boggling to hear the man who got shot apologize for the trouble being encountered by the man who shot him. It is even more numbing to know that this was all engineered by one of the most sophisticated, well-oiled and practiced lying machines the world has ever seen.

If you haven't checked out Cathie's post on the subject, it is a must read along with CC's take on it.

US Occupation Going According To Plan: The Jihadi Plan

Most people in the western world are now viewing Islam as little more than a violent and intolerant religion bent on destroying everything non-Muslim. And most people couldn't be more wrong.

It would not fit the view of the average North American if I were to suggest that the real Islam promotes peace, tolerance and above all, social stability. It does, however fit the view of Abu Bakr Naji, a leader of the violent jihadi movement and a thorn in the side of the US in Iraq, even if he would like to see that change. Naji knows that his struggle is against the traditional, peaceful Islam as much as it is against the US led military occupation in the Middle East. While Naji represents a real threat to the US attempt to control the Middle East, he is also analogous to western public personalities like Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter and Pat Robertson. They, like Naji, attract a following by employing extremist rhetoric, twisting facts and by appealing to the prejudices and fears of those willing to listen.

Naji, along with jihadis Ayman al Zawahiri and Abu Mus`ab al Zarqawi, are all intent on establishing a caliphate. What is often ignored is that these are intelligent, well educated people under no illusions as to the vulnerabilities of their movement. Naji in particular, has written a strategy and large parts of it demonstrate that the US invasion of Iraq, while in advance of his plans, was a move which played into that strategy. Naji states:

The jihadi movement had been unsuccessful in the past because the superpowers
propped up these proxy governments and convinced the masses through the media that they were invincible. The solution, Naji says, is to provoke a superpower into invading the Middle East directly. This will result in a great propaganda victory for the jihadis because the people will 1) be impressed that the jihadis are directly fighting a superpower, 2) be outraged over the invasion of a foreign power, 3) be disabused of the notion that the superpower is invincible the longer the war goes on, and, 4) be angry at the proxy governments allied with the invading superpower. Moreover, he argues, it will bleed the superpower's economy and military. This will
lead to social unrest at home and the ultimate defeat of the superpower.

From a recent study which analyzed Naji's writings, including his 2004 book, The Management of Barbarism:

Naji does not suffer under the illusion that the jihadis can defeat the United States in a direct military confrontation; rather, the clash with the United States is more important for propaganda victories in the short term, and the political defeat of the United States in the long term, as its society fractures and its economy is further strained. Naji observes that this strategy was used with great effect against the Soviet Union and that it will work against United States.

One of the problems encountered by the jihadis is that some of their more violent acts tend to become Muslim-on-Muslim attacks. This has an effect of inflaming the general Muslim community and turning them against the jihadis. Zawahiri recently cautioned Zarqawi against conducting attacks which could kill Muslim civilians. The jihadis are acutely aware that a majority of religious leaders oppose their methods and when Muslims, not involved in the fight, are killed or wounded, those same religious leaders galvanize their followers and become leaders, in their own right, of a formidable opposition.

The same study analyzed this effect, including what effect the presence of US troops has on the jihadis:

Thus far, direct engagement with the United States has been good for the jihadi movement. As Naji argues, it rallies the locals behind the movement, drains the United States of resources, and puts pressure on the regimes that are allied with the U.S.

And recommends:

The United States should avoid direct, large-scale military action in the Middle East. If such fighting is necessary, it must be done through proxies whenever possible. Buying off tribal leaders, as Naji advocates, may be effective in some regions.

This is not a new idea. Colonel T.E. Lawrence took it to the extreme by uniting many tribes and sheikdoms into a formidable fighting force in World War I. Lawrence did it by empathizing with and understanding the Arab vision and then empowering the Arabs themselves. Since the invasion of Iraq, not one American has stood out enough to demonstrate an understanding of the people they hope to win over. The "hearts and minds" effort is dulled by a failure to empathize with the desires of Iraqis and an ignorance of the effect the occupation has on their lives. US troops remain isolated from the general population and when they do interact, all too often it is couched in hostility and confrontation.

