Compilation 5: Senate, "first-past-the-post" vs "proportional representation", Security, Al Jazeera, UNSCAM, Killer Cults, Charity-Terror Front, CAIR

List of Articles:
"first-past-the-post" vs "proportional representation",
* Paul Martin's 'Senate-in-waiting'
* My Commentary: "first-past-the-post" vs "proportional representation", "the centre" and "red necks"
* Check this -- Al Jazeera
* Racism, Democrat-style -- and a trip down memory lane
* Palestinian Canadian convicted of planning attacks in North America
* UNSCAM -- UN knew of Saddam's oil-for-food thefts: BBC
* UNSCAM: Kofi’s black box syndrome
* Europe to the barricades
* Killer cults giving Muslims a bad name
* Charity a front for terrorists, Day alleges -- Based in Mississauga, Ont.; A reconstituted version of group identified as Hamas fundraiser
* The question of CAIR -- libel notice served on National Post and David Frum -- and the public record
* Canadian Coalition for Democracies: O Canada - how could you?
* The Palestinian press in action -- just link, look, listen to the videos, and think
* Hansard -- Terrorism and Petitions: Canadian Forces Housing and the Age of Consent * No child left unmedicated

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Paul Martin's 'Senate-in-waiting'

Paul Martin's 'Senate-in-waiting' November 22, 2004, Link Byfield, chairman of the Edmonton-based Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy.

"Just Between Us" is a feature service of the Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy. The purpose of the Citizens Centre is to enhance freedom and democracy by enabling ordinary citizens to become active and effective on important issues outside the normal processes of party politics.

Prime Minister Paul Martin delivered one of those bogus statements last week which make politicians sound like they love something they actually hate.

Opposition Leader Steve Harper had asked whether Martin will appoint the winners of the special Senate election Albertans are holding today, alongside a provincial general election.

In other provinces the PM's Senate appointees are local loyal Liberals. But in Alberta the PM drags his feet appointing anyone, because since we began electing Senate nominees in 1989 it looks bad when he ignores democracy.

Albertans have turned one of the more pleasant prime ministerial duties into a public relations nightmare.

As a result half of Alberta's six seats have fallen vacant. One has been empty for two years. The situation is unique in Canada.

[. . . . ] The Perfect Paul Martin Senate would probably be "indirectly elected" (the standard euphemism) by an expert committee of incumbent senators, retired cabinet ministers and federal judges, feminists and academics, all named to the committee by the Prime Minister. [italics -- ed.]

The Perfect Paul Martin Senate would probably be 50% women, 55% francophone, 25% senators of color, 10% specially-abled, 10% Aboriginal, 10% gay activists, and 99% Liberals.

Selections for the Perfect Paul Martin Senate would probably be rubber-stamped by a Commons committee dominated by Liberals and prevented from interviewing the candidates. (That's how we now staff the Supreme Court.) [. . . . ]

Excellent assessment! The PM makes appointments in every area of governing and peripheral groups, anywhere it counts to maintain the Liberal status quo. Paul Martin misspoke himself to get elected when he spoke of reforming the process; he neglected to mention that any change would occur AFTER he appointed those whom he wanted in the SCOC. He appointed two female justices who fit into the leftish, activist, Liberal mould. Same old, same old.




My Commentary: "first-past-the-post" vs "proportional representation", "the centre" and "red necks" Financial Post, Nov. 25, 04, Lawrence Solomon

The following is based on Our voting system has weathered the fiercest storms -- History has proven beats proportional representation

As for changing the "first-past-the-post" system for "proportional representation", Lawrence Solomon makes an excellent case for staying with the system we have -- even though though proportional representation appears at first glance to be more representative of the views of all segments of society and thus more democratic. The article also touches upon the utility of moving toward the "centre", although I would argue that, in Canada, one party has determined the discussion on this and it has gerrymandered what is acceptable as the "centre" through controlling media, education, appointments (activist justices on the SCOC are just one aspect of many; another is Human Rights Commissions ), employment and advancement to the point where only this group's views are seen as centrist. Thus, a whole range of Canadians with other views are afraid to speak out and are branded "red-necks".

Those "red necks" of my acquaintance are some of the finest people I know -- people who are concerned about:

* traditional parenting -- that is, two-parents of the opposite sex as the best way to raise the best citizens

* traditional marriage -- as having withstood the test of time over millenia as the best situation for raising children though, obviously, misfortune may intervene

* the right to continue to express their beliefs in Canada -- often Christian beliefs, although not limited to practising Christians; non-Christians may agree with the logic and support them

* the right to free speech on contentious issues being curtailed through heavy-handed government activity -- and more.

These are the people who see their freedoms being eroded in the government's quest to render Canada values-neutral -- whatever the consequences that they see all around them. These are the people who have something precious they want to conserve -- people who are not willing to live a values-neutral life in the face of what they see as much evidence that it is not working; just look at the crime statistics, increasing violence and weaponry evident, sexualization of children along with "health curricula" / media / entertainment which exacerbate these trends. These people want this to stop, but their views are branded as not "centrist".

Who is determining the "centre" in Canada? I would argue that this has, for too long, been the purview of the overweaning power to force its views on the electorate of the governing body which has changed our country immeasurably over the last many years. That is the Liberal government, in concert with the Red Tories, who are simply Liberals in waiting.

Of course, I am biased by my respect for the "red necks" of my acquaintance through personal knowledge or reading what they write. They are the bedrock of what is enduring and best in Canada.

The mainstream media should talk with a few of them and find out what and why they think as they do, instead of disparaging them as "not mainstream" or "Christian"--almost a term of opprobrium in Canada. Then the media types should write.




Check this -- Al Jazeera

Iraq minister brands Al-Jazeera a 'terror channel' -- with a link to the original article.


Racism, Democrat-style -- and a trip down memory lane

Racism, Democrat-style Ruben Navarrette Jr., Nov. 24, 2004

Dallas -- A LATINO attorney general? A black woman as secretary of state?

Who would have imagined it 50 years ago -- or even, more recently, say, during the Clinton administration? Give President Bush credit for breaking barriers that his Democratic predecessor never got around to.

