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Monday, January 18, 2010
Vic Toews Goes Permanent Prorogue
The Senior Conservative Member of Parliament in Manitoba is expected to be part of a cabinet shuffle this week.
It's expected Vic Toews will announce as early as today his departure from the Harper government for an opportunity outside of the federal government.
Well Damn.
PS. Don't Step on Vic Toews! In the updated story through the link above, Toews says he may be shuffled but isn't leaving parliament.
And from the Winnipeg Free Press:
OTTAWA -- Manitoba Senior Cabinet Minister Vic Toews' office is denying reports he is stepping down.
...but not that he's being shuffled.
But, on the other hand, a spokesperson for the Minister is now saying that "Rumours relating to a cabinet shuffle are just those, rumours."
It's expected Vic Toews will announce as early as today his departure from the Harper government for an opportunity outside of the federal government.
Well Damn.
PS. Don't Step on Vic Toews! In the updated story through the link above, Toews says he may be shuffled but isn't leaving parliament.
And from the Winnipeg Free Press:
OTTAWA -- Manitoba Senior Cabinet Minister Vic Toews' office is denying reports he is stepping down.
...but not that he's being shuffled.
But, on the other hand, a spokesperson for the Minister is now saying that "Rumours relating to a cabinet shuffle are just those, rumours."
Conservatives Who Are Pissed Off Over Prorogation
This New Facebook group--Conservatives Calling for Stephen Harper to Step Down--is something I can really get behind. Its growing by leaps and bounds, which is to say there were 12 members at 7:30, and 13 members an hour later--an astonishing eight per cent increase!!!
When you go over there your supposed to be a Conservative. Remember to type with your knuckles.
PS. Now I've joined! At this rate, our numbers will double by Wednesday!!!
When you go over there your supposed to be a Conservative. Remember to type with your knuckles.
PS. Now I've joined! At this rate, our numbers will double by Wednesday!!!
A Promise Not Made
From Today's Daily Gleaner:
Ignatieff is now pledging, if he becomes prime minister, to never prorogue Parliament.
But that isn't how I remember it:
Ignatieff is not absolutely ruling out the prime ministerial power to prorogue Parliament, but he says the public outcry from Canadians shows Harper has not set a good precedent for future use of the authority.
Definitely not an unconditional pledge; perhaps even a bit weaselly. But you shouldn't catch heck for promises you didn't make.
Ignatieff is now pledging, if he becomes prime minister, to never prorogue Parliament.
But that isn't how I remember it:
Ignatieff is not absolutely ruling out the prime ministerial power to prorogue Parliament, but he says the public outcry from Canadians shows Harper has not set a good precedent for future use of the authority.
Definitely not an unconditional pledge; perhaps even a bit weaselly. But you shouldn't catch heck for promises you didn't make.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
LEAF Weighs In
LEAF (the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund) is a Canadian legal organization that performs legal research and intervenes in appellate and Supreme Court of Canada cases on women's issues They've offered their submission on the review of the CHRA's section 13 (hate speech laws), by the Parliamentary standing committee on justice and human rights, here. There's some good historical and legal background in the document, which otherwise takes positions that are not terribly surprising. For example, LEAF follows the legal consensus re the Hadjis decision--section 13 alone is safe; s54.1 in conjunction with 13 may be a problem.
They do make an additional argument that you don't see much, which is that Canada needs hate speech laws to live up to its international obligations:
Canada is a signatory to several relevant international conventions that require state parties to prohibit hate speech. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by Canada in 1976, provides in Article 20(2) that “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.”33 Similarly, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, ratified by Canada in 1981, provides in Article 4 that “States Parties condemn all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one colour or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination.”34 In Keegstra, Chief Justice Dickson recognized these documents as reflective of “the international commitment to eradicate hate propaganda.”35 International law recognizes that measures against hate speech may take different forms.
So there you have it. Their website is here.
They do make an additional argument that you don't see much, which is that Canada needs hate speech laws to live up to its international obligations:
Canada is a signatory to several relevant international conventions that require state parties to prohibit hate speech. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), ratified by Canada in 1976, provides in Article 20(2) that “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.”33 Similarly, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, ratified by Canada in 1981, provides in Article 4 that “States Parties condemn all propaganda and all organizations which are based on ideas or theories of superiority of one race or group of persons of one colour or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form, and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to, or acts of, such discrimination.”34 In Keegstra, Chief Justice Dickson recognized these documents as reflective of “the international commitment to eradicate hate propaganda.”35 International law recognizes that measures against hate speech may take different forms.
