Bennie's Bedazzled . . . .

Check out Bennie's leer at the 0:56 mark and tell me he's not having impure thoughts . . . .

Coming to Canada Soon ? ? ? ? Part II . . . .

Thanks to an email "heads up" from good friend Joylene, the following CBC "The Current" broadcast was brought to my attention.

Chris Hedges was interviewed on the November 2nd show and it blew me away. Hedges gives - in a 26-minute interview - the cause, effect and chilling prediction of the "Death of the Liberal Class" - the title of his new book.

With history on the side of what occurs in the Excited States soon creeps across the 49th parallel, the broadcast and Hedges' book are well worth paying attention by Canadians.

Forewarned is forearmed?

Let's hope so . . . .

H/T Joylene

Coming to Canada Soon ? ? ? ?

Welcome to Crazytown . . . .



H/T: drf

And So It Begins . . . .

The organized lynching of truth-telling by way of FoxNoise, of course.

From The Guardian this morning:

A Fox News contributor and former state department adviser has accused WikiLeaks of conducting "political warfare against the US" and called for those behind the whistleblowing website to be declared "enemy combatants" so they can be subjected to "non-judicial actions".
_______________

Whiton ends with the following plea: "How much will our information-collection capabilities have to be diminished, and how many of our friends and collaborators around the world must die, (Ed: Never mind that there has been no evidence of that.) before President Obama and his friends on Capitol Hill start caring more about national security?"

Oh sure, call Julian Assange and his tribe of transparency troops "enemy combatants" so they can get the same kind of "deal" Omar Khadr got.

Compare the FoxNoise response with that of Britain's deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, who backs an investigation into the torture allegations.

An ocean away and worlds apart . . . .

Be Careful 'Bout Cryin' Wolf . . . .

With today's release of 400,000+ Department of Defense documents on the Iraq war by WikiLeaks, once again the MSM is playing the Pentagon's mouthpiece quite well.

Reuters: (Lead paragraph.) The Pentagon said on Friday it does not expect big surprises from an imminent release of up to 500,000 Iraq war files by WikiLeaks, but warned that U.S. troops and Iraqis could be endangered by the file dump.

CBC: (Hillary Clinton) "We should condemn in the most clear terms the disclosure of any classified information by individuals and organizations which puts the lives of United States and partner service members and civilians at risk," she said in Washington, D.C.

CNN: "This is all classified secret information never designed to be exposed to the public," Morrell told CNN. "Our greatest fear is that it puts our troops in even greater danger than they inherently are on these battlefields. "

Hmmmmm.

Didn't we hear the same dire warnings back when Wikileaks released the 70,000+ documents on the Afghan war?

Yes, we did.

How'd that come out, you may ask?

Well, to CNN and FoxNoise's (fer krise sake!) credit, buried down in their stories we read this:

CNN: Friday, Lapan said they know of no case where anyone in Afghanistan had been harmed because their name was in the leaked documents, but he made clear that doesn't mean such people couldn't be killed in the future.

FoxNoise: Lapan said that so far no Afghans have been killed as a direct result of WikiLeaks releasing the same type of information over the summer, but he characterized the leak as deplorable.

The Pentagon and State Department crowd might start stocking up on wolf spray and protective gear. Perhaps one day their dire warnings will go unheeded and ignored.

We'll probably have to clue the MSM in, though. It appears they're still drinking the Kool-aid and asking for refills . . . .

Imagine . . . .

giving peace a chance.



Happy Birthday, John . . . .

Is There a Chiropractor in the House ? ? ? ?

This vs this.

It appears the current government's spending priorities need a fiscal adjustment . . . .

Bake at 350 Degrees 'til Explosion Occurs . . . .

Michael Moore gives the definitive review of Bob Woodward's new obama administration novel.

Excerpts:

In fact, after you read Woodward's book, you'll split a gut every time you hear a politician or a government teacher talk about "civilian control over the military." The only people really making the decisions about America's wars are across the river from Washington in the Pentagon. They wear uniforms. They have lots of weapons they bought from the corporations they will work for when they retire.


_______________

It matters not whom we elect. The Pentagon and the military contractors call the shots. The title "Commander in Chief" is ceremonial, like "Employee of the Month" at your local Burger King.