Again, from the study:

Although jihadi ideologues recognize the utility of the long term, eternal struggle, they are absolutely serious about establishing Islamic states in the near term. Leading ideologues like Zawahiri and Naji are not thinking within the confines of the nation-state. They are less interested in overthrowing a ruler and replacing his apostate regime with an Islamic regime than they are in establishing small enclaves across the globe in regions that are not well-policed.

[...]

the U.S. must recast its ineffectual public diplomacy efforts. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the U.S. to elicit pro-American feelings in the Middle East by making public pronouncements about the true nature of Islam or the virtues of democracy.

A little understood mindset in the Middle East is the view of government. Democracy in many areas holds no sway. A Bedou for example, whether he be Iraqi, Saudi or Omani is, first and foremost, a Bedou. While Bedouin tribesmen will take note of government, they view their independence and freedom to pursue their lifestyle as all important. The same can be said for urban Arabs in many cases. Government to most Arabs is the simple provision of services. Community leadership comes from local religious leaders. Some of the concepts being bandied about by the Bush administration are so totally foreign to the average Iraqi that they serve only to raise suspicion. Religious leaders see their authority being impinged upon and immediately choose the side of the fight that will leave leadership intact.

The study quoted above clearly indicates that a radical change is required if the situation in Iraq is to be resolved. Aside from the fact that the invasion of Iraq was totally unnecessary, the study shows that the insurgency is growing and will continue to gather willing recruits unless the US changes its methods and visibly diminishes its military posture.

Some may choose to argue with the points made by the study released this month, except that this one came from an institution which can hardly be described as left-wing. Entitled Stealing Al Qa'ida's Playbook, it comes from the Combating Terroism Center, United States Military Academy, West Point.

The Conservative Plan Is Unfolding As Predicted - part two

There was a city council meeting in Kamloops, British Columbia during the afternoon of 15 February 2006. Now normally, Kamloops would have little effect on federal politics and Kamloops would have next to nothing to do with the riding of Vancouver-Kingsway and the now infamous and reviled, David Emerson.

But, it did.

Betty Hinton is the Conservative MP from Kamloops and the Parliamentary secretary for the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Hinton certainly isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer and her federal political roots are Reform Party, but she does work for her riding, even if she often demonstrates a complete lack of ability to grasp issues. On 15 Feb., she was invited to attend and answer questions at Kamloops city council.

Kamloops mayor, Terry Lake, expressed concerns that funding which had been promised for major city infrastructure projects under the Liberal government would now evaporate under Harper. One of the more significant concerns was funding for airport flight safety improvements and runway expansion. It was noted that Trade Minister David Emerson was familiar with the plan and, by Kamloops' good fortune, it happened to be geographically located in the Pacific Gateway, one of the ministerial titles held by Emerson. Perhaps some of the money could come from the Pacific Gateway program, a ministerial level federal operation.

Then Hinton dropped a little bombshell.

"First of all it won't be Minister Emerson...." she said. "Secondly, there is no Pacific Gateway. It's best described as an idea. It wasn't flushed out..." (Mike Youds, Kamloops Daily News, Thursday, February 16, 2006)

So, one of the major responsibilities held by David Emerson is nothing more than an unfunded idea. No money, no plan, no trade initiative.

Harper, in defending the recruitment and defection of Emerson, against the wishes of Emerson's constituents, appointed him to take charge of an initiative that the Conservatives appear to have junked. There was a strategy under the Liberal government, but one of Harper's junior ministers was adamant that there is no such plan under the Conservatives.

So, pray tell, Mr. Harper, who is the minister responsible for unicorns?

The Conservative Plan Is Unfolding As Predicted - part one

Remember when Stephen Harper was trying to mitigate what everyone was starting worry about during the election campaign? Remember when he suggested that a Conservative government would be kept in check by a Liberal civil service, Liberal courts and a Liberal senate?

