In 2002 Canada signed on to an ambitious bit of do-gooderism known as the "Optional protocol on the Rights of the Child".
The aim of this non-binding UN document was to divert "child soldiers" out of the regular stream of consequences that befall adults who are captured in the course of hostilities. Minors who became prisoners of war were to be reintegrated into civil society.
Canada was the first country to ratify the agreement, and one of its most vocal cheerleaders.
Also in 2002, Canadian teen Omar Khadr was captured after a fire-fight in Afghanistan, in the course of which an American serviceman died. Khadr, 14 or 15 years old at the time, was captured by US forces and eventually found his way to Gitmo.
Khadr's repatriation to Canada was resisted at every step by the Canadian government. The child soldier had morphed into an unrepentant terrorist in the view of Canadian authorities. Clearly the protocol on the rights of the child was intended to protect children raised by African savages, not children who were born in Canada.
The naive do-gooderism of well-meaning activists was more than offset by the vindictive racism of the Harper gang.
The Canadian child soldier is now 27 years old and still in prison, albeit in Canada finally. He has launched a legal action against the government for violating his rights.
This case throws into stark relief the hypocrisy of Canadian authorities who are always eager to preach to the rest of the world about doing the right thing, but then pretend those rules don't apply to Canada.
Get over yourselves, you sanctimonious twats! The same rules that apply to child soldiers born in Africa must apply to child soldiers born in Canada. You can not offer prescriptions to right the wrongs of the lesser developed nations, or just lesser peoples, and pretend that you are not subject to those same rules.
Canada's treatment of Omar Khadr has been one long and despicable exercise in hypocrisy and racism.
We need to give him another chance just to exonerate ourselves.
Friday, December 13, 2013
God smites Israelites with apocalyptic blizzard
Obviously the Almighty has been mightily displeased with the shenannigans of His people over there in the Holy Land.
Jerusalem is bracing for up to two feet of snow over the weekend, which would effectively paralyze the city. Speculation is rife that His real target is the Knesset, whose denizens offered up a too-little too-late sop by shelving the controversial Prawer Plan as the snow began to blow.
Religious authorities expect that it may take further concessions from the hardliners before the Almighty is placated. Said Rabbi Moshe Hirsch of the Neturei Karta faction, "we have been warning for 65 years that the people have made a grievous error, and does anyone listen? No!... and finally it comes to this!"
Jerusalem is bracing for up to two feet of snow over the weekend, which would effectively paralyze the city. Speculation is rife that His real target is the Knesset, whose denizens offered up a too-little too-late sop by shelving the controversial Prawer Plan as the snow began to blow.
Religious authorities expect that it may take further concessions from the hardliners before the Almighty is placated. Said Rabbi Moshe Hirsch of the Neturei Karta faction, "we have been warning for 65 years that the people have made a grievous error, and does anyone listen? No!... and finally it comes to this!"
Thursday, December 12, 2013
US "oopsie" kills 15 civilians in Yemen wedding party drone attack
Faces were red at Drone Central today when word spread that the latest dispatch of an al-Qaeda supremo missed its target and instead dispatched fifteen civilians heading to a wedding.
"Oops!"
"My bad!"
"Guess I'm putting fifteen dollars in the oopsie jar!"
Those were just a few of the remarks heard at CIA Drone Central in the awkward silence that followed the news.
By the way, here's a reminder of how and why drones in Yemen became CIA business. In the event that some international tribunal ever catches up to the perpetrators of these illegal drone attacks, burying responsibility deep within the CIA will ensure that the actual trigger-fingers are never known to the public. Especially a public that could conceivably come knocking with a mandate from the ICC.
Well, at least there's fifteen al-Qaeda sympathizers who can never testify!
"Oops!"
"My bad!"
"Guess I'm putting fifteen dollars in the oopsie jar!"
Those were just a few of the remarks heard at CIA Drone Central in the awkward silence that followed the news.
By the way, here's a reminder of how and why drones in Yemen became CIA business. In the event that some international tribunal ever catches up to the perpetrators of these illegal drone attacks, burying responsibility deep within the CIA will ensure that the actual trigger-fingers are never known to the public. Especially a public that could conceivably come knocking with a mandate from the ICC.
Well, at least there's fifteen al-Qaeda sympathizers who can never testify!
Bangladesh backs initiative to improve working conditions and rail safety in Canada
Today the Honourable Dr. Dipu Moni, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, announced Bangladesh's support for a joint initiative with the ILO entitled Improving Rail Safety in Canada.
Stimulating sustainable economic growth is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty, increasing security, and encouraging equality. Bangladesh's support for this initiative is helping ensure that Canada is better equipped to provide safe and healthy employment for its people, and a safe environment for communities that abutt rail transit corridors.
Bangladesh's assistance will help ensure that Canadian workers, particularly in the shipping crude by rail sector, are properly assessed for fire safety, that unsafe operators are identified for remediation, and that robust and transparent inspections are carried out.
As was so tragically underlined earlier this year, improving the safety of Canada's railway infrastructure is imperative. This project will address the complex and serious challenges facing the sector, and improve safety for workers and local communities, in line with international standards.
