No Leak at Gomery

On the eve of the first part of the Gomery Commission's Reports - CTV notes that if there had been a leak of the information contained in the report, Gomery spokesperson, Francois Perrault would have called in the R.C.M.P

So what does that say about the Toronto Star then? Was it Martin's camp attempting to control what information was given to the public? Does that not show a gross manipulation of mass thought to the point, that if a political party was involved, should be cited for deliberate censorship?

Is this not serious that a news organization should be given suspect information that has obviously discredited them? If so, it's not important who it was given to, but by whom.

HR Makes the Globe & Mail

Your comment was approved by our editors and was posted to the following story: "Tempers flare with Ottawa as airlift of natives begins" Thank you for joining the conversation. The Globe and Mail

And this is what I wrote:


M W from Hamilton, Canada writes:

This situation isn't surprising.All involved, including the media had the opportunity to report years ago but they choose to ignore a U.N. report:

http://habamusrodentum.blogspot.com/2005/10/conditions-long-ignored.html

Posted Oct. 27, 2005 at 9:28 AM EST

An Honour

I've been given the honour of reciting a poem to welcome my soon to be brother-in-law into the family. It's expected it will be funny.


heh

Counterfeit Norvasc

A Hamilton pharmacist, Abadir Nasr, faces more criminal charges for selling counterfeit Norvasc to elderly clients needing the drug for their heart condition.

He faces six new fraud charges on top of five charges already laid for fraud under $5000, passing off and having property obtained by crime. Nasr was charged earlier this summer after his pharmacy on King Street West in Hamilton was raided by the R.C.M.P

Sadly, the R.C.M.P and the Ontario forensic centre could not charge him with the deaths of 8 people who died that took the counterfeit Norvasc, found to contain talc. The deaths occured before the counterfeit scheme was discovered and most of the individuals were either cremated or buried.

It's the first case of it's kind in the world and we don't have forensic science to prove that the counterfeit drug was in at least one patient.

What's not being answered, is if Mr. Nasr will face criminal negligence for knowingly selling grey-market pills. Grey-market pills are meant for another market other than Canada's. The R.C.M.P found grey-market and counterfeit Norvasc pills at the pharmacy.

The Ontario College of Pharmacy has not recinded his membership from the College. He's still allowed to dispense but not Norvasc.

Mr. Nasr's brother was found dead approximately a year earlier with a restricted drug meant for cancer patients in his system. Neither the Hamilton Police Service, the R.C.M.P or the O.P.P have discovered how his brother got the drug in the first place to overdose on it.

I'm wondering, as I am sure are others, did the dead man's brother give it to him? If Nasr gave his brother restricted drugs, was he dealing to otherrs? There are allegations circulating within Hamilton's Arab community that some pharmacists in Hamilton are faking scripts and dealing out the drugs to pushers on the street.

I've personally seen pharmaceuticals being pushed on the streets of Hamilton and have been introduced to someone who was known to be pushing pharmaceuticals (of course he wasn't introduced like that). Some time before that my car was stolen. When the car was found, I was the only person who searched the car and found a Zyprexa pill. Hamilton Poice services never did take a statement from me, fingerprint the car or ask me if I had any suspects.

The international community will be watching how this case unfolds. The court allowed Nasr to go back to his native Egypt for a relatives wedding, in which he was to arrive back to Canada today. His lawyer has told the press that he is in Canada - but not Hamilton.

I'm thinking the FBI would have pressed those criminal negligence charges against him and found traces of the drug due to better equipment.

As I was told by a Hamilton Police officer after asking why there was no criminal negligence charges laid as they would have indicted him in the U.S.for it - his response was "because we're nicer in Canada". I asked him if what he meant by that was that laws weren't being enforced here because it's not that we don't have the legislation. His response was that the penalties were too lax and referred me to the R.C.M.P and the Hamilton detective handling the case.

I've not contacted the Hamilton detective and wrote a letter to the R.C.M.P to respond. We'll see if they do.

It's a good time to resurrect this post

Caption Contest

Ok folks, I'm at a loss for creativity on this one. So I thought I'd leave to those who visit to come up with the best caption or graphic rearrangement of Mr. Martin. Pass your links on here so I can post it so CBC doesn't sue me for using their image. Actually, there will be no 'winners' as I am sure all those who advance an idea will all be of entertainment value.

