Showing posts with label John Baird. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Baird. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2026
Canada hated Trump till he attacked Iran; now we love Trump!
Canada's newspaper of record, the Globe & Mail, has relentlessly been anti-Trump since before his first kick at the can. And their American Exceptionalist choir has worked non-stop to alert Canada to the potentially deadly impact of a Trump 2.0.
So imagine my shock when I picked up the G&M the other day, only to find an editorial board op-ed celebrating Donald Trump's bold attack on Iran!
The ed board at the Globe are 100% American Empire Loyalists. They utterly hated Trump back when he unleashed ICE on Minnesota.But now that Donnie J has unleashed the entirety of USA military might on Iran, the editorial board is all aboard!
Canadian airwaves have been saturated, for six days now, with Iranian expats thanking Trump for bombing their country.
We closed our Iran embassy in 2012 because our gay twat of a Foreign Minister at the time was hell bent on getting the blessing of his personal rabbi. They coulda been gay lovers for all I know.
And of course it didn't help that our Defence Minister at the time was married to an Iranian beauty queen.
What's remarkable is that a political elite that took serious umbrage re: Trump's 51st state fantasies, is totally hunky-dory with Trump's utterly unprovoked attack on Iran.
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Bring back Baird!
A country's foreign minister is the most high-profile personality to represent their nation on the world stage, after the prime minister or president. That's why you want somebody in the role who brings a little zenf to the table.
I thought Bullshittin' John Baird managed that in spades. I didn't agree with him very often but he was impossible to ignore. He was also a breath of fresh air among the stodgy band of fundamentalist Christians Harper surrounded himself with. It was sad to see him walk away from politics when he announced that he was transitioning to the private sector for the "stuff-my-pockets" phase of his career.
There can't be a lot of Canadians who could name the two FMs we had between Baird and Chrystia. Those guys had serious zenf deficits.
Then Chrystia. You always got the sense that she was more about promoting her personal brand and ingratiating herself with the Trump administration. Sometimes these two goals worked at cross-purposes. It's tough to pretend you're tough on Saudi's human rights record while simultaneously selling them military tools that enable them to further oppress dissent.
In practical terms she wasn't much of a FM. Where are the wins? Venezuela? Ukraine? But generally speaking the media gave her a pass for a record that had far more errors than home runs.
Now we've got another dullard in the job who looks like he's going to advance Canada's role in the world by sucking up to Washington. Check out this story at CBC. That's got a bit of a huffy tone, eh? You almost figure maybe this guy is gonna bring the zenf!
But check out the sub-head; "Ottawa is the only one qualified to set Canada's foreign policy, says Francois-Philippe Champagne." He's responding to some snippy comments made by China's new ambassador to Canada on the topic of the two Michaels. Our latest laughable strategy is to prevail on Trump (that is, beg him) to intervene on our behalf.
Because, as you know, we're all about the rule of law, just like the Americans! They sent us a warrant to arrest Meng Wanzhou, and we're either about rule of law or we're not, so we had no choice but to do the right thing, the thing the Americans demanded we do, and if the Americans demanded it, it was obviously right...
As is typical in Canadian reporting on the matter, Elise von Scheel neglects to provide the context for Wanzhou's arrest. The Chinese national was allegedly in violation of some unilateral sanctions the US has arbitrarily and illegally imposed on Iran.
That's what we're talking about when we talk about "rule of law;" going along with illegal sanctions the Americans made up to bully Iran. How is it America's job to decide who China can or cannot do business with?
I thought Bullshittin' John Baird managed that in spades. I didn't agree with him very often but he was impossible to ignore. He was also a breath of fresh air among the stodgy band of fundamentalist Christians Harper surrounded himself with. It was sad to see him walk away from politics when he announced that he was transitioning to the private sector for the "stuff-my-pockets" phase of his career.
There can't be a lot of Canadians who could name the two FMs we had between Baird and Chrystia. Those guys had serious zenf deficits.
Then Chrystia. You always got the sense that she was more about promoting her personal brand and ingratiating herself with the Trump administration. Sometimes these two goals worked at cross-purposes. It's tough to pretend you're tough on Saudi's human rights record while simultaneously selling them military tools that enable them to further oppress dissent.
In practical terms she wasn't much of a FM. Where are the wins? Venezuela? Ukraine? But generally speaking the media gave her a pass for a record that had far more errors than home runs.
Now we've got another dullard in the job who looks like he's going to advance Canada's role in the world by sucking up to Washington. Check out this story at CBC. That's got a bit of a huffy tone, eh? You almost figure maybe this guy is gonna bring the zenf!
But check out the sub-head; "Ottawa is the only one qualified to set Canada's foreign policy, says Francois-Philippe Champagne." He's responding to some snippy comments made by China's new ambassador to Canada on the topic of the two Michaels. Our latest laughable strategy is to prevail on Trump (that is, beg him) to intervene on our behalf.
Because, as you know, we're all about the rule of law, just like the Americans! They sent us a warrant to arrest Meng Wanzhou, and we're either about rule of law or we're not, so we had no choice but to do the right thing, the thing the Americans demanded we do, and if the Americans demanded it, it was obviously right...
As is typical in Canadian reporting on the matter, Elise von Scheel neglects to provide the context for Wanzhou's arrest. The Chinese national was allegedly in violation of some unilateral sanctions the US has arbitrarily and illegally imposed on Iran.
That's what we're talking about when we talk about "rule of law;" going along with illegal sanctions the Americans made up to bully Iran. How is it America's job to decide who China can or cannot do business with?