Well, check this out.

Stockwell Day, The Minister of Public Safety in Harper's government, has brought in Scott Newark as his senior policy advisor. From the Public Eye Online, a couple of enlightening quotes from Newark:

"Anything effective in law enforcement will inevitably be forbidden under the charter" of Rights and Freedoms.

and

"As we always say, the charter helps only murderers, pedophiles and judges."

and

"What we have now in Canada is a supposedly enlightened despotism - rule by people who think they know so much better than everybody else" - referring to the country's judges.

What Newark fails to acknowledge is that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects a thousand times more innocent people than it does anybody else, against illegal search and seizure, restricted mobility and discriminatory application of the law. Newark finds having to actually prove a case against an alleged offender inconvenient. He also fails to acknowledge that law enforcement DOES have extraordinary powers and provided peace officers exercise those powers with due restraint, nobody has any problem with that. His view of judges is interesting if not very revealing. Judges don't make law - they apply it. He views a judge's decision as "rule", when in fact dominion originates with Parliament.

Never mind the possibility of Harper using the Notwithstanding Clause, if Newark had his way there would be no Charter and no rights. Just police and a population required to obey every arbitrary decision made by those police.

With Newark in position we can expect all forms of activity, currently prohibited under the Charter, to suddenly start appearing. If you think the Bush domestic wiretapping issue is bad, wait until this guy is given a free reign.

And remember, this is a dangerous man advising a complete idiot. You don't have to look too far south to see what that's led to.

(Hat tip to Dana)

(For our American readers: The Ministry of Public Safety is very similar in structure and form to the US Dept. of Homeland Security.)

You know global warming is a fact when...

.... hockey players tell you the ice is too soft. Players of the game that gave you Slapshot and Miracle On Ice are more than a little concerned; they're taking some action. Hockey players from Canada, the United States, Sweden and Austria will be taking to the ice on traditional outdoor rinks to protest government inaction on climate change which they say is threatening the future of their game.

"Save hockey, stop climate change," will be the slogan.

[....]

"Climate change is the biggest threat to hockey since the NHL labour talks," Mike Hudema of the U.S. environmental group Global Exchange, said in a news release Wednesday.

The protest coincides with the first anniversary of the Kyoto Protocol's entry into force. The Conservative government has suggested that it may pull out of the accord or ignore its requirements.

Numerous studies have raised worries about the future of winter sports as global temperatures rise.

A UN report in 2003 said: "Climate change will have the effect of pushing more and more winter sports higher and higher up mountains, concentrating impacts in ever-decreasing high-altitude areas."

The New York-based World Resources Institute has warned that the Winter Olympics may not survive the century.

A study by the National Capital Commission this year warned that Ottawa's biggest tourist attraction, the Rideau Canal skating rink, will be increasingly difficult to maintain due to later start dates and shorter seasons.

[....]

"We've been talking to rink operators across the country who've said they've noticed a difference in the number of days you can play outside," said Hudema.

People are already noticing the change in climate and some bizarre weather patterns. Outdoor sports activities are being affected by less snow and more rain. At this rate the 2010 winter Olympics may end up as the Water Olympics.

Check out the whole article here.

Ezra Levant - Another story that keeps on giving

What is it with these guys? Just when I thought nothing could beat Cheney, Alberta's own Ezra Levant pulls a daily stunt to keep things filled to the brim with controversy.

So, what is it with him? Is he TRYING to go bankrupt? His ignorance and arrogance is simply unbelievable:

Colleen Klein is said to be "devastated" by a magazine article that quotes an unnamed Conservative source as saying that when her husband retires as Alberta premier, she'll be "just another Indian."

An unnamed Conservative source, eh. Yellow journalism. Levant's trademark.

