Mostly Water
A selection of 'Canadian' and International News
Updated: 42 min 17 sec ago
Canada's Tar Sands Lobbyists Focus on Democrats
By Chris Arsenault - September 07, 2008
Executives from Nexen energy, which has major investments in northern Alberta's heavy oil industry, and Tony Clement, chair of a Canadian cabinet committee on energy security, met with Democratic candidate Barack Obama's top energy advisor Jason Grumet late last week to cement the "energy partnership" during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado...[T]here is no doubt that Canadian oil is among the world's most climate unfriendly fuels.
The September 3 Attack on Pakistan: A Precursor to More War Crimes?
By GARY LEUPP - September 6/7, 2008
...[T]his largely ignored event holds potentially horrifying significance. “Top American officials” have told the New York Times that this raid “could be the opening salvo in a much broader campaign by Special Operations forces against the Taliban and Al Qaeda inside Pakistan, a secret plan that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has been advocating for months...The plan of course enjoys the support of John McCain...Barack Obama has been saying...that [if] the U.S. has “actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets” in Pakistan and the chance to hit them, it should do so. The hell with Pakistani sovereignty! Why should such a detail matter after “we were attacked”?
Meet Barack Obama's Running Mate: Joe Biden, Drug Warrior
By FRED GARDNER - September 6/7, 2008
As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden was responsible for the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines passed in 1986. “The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 had forced judges to harshly sentence within a narrow range,”...“So Biden knew in '86 that mandatory sentences were not needed... But he pushed for and passed mandatory sentencing anyway, because that’s what the narcs and prosecutors wanted. He held hearings at which they got opportunity to testify while opponents of mandatory minimums were kept out.”
Gaza's Shocking Devastation
Harry Shannon - Aug 14, 2008
As a Jew, I...am ashamed and disgusted at what is happening...Israel's actions amount to collective punishment, forbidden under international law...I am ashamed that the Harper government has tilted toward unconditional support for Israel against the Palestinians...The current policy is unconscionable, as anyone who visits Gaza can see only too well.
The "Battle of St. Paul": A Personal Experience
by Colleen Mihal
I want to tell you about [the] battle that raged on the streets of St. Paul - A battle waged by the police, backed, funded, and organized by the Department of Homeland Security, a battle against peaceful protesters, war veterans, concerned citizens, and journalists.
Will a Russo-American Nuclear War Happen Soon?
By MANUEL GARCIA, Jr. - September 1, 2008
...I think [war between the US and Russia] less likely to occur. However, one must not underestimate the stupidity of imperialists, if war does break out then I think the Russians will have a clearer view of how to proceed, and this will mean painful losses for the US, its allies and enablers.
Why We Were Falsely Arrested
By Amy Goodman - Znet
ST. PAUL, Minn.—Government crackdowns on journalists are a true threat to democracy. As the Republican National Convention meets in St. Paul, Minn., this week, police are systematically targeting journalists. I was arrested with my two colleagues, "Democracy Now!" producers Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, while reporting on the first day of the RNC. I have been wrongly charged with a misdemeanor. My co-workers, who were simply reporting, may be charged with felony riot.
A Greeting of Solidarity with Russia From the Iraqi Resistance
From www.albasrah.net
First and before all, I would like to transmit to you the best regards and the sincere greetings of the people of Iraq and its courageous vanguard, the Patriotic Iraqi Resistance, and its solidarity with you while confronting the US colonialist attempts to weaken Russia and encroach on its strategic interests. We, the people of Iraq, the greatest victim of the US all through its criminal unprecedented history, after the genocide of more than 112 million red Indian[s], we declare without the slightest hesitation that we stand with you strongly against...NATO attempts to expand eastward...
[Video] Victory for the People of Bhopal
[...T]he government [of India] has committed itself to economically rehabilitate Bhopal’s chemical disaster survivors, remediate the disaster site, and pursue legal action against Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.