Monday, November 19, 2018
Ramping up the hokum at Global Affairs Canada
Never imagined I'd say this, but I miss Bullshittin' Baird.
Those were simpler days, and Big John always wore his heart on his sleeve. When John was "deeply concerned" you always got a sense that, at some level, he probably was.
With the Trudeau crowd, you're pretty sure they're only "deeply concerned" if the object of their concern has passed muster with the usual partisan focus groups.
With the Harper Gang, the hypocrisy was hit and miss.
With the Sunny Daze Gang, the hypocrisy is systemic.
Take a gander at the Global Affairs website. The last three news items are about gender equality in Ethiopia, Canada's leadership in global gender equity, and Canada's leadership role in calling out the horrific human rights situation in Iran.
You know Iran; the only Middle East country outside of Israel where Jews are constitutionally protected, and a country where women have never NOT had the right to drive cars. Ya, that country. We're really upset about their human rights...
Yup, no way we'd ever sell those guys military hardware, because that would just be wrong, and besides, our besties in Likud wouldn't like it. We'll call out human rights in Iran, but we'll spout nonsense non-stop about Israel's right to defend itself while the human rights of Palestinians are trampled underfoot.
And while the KSA is setting liberal hearts a-flutter by allowing some women to drive, we'll not get too bothered about their overall track record on human rights, because, after all, they buy military stuff from US branch plants in Canada that employ Canadian workers.
And how lovely that we're gung-ho for gender equality in Ethiopia and beyond.
By the way, women in Canada are still a good distance away from achieving gender equality, but that's no reason not to champion ideals globally that we've not yet achieved here at home.
How about we address the beam in our own eye before we lecture the rest of the planet about the mote in theirs.
Those were simpler days, and Big John always wore his heart on his sleeve. When John was "deeply concerned" you always got a sense that, at some level, he probably was.
With the Trudeau crowd, you're pretty sure they're only "deeply concerned" if the object of their concern has passed muster with the usual partisan focus groups.
With the Harper Gang, the hypocrisy was hit and miss.
With the Sunny Daze Gang, the hypocrisy is systemic.
Take a gander at the Global Affairs website. The last three news items are about gender equality in Ethiopia, Canada's leadership in global gender equity, and Canada's leadership role in calling out the horrific human rights situation in Iran.
You know Iran; the only Middle East country outside of Israel where Jews are constitutionally protected, and a country where women have never NOT had the right to drive cars. Ya, that country. We're really upset about their human rights...
Yup, no way we'd ever sell those guys military hardware, because that would just be wrong, and besides, our besties in Likud wouldn't like it. We'll call out human rights in Iran, but we'll spout nonsense non-stop about Israel's right to defend itself while the human rights of Palestinians are trampled underfoot.
And while the KSA is setting liberal hearts a-flutter by allowing some women to drive, we'll not get too bothered about their overall track record on human rights, because, after all, they buy military stuff from US branch plants in Canada that employ Canadian workers.
And how lovely that we're gung-ho for gender equality in Ethiopia and beyond.
By the way, women in Canada are still a good distance away from achieving gender equality, but that's no reason not to champion ideals globally that we've not yet achieved here at home.
How about we address the beam in our own eye before we lecture the rest of the planet about the mote in theirs.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Sticking it to the Ayatollahs
ACTIONS NOT WORDS screams the all caps headline on page O3 of today's Globe and Mail. It's the only story in the entire paper with an all caps headline, so it must be very important.
The gist of the piece is that Canada must do more to bring freedom and democracy to Iran, where a "freedom movement" erupted into widespread street demos in December. The caption under the picture informs us that "Iranian protesters chant slogans at a rally in Tehran, on Dec. 30."
That was my first chuckle. Those may well be Iranians chanting slogans, but they're carrying placards bearing the likeness of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Some doofus photo editor used a picture of a pro-government rally to illustrate an anti-government screed!
The authors of the piece should set off some alarms if you were expecting an honest opinion piece on the state of freedom and democracy in Iran. Nazanin Afshin-Jam Mackay, we are told, "is a long-time Iran human rights activist." She is also the wife of former Defence Minister Peter "Pinocchio" Mackay. If you follow her "activism" you'll be well aware it consists mostly of pining for the good old days of Iran's liberal democracy that prevailed from 1953 right up until the Ayatollahs came along and wrecked everything in 1979.
Her co-author is Shuvaloy Majumdar, whose last headline in a Canadian paper came after Trump announced the US embassy move to Jerusalem in December. Majumdar thought that a jolly good idea and argued that Canada should follow the American example, just to, you know, promote peace and human rights in the Middle East.
Majumdar turned up in Harper's inner circle after spending a few years in Afghanistan, spreading freedom and democratic goodness on behalf of the "International Republican Institute," one of the numerous US government "Non Government Organizations" charged with meddling in the politics of other countries. He was the mastermind behind Baird's decision to sever diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2012, a self-defeating exercise in idiocy unmatched in recent diplomatic history.
But it got Baird and Big Steve a pat on the back from Israel's PM Netanyahu, another long-time activist for human-rights in Iran. Funny how so many "human-rights activists" who are tireless advocates for the oppressed in Iran never have a word to say about the human rights of people who live under Israeli occupation. By all accounts, Jews in Iran enjoy far greater freedom and human rights than Palestinians in the West Bank.
Given the authorship, the opinions expressed are pretty much what you'd expect. Us good, them bad. We must therefore help freedom flourish in Iran the way it's flourishing in Iraq and Libya and Afghanistan and all the other beneficiaries of our meddling, and never forget that those Ayatollahs have rendered their country an isolated pariah state.