Ok, so I changed it. He's a truer talking head now. But you guys gotta come up with something better than that

Martin Addresses Nation

Martin is going to be delivering weekly addresses to the Canadian public - CBC

Seems to me he's going to be preparing the Canadian public for a trade war, why else address the nation? I also believe that the Gomery report is going to be severe - as severe as it could possible get in Canada - like 5 minutes in the penalty box.

Martin is loosing his country because of wide-spread corruption. That would be because most of his supporters are coming from Ontario and I swear - has to be the most corrupt province in the country (what media organ wants to do a serious comparison that isn't in a conflict of interest and bought out by the government or law society?)

Seems to me, I don't want to hear this man speak. If we were in a more serious situation, like a real war , then I would be concerned about Martin's abilities to lead the nation through it. This man does not have my confidence if he was so clued out to money that was being stolen out of government coffers by his peers.

Terror in India

Simultaneous bombings "hit the Paharganj market in central Delhi and the Sarojini Nagar market in a southern neighbourhood when they were packed with shoppers preparing for the upcoming Hindu and Muslim festivals" - CBC

Why is it that people just don't want peace to exist between themselves? And why is it that our politicians ignore security warnings and allow themselves to be supported by active terror groups in Canada?

It's nice that Paul Martin has given his condolences to India, but did he stop to think of that when he allowed himself to be supported by Tamil Tigers, against C.S.I.S's recommendations, so he could secure strong-armed votes just to get elected?

Dreaming

This is where I'd rather be...

Conflict of Interest in Psychiatry

Correction to post below:

The recent $5 million gift from Johnson & Johnson (the parent company of Janssen Pharmaceuticals) was not awarded to the department of child psychiatry at Columbia as reported in earlier Infomail, but rather to the department of Neuroscience, headed by Dr. John Mann. See: http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/about/defining_the_future


This post is taken directly from an infomail sent by the Alliance for Human Research Protection

This statement is borne out by Dr. David Shaffer's own study finding: TeenScreen's reliability in correctly identifying teenagers with an emotional problem, is only 16%!

That means that 84% of perfectly healthy school children who are screened by TeenScreen will be labeled as mentally ill--and will likely be prescribed one or more psychotropic drugs. The choice of drugs will be determined according the the TMAP module.

TeenScreen and TMAPdv are industry's covrert marketing schemes which are promoted by the pillars of American psychiatry.

Dr.Shaffer, who is credited with formulating the TMAP questionnaire, and the children's department of psychiatry at Columbia University, which he heads, are the recipients of a $5 million "gift" from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the hugely overprescribed antipsychotic drug, Risperdal--a drug that carries a Black Box warning label warning about death in the elderly. Additionally the Risperdal label warns of "potentially fatal" neuroleptic malignant syndrome; "potentially irreversible" Tardive Dyskenisa; cardiovascular adverse effects; stroke; diabetes; and more. See FDA

Dr. Sharfstein's responses to this dismal outlook are APA's Business Relations Initiative and federal and state legislative lobbying efforts and advocacy to increase access as "more and more individuals realize that treatment works and seek to obtain it."

Those initiatives haven't had much success in the past. And repeating those same initiatives is not likely to produce broadly better results in the future.

It is my opinion that psychiatry has a credibility gap and that credibility gap is widening as the disclosure of public psychopharmaceutical embarrassments continue to destroy its image. Why should this be the case? Why should one of the most fundamentally important medical specialties—one that seeks to address the medical, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual components of a human being—lose its luster vis-à-vis other medical specialties as it loses its competitiveness for the health care dollar?

I don't pretend to have a comprehensive answer to that question. But I offer this suggestion: psychiatry must address its internal issues before it seeks to blame others for its failures.

What are the issues that compromise its integrity, attractiveness, competitiveness and credibility?

Research integrity: As a specialty, psychiatry should not expect to enhance its reputation until its research byproducts are grounded in robust scientific methodology and anonymous peer-reviewed journalism.

Conflicts of interest: APA cannot continue to bankroll its operations and research efforts with monies from pharmaceutical companies and expect the public to respect either its advertising hyperbole or research results.