Just don't tell that to white liberals thrilled with the idea of minorities doing well -- as long as liberals can claim credit. If they can't, or if the minorities happen to be conservative, things can get messy. [. . . . ]

Palestinian Canadian convicted of planning attacks in North America

Palestinian-Canadian convicted Joseph Federman, Nov. 24, 04

or Palestinian Canadian convicted of planning attacks in North America Josef Federman, CP, Nov. 24, 04, posted by Marek Nov. 24. 04

JERUSALEM (AP-CP) -- A Gaza-born Canadian citizen pleaded guilty Wednesday to planning attacks on Israelis in North America and was sentenced by a military court to four years in prison, the Israeli army said.

Jamal Akkal, 24, was arrested in Gaza on Nov. 1, 2003, and charged by the military with conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors said Akkal planned to carry out attacks against Israeli officials travelling in the United States, as well as bombings against Jewish targets in North America.

[. . . . ] Akkal was born and raised in the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza and moved to Canada in 1999, where he became a citizen. He lived in Windsor, Ont.

[. . . . ] During the trial, Akkal claimed he had come to Gaza to get engaged to a cousin, also of the Nusseirat refugee camp. The army said he met with militants from the violent Islamic group Hamas, received weapons training and planned attacks. [. . . . ]

UNSCAM -- UN knew of Saddam's oil-for-food thefts: BBC

UNSCAM -- UN knew of Saddam's oil-for-food thefts: BBC Caroline Overington, New York Correspondent, Nov. 22, 2004

The United Nations knew that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was stealing from the oil-for-food program - and, by extension, starving his own people - but did little to stop it, according to a special report by the BBC at the weekend.

After a six-month investigation, the BBC said it had evidence that Saddam took billions from the oil-for-food program, and that "these abuses were widely known about at the time". The BBC said there was evidence that Saddam demanded a kickback from companies that wanted to do business with Iraq under the oil-for-food program.

[. . . . ] The BBC sent a reporter to Iraq and Jordan to track down people involved in the oil-for-food program, which has been described as the largest financial swindle in history. Virtually all said that Saddam took kickbacks from companies who sold goods to Iraq, and that the UN knew this. The businessmen - most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity - said it was standard to pay commissions, that nobody complained, and that was the price of doing business with Iraq.

[. . . . ] The allegations have left the UN fighting for its reputation. The oil-for-food program is being investigated by six US congressional committees and by the UN itself.

[. . . . ] Some of that money allegedly went to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers. It is also alleged that Saddam paid foreign journalists and sympathetic foreign officials, as a way of getting them to campaign to get the sanctions lifted. Around 270 people are alleged to have received vouchers to sell oil for millions of dollars in profit. [. . . . ]

UNSCAM: Kofi’s black box syndrome

Kofi’s black box syndrome Judi McLeod, anadafreepress.com, Nov. 22, 04.

The United Nations staff union expressing lack of confidence in the senior management of the world’s largest bureaucracy is the same one that drummed out Denis Beissel of hidden "black box" infamy.

Beissel, the UN official who took receipt of a black box flight data recorder from a downed 1994 aircraft, unearthed a decade later in a locked file cabinet in Kofi Annan’s Peacekeeping Department, departed the scene following a highly publicized clash with the UN staff union. [. . . . ]

Europe to the barricades


Europe to the barricades Tony Blankley, Nov. 24, 04

This Christmastime could be the moment when Western Europe finally joins our war on terrorism. Anti-Islamist fear and anger from the mouths of the European volk are breaking through the surface calm perpetuated by the elite European appeasers. The assassination and mutilation of Dutch filmmaker van Gogh by an Islamic fanatic -- and the retaliatory fire-bombings of mosques by ethnic Dutchmen -- has forced high European leaders and news outlets to begin to publicly face up to the implications of Sept. 11, 2001 and the migration of Muslims in large and hostile numbers into the heart of Europe.

From Holland's leading newspaper, the Telegraaf, to Germany's liberal Berliner Zeitung and Der Spiegel (roughly, the European equivalents of the The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time magazine) has come the same heated prose that could be found in the United States in the aftermath of September 11. And here in the United States, even the liberal National Public Radio Network's (NPR) "All Things Considered" is beginning to seriously report European volkish fury the way they usually report breathlessly on the latest developments in Brazilian rainforest depletion.

Der Spiegel wrote: "The veil of multiculturalism has been lifted, revealing parallel societies where the law of the state does not apply." The Berliner Zeitung headlined their story: "Fear is spreading." In Holland, the very dignified Telegraaf wrote: " ... magazines and papers which include incitements should be suppressed, unsuitable mosques should be shut down and imams who encourage illegal acts should be thrown out of the country." [. . . . ]

Killer cults giving Muslims a bad name

Killer cults giving Muslims a bad name John O'Sullivan, Nov, 23, 2004, Chicago Sun Times

Van Gogh and Hassan fell victim to a sectarian fundamentalist cult within Islam. As the murder of Hassan shows, that cult is murderously hostile to other Muslims almost as much as it is to the adherents of other religions. Yet that same cult is destroying the good name of Islam throughout the world.

[. . . . ] People worldwide are realizing that the cult threatens them wherever they are -- in Baghdad like Hassan or in a European city like van Gogh. Like Americans after Sept. 11, Europeans are waking up to the fact that no one is safe. That makes them concerned about exactly who and what are threatening their lives. And when Muslims seem reluctant to condemn the cult and its murders, their neighbors wonder if Islam is compatible with the freedom and tolerance of a liberal society -- and therefore if Muslim immigration should continue unchecked. [. . . . ]

Charity a front for terrorists, Day alleges -- Based in Mississauga, Ont.; A reconstituted version of group identified as Hamas fundraiser

Charity a front for terrorists, Day alleges -- Based in Mississauga, Ont.; A reconstituted version of group identified as Hamas fundraiser November 23, 2004, Sean Gordon, CanWest

[. . . . ] Joseph Ben-Ami, a spokesperson for Jewish rights group B'nai B'rith, called on Ottawa to "thoroughly investigate" IRFAN Canada and strip its charitable status if it turns out any funds made their way into Hamas coffers.