Cheney - The Story That Just keeps On Giving

So, Cheney went public today to explain (cough!) his action of the afternoon of 11 February 2006. The great hunter and his coterie of bush-beaters, gun-bearers, sycophants, secret service and a medical support unit that would make Ethiopia weep with joy, ran into a problem when the Vice President shot a 78 year old man in the upper body and face. Unfortunately, the only things missing were a media relations team and a breathilyser operator. (Doesn't matter. Eyewitness reports state the hunting party had no beer, some beer, one beer, wiped out the Lone Star brewery or had cocktails to celebrate afterwards.)

Jane has done a great job of following the details as they flop out on the table and has pointed out some serious stuff. Crooks & Liars has nabbed a few moments with Jack Cafferty who gives Fox News a new handle.

Oh yeah. Just so we're all clear on this, Cheney didn't hold a news conference. He didn't even appear before reporters. He ran right into the loving arms of Brit Hume. Yup, he went to Fox where the balls are pitched slow and the milk in the green room is warmed. It's wimp heaven. No pressure. Or as Jack Cafferty says:

I would guess it didn't exactly represent a profile in courage for the vice president to wander over there to the F-word network for a sit down with Brit Hume. I mean, that's a little like Bonnie interviewing Clyde, ain't it? I mean, where was the news conference? Where was the -- where was the access to all of the members of the media? I don't know. You know? Whatever.

Pandagon has a great link from Jeff Fecke, which exposes a truth about the Bushco myth, and then goes on to highlight the whining drivel the 101st Keyboardists have managed to produce in an effort to blame the victim of Cheney's negligent handling of a firearm. (I guess with a heart condition he probably didn't do what I used to do after a firefight. Glad to be alive, I used to shorten my life a little with 3 cigarettes in quick succession. Nah... he's a scotch man.)

This comes from Eric Alterman's Altercation: (Hat tip to Dana in comments)

It seems Halliburton got the contract to remove the lead from Harry Whittington’s face.

So, Harry Whittington got some flowers today from the vice president’s office, and that was a nice gesture. But still, there was something a little odd about it, because apparently, the card said, “Please speak into the third daisy from the left.”

I guess the army knew what it was doing when they gave him those five deferments

And this, from Petey: New Republican slogan: "The buckshot stops here."

Stay tuned. This isn't going away fast.

Cheney - An apology would make him look... weak

From Editor & Publisher is this about VP Dick Cheney's appearance on Fox News' Brit Hume.

Hume said Cheney was "utterly unapologetic" but "a shaken man" in his interview. In comments on the cable channel just minutes after ending a 25-minute interview with Cheney, Hume described the encounter as revealing, but with little contrition on Cheney's part.

"He didn’t blame anyone else, he blamed himself [for the shooting]," Hume told Fox's Shepard Smith during a brief conversation. "But he didn't take blame for the way it was handled…the White House press corps be damned."

Cheney also admitted to having a beer with lunch that day. Hmmm... did he have any without lunch? Anyway... just one beer.

Read the rest here. It's pure Cheney.

Lady Ann disenfranchises herself

This is interesting! Ann Coulter just did a no-no. According to the Palm Beach Post, she voted in the wrong precinct during that county's council elections last week. But worse than that, she gave a false address:

She wrote down an Indian Road address instead of Seabreeze [Avenue] on her voter's registration application. And she signed to certify the information as true.
"She never lived here," said Suzanne Frisbie, owner of the Indian Road home. "I'm Ann's Realtor, and she used this address to forward mail when she moved from New York."

Knowingly voting in the wrong precinct is a 3rd class felony in Florida. There is also the matter of falsifying voter registration documents which includes an oath declaring the information true.

One might be willing to rack this up to someone who is just a little dumb and doesn't know the difference between a mailing address and a residence address... except that Coulter is a lawyer.

I wonder, does a conviction under a 3rd class felony get you removed from the voter's list in Florida?

Ezra Levant - My dollar is worth more than your life, soldier

Apparently there are a few things Ezra Levant still can't fathom. After publishing cartoons he knew would create a problem, in his response to criticism from the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defence and a few choice words drifting out of some boots-on-the-ground in Afghanistan, Levant was not only defiant, he was unbelievably stupid. From the Toronto Star:

"In Canada we have freedoms, and our soldiers' and diplomats' job is to protect those freedoms at home and expand those freedoms abroad," Levant said Tuesday.
"I think most of the soldiers get it."

