To all my friends in Cuba and to the entire Cuban blogosphere, please take care and have a really really safe holiday!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
To friends in Cuba...
To all my friends in Cuba and to the entire Cuban blogosphere, please take care and have a really really safe holiday!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
How far is too far?
Canada's Conservative government has boycotted a hearing of Commons Committee that was schedule to set the agenda for the inquiry into the mistreatment and mishandling of Afghan detainees by Canadian forces.
The Conservatives defended the move saying that now wasn't the time to be holding these inquiries into possible war crimes committed by Canadians. The boycott comes as rumors swirl in Ottawa that the Conservatives plan on suspending parliament until after the Olympic games in Vancouver.
The Conservatives accused the opposition of only trying to satisfy their "political blood lust" and also ignored a motion passed in the House of Commons to release documents that speak about Afghan detainees. This denial could lead to the current government being charged with contempt of Parliament.
So... the Conservatives are grasping at straws to maintain their image in the midst of a Human Rights controversy, trying to save face as Canada prepares to welcome the world in Vancouver for the Olympics and trying to make people forget the sorry state of our leadership with the old "bread and games"? Well I'm sorry Mr Harper, this won't just go away.
The political blood lust in this case doesn't belong to the Liberals, the NDP or the Bloc... it belongs to the Conservatives who are (supposedly) willing to to shut down the Canadian government for a few months to try and save themselves; the Conservatives who are willing to boycott an inquiry that was started by an independent overseer who's job it is to oversee certain areas of our governance and by the Conservatives who are apparently more concerned at pointing fingers than the lives the of Afghan citizens we are supposed to protect.
The Conservatives complained big time when PM Jean Chretien shut down an inquiry into the behavior of Canadian soldiers in Somalia. So did all the other parties... Now the Conservatives are the ones effectively shutting EVERYTHING down to avoid a similar subject. But Jean Chretien didn't shut down parliament or boycott committees, even if he didn't always face the music at least he never plugged his ears and pretended he couldn't hear it.
Hypocrisy seems to be the rule of thumb with the Conservatives and quite frankly I can't remember a minority government taking this much leeway and freedoms in exploiting our parliamentary system. If parliament is prorogued it would be the second time the Conservatives, in a bid to hold on to power, have done it in almost a year.
So my question to everyone is: how far is too far? How far will this government go to cloud the issues and maintain power? Because they aren't doing this to save Canada's image prior to the Olympics, they're doing it to save face while they regroup and hide and hope that the world forgets the fact that Canada may have violated the Geneva Convention.
The Conservatives defended the move saying that now wasn't the time to be holding these inquiries into possible war crimes committed by Canadians. The boycott comes as rumors swirl in Ottawa that the Conservatives plan on suspending parliament until after the Olympic games in Vancouver.
The Conservatives accused the opposition of only trying to satisfy their "political blood lust" and also ignored a motion passed in the House of Commons to release documents that speak about Afghan detainees. This denial could lead to the current government being charged with contempt of Parliament.
So... the Conservatives are grasping at straws to maintain their image in the midst of a Human Rights controversy, trying to save face as Canada prepares to welcome the world in Vancouver for the Olympics and trying to make people forget the sorry state of our leadership with the old "bread and games"? Well I'm sorry Mr Harper, this won't just go away.
The political blood lust in this case doesn't belong to the Liberals, the NDP or the Bloc... it belongs to the Conservatives who are (supposedly) willing to to shut down the Canadian government for a few months to try and save themselves; the Conservatives who are willing to boycott an inquiry that was started by an independent overseer who's job it is to oversee certain areas of our governance and by the Conservatives who are apparently more concerned at pointing fingers than the lives the of Afghan citizens we are supposed to protect.
The Conservatives complained big time when PM Jean Chretien shut down an inquiry into the behavior of Canadian soldiers in Somalia. So did all the other parties... Now the Conservatives are the ones effectively shutting EVERYTHING down to avoid a similar subject. But Jean Chretien didn't shut down parliament or boycott committees, even if he didn't always face the music at least he never plugged his ears and pretended he couldn't hear it.