Day said federal records indicate IRFAN Canada, which also has offices in Ottawa and Montreal, raised more than $10 million from 2000-03. He said a report by an Israeli researcher suggests that IRFAN is a reconstituted version of another group called the Jerusalem Fund.

Canadian Charity Linked to Illegal Terrorist Organization Al Gordon, posted Nov, 21, 04, Canadian Coalition for Democracies




The question of CAIR -- libel notice served on National Post and David Frum -- and the public record

The question of CAIR posted by Al Gordon on the Canadian Coalition for Democracies website, Nov. 23, 04 -- or here David Frum, National Post, Nov. 23, 04

Two weeks ago, the National Post and I were served with a notice of libel by the Canadian branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR. The Post and I are not alone. Over the past year, CAIR's Canadian and U.S branches have served similar libel notices on half a dozen other individuals and organizations in the United States and Canada. Each case has its own particular facts, yet they are linked by a common theme: That we defendants have accused CAIR (in the words of the notice served on me) of being "an unscrupulous, Islamist, extremist sympathetic group in Canada supporting terrorism."

[. . . . ] CAIR is understandably protective of its reputation. Until recently, it has had considerable success winning acceptance in the United States and Canada as something close to an official spokesman for local Muslim communities. CAIR has been influential in advocating for a sharia court to arbitrate divorces and other family-law matters in the province of Ontario. CAIR's strong criticisms of Canada's anti-terror legislation have won respectful hearing in Ottawa. Any reporting or commentary that cast doubt on CAIR's carefully cultivated image would deeply threaten the group's mission.

What is that mission? The public record offers some clues: . . .

This is chock full of information. Do link.




Canadian Coalition for Democracies: O Canada - how could you?

O Canada - how could you? Nov. 23, 04, Joan O'Callaghan, Associate Director of Communications for the Canadian Coalition for Democracies.

Everyone is sensing some sort of opportunity – although nobody is sure what kind of opportunity – in the power vacuum left by Arafat. Various interested parties are jumping on board the peace train.

The latest comer is Canada's Prime Minister Paul Martin, himself recently elected although not with the clear majority accorded his American counterpart.

But is Canada's involvement in any peace process really in Israel's best interests?

Although Canada claims to be a friend of Israel, an examination of Canada's actions both internationally and domestically should raise a few eyebrows and generate some hard questions.

[. . . . ] While mouthing platitudes about Israel's right to defend itself, Canada has managed to condemn just about everything Israel does in its own defense. [. . . . my emphasis -- ed. ]

Link for the details.




The Palestinian press in action -- just link, look, listen to the videos, and think

cartoons, videos, text -- no comment necessary Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, November 22, 2004, via honestreporting

Contents:

* PA Press: US soldier is rapist and Rice is "Exterminator"
* Mother on PATV: Son's Shahada -martyrdom, is a "wedding," time of joy
* PA cartoons: Bin Laden Deciding US Election
* Puppet promotes massacre with AK-47 on PA TV program for Palestinian children
* Palestinian children in combat support roles
* Palestinian Hate Videos Reflect Ideology Israel Behind All World Terror and Wars
* Striking New PA TV Hate Video - Israel Behind All World Terror and Waras
* Mother Promotes Killing and Death - Return of PA TV Clip
* Twice in three days on PA TV: PA religious leaders call for genocide of Jews

Hansard -- Terrorism and Petitions: Canadian Forces Housing and the Age of Consent

Terrorism

Mr. Stockwell Day (Okanagan—Coquihalla, CPC): [. . . . ] four years ago the Privy Council warned the government about organizations that were raising funds in Canada for Palestinian terrorist groups. One of those organizations was the Jerusalem fund, now called IRFAN, and that group still raises money for Palestinian terror groups today.

Even Saudi Arabia has announced that it will shut down those types of organizations within its country. When will our country at least rise to Saudi Arabia's standard and shut down these groups that are raising money for Palestinian terror groups?

Hon. John McCallum (Minister of National Revenue, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, while I cannot comment on specific cases, I can say that it is extremely important that charitable giving gets to legitimate charities.

[. . . . ]

(1500)

[Hamas fundraising in Canada again Paul Lungen, Canadian Coalition for Democracy ]

Petitions

[Canadian Forces]

Mr. Jay Hill (Prince George—Peace River, CPC):

[. . . ] on behalf of our military families.

[. . . ] Canadian Forces Housing Agency . . . . many of those homes on our bases across the land are substandard to acceptable living conditions, and their rent keeps rising every year.

Therefore, the petitioners [from Windsor] call upon Parliament to immediately suspend any future rent increases for accommodation provided by the Canadian Forces Housing Agency until such time as the Government of Canada makes substantive improvements to the living conditions of housing provided for our military families.

Age of Consent

Mr. Jay Hill (Prince George—Peace River, CPC): [. . . . ] The petitioners [Dawson Creek] wish to draw to the attention of the House to the fact that our children need protection from sexual exploitation. They therefore call upon Parliament to protect our children by taking all necessary steps to raise the age of consent for sexual interaction, from 14 years of age to 18 years of age.

The National Post, Nov. 25, 04 had an article on the new health curriculum in New Brunswick. The author wrote logically and convincingly on why teaching sexual health should emphasize abstinence -- and it is not a faith-based reason. One of the problems with discussing sex education has been the assumption that abstinence is only a faith-based approach; this article informs without tying sexual activity to Christian belief -- worth reading. Check for the article.




No child left unmedicated

No child left unmedicated Phyllis Schlafly, Nov. 23, 04

Big Brother is on the march. A plan to subject all children to mental health screening is under way, and pharmaceutical companies are gearing up for bigger sales of psychotropic drugs.
Like most liberal big-spending ideas, this one was slipped into the law under cover of soft semantics. Its genesis was the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health created by President George W. Bush in 2002.

The commission recommends "routine and comprehensive" testing and mental health screening for every child in the United States, including preschoolers. The president has instructed 25 federal agencies to develop a plan to implement the commission's recommendations.