A fundamental problem for APA's governing bodies is denial. It is not unlike the denial pervasive in drug and alcohol addictions or any other problem when a person, group, or organization either refuses or—for whatever reason—cannot deal realistically with issues that confront it. APA and its governing bodies need to look within themselves—with the capacity for honest and revealing gut-wrenching, insight-oriented organizational analysis.

Until APA is able to shake loose the chains that bind it to the pervasive influences of pharmaceutical and technical-gadgetry corporations (whose hefty price tags include an assault on the credibility of every research and clinical psychiatrist), the golden age of psychiatry will be only a glimpse of what has been, since the seeds of psychiatry's future failures will have been nurtured by psychiatry's current inability to address the prostitution of its core values and worth.

Dr. Sharfstein responds:

Dr. Kruszewski comments on the "credibility gap" that psychiatry faces today in the political and economic marketplace. He echoes comments I made in my president-elect speech in Atlanta last May when I stated that "our profession lacks credibility and leverage" and that we are experiencing "a crisis of credibility for American medicine and American psychiatry." In particular, I expressed my concern about both the perception and reality of conflict of interest in our relationships with the pharmaceutical industry.

I believe a fundamental distinction must be made between APA as a professional organization and individual psychiatrists who treat patients. APA does not treat patients, and the vast majority of its support from the pharmaceutical industry is derived from the advertising in our journals and newspaper and industry-sponsored symposia at our annual meetings. All of these activities are scrutinized in great detail by various APA components for accuracy and truthfulness and for the image they portray of the profession.

We should do more, however, as this is an ever-changing environment. APA needs to do more related to individual psychiatrists who often find themselves "corrupted in the marketplace with lucrative consulting to industry, speaker panels, boards of directors, and visits from industry representatives bearing gifts."

In contrast to APA as an organization, these psychiatrists see patients, write prescriptions, and recommend various medication strategies. Our patients must feel that their needs are first and foremost. What must take place, I believe, is much more than an "organizational analysis" that Dr. Kruszewski suggests.

As a profession, we must do much more to earn back our moral authority. We must evaluate all arrangements that psychiatrists have with industry and provide guidance and standards. We must speak up for access to all clinically important information that pharmaceutical companies possess so that we can treat our patients ethically and with quality.

I appreciate Dr. Kruszewski's candid assessment of our governing body, and I would like to assure him and others that we are most concerned about the issues he raises.


Articles by Kruszewski, S. P.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. This material is distributed without profit.

Cool Cat

Oh to have a cat this cool. Mine only caught a pigeon today and coralled it into the apartment

Oil-for-Food Kickbacks # 2

Here's only a partial list of companies involved in the Oil-for-Food Scandal. The whole idea behind the kickbacks was to gain political support for Iraq, especially from those countries on the Security Council. Iraq was buying political support to influence the decisions of U.N. member states presumably to interfere with decisions holding Iraq accountable with human rights and global security issues. (See preamble)

These were under the heading 'Industrial Companies':

1) Atlas Copco Airpower NV
2) DaimlerChrysler AG
3) Maloney Industries Inc.
4) Siemens Companies
5) Volvo Construction Equipment
6) Weir Group

DaimlerChrysler recieved $5.2 million in sales with Iraq. DaimlerChrysler's MiddleEast Representative Wolfgang Denk fond that when he took the position DaimlerChrysler was blacklisted by Iraq because they had applied for compensation under the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) for compensation arising from damage caused by Iraq during the Gulf War.

In 2001 senior company management including Cort Uebel, Denk's supervisor and Eric Jonscher, President of DaimlerChrysler Overseas decided to withdraw this claim.

Denk also agreed to sign a side kickback agreement associated with one contract for an amoured truck. He agreed to pay the Ministry of Oil 10% of the contract value - which amounted to $13, 589 DM. The total for this side kickback, one out of nine found, was $149, 484.50.

The U.N. Committee obtained documents for the kick backs from the Iraqi Government as DaimlerChrysler did not disclose the above agreement or provide documents in response to the Committee's request, including those documents reflecting the kickbacks.

All information obtained on page 365 - 67of the IIC report

Canadians Shafted on Justice

This is from the New York Times Quote of the Day:

"We brought those cases because we realized that the truth is the engine of our judicial system."PATRICK J. FITZGERALD, the special counsel in the C.I.A. leak inquiry.