Hypocrisy seems to be the rule of thumb with the Conservatives and quite frankly I can't remember a minority government taking this much leeway and freedoms in exploiting our parliamentary system. If parliament is prorogued it would be the second time the Conservatives, in a bid to hold on to power, have done it in almost a year.
So my question to everyone is: how far is too far? How far will this government go to cloud the issues and maintain power? Because they aren't doing this to save Canada's image prior to the Olympics, they're doing it to save face while they regroup and hide and hope that the world forgets the fact that Canada may have violated the Geneva Convention.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Chinese Dissident Faces 15 years of Prison
Liu Xiaobo, a university professor and prominent Chinese dissident, will find out in 30 days if he will face charges for "inciting subversion" and if he is likely to face the maximum 15 years in jail that comes with the charge.
Liu Xiaobo was arrested on December 8th 2008 because of his online petition called Charter 08 which was based on Charter 77 (written by a former Czech president). Charter 08 was signed by over 10,000 people, including over 300 journalists, writers and intellectuals that were all subsequently arrested and/or questioned by the communist authorities.
Mr. Liu is no stranger to Chinese jails seeing as he was jailed following his participation in the Tienanmen Square protests of 1989. Later he also spent 3 years in a re-education and labor camp.
Charter 08 might seems very inoffensive to those of us living in democratic countries, but in a place like China where the government has the very last word on everything, it is a very provocative essay that challenges the very foundation of authoritarian rule... Here are a few excerpts from Charter 08:
" Human rights. Human rights are not bestowed by a state. Every person is born with inherent rights to dignity and freedom.(...)
Freedom. Freedom is at the core of universal human values. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom in where to live, and the freedoms to strike, to demonstrate, and to protest, among others, are the forms that freedom takes. (...)
Democracy. The most fundamental principles of democracy are that the people are sovereign and the people select their government. (...)
Civic Education. In our schools we should abolish political curriculums and examinations that are designed to indoctrinate students in state ideology and to instill support for the rule of one party. (...)
Freedom of Expression. We should make freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and academic freedom universal, thereby guaranteeing that citizens can be informed and can exercise their right of political supervision. (...) "
Human Rights, Freedom of Expression and the Right to Self-Government are things that we often take for granted and seldom take time to appreciate unless we've seen first hand the repression that people face in countries where thoughts on government have to be whispered behind closed doors to very close friends.
At the end of the day, Mr. Liu arrest and the pending charge have probably brought more attention to Charter 08 than it ever would have gotten if the communist authorities would have left him alone. Mr Liu's voice from behind the wall is now being heard around the world and hopefully others inside China and other countries will follow his lead and "incite subversion".
Hopefully the international media will continue to cover the story of Mr. Liu and inspire others to join his cause.
Liu Xiaobo was arrested on December 8th 2008 because of his online petition called Charter 08 which was based on Charter 77 (written by a former Czech president). Charter 08 was signed by over 10,000 people, including over 300 journalists, writers and intellectuals that were all subsequently arrested and/or questioned by the communist authorities.
Mr. Liu is no stranger to Chinese jails seeing as he was jailed following his participation in the Tienanmen Square protests of 1989. Later he also spent 3 years in a re-education and labor camp.
Charter 08 might seems very inoffensive to those of us living in democratic countries, but in a place like China where the government has the very last word on everything, it is a very provocative essay that challenges the very foundation of authoritarian rule... Here are a few excerpts from Charter 08:
" Human rights. Human rights are not bestowed by a state. Every person is born with inherent rights to dignity and freedom.(...)
Freedom. Freedom is at the core of universal human values. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of association, freedom in where to live, and the freedoms to strike, to demonstrate, and to protest, among others, are the forms that freedom takes. (...)
Democracy. The most fundamental principles of democracy are that the people are sovereign and the people select their government. (...)