Really? Just how is it Mr. Levant comes to understand so much about the mindset of any member of the Canadian Forces? How long and in what units did Mr. Levant serve? With freedom comes responsibility - Levant should try assuming some.

"So when Gordon O'Connor or others say we've got to clamp down on freedom in Canada so our soldiers and diplomats have an easier go of it, I don't think that's what soldiers and diplomats are for."

Actually, Gordon O'Connor pointed out that stunts like Mr. Levant's served no useful purpose but DO put troops at risk. When tensions are high and our troops are in a hazardous duty area, they don't need some wank printing ANYTHING which might increase the probability of risk. In any case, I don't know too many rationally thinking people who would suggest that Levant's exercise was about anything except attracting attention to his publication.

Levant said terrorists in foreign countries should not be allowed to hold Canadian domestic freedoms hostage.

"If a terrorist is going to attack our troops in Afghanistan, he's going to do it whether . . . he has some fig leaf of an excuse or not. Cartoons don't kill people; terrorists kill people."

Shorter Levant: As long as I'm OK, I don't give a shit about them.

Guess what Mr. Levant, they feel the same way about you. Don't get hit by a bus, Ezra. They're not in the fight for the likes of you and they won't care.

The Western Standard website is announcing that many retailers are "declining" to stock the current issue of Levant's rag. They seem to have lots of other sources for toilet paper. With any luck at all the WS will go bankrupt and we'll be rid of another useless waste of good pulpwood.

Update: This viewpoint from a serving member of the army is definitely worth reading (Hat tip to Boris in "comments")

Eddie is spitting into the wind again

The call centre manager over at The Steering Gear Compartment has been drinking rancid cherry cola again.

In his latest weigh-in on the Canadian election he points out that Harper has now “crossed over into a majority”. He bases his information on the latest Ipsos-Reid/Canwest Global poll.

There is no dispute with the numbers Mr. Ed copied from the Ipsos news centre. It’s what he’s interpreting and what he’s suggesting they represent. Harper hasn’t really done anything yet, although there was major disapproval expressed for Harper’s cabinet appointments, (something Ed seems willing to dismiss).

What is really off the mark though is this unbelievable piece of tripe:

He has a mandate for moving forward. In fact, he may have the most well-supported federal government in recent Canadian history.

Ummm… no. Harper has nothing like a mandate. Repeat after me: the-weakest-minority-government-in-Canadian-history. And, for what it’s worth, those poll results suck considering Harper’s fingerprints are still on the GG’s bible and he has yet to take his seat in an open Parliament. Most new PMs poll much higher in the first few weeks of assuming office.

You could look at this poll by Pollara conducted for the Canadian Institute of International Affairs and released yesterday, and make it look like magic too, but since the focus of the poll has done exactly zero in any one of the categories surveyed, the 2,317 people are guessing. That’s not confidence: it’s hope. It’s also skewed since Harper only polls above 50 percent in two of nine categories. And if you want to really squeeze out an interesting result it is that Harper is expected to improve relations with the USA at the cost of Canada’s sovereignty. (That actually happening would prompt ordinary seaman Eddie to reach for the Kleenex, I’m sure.)

But, none of that matters. Harper has yet to actually govern. Everything he’s done up to now is nuts and bolts. Wait until the Throne Speech and a budget come down, then take a poll. If his numbers stay where they are now, you can bet at least one province will plummet and dozens of right-wing cowboy hats will be stomped into the dinosaur bones.

A much more balanced interpretation of the numbers is here and doesn’t contain Morrissey’s wingnut hype.

