Stageleft experiences police on Canada Day in the wake of the G8/20.I don't know what bothers me more about the exchange, the series wired cops growing dimmer by the second as they process the simple equation of 'man + bandana' and come up with 'probable window smasher'. Or their abject rudeness of the sort that makes you want to take them apart at the seams. …
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BackgroundWe, a broad-based network of Vancouver civil society organizations and individuals, call for the immediate release of all those currently being held as part of the G8/G20 Summit police operations, and for all charges against community organizers to be dropped. Long-time organizers, many of whom were pre-emptively arrested before the protests even began, are being particularly targeted; all must be freed immediately.The government wants to have the power to crack down on dissent because the G8/G20 policies are going to create it.While G8/G20 leaders met behind a steel cage and an …
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JALOPNIK shows us that life does have its dangers, besides the Black Bloc. Alas, for one unfortunate, it was a Porta-Potty. …
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The first investigation into Michael Mann’s conduct cleared him on 3 of 4 charges against him. In regards to the 4th charge the investigators didn’t find any evidence against Mann but they felt they were not adequately suited rule on the matter, so they referred judgement until the charge could be properly investigated. And now it has been, and this what the investigators concluded: The Investigatory Committee, after careful review of all available evidence, determined that there is no substance to the allegation against Dr. Michael E. Mann, Professor, Department of Meteorology, The …
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As promised here is the interview with Ms. Leslie Bedard, candidate for ward 4. This interview has been placed on Archive.org under a Creative Commons License, meaning that it can be copied and placed wherever on the web or in other works (with a citation of course).  If you, or a campaign you are working [...] …
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Well, this should put the last nail in the coffin of the whole CRU Hack incident. If you recall two investigations in the UK and one by Penn State revealed that there was no indication of wrongdoing contained in the stolen e-mails. However the investigation by Penn State did decide that since the committee was comprised of mostly administrators, they were not equipped to judge whether Dr. Mann had violated best practices issues. From that initial report:Decision 4: The Inquiry Committee determined that "given that information emerged in the form of the emails purloined from CRU in November …
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An interesting quote:We oppose the Census Bureau’s obtaining data beyond the number of people residing in a dwelling, and we oppose statistical sampling adjustments in the “mid-decade” census. Hmmm. That sounds very familiar.Seems like the Harper Conservatives have been building their ideology on the work of... well this group of nutballs. …
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Dave guest stars with me on the Maple Syrup Revolution as we spend a full hour discussing what the heck happened in Toronto and why. Then I go and get all sentimental about my homeland.This week the Maple Syrup Revolution is having a Two-for-One sale in honor of Canada Day, so get over there and download all the free punditry you can stand.(and no, the photo is not from Toronto, but it should have been) …
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Whose streets? Harper, McGuinty, Blair -- answer that question. C'mon, you guys: make them answer. And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again. Rise again, rise again - Though your heart it be broken And life about to end No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend. Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again. And then, on the turn, because we all love Robin Williams: …
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We all remember what kind of a public spanking Clucking Christy, our chickenhawk of the Grope & Fail got when she jumped on heavily redacted documents and basically threw Richard Colvin under the bus. But do you think she learned? No!!! Of course not!! Old habits seem to die hard with our chickenhawk. Go! Read Dave at The Galloping Beaver. He has all the sordid details of how Toronto’s  lying police chief Bill Blair getting the biggest war mongering columnist who will jump at any opportunity to defend that war, now, including taking certain shortcuts, like not researching facts to …
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If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever. --George Orwell.[H/t Impolitical] …
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I can't remember when was the last time I read anything like this.It was either Pravda sometime before 1983 or a community newspaper where the editor was the brother-in-law of the contractor building the sewer system.Tell you what, Christie, when they take Blair to the wall, go with him and make sure you've got an extra cigarette.BONUS! Not only is Blatchford's story just plain bullshit but it looks like the story Toronto police chief Bill Blair fed her was even deeper bovine scatology.From a witness who was there, with pictures and videos to support his her claim, the repatriation ceremony …
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June 27 G20 march - from above :Same group of people - from the inside :Today, on Canada Day, 2,000 people marched through downtown Toronto in support of a public inquiry into the tactics used above. Thank you to all the people in Toronto for both marches.. …
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INTERNATIONAL LABOUR SPAIN: METRO STRIKE PARALYZES MADRID:The workers on the Madrid Metro have called a temporary truce with management for the weekend. This follows on the heels of a strike that had practically 100% participation unlike the largely symbolic "general strike" in early June. The workers are due to meet again on Monday to vote on whether the strike will be resumed. Being as anywhere from half a million to two million commuters depend upon the 7,500 Metro workers for public transit this strike is an actual real challenge to the Spanish government's austerity plans. The strike is …
