Vote for the Environment

I believe that the environment and climate change are very important issues that need to be addressed in the upcoming Canadian federal elections. Please share the following information with as many poeple as you can.

"VoteForEnvironment.ca was designed by Canadians who believe what the vast majority of the world’s scientists have told us. That we are out of time and we must start to reduce our fossil fuel pollution now to save the planet from dangerous climate change." Read more...>>>

Greenspan, Derivatives and the Financial Crisis

Alan Greenspan, the former US Federal Reserve Chairman, consistently opposed the oversight and regulation of financial contracts, known as derivatives, by the US Congress and regulatory institutions in the United States. On the other hand, American investor, Warren E. Buffett and American financial speculator, George Soros, do not like using derivatives in their businesses.

As per the New York Times article, "Taking Hard New Look at a Greenspan Legacy", and I quote, "If Mr. Greenspan had acted differently during his tenure as Federal Reserve chairman from 1987 to 2006, many economists say, the current crisis might have been averted or muted."

This New York Times article highlights the problems that arise when we fail to question authority and those in power. Putting our blind faith in others and following them meekly should be a no-no. This financial crisis reminds me of the proverbial saying, "the love of money is the root of all evil." Greenspan would have done well to remember this. Strangely, Greenspan was often referred to as the "Oracle" in many circles.

Harper and Bush

Check out videos on the economy and foreign policy, courtesy of the Liberals.

Thank the Liberals that we did not go to war in Iraq.

Canadian immigrants want to be 'heard"

Canadian immigrants come from various countries all over the world. They arrive from Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America, Latin America, China, India, Russia, Israel and the Middle East. They come from poor and rich countries, peacetime and wartime countries, communist, socialist and capitalist countries. They may be victims of torture and persecution and they can also be economic, environmental, political and wartime refugees. One thing, most of them agree on, is that they arrive in search of a “better life” in Canada.

The challenges they face are numerous in Canada. There are cultural, linguistic, social, economic and political hurdles to overcome as they resettle in their new homeland. Many Canadians including politicians don't really understand the issues and concerns that many immigrants face when they migrate to Canada. At election, time, they are courted by all the major parties for their votes. They have many issues that they want to be addressed. You have to be a Canadian citizen in order to vote in the Canadian federal elections.

Read more here.

Christine Innes is giving Olivia Chow "a run for her money"

Olivia Chow, the NDP incumbent for Trinity-Spadina seems to be intimidated by the Liberal challenger Christine Innes. Chow is federal NDP leader Jack Layton’s wife. Christine, a lawyer and community activist, easily won the all-candidates debate, that was held on October 6, 2008 in Trinity-Spadina.

As one blogger noted, Olivia seems “terrified” about Liberal challenger Christine Innes. I happen to agree with him. During the debate, Olivia realised that Innes is a “serious contender”. Innes is literally giving Chow “a run for her money”. Don’t get me wrong, Olivia has done a lot of things for this riding at the municipal level, but since she has gone to Ottawa, she seems disconnected to the folks in the riding. Olivia has also cancelled debates at the last minute. This did not sit very well with the other candidates including Stephen LaFrenie of the Green Party and Christine McGirr of the Conservatives. The audience at the debate on October 6th , also voiced their disapproval loudly.

The Trinity-Spadina riding is rapidly changing with expensive condos going up all over the neighbourhood. The newer residents are empty nesters and the more economically well-off. This is having an impact on the bohemian mindset of the neighbourhood since this riding is becoming more up-scale. Change is happening. Mind you, it is still the home for many artists and students, including those from University of Toronto. Olivia and Jack support the arts community and they get a lot of help and support from this community and also from many young students.

Now about the vandalism happening in Trinity-Spadina. It is unacceptable that these incidents are happening. I do hope that cool heads prevail before any harm is done to anyone.

Where is Jack Layton?

Check out this blog http://wheresjack.wordpress.com/

It seems that federal NDP leader Jack Layton is not even paying attention to his own riding Toronto-Danforth. Peter Tabuns was ejected from an all party candidates meeting when he showed up to debate in Layton's place.

Canadian Election Debates

The Canadian election debates were held on October 1, 2008 in French and October 2, 2008 in English. Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, Jack Layton, Elizabeth May and Gilles Duceppe were all present to participate in these much anticipated debates. Steve Paikin from TV Ontario was the moderator. Both official languages, French and English, were used during the debates.