(I wonder what the engine of the Canadian judicial system is? I have some thoughts...)

Update Oct 29: Investigation focuses on cover-up - NYTimes

Update 1:46 pm: Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, indicted by grand jury on charges of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in CIA leak probe. - CNN

This is how serious Americans take their lawbreaking. Government officials close to Bush are facing possible criminal charges for disclosing the identity of an undercover CIA agent - CBC

What do Canadians get even though there are criminal laws written specifically for officials of the government? Allegations of misconduct for those politicians who are deemed to have "pristine reputations"?

Misconduct? What the hell is that ? This isn't a hockey game this is running a damn country and it's being run into the ground.

Oil for Food Report

Here's the full IIC Report

Once I get the damn thing downloaded I'll be looking for the Canadian link. The CBC has begun reporting here

Conflicts in the Drug Industry

Update: There is now a link to the Hamilton Spectator investigative series. Link below in body of text.

From the New York Times Excerpt:

October 27, 2005
Ex-Head of F.D.A. or Wife Sold Stock in Regulated Area
By GARDINER HARRIS

"Dr. Lester M. Crawford, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, or his wife sold shares in companies regulated by the agency in 2004, according to financial disclosure forms
The sales may have played a role in Dr. Crawford's sudden resignation from the agency last month after only two months as its leader."
Well that's not surprising

The August 7 2005 Nebraska Lincoln Star's headline was "Doctors leak drug secrets to Wall St." Excerpt:

"Doctors testing new drugs are sworn to keep their research a secret until drug companies announce the final results. But elite Wall Street firms - looking to make quick profits - have found a way to harvest these secrets: They pay doctors to divulge the details early"

Nebraska Lincoln Starcites a Seattle Times investigation here that found:

"26 cases in which doctors have leaked confidential and critical details of their ongoing drug research to Wall Street firms"

On June 25 2005 The Hamilton Spectator did their own research here that found 97 researchers involved in clinical drug trials, many of them for mental heatlh illnesses, at Hamilton's McMaster University that were benefiting from monetary rewards by Big Pharma.

The investigative reporters at the Spec didn't find their information through McMaster's transparency though. They searched the drug firms websites and linked the researchers to them either by those researchers getting directly paid by Big Pharma and the University simultaneausly or by receiving stock options.

A number of those drugs were pulled off the Canadian market for adverse side effects. Now it is pretty well known from reports in the media that have been posted on this blog that some Big Pharma companies have been found to pressure their researchers into presenting only positive clinical results.

As for McMaster, they have a very close relationship with St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton, which is currently under investigation by the Ontario Privacy Commission for violating the Personal Health Information Protection Act for disclosing personal health information to non-health care providers without the patient's consent.

There are also allegations that management at the City of Hamilton's shelter and emergency hostel program is involved in allowing deceitful use of the collection and disclosure of personal health information from shelter and hostel staff to the local hospitals.

Some personal health information was disclosed to mental health researchers without consent of the patient, which violates the hospitals research code of ethics and various health legislation. Doing so exposes those percieved with mental health illnesses to 'guniea pig - like' treatment.

Other allegations arising from maltreatment at St. Joseph's are that the psychiatrists, clinicians and nursing staff at St. Joseph's are manipulating clincial data of mental health patients with worse symptoms and diagnosis than they actually have, including pathologising legal rights that patients know they have a right to. One allegation has surfaced that a mental health patient's had their money stolen when the staff returned their belongings.

Even if someone made a complaint to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, they would most likely get away with 'unethical' if not 'illegal' pratices because the College consults doctors on areas of conflict of interest instead of professionals in this area as stated on page 41 of an audit of the College by KPMG LLP.

It is doubtful that the CPSO understands transparency because they have a problem with transparency themselves - as page 35 of the report documents.

And if there were evidence presented to the CPSO Complaints Committee, it is very likely that an investigator would withhold it, be manipulated or they would hold it to a higher standard than they are expected as stated on page 33 of the report.

The KPMG Report has shown that the CPSO does not understand its obligation to protect the public interest - page 36 so it is likely that abuse within Ontario's health system will continue. And all of this is happening with the knowledge of Ontario's Ministry of Health officials including the Minister.