Stimulating sustainable economic growth is critical to breaking the cycle of poverty, increasing security, and encouraging equality. Bangladesh's support for this initiative is helping ensure that Canada is better equipped to provide safe and healthy employment for its people, and a safe environment for communities that abutt rail transit corridors.
Bangladesh's assistance will help ensure that Canadian workers, particularly in the shipping crude by rail sector, are properly assessed for fire safety, that unsafe operators are identified for remediation, and that robust and transparent inspections are carried out.
As was so tragically underlined earlier this year, improving the safety of Canada's railway infrastructure is imperative. This project will address the complex and serious challenges facing the sector, and improve safety for workers and local communities, in line with international standards.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Goodbye paperless office!... we hardly knew ya
Well, this has got to be a happy story for floundering paper mills all over the world.
The "paperless office" hoax was always just that for anybody who works in an office. The more we got "paperless" the more paper copies we had to make of everything.
But it's official now; paper is making a come-back.
And if you read the link it's all because digital technology has made spying ubiquitous.
Talk about being hoist from your own petard.
The "paperless office" hoax was always just that for anybody who works in an office. The more we got "paperless" the more paper copies we had to make of everything.
But it's official now; paper is making a come-back.
And if you read the link it's all because digital technology has made spying ubiquitous.
Talk about being hoist from your own petard.
FULLY LEGAL MARIJUANA!
Yup, you can smoke it, grow it, buy it, sell it...
In Uruguay.
Yes, down there in South America Uruguay has upped the ante on Colorado and Washington. In Uruguay we're not talking the weasel talk of "decriminalization."
We're talking full-on legal as apple pie!
Mind you, it only took the UN a few hours to declare legal marijuana illegal.
But that's what you'd expect from the UN. They do the bidding for the international criminal cartels who profit from illegal drugs and keep the international banking cartels flush. Not to mention a goodly percentage of the UN's member states.
It's a great day for the weed 'o wisdom.
Wally Tucker, may he rest in peace, is probably signing up for Spanish lessons even as I write this!
In Uruguay.
Yes, down there in South America Uruguay has upped the ante on Colorado and Washington. In Uruguay we're not talking the weasel talk of "decriminalization."
We're talking full-on legal as apple pie!
Mind you, it only took the UN a few hours to declare legal marijuana illegal.
But that's what you'd expect from the UN. They do the bidding for the international criminal cartels who profit from illegal drugs and keep the international banking cartels flush. Not to mention a goodly percentage of the UN's member states.
It's a great day for the weed 'o wisdom.
Wally Tucker, may he rest in peace, is probably signing up for Spanish lessons even as I write this!
Toronto loves Rob Ford
Not the Toronto of community activists and the liberal millionaires and the Toronto Star and the beautiful people. Those folks are downright embarrassed by the man.
Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about Rob Ford?
OH MY GOD THE ETERNAL SHAME OF IT ALL!!! Not even on Jimmy Kimmel does Toronto get any respect!
The fat crack-smoking cracker just has to go!
There's another Toronto, though, that seems to quite like the guy, crack or no crack.
That's the Toronto of the tow truck driver and the hotel cleaner and regular folks of all stripes.
And that fact is evidence of one of the most successful cases of brand-building in recent history, because only in his drinking and recreational drug habits is Rob Ford "regular folks" by any stretch of the imagination.
Rob's Daddy was a millionaire businessman and successful provincial politician. Rob Ford inherited a business worth millions of dollars. The only money he has saved his city came out of the hides of the garbage collectors whose jobs he privatized.
That's the enigma of Rob Ford; an embarrassment to the beautiful people who has, in spite of his record, managed to become an icon to a lot of regular folks.
He's mobbed when he goes to a football game.
Today he pulled another publicity stunt, dutifully reported by all the news media types who profess to despise him. He skipped a city council meeting to tour one of the worst apartment buildings in the city.
Check out that Katie Simpson tweet; "residents chanting Rob Ford."
Go figure!
Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about Rob Ford?
OH MY GOD THE ETERNAL SHAME OF IT ALL!!! Not even on Jimmy Kimmel does Toronto get any respect!
The fat crack-smoking cracker just has to go!
There's another Toronto, though, that seems to quite like the guy, crack or no crack.
That's the Toronto of the tow truck driver and the hotel cleaner and regular folks of all stripes.
And that fact is evidence of one of the most successful cases of brand-building in recent history, because only in his drinking and recreational drug habits is Rob Ford "regular folks" by any stretch of the imagination.
Rob's Daddy was a millionaire businessman and successful provincial politician. Rob Ford inherited a business worth millions of dollars. The only money he has saved his city came out of the hides of the garbage collectors whose jobs he privatized.
That's the enigma of Rob Ford; an embarrassment to the beautiful people who has, in spite of his record, managed to become an icon to a lot of regular folks.
He's mobbed when he goes to a football game.
Today he pulled another publicity stunt, dutifully reported by all the news media types who profess to despise him. He skipped a city council meeting to tour one of the worst apartment buildings in the city.
Check out that Katie Simpson tweet; "residents chanting Rob Ford."
Go figure!
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