Civic Education. In our schools we should abolish political curriculums and examinations that are designed to indoctrinate students in state ideology and to instill support for the rule of one party. (...)
Freedom of Expression. We should make freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and academic freedom universal, thereby guaranteeing that citizens can be informed and can exercise their right of political supervision. (...) "
Human Rights, Freedom of Expression and the Right to Self-Government are things that we often take for granted and seldom take time to appreciate unless we've seen first hand the repression that people face in countries where thoughts on government have to be whispered behind closed doors to very close friends.
At the end of the day, Mr. Liu arrest and the pending charge have probably brought more attention to Charter 08 than it ever would have gotten if the communist authorities would have left him alone. Mr Liu's voice from behind the wall is now being heard around the world and hopefully others inside China and other countries will follow his lead and "incite subversion".
Hopefully the international media will continue to cover the story of Mr. Liu and inspire others to join his cause.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Time for an Inquiry
It's high time for an inquiry about this whole Afghan detainee torture business.
Referring back to a post I did a few days ago where Peter MacKay, our Minister of Defense, contradicted (and is still contradicting) sworn affidavits by Canadian soldiers and military officers that a prisoner handed over to the Afghan authorities was severely beaten and tortured.
For once I agree with NDP leader Jack Layton:
“Now more than ever the majority of members in this House are calling for a public inquiry. And it’s legitimate. We need to put an end to this cover-up. … When will we have a public inquiry?”
And with Michael Ignatieff
“We cannot trust a word that comes out of the mouth of the minister. When will the Prime Minister fire him and call a full, independent public inquiry?”
In a country that has all out public inquiries for everything, from the Mulroney-Shreiber Airbus deal, to the Sponsorship Scandal. I think it's time we have a serious inquiry into Mr. MacKay's statements and into the integrity of his office.
At least the Chretien and the Mulroney scandals were about money... I mean money is important and everything. But this one? This one would be about violating the Geneva Convention, trying to deny it and willingly putting the lives of people and their health in serious jeopardy. I think that lives are worth more than a few Airbus planes don't you?
The image of Canada is taking a beating every day that Prime Minister Harper lets Mr. MacKay keep his job. What kind of credibility will we have when we criticize other countries such as Burma, North Korea, Cuba or China on their Human Rights records? Not very much.
I, for one, do not want to see this great land's name dragged through the mud and there is an easy way to stop this from happening. Mr. MacKay must admit his mistake and step down, or better yet, Stephen Harper needs to ask for his resignation. Maybe just maybe, will the Conservative government, the country and our military be able to save face.
Referring back to a post I did a few days ago where Peter MacKay, our Minister of Defense, contradicted (and is still contradicting) sworn affidavits by Canadian soldiers and military officers that a prisoner handed over to the Afghan authorities was severely beaten and tortured.
For once I agree with NDP leader Jack Layton:
“Now more than ever the majority of members in this House are calling for a public inquiry. And it’s legitimate. We need to put an end to this cover-up. … When will we have a public inquiry?”
And with Michael Ignatieff
“We cannot trust a word that comes out of the mouth of the minister. When will the Prime Minister fire him and call a full, independent public inquiry?”
In a country that has all out public inquiries for everything, from the Mulroney-Shreiber Airbus deal, to the Sponsorship Scandal. I think it's time we have a serious inquiry into Mr. MacKay's statements and into the integrity of his office.
At least the Chretien and the Mulroney scandals were about money... I mean money is important and everything. But this one? This one would be about violating the Geneva Convention, trying to deny it and willingly putting the lives of people and their health in serious jeopardy. I think that lives are worth more than a few Airbus planes don't you?
The image of Canada is taking a beating every day that Prime Minister Harper lets Mr. MacKay keep his job. What kind of credibility will we have when we criticize other countries such as Burma, North Korea, Cuba or China on their Human Rights records? Not very much.