In fact, more countries have embassies in Iran than in Israel, so we should perhaps take more care in who we label a pariah state.
In fact, more countries have embassies in Iran than in Israel, so we should perhaps take more care in who we label a pariah state.
Ironically, the Mackay - Majumber rant shares page O3 with another opinion piece about the December demonstrations, this one penned by U of T luminaries Farhaan Ladhani, Peter Loewen, and Janice Gross Stein. They actually did some research to measure support for the protests by the Iranian public.
Their conclusion? "We found that support for the protests is thin. Only 27 per cent of respondents agreed that they supported them... "
Hmm... looks like the National Endowment for Democracy and the International Republican Institute and the Open Society folks have lots more work ahead of them before Iran is ripe for the plucking.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Did the Prime Minister's wife really leave him for a woman?
It's that time of the year when the pot-addled hillbilly likes to drop in on friends, relatives, distant relatives, friends of friends, and random acquaintances old and more recent who have the good fortune of owning waterfront vacation property. I've got this summer strategy down to such a fine art that it wouldn't make any sense for me to get my own place on the water.
So it was that I found myself the other day drinking in a 4.9 million dollar view over in Muskoka. Also found myself chewing the fat with a couple of guys who have some proximity to certain Harper gang insiders.
We were musing about what might or might not yet come out in the course of that theatre of the absurd commonly known as "the Duffy trial." That's turning into quite the sordid spectacle, is it not? All those God-fearing Alliance Church types twisting the Word Of God inside out to justify the fact that their least favorable option when caught fibbing is to fess up and just tell the truth. I mean, look at poor Nigel - he reached into his own pocket and pulled out 90 big ones just to avoid the truth coming out.
Here's a scripture for you, Nigel; "be sure your sin will find you out."
We got to speculating about what else Harper's Holy Rollers might have swept under the carpet in this dark decade, and talk eventually came round to the Laureen Harper scandal. That might sound like an oxymoron to the Big Steve fan club, but google "Laureen Harper affair" or "Laureen Harper lesbian affair" and you'll be shocked at the slimy innuendo that bubbles up.
When that story was first getting traction a few years ago, it didn't last long. The general public may have assumed that was because it lacked substance. But when you look at the lengths that these God-fearing men will go to bury the truth, you have to wonder.
Then the conversation turned to my favorite Harperite, bullshittin' Baird. Regular readers will know that the think tank here at Falling Downs has theorized that the reason for Baird's sudden disappearance from the Harper cabinet was nothing more significant than his decision to cash in on twenty-five years of public service.
But apparently there's another angle. For many years Big John was something of an anomaly among the Bible-thumping Harperites; an unclosetted if not quite openly gay man amongst a gang of homophobes, it was obviously Big John who was putting the fun into fundamentalism.
Too much fun, it seems. The Alliance Church Mafia was alright with his egregious incompetence and his boorish hooliganism on the world stage, but they were never comfortable with his lifestyle choices, and the word is he sealed his fate when he and his posse of party boys rocked Macdonald House in London for free during the Christmas holiday of 2012. That was a bridge too far, and from that point on even the most loyal of Harper loyalists began to secretly lobby for Baird's demise.
As with Laureen, we were always prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt; after all, if the various scandals had any substance to them, they wouldn't disappear so quickly, would they? What the Duffy trial is showing the public is how hard the Harper gang works to make unpleasant facts go away. It's been quite the eye-opener for a lot of once-loyal Harper fans.
To paraphrase Heiner Muller; the deepest plunge into Hell is from the heights of self-righteousness.
So it was that I found myself the other day drinking in a 4.9 million dollar view over in Muskoka. Also found myself chewing the fat with a couple of guys who have some proximity to certain Harper gang insiders.
We were musing about what might or might not yet come out in the course of that theatre of the absurd commonly known as "the Duffy trial." That's turning into quite the sordid spectacle, is it not? All those God-fearing Alliance Church types twisting the Word Of God inside out to justify the fact that their least favorable option when caught fibbing is to fess up and just tell the truth. I mean, look at poor Nigel - he reached into his own pocket and pulled out 90 big ones just to avoid the truth coming out.
Here's a scripture for you, Nigel; "be sure your sin will find you out."
We got to speculating about what else Harper's Holy Rollers might have swept under the carpet in this dark decade, and talk eventually came round to the Laureen Harper scandal. That might sound like an oxymoron to the Big Steve fan club, but google "Laureen Harper affair" or "Laureen Harper lesbian affair" and you'll be shocked at the slimy innuendo that bubbles up.
When that story was first getting traction a few years ago, it didn't last long. The general public may have assumed that was because it lacked substance. But when you look at the lengths that these God-fearing men will go to bury the truth, you have to wonder.
Then the conversation turned to my favorite Harperite, bullshittin' Baird. Regular readers will know that the think tank here at Falling Downs has theorized that the reason for Baird's sudden disappearance from the Harper cabinet was nothing more significant than his decision to cash in on twenty-five years of public service.
But apparently there's another angle. For many years Big John was something of an anomaly among the Bible-thumping Harperites; an unclosetted if not quite openly gay man amongst a gang of homophobes, it was obviously Big John who was putting the fun into fundamentalism.
Too much fun, it seems. The Alliance Church Mafia was alright with his egregious incompetence and his boorish hooliganism on the world stage, but they were never comfortable with his lifestyle choices, and the word is he sealed his fate when he and his posse of party boys rocked Macdonald House in London for free during the Christmas holiday of 2012. That was a bridge too far, and from that point on even the most loyal of Harper loyalists began to secretly lobby for Baird's demise.