The commission proposes using electronic medical records for mental health interrogation of both children and adults for mental illnesses in school and during routine physical exams. The commission also recommends integrating electronic health records and personal health information systems.

It recommends "linkage" of these mental examinations with "state-of-the-art treatments" using "specific medications for specific conditions." That means prescribing more expensive patented antidepressants and antipsychotic drugs.

[. . . . ]

Compilation 4: Auditor General's Report & Related -- Other Articles

List of Articles:

* Fraser blasts Ottawa for drug waste...Auditor-general warns of misuse...Wants government to shop around
* CSL responses 'reasonably complete' -- "nothing more than a simple oversight"
* The High Cost Of Corruption -- Rigged markets, as well as regulation, can hurt growth
* Aboriginal education a well-funded debacle
* A precedent for prosperity -- Does "must consult with aboriginals" mean that aboriginals may stop a major project? Who has the final say?
* Auditor General: Wasted drug costs, misspent native education budget highlight report
* Wasted drug costs, misspent native education budget highlight report -- Fintrac/FINTRAC -- The Auditor General "warned against looking at one problem area and concluding the whole government is off the rails."
* Terror financing agency handcuffed -- Fintrac / FINTRAC
* Time needed to close education gap

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Fraser blasts Ottawa for drug waste...Auditor-general warns of misuse...Wants government to shop around

Fraser blasts Ottawa for drug waste -- Auditor-general warns of misuse Wants government to shop around Rick Westhead and Bruce Campion-Smith, Nov. 24, 04

OTTAWA—The federal government is wasting money — and endangering the lives of some Canadians — by the sloppy way it handles its drug benefit program, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser says.

[. . . . ] She has specifically recommended in previous years that Health Canada give pharmacists key information on recent prescription use by patients.
Noting that narcotics have a "high potential for misuse," her audit found more than 900 people were on two or more different narcotics acquired through different doctors and pharmacies. A few patients were even getting narcotics from seven or more doctors.

"Many patterns were highly suggestive of problematic use, such as drug misuse, addiction and possibly trade or sale," she said in her report.

CSL responses 'reasonably complete' -- "nothing more than a simple oversight"

CSL responses 'reasonably complete' CP, Nov. 23, 2004

OTTAWA -- When federal officials failed to mention a $10 million loan guarantee to a company in which the prime minister once had a financial interest, it was likely nothing more than a simple oversight, says auditor general Sheila Fraser.

[. . . . ] The auditor concluded the government's answers were ''reasonably complete'' given the difficulty of tracking deals that dated back as much as a decade.

She noted that officials overlooked a $10 million loan guarantee to Canarctic Shipping Ltd., which was controlled by Ottawa with a minority interest held by CSL.

[. . . . ] What sparked her investigation was a huge discrepancy between initial government estimates and a later tally of the federal contracts, grants and contributions that went to CSL during the 1990s.

In 2002, the figure provided to Opposition MPs was $137,000. By January 2004, the number had been revised to $161 million.

In the Commons on Tuesday, Conservative James Rajotte called it ''the largest clerical error in Canadian history'' and said taxpayers still don't have a clear picture of the government's interactions with CSL. [. . . . ]

For those of us used to amounts in the range of $10-million or $161-million, perhaps it was "nothing more than a simple oversight"--though we ordinary Canadians wish that we might find out what dealing with those sums is like.




The High Cost Of Corruption -- Rigged markets, as well as regulation, can hurt growth

The High Cost Of Corruption -- Rigged markets, as well as regulation, can hurt growth editorial, Nov. 29, 04 (online)

The cost of regulation is high, but the cost of corruption may be higher. Nov. 15 marked the implementation deadline for a key section of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for companies with fiscal years ending on or after that date. Under Section 404 of the law, publicly traded companies must have new financial monitoring controls in place, certified by auditors. Many chief executives are complaining loudly that implementing "Sox" is costing their companies heavily in time and money. But we should all be indignant at the broader economic "tax" imposed by corporate corruption on America.

Corruption makes markets less efficient, more costly, and less innovative. [. . . . ]

Aboriginal education a well-funded debacle

Aboriginal education a well-funded debacle John Ivison, Nov. 25, 04

A precedent for prosperity -- Does "must consult with aboriginals" mean that aboriginals may stop a major project? Who has the final say?

A precedent for prosperity Bruce Rawson and Jodi White, National Post, Nov. 24, 2004

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled last week that Canadian governments must consult with aboriginals before awarding rights to natural resources on public land being claimed by native bands. The specific case involved Weyerhaeuser Co., which was seeking to log parts of the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia that have been claimed by the Haida.

This case may seem arcane to most Canadians, but it will be a critical factor in determining the feasibility and timeframe of numerous resource projects now under consideration. The Supreme Court decision could well affect the pace of resource development across the country and not just in B.C.

North of 55 degrees, Canada is undergoing a renaissance of resource development. The long-held dream of developing the mid-Canada corridor is within reach. Explosive growth in pipelines, energy, mining and forestry projects is on the horizon. The Mackenzie pipeline and Manitoba Hydro expansion will reap economic benefits for southern Canada as well as the North. More modest projects, particularly in mining and forestry, will have significant regional benefits.

Virtually all of these projects are in areas where one or more Aboriginal communities will be affected. [. . . . ]

There are suggestions for government and aboriginal action in this article.




Auditor General: Wasted drug costs, misspent native education budget highlight report

Wasted drug costs, misspent native education budget highlight report: Note also, Highlights of the Nov. 2004 Auditor General's report John Ward, CP, Nov. 23, 04

Wasted drug costs, misspent native education budget highlight report -- The Auditor General "warned against looking at one problem area and concluding the whole government is off the rails."

Wasted drug costs, misspent native education budget highlight report John Ward, CP, Nov. 23, 04.

OTTAWA -- The government is wasting tens of millions on prescription drugs and its billion-dollar annual investment in native education is actually losing ground, Auditor-General Sheila Fraser said Tuesday.

In one of the three reports she submits annually to Parliament, Fraser complained for the fifth straight year that the government keeps pumping billions into a bloated Employment Insurance fund.

