RSS
Eat The Rich! New Media and Politics
There are days when I get so angry with the current state of the economy, with people like Steve Moore whom Paddy over at the Political Carnival linked to earlier advocating increased taxes on the poor in the US - the lack of readily available and decent paying jobs that have helped to shrink the middle-class over the past 30 years or so - that I sometimes joke on the radio program that I'm looking forward to a time when "Eat the rich," is no longer a bit of graffiti scrawled on a wall but a menu option. I'm gonna' sit down and order me one extra-large republican braised over a spit for two or three days in a tangy lemon-ginger sauce. I'm only kidding of course - not really all that fond of lemon-ginger. I prefer garlic sweet and sour.
Over at the Nation, Robert Reich writes about how Wall Street's banditry is essentially the event responsible for the recession but not the ultimate cause. That fault lies with all of us and what we have allowed governments to do in our names. He points to some eye-opening numbers about the redistribution of wealth to the rich that has taken place in recent years. It's not just our imaginations or bitterness at the lack of real opportunity that makes us blame and resent the wealthy: ...in 1928 the richest 1 percent of Americans received 23.9 percent of the nation's total income. After that, the share going to the richest 1 percent steadily declined. New Deal reforms, followed by World War II, the GI Bill and the Great Society expanded the circle of prosperity. By the late 1970s the top 1 percent raked in only 8 to 9 percent of America's total annual income. But after that, inequality began to widen again, and income reconcentrated at the top. By 2007 the richest 1 percent were back to where they were in 1928—with 23.5 percent of the total.
It's not just a tale of out of control greed on the part of the wealthy though. It's also a story about missed opportunities and complacency on all our parts: Big, profitable companies could have been barred from laying off a large number of workers all at once, and could have been required to pay severance—say, a year of wages—to anyone they let go. Corporations whose research was subsidized by taxpayers could have been required to create jobs in the United States. The minimum wage could have been linked to inflation. America's trading partners, he points out, also could have been coerced to take similar actions and that, at the very least, would have prevented the massive outsourcing we have all been witness to.
Governments we have elected have deregulated industries and privatized everything in sight - under the auspices of the free market does everything better - and that has left us all increasingly vulnerable to the vagaries and whims of corporations. The cost of public higher education has been increased. Safety nets have been shredded. Tax rates for the wealthy of 70–90 percent that existed during the 1950s and '60s have dropped to 28–40 percent - with the attendant loss in government revenues. The nation's wealthy get to treat their income as capital gains subject to no more than 15 percent tax and escape inheritance taxes altogether. America also boosted sales and payroll taxes, both of which have taken a bigger chunk out of the pay of the middle class and the poor than of the rich.
He concludes with some dire warnings about the direction the current state of rancorous politics could lead to and notes that, None of us can thrive in a nation divided between a small number of people receiving an ever larger share of the nation's income and wealth, and everyone else receiving a declining share. The lopsidedness not only diminishes economic growth but also tears at the social fabric of our society.
That applies here in Canada too.
Heat Wave! - New Media and Politics
I'm one of those who loves the heat and doesn't even mind when the temperatures soar into the mid-30's and beyond. My only complaint in the city would be when it comes without wind because then we get ground level ozone and smog alerts and you can't really do anything outside. I find it hard not to giggle when public health officials issue press releases telling people to stay cool. Good thing someone thought of that, otherwise there's no telling how I'd behave in this weather - drink plenty of liquids folks!
I'm happy to be proved wrong as in this case as it looks like there may actually be an independent inquiry into the police brutality that occurred at the Toronto G20 protest. Good thing too as there are reports of the police behaving shamefully like ripping off the prosthetic leg of a protester telling him it could be used as a weapon. Read this primer to get an idea of what exactly your right's are under such circumstances. Can't let them take away our right to protest bad policy peacefully.
The Taser people don't understand why Braidwood made his conclusion without, what they say is, any evidence to support it (other than the video of Dziekanski being tasered and dying!) and they claim Braidwood failed to take into account all of the studies and material they provided. Unbelievable - and it's not like he's the first to die as a result of being tasered. Anything we can do to get these things out of the hands of Canadian police officers is a good idea.
Canada's Natural Resources Minister is looking down the barrel of an ethics probe. That's what you get for having dealings with Jaffer.
As a result of flooding out west financial aid for Prairie farmers will be a key issue when Canada's agriculture ministers get together in Saskatoon this week.
Police State Redux - New Media and Politics
Remember that story I blogged earlier about the corporatist Police State that we're now all inhabitants of (yeah, that includes Canada)? well, today over at ProPublica.org there's a story of a photographer who was followed and detained by BP security and the Police for taking innocuous photographs of signs in and around a BP refinery in Texas City. It's a story of attempted bullying and intimidation.