I, for one, do not want to see this great land's name dragged through the mud and there is an easy way to stop this from happening. Mr. MacKay must admit his mistake and step down, or better yet, Stephen Harper needs to ask for his resignation. Maybe just maybe, will the Conservative government, the country and our military be able to save face.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The Sea of Green is back
A day of protests in Iran ended in tears and arrests again, mostly due to the tear gas hurled into the crowds by Revolutionary Guards.
Foreign media was ordered to remain in their offices for 3 days and were told they were not to report on the events currently happening in Iran. Mobile networks in downtown Tehran were shut down. The internet was slowed to a crawl or didn't work at all.
All this because of a planned student protest. A protest aimed at getting the message out that the election results from Iran's last election are illegitimate and that the deaths, beatings, executions and abuses of the regime following said election would not be forgotten.
Police surrounded universities in an attempt to silence the protesters, fired tear gas into crowds and many people claiming to be witnesses have reported beatings by Basij militiamen. But the crowds were relentless and protested hard.
Without a doubt, the Sea of Green has returned.
Foreign media was ordered to remain in their offices for 3 days and were told they were not to report on the events currently happening in Iran. Mobile networks in downtown Tehran were shut down. The internet was slowed to a crawl or didn't work at all.
All this because of a planned student protest. A protest aimed at getting the message out that the election results from Iran's last election are illegitimate and that the deaths, beatings, executions and abuses of the regime following said election would not be forgotten.
Police surrounded universities in an attempt to silence the protesters, fired tear gas into crowds and many people claiming to be witnesses have reported beatings by Basij militiamen. But the crowds were relentless and protested hard.
Without a doubt, the Sea of Green has returned.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Screw the Geneva Convention
"In no circumstances shall a protected person be transferred to a country where he or she may have reason to fear persecution for his or her political opinions or religious beliefs."
Article 45 of the Geneva Convention
Canadian officials have vehemently denied knowing that some Afghan prisoners transfered to the ANP (Afghan National Police) risk being beaten, tortured or executed since a story broke in 2007 about alleged prisoner abuse.
Peter McKay, Canada's Minister of Defense, has been quoted time and time again saying that there has not been a single documented case of torture following a transfer of prisoners to the ANP. Even as late as last month he said:
“Not a single Taliban prisoner turned over by Canadian Forces can be proven to have been abused. That is the crux of the issue.” (Halifax on Nov. 22)
But that was last month, before sworn a sworn affidavit from Colonel Steve Noonan (from 2007) was published and before corroborating testimony from Brigadier-General Joseph Deschamps and before field notes from a master-corporal also confirmed an incident. Is McKay changing his tune?
“He has said what he has said based on the advice of generals and senior officials in the department.” (Dan Dugas, spokesman for Mr McKay yesterday)
Both Canada and Afghanistan a signatories of the Geneva convention and as such should obey it to the letter. Don't get me wrong, I have no love for the Taliban, but the bottom line is that Canada is supposed to lead by example. How can we win the people of Afghanistan over when we let things like this happen. Not to mention our image on the world stage, when our Minister of Defense is out there flat out denying things and contradicting some of our most trusted military commanders?
How can Canada accuse other countries of assaults on Human Rights and mistreatment of their citizens and prisoners if we cannot guarantee that those in our custody will not be mistreated.
McKay needs to man up and face the music, no matter how unpleasant the tune may be, because this whole affair is a major blemish on Canada's reputation abroad and leaves a sour taste in all of our mouths.
Article 45 of the Geneva Convention
Canadian officials have vehemently denied knowing that some Afghan prisoners transfered to the ANP (Afghan National Police) risk being beaten, tortured or executed since a story broke in 2007 about alleged prisoner abuse.
Peter McKay, Canada's Minister of Defense, has been quoted time and time again saying that there has not been a single documented case of torture following a transfer of prisoners to the ANP. Even as late as last month he said:
“Not a single Taliban prisoner turned over by Canadian Forces can be proven to have been abused. That is the crux of the issue.” (Halifax on Nov. 22)
But that was last month, before sworn a sworn affidavit from Colonel Steve Noonan (from 2007) was published and before corroborating testimony from Brigadier-General Joseph Deschamps and before field notes from a master-corporal also confirmed an incident. Is McKay changing his tune?