Fraser also said the watchdog charged with monitoring money laundering and terrorist financing is hamstrung by legislation and privacy rules which limit what it can tell the police.

The cops usually find that the information they get from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre, known as Fintrac, isn't enough to start an investigation, she said. [This would explain an article in the National Post stating that FINTRAC has yet to reveal its value in this area. Scroll down.]

''There is a delicate balance between privacy rights and the information needs of law enforcement,'' she said. ''Determining the right balance is up to Parliament.''

[. . . . ] The government spends $1.1 billion on primary and high school education for natives and another $273 million to support post-secondary schooling.

The money has little impact on the education aboriginal children get and the number of students supported in post-secondary programs is falling, the report said. [. . . . ]

[. . . . ]




Terror financing agency handcuffed -- Fintrac / FINTRAC

Terror financing agency handcuffed Sandra Cordon, CP, Nov. 23, 04

OTTAWA -- After spending millions to establish a federal agency to fight terrorist financing and money laundering, Ottawa has handcuffed it with tough privacy laws, says the auditor general.

Moreover, a decision last year to exempt lawyers from money-laundering regulations further hampers crime fighting by the new Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre, Sheila Fraser said in a report Tuesday.

All the restrictions mean Fintrac's efforts may prove little more valuable than low-tech investigations, in which police depend upon tips from suspicious bankers.

''Law enforcement officers told us that suspicious-transactions reports they received directly from banks often contain more useful information than Fintrac disclosures. They are more current and provide the reasons for suspicion,'' said the auditor's report.

''This is a serious criticism of a system set up expressly to add value to the raw information provided by reporting entities.'' [. . . . ]

Time needed to close education gap

Time needed to close education gap Sue Bailey, CP, Nov. 23, 04

OTTAWA -- It will take aboriginal high school students 28 years to match non-native graduation rates and they're losing ground, says the auditor general.

Indian Affairs is dragging its heels on a troubling range of old problems, Sheila Fraser said in a report Tuesday.

These include jurisdictional squabbles, low teacher salaries and a lack of professional training.

Moreover, Ottawa can't say whether more than $1 billion spent each year on native education is too much or too little to meet required standards.

Fraser also blasts Indian Affairs for poorly tracking another $273 million spent on college and university funding.

[. . . . ] Just over 40 per cent of reserve residents had a high school diploma compared to almost 70 per cent of the general population, says the 2001 census.

[. . . . ] The one bright light she noted in an otherwise dim performance was improved programs for special education. [. . . . ]

There is much to read in the Auditor General's report if you link to these articles.

Compilation 3: US & Trade Backlash-WTO, US-Canada-Mexico-NAFTA, Minister Sgro-Aide, Quebec & Language

List of Articles:

* U.S. braces for trade backlash: WTO set to give go-ahead for sweeping retaliation duties against U.S. exports
* Meet NAFTA on steroids -- New U.S.-Mexico-Canada security plan would virtually eliminate national borders
* Strip club owner asked aide's help -- Minister Judy Sgro's department
Heat turned up on Sgro
* Quebec to halt English gains, Charest says

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Meet NAFTA on steroids -- New U.S.-Mexico-Canada security plan would virtually eliminate national borders

Meet NAFTA on steroids -- New U.S.-Mexico-Canada security plan would virtually eliminate national borders

WASHINGTON – North American national borders would be virtually eliminated under plans being considered by senior business and political leaders from Canada, the United States and Mexico for a "NAFTA-plus," continent-wide, customs-free zone with a common approach to trade, energy, immigration, law enforcement and security.

[. . . . ] The "NAFTA-plus" plan has also been referred to as "deep integration." Skeptics see it as a plan to eliminate national sovereignty and erode the American concept of representative government accountable to the people under the framework of the Constitution.

Discussions so far indicate that Canada, under the new agreement, would immediately sign on to the U.S. strategic missile defense initiative. Canada would also make its vast lumber resources available to the U.S. and Mexican markets and provide more open access to the northern neighbor's oil, natural gas and hydro-electric power resources. [. . . . ]

Strip club owner asked aide's help -- Minister Judy Sgro's department

Strip club owner asked aide's help Tom Godfrey, Toronto Sun, Nov. 24, 2004

A TORONTO STRIP club co-owner says he met with the right-hand man of Immigration Minister Judy Sgro last summer to try and get 18 strippers into Canada. Terry Koumoudouros, president of House of Lancaster 1 and 2, said he met with Ihor Wons, Sgro's senior policy adviser, at his club on The Queensway.

"I called him (Wons) up," Koumoudouros said yesterday. "He came down and I asked for him to help me get the girls from the Dominican Republic."

He said he gave Wons a list of names of the strippers who had been refused visas but later Wons said he couldn't help. [. . . . ]

Were any contributions made to Ms. Sgro's campaign? When the information becomes available, check the searchable database on financial reporting which "includes information extracted from financial reports of candidates in an election, leadership contestants, nomination contestants, registered electoral district associations, and registered political parties."




Heat turned up on Sgro

Heat turned up on Sgro Bill Rogers, Ottawa, Sun Media, Nov. 24, 2004

The calls for the firing of Immigration Minister Judy Sgro are growing louder by the day . Under fire for more than a week for using her power to extend the stay in Canada of a Romanian stripper, Sgro now faces new allegations that a member of her staff shopped around private information on the 25-year-old immigrant in an effort to quell further opposition criticism.

