Earlier this month Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson signed an extradition order allowing for the surrender of Canadian citizen, Ottawa U professor Hassan Diab, to French authorities. Dr Diab has been accused of involvement with a 1980 bombing outside a synagogue on Rue Copernic, Paris. He has steadfastly proclaimed his
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Drive-by Planet: Swiss mag uses Roma child with a gun to push scare story
Die Weltwoche, a conservative Swiss magazine with ties to the right-wing Swiss People’s Party recently published an alarmist article under the title – “The Roma Are Coming: Plunder in Switzerland.” The photo accompanying the article shows a Roma child who looks to be about 4 years-old pointing a handgun at
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Proposed EU law would criminalize possession of hacking tools
In an effort to harmonize anti-hacking laws, the EU parliament has come up with a sweeping draft law. The proposal, backed by the EU Civil Liberties Committee, aims to criminalize the possession and distribution of hacking tools. It’s hard not to be skeptical about efforts of politicians to deal with
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: UK police racism: tirade of abuse recorded by black victim
Met police in the UK have been accused of racism so often it has led more than a few critics to claim that racist attitudes are “institutionalized” in the force. Incidents have kept recurring over the years with no convincing evidence that Scotland Yard is getting serious about dealing with
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Jean-Luc Mélenchon: Left-Front surges in French polls
Left-Front firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon has moved ahead of far-right Marine Le Pen to become the third placed contender in the presidential campaign. He pulls no punches in his colorful descriptions of Le Pen and her far-right views, calling her “a dark presence” and a “filthy beast spewing out hatred.” Mélenchon
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Che’s Irish connection: Galway project sparks controversy
The legendary Cuban revolutionary leader, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, had Irish roots. Che’s grandmother, Ana Isabel Lynch, was the daughter of one Patrick Lynch who lived near Claregalway. Lynch is a well known Galway name. Che who was close to his grandmother, Isabel Lynch, had a keen interest in his Irish
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: English Defence League humiliated by no-show Aarhus summit
The English Defence League (EDL) suffered a humiliation in Aarhus, Denmark, where it arrived to set the stage for the rather grand sounding pan-European anti-Islamic Movement. Problem for the EDL’ers is that hardly anybody showed up. The turn out was so poor in fact, anti-fascist demonstrators outnumbered EDL supporters twenty-to-one.
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: George Galloway: stunning landslide victory in Bradford West
George Galloway, the British MP banned in 2009 from entry into Canada has achieved a stunning electoral victory in the UK. Standing for the Respect Party, Galloway pulled off an historic victory in Bradford West. Not too shabby for a guy humiliated by Canada – dubbed “an infandous street corner
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Merah killings: more about psychiatric issues than jihad?
To describe the Mohamed Merah killings as the act of a jihadi-on-a-mission is the type of simplistic narrative that short circuits more in-depth discussion about Merah’s motivations. There are questions about his psychological state that raise questions about whether he was acting as the “mujaheddin” he claimed to be. Merah
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Rob Ford: Toronto’s ‘notorious big’ loses subway vote
Toronto mayor Rob Ford is keen on catchphrases. Some of his faves are… “Stop the gravy train” – “It’s all about subways” – “End the war on the car” and “Respect for taxpayers.” Ford is a black-n-white slogan-friendly kinda guy. He stands as a living witness that a caricature can
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: UK bans Israeli tourism ad for fudging borders
Maps that suggest the occupied territories are part of Israel appeared on ads put out by the Israeli Tourism Ministry. The fondest dream of Zionists everywhere no doubt, but not welcomed by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority who say the ads are “misleading.” The Israelification effort also included replacing the
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Utah Data Center: ‘a massive eavesdropping complex’
Wired Magazine has an article about a new NSA spy center being constructed in Utah. It has the user friendly name Utah Data Center. Wired: A project of immense secrecy, it is the final piece in a complex puzzle assembled over the past decade. Its purpose: to intercept, decipher, analyze,
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Rise of the Pirates: a new way of doing politics
*This is a re-post – the earlier post was put on hold due to a possible duplication issue. The old way of doing politics is increasingly leaving a lot of people disenchanted and disengaged. Low election turnouts and the apathy of voters often comes down to the conviction that it
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Rick Santorum to wage war on America’s ‘porn pandemic’
Republican social issues crusader Rick Santorum has described contraception as “a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.” In other words in Santorum’s mind contraceptives are nothing less than a sex-aid that risk turning women into sluts – something
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