And since Minister Smitherman and those working in this Ministry consistently ignore their responsibilities, these abuses will continue to fester - just look at the fact that there are 40 more reserves in Ontario that have tainted water - jeopardizing the health of Ontarians.

So my question is, if the health Ministry, including the Minister continue to refuse to acknowledge their legislative responsibilities to see to it that public hospitals are run that protect the public interest, and not create more mental health illnesses, as they are legislated to under the Regulated Health Professions Act, could those involved be in a conflict of interest or benefiting from not having these abuses exposed? Why are these officials allowing individuals to die on their watch?

Art Crawl

If your in Hamilton the following weekend, check out our infamous 'Art Crawl'

(Yours truly has some pieces at You Me)


DIVESTMENT
the art collection of Val Ramsay

an exhibition & sale. an opportunity to examine the tastes and strategies of a remarkable supporter of Hamilton artists.

an opportunity to grow your own collection.

Opening Reception: Friday, Nov 11, 7-10 pm
appetizers by The Wild Orchid

Val Ramsay's slide talk: Wednesday, Nov 23, 7:30 pm

gallery hours: Wed-Sun, 12-5

you me gallery
330 james st north, hamilton
(905) 523-7754

Oil for Food Kickbacks

4500 companies took part in the Oil-for-Food program. Over half will be named on Thursday in the SoDamn Insane Oil-for-Food kick-back investigation - NY Times reports

Most of them are Russian or French. I'm sure Canadian companies are involved if France is involved. Watch for the report this Thursday.

Conditions Long Ignored

CBC came up with some statistics regarding the safety of water in native reserves across Canada. In 1995 the rate of bad water problems was 25%. By 2001 it spiked to 75%. So the CBC has decided it is now fashionable to highlight aboriginal discrimination.

This is disgusting.

But why is that? In 2003 Canada had their review with the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women Committee (C.E.D.A.W. - full text is on the link to the left of this post). Take into consideration that this committee focuses on discrimination against women, but these concerns are indicative of problems for low income men as well, especially in aboriginal communities.

Here's what they said:

27. The Committee is concerned that, within the framework of the 1995 Budget Implementation Act, [my emphasis] the transfer of federal funds to the provincial and territorial levels is no longer tied to certain condit ions which previously ensured nationwide consistent standards in the areas of health and social welfare. It is also concerned about the negative impact that the new policy has had on women’s situation in a number of jurisdictions.

25. The Committee acknowledges the State party’s complex federal, provincial and territorial political and legal structures. However, it underlines the federal Government’s principal responsibility in implementing the Convention. The Committee is concerned that the federal Government does not seem to have the power to ensure that governments establish legal and other measures in order to fully implement the Convention in a coherent and consistent manner.

37. While appreciating the federal Government’s efforts to combat discrimination against Aboriginal women, including the pending amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, and to achieve substantive equality for them, the Committee is seriously concerned about the pers istent systematic discrimination faced by Aboriginal women in all aspects of their lives. The Committee is concerned that Aboriginal women, among other highly vulnerable groups of women in Canada, are
over-concentrated in lower-skill and lower-paying occupations, they constitute a high percentage of those women who have not completed secondary education, they constitute a high percentage of women serving prison sentences and they suffer high rates of domestic violence. The Committee is further concerned that the First Nations Governance Act currently under discussion does not address remaining discriminatory legal provisions under other Acts, including matrimonial property
rights, status and band membership questions which are incompatible with the Convention.

38. The Committee urges the State party to accelerate its efforts to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination against Aboriginal women both in society at large and in their communities, particularly with respect to the remaining discriminatory legal provisions as well as to the equal enjoyment of their human rights to education, employment and physical and psychological well-being. It urges the State party to take effective and proactive measures, including awareness-raising programmes, to sensitize Aboriginal communities about women’s human rights and to combat patriarchal attitudes, practices and stereotyping of roles. It recommends to the State party to ensure that Aboriginal women receive sufficient funding in order to be able to participate in the necessary governance and legislative processes that address issues which impede their legal and substantive equality. It also requests the State party to provide comprehensive information on the situation of Aboriginal women in its next report.