Both New Democrat Pat Martin and Conservative Diane Ablonczy say the embattled minister's director of parliamentary affairs, Marc Khouri, offering "private information" about the "circumstances" surrounding the case, contacted them in recent days. [. . . . ]

Minister won't let toddler in: Sgro wants to end program allowing strippers into Canada




Quebec to halt English gains, Charest says

Quebec to halt English gains, Charest says Mike De Souza, CanWest, Nov. 24, 2004

QUEBEC - The Quebec government will do whatever it takes to stop the English language from gaining ground in the workplace, Premier Jean Charest said yesterday. "We will always be very vigilant in Quebec on the issue of language," he said. [. . . . ]

MONTREAL GAZETTE - News for French has never been better

Compilation 2: Legalizing Marijuana, Grow-ops, RCMP, OMGs, Ports, Truckers and Drugs

List of Articles:

* Legalizing pot would put workers at risk, expert warns -- Marijuana use associated with fatigue, inability to focus, scientist says
* Grow-op chief guilty -- EX-BEER PLANT IN BARRIE THE BIGGEST KNOWN POT PLANTATION
* The RCMP's gangster 'hit list' -- New Approach -- OMG Members at Ports
* Truckloads of pot
* Truckers share in drug haul -- Police want to film confession of slayings, ex-gangster says
Canada’s sad truth -- Part 22 - The Global Mafia finds comfort in country’s lack of anti-organized crime laws

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Legalizing pot would put workers at risk, expert warns -- Marijuana use associated with fatigue, inability to focus, scientist says

Legalizing pot would put workers at risk, expert warns -- Marijuana use associated with fatigue, inability to focus, scientist says Francine Kopun, National Post, Nov. 23, 04

Legalizing marijuana in Canada would lead to a surge in inexperienced users who could be putting themselves at risk in the workplace, according to a workplace health and safety expert.

"Users tend to feel that their performance is enhanced by marijuana," said Dr. Martin Shain, a senior scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, yesterday. "It's more likely to be associated with loss of concentration, inability to focus, general wash-out fatigue." [. . . . ]

Grow-op chief guilty -- EX-BEER PLANT IN BARRIE THE BIGGEST KNOWN POT PLANTATION

Grow-op chief guilty -- EX-BEER PLANT IN BARRIE THE BIGGEST KNOWN POT PLANTATION Tracy McLaughlin, Nov. 23, 04, Toronto Sun

This one has plenty of details; do link.

A MAN known as the "chief" of the gardeners pleaded guilty yesterday to drug charges in connection with the mammoth marijuana plantation flourishing inside the former Molson's brewery in Barrie. Michael DiCicco, 61, of Toronto, pleaded guilty in Barrie court to production and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, a charge that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, although sentences over two years are rarely handed out by judges in grow-op cases.

Last January hundreds of police officers converged on the giant grow house that, so far, has surpassed any other in Canada in size. Cops found a sophisticated multi-million dollar operation with employed gardeners who lived inside hidden quarters and worked around the clock to crank out crops that netted $100 million a year.

[. . . . ] OPP Det. Staff-Sgt. Rick Barnum testified he believed the marijuana was destined for the United States, either for sale or for trade for weapons and cocaine. He said grow-ops are rare in the U.S. because of stiff prison sentences, compared to relatively light sentences in Canada.

[. . . . ] He said one OPP undercover study showed that about 2,000 grow houses operated in all of the U.S., compared to 15,000 to 25,000 in the Toronto region alone. [. . . . ]

The RCMP's gangster 'hit list' -- New Approach -- OMG Members at Ports

The RCMP's gangster 'hit list' (Category: Biker News), Posted by ace, Saturday 11 September 2004 - 09:22:44

[. . . . ] The RCMP has compiled a secret "hit list" of B.C.'s 20 most dangerous crime bosses, a list it hopes will help it put more gangsters behind bars and strike a blow against organized crime in this province, a joint Vancouver Sun-Victoria Times Colonist investigation has learned.

[. . . . ] "OMG [outlaw motorcycle gangs] is the top," said Supt. Dick Grattan, head of the RCMP's criminal intelligence section in B.C.

Grattan said biker-gang members make up the largest proportion of people on
the force's Top 20 list, an annual ranking known as the Strategic Threat Assessment that the Mounties in B.C. have been producing for the past few years.

[. . . . ] According to police, the list represents a shift in the RCMP's approach to investigating organized crime. Until recently, said Grattan, the force was "commodity focused" -- measuring success by the volume of drugs it seized.

The problem with that approach, however, is that it often only ensnared the smaller players, leaving many of the kingpins untouched. The goal now, Grattan said, is for police to focus their investigations on the most influential and powerful crime figures, in the hope that putting such people behind bars will destabilize criminal organizations.

[. . . . ] To winnow down the list, crime figures were ranked on 19 separate actors, including use of violence, infiltration into legitimate businesses and ability to corrupt officials. That combination of factors is what landed many of B.C.'s Hells Angels members in the Top 20. A heavily edited copy of the 2003 strategic Threat Assessment, provided to The Vancouver Sun by the RCMP, indicates how high a priority the Angels have become.

[. . . . ] But The Sun has learned that a secret 2001 report by the Organized Crime Agency of B.C. identified by name five full members of the Hells Angels who work at the Vancouver and Delta ports, along with more than 30 known associates.

[. . . . ] Athwal said longshoremen are not subject to criminal-record checks or other background checks before working at the ports. However, Transport Canada has
proposed new regulations that would require port workers -- like airport workers -- to be subject to background checks before working in restricted areas. [. . . . ]

Truckloads of pot

Truckloads of pot -- B.C. truckers fear their industry is being used by organized criminals involved in the booming marijuana trade. Drivers prepared to take the risk are being paid up to $50,000 to smuggle drugs across the border into the United States.

Fly-by-night businesses are often underbidding legitimate companies by huge margins, since they don't really need the revenue from the load -- making it tough for the legal operators to survive.

"In 1974, we would get $2,000 for a Vancouver to L.A. trip," Jawanda said. "Now it is as low as $1,300."

Several truckers interviewed during a Vancouver Sun investigation say they are concerned about organized crime infiltrating the industry.

They say many truckers are tempted by the prospect of earning tens of thousands of dollars without much chance of getting caught.

But the execution-style murders in recent months of two Lower Mainland truckers with links to drugs also have industry insiders worried that the violence is increasing.

[. . . . ] Earlier this year, U.S. Customs noted a phenomenal increase in the amount of marijuana being smuggled in from B.C. in commercial vehicles. Currently, about 50 per cent of the seizures are from commercial trucks -- up from just two per cent five years ago.

Morgan said it is hard to know if the culprit is a driver, a shipper or a company owner.