As with Laureen, we were always prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt; after all, if the various scandals had any substance to them, they wouldn't disappear so quickly, would they? What the Duffy trial is showing the public is how hard the Harper gang works to make unpleasant facts go away. It's been quite the eye-opener for a lot of once-loyal Harper fans.
To paraphrase Heiner Muller; the deepest plunge into Hell is from the heights of self-righteousness.
********
Dear Reader,
Much has changed since I wrote this post six years ago. Check out my latest work at Substack.
neumann
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Canadian business to be shut out of Iran's rebuilding bonanza thanks to John Baird
Executives from companies across Europe, from Asia, and from the US are preparing for a business bonanza as sanctions on Iran are lifted.
But thanks to the buffoonish reign of error of former Foreign Minister Baird, it's unlikely Canadian companies are going to be getting a significant piece of the action. Baird never missed an opportunity to slander and antagonize the Tehran government, culminating in the abrupt shuttering of the Canadian embassy three years ago.
Look at the areas in which Iran plans to invest billions: oil and gas infrastructure, rebuilding the country's airlines, mining and steel-making infrastructure - all sectors in which Canadian companies have considerable expertise. And with the Canadian economy in the tank, Iran could have been a lifeline for companies from Bombardier to SNC Lavalin to dozens of mining and energy contractors.
Billions of dollars worth of contracts will instead go to countries that maintained a civilized dialogue with the Iranians and kept their embassies open in spite of their differences.
That's called "diplomacy," and it is something most countries expect of their Foreign Ministers.
But thanks to the buffoonish reign of error of former Foreign Minister Baird, it's unlikely Canadian companies are going to be getting a significant piece of the action. Baird never missed an opportunity to slander and antagonize the Tehran government, culminating in the abrupt shuttering of the Canadian embassy three years ago.
Look at the areas in which Iran plans to invest billions: oil and gas infrastructure, rebuilding the country's airlines, mining and steel-making infrastructure - all sectors in which Canadian companies have considerable expertise. And with the Canadian economy in the tank, Iran could have been a lifeline for companies from Bombardier to SNC Lavalin to dozens of mining and energy contractors.
Billions of dollars worth of contracts will instead go to countries that maintained a civilized dialogue with the Iranians and kept their embassies open in spite of their differences.
That's called "diplomacy," and it is something most countries expect of their Foreign Ministers.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Harperites impose terror quota on staffers
Seems that Baird-replacement Rob Nicholson has instructed his staff at the Dept. of Foreign Affairs to bring him at least three scary terrorism stories per week as the nation heads down the home stretch towards that fall election.
Yup, gotta keep the 'tards riled up with imaginary terror tales, so as to scare 'em into voting for Big Steve again!
Gotta give Nicholson credit for that bit of brazen assholery. Maybe he's man enough to fill Baird's shoes after all!?
Yup, gotta keep the 'tards riled up with imaginary terror tales, so as to scare 'em into voting for Big Steve again!
Gotta give Nicholson credit for that bit of brazen assholery. Maybe he's man enough to fill Baird's shoes after all!?
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Hand-wringing and soul-searching as Canadian media discover we sucked up to one of the worst human rights violators to sell them armoured cars
Shocking!
Yup, apparently Canada made a deal a year and a half ago to sell 5,000 armoured personnel carriers to the Saudis.
That was described by our Foreign Minister of the time, one John Baird, as our biggest export "win" ever!
This blog and plenty of other sources flagged that deal at the time as highly dodgy, to put it mildly.
Nice to see that the Globe and Mail and the CBC are catching up!
Yup, apparently Canada made a deal a year and a half ago to sell 5,000 armoured personnel carriers to the Saudis.
That was described by our Foreign Minister of the time, one John Baird, as our biggest export "win" ever!
This blog and plenty of other sources flagged that deal at the time as highly dodgy, to put it mildly.
Nice to see that the Globe and Mail and the CBC are catching up!
Friday, April 3, 2015
Party poopers already raining on Baird's retirement parade
You'd think that after two decades of making the world a better place via his selfless public service, John Baird would be allowed to slink quietly into the private sector to pursue the "stuff-my-pockets" phase of his career.
After all, he's earned it.
But no!
No sooner has his "strategic adviser" gig at Barrick Gold been announced, than some pinko agitator claims that Baird was snugly-cosy with the Barrick boys throughout his tenure as Foreign Minister.
And oddly enough, it was during that tenure that Canada made mining the centre-piece of its foreign policy!
Hmmm.... maybe those pinkos at Mining.com are onto something?
After all, he's earned it.
But no!
No sooner has his "strategic adviser" gig at Barrick Gold been announced, than some pinko agitator claims that Baird was snugly-cosy with the Barrick boys throughout his tenure as Foreign Minister.
And oddly enough, it was during that tenure that Canada made mining the centre-piece of its foreign policy!
Hmmm.... maybe those pinkos at Mining.com are onto something?
Guess John Baird's next sinecure and win a Falling Downs coffee mug!
We've already congratulated Big John on his appointments at Barrick Gold and CP Rail. As we predicted, those two sinecures leave vast amounts of open space in Mr. Baird's schedule, open space destined to be filled with more lucrative influence-peddling appointments.
Sure enough, today word comes out that John will also be advising Hong Kong billionaire Michael Li, son of mega-billionaire Li Kashing, richest man in Asia!
These must be heady times for the humble former politico from Ottawa!
So what's next for Big John? We've already speculated that Sheldon Adelson will have a little something for him, for his great work on behalf of the right-wing lunatics in the Holy Land, but what else?