Let's read that again [my emphasis added]:

"The Committee is concerned that, within the framework of the 1995 Budget Implementation Act, [my emphasis] the transfer of federal funds to the provincial and territorial levels is no longer tied to certain conditions which previously ensured nationwide consistent standards in the areas of health and social welfare."

"The Committee acknowledges the State party’s complex federal, provincial and territorial political and legal structures. However, it underlines the federal Government’s principal responsibility in implementing the Convention."

"The Committee urges the State party to accelerate its efforts to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination against Aboriginal women both in society at large and in their communities, particularly with respect to the remaining discriminatory legal provisions as well as to the equal enjoyment of their human rights to education, employment and physical and psychological well-being."

"While appreciating the federal Government’s efforts to combat discrimination against Aboriginal women, including the pending amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act, and to achieve substantive equality for them, the Committee is seriously concerned about the pers istent systematic discrimination faced by Aboriginal women in all aspects of their lives."


These guys have been told - and they ignored, over and over and over again.

Even the media has ignored the report but they are taking credit now for "shining the light" on these conditions. Where were they in 2003 when this report came out? It's not news until someone is seriously harmed.

CBC devoted a whole 30 seconds to this report after it was released. I repeatedly sent them copies and complained to the CBC Ombudsman, Senior Producer Tony Burman, then the CRTC because they ignored the concerns in the report. They could of systematically reported on each item of concern, BUT THEY DIDN'T.

I sent the report 3 times to Paul Martin's office. ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE

The Canadian Human Rights Commission doesn't even have this report on their website or lists Canada's international obligations or rights under s. 26 of the Charter. I have recently sent them a letter requesting to know why? Will I hear from them? Probably not, but you can bet I'll post it here if I do or don't.

Politicians have ignored this report - except the Green Party, which acknowledgement of this treaty is part of their platform and Jack Layton although THE NDP NEVER BROUGHT IT UP IN PARLIAMENT. Conservatives did NOTHING.

I guess Ontario learned nothing from Walkerton or SARS. I've had my own experience with Ontario's public health system.

Try This at Home

This came from AHRP:

I suggest you try this real fast, before Google realizes what they've done:

(1) Go to www.google.com
(2) Type in "Failure", without the quotes
(3) Instead of hitting "Search" hit "I'm feeling Lucky"
(4) See what comes up!


hehehe

Warning: This Post Contains Harsh Language

I'm not apologizing for my expletives. Ontario and Ottawa are fucked up. Natives on the Kashechewan Reserve have been complaining for years that their water was bad and both levels of government DID NOTHING. See Globe & Mail Report

Yet the Feds can send D.A.R.T over to Pakistan with potable water in a week's notice. The assholes in the provincial and federal native affairs branches started passing the buck over fucking jurisdictional issues, AGAIN, while people have been getting ill and face possible death for e-coli infections.

When are these idiots going to get that these jurisdictional disputes are harming Canadians?

It's time to post this again.

Art Appreciation

Since there are some who are appreciating art these days, I thought I'd add something I sketched years ago. And no, it's not me.

The transfer has darkened the sketch so it's missing some ciarascuro effects.

What's Your Brain Sex?

If ya wanna know, take the brain sex ID with this test from BBC Science

I scored 25% out of a possible 100% in the female brain part. I guess I like putting together flat pack furniture and can read maps. Any lower and I'd have some gender issues.

Book Review

The latest book I'm devouring is Stewart Bell's second on Canadian terrorism called "The Martyr's Oath - The Apprenticeship of a Homegrown Terrorist".

This is a MUST read for all Canadians, especially those who like to bash C.S.I.S. Finally, our own security service is looking sexy. I don't mean any of that usual lust filled sensuality but because it describes how our security agents at home are doing their job and doing it well.

It's about Mohammed Jabarrah, a 19 year old trained as one of Osama bin Laden's men, working for al Qaeda to co-ordinate an attack that would have been bigger than 9/11. Jabarrah was born in Kuwait and raised in St. Catherines Ontario. The influx of extremists into the Hamilton/Niagara region resulted in the attraction of Jabarrah into ObL version of Islam and Jihad.

I would also recommend his first book "Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World". In it you'll find our Prime Minister Paul Martin accepting political donations and strong armed political support from the Tamil Tigers, a listed terrorist organization, against the advice of C.S.I.S.