"Sometimes the companies are involved, sometimes the truck driver is involved, and sometimes the truck driver is unaware what is going on because the contraband is concealed inside the commodity, so it's the consignee or the shipper of the commodity," he said.

[. . . . ] Criminal gangs want the pot across the border so badly because they can sell it in the U.S. for almost four times the price they can get in Canada. Here, a kilogram of B.C. marijuana earns its distributor about $8,500. In the U.S., the figure is closer to $30,000. [. . . . ]

Truckers share in drug haul -- Police want to film confession of slayings, ex-gangster says

Truckers share in drug haul Kim Bolan, Vancouver Sun, Sept. 18, 04

Former gangster Bal Buttar says four undercover police officers tried to pressure him on Friday into making a videotaped statement about revelations he made in The Vancouver Sun about a series of Indo-Canadian gangland slayings.

Buttar, now a blind quadriplegic after an August 2001 shooting, said the surprise visit from the police officers came mid-afternoon Friday as he was with some friends. The police stayed about half an hour.

[. . . . ] In exclusive interviews, Buttar admitted he arranged the December 1998 hit on notorious cocaine trafficker Bindy Johal because he felt Johal would have killed him if he hadn't acted first.

He also said he had been involved in a number of unsolved murders when he was Johal's lieutenant in an organized criminal gang they called the "Indo-Canadian Mafia." [. . . . ]

You might wish to search for an article on "B.C.'S ORGANIZED CRIME FAMILIES" originally posted in the Vancouver Sun in September, 04.




Canada’s sad truth -- Part 22 - The Global Mafia finds comfort in country’s lack of anti-organized crime laws

Canada’s sad truth -- Part 22 - The Global Mafia finds comfort in country’s lack of anti-organized crime laws Antonio Nicaso, originally published Nov. 24, 01

It’s the world’s fastest growing industry, with profits estimated at $1 trillion, and it poses a greater security challenge to Western democracies than anything they’ve faced during the Cold War.

It’s the Global Mafia, a new, virulent form of international organized crime. Canada is one of its strongholds.

According to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service "there are approximately 18 active transnational criminal organizations represented in Canada." Not only do they increasingly cooperate to slice up the criminal profits in Canada, but they also use Canada as multi-national fulcrum to plan and coordinate their international criminal ventures.

The reason: they face a much lower risk of detection and prosecution than in the United States or in Europe. As Oliver Buck Revell, former assistant director of the FBI, put it in a recent interview with the National Post: "Canada is a particularly weak link in the international law enforcement effort." [. . . . ]

Along with other sections, this is online and gives suggestions on what is necessary to change the situation.

Compilation 1

List of Articles:

* We don't need a 'Mirabel' in Pickering -- So much for government's "long range planning"
* Multilateralism? No, Merci -- Ivory Coast
* Saudis, Arabs Funneled Millions to President Clinton's Library
* Cesspool on the Hudson -- UN: 150 Sex Abuse Charges in Congo Peacekeeping
* Organized Crime: The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba
* Kinsey and the Sexual Revolution: Are We Better Off?

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We don't need a 'Mirabel' in Pickering -- So much for government's "long range planning"

We don't need a 'Mirabel' in Pickering Connie Woodcock, Nov. 20, 04, Toronto Sun

If you hang around long enough, almost any bad idea from the past will make a comeback. Think of all the things you disliked about the 1970s that have turned up like bad pennies in a different millennium: sideburns, windowpane plaids, the Jackson family, polyester anything.

And now there's another one: the Pickering Airport. Talk about a blast from the past.

Back in 1975, the Pickering airport project was dead and buried. Although 7,300 hectares had been expropriated and more than 1,000 families displaced, Ottawa shelved it after strong public opposition. Even the provincial government was against it at the end.

Multilateralism? No, Merci -- Ivory Coast

Multilateralism? No, Merci Lorne Gunter, National Post, Nov.22, 2004

No blood for chocolate! No blood for chocolate! No blood for chocolate!

Where are the mass protests in the streets of the world's capitals against France's military intervention in the Ivory Coast?

This month, French peacekeepers in the former French colony launched a pre-emptive assault against the Ivorian air force. They also interferred with the internal politics of the troubled nation and sought regime change -- or at least they have been accused of both by President Laurent Gbagbo.

They acted without authorization by the United Nations Security Council.

They violated both the UN Charter and the terms of the peacekeeping resolution that established their specific mission in the West African nation. [. . . . ]

What's galling is the way the French have done it all without any deference to the multilateral consensus-building they so smugly demanded of the Americans and British last year when the boots were on the other feet.

Doubly galling is the silence -- even complicity -- of the UN and the international community, which last year so sanctimoniously and vocally obstructed the invasion of Iraq. [. . . . ]

Saudis, Arabs Funneled Millions to President Clinton's Library

Fund-raising for the Clinton Library began in 1999, while Mr. Clinton was still in office. However, the fund-raising team reportedly refrained from soliciting gifts from foreigners or foreign governments until Mr. Clinton left the White House in January 2001.

One minute they're working for the government; then, they retire and they are compensated with high paying jobs or gifts. My take on this is that Hillary is probably making a bid for the Presidency in 2008 and "gifts" entail influence. The ordinary citizen who does not contribute does not get into the inner circle of "friends" and "acquaintances", nor is he/she invited to . . . . . Frankly, the whole thing smells.

By the way, who provided the money for Pierre Trudeau's swimming pool at 24 Sussex? Or should one not ask?

Saudis, Arabs Funneled Millions to President Clinton's Library Josh Gerstein, NYSun, Nov. 22, 04

LITTLE ROCK, ARK. - President Clinton's new $165 million library here was funded in part by gifts of $1 million or more each from the Saudi royal family and three Saudi businessmen.

The governments of Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar and the deputy prime minister of Lebanon all also appear to have donated $1 million or more for the archive and museum that opened last week.

[. . . . ] Mr. Unger said he suspects that the Saudi support may have something to do with a possible presidential bid by Senator Clinton in 2008.

[. . . . ] The Saudi royal family and the governments of Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar donated at this "Trustee" level [The highest tier--in the million dollars range], as did the governments of Brunei and Taiwan. Also listed as trustees are three Saudi businessmen - Abdullah Al-Dabbagh, Nasser Al-Rashid, and Walid Juffali.

