April 2006
_________________________________________________________________
April 28th, 2006
Neil From Winnipeg
Protest songs! F@ckin' Yeah! Like every other Liberal Blog out there I've got the link to Neil Young's new album, "Living With War." Neil has generously let us all listen to it for free online. Thanks dude. Some of the songs include "After the Garden," "Shock and Awe," and "Impeach The President." No need for subtlety here. Rock on Neil!
Listen to Neil Young's "Living With War"
Streaming QuickTime File. Thanks to Eric at Bushflash.com for helping me find the link.
_________________________________________________________________
April 23rd, 2006
Alex Gets His Website Banned in China
Wang Wenyi The 14th Dalai Lama The Unknown Protestor
To honour Hu Jintao's "official" visit to the United States last week, I offer a few words about his country,
The People's Republic of China. Though what I am about to say is a matter of common knowledge, my words
are politically daring. (by Chinese standards) If I were a Chinese citizen, I could be arrested for what I am
about to say. God bless Canada and her freedoms.
On Thursday, Hu's welcoming ceremony at the White House was interrupted by a protestor named Wang Wenyi.
Wang criticized Hu regarding China's persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a form of new-age
meditation loosely based on Buddhism.
China invaded and then occupied Tibet in 1950. The occupation continues to this day. Tibet maintains a
Government in Exile in Dharamsala, India. The Tibetan leader, His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama is one of
the world's most prominent spiritual figures.
In China, political opposition to the ruling Communist Party is outlawed. In 1989, Chinese Troops opened fire on
students holding a pro-democracy rally in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square.
Ismail Semed has been charged with the crime of "attempting to split the motherland." For this, he likely
faces the death penalty. China executes more prisoners than all other nations combined. (Including Texas!)
China has arrested many cyber-dissidents, activists who use the internet to forward the cause of democracy
in their country. Yahoo has assisted the Chinese authorities in the arrest of pro-democracy activists.
Here are the websites of three high-profile political prisoners, Bao Tong, Dr. Wang Bingzhang, and Dr. Yang Jianli.
Here is Human Rights Watch's China Page.
That ought to do it. Beijing's internet censorship program has surely noticed this posting. He Ping, Sidi.
Its off to the memory hole for this one.
_________________________________________________________________
April 17th, 2006
Big Oil
This is Lee Raymond, the former CEO of (XOM) Exxon Mobil. Raymond and XOM had
a very good year. Under Raymond's leadership, XOM made a record profit of 36
billion dollars in 2005. Yes, that's billion with a B. Raymond is being well rewarded
for his services. His retirement package is worth almost 400 million dollars. Let's do
the math. This morning, oil was trading at $70 a barrel. To cover Raymond's retirement,
Exxon Mobil will have to sell 5.7 million barrels. That shouldn't be too difficult as
the United States alone uses over 20 million barrels of oil every day. I imagine that
by this time tomorrow, XOM will be have made enough to cover Raymond's cheque.
Meanwhile, moments ago in Botswana, or Tanzania, or South Africa, or Mozambique,
a child was born infected with HIV. If the mother had been able to afford the estimated
$300 US a year it costs to purchase Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, there would have been only
a 2% chance of transmitting the virus. The cost of preventing one million infants from being
born infected with HIV this year is about $300 million US, or three quarters of Raymond's
retirement package. He could save a million lives and still keep $100 million.
This year, Eritrea (and four other nations in the region) faces a potential famine. At present, it is estimated that
Eritrea will experience a shortfall of about 50% of its food needs. There are nearly 5 million Eritreans. The cost
of meeting the food requirements of the Eritrean people is about $50 million US, or one eighth of Raymond's
retirement package. He could feed an entire nation and still keep $350 million.
It is unlikely that Raymond will help anyone. This is the sort of world that we live in. An old man who
made his career poisoning the planet and profiting from war gets $400 million to enjoy the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, thirty thousand children will die of starvation today. $400 million could dramatically improve the
lives of millions of people around the world. Instead, a 67 year old man gets an obscene amount of play money.
If there is any comfort in this story, it may only be for people who are religious. Jesus said, "It is easier for
a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." (Matthew 16:25)
Raymond is the personification of corporate greed. In a position to help so many, he helps himself. I don't
believe that hell exists, but if it does, Lee Raymond will be going there. You can take that to the bank.
_________________________________________________________________
April 11th, 2006
Seymour Hersh Video Clip
Seymour Hersh on CNN's "Late Edition" 04/09/06
WMV File - 7.7M
_________________________________________________________________
April 10th, 2006
How Crazy Are They?
Seymour Hersh knows things. Influential people in government talk to him. When generals at the Pentagon see great mistakes in the making, they leak the details to Hersh. Through such high level contacts, he has learned that the Bush Administration is considering attacking Iran with nuclear weapons. The United States is actually considering launching an unprovoked nuclear strike, an act that would certainly start World War Three. I really hope that Hersh is wrong, but given his track record I doubt it. The execution of the Iraq war provides evidence that Neo-Conservatives are completely out of touch with reality. Just how crazy are they? If Hersh is right, they are willing to start a nuclear war. God help us all.
Read Seymour Hersh's Article
_________________________________________________________________
April 7th, 2006
Regressive Conservatives
This is Stephen Harper, Canada's new Prime Minister. I did not vote for this man.
Most Canadians didn't. In our Parliamentary system, the leader of the national
party that wins the most seats becomes Prime Minister. The final score following
election day was Conservatives 125, Liberals 102, Bloc Quebecois 51, NDP 29.
(One MP, Quebec City radio host Andre Arthur will sit as an independent) This
gives Harper a minority government, and a small one at that. In order to govern,
the Conservatives will be forced to co-operate with one of the other parties.
This is a very good thing.
Harper's priorities seem out of touch. He pledges to cut taxes and get tough on
crime. He has gutted a planned national child care program and he hints that we
will ignore our Kyoto Protocol commitments. He wants to beef up the military and
bring our foreign policy more in line with Washington's. In a break from Canada's
traditional role as peace-keeper, Canadian troops are now on the offensive in
Afghanistan. During his campaign, Harper highlighted how his planned tax cuts
would save consumers x amount of dollars on the purchase of a new mini-van.
I don't know how many Canadians are in a position to spend tens of thousands of
dollars buying a new vehicle. I do know that right now, over one million
Canadian children live below the poverty line.
Canada has changed, and not for the better. The next year or so will be one of regression. Just like their Republican
cousins to the South, Harper's Conservatives will focus on upper-class tax cuts and law and order policies. It will
be a good time for big business, a bad one for people in need. Much of the great work of the last Parliament may be
undone. Our best hope may be for a paralysed Parliament. Still, there is reason to be optimistic. This government can
not last very long. The Liberal Party will elect a new leader in early December. When this happens, the Liberals will
likely trigger an election, one that will hopefully topple the Harper gang. I can only hope that in the meantime, we
don't find ourselves signing on to any of Washington's new Imperial adventures. Just in case, I offer my apologies to
the rest of the world in advance. I did not vote for this man. Most Canadians didn't.