Flogging A Product On-Line?

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How The LPoC Can Win In B.C.

Rae told a Vancouver audience Saturday he still sees a need for his party's informal ban on oil tankers along B.C.'s north coast, which is right where Enbridge wants tankers to load up with oil coming from Alberta's oilsands via a new pipeline.

A formal ban would kill that cursed pipeline; an informal ban suggests opposition to it but plays about with semantics.  Nevertheless, its a start.

Nevertheless, this should also lay down a marker for the other LPoC leadership potentials.  The Libs should stand with B.C. and against Northern Gateway (and opposed to Alta., where they have no hope anyhow).

Pierre Trudeau Might Indeed Have Been a "Run-O-The-Mill" Social Democrat, Mr Black...

...but at least he managed to keep his ass outta jail.

That is all.

CIJA Head On Section 13

Looks like Shimon Fogel has plumped for a repeal:

Shimon Fogel, CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said that he believed that “there has been an acknowledgement that changes to the Criminal Code would be necessary in addition to passage of the (private member’s ) bill.” While Fogel said he supports repealing Section 13, he believed Storseth’s bill was “not entirely adequate as an alternative to Section 13.

This is not eontirely surprising.  The rumour is that the criminal code changes Fogel wants will involve removing the requirement that the AG approve charges.  That has been one of the impediments that have made using the code in such circumstances problematic.

Sorry for the link to Lemire's site, incidentally.  The original piece from the Cold Lake Sun appears to be unreachable.

Mr. Prime Minister, We Are ALL Approaching Retirement Age

On Friday, talking points coming from the Prime Minister's Office stated that any proposed cuts were still several years away, and wouldn't affect any Canadians currently approaching retirement age.

I guess the question now is--what's the cut-off date?  How old do you have to be today to not get screwed over?

Not that I really have any skin in the game re this issue.  I never plan to retire.  I'll keep showing up until they club me to death with a shovel.  I get bored easily and can't imagine being idle for long spaces of time.  But most folk want to slack off in their senescence and winter in Florida, or Arizona.  But I've been to Arizona and the good bits involved cacti and road-runners, the bad bits involve snakes and poison spiders.  The locals don't figure into it as all, being boring as heck. 

Dan Gardner Sees Hitler In The Swirling Clouds Of Rhetoric

Well, here's the quote.  I think Bob Rae was thinking more along these lines--you know, an Alpine perch being  a high place from which one might look down upon the roiling mob and occasionally swoop low and destroy a few of them.  Like this, for example.

I don't think Bob had this in mind at all.

source

Northern Gateway Rising: A Slightly More Interesting Bullshit Poll

 Decima's latest, which gives the following  national numbers:

...the Conservatives at 32 per cent support, followed by the NDP at 29 per cent. The Liberal Party, which held its 2012 convention in Ottawa two weeks ago in an attempt to rescue itself from permanent third-party status, is sitting at 25 per cent support. They are followed by the Green Party, at 7 per cent, and the Bloc Quebecois at 5 per cent.

The CPoC is down a couple of points nationally, if you look at Decima's deets.  But what's most interesting is the B.C. breakdown:

That's the Northern Gateway issue taken' effect, I think.  The NDP has been most aggressive about this on both the provincial and federal level, and the Greens get a minor bump. 

C'mon LPoC; like Rafe Mair says, there is no middle way here; take a stand and avoid talking Centralist mush!

JDL Off To Quebec...

...to picket Stephane Gendron's office.  Gendron is mayor of Huntingdon, Quebec and a small-time radio shock-jock. His most recent comments re Israel's right to exist, when seen in their full context, are not as awful as have been portrayed, but the guy more generally comes across as divisive rabble rouser.  And in any case, picketing an asshole is a democratic right.  So I can't criticize Meir and the gang too much for this one.  Just don't get yourself lynched out in the Que. backwoods, Meir!

Rafe Mair On The Northern Gateway Pipeline

 I oppose violence with every remaining sinew in my body but I’m saying to Harper and Oliver that violence is what their policies will bring. I haven’t had a fight since about Grade VII and I lost that one but I can tell you that I’m prepared to stand in the way of that first shovel and take the consequences. And I say to you both that you’re making a mistake if you think you can do these things without very serious consequences.

There is no middle way, Prime Minister – this Tar Sands gunk has to go by train or truck through Alberta to Houston because it isn’t coming though BC or through her waters.

Rafe Mair served as a Cabinet Minister  in Bill Bennett's SoCred government; his various portfolios included Environment,  Health and Education.  Incidentally, I think Mair's playing of the NEP card (National Energy Plan) is quite astute.  Ottawa is in effect NEPing British Columbia for the sake of Alberta and saying its in the national interest.

We Do Not Comment On Bullshit Polls...

...conducted barely eight months into a four year mandate. Even (marginally) encouraging ones.  And hardly a reason to plump for Bob as LPoC leader this far in advance of the leadership convention, if anyone is thinking that.  Wait until he craps a gold brick in public before we declare him THE ONE.

That is all.

Climate Scientists Send In The Lawyers

Climate Science Legal Defense Fund Gets New Backing

PEER Sponsors Effort to Counter Fossil-Fueled Attacks on Climate Scientists

Washington, DC — The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund (CSLDF) has found a non-profit home in Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) which provides it fiscal sponsorship and logistical support. CSLDF lets scientific colleagues and the public directly help climate scientists protect themselves and their work from industry-funded legal attacks.