Remember the "Tour de Canada" that Baird treated the Foreign Minister of the UAE to last summer? Apparently he and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan got along like a house on fire! And guess what? Sheikh Abdullah isn't just the Foreign Minister of the UAE, he also happens to be the son of the country's founding father AND Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the second richest sovereign wealth fund on the planet!
I'm guessing Sheikh Abdullah is always on the look-out for key strategic advisers and that John Baird would fit the bill perfectly.
What else? I think an operator like Dan Gertler could use a man of Baird's prodigious connections to take his company to the next level of respectability... but why not throw this guessing game open to the general public?
Announcing the BIG BUCKS FOR BIG JOHN BAIRD POOL. What global multi-national or mega-billionaire will be next in announcing that they have signed up Baird to give them strategic advice? Just send ten dollars along with your guess to this blog, and if you guess correctly, we'll send you a genuine Falling Downs coffee mug!
See, we can all win when John Baird wins!
Sure enough, today word comes out that John will also be advising Hong Kong billionaire Michael Li, son of mega-billionaire Li Kashing, richest man in Asia!
These must be heady times for the humble former politico from Ottawa!
So what's next for Big John? We've already speculated that Sheldon Adelson will have a little something for him, for his great work on behalf of the right-wing lunatics in the Holy Land, but what else?
Remember the "Tour de Canada" that Baird treated the Foreign Minister of the UAE to last summer? Apparently he and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan got along like a house on fire! And guess what? Sheikh Abdullah isn't just the Foreign Minister of the UAE, he also happens to be the son of the country's founding father AND Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the second richest sovereign wealth fund on the planet!
I'm guessing Sheikh Abdullah is always on the look-out for key strategic advisers and that John Baird would fit the bill perfectly.
What else? I think an operator like Dan Gertler could use a man of Baird's prodigious connections to take his company to the next level of respectability... but why not throw this guessing game open to the general public?
Announcing the BIG BUCKS FOR BIG JOHN BAIRD POOL. What global multi-national or mega-billionaire will be next in announcing that they have signed up Baird to give them strategic advice? Just send ten dollars along with your guess to this blog, and if you guess correctly, we'll send you a genuine Falling Downs coffee mug!
See, we can all win when John Baird wins!
Monday, March 30, 2015
John Baird embarks on "stuff-my-pockets" phase of career
After two decades as a high-profile political operator, John Baird has bid adieux to public service.
He's moving on. Last week we learned he had signed on as an "International Strategic Advisor" to Barrick Gold, a "job" that pays well into the six numbers for the chore of attending one or two meetings a year.
When I told Peter Munk 15 years ago that I was willing to be a strategic advisor for a mere $75k a year, he laughed me out of his office.
I even gave him a bit of free strategic advice; a free sample as it were. Put Pascua Lama on ice, I said. It's gonna be a black hole, a money pit.
Get the fuck outta here, he says to me.
Woulda saved him billions to heed my advice.
Back to Baird. Last week Barrick Gold. This week Canadian Pacific. Yup, Bullshittin' Baird is now a director of the new and improved CPR, which also pays well into the six numbers for a couple meetings a year.
He'll feel right at home there. After all, when you listen to Hunter Harrison's bullshit 'n bluster, it's almost like you're listening to a more senile version of Baird.
And you can't blame Baird for looking out for his pocket book. After twenty-plus years of public service, his parliamentary pension is a paltry $65,000 per. Mind you, he must have something coming from Ontario, where he spent some time learning his chops at the feet of Mean Mike Harris, but still, he's gonna have hardly enough to pay for a decent bachelor pad on Bank Street.
But lets not fret. We're up to three or four meetings a year in return for half a million in the bank, and by my math I figure he can still squeeze a couple dozen more directorships into his schedule. A directorship with one of Sheldon Adelson's operations is a no-brainer; a thank-you for the yeoman's work he did promoting Likud and slandering Iran.
Plus, while he's never going to be an A-lister on the public speakers circuit, you can see him making a tidy 25-50k per engagement, mainly due to his extravagantly high profile as Minister of Foreign Affairs, a profile largely earned by being the most inept FM in Canada's history.
Oddly enough, at Barrick he'll be joined by the ultimate carpet-bagger, the Newtster, who managed to coax his net worth from twenty-nine dollars when he entered public service, to multiple millions today.
In the great US political system you don't have to retire before lining your pockets!
He's moving on. Last week we learned he had signed on as an "International Strategic Advisor" to Barrick Gold, a "job" that pays well into the six numbers for the chore of attending one or two meetings a year.
When I told Peter Munk 15 years ago that I was willing to be a strategic advisor for a mere $75k a year, he laughed me out of his office.
I even gave him a bit of free strategic advice; a free sample as it were. Put Pascua Lama on ice, I said. It's gonna be a black hole, a money pit.
Get the fuck outta here, he says to me.
Woulda saved him billions to heed my advice.
Back to Baird. Last week Barrick Gold. This week Canadian Pacific. Yup, Bullshittin' Baird is now a director of the new and improved CPR, which also pays well into the six numbers for a couple meetings a year.
He'll feel right at home there. After all, when you listen to Hunter Harrison's bullshit 'n bluster, it's almost like you're listening to a more senile version of Baird.
And you can't blame Baird for looking out for his pocket book. After twenty-plus years of public service, his parliamentary pension is a paltry $65,000 per. Mind you, he must have something coming from Ontario, where he spent some time learning his chops at the feet of Mean Mike Harris, but still, he's gonna have hardly enough to pay for a decent bachelor pad on Bank Street.