The RNC Eight
By RON JACOBS - September 4, 2008
On September 3, 2008, eight members of the RNC Welcoming Committee--some of the primary organizers of the protests--were formally charged with Conspiracy to Riot in Furtherance of Terrorism. These eight were among those arrested in the pre-convention raids and, according to the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), face up to 7 1/2 years imprisonment each.
Youth of Colour in Montreal North Call for Justice
by Stefan Christoff - August 28th, 2008
Street fires no longer burn in Montreal North, but the police shooting that killed 18-year-old Fredy Villanueva remains an open wound for community residents in the district. For Montréal-Nord Républik, a recently formed community group in the area, a new kind of fire has been ignited. Made up of a number of articulate youths who are angry about what's happening in their community, the Haitians, Latinos, Arabs and Quebecers that make up the group's core are working together to draw attention to social and economic marginalization experienced by their peers in Montreal North.
Pakistan Slams US for Ground Strike
by Bruce Loudon - September 05, 2008
WASHINGTON'S ambassador to Islamabad was last night given a "shellacking" by Pakistan after the first ever ground attack by US special forces inside the troubled nation...At least 20 people were killed in the targeted, helicopter-borne assault by what are believed to have been US special forces on the village of Jalal Khel in South Waziristan...
Meet the Senator Most Likely to Start a Nuclear War: The Real John McCain
By JEFFREY ST. CLAIR - September 4, 2008
In the past few years, McCain has been portrayed as one of the doves [in] the senate. It's a stunning transformation and a phony one. Instead, throughout his career in Congress McCain has often been one of the hottest hawks around.
Katrina Redux
[Hurricanes] Katrina and now Gustav are pretexts to make New Orleans whiter.
Statement from the RNC Welcoming Committee
By Twin Cities Indymedia - September, 03 2008
The RNC Welcoming Committee wants to say thank you to all who have stood with us through these challenging days, to all who have faced the brutal attacks and repressive intimidation of the police, and have still gone back to the streets. Thanks to all who have made calls, sent emails, donated money, and expressed your outrage at these brutal attacks.
Afghanistan: Black Sites Up For Super WalMartification
"I wish someone could take the baby. It's cold here at night." -- Shakeba, 17 years old, prisoner of Bagram AFB.
Behind these crumbling prison walls, in series of cold, crude cells where women sleep eight to a room, lies a medieval reality that sits just across the street from Kabul's bustling downtown district. Shakeba is imprisoned with her daughter Ravina, 11 months, for "illegal marriage" because she has no papers to prove her first marriage ended in divorce.
Letters for Mohamad Jawad
Will you join forces with me this week and write a letter for Mohamad Jawad?
[Mohamad was arrested on charges related to terrorist activity in 2002 at the age of 16 or 17]
Palestinian Village Faces Israeli Army Reign of Terror
By JONATHAN COOK - September 2, 2008
The window through which Salam Amira, 16, filmed the moment when an Israeli soldier shot from close range a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainee has a large hole at its centre with cracks running in every direction...“Since my video was shown, the soldiers shoot at our house all the time,” she said...“When we leave the windows open, they fire tear gas inside too.”
On Accepting Others' Opinions and Beliefs
It is interesting how we come to form our opinions and how we come to prostelitize and defend beliefs and ideas that we, ourselves, may change in the end. I just read a collection of excerpts from a classic book written by John Locke in 1690, entitled, Essay Concerning Human Understanding. I found Locke’s comments on accepting others’ opinions and beliefs blindly to be profound and well spoken. I was also impressed at how well his comments translated into the 21st century, while being written in the 17th century.
Peru: Indigenous Rebellion in the Amazon
By Kiraz Janicke - September 02, 2008
Peruvian President Alan Garcia suffered a major political setback on August 22 after Congress voted 66-29 in favour of repealing controversial presidential decrees that would have facilitated the privatisation of communal indigenous lands...The defeat for Garcia occurred in the context of 11 days of mass mobilisations...Thousands of Peruvians, from 65 indigenous tribes in the Amazon region, blockaded roads and a river, shut down oil pipelines and took control of major gas fields in southern Peru in protest at the decrees.