Headlining is obviously an art CNN doesn't get

This comes from the CNN homepage under the sidebar "MORE STORIES":

Cheney cleared in hunting accident

If one wasn't inclined to want to know more, this could easily get passed by. Of course he got cleared - he's white, rich and powerful. The truth is, once you actually click the link, THIS is the headline:

Hunter shot by Cheney has 'minor heart attack'

Is it just me or is there something of a mismatch here? The story goes on:

"Some of the bird shot appears to have moved and lodged into part of his heart ... in what we would say is a minor heart attack," said Peter Banko, administrator at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial.

I don't know how many of our readers are medical professionals but something doesn't ring true here. The clapper keeps hitting the bell hard and I can't figure it out.

Doctors were deciding how to treat Whittington's condition, which was discovered after doctors noticed an irregularity in his heartbeat, Banko said.

Again, this bugs me. If Whittington was simply "peppered" the protocol would be to remove the pieces of shot, treat the wounds, ease the pain and treat for infection.

But that's not happenning. Whittington is in intensive care and is having asymptomatic heart attacks. Some of the shot penetrated far enough into Whittington body to affect vital organs. That's "peppered"?!!

OK, CNN, you call it peppered, I'll call it what it is - a near fatal gunshot wound. I am intimately aware that chunks of metal migrating through one's body can create more than just an inconvenient moment of irritation.

Whittington isn't out of danger and Cheney isn't out of the woods yet.

CIA can neither confirm nor deny that they exist

You have to love it when the bizarre gets downright ridiculous. The Project On Government Oversight submitted a request to the CIA for a Mandatory Classification Review of the Iraqi Weapons Declaration on which the CIA reported to Congress:

On 7 December 2002, Iraq submitted a 12,200-page weapons declaration under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. In that declaration, Iraq still maintained that it possessed no WMD, including BW or CW. A full assessment or verification of that declaration was not completed by the end of 2002, but much of the declaration was a repeat of previous submissions, and in some instances disagreed with what UNMOVIC already knew.

OK, so we have a clear statement that the CIA is in possession of the Iraqi declaration which POGO is asking they review.

But... wait for it... the CIA replied in part with this:

The CIA can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of records responsive to your request. Such information - unless it has been officially acknowledged - would be classified for reasons of national security under Executive Order 12958. The fact of the existence or nonexistence of such records would also relate directly to information concerning intelligence sources and methods.

So, let's get this straight. The documents in this picture, which the CIA received by Iraqi hand delivery, in compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1441, are now so secret that the CIA refuses to acknowledge they exist. The added feature is that they claim to be protecting sources and methods. Do they mean Fedex or UPS?

The CIA's fellow travelers at the State Department don't seem to be quite so reticent:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter... concerning the Iraqi weapons declaration on chemical, biological and nuclear programs to the United Nations Security Council required under paragraph 3 of Security Council resolution 1441 delivered by Iraq in December 2002. Your request has been assigned case control #200505213.

Kind of gives you new faith in a sign like this...


The mind boggles.

The Prisoner and the Guard

There is a story in Spiegel Online titled “The Prisoner and the Guard” detailing the convergence and subsequent near-destruction of two men, one an American prison guard at Abu Ghraib and the other, a prisoner of that infamous hell-hole. It is a long read (several pages long), but a story that will compel you to continue reading even when you think you can’t absorb any more of the pain that is described therein. By the end of the article, your soul will be a little less intact.

How clean does that toilet really have to be?

There has been a recent flurry of excellent posts discussing the nature of domestic chores and the inequities surrounding both the completion of tasks and the difference in acceptable standards of cleanliness expected by men and women. One of the most interesting was from Scott who presents a coherent argument that the arbitrary standards set for repetitive household duties, most of which unfairly fall into the woman's sphere of accountability, are responsible, at least in part, for creating a larger than necessary burden of work.

There seems to be a thread running through most arguments that men are willing to accept a lower standard of cleanliness than women and that men use that as a strategic argument to avoid, in the short term at least, most of the household cleaning functions. From the commenters in Amanda's post came this observation from The Happy Feminist:

... Because in fact cleanliness and orderliness are CRUCIAL. Consider the military. A historically all-male and still overwhelmingly male-dominated. In the military, which is all about getting things done in potentially life-threatening situations, being clean is considered absolutely essential and is insisted upon. The military understands that cleanliness and organization are necessary in order to function effectively,
But somehow in the civilian world women have been gulled into thinking cleanliness and orderliness are something too petty for the men to worry about.