Canadian Insurgents

It's time to resurrect this post.

Coffin Tour Ends

Paul Coffin's "How Not To Get Caught Tour" ends with approval for the federal government to appeal his "extra lean" sentence. The appeal will be heard in Spring 2006 - CBC reports

Let's put things into perspective and not forget that others charged with fraud in amounts almost equivalent to Greg Sorbara's per plate fundraising have gotten cruel and unusual treatment thrown at them for trying to get themselves out of a rut.

The above rat ended rutting the Canadian people for being naive.

Sly as a Sewer Rat

A single Norway rat a.k.a sewer rat - out-witted the scientists learning how to avoid getting invaded by them - from CNN

You know, they coulda just asked me how tricky it was going to be. We've gotta whole Liberal Party full of them and boy, are they are tuff to get rid of.

Chiefs of Police Criticize Justice System

Good for the the Chiefs of Police of Ontario see London Free Press article. Irwin Cotler is playing politics with the justice system and should step down for his insensitive comments on opposing mandatory sentencing "on principal". Is he afraid mandatory sentences would see a Liberal in jail?

And who is the goombah lawyer working for the federal justice department who was quoted unnamed to the Toronto Star that mandatory sentences wouldn't survive a Constitutional challenge? How the hell does he know and is that his job?

Parliament decides these things, not a unnamed lawyer.

On Gomery & Sorbara

It's time to resurrect this post.

For those who haven't heard, Greg Sorbara, Ontario's Liberal Finance Minister, is under criminal investigation for alleged securities fraud.

See The Ontarian Separatist for more detail.

I Can Be Goofy Too

To lighten up, I decided to add another JOKE to the blog. I did not write the following, it was lovingly sent to me in an email. (p.s. I added the blogger stuff)

Please don't be a bore and ruin it. Send it on to everyone you know including the person that sent it to you. Sometimes when you have a stressful day or week, you need some silliness to break up the day.

And if we are honest, we have a lot more stressful days than not. Here is your dose of humor...

A. Follow the instructions to find your new name.

B. Once you have your new name, put it in the subject box and forward it to friends and family and co-workers, other bloggers. Don't go all adult - a senior manager is now known far and wide as Dorky Gizzardsniffer.

The following in excerpted from a children's book, "Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants" by Dave Pilkey, in which the evil Professor forces everyone to assume new names...

1. Use the third letter of your first name to determine your new first name:

a = snickle
b = doombah
c = goober
d = cheesey
e = crusty
f = greasy
g = dumbo
h = farcus
i = dorky
j = doofus
k = funky
l = boobie
m = sleezy
n = sloopy
o = fluffy
p = stinky
q = slimy
r = dorfus
s = snooty
t = tootsie
u = dipsy
v = sneezy
w = liver
x = skippy
y = dinky
z = zippy

2. Use the second letter of your last name to determine the first half of your new last name:

a = dippin
b = feather
c = batty
d = burger
e = chicken
f = barffy
g = lizard
h = waffle
i = farkle
j = monkey
k = flippin
l = fricken
m = bubble
n = rhino
o = potty
p = hamster
q = buckle
r = gizzard
s = lickin
t = snickle
u = chuckle
v = pickle
w = hubble
x = dingle
y = gorilla
z = girdle

3. Use the third letter of your last name to determine the second half of your new last name:

a = butt
b = boob
c = face
d = nose
e = hump
f = breath
g = pants
h = shorts
i = lips
j = honker
k = head
l = tush
m = chunks
n = dunkin
o = brains
p = biscuits
q = toes
r = doodle
s = fanny
t = sniffer
u = sprinkles
v = frack
w = squirt
x = humperdinck
y = hiney
z = juice

Thus, for example, Paul Martin's new name is Dipsy Dippindoodle or David Dingwall is Sneezy Farckledunkin (yeah...their both dippin' and dunkin' into something...)
Now when you SEND THIS ON to another blogger...use your BLOG name as the subject.

And remember that children laugh an average of 146 times a day;
adults laugh an average of 4 times a day. Put more laughs in your day.

Habamus Rodentum = Doombah PottyNose

D.P.N

Leak on Gomery Report

Martin off the hook? I don't think so. There is something seriously wrong with our governments if Martin was able to have been kept from knowing what Chretien was up to in the treasury. This is Liberal Party corruption that he has to take accountability for, he's not off the hook yet.