But lets not fret. We're up to three or four meetings a year in return for half a million in the bank, and by my math I figure he can still squeeze a couple dozen more directorships into his schedule. A directorship with one of Sheldon Adelson's operations is a no-brainer; a thank-you for the yeoman's work he did promoting Likud and slandering Iran.
Plus, while he's never going to be an A-lister on the public speakers circuit, you can see him making a tidy 25-50k per engagement, mainly due to his extravagantly high profile as Minister of Foreign Affairs, a profile largely earned by being the most inept FM in Canada's history.
Oddly enough, at Barrick he'll be joined by the ultimate carpet-bagger, the Newtster, who managed to coax his net worth from twenty-nine dollars when he entered public service, to multiple millions today.
In the great US political system you don't have to retire before lining your pockets!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Canada gets more proof that threat of terrorism is real
Look for lots more stories like this one in the weeks and months ahead, as the Harper gang pulls out all the stops to convince the public they are at imminent risk and need the Police State Bill C-51 to save them from the jihadist hordes.
Frankly, had the 17 year old would-be terrorist been allowed to proceed to Syria, he would have been disabused of his illusions soon enough.
Given the fact that previous Foreign Minister John Baird declared dozens of times that "Assad must go," it seems ironic that when Canadians want to go to Syria to assist in the armed struggle against Assad they are targeted as terrorists. Meanwhile, the same government that claims Assad must go wants to expand and enlarge our war on the people fighting Assad... to say our government has an incoherent foreign policy would be an understatement.
But back to our wannabe terrorist in Alberta. I'll climb out on a limb and guess he is of a Somali-Canadian ethnicity. Hmm... is there any discussion of the difficulties that youth of that background have integrating into mainstream society?
Why of course!
There's been lots and lots of sociology done on this question.
Those Somali's are a marginalized sub-group in society, and just like those two French-Canadian misfits who were our first and second proofs that Canada is a target of Jihadi terror, they are vulnerable to finding the prospect of joining a radical group like Islamic State attractive. They fantasize that their imaginary new family of "brothers" will give them the sense of purpose they didn't find in Canadian society at large.
Therefore, if we were serious about reducing the threat of radicalized malcontents in our society, we should be doing more to ensure their inclusion, but alas, that smells suspiciously like sociology, and the macho warriors in the Harper gang will have no truck with that. Besides, the Harperites need jihadi terror threats to wave around.
It's all about Bill C-51.
Here's how our Alberta terror story looked at the Israeli news site Ynet, which got it via Agence France Presse;
Frankly, had the 17 year old would-be terrorist been allowed to proceed to Syria, he would have been disabused of his illusions soon enough.
Given the fact that previous Foreign Minister John Baird declared dozens of times that "Assad must go," it seems ironic that when Canadians want to go to Syria to assist in the armed struggle against Assad they are targeted as terrorists. Meanwhile, the same government that claims Assad must go wants to expand and enlarge our war on the people fighting Assad... to say our government has an incoherent foreign policy would be an understatement.
But back to our wannabe terrorist in Alberta. I'll climb out on a limb and guess he is of a Somali-Canadian ethnicity. Hmm... is there any discussion of the difficulties that youth of that background have integrating into mainstream society?
Why of course!
There's been lots and lots of sociology done on this question.
Those Somali's are a marginalized sub-group in society, and just like those two French-Canadian misfits who were our first and second proofs that Canada is a target of Jihadi terror, they are vulnerable to finding the prospect of joining a radical group like Islamic State attractive. They fantasize that their imaginary new family of "brothers" will give them the sense of purpose they didn't find in Canadian society at large.
Therefore, if we were serious about reducing the threat of radicalized malcontents in our society, we should be doing more to ensure their inclusion, but alas, that smells suspiciously like sociology, and the macho warriors in the Harper gang will have no truck with that. Besides, the Harperites need jihadi terror threats to wave around.
It's all about Bill C-51.
Here's how our Alberta terror story looked at the Israeli news site Ynet, which got it via Agence France Presse;
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Monday, March 2, 2015
John Baird's legacy; lack of diplomatic ties hampers search for Toronto pastor missing in N. Korea
Baird be gone, but the stench of his five year war on diplomacy lingers.
Baird be gone, but the stench lingers in Russia and Iran and North Korea. In theory, diplomats are the guys charged with building bridges to regimes we don't like... that's the very definition of "diplomacy."
John Baird was by every account the anti-diplomat.
Mr. Baird was about burning bridges, not building them.
Baird is now nothing more than a pungent foot-note in the history of Canada's foreign service.
Pastor Lim is just one of many Canadians paying the price.
Baird be gone, but the stench lingers in Russia and Iran and North Korea. In theory, diplomats are the guys charged with building bridges to regimes we don't like... that's the very definition of "diplomacy."
John Baird was by every account the anti-diplomat.
Mr. Baird was about burning bridges, not building them.
Baird is now nothing more than a pungent foot-note in the history of Canada's foreign service.
Pastor Lim is just one of many Canadians paying the price.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Fahmy family lashes out at Canadian govt
Mohamed Fahmy's family in Canada has had some rude things to say about the Harper government's utter disinterest in the case.
Can't say I blame them.
Have to admit the think tank here at Falling Downs believed Baird was going to make Fahmy's release his swan song. Apparently five millions wasn't enough to seal the deal. After all, what's five million from Canada when Mad-Dog-Putin shows up a week later and puts a multi-billion nuclear energy program on the table?
