Old line parties share corrupt styles
Silence reigns over Port of Montreal hiring controversy, Politicians prefer to keep things quiet, BY STEPHEN MAHER, POSTMEDIA NEWS, October 29, 2011 "...In the Mafia, if you break that code…
Norman Farrell
Mainstream media no longer sole gatekeepers
In the government's sale disposition of BC Rail, there are compelling indicators that massive fraud was perpetrated. Even worse, senior provincial officials interfered with investigation and prosecution of the duplicity…
The myth of democracy
Oligarchy, American Style, Paul Krugman, New York Times Op-Ed "We have a society in which money is increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few people, and in which that…
Mistrusted neighbour
“Salmon farming along the British Columbia coast has expanded with encouragement from both Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the B.C. provincial government. The Canadian federal fisheries department…
Has the game changed or merely the players?
Recently, I was amused by a certain radio news-talk host angrily sputtering in response to callers' claims that he was partial and passive in political coverage. He replied that, in…
So they arrested the reporter, not the bankers
Truthdig, November 3, 2011: "Goldman Sachs, which received more subsidies and bailout-related funds than any other investment bank because the Federal Reserve permitted it to become a bank holding company…
The end of news as we know it
The following article was first published May 24, 2010. Since then, Sean Holman suspended the Public Eye website, Postmedia has focused on serving business not public interests, the destruction of…
Good tax, bad tax
News item, The Guardian, November 3, 2011: "Bill Gates will tell the G20 group of developed and developing countries on Thursday that they could raise an extra $48bn (£30bn) a…
Autumn colours
Go, sit upon the lofty hill, And turn your eyes around, Where waving woods and waters wild Do hymn an autumn sound. The summer sun is faint on them --…
Modern charity
CHARITY: generous actions or donations to aid the poor, ill, or helpless. The Fraser Institute styles itself the most influential market research organization in Canada. It is certainly the best…
Just a pay-to-play way of life
Tomgram: Lawrence Weschler, The Great American Shakedown, November 1, 2011: "In the U.S., corruption is seldom “corruption.” ... 15 of top “bundlers,” who give their own money and solicit that…
A billionaire’s views on lost democracy
There is little wonder uber-wealthy invest in politicians because the yields can be high. Two decades ago, California developer Charles Keating gained infamy by looting Lincoln S&L of $1-billion, an…
Stadium skeptics proved wrong
News Item: "Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters will be building an even bigger Wall at BC Place on May 26 next year. "In an announcement made Tuesday morning, BC…
More Campbell associates break lobbying rules
In March 2008, Gordon Campbell intimate Ken Dobell plead guilty to violating British Columbia's lobbying legislation. Dobell had retired as deputy minister to the premier in 2005 and then busied…
Does Postmedia need paywalls or headstones
In his NY Times blog, economist Paul Krugman focused attention on one of the frequently repugnant think-tanks that serves America's one-percenters. In Denial In Depth, Krugman applauds Ryan Chittum at…
Boooooo
Great neighbourhoods are that because of great neighbours. We've shared one small corner of the world for 35 years or so with families who really are particularly fine. Each year,…
One person’s voice echoes widely
Alexandra Morton has been nominated at The Tyee for The People's Order of BC and you are eligible to vote. These words — familiar ones to readers of Northern Insights…
It is class warfare…
begun the financial overlords who control all of the major levers of power in what passes for our democracy. ... three decades of rampant upper-crust greed ... will be well…
Liberals reward immorality
Without ethical foundations, leadership in government is merely random wandering among infinite possibilities. A whim of yesterday had value then but none today. No one knows what will be expedient…
Shocking RCMP performance
Documents on tortured Canadian Almalki say he posed no terrorist threat, Andrew Duffy, Postmedia News, October 25, 2011 OTTAWA — Ottawa engineer Abdullah Almalki says new documents show the RCMP's…