Aptenobytes

Police make high profile take down of natives. Oh no, they've got guns!

I'm not sure which upsets me more in this case. See, the cops knew that if they did a high profile take down of Natives with Guns!!! that they'd get a pass from the leftists who think all guns are evil, and they'd get a pass from the right wing gun owners who figure natives are all terrorists.

Fuck. Some people on both sides get it, but it still makes me very angry. You can't sell out some rights and expect others to defend yours. Both groups should be screaming bloody murder about this.

The cops trailed them from the gun store, closed down the Burrard St bridge, and staged a high profile, high-risk-style takedown with firearms drawn. This on a group of people who just bought firearms legally in Canada. That means that they had no criminal record, no history of violence or mental illness. The police knew this, yet staged a takedown anyway. Think maybe they were after something other than guns? Like cellphones, laptops, address books? Yeah, me too.

For a bit of background, the Tsawataineuk people part of the Kwakiutl nation that these guns were on the way to are a very small band with a village in Kingcome Inlet. Despite being relegated to an obscure corner of BC, multinational corporations still manage to piss them off. Like many bands in BC, they have a huge problem amongst their youth, and this was going to be a program to help bring some of the youth back to their roots and traditions.

Heh

What if there was a moron in the white house?

AOL Television: Greatest American

AOL Television: Greatest American: Ronald Reagan? Bwahahahaa.

I made fun of the Canadian one, but jeepers Y'all are crazy. I mean, Ronald Raygun? Holy crap. That's just... sad. Although, now that I think about it, I'm damned if I can think of a person that more embodies America....

The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race

Agriculture. At least that's the reasoning behind this essay.

Something to think about at the very least. I'm not a Luddite by any stretch of the imagination, but it is an interesting idea, and one worth thinking about.

We're number three! Woohoo!

Canada is now the third nation to enshrine same sex marriage in law. Whatever problems I may have with nation states, voting on rights, or marriage is irrelevant tonight.

Tonight I drink to celebrate a small but important victory.

How to overturn Kelo

It's very simple really. Everybody who thinks the decision is an outrage should drive, hitchhike, bus, etc. to New London and make sure that the seizures don't happen. Put your bodies in the way. Make sure that the people overrule the court.

It won't happen of course, but it would send a message if enough people actually did it.

Friday Cat Blogging

Chance guarding the shop. He's a Maine Coon Cat, so he's a relatively imposing guard kitty.

Don't forget to catch the rest of the Friday Ark, and the Carnival of the Cats on Sunday.

Keep it.

Ah, well, many turns now. We are writing you for what may be the
last time in order to give you back your promised word of support. It is
not little that we have achieved in the indigenous struggle, and that
has been - as we have told you in public and in private - because of
your help. We believe you can be proud, without any shame, of all the
good that we zapatistas, along with you, have built up to this point.
And know that it has been an honor, undeserved in any light, that
people like you have walked at our side.

Keep it. My support is yours till the struggle is over.

Guárdelo. Mi ayuda es la tuya hasta que la lucha encima.

(My spanish sucks, so if the two phrases don't match, please let me know)

A very bad Supreme Court (US) decision

Kelo v. New London. The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled that if the government decides that they can get more tax revenue from a property by giving it to a developer, then they can excercise eminent domain.

It's one thing to say, we're taking this from one person for the use of everybody, as in a highway or park. Taking from one citizen to give to another is not what eminent domain is for.

I predict that this will have as many far reaching effects as the Santa Clara decision, for many of the same reasons. It tilts power away from the individual, towards larger organizations that already have power and money.

Yup, this is the same supreme court that fucked us on Eldred v. Ashcroft.

'Course, living in Canada I don't have any constitutionally enshrined property rights anyway. Well, thanks to the Notwithstanding Clause, I don't really have any rights, may Trudeau rot in hell. I'll never, ever forgive the bastard for that clause. Ever.

The inexorable tide of propaganda.

First off, there is the opinion piece on Al Jazeera by Scott Ritter: entitled "The US war with Iran has already begun". It reminds me of a few years back (August 2001)when I read a National Geographic piece on Afghanistan decrying the destruction of some historical statues. I thought at the time, that's odd, I wonder why this is such a big story. I keyed in on it, and started noticing a lot of stories about how bad the Taliban was. The Taliban had been bad like this for years, but suddenly it seemed to be a major story. I said to myself that it almost seems like we're getting revved up for war, that we were being fed propaganda to make us willing to go to war. Then 9/11 happened the next month.... hmmm said I.

Have you noticed how much coverage the Iranian election got this year? A lot more than ever before? Always with references to the Mullahs having veto power over candidates, etc.

Things that make you paranoid...