Canada under the Harper gang has never missed an opportunity to poke Putin in the eye. Had we been but a tad more diplomatic in our "diplomacy," it's not hard to imagine Putin lobbying for the release of our Canadian journalist. (Interesting to read the comments for the NP article and see how many Canadians don't consider Fahmy a "Canadian.") The non-stop anti-Putin vitriol out of Ottawa for the last decade could give al-Sisi a motive to keep Fahmy just to suck up to Putin.
Ironically, at the time al-Sisi was deposing the democratically elected Morsi, he was getting nothing but accolades from Canadian media and the Harper gang. The praise was virtually universal.
And there he is today, holding hands with Putin.
Obviously we've had some shortcomings in the world 'o diplomacy...
As for the Fahmys, I understand their confusion. The Canada they thought they moved to when they arrived here twenty-five years ago isn't the Canada they live in today.
Sorry about your luck, folks, but you'll get more sympathy from the Egyptian embassy than from the government of Canada.
Can't say I blame them.
Have to admit the think tank here at Falling Downs believed Baird was going to make Fahmy's release his swan song. Apparently five millions wasn't enough to seal the deal. After all, what's five million from Canada when Mad-Dog-Putin shows up a week later and puts a multi-billion nuclear energy program on the table?
Canada under the Harper gang has never missed an opportunity to poke Putin in the eye. Had we been but a tad more diplomatic in our "diplomacy," it's not hard to imagine Putin lobbying for the release of our Canadian journalist. (Interesting to read the comments for the NP article and see how many Canadians don't consider Fahmy a "Canadian.") The non-stop anti-Putin vitriol out of Ottawa for the last decade could give al-Sisi a motive to keep Fahmy just to suck up to Putin.
Ironically, at the time al-Sisi was deposing the democratically elected Morsi, he was getting nothing but accolades from Canadian media and the Harper gang. The praise was virtually universal.
And there he is today, holding hands with Putin.
Obviously we've had some shortcomings in the world 'o diplomacy...
As for the Fahmys, I understand their confusion. The Canada they thought they moved to when they arrived here twenty-five years ago isn't the Canada they live in today.
Sorry about your luck, folks, but you'll get more sympathy from the Egyptian embassy than from the government of Canada.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Baird resigns; Western front collapses
Even though it's only been a day or two since Baird the Bombastic took leave of his post as Foreign Minister of the free world, the dominoes are beginning to topple...
Would this headline have been imaginable a mere two days ago?
A divided Western front is playing towards Putin's end game.
No!
John Baird was the glue that held the Western Alliance together!
On a personal level, you can not imagine how empty it feels to now click onto the website for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Domestic Affairs, Mining Affairs, and Saving-the-World's Children and Especially Girls Affairs, and not find a fresh Baird condemnation.
It's not the same without you, John.
Would this headline have been imaginable a mere two days ago?
A divided Western front is playing towards Putin's end game.
No!
John Baird was the glue that held the Western Alliance together!
On a personal level, you can not imagine how empty it feels to now click onto the website for the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Domestic Affairs, Mining Affairs, and Saving-the-World's Children and Especially Girls Affairs, and not find a fresh Baird condemnation.
It's not the same without you, John.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Globe and Mail reports Fahmy to be released imminently
That's nothing; we reported that Fahmy's release was imminent two weeks ago.
Five million dollars goes a long way in Egypt!
Five million dollars goes a long way in Egypt!
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Bullshittin' Baird takes break from Putin-bashing to bash African Union instead
Seems Canada's Foreign Minister has his shorts in a twist over the AU's leadership falling to anti-colonialist stalwart Bobby Mugabe.
According to Baird, the 90 year old Mugabe is a brutal dictator who "has long suppressed the freedoms and dignity of his people." The AU has thusly tarnished its credibility, blah, blah, blah, proving that Baird is the last person on earth to believe it has any.
Ironically, earlier in the week Baird represented Canada at the funeral of another 90 year old despot, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He too may have long suppressed the freedoms and dignity of his people, but he also signed off on a $15 billions deal for armoured personnel carriers built in Canada.
Which to Baird's way of thinking made him a "good" brutal dictator!
According to Baird, the 90 year old Mugabe is a brutal dictator who "has long suppressed the freedoms and dignity of his people." The AU has thusly tarnished its credibility, blah, blah, blah, proving that Baird is the last person on earth to believe it has any.
Ironically, earlier in the week Baird represented Canada at the funeral of another 90 year old despot, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He too may have long suppressed the freedoms and dignity of his people, but he also signed off on a $15 billions deal for armoured personnel carriers built in Canada.
Which to Baird's way of thinking made him a "good" brutal dictator!
Monday, January 26, 2015
Mr. Baird... PLEASE STOP EMBARRASSING CANADA!
Canada's Foreign Minister is famous for his over-the-top toadying in front of the pro-settler regime in Tel Aviv. Here's a typical effort from a press release of 18 Jan;
“Canada and Israel share similar views on the world stage,” said Baird. “Canada strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself by itself and its right to live in peace with its neighbours. Canada will fight any efforts internationally to delegitimize the State of Israel, including the disturbing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.”
It's worth noting that his meeting with Israeli FM Lieberman was held in Jerusalem, not in Tel Aviv, a breach of protocol that passed entirely without comment in Canadian media.
Baird is also famous for his hysterical hectoring of Russia, ripping forth anti-Russian rants at the rate of about one a week. Here is his latest masterpiece from 24 Jan;
“Canada and Israel share similar views on the world stage,” said Baird. “Canada strongly supports Israel’s right to defend itself by itself and its right to live in peace with its neighbours. Canada will fight any efforts internationally to delegitimize the State of Israel, including the disturbing Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.”