In recent years, these legal attacks have intensified, especially against climate scientists. The fund is designed to help scientists like Professor Michael Mann cope with the legal fees that stack up in fighting attempts by climate-skeptic groups to gain access to private emails and other correspondence through lawsuits and Freedom of Information Act requests at their public universities.

The project is co-directed by physical sciences Professor Scott Mandia of Suffolk County Community College and Joshua Wolfe, co-author of “Climate Change: Picturing the Science.” The Fund started this past fall after Prof. Mandia posted a “Dear Colleague” appeal for support which generated more than $10,000 in less than 24 hours (http://bit.ly/qzg7X4). To date, CSLDF has raised $25,000. All contributions to CSLDF are tax-deductible.

“Academic salaries are not designed to support ongoing legal expenses in fights with corporate-funded law firms and institutes,” said Prof. Mandia. “These legal battles also have taken many of our brightest scientific minds away from their research.”

“Our goal is not only to defend the scientist but to protect the scientific endeavor,” explained Wolfe. “The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund was established to make sure that these legal claims are not viewed as an action against one scientist or institution but as actions against the scientific endeavor as a whole.”

In addition to its core mission of defraying legal fees, CSLDF will –

· Educate researchers about their legal rights and responsibilities on issues surrounding their work;

· Serve as a clearinghouse for information related to legal actions taken against scientists; and

· Recruit and assist lawyers representing these scientists.

“The Climate Science Legal Defense Fund dovetails with the mission of PEER – to protect those who protect our environment,” stated PEER executive Director Jeff Ruch. “When individual researchers find themselves under intense legal assault, they often have few resources. Their universities do not necessarily represent their interests and may be disinclined to resist corporate fishing expeditions. We are stepping into this void to provide direct aid to both the scientists and their institutions.”

The original release can be found here.  I am told that this is primarily a U.S. effort, though there are discussions re extending the aid internationally.  There are also efforts to create similar funds in places like Australia.  I don't know if anyone in Canada is working on something like this.

Section 13 Swan Song?

 The story of Cran Campbell, who is on a mission to keep hate-speech off Craigslist:

After sending a complaint to the CHRC in the fall, Campbell received a response this month. In a letter dated Jan. 12, early resolution advisor Jamie Masters said the CHRC will send a letter to Craigslist advising that some of the posts in the "Rants and Raves" section of the Vancouver website may be in violation of the Canadian Human Rights Act, as well as Craigslist's own Terms of Use Policy.

The commission will take further action if this attempt at early resolution is unsuccessful at remedying the situation.

The story also notes that Campbell is spearheading an attempt to defeat Storseth's Bill C-304, which would repeal section 13 of the CHRA.  I don't see a website or anything devoted to that. I will try and email to see what plans he's got.

Denier Defunded

The much-criticised author and climate policy sceptic Bjorn Lomborg has told the Ecologist he is the victim of a vendetta after his funding was cut by the Danish government.

Bjorn's complaints ring hollow; he has been criticized for several years by players from all across Denmark's political spectrum.

Corbella Story Collapses Utterly

 In a story a week or so back,  Licia Corbella intimated that someone in the environmentalist camp was signing fake names to the list of people asking to make oral presentations to the NEB panel holding hearings into the Northern Gateway Pipeline.  Never mind that this doesn't make sense as part of a "mob the mic'" strategy; presumably the panel doesn't waste time on no-shows.  In any case, I was able to contact one of the mystery signers a day or so later, and discovered that Elano Ferraz of Brazil had indeed asked to speak and was still hopeful he might get to Canada for the hearings.   Today I find that the Globe has contacted the other "foreigner" mentioned in the Corbella story:

A further 400 people signed up through websites crafted by Dogwood for organizations like the Spirit Bear Youth Coalition, which succeeded in stoking international interest. It sent out an e-mail that reached some six million people.

One was Ines Gudic, a bank worker in Santos, Brazil. She owns 10 cats, three dogs and spends her free time collecting donations to bring in injured strays for veterinary care. Her love of animals led her to watch a DVD about the spirit bear – or the kermode bear, a white subspecies of the black bear whose habitat lies near where Northern Gateway-fed tankers would sail. Apprised of pipeline plans, and concerned a spill could hurt these unique bears, she signed up.

She was “totally unaware” she was registered to make an oral statement, she said, speaking through an interpreter. But she did fill out the form herself – as did another Brazilian named Elano Ferraz, who wrote in an email: “I did sign up to speak at the environmental hearing for the Northern Gateway pipeline.”

They contradicted reporting by a Calgary newspaper, which called it a “mystery” that the two Brazilians “were signed up without their knowledge.” That allegation sparked fury from pro-pipeline groups and industry leaders. Enbridge chief executive Pat Daniel last week accused non-Canadians of attempting to “delay” and “confuse” the project, pointing to “the number of people who are serving as intervenors that have never heard of the project.”

Yet each of the people with foreign addresses contacted by The Globe and Mail said they had registered themselves. The process was not, however, entirely clear. The Spirit Bear group’s e-mail, for example, asked people to “give the Spirit Bear a voice.” It didn’t mention it was asking people to speak before the National Energy Board.

Just to clarify, the Ferraz email mentioned in this story appeared first on BCLSB (see link above), so thanks to the Globe for giving credit where it is due...NOT!  Secondly, having contacted the Spirit Bear people myself -while their email reached millions, they are just a small organization and don't really have the means to geo-target and translate their message into the home language of all the recipients.  So while Ms. Gudic and Mr. Ferraz have have been slightly confused, there was certainly no attempt to deceive on the part of the coalition.