Issues that were discussed and debated included the war in Afghanistan, the economy, the environment and climate change, health, arts and culture, crime and punishment, the Green Shift, carbon taxes, cap and trade system and some other issues.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was on auto-cruise, laid-back and was trying not to rock the boat since he was ahead in the polls. He came across a bit stiff and on script. The other four candidates were targeting him also. Harper was seen as not taking the economic crisis seriously. Harper is also tough on crime; he wants to lock up 14-year-old juveniles for life.

Jack Layton was his same old self. He was mostly trying to go on the attack mostly after Dion and Harper. The NDP has seen their numbers increase with respect to the popular vote in this election. Layton is very predictable and lacks passion, vision and fails to come up with new solutions. He says to vote for a new "strong" in his ads. I still do not buy it. There is something about him that I do not trust.

Gilles Duceppe was the surprise of both debates. Too bad that the Bloc only runs candidates in Quebec. Duceppe is a pragmatist who is down to earth and has a good grasp and knowledge of the issues. He has a great deal of heart and soul, and a passion for politics. I would trust him and vote for him under different circumstances.

Stephane Dion finally got his chance to shine during the debates. He presented his party's agenda and also went in depth into his Green Shift plan. He came across as someone who is a problem-solver and who is searching for new solutions to the problems Canadians are facing today. Dion is a passionate political thinker who wants Canadians "to have fun." He has a funny sense of humour. I applaud him for being as he said "courageous", to tackle climate change and putting it as the main issue on his party's platform. He also addressed the economic issues head on. He came across as a gutsy politician.

Finally, Elizabeth May deserves a honourable mention for being present at the debates. She was articulate and passionate, and presented her party's platform admirably. The Liberals and the Greens are the parties that are pursuing carbon credits for greenhouse gas emissions. Elizabeth is a gutsy woman - a Canadian politician who is not afraid to tell Canadians the truth. She presents her positions clearly on the issues. She held her own against the others, all men, and I do believe that most Canadians would applaud her debut at these debates.

I was glad that I had the opportunity to watch both TV debates, since I usually miss them because of work. The debates gave all parties the opportunity to present their party's agenda. I got a better sense how the candidates viewed the issues and how they stacked up to one another. Many Canadians do not usually get to speak to the party leaders and their candidates. Many candidates have scripted appearances and are not easily approachable to Canadians. I am very glad that the Internet is changing the way elections are being covered and the way information is readily available on the World Wide Web.

(P.S. red eyes--I posted the above since you had asked. I know that it is a bit late. I had some problems with my computer. Everything is fine now.)

United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM)

NORTHCOM was created on October 1, 2002. It protects the United States homeland and support local, state, and federal authorities.

Northcomm, HAARP and Chemtrails

Sometimes, I see so many chemtrails in the sky, you have to wonder what is going on. It is so noticeable, it is hard to ignore. Worth reading. Check it out here.

Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by

narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the

dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening

thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer. He became Asia's first Nobel Laureate when he won the 1913 Nobel Prize in Literature.

About Community Organizers

The tit-for-tat continues during the US Presidential elections.

Former New York Mayor, Rudy Giuliani belittled Obama saying that he was just a "community organizer". So what is Giuliani implying?.....Last time I looked it was still an honest way to earn a living.....Hey, my daddy was among other things also a community worker.

Palin, followed up with "I am just your average hockey mom" who became mayor and then governor. She mocked Obama's experiences, "I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Which brings us to...Was Jesus a community organizer? According to labor leader Cecil Roberts, Jesus was a community organizer, so was Martin Luther King and Moses.

You know Giuliani and Palin, it is also about the politics of race, ethnicity, privilege, economics, social class and gender.

Regarding the "Lipstick on a Pig" comment

Well the US elections are in full swing and things are heating up plus the name calling is getting louder. The Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin camps are trading insults. Push is coming to shove. Oh my!!!

With respect to the "lipstick on a pig" comment, in her opening remarks of her convention speech, Sarah Palin said, "You know the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick." Obama later said and I quote,

"John McCain says he's about change too, and so I guess his whole angle is, 'Watch out George Bush -- except for economic policy, health care policy, tax policy, education policy, foreign policy and Karl Rove-style politics -- we're really going to shake things up in Washington,'" he said.

"That's not change. That's just calling something the same thing something different. You know you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. You know you can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change, it's still going to stink after eight years. We've had enough of the same old thing."

Everyone is weighing in on the "lipstick on a pig" comment. But after reviewing the above quote, it seems like Obama is referring to the Republicans and the current Bush administration, and not specifically to Sarah Palin. The Republicans are smelling to "high heaven".