It's worth noting that his meeting with Israeli FM Lieberman was held in Jerusalem, not in Tel Aviv, a breach of protocol that passed entirely without comment in Canadian media.
Baird is also famous for his hysterical hectoring of Russia, ripping forth anti-Russian rants at the rate of about one a week. Here is his latest masterpiece from 24 Jan;
“Canada is outraged at today’s indiscriminate rocket attacks against the city of Mariupol by the Russian-backed insurgents in eastern Ukraine, leaving dozens of innocent civilians dead.
“These attacks come after the insurgents announced their intention to launch a new offensive, in flagrant violation of the Minsk ceasefire agreements reached in September.
“This disgraceful act further demonstrates Russia’s ongoing campaign of aggression against Ukraine and its shocking willingness to sacrifice civilian lives to achieve its illegitimate goals.
“We call on Russia to immediately respect the ceasefire, immediately end its support of these proxies and allow peace to return to eastern Ukraine.
“As Canada mourns the victims of the shameful attacks on Mariupol, we, in consultation with the Ukrainian government, our partners and our allies, are examining our options for enacting further measures to dissuade Russia from continuing along this destructive path. Canada also fully supports the Government of Ukraine’s call for an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council.”
Note the accusatory tone and the wealth of undiplomatic language... "outraged"... "indiscriminate rocket attacks"... "flagrant violation"... "disgraceful"... "shocking"... "shameful"...
Remember, this is coming from our top diplomat!
Then today we find this press release on the website of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
26 Jan 2015
With regard to negotiations with Iran, FM Liberman said that Israel's position is that no agreement is preferable to a bad agreement, and all options remain on the table.
(Communicated by the Foreign Minister’s Media Advisor)
Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman met today (Monday 26 January 2015) in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
At the meeting, the two foreign ministers discussed the continued strengthening of Israel-Russia bilateral relations and cooperation, and signed a memorandum of understanding between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
Ministers Liberman and Lavrov also discussed Middle Eastern events, with an emphasis on events in Syria and Lebanon. FM Liberman clarified Israel's position and red lines with regard to occurrences on the northern border.
With regard to Iran, FM Liberman said that we are closely monitoring the negotiations between world powers and Iran, and that Israel's position is that no agreement is preferable to a bad agreement. He added that Israel is keeping all options on the table.
FM Liberman also raised the issue of the Palestinian appeal to the International Criminal Court at The Hague, and stated that Russia, like other countries, should understand that these moves, aimed at turning the ICC into a political tool, are unjustified and may eventually cause them harm as well.
Ministers Liberman and Lavrov also discussed a host of bilateral issues, including the issue of pensions, visiting lecturers from both sides and other consular issues. With regard to the pension issue, FM Liberman said that it is especially important to resolve the matter now, as we are approaching the 70th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis.
How refreshing!
No hectoring! No name-calling! The Russian and the Israeli Foreign Minister's can discuss matters on which they have profound differences of opinion, and still manage to sign a memorandum of understanding!
That's how the big boys do diplomacy, Mr. Baird!
And by the way, when your friend Mr. Yatsenyuk claimed the other day that the USSR invaded Germany in WWll, should that not have set off some alarm bells?
Yatsenyuk is a fabulist. Poroshenko is a serial liar bent on drawing any ally he can find into his squabble with the Kremlin, but all we ever hear from you is Russia bad, Ukraine good.
Mr. Baird, you're an embarrassment to your country!
PLEASE STOP!
PLEASE STOP!
Sunday, January 18, 2015
It's official; support for BDS is now "anti-Semitism" in Canada
John Baird made news today when he was seen running from a barrage of shoes and eggs directed his way when he had the chutzpah to show his face in Ramallah. The Palestinians, due no doubt to the troubling impact their religion has on their thought process, see Baird as an Israeli stooge.
After giving the Palestinians a stern lecture on the importance of the rule of law etc, he decamped to Jerusalem, where he signed six "memoranda of understanding" with Avigdor Lieberman, his Israeli counterpart. The cumulative effect of the memoranda is to totally hand off Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East to Israel. Canadian foreign policy hasn't been independent for some time, but today's signings make it official.
Included in the memoranda is this gem, governing "public diplomacy cooperation." That means Canada will not only blindly support Israel behind the scenes; we are now committed to make sure we are seen to be doing so in public!
Here's the bit that equates BDS with anti-Semitism;
Deeply concerned by efforts to single out the State of Israel for criticism and isolate the State of Israel internationally including calls for a boycott of the State of Israel, for the divestment of investments, and for sanctions to be imposed on Israel,
After giving the Palestinians a stern lecture on the importance of the rule of law etc, he decamped to Jerusalem, where he signed six "memoranda of understanding" with Avigdor Lieberman, his Israeli counterpart. The cumulative effect of the memoranda is to totally hand off Canadian foreign policy in the Middle East to Israel. Canadian foreign policy hasn't been independent for some time, but today's signings make it official.
Included in the memoranda is this gem, governing "public diplomacy cooperation." That means Canada will not only blindly support Israel behind the scenes; we are now committed to make sure we are seen to be doing so in public!
Here's the bit that equates BDS with anti-Semitism;
Deeply concerned by efforts to single out the State of Israel for criticism and isolate the State of Israel internationally including calls for a boycott of the State of Israel, for the divestment of investments, and for sanctions to be imposed on Israel,
Recognizing that the selective targeting of Israel reflects the new face of anti‑Semitism,
We're there, folks! Look for the Harper gang to push through something in the next anti-terror bill that incorporates this development, and criticism of Israel will be a crime in Canada.
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