So there you have it. Their website is here.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Prorogation NOT ENOUGH!! Retiring Tory Minister Needed MORE Time Off!
They were going to send him to New Zealand, and he said fuck it. I don't really blame him, though. "New Zealand" is a Maori word meaning "endless freakin' sheep".
Though they have some cool reptiles.
Though they have some cool reptiles.
Leave Shelly Glover Alone
Yes, claiming to not know who Tom Flanagan is marks her as an irredeemable lightweight, but she is really quite hot. And why can't there be a few bimbos among the CPoC himbos? After all, being stupid never got in the way of this guy's political career. 
If you're wondering what Shelly's up to, she's as the 40th annual "frog follies" in St. Pierre-Jolys. You can see the lucky little frog in several of the pictures. If I lived in wherever the hell that was I'd probably vote for her. Multiple times.
Just a thought: is Canada's Sarah Palin a straw-haired Amazon?
Prorogation
"'It certainly is more normal than even I was aware of," said [Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound CPoC MP Larry] Miller.
Perhaps more normal than he even thought possible? Clearly, somebody issued Larry Miller the same 5 x 7 card with talking points on it that everyone else got.
Perhaps more normal than he even thought possible? Clearly, somebody issued Larry Miller the same 5 x 7 card with talking points on it that everyone else got.
Friday, January 15, 2010
That Was Fast
The same URL that an hour ago linked to a story claiming Ed Stelmach and Co. would be giving Haiti sweet FA now links to a story claiming they'll toss in a whole $500,000, half as much as Newfoundland and Labrador. Those boys sure know damage control
Fraudulinking With Marc Morano
Fraudulinking: where a link from a website does not live up to its billing on that website. For example, from Marc Morano's Climate Depot:
But when you click on the link, you find Lovelock's quote has been rearranged and, more importantly, truncated. The next bit reads:
Synonym: to be Moranoed. Example: "Cocksucker! I've been Moranoed!"
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Ignatieff Meets Conservative Protesters
...and they can't even spell "Carbon". If politics is a battle of wits, Iggy should be reserving the hall for his victory banquet.
Pro-Prorogation Facebook Page Throws In Towel
Once called I SUPPORT the Prorogation of Parliament and the Prime Minister of Canada
...it has now, in the face of overwhelming public apathy, been renamed I SUPPORT the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, in a desperate attempt to attract more suckers:
Also, FreeD's Connie Fournier suspects the whole effort is about as real as astroturf:
As an aside, I'm interested in this name change thing. I have always been under the impression that if somebody changed the name of a Facebook group that I joined, I would be informed by Facebook and given the choice of opting out. Else, I might join a group called "I love fuzzy bunnies" and wind up being the member of a group called "I love Stalin" or some such thing. I know a couple of my readers had joined this group: did any of you receive notification of the name change?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Terry Glavin Is Right:
...the detainee issue arose under Paul Martin's Liberal government. Presumably, this fact would be raised during the course of any hearings into the matter. It is, however, the Conservative government of Stephen Harper that prorogued parliament in order to avoid such hearings, and fled under the cover of darkness.
There's a distinction to be made here.
There's a distinction to be made here.
McCallum's Answer Was Crystal Clear
"It's the government."
And presumably any Parliamentary investigation into the detainee issue would be focused upon the behavior of the political players involved. If the Harper Government truly believes that malfeasance on the part of any of these players entails the guilt of our troops in Afghanistan, then let them be the ones to make that argument and pursue the consequences.
As to the behavior of Canada's military in this whole affair, it seems to have been in line with the high professionalism we expect of our soldiers. The detainee "problem" was raised within the ranks (and in our diplomatic core, and elsewhere) and our civilian leaders were informed. The outgoing Martin government did not act, and the incoming Harper government did not act quickly enough.
Again, if there's more to it than that, let Ezra and the gang lead the witch-hunt.
And presumably any Parliamentary investigation into the detainee issue would be focused upon the behavior of the political players involved. If the Harper Government truly believes that malfeasance on the part of any of these players entails the guilt of our troops in Afghanistan, then let them be the ones to make that argument and pursue the consequences.
As to the behavior of Canada's military in this whole affair, it seems to have been in line with the high professionalism we expect of our soldiers. The detainee "problem" was raised within the ranks (and in our diplomatic core, and elsewhere) and our civilian leaders were informed. The outgoing Martin government did not act, and the incoming Harper government did not act quickly enough.