Other notables at the "Trustee" level include the deputy prime minister of Lebanon, Issam Fares; Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw, and an heir to the Wal-Mart fortune, Alice Walton.

[. . . . ] Denise Rich. Ms. Rich gave the foundation $450,000 while her fugitive ex-husband, Marc Rich, was seeking a pardon on tax-evasion and racketeering charges. Mr. Clinton granted the pardon hours before he left office, triggering a federal criminal investigation, as well as congressional inquiries.

[. . . . ] The Chinese communist government may also have chipped in for Mr. Clinton's library. The Chinese Overseas Real Estate Development company gave at the $100,000 or higher level. So did the National Opera of Paris.

Fund-raising for the Clinton Library began in 1999, while Mr. Clinton was still in office. However, the fund-raising team reportedly refrained from soliciting gifts from foreigners or foreign governments until Mr. Clinton left the White House in January 2001. [. . . . ]

Organized Crime: The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba

The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba Tom Blickman - TNI Researcher, Transnational Organized Crime Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 1997, via The Rothschilds of the Mafia on Aruba Posted by Felice on April 15, 2004

This is lengthy, detailed, documented and well worth reading.

A magnificent washing-machine is sold here, its trademark is Aruba. The machine is an Aruban-Colombian product, its model called Cartel. The brand is well-known for its good performance in the United States and Europe. It is recommended by former ministers, members of Parliament, owners of casinos, supermarkets, cosmetics manufacturers and importers of cars and batteries. The washing-machine fits everybody who has become inexplicably rich from one day to another.

The MPs of the Staten van Aruba--the Aruban Parliament--must have been bewildered when one of their own ministers smeared the good name of their island. Former minister Elio Nicolaas grins when he is reminded of his speech in 1989. (1) Finally someone had thrown a rock in the silent and complacent waters of the Caribbean tax-haven Aruba. a semi-independent part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "I had to react," he says. "My own colleague, the Minister of Finance, denied money was laundered on the island. Nicolaas knew better. Prior to his political career he had been a police officer and had actually set up the anti-narcotics squad.

His denunciation incited strong objections in Parliament. Opposition-leader--and former Prime Minister--Henny Eman demanded his resignation. Nicolaas retorted by suggesting that Eman's election campaign was financed with drug money. Nicolaas thinks today nothing has really changed: "The island is still infested with 'narco-complacientes', people who benefit from the drug trade". "Indeed, Eman is once more Prime Minister of Aruba. "Well, did you come to write stories about our pirates island?" he asks sarcastically when we walk to his office. (2) Eman has had enough of the 'mad stories' about the Caribbean island as a 'Mafia Nest'. They are not substantiated and damaging for Aruba's good name, foreign trade and the tourist-industry, he thinks.

""Aruba's geographical position is a blessing and a curse at the same time", says Eman, alluding to the pleasant climate which attracts thousands of tourists each year, and the unpleasant closeness of the Colombian and Venezuelan northern shores which makes it vulnerable for drug-traffickers. According to Eman, Aruba is burdened with the problem of other nations: "The drug trade is not Aruba's primary responsibility. The market is in Europe and the United States. It is not our fault they cannot control their borders, that Aruba is used as a transit point." [. . . . ]

Kinsey and the Sexual Revolution: Are We Better Off?

Kinsey and the Sexual Revolution: Are We Better Off? Special Release: November 18, 2004, John W. Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute website -- via HH -- and thanks.

A half century ago, Alfred C. Kinsey turned conventional mores on their heads by shining a spotlight on male and female sexual behaviors, deviant and otherwise. Now Kinsey is back—this time in the movie Kinsey, where actor Liam Neeson affectionately portrays the sexologist.

[. . . . ] He used this data to suggest that inhibitions about premarital sex caused unhealthy sexual relations in marriage. Although the initial reception to the book was positive, however, many also criticized it. “It is impossible to estimate the damage this book will do to the already deteriorating morals of America,” Billy Graham pronounced.

[. . . . ] The shock value in Kinsey’s work was to be found in the variety of sexual experiences he reported, as well as the explicit nature of the research itself. In compiling an inventory of garden-variety sexual code breakers, Kinsey eagerly sought out groups whose members operated in the shadowlands of America. Here he found homosexuals, sadomasochists, voyeurs, exhibitionists, pedophiles, transsexuals, transvestites and fetishists of various stripes. However, Kinsey’s later critics have often pointed out that his methodology and data were flawed and that the people he interviewed may have lied, exaggerated or remembered inaccurately.

[. . . . ] A nation addicted to polls and public opinion allowed Kinsey’s research to dictate its morals. Kinsey, however, was not alone in affecting the moral landscape. Numerous factors contributed to changing sexual mores in American society. Activists such as Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, and cultural movements laid the groundwork for the change in sexual behavior. World War I also impacted sexual behavior. Even more dramatic cultural change occurred with World War II and its devastating effects on sexual mores. Added to these factors was Kinsey’s clinical approach, which would remove the mystery of sexual behavior and its connection to the institution of marriage.

Ideas have consequences in the way we live and act, both in our personal lives and in the culture as a whole. And half a century later, we see the consequences of the work of Kinsey and others. Besides the escalation in divorce and the unsettling residue of broken families, we continue to deal with the AIDS epidemic, a surge in sexual openness and a catastrophic confusion regarding sex and gender roles.

Bowling For 22 Minutes

Bowling For 22 Minutes Kate, Small Dead Animals

What does Carrolyn Parrish have in common with Michael Moore, aside from rabid, seething hatred for America?

Michael Donovan - The producer of This Hour Has 22 Minutes was also co-producer of the Canadian location rich Bowling For Columbine. Bowling was produced by the government subsidized and recently defunct Salter Street Films.

[. . . . ] In his cozy little government-funded Trudeaupian paradise, Donovan and his ilk have never understood that American bashing isn't "comedy", and never was. What he's experiencing is the backlash of Canadians who are fed up having their tax dollars used to support Canadian content arts/media welfare cases.