“The truth of history,” Napoleon wrote in his memoirs while exiled on St. Helena, “is a fable agreed upon.” Agreed upon mostly by the victors, one should add. The losers seldom agree with it. In 1865, Mark Twain added in his work, Following the Equator: “The very ink with which
Continue readingTag: war
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Export The Immigration Minister Please
It’s so fantastically shameful the Immigration Minister discriminates based on religion, denying Syrian refugees especially if they are Muslims. This would violate the Charter of Rights were these people Canadians. Not a good Christian case of “do unto others”, is it? == .@CBCAlerts if only we could export our low-price
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: CIA Tortured For Bad Info
Don't worry folks, no one will go to prison for the massive torture program we ran, but we'll still condemn other countries for injustice. — Nima Shirazi (@WideAsleepNima) December 9, 2014 Canada is implicated. Ahem. RT @Independent: These are the countries that will be worried by the CIA 'torture' report pic.twitter.com/2QAHWysfhU
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: In the Time of the "Official Truth" There’s No Room for Journalism
John Pilger looks at what the Western media offer up as journalism and sees instead propaganda. He sees the essence of the mainstream media as not information but power. The world is facing the prospect of major war, perhaps nuclear war – with the United States clearly determined to isolate
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Danger and Delusion: From ISIS to Ebola
There are very real dangers in the world, but let’s not lose all perspective. Perspective is everything. Don’t believe the hype. It must be stated directly: the majority of people have wildly irrational, and frankly delusional modes of thinking when it comes to risk assessment. And of course, pre-formed, unreflective
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Video of Syrian boy ‘hero’ under sniper fire exposed as fake: other Syria-related propaganda
In its coverage of a video that purported to show a Syrian boy braving sniper fire in the course of rescuing a young girl, the Daily Mail lauded the spectacle as an act of heroism. The accompanying article claimed the video was believed to have been shot in Yabroud, a
Continue readingYappa Ding Ding: It was a joke, ya dummies
At the remembrance day ceremonies in Ottawa, CBC interviewed a guy dressed like a soldier. Later on CBC discovered that the guy was not really a soldier. CBC used print and video to condemn the guy, adding in lots of outrage from real veterans, calls for criminal prosecution, and dark
Continue readingYappa Ding Ding: It was a joke, ya dummies
At the remembrance day ceremonies in Ottawa, CBC interviewed a guy dressed like a soldier. Later on CBC discovered that the guy was not really a soldier. CBC used print and video to condemn the guy, adding in lots of outrage from real veterans, calls for criminal prosecution, and dark speculation as to why he was impersonating a soldier.
But CBC is still in the dark: the outfit is obviously a gag. Maybe it was a dare. In the background of a CBC video you can see the man and his wife trying to keep a straight face. At one point she is laughing so hard that she wipes tears from her eyes.
This reminds me of the April 1 interview Michael Enright gave to an obviously fake Jimmy Carter, and the front page article in the Globe & Mail that Just Didn’t Get the Joke.
Update: Some time later I read that this guy was convicted for this act. I’m not sure what the charge was. I can see that we might not want people pretending to be military personnel on duty, but impersonating a veteran seems to be a harmless prank. Throwing the book at this guy, or even being outraged at his act, smacks of patriotic hysteria.
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Lest we forget
Sixteen million people died as a result of Word War One. Of these, as many as 64,990 were Canadian. One of them, a Manitoban named Sidney Halliday, was recently identified as being among the remains of five dead Canadians located in Hallu, France in 2006-07. One suspects the efforts of
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Journalist Tired of Unfree Press Pushing War
A German journalist explains how the CIA misused him to manipulate people, to push war. “Non official cover”
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: CBC Live As Composed As A Live Blog
Ancient years ago, about 6, CBC journalists could be heard explaining to crowds how bloggers might one day be eating their lunch, but for the time being the responsible journalism was being done by the Main Stream Media. Then an armed gunman shot a soldier at the War Memorial before
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Where Saskatchewan Comes To Count
Saskatchewan’s lovable radio host asks: “What are you thinking and feeling about 1) our Canada today b) yesterday on the “Hill” and c) the cowardice and evil in our midst. Is Canada different today? How do we deal with terrorism and radicals?” 1) Worried the attack will be used as
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Ottawa Attacked
A sad day of note in Canadian political history, as Parliament Hill was under gunfire today. A soldier was also shot at the nearby War Memorial. Putting the day’s events into perspective though, are Canadians less safe today because of our political leader’s choice to take us to war in
Continue readingPaul S. Graham: Video: The war in Eastern Ukraine and the New Cold War
In April 2014, the government that had come into power two months earlier in Ukraine launched what it termed an “anti-terrorist operation” against the people of Eastern Ukraine. The easterners were opposed to the government’s plans for economic association with Western Europe and were demanding a greater voice in central
Continue readingdrive-by planet: USA #1 when it comes to ‘violence and preparations for violence’
Interesting article on Stop the War coalition site this week entitled Yes it’s true, the United States really is the greatest country in the world – but in what? The article includes stats and links to demonstrate that when it comes to “violence and preparations for violence” the USA is
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What Are We Getting Ourselves Into?
Before long the Middle East will look like a parking lot for Western jet fighters. The place will be awash in Hornets and Super Hornets, F-16s, F-22s, Eurofighters and Rafales and Tornados. They’ll be flying about over Syria and Iraq searching for something, anything to bomb into rubble and pulp.
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Perma-War is Soft Fascism; Reject It!
When the government terrorizes the citizens, they are the enemy. Not all allies have decided that international cachet means flying combat jets. Many are contributing humanitarian aid, an option often derided by Harper’s Conservatives as sending over some blankets. Germany’s Angela Merkel is one who has chosen blankets over bombs
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Ezra Klein discusses how a corporate focus on buybacks and dividends rather than actually investing capital leads to less opportunities for workers. Nora Loreto offers her take on precarious work in Canada. And Lynne Fernandez and Kirsten Bernas make the case for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On political calculations
I haven’t seen anybody else question the most self-congratulatory aspect of Stephen Harper’s position on a new Iraq war, and at least a few commentators seem to have been willing to swallow it whole. So let’s address the question of which leader has the most obvious political reason to position
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Trudeau “cannot and will not” support Harper’s Iraq war motion
Responding to Harper’s Iraq war motion, introduced Friday, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said his party “cannot and will not support this Prime Minister’s motion.” The post Trudeau “cannot and will not” support Harper’s Iraq war motion appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
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