Again, if there's more to it than that, let Ezra and the gang lead the witch-hunt.
In Which I Rescue Journalism, But Journalism Rebuffs Me
From Jane Taber's afternoon blog post:
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has not been idling away his time. Like Mr. Ignatieff, he was in Quebec today meeting with Premier Jean Charest. And yesterday he was in Ottawa, where the PMO released a picture and a short video of him meeting with several of his most senior cabinet ministers.
The most interesting part of the picture, however, was the Prime Minister’s choice of mug – one featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo. According to Mr. Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, the mug is a favourite of his. It was a gift and the Prime Minister “uses it all the time to drink water.”
The "Prime Minister's" choice of mug was uncovered by me, here, on this blog, yesterday morning, through a pain-staking exercise in photo-analysis. But does Ms. Taber give credit where credit is due? No, Ms. TABER DOES NOT GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
Furthermore, Ms. Taber does not even consider (as I did, same post) how inappropriate it is for a Prime Minister to go into a security meeting, to talk about bombs and violence and so forth, with a mug representing the Fab 4s early, soft-rock, folky period. "With The Beatles". Blech! They hadn't even invented the distorted guitar in 1963! If Al Qaeda saw that film clip and IDd the picture on that mug, they'd crap themselves laughing.
But No! Ms. Taber simply swallows the government line!
(Although, the fact that Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas made a point of confirming the nature of this photo speaks volumes. Clearly this mug was a prop in a staged-exercise.)
Anyway...Bad Jane Taber! Bad!!
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has not been idling away his time. Like Mr. Ignatieff, he was in Quebec today meeting with Premier Jean Charest. And yesterday he was in Ottawa, where the PMO released a picture and a short video of him meeting with several of his most senior cabinet ministers.
The most interesting part of the picture, however, was the Prime Minister’s choice of mug – one featuring John, Paul, George and Ringo. According to Mr. Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, the mug is a favourite of his. It was a gift and the Prime Minister “uses it all the time to drink water.”
The "Prime Minister's" choice of mug was uncovered by me, here, on this blog, yesterday morning, through a pain-staking exercise in photo-analysis. But does Ms. Taber give credit where credit is due? No, Ms. TABER DOES NOT GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.
Furthermore, Ms. Taber does not even consider (as I did, same post) how inappropriate it is for a Prime Minister to go into a security meeting, to talk about bombs and violence and so forth, with a mug representing the Fab 4s early, soft-rock, folky period. "With The Beatles". Blech! They hadn't even invented the distorted guitar in 1963! If Al Qaeda saw that film clip and IDd the picture on that mug, they'd crap themselves laughing.
But No! Ms. Taber simply swallows the government line!
(Although, the fact that Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas made a point of confirming the nature of this photo speaks volumes. Clearly this mug was a prop in a staged-exercise.)
Anyway...Bad Jane Taber! Bad!!
DART Is NOT A Rapid Response Team.
Just a reminder, in light of this. DART's purpose is not necessarily to be there 20 minutes after the rubble settles. So not being there 20 minutes after the rubble settles does not count as some kind of failure. If somebody tells you otherwise, as the Tories have done in the past, they are inappropriately politicizing the disaster. This is what DART does.
Short version:
DART is not a rapid response emergency search and rescue team (although its engineering unit is certainly capable in this area) and, therefore, it is not the team to send into a disaster area in the hours immediately following such an event. Response in the first 24 hours is critical for rescue operations, and there are many international teams highly skilled in this task and equipped with trained dogs and specialised search devices... As a primary care medical unit, the DART team attends to illness, disease and obstetrics, and the demand for these treatments increases in the weeks after a disaster, whereas the trauma units are winding down their role at this time.
Short version:
DART is not a rapid response emergency search and rescue team (although its engineering unit is certainly capable in this area) and, therefore, it is not the team to send into a disaster area in the hours immediately following such an event. Response in the first 24 hours is critical for rescue operations, and there are many international teams highly skilled in this task and equipped with trained dogs and specialised search devices... As a primary care medical unit, the DART team attends to illness, disease and obstetrics, and the demand for these treatments increases in the weeks after a disaster, whereas the trauma units are winding down their role at this time.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Notes On A Fake Security Meeting
Harper and co. are trying to convince people they're actually working during prorogation. They've released some "footage" of a "security meeting" held the other day. Here's how you can tell it was staged:
1) No underlings (military, RCMP) in tow.