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It hasn’t been any secret that I’ve been getting more battle weary as I see Canada going more and more backwards. It hit me even more recently following Jim Travers’ recent article as to how we allowed Harper to take our country in a backward direction. Radio hosts, Media hacks and pundits who not only don’t like facts, but are frightened of them. After this poll from Angus Reid following the G20, coupled with the blogs and a some of the old volunteers where I work (I wonder why they volunteer where I work; they’re in the wrong place).  I asked on Twitter how the …
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Respect and Preserve the Rights of People You Disagree WithTweetHere is my advice as we begin the century that will lead to 2081. First, guard the freedom of ideas at all costs. Be alert that dictators have always played on the natural human tendency to blame others and to oversimplify. And don’t regard yourself as a guardian of freedom unless you respect and preserve the rights of people you disagree with to free, public, unhampered expression. ~Gerard K. O’Neill, 2081 For some time now I’ve been concerned that it seems we are losing the lessons of past. This weekend …
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Rachel S. returned to Montréal, her actions respected and supported by her network of family, friends and fellow students. She reported what she experienced and observed in Toronto during the g20 events.But first, a video that faithfully depicts the actions of Rachel and her peers, peaceful activists, volunteers and committed citizens who took to the streets of Toronto, numbering 25,000 and more. These are the images that the 'mainstream' media chose not to broadcast.And now Rachel in all her eloquence, powerfully written and spoken.On Wednesday, while on the way to an environmental justice …
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History is being made in Canada today. Not just the fact that this is our country’s 143rd birthday; not because Queen Elizabeth has joined the celebrations; not not even because the HST has come into effect. No, history is being made because, for the first time since Confederation, the PEOPLE have sent the most important Canada [...] …
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My old man tells a story from his police days about a colleague who went undercover to infiltrate a biker gang. His first and last stop was a biker bar. In he strode all dialed up in biker bling, and up comes a waitress who says 'What'll it be, copper?" She might have saved his life.-----------------------My gracious coblogger and elegant pizzaneer Alison raises a very good ethical point about accusing someone of being a police agent by appearance alone.As someone commented at Creekside, do we really want to go down the road of posting pictures of people and accusing them of being police …
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I'd wish you a happy Canada Day but apparently the public expression of such sentiments is now frowned upon. …
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In, say, 100 words or less, what do you like best about our country? …
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I enjoy thinking of things in alternative points of views. This is why I try to meet people of alternative view points and political bents to expand both my mind and my knowledge of other things. A part of this want of learning and expansion of my knowledge would be arguing for the things that [...] …
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Alex made landfall across the North East coast of Mexico at Soto La Marina at about 0200 GMT. It has now been downgraded to a Tropical Storm. At the time of landfall the wind speeds had risen to over 90 knots (169 kmh/105 mph) making Alex a category 2 strength hurricane.Alex will likely dissipate over the next day or so as it encounters the Sierra Madres. That will result in heavy rainfall and possible flooding/mudslides.A couple of points of interest:1. There has not been a category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic basin in June since 1966 (Alma).2. Alex was/is huge. The radius of maximum winds …
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  No autism last night as my oldest son Brandon and I attended the Bard in the Barracks presentation of  MacBeth in Odell Park (I do not  subscribe to the speculation that various historical geniuses including Shakespeare were autistic).  Heather and I have watched a lot of BBC Shakespeare productions with Brandon and he bought a pair of tickets for his ever wiser and slightly grayer Dad's birthday. It was an amazing experience in the woods of Odell Park at night and MacBeth is my favorite Shakespeare. I loved it.    The production went from 7:30 to almost 11:30 …
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British filmmaker/satirist Charlie Veitch is here informed by police he is being arrested under the now thoroughly discredited "Public Works Protection Act" for failing to produce ID while being near a public work :On Tuesday Police Chief Blair admitted that police didn't have any authority under that act to arrest someone for not showing identification within five metres of the fence, but meanwhile Veitch spends 40 horrible hours in the G20 pens specially constructed to detain dangerous comedians and other freedom loving people like himself for exactly that.Veitch then releases to Youtube a …
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LOCAL EVENTS WINNIPEG:SOLIDARITY DEMONSTRATION WITH G20 ARRESTEES:As part of part of the countrywide mobilization to protest the police riot in Toronto and support those arrested there will be a support demonstration tomorrow here in Winnipeg. Here's the notice.WWWWWWWDemonstration in solidarity with G20 political prisoners and arresteesDate: Thursday, July 1, 2010Time: 11:30am - 2:00pmLocation: Meet at the park behind the River-Osborne Community CentreWinnipeg, MBDescription.In the face of police violence, attacks against protesters and the unprecedented arrests of the G20 resistance, we are …
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