A good and succinct observation bringing the following responses from Amanda:

One commenter at Feministe noted that he/she had a male friend who was clean, but he was in the military before. I think military service does give an excuse for men who otherwise might disdain cleaning to participate without being emasculated.

I found the need for an "excuse" a little amusing until I realized that I have actually used that very tactic in defense of both my participation and our shared standard. My wife uses it for a different reason in defending to some of her friends her reason for having me take on some of the more distasteful jobs because, "he is actually trained to do it better than I can." As Amanda says, it's an excuse; not necessarily the truth.

That brought me to this comment, in response to The Happy Feminist from BitchLab:

In the military, cleaning still has highly negative connotations and is usually associated with punishment. ON paper, everyone has to do some kind of maintenance/cleaning. In practice, it is also junior members of the military who end up doing the bulk of the work.

Not true and true. (I will refer to ships although I am intimately familiar with garrison routines as well.) While there are some punishment routines which involve cleaning, they involve extreme methods employed as corrective discipline. It is also a fact that there is a direct correlation between the cleanlinesss of a ship and unit discipline. The cleanest ships having fewer or no disciplinary problems. The bulk of cleaning is conducted during scheduled periods of the day and week. There is a formalized assignment of cleaning tasks, however the standard, which is purposely set high, is the responsibility of all. It is quite true that the bulk of cleaning falls to the corps of junior sailors and the least appealing of those cleaning jobs usually goes to the most junior. That could be viewed as unfair, except that rarely does anybody join the service as a Commander or a Chief Petty Officer. Virtually everybody joins as the most junior level of seaman or midshipman, thus everyone has been a direct participant in twice daily cleaning tasks during the early parts of their service. Despite the fact that cleaning is viewed as an unpleasant necessity, everyone knows what to do and how to do it... for the rest of their lives.

BitchLab goes on:

As you say, it's also something that is associated with one's identity as a member of the military. You live up to the ideal of the military by keeping things clean. But it's taught in a very utilitarian way: you pick up trash because it's a fire hazard, you keep floor mopped and toilets scrubbed for health reasons.

Agreed, but that's only a part of the raison d'etre. Indeed, there is a damage-control imperative surrounding shipboard cleaning, but it goes much further than that. Unit efficiency and morale are affected by the cleanliness of surroundings. The health and safety factors are real and they do not really diminish in a house. While the military/naval situation may be exacerbated by numbers of people using limited facilities (e.g. 22 toilets vs 250 people), it simply forces increased frequency of tasks which are the same as those carried out less often in a household. While the standards in the military are high, there is an element of personal and unit discipline which are a part of the equation. General tidiness is often a reflection of personal standards and pride. A junior officer who keeps a messy desk or office is viewed as lacking the personal discipline necessary to effectively lead troops. Not only is it a demonstration of a lack of organization on the part of the "offender", it is a poor example from which troops will receive a message that they too can pattern like behaviour. In short, cleanliness and tidiness, or lack thereof, in the military is used as a gauge to measure some of a member's personal attributes, one of which is attitude and the ability to live up to a constructed standard.

All that said, I know hundreds of service members who leave their unit, go home and leave those particular standards behind. In some instances, this is a good thing. To invoke a military standard of cleanliness would be pointless, and would likely incite resentment, particularly if those standards were imposed on a spouse. As Scott provides, such a standard in the household would create an arbitrary expectation which makes the burden of inequality more crushing.

I think the frustration most women feel is that men in a relationship know what standard is expected and still cannot get them to participate in a reasonable share of the burden even if women are prepared to negotiate a change in the standard. The military example serves to demonstrate that household chores are not the sole domain of women and could fall exclusively to men, sans the emasculation argument.