_______________

So here's your assignment for tonight: Watch Eisenhower's famous farewell speech. And then start thinking about how we can tame this beast. The Soviet Union had its own military-industrial complex, which is one reason they got into Afghanistan...which is one reason there's no more Soviet Union. It happened to them.

Don't think it can happen to us?

Here in Canada we've got stevie and petey ginning up the military apparatus to improve Canada's status on the world stage.

Great.

Let's follow the US' lead, that oughta work out just fine.

Here's how to assemble this taste treat:

Take your basic army, navy and air force on hand for defence of your nation. Add in the fact that the corporate-owned media is on the side of spinning conflicts globally to increase ratings. Stir in profits to the bottom line of the media giants plus military contractors and your recipe for disaster is ready to go in the oven.

Follow directions in this post title . . . .

Clean Catholic Cash . . . .

bennie and his Jerks are the gift that keeps on giving.

Check this out via The Guardian UK today:

Vatican bank chief investigated over money laundering claims

In unprecedented move, judge freezes €23m held in account at financial institution with close church links

* John Hooper in Rome* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 21 September 2010

The head of the Vatican bank has formally been placed under investigation in an inquiry into a suspected violation of Italy's money-laundering laws, judicial sources said today.

At the same time, a judge in Rome ordered a freeze on €23m (£19.5m) held in an account opened by the Vatican bank, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), at another financial institution in the Italian capital. It was thought to be the first time such action had been authorised against the IOR in Italy.
_______________

The Vatican has a long history of withholding co-operation from Italian investigators seeking access to its bank's books. The IOR was involved in a major scandal in 1982 arising from the fraudulent bankruptcy of Banco Ambrosiano, then Italy's largest private bank.

Well.

Maybe now we have the definitive answer as to how bennie affords all those fabulous pumps he struts around in . . . .

Canadian Coup de RCMP . . . .

*Updated link due to the Lady Alison's astute discovery. (Thanks, Alison!) Apparently the story disappeared off the web 'til it reappeared this morning at the updated link to the Montreal Gazette below . . . .


As "drf" exclaimed when he pointed this* out to me: "WTF?!?"

What the hell has harperco wrought now ? ? ? ?

RCMP warn against threat of coup d’etat

By Ian MacLeod, Postmedia NewsSeptember 12, 2010

OTTAWA — RCMP officials have identified a new threat to national security: a coup d’etat.

The reference to a violent overthrow of the federal government is contained in the RCMP’s plans and priorities report to government for 2010-11. It lists national security as one of five operational priorities for the year.

The document then cites four specific security concerns:

• Espionage and sabotage.

• Foreign-influenced criminal activities detrimental to the interests of Canada.

• Terrorism.

• And . . . “activities aimed at overthrowing, by violence, the Government of Canada.” (Ed: emphasis mine)

RCMP officials were not immediately available Friday to explain the reference, but such language has not appeared in previous RCMP reports.

Just keeps gettin' curiouser and curiouser . . . .


H/T "drf" & the Lady Alison

Keep Your 'Net Neutral . . . .

Corporate USA is doing their damnedest to mess with your Internet for the benefit of their profit structure. You now have another chance to express your displeasure at this prospect.

Via PC World today:

September 02, 2010 6:18 AM

FCC Takes Net Neutrality to Court of Public Opinion (Again)

By Tony Bradley, PC World

The FCC has opened the next chapter in the debate over net neutrality with a new Notice of Inquiry seeking public comments and feedback on specific aspects of the proposed rules. Net neutrality advocates, however, are becoming increasingly frustrated with the FCC dragging its feet rather than implementing change.

The new FCC inquiry is in pursuit of specific feedback to clarify opinion on a couple of "under-developed issues" that came up during the negotiations with the ISPs and broadband industry, and as a result of the controversial Google-Verizon proposal. Specifically, the FCC wants input to get consensus on the concept of "specialized services" and application of net neutrality to wireless broadband service.

The electronic filing process is fairly simple - see page 6 of this PDF.

Here's the link for the e-file. (International comments are accepted.)

Don't let the corporate behemoths control your access to information based on their $hareholder'$ pur$uit of the almighty dollar . . . .

Wanna do a pole trick ? ? ? ?