2) No coffee in the coffee mugs (nor anywhere else in sight).
3) Plus--and this is the clincher--if you look at a close up of Harper's coffee mug
1) No underlings (military, RCMP) in tow.
2) No coffee in the coffee mugs (nor anywhere else in sight).
3) Plus--and this is the clincher--if you look at a close up of Harper's coffee mug
...you realize that its this
Yes, a "With the Beatles" coffee mug. "All my loving" and lame stuff like that. People, you can't talk War with anything less than a Led Zep mug, and really, this is best.
Yes, a "With the Beatles" coffee mug. "All my loving" and lame stuff like that. People, you can't talk War with anything less than a Led Zep mug, and really, this is best.
PS. The always observant Buckets notes:
Note also the family photo in the background. But where is this meeting taking place? Harper's office? Then the seating at his desk is wrong. A meeting room? Who has pictures of their family in a meeting room? And whose pictures of their family have themselves so prominently placed? No, again the choice of photo is all part of the staging -- to display Harper as a family man.
Kent On Fire
MP Peter Kent's brudder on Afghanistan:
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has delivered a scathing rebuke to Canadian soldiers and taxpayers by nominating to his cabinet a disgraced former minister who presided over the embezzlement of up to one-third of Canadian aid dollars donated under the U.N.’s Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA).
In naming Zarar Muqbul as his new counter-narcotics minister, Karzai delivers a forehand smash into the court of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is already under fire for proroguing Canada’s House of Commons - in part to avoid a parliamentary committee’s probe into the Afghan government’s mistreatment of battlefield detainees.
The siphoning off of Canada’s LOTFA contributions is arguably a more flagrant abuse of trust than the issue of prisoner abuse. The financial support is intended to strengthen the National Police and kick-start Afghanistan's rule of law.
There's more. And somewhere in Ottawa, our Prime Minister is asking: can't the military have this guy imbedded in something?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has delivered a scathing rebuke to Canadian soldiers and taxpayers by nominating to his cabinet a disgraced former minister who presided over the embezzlement of up to one-third of Canadian aid dollars donated under the U.N.’s Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA).
In naming Zarar Muqbul as his new counter-narcotics minister, Karzai delivers a forehand smash into the court of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is already under fire for proroguing Canada’s House of Commons - in part to avoid a parliamentary committee’s probe into the Afghan government’s mistreatment of battlefield detainees.
The siphoning off of Canada’s LOTFA contributions is arguably a more flagrant abuse of trust than the issue of prisoner abuse. The financial support is intended to strengthen the National Police and kick-start Afghanistan's rule of law.
There's more. And somewhere in Ottawa, our Prime Minister is asking: can't the military have this guy imbedded in something?
GISSTEMP In Clear
Begun several years ago by the staff at software engineer consultants Ravenbrook Limited, the Clear Climate Code project is an attempt to reproduce software used by climate scientists in a more user-friendly programming language (Python vs., for example, Fortran) so that anyone, denialists included, might be able to download raw data and manipulate it easily. The end result should be, according to the clear coders, an increased confidence in the results of climate scientists.
Clear Code has now reached an important milestone in its first big project:
... an all-Python reimplementation of GISTEMP, the NASA GISS surface temperature analysis.
And here's the chart that results from running this reimplementation:
As the lads at Clear Code note:
The results of running this release match GISTEMP results very closely indeed.
In fact, the annual global, northern hemisphere, and southern hemisphere anomaly results are identical, as are the southern hemisphere monthly anomalies. The global monthly anomalies differ 7 times, out of more than 1000, each time by one digit in the least-significant place.
...which should be surprising to no-one. By the way, the Clear Code programmers are looking for help as the project moves forward. There's a link to their mailing list here.
Clear Code has now reached an important milestone in its first big project:
... an all-Python reimplementation of GISTEMP, the NASA GISS surface temperature analysis.
And here's the chart that results from running this reimplementation:
As the lads at Clear Code note:
The results of running this release match GISTEMP results very closely indeed.
In fact, the annual global, northern hemisphere, and southern hemisphere anomaly results are identical, as are the southern hemisphere monthly anomalies. The global monthly anomalies differ 7 times, out of more than 1000, each time by one digit in the least-significant place.
...which should be surprising to no-one. By the way, the Clear Code programmers are looking for help as the project moves forward. There's a link to their mailing list here.
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