It is time for a "change in politics" in the US. This is the reason why, Senator Barack Obama and the Democrats have captured the imagination of the American people, especially the younger voters.

Canadians head to the Polls, May is a winner

On Sunday, September 7, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper pulled the plug on his government, Canada's 39th Parliament. The Federal National Elections will be held on October 14, 2008, which is the day after the Thanksgiving holiday here in Canada. Personally, I am not too happy going to the polls again so soon. This will be the third election in four years, and who is paying for all this - well the Canadian taxpayers naturally.

So, a quick review about the happenings of the last couple of days. On Monday, Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada was excluded by a TV Network broadcasting consortium, CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, Global and TVA, and the other four candidates, all men - Stephen Harper, Jack Layton, Gilles Duceppe and Stephane Dion. Dion was the only party leader that actually wanted May present at the debates, but he also wanted to ensure that Harper was present for the debates.

Harper and Layton seems to be the main culprits. Harper was exhibiting his sexism and bigotry by stating that the decision was already made by the consortium and there was nothing he could do about it. Layton and Duceppe were also taking the position that May should not be present at the debates. Layton wants to be seen as the "green leader" since he has much to lose with May representing a similar agenda. Now he has to compete with her. May decided to take the matter to court.

This debacle caught the Canadian public attention and ignited the blogoshere with everyone throwing in their two cents.....Canadians were outraged.....since Canadians are known for and pride themselves on their fairness and equality. Hopefully, this will encourage everyone, especially women, to pay close attention to the upcoming elections and the issues that concerns them, their children and their families. Voters should ensure that their political candidates earn their votes.

As of this morning, Dion came out defending May's right to participate in the debates. He had a meeting this morning in Mississauga with some women candidates of his party. He comes out strongly by courting the womens' vote right away. I don't recall the Liberals doing this so early during the last election. Duceppe, Layton and Harper, respectively, have now fallen into line, and May will be participating at the upcoming debates. So now we will have all five political leaders at the debates in October.

The second brouhaha was about a Conservative party website that showed a puffin continually "pooping" on Dion's right shoulder.....yes, that is correct.....Let us not debate the issues, let us throw mud at each other...So the score is -: Harper is being juvenile and sexist, the underdog Dione has defended another underdog (May), so he gets $200 and passes Go, Layton is not the strong leader that he says he is (Jack, you should have known better) and Duceppe, well he just keeps on ticking...only in Quebec.

And the winner is Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party. I think many Canadians were very unaware of May and the Green Party. By trying to exclude her from the debates, a move that was perceived by Canadians as being undemocratic, May has become a household name and the Green Party has emerged finally, in full bloom, on the Canadian national political landscape.

There are some things money just can't buy. This was priceless for the Greens.

Election Fever

Well, now is the perfect time to start a political blog. I could not resist the siren songs any longer, and decided that there was no time like the present to start this political blog. Currently, we are living in a dynamic era of change. We have the American elections heating up and also hints that the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will call a federal election this coming Sunday.

In Canada, we have Prime Minister Stephen Harper of the Conserative Party of Canada, Opposition Leader Stephane Dion of the Liberal Party, Jack Layton of the New Democrat Party, Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois and Elizabeth May of the Green Party vying for the Prime Minister's position.

On the other hand, in the United States of America, we have Senator John McCain, a Viet-Nam war veteran and Senator Barack Obama, a bi-racial candidate who is a former community organizer and a lawyer by profession. Both are trying capture the White House in the upcoming November Presidential elections. Not to mention McCain's running mate, Governor Sarah Palin, the incumbent governor of Alaska, who is shaping up to be a controversial figure in this upcoming elections and is bent on taking on Obama and the Democrats. Senator Joe Biden is Obama's pick for Vice-President.

September is shaping up to be a very busy month. With two elections to observe what's a Canadian to do? Canadians cannot vote in the upcoming American elections but our votes seem to have already been cast in favour of Obama, the Presidential nominee for the Democrats. Now all that Canadians have to do is get out and cast their votes for their respective Canadian candidates in the, most likely, upcoming Canadian elections.

Joining the political bandwagon

Welcome to my blog!

I have started this blog, so I could offer my opinions and comments on government and political matters. I will be writing on Canadian, American and Third World politics, current and international affairs, human rights, democracy, law, religion, philosophy and the environment . Mostly issues and concerns that are of a political nature.