Everything you wanted to know about pepper spray but were afraid to ask. H/T: Dr. Dawg
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Sky is Falling – US Generals Warn America in Real Danger if Military Spending is Cut
A US Marine Corps general is the latest stuffed tunic to warn of dire consequences to America if the Pentagon’s budget is cut. Corps Commandant General James Amos says he’s sure that something sort of awful will befall the American military from budget cuts. “We as a nation don’t even
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Propaganda Busting – Social Security
Anyone who follows American politics will have heard the Right’s endless demands for “entitlement reform.” They argue that Social Security is on the verge of insolvency and therefore payouts need to be trimmed. After all, how can you maintain insane tax cuts for the rich if you have to pay
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading. – Barrie McKenna thoroughly debunks the claim that “financial literacy” alone is enough to put ordinary citizens on a level playing field with the financial industry: Looking to financial literacy to fill the void is like asking ordinary Canadians to be their own brain
Continue readingdaveberta.ca - Alberta politics blog: one less lifeboat on the ship: lethbridge liberal mla bridget pastoor to join pc caucus today.
MLA Bridget Pastoor According to a tweet from Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid, Liberal MLA Bridget Pastoor will cross the floor and join the Progressive Conservative caucus today. Ms. Pastoor is currently serving her second term as the MLA for Lethbridge-East, a constituency represented by Liberal MLAs since 1993. She
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Greenhouse Gas Increases Accelerating.
The operative word is “accelerating.” The World Meteorological Organization reported today that,“the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere hit a new record in 2010 and that the growth of the buildup is accelerating.” “The increase between 2009 and 2010 was above the average for the last two decades. “Between
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Occupy Toronto told to leave
I’ll be there this evening — it will be interesting to see what’s going on!!! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/after-eviction-order-occupy-toronto-considers-appeal/article2243263/ While municipal officials urged the Occupy Toronto movement to peacefully end its month-long encampment at St. James Park, the protesters are pondering whether to appeal a judgment that upheld the city’s right to evict
Continue readingThe Common Sense Canadian home page: Why Independent Media Needs Your Support – And How You Can Help TheCanadian.org
This, dear friends, is a plea for help. Let me illustrate that with an anecdote. The great American attorney, Clarence Darrow once had a client praise him asking, “How can I help?” to which he replied, “Madam, since the Phoenicians invented money there’s only been one answer to that question.” The Common
Continue readingHow can opposition battle Harper’s War Against Information when there’s no battle plan?
HillTimes: There are an estimated 1,500 communications staffers working in ministers’ offices and departments, including 87 in the PMO and PCO. (And don’t forget Sun Media, Postmedia, editorial board at Globe & Mail and 90 percent of the media.) Soon after Mr. Harper won power, the Prime Minister’s staff started
Continue readingDid the Party of No sabotage the Super Committee to blame Democrats again and raise funds?
Looks like it. WASHINGTON — Republicans have already begun campaigning on the Super Committee’s impending failure by blaming Democrats in a blast email Monday morning. “Without fail, Democrats have refused to get serious about restoring fiscal accountability in Washington as they show a blatant lack of interest in giving up
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: The Myth of Financial Literacy
Barrie McKenna has a very good column in today’s Report on Business about Bay Street simultaneously promoting “financial literacy,” more personal borrowing, and high-fee financial products. He makes some of the same points as contributors to this blog did when the Harper government’s Task Force on Financial Literacy began consulting, accepted
Continue readingLieutenant John Pike’s blog!
Read it, or you’ll be pepper sprayed until your eyes bleed! [H/t] UPDATE: A meme is born. [H/t reader Peedeecee]
Continue readingUC Davis Chancellor Katehi running on ego and disillusionment
Wow. This woman has balls of steel. This morning Linda Katehi told Good Morning America (emphasis mine): But Chancellor Linda Katehi told ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday that she’s staying put. “I really feel confident at this point the university needs me,” she told GMA (video here). “There are so
Continue readingMorton's Musings: Summary judgment — evidence needed
Conn v. Goldstone Resources Inc., 2011 ONCA 727, released today on line, is a helpful case reminding us that on a summary judgment motion evidence is needed: [5] In our view there was sufficient evidence to support the motion judge’s conclusion on this issue. The appellant filed no affidavit material on the motion, in
Continue readingSome Misgivings on the Part of Some Harpercon Backbenchers on the Asbestos Issue?
I was surprised when I read this piece from Jennifer Ditchburn and Andy Blatchford last night. It appears that some Harpercon backbench MPs are getting a tad uppity and starting to look for their own information regarding the dangers of asbestos on their own. Five abstained from voting on an
Continue readingOpenMedia.ca: Geist: The CRTC sided with indie ISPs with the Internet metering decision
By Michael Geist Last week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released its much-anticipated usage based billing decision. While the ruling only focused on the use of data caps (or UBB) as between Internet providers, the issue garnered national attention with over 500,000 Canadians signing a petition against Internet data
Continue readingwmtc: emergency rally to defend occupy toronto: 5:00 today
Message from Occupy Toronto: OCCUPY TORONTO IS BEING EVICTED. Mayor Rob Ford has angrily taken to television, even gritting his teeth, to say he wants protesters “gone NOW”. City Manager says by midnight force will be used, but mayor is pressing for even faster. Ford and the judge point to
Continue readingOn conservative madness
Conservatism, once again, is shown to be less a politics than a diagnosis. Werner Patels appears to be off his meds. Junior chickenhawk Adrian MacNair spares us, at least, his hopelessly bad writing this time, except for his garbled lede. No doubt this is merely scratching the reeking surface of
Continue readingBuckdog: Ethical Asbestos – How Canada’s Conservative MP’s Continue To Push Deadly ASBESTOS Onto Poor Nations
“A growing number of Conservative MPs are questioning their government’s position on the export of asbestos, with a group of them independently summoning industry experts to a meeting on Parliament Hill last week. Solid caucus discipline has been one of Stephen Harper’s political achievements over six years in power. While
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Climate Change Isn’t Happening If You Can’t Learn About It
How else can you explain the extraordinary efforts of the Harper regime and its US Congressional counterparts to suppress climate change information getting to the public. As chronicled in The Guardian recently, Steve Harper has been using spending cuts to undermine groups such as Climate Action Network Canada, a NGO
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