“He has said what he has said based on the advice of generals and senior officials in the department.” (Dan Dugas, spokesman for Mr McKay yesterday)
Both Canada and Afghanistan a signatories of the Geneva convention and as such should obey it to the letter. Don't get me wrong, I have no love for the Taliban, but the bottom line is that Canada is supposed to lead by example. How can we win the people of Afghanistan over when we let things like this happen. Not to mention our image on the world stage, when our Minister of Defense is out there flat out denying things and contradicting some of our most trusted military commanders?
How can Canada accuse other countries of assaults on Human Rights and mistreatment of their citizens and prisoners if we cannot guarantee that those in our custody will not be mistreated.
McKay needs to man up and face the music, no matter how unpleasant the tune may be, because this whole affair is a major blemish on Canada's reputation abroad and leaves a sour taste in all of our mouths.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Jacques Cartier screwed up...
I was talking with a good friend of mine today, a small business owner here in Montreal. For the last 25 years he's owned a guitar store and also worked on and off as a high school English teacher.
We were talking today, as we usually do, about the political climate in Quebec. With Jacques Parizeau trying to revive separatism in his new book, with the Franco-racist-Brotherhood and Unions trying to push the government to go against the supreme court and stop French and immigrant parents from sending their kids to English Private school (because they're not allowed to go to English public school unless both parents are primarily English) and talking about where the hell our money goes.
To sum up the conversation, we both live in a province that should be proud of its heritage and want to motivate others to embrace it but insteand we shove it down everyone's throat and play the victim. We live in a province where our gazillions of tax dollars seems to disappear. We also live in a province where Unions are bankrupting cities and choking government infrastructure.
My friend, as always, has very extreme views on this and he's prepared to back them up... Here's what he says: "Muchacho, if I ever find out I'm ill and I'm going to die I swear to god I'm going to burn this whole place down and move down south. Where life is simple, the government won't tax me to death and I can get a decent blowjob before breakfast."
A mutual friend decided last year to pack up, sell everything and move to a Caribbean island and live the life. So I'm guessing that this is where my friend got his idea that on the islands everyone gets head before breakfast. Either way, the point is that here we were, two tax paying french born citizens contemplating on the ways our government screws us on a daily basis.
My friend lights a cigarette and looks at me and says: "When Jacques Cartier discovered this place, he should have just kept going south. He really screwed up..."
We were talking today, as we usually do, about the political climate in Quebec. With Jacques Parizeau trying to revive separatism in his new book, with the Franco-racist-Brotherhood and Unions trying to push the government to go against the supreme court and stop French and immigrant parents from sending their kids to English Private school (because they're not allowed to go to English public school unless both parents are primarily English) and talking about where the hell our money goes.
To sum up the conversation, we both live in a province that should be proud of its heritage and want to motivate others to embrace it but insteand we shove it down everyone's throat and play the victim. We live in a province where our gazillions of tax dollars seems to disappear. We also live in a province where Unions are bankrupting cities and choking government infrastructure.
My friend, as always, has very extreme views on this and he's prepared to back them up... Here's what he says: "Muchacho, if I ever find out I'm ill and I'm going to die I swear to god I'm going to burn this whole place down and move down south. Where life is simple, the government won't tax me to death and I can get a decent blowjob before breakfast."
A mutual friend decided last year to pack up, sell everything and move to a Caribbean island and live the life. So I'm guessing that this is where my friend got his idea that on the islands everyone gets head before breakfast. Either way, the point is that here we were, two tax paying french born citizens contemplating on the ways our government screws us on a daily basis.
My friend lights a cigarette and looks at me and says: "When Jacques Cartier discovered this place, he should have just kept going south. He really screwed up..."
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