The US Congress and its corporate partners want the right of warrantless spying on every internet user, anywhere in the world. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) would give corporations the right to collect information on our online activities and share it with the US government, without notifying
Continue readingTag: US politics
Blast Furnace Canada Blog: Blast Furnace Canada Blog 2012-04-04 14:56:00
The decision this week by the ruling Conservatives to abolish the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development — also known by the shorthand “Rights and Democracy” — isn’t so much about cutbacks to so-called “unnecessary services” as it is a victory for a right wing regime that has
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: The Pursuit of Happiness
Thom Hartmann just couldn’t resist drawing some obvious conclusions the first World Happiness Report released earlier this week showing that the world’s happiest countries are all in northern Europe with Denmark, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands taking the top four spots. Canada came in a respectable fifth and the United
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 readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: “Freeloading Welfare Queens”
As a counterpoint to Alexandra Pelosi’s somewhat controversial piece the previous week interviewing “typical” Republican voters in Mississippi, on last Friday’s Real Time, Bill Maher aired “the thing that would make liberals go insane”… In the video, multiple welfare recipients proclaim they were at the welfare office (or “Job Center”)
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
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Kony 2012 – Grassroots campaign or manufactured outrage?
Disclosure, I haven’t watched the Kony 2012 video. I think I’m one of about 12 people in Canada who haven’t. I did catch some of it on network news however, and like any person with a heart and a pulse, I was sickened. It is unbelievable to me the atrocities that continue to
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Do Republicans want a religious extremist as their nominee?
The U.S. has troops in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, and numerous other countries, and there’s some definite sabre rattling happening right now in the direction of Iran from some quarters. Often times western powers are battling with religious extremists, Islamic fundamentalist with an extreme interpretation of the Muslim holy book, the
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Another massacre in Afghanistan
If this is how one “wins the hearts and minds” of a people, this past weekend’s massacre of 16 civilians by a US soldier has only succeeded in creating even more terrorists. There have been suggestions the suspect may have been mentally unstable but in this part of the world
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: ‘Doonesbury’ abortion strip sparks controversy
Part of an earlier Doonesbury strip in abortion-related series A Doonesbury strip due to run next week that addresses the harsh realities of the Texas abortion law may be rejected by some U.S. newspapers. Others may opt to put it in the editorial page rather than the comic section. Given
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Think Ron Paul is nuts? Good, the MSM is doing its job…check out John Stewart
Ron Paul could easily drop out of the GOP race and coporate media would be very happy. They’ve built up candidates like Rick Santorum, while working very hard at avoiding the Texas doctor and service vertran. Don’t believe me? Check out John Stewart. Pretty telling when Comedy Central provides more
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Americans can win back world respect by electing Ron Paul
I spent a bit of time growing up in the United States. I attended kindergarten and grades one to three and a bit of four in NJ and all of grade six near Portland Oregon. It is probably for that reason that I have enormous respect for our southern neighbours. With that
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: How the GOP should criticize Obama on Iran
Leaders of Brazil, Turkey & Iran As the Republicans continue to escalate their misguided criticism of Obama and his handling of the issue of a nuclear Iran, they desperately need a brief history lesson. I am not talking about a history lesson that extends back to the days of a
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: On the Rush Limbaugh hullabaloo
Radio Host Rush Limbaugh Rush Limbaugh has bought himself one heck of a news cycle. The host of the US’s most listened to conservative talk radio show made a series of insulting comments towards Ms. Fluke, a student who testified at a congressional hearing on birth control, calling her a
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Is That All There Is?
Comedian Rush Limbaugh – who is, it seems these days, the virtual leader of the increasingly deranged Republican Party – did the Democrats a huge favour the other day with his offensive remarks directed at “college co-ed” (i.e., third-year law student) Susan Fluke. Whether deliberate or not, Limbaugh’s deeply misogynistic
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: Rick Santorum and the other Great Satan
Rick Santorum and the dark side seem a natural fit. Maybe it’s his count Dracula look or those sweater vests that project inner darkness. So it comes as no surprise that the devil is in fact a large part of Rick’s larger world view. Topping the list of Santorum’s many
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: How the GOP candidates choose who to attack
Ron Paul: There has been a lot of buzz recently about the fact that Ron Paul, while viscously attacking his other opponents, seems to give Ron Paul a free pass. And vice versa. ThinkProgress has a count which shows that Ron Paul has, despite 20 debates and 39 attacks on other
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Crazy Stupid Politics
Bill Maher’s first live stand-up special that was netcast via Yahoo! the other day… Not sure how long it will survive on YouTube, but if you missed the netcast, enjoy it while it’s available.
Continue readingCanadian Soapbox: Is the U.S. conservative movement on drugs?
I realize very well that the conservative movement in the U.S. has gone and basically co-opted the fundamentalist, born again, bible thumping, man walked with dinosaurs Christian crowd. Fair enough, they’re a great constituency to have. They’re used to doing as they’re told, and they don’t worry about obvious contradictions or warped logic.
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