Lies Robert Fulford and the National Post tell us

 

 

 

I stumbled upon this drivel in the National Post titled, Robert Fulford: Lies the President told us, from some hack who apparently considers himself a journalist. In the piece posted by a NP editor, Fulford deceives his readers by claiming that

U.S  President Barack Obama lied during a recent press conference when discussing the ongoing turmoil in Iran. Fulford cites two sentences from the press conference and says “It is not too much to call two vital sentences in his recent press conference lies.” 

Lie one, according to Bob:  “The Iranian people have a universal right to assembly and free speech.” Then he spreads some bullshit about why it’s a lie, yada yada.

Here’s the reality, Bob. Barack Obama did NOT say that. If you are going to smear someone for something they said, at least get his or her words right, you drudge.

This is what Obama DID say

 

“The chancellor and I discussed the tragic situation in Iran,” Obama said at the opening of a joint news conference.

“Today we speak with one voice. The rights of the Iranian people to assemble, to speak freely, to have their voices heard -- those are universal aspirations.”

And if the Reuters report doesn’t suffice, here is a visual aid. The relevant part begins at the 2:30 mark.



Pretty shoddy reporting.  Are Bob and the National Post always this irresponsible?

The second sentence Fulford and the Post use to call Obama a liar.
- “

If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect those rights and heed the will of its own people.”

Since Fulford’s explanation for why that one is a lie is also based on his fabricated quote (“universal right”) attributed to Obama, I am not buying Bob’s “but we do business with China!!!” argument. Given the context of the entire quote, it is clear Obama is referencing the fallout from the recently held election and how the Iranian government has responded toward it’s citizens.  What is being called for, in my opinion, is for the regime to halt the violence against the people and take their concerns regarding  fraudulent returns seriously,  if they expect to be seen as legitimate.

The whole quote

 

The Chancellor and I discussed the tragic situation in Iran.  Today we speak with one voice:  the rights of the Iranian people -- to assemble, to speak freely, to have their voices heard -- those are universal aspirations.  And their bravery in the face of brutality is a testament to their enduring pursuit of justice.  The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous.  Despite the government's efforts to keep the world from bearing witness to that violence, we see it and we condemn it.  As I've said before, the Iranian people will be the ultimate judge of their government's actions.  But if the Iranian government desires the respect of the international community then it must respect the rights, and heed the will, of its people.

Poor form, Bob. Your assertion that these “two vital sentences” are lies, is absurd.

Read More»

“The Afghanistan mission is particularly taxing on army capabilities and the current operations tempo is not sustainable,”

     Brian Stewart has  written a story based on a leaked internal military report signed by the head of Canada's army, Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie. The report reveals a disturbing analysis of the current and future state of our military if action is not taken soon to correct the situation. My suggestion would be to vote the current Prime Minister out of office and put someone in charge who would actually “support the troops”, and not use the phrase as a political mantra, like Steve Harper does.

I’m not an expert on the issue, but I assume that Harper would be aware of the conditions our forces are working under, no? Or is he simply too preoccupied approving attack ads on Canadians who have lived overseas? Certainly, at a point in time when a leader of a country has men and women dying in war, a competent one would consult closely with the people directly involved on a continuous basis to determine whether or not the troops had whatever was needed to carry out the mission, right?

But as I said, I am not an expert and my assumptions must be wrong, because the report paints a grim picture of where our forces are. Run down equipment, exhaustion, personnel shortages, multiple tours, $5 billion needed for new armoured and transport vehicles, and on, and on.  Oh, and this mess is scheduled to carry on for another two and a half years. Is this what you mean when you say “support the troops”, Mr.Harper?

 

The restricted report, circulated several months ago only within the uppermost levels of the Defence Department, points out the current efficiencies in all branches of the military. Its most searing conclusion is that the army "is now operating beyond its capacity."

Outside military observers insist the army still downplays its problems. Even the term "hollow army" is not stark enough; it's now close to being a "broken army," suggests Doug Bland, a highly regarded military lecturer and historian from Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.

Read More»

U.S told Canada they could prosecute Abdelrazik – due to “lower threshold”

 

*update------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is why we need an inquiry.

The Globe has more on the newly released documents. It appears a foreign government first (believed to be the U.S) intervened back in July of 2004, in an effort to keep Abousfian Abdelrazik from re-entering Canada. The communications were between that government and a group of high-ranking Canadian security officials- who kept the then Liberal government in the dark.

“Put plainly, I was not informed by anyone of any request seeking Canada's agreement not to allow Abdelrazik to board aircraft bound for Canada,” said Irwin Cotler, who was justice minister in the Liberal government led by Paul Martin at the time.

The Globe has been met with the usual response by those involved with the case at the time. I understand it was five years ago and folks would want to be sure of their spin what they say, but let’s get to it, shall we? What happened to Mr.Abdelrazik is a disgrace.

end update*------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Globe & Mail ~ apparently, a secret document has been obtained by Professor Amir Attaran of the University of Ottawa. In it, it describes how the American right-wing government wanted the Canadian right-wing government’s help in locking up Abousfian Abdelrazik. Despicable! The document can be found here.

 

“The U.S. would like Canada's assistance in putting together a criminal case against Abdelrazik,” John Di Gangi, then the director of foreign intelligence at Canada's Foreign Affairs Department, writes in the note sent to top officials in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the RCMP and other security agencies, following a high-level diplomatic request from senior U.S. officials.

“If Canadian police or security agencies shared what they had, it might prove to be enough for the U.S. to proceed as the threshold for prosecution there [in the U.S.] was lower than here [in Canada].”

Read More»

Paul Begala destroys Meghan Mc Maverick

That's gonna leave a mark! Meghan tried to be a smartass while simultaneously interrupting Begala. She crashed faster than her father and his three planes. And get a load of the way she plays the part of the victim. sheesh.

Read More»

Lisa Raitt tops lobby list. Still NOT sexy!

No surprise she has been such a failure when it comes to the Chalk River crisis, Lisa Raitt is simply too busy being wooed by corporate lobbyists. She cannot worry about silly things like isotopes. 

The Ottawa Citizen reports that Raiit, leads all con cabinet ministers, with 102 meetings with registered lobbyists since becoming minister of natural resources. Some of Lisa’s favourites are  energy companies EnCana, