Go here and do your bit goddammit!

Do it!!

Now!

For those of you so politically inclined, I urge you to read this piece about Obama’s recent speech from Antiwar. It pulls out some good points and questions and also highlights a personal fear of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m team Obama all the way and had I been American, I would have voted for change. As a Canadian, I sat in front of the TV throwing death looks at Palin and desperately hoping for change. However, having said that, I have always worried that his gift for oration could camouflage certain issues.  With Obama being such a powerful speaker and the fact that his predecessor could barely string together a full sentence, it’s easy to get lost in the cadence of his words and not notice a lack of substance if that were the case. I think there was some hit and some miss in Cairo, and I think the Antiwar piece sums up, rather nicely, what is needed next.

Action.

Obama has to match those pretty words with the action that they speak of and I hope to hell he can do it.

Torture has been in the news a lot lately. Well, less so now that Bush & Cheney are no longer in the oval office, but certainly what I would consider a great deal. What defines torture, who has given torture the nod and who just turns the other cheek while rendering a prisoner somewhere that will surely result in torture? People are up in arms about whether or not their government would ever contemplate (let alone carry out) such a heinous act as torture and when can they justify letting some other country do their dirty work in order to keep their hands clean? What about those tortured who were later cleared of all charges or never even charged at all? “Oops! Sorry about that. Don’t worry though, the shaking and nightmares will stop eventually.” The big question; When is torture appropriate?

Guess what gang, the answer is never. Ever heard of a little thing called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has stated that they will act on tips that were a result of torture because- and I quote-

“It happens rarely in the exchange of information that we have.”

“The recipient of that information doesn’t know how that information was obtained”

-CSIS adviser Geoffrey O’Brian

Correct me if I’m wrong here, but doesn’t that just sound like a slightly more “hands off” and politically correct version of rendition?

So Mr Murdering country raping asshat Bush had a speaking engagement today in Calgary. This is his first such engagement since being dethrone and he joked that “Calgary was one of the few places that would have him.”  Tickets for this little shin dig were $400.00 a pop and for 1500 guests and media were not permitted access. (Dammit! That means no blooper reel!)

As a protester was being arrested outside for throwing a flip flop at the building (yes, you read that correctly, he was arrested for throwing a flip flop) another one was reported to be yelling “Why are you arresting him? The criminal is inside!” Ahhh. we are a kind an gentle people.

The thing that surprises me is that today is St. Paddy’s day. Wouldn’t a speech by Bush make more sense on April fools day? Really, I mean it’s only a couple of weeks away…..

OK- the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Sudan’s President al-Bashir and I’m having a problem with it….

My problem is not that they chose the lesser crimes of “crimes against humanity” & “war crimes” rather than the well deserved charge of genocide. It isn’t even the fact that he will likely never stand trial or the fact that considering this, the warrant is mostly symbolic. My problem is that the Obama administration has applauded and welcomed this news. My problem with that is that I don’t feel that he has the right to until his administration recognizes the authority of the ICC. Don’t get me wrong- I’m on team Obama. I’m a card carrying Canadian member for change, but until he amends the move of dismissing the ICC authority (al la Bush administration) I don’t think he has the right to applaud it. It smacks of “Do as I say, not as I do.” Bush fostered that global feeling of the US being the big boys on the block that could dictate the orders but not be required to follow them and Obama championing this warrant sends the exact same message.

Unfortunately, I doubt the US will ever enter the ICC. Not because they don’t want these human rights violators tried in a court of law, and not because they don’t believe in the ICC- because I honestly think Obama does. They will not enter the ICC for one simple reason;

If the US does, Bush & Cheney would be arrested.

As the detainees trickle out of Guantanamo one by one back into the world that they were ripped from more than a half a dozen years ago, we had better prepare ourselves for some real life horror stories. Some of these men will be pushed back into society after years of torture without having ever been charged with anything. This will be the stuff that keeps you up at night and makes you feel sickly feverish. It will make you feel this way because it’s real.

And it was all government sanctioned.

And we will never get to see Cheney & Bush on trail at The Hague.

Dear Mr. Obama,

Welcome to Canada! We’re glad to have you. I would like to apologizes to you for all of the whiny Canadians who are disgruntled that you aren’t staying long enough to attend a grand ball or two. Some people have forgotten that you currently have a lot of shit on your plate and not much time for the schmooze. I for one would like to thank you for not turning your visit into a stupid and overpriced red carpet event. I would also like to thank you for wining the election. Thank fuck on a stick that you did.

In closing, this humble Canadian would like to make a couple of small requests for your trip to our beautiful land. Could you please bitch slap Harper while you’re here? Nothing public mind you, just a private reminder that we need him to stop acting like a fucking king and start acting like a Prime Minister. Also, if possible, could you please rethink the protectionism issue and when you have a chance, tell your people that Canadians don’t really finish every sentence with the word “Eh?”

Thank you,

Kim

The stimulus package has passed. $789 Billion dollars put squarely into the hands of those who can’t account for the first big fat blank cheque they got. Apparently they were contrite though. Awww. that makes me feel better, how about you? One big question on the table was of course what the hell happened to the money already given that was intended to free up the ever essential credit market? No one is lending shit, so where the fuck did it go Mr Banker fancy pants?

They spoke softly under the weight of the gravity of this situation as they explained how they’ve all given up their bonuses for the year.

My god would I love to slap the mother livin’ shit out of every single one of them.