This article from the local paper in our former homeland is too good to pass up. Here in it's entirety because as "drf" says, there's too many good lines to single out just a few*:

Bikini-clad strippers protest church in rural Ohio
August 27, 2010

By JEANNIE NUSS
Associated Press Writer

Strippers dressed in bikinis sunbathe in lawn chairs, their backs turned toward the gray clapboard church where men in ties and women in full-length skirts flock to Sunday morning services.

The strippers, fueled by Cheetos and nicotine, are protesting a fundamentalist Christian church whose Bible-brandishing congregants have picketed the club where they work.

The dancers roll up with signs carrying messages adapted from Scripture, such as "Do unto others as you would have done unto you," to counter church members who for four years have photographed license plates of patrons and asked them if their mothers and wives know their whereabouts.

The dueling demonstrations play out in central Ohio, where nine miles of cornfields and Amish-buggy crossing signs separate The Fox Hole strip club from New Beginnings Ministries.

Club owner Tommy George met with the preacher and offered to call off his not-quite-nude crew from their three-month-long protest if the church responds in kind. But pastor Bill Dunfee believes that a higher power has tasked him with shutting down the strip club.

"As a Christian community, we cannot share territory with the devil," Dunfee said. "Light and darkness cannot exist together, so The Fox Hole has got to go."

New Beginnings is one of four churches in this one-traffic-light village of 900 people, 60 miles outside Columbus. There's one gas station and a sit-down restaurant that serves country staples like mashed potatoes with gravy and Salisbury steak.

On Sunday, four of The Fox Hole's seven strippers and more than a dozen supporters garnered both scorn and compassion from churchgoers — and quite a few honks from pickup trucks and other passing vehicles.

One woman offered her skills as a hair dresser to the dancers: "If you or your kids ever need a haircut, give me a holler." Another woman from the church waited on the protesters with plates of noodles and chocolate cake.

Laura Meske — known as Lola, stage age 36 but really 42 — hid behind a sign proclaiming, "Jesus loves the children of the world!" as the preacher extended his hand for a shake.

Two nights earlier, Dunfee and more than a dozen churchgoers stood outside the club, one of them calling out Meske's stripper name.

"He who casts the first stone ... ," Meske said Sunday.

The pastor cut her off and repeated, "Lola, Lord bless you."

"Everybody has sinned, and that doesn't mean I'm not gonna get into heaven," she said, the stud piercing in her chin shimmering in the sunlight. "I believe in Jesus. I don't believe what they preach. They preach hate."

Debi Durr, who attends the church, disagreed. "You don't stand up there for four years for hate. That's not hate. That's love," she said. Durr left Meske with a copy of Jeremiah 3:13 — a Bible passage that urges sinners to acknowledge their guilt.

Inside the church, voices from the 121 congregants seemed to float to the cedar rafters as they sang lyrics projected on a screen. Outside, a man strummed a guitar and sang, "God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes."

Dunfee has offered to help the strippers pay for food, rent, utilities and gas if they leave The Fox Hole. But many of the women say their jobs are only a stopover on the way to work in cosmetology or the medical field — a meal ticket that shelters them from another stigma: welfare.

"No little girl is growing up like, `I wanna do a pole trick,'" said Anny Donewald, a former stripper who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., and ministers to dancers, prostitutes and porn stars.

She and other Christian groups that work with women in the adult entertainment industry have criticized Dunfee's methods of ministry as a means of putting the strippers on the defensive instead of showing support.

"I never saw Jesus with a picket sign," Donewald said.

Community advocacy groups, including Citizens for Community Values in Cincinnati, support Dunfee's protests. But the group's president, Phil Burress, said the strip club has a right to be there.

"It's a legal business whether he likes it or I like it or not," Burress said.

The club operates in a white plywood box of a building. Beer cans and a dollar bill peaked out from the grass like Easter eggs last Sunday.

The Fox Hole encourages customers to check out its $30 private dance special, promoting it on the kind of sign convenience stores use to advertise cheap milk and cigarettes. Out back, letters on a bulletin board have faded away so that "No touching" now reads "ouch."

It's here where dancers strip down to panties and pasties for cash. Meske — a tattooed mother of four — said she made $30 instead of a couple hundred dollars last Friday with the protesters outside.

"I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world," she said. "I go out there and I try to make my money."