Lance Rosenfield was taking pictures for two stories being covered by ProPublica. One was about a BP refinery illegally releasing 538,000 pounds of toxic chemicals into the air (aren't they beautiful people?) and the other about the refinery where 15 people died as result of BP negligence 5 years ago that continues to have safety violations to this day. He is first hemmed in by two Texas City police cars at a gas station, then ordered to show the pictures he took or, the police officer threatens, ...he could handle this another way, including calling Homeland Security and taking me in. The BP security guard shows up and is given Mr. Rosenfield's personal information by the police and finally the Homeland Security/FBI agent Tom Robison is called in to help assist in the police-state like tactics.
Fortunately Mr. Rosenfield was well aware of his rights as he stood his ground and remained calm, polite and on point until they released him 20-30 minutes later. A good lesson for us all in these strange times.
News July 7th 2010
Read and produced by Nicholas Fiscina.
Stories written by Nicholas Fiscina and Gareth Sloan.
Anti-Science Cowards Know No Decency
The anti-climate-science crowd are apparently incapable of using the internet for anything other than surfing from one echo-chamber to the next and threatening people they disagree with. The so called "climategate" scandal has long since been debunked, and was in fact not a scandal at all - unless you think they shouldn't have stolen people's personal e-mails. Michael Mann's much maligned hockey-stick graph has been exonerated and while there were some MSM retractions there were no apologies. In fact two stalwart members of the MSM, the New York Times and The Washington Post, actually refused to print an op-ed that was signed by 255 National Academy of Science members defending climate science integrity.
Small wonder then there's so much confusion. The media are only too happy to run with any story that assaults global warming science. Sure they'll retract it later but by then the damage is already done. The narrative has been created and a lot of people are not around when the story is debunked - that's how zombie lies are created.
Those threats I mentioned in the first sentence? A story over at the Guardian chronicles what life has been like for the scientists whose names were mentioned in the stolen emails from the University of East Anglia. They have subsequently faced ...a torrent of death threats and hate mail, leaving them fearing for their lives and one to contemplate arming himself with a handgun. Professor Phil Jones, the UEA scientist at the centre of the hacked email controversy, revealed in February he had been receiving two death threats a week. As scientist Stephen Schneider notes, this is obviously the work of cowards. Go read some of the mails for yourself and see if you don't come to the same conclusion. (Caution: vile and threatening language)
The Police State Rocks On! - New Media and Politics
As I watched US policy take a drastic turn to the right during the administration of GWB jr. and Dick Cheney, I'll admit to being alarmed but not surprised. The Patriot act, unwarranted spying on Americans, "free speech zones," rendition, enhanced interrogation all seemed to be the wish fulfilment of a laundry list of items the right has always lobbied for. The Republicans have never been about increasing freedoms - other than 2nd amendment ones. So when Obama was inaugurated I thought all of this would be walked back and I was one of those who had no problems with the slow pace he was moving at figuring it would take considerable time to undo what Bush/Cheney had wrought. I'm starting to feel naive.
Glenn Greenwald has been covering and documenting how access to the spill sites are being blocked by BP, by police departments working for BP and by the government. Now comes word that getting any closer than 65 feet to an oil boom (called a "safety zone") will get you arrested and possibly charged with a Class D Felony which carries with it fines up to $40,000 dollars and a sentence of "not less than two years." He calls it "creepy police state behaviour," and asserts that this seems clearly to be unconstitutional acts to intimidate and impede the media... (and he would know with his background in constitutional law and as a civil rights litigator.)
What's even more remarkable is that this behaviour of intimidation extends to reckless BP acts at other refineries with DHS agents and local police officials acting as BP's personal muscle to detain, interrogate, and threaten a photographer. Not acceptable.
Here's Anderson Cooper of CNN going off on these same subjects asserting, "We are not the enemy!"
Those Craaaaazy Believers iIn Global Warming! - New Media and Politics
I was reading a post over at Climate Progress about vanishing sea ice in the Arctic, and how in June it was at its' lowest extent and had gone through the fastest rate of decline in the satellite record and was thinking, "What does it matter?" The deniers will either claim it's not happening, or it's a one-off, or it's all part of some master plan to sandbag us all and they'll be loud enough and strident enough to continue to prevent real action from being taken. "Who the hell would these idiots listen to?" was the question that came to mind. Other than Jeebus, I mean.
Then I got lucky. I found a video with former Army Chief of Staff, General Gordon Sulllivan, discussing national security and climate change. Turns out he was once a skeptic but having looked at tall the data, he changed his mind and he wasn't alone. The military leaders who agree with him are many and include Rear Admiral David Titley, Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn, James Woolsey former director of the CIA and former undersecretary of the US Navy, General Ron Keyes former Commander Air Combat Command, Wesley Clark former Supreme Allied commander of NATO, General Chuck Wald USAF and former Deputy Commander US European Command, and General Anthony Zinni former Chief US Central Command. These are not the kinds of people that are prone to being alarmists nor did they rise to the very top of the conservative military chain of command by being free-thinkers who rely on their intuition. They are the kinds of people who, when making decisions, had to rely on facts to guide their actions. If you watch you'll see they are all worried about wars for water, wars for oil, mass migrations and food insecurity all as a direct result of climate change. See for yourself... and be alarmed.