My faith in the administration of justice and administrative law in Canada has steadily eroded since 1995 to the point of wanting to move the U.S. just to enjoy the perception of justice being served. My pride in this country has been replaced with contempt, especially for the justice system.

Now that the Martin camp managed to get a friend from the Commission to leak the information to the Toronto Star, I am more suspicious now of the Martin camp and distrust the findings of the Commission. I can't help but think someone's been bought.

When to Limit Union Control

Finally a government that’s upholding a law – B.C. Appoints Special Prosecutor in Strike

Excerpt:

"We apologize to the parents and the students for the inconveniences but we are doing this for improved learning conditions for our students," federation president Jinny Sims told CTV's Canada AM.

Yeah right lady. Removing a child’s or young person’s education is interfering with their future and is more than an “inconvenience”. When does personal greed and illegal actions justify improved learning conditions? The strikers are doing it for themselves. Since when were the interests of a non-union person’s future livelihood a concern for unions?

CBC reports on the strike and mentions two types of contempt: civil and criminal.

Since I'm sure most people, including myself, doesn't know what the difference is, I decided to post this definition of Contempt of Court from Barron's Canadian Law Dictionary.

Contempt of Court is an act or ommission tending to obstruct or interfere with the orderly administration of justice or to impair the dignity of the Court or respect for its authority. In Canada, two classifications of contempt exist. One is statutory [criminal] contempt, found in the Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, and in other federal statutes containing express references to certain forms of contempt - notably, obstructioning justice, disobeying a court order and the offences covered by the sections beginning, with s. 118 of the Code.

The other classification is civil contempt, which consists largely of disobeying a judgement or court order. It includes disobeying an injunction, refusing to testify when ordered to do so or failing to appear as a witness. This, in civil matters, contempt has a primarily coercive dimension, in that it obliges one party to submit to a court order issued for the benefit of another.

Criminal contempt, on the other hand, results from words, acts or writings that constitute an obstruction or discredit to the administration of justice. Examples are bribing a witness or a juror, attempting to influence a judge, falsely accusing a judge of bias, or disobeying a court order in a criminal case.

So what's obstruction of justice?

It's acting to "obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice"; it is a criminal offence. Among acts that constitute an obstruction of justice are dissuading a person by threats from giving evidence; influencing a person in his or her capacity as a juror; or, being a peson who may give evidence or act as a juror, accepting bribes or threats in connection with those duties. Criminal Code, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-46, s. 139.

Obstructing the course of justice has been interpreted broadly to include an attempt to interfere with the normal enforcement by police of the contravention of a municipal by-law. R v. Zeck (1980) 53 C.C.C (2d) 551 (Ont C.A.).

Also, an attempt to dissuade a person from reporting an incident to the police may constitute the offence. R. v. Whalen (1974), 17 C.C.C. (2d) 217 (Ont. Co. Ct.).

Canada Corruption Inc.

Transparency International ranks Canada 14th on the transparency and corruption scale - from the Globe & Mail. Notice that those countries that have a higher rating are generally smaller governments. It might not be as low as the United States, but what is our per capita ratio for example? The U.S. has alot more representatives and a better reporting system via their media. When it is reported in the U.S., it's DEALT WITH appropriately. It is NOT dealt with appropriately in Canada because our policitians are not that capable and ride the wave of bureaucratic corruption that doesn't inform our crime enforcement agencies. Either that or they are scared to launch criminal investigations against their "bosses".

Canada's problems is that the Attorneys General in the provinces and the Canadian Minister of Justice is attached to a political party. This job should be removed from politics so they administer justice appropriately. In some states in the U.S. their Attorneys General are elected from either political party, giving them a little more of an unbiased appearance.

If I had my way, I make it that NO Attorney General could be a registered member of a political party to remove any appearance of conflict of interest and bias that could interfere in the administration of justice.

That would be wishful thinking as our politicians are enjoying their privledged status knowing they will never be charged for their illegal activities.

4 Lobbyists Probed for Breaches of the Ethics Code - The Globe & Mail

A nine year old law an NOT ONE investigation until now. Yep, that's Canada Corruption Inc.