A few houses and a ribs joint called Peggy Sue's separate the club from another white building, a church where some of the strippers donate blood during drives for the American Red Cross.

"I got a church 900 feet down the street that causes me no problems," club owner George said. "And I got this moron nine miles down the street that causes me more headaches."

Rae Anderson, who heads New Castle Ministries with her husband, says her church believes Dunfee is doing what the Lord called him to do, but her parish takes a different approach.

"You can share the truth, but you can't make anyone believe what you believe."

Life in the Excited States.

Rather nice looking at it from up here north of the 49th . . . .

* Although, this one did give me particular chuckles: But many of the women say their jobs are only a stopover on the way to work in cosmetology

"Praise the Lord" and Pass the Bullets . . . .

Jeebuz, these people are really whacked.

Bring your gun to church to protect yourself from what, fer cryin' out loud? Disciple gangs? Meth lab zealots?

Get a grip down there, ya'll . . . .

Gay Pride, Vancouver Edition . . . .

This is the fifth year we've been able to view the Pride Parade in Vancouver. It's also our second Pride Parade of this year, as on our trip to Portland in June we also enjoyed theirs. (More on Portland below.)

The parade included all the usuals:

Political/Civic Figures:
(with the notable exception of the BC LINOs (Liberal in Name Only)
- might have something to do with Premier gordo campbell's
sinking poll numbers due to the unpopular
H(arper)S(ales)T(ax) implementation)

Elizabeth May:

MP Hedy Frye:

BC Civil Liberties Chair David Eby:

Parks Board Chair Aaron Jasper:

Dancing Girls

Buxom Ladies:

Colourful Drag Queens:

Hunky (Yumm!) Hockey Players:

Tall People:

Corporate Sponsors:

And the stephen harper Tribute:

Now for more Gay and happy news: Federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker in California has issued his ruling on Proposition 8 there. He found that California's voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage violates the federal constitutional rights of gay people.

The case will be appealed to the Ninth Circuit of Appeals in Portland (See, I told you there would be more about Portland!) and then on to the Supreme Court. Just happened to snap a couple of pics of the courthouse, as these are typically "The Good Guys" in judicial circles.

Cross your fingers . . . .

Fireworks Finale . . . .

This year's Celebration of Light finished up Saturday night with a "Tribute to China." The show was actually produced by a Canadian firm but there was some confusion as lots of folks thought it was a Chinese production.

The winner of this year's competition was announced before the show began Saturday night, and our favourite of Spain won - One of the few times we've agreed with the judges . . . .

Could be Worse . . . .

Guess there could be worse things than being in Vancouver, BC in the summer. Even though we have a crappy Premier and an even crappier Prime Minister it's still better than being in our former homeland - especially at this time of the year.

Check out this report from our former local area newspaper today and you'll get the picture:

County Sheriff’s Office responded to an argument that led to a food fight at a home Thursday night.

The responding deputy found a 42-year-old woman sitting outside her residence on Grant Avenue crying with food particles in her hair. She told the deputy she and her live-in boyfriend had an argument and he threw a pie at her.

The 57-year-old boyfriend, who was also at the residence, said his girlfriend, who is seven months pregnant, was inconsolable about an argument that happened earlier in the day. At some point, someone threw an apple pie at the other person. The man said he couldn’t remember who threw the pie first, but the other person responded by throwing the rest of the pie.

The deputy noted in his report there were remnants of an apple pie and other food items smeared on the floor and cabinets. Neither had any injuries associated with the argument and report notes both were intoxicated at the time.

There were no charges in the incident.

“While both parties threw pie at each other there was no intent to cause harm,” according to the report.

Hard to tell which is more depressing: The story itself or the fact that it made it to print in the local newspaper.

As "drf" and I tell each other on a regular basis:

"We are blissed . . . . "

Mexico Shines . . . .

Good show by Mexico last night, 2nd only to Spain in our opinion. Lots of big displays, but the whole theme not quite as well executed as Spain's. However, elderly neighbours raved about it and gave them #1 so far.

Different strokes, and all that . . . .

Spain's Turn @ Celebration of Light . . . .

Spain put on a fantastic and original show on Saturday. Although these pics don't do it justice as I was pre-occupied watching with the naked eye, we decided it was one of the top two shows we've witnessed since 2005 . . . .