Not Easy Being Green - New Media and Politics
Any excuse to play a Kermit the Frog song will do. Sadly Canada's Senate has decided to ignore the vote taken by Parliament on Bill C-311 which passed by a vote of 149-136 and requires the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050.
NDP MP Bruce Hyer who drafted the bill says he has been told by Conservatives that the government has decreed that the bill cannot be passed into law. Mr. Hyer said it would be disappointing and “undemocratic” if the Conservatives killed the bill for what he called ‘ideological” reasons. But what else is there to be expected from the Tories?
Happily for Montreal's trendy Plateau district, they have a mayor, Luc Ferrandez, with the courage to stand up and fight for the right to make the urban environment he governs a greener and more welcome place for it's inhabitants and less so for automobiles. Even though he is being beset by attacks from all manner of interests he has, so far, stuck to his principles - “There is an inalienable right to have peace in the city. You have the right to raise kids here, you have the right to live here,” he says.
Canada's head of CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) Richard Fadden, gave an interview to the CBC wherein he alleged that the Chinese government was infiltrating Canadian political bodies and that this influence extends to municipal and political bureaucrats and politicians and even a couple of unnamed cabinet ministers. So on Monday he was asked to testify, back up the allegations and name names. he says he will do so but only behind closed doors.
There was some good news for Omar Khadr on Monday as the Federal Court of Canada ruled that the government has seven days to come up with a list of remedies to its breach of Mr. Khadr’s constitutional rights. I can't stress this enough, Stephen Harper would do the same to protect any of us as he has for the 15 year old boy who was snatched off the Afghan battlefield and charged with killing an American soldier. That is nothing.
The Gusher in the Gulf - New Media and Politics
The New York Times is reporting this morning that the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency charged with protecting endangered species, signed off on the Mineral Management Service's conclusion that deep water drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico posed no serious threat to wildlife. The agency signed off on the minerals service’s biological evaluation, even though that assessment considered only the risks to wildlife based on spills of 1,000 to 15,000 barrels — a minuscule amount compared with the hundreds of thousands of barrels now spewing into the gulf.
The explanation from Deborah Fuller, the endangered species program coordinator for the Fish and Wildlife Service’s office in Lafayette, La., that “We all know an oil spill is catastrophic, but what is the likelihood it will happen?” defies reason, like most news related to the disaster. She said her office had considered that any likelihood under 50 percent would not be enough to require the protections of her office. I find myself dumbfounded as I read those words - anything less than a 50-50 chance was okay? That's an absurd and obviously dangerous amount of leeway for a region whose eco-systems are as fragile as those of the Gulf region are.
Keep in mind that American taxpayers are paying for the spill's costs by giving tax breaks and direct payouts to BP and Haliburton and the oil industry in the US is receiving all sorts of subsidies, while at the same time raking in billions and soiling beaches.
Canada's Silly Season Still Missing - New Media and Politics
Post Canada Day weekend, summer is well under way and the arrival of the silly season is nowhere in sight - unless you think McGuinty calling himself a liberal or the suspension of Canadian civil rights constitutes a laugh riot.
From the same publication a report on the police brutality that was inflicted upon the protesters and bystanders - the article makes the point that ...broken bones, cracked heads and eyes filled with pepper spray - have yet to feature prominently in any mainstream media.
Over at the Globe and Mail, Adam Radwanski writes about the so-called five-metre rule and why it matters - the choice of governments, through both their actions and inactions, to give police gratuitous leeway in securing these kinds of international summits. All in all a shameful episode in Canadian history that will no doubt go down the memory hole in short order unless an unbiased investigation of police tactics is conducted - and that doesn't seem likely.
Some actual good news, as the National Energy Board is considering forcing oil companies to drill a secondary relief well in any deep water Arctic exploration project, which is a sign of sanity considering the current state of the Gulf of Mexico and the ongoing spill. Sadly they are not considering extending those rules to drilling off of Canada's east coast.
There is a report that Canada is poised to become a leader in forest conservation - read the entire article. It is filled with weasel words and propaganda noting the fact that Canada's boreal forest covers about 5.8 million square kilometres and ...agreements under consideration would allow highly restricted development on about half the land and no resource exploitation at all on the other half. That's roughly 3 million square kilometers that will see exploitation - we are supposed to feel good about this because they are only raping half the available forests.
Lastly, the Federal Court has given the government seven days to come up with a list of remedies to its breach of Omar Khadr's constitutional rights. The court ruled that the Canadian citizen now jailed at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is entitled to “procedural fairness and natural justice.”
Pages
Staff Login | Advertise | Our Location | RSS | Contact Us