Men suggesting that they accept a much lower standard of household cleanliness may be couched in some minor truth, but it is too often employed as a strategy to avoid the direct involvement in repetitive cleaning. There is, however, a lesson to be learned from the military example and that is a demonstration of attitude. In my view, two things standout: (a) personal pride and (b) a willingness to negotiate, not just standards of cleanliness, but most other things affecting a relationship as well.

In this post I made a bit of a joke about how tools would be different if men were actually doing the housework. However, my experience in a predominantly male environment actually bears that out. Long before they became commercially available I saw sailors invent some unique cleaning devices, an automatic toilet scrubber and a floor cleaning device known as a doodlebug, being the first two to come to mind. It is not a wrong argument made by some women that a majority of household labour-saving devices are designed by men to be used by women. It is certainly wrong that many men won't use them. If they do indeed reduce labour and investment of time then men using a strategic argument that they will accept a lower standard should find regular involvement in household tasks quite simple and less time-consuming than it was when, sometime in the past, the male priviledge somehow became entrenched.

Osama was 20 minutes away from capture and then...

Guess what? According to the Times Online, way back when, when it was known that Osama bin Laden was hiding out in caves in Tora Bora, the Brits were within 20 minutes of capturing him. But the Americans wanted to get the credit, so the Brits were told to hold off until the Americans arrived....several hours later, by which time Osama was long gone. 20 minutes!!!! A lousy 20 minutes!

Bin Laden was located by British signals intelligence experts in a series of caves at Tora Bora in the White Mountains, 25 miles southwest of Jalalabad; but the assault on the caves was badly botched and risk aversion mentality won the day. A combined force of SAS and SBS commandos was just 20 minutes behind Bin Laden, but they were pulled off to allow US troops to go in for the kill. It took several hours for the Americans to get there, by which time he had escaped.

Sigh.

US building new “terrorist” prison in Morocco

There is little hope that the US practice of “extraordinary renditions” will come to an end any time soon. According to the Times Online, the US is currently building a new facility in Morocco for US “terrorist” prisoners.

The new prison is being built just outside the Moroccan capital of Rabat and will be under the nominal direction of the Securite du Territoire (DST), the Moroccan secret police.

I suppose this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Firstly, building “black site” detention facilities using US money is not exactly a secret.

Most of the facilities were built and are maintained with congressionally appropriated funds, but the White House has refused to allow the CIA to brief anyone except the House and Senate intelligence committees' chairmen and vice chairmen on the program's generalities.

Secondly, sending prisoners to countries who have no qualms about torture is also well known.

On March 7, the Minister of Human Rights, Mohamed Oujjar, stated that a body composed of officials from the Ministries of Human Rights, Justice, and the Interior (of Morocco)were investigating reports that persons detained in connection with the May 2003 Casablanca explosions had been subjected to torture and human rights violations.

AI and other human rights organizations reported torture and ill treatment during initial interrogations of prisoners, including beatings, electric shocks, and sexual abuse. Former detainees reported that they were held in secret detention and denied contact with lawyers or family. The AI report also documented accusations of arbitrary detention and forced confessions of detained terrorism suspects.

In addition, we are all well aware that the US “rewards” those countries willing to do their dirty work for them.

Morocco is an important ally of the United States because of its cooperation in fighting terrorism, the 2004 signing of a bilateral free-trade agreement, and its generally pro-West policies. In June 2004, the United States designated Morocco “a major non-NATO ally,” thus easing restrictions on arms sales.

So, why is this news? I think many of us thought that after the public outcry over “black sites”, after the international beating Condie Rice took on her December European tour over the matter, after the international furor and investigations into which countries hosted or abetted in the disappearances, the Bush administration just might have left things in a condition that was at least no more expansive than what already existed. No such luck. To be still building NEW facilities shows that not only will extraordinary renditions (along with their accompanying and inevitable torture) continue, but will undoubtedly continue well into the future.

The building, like the US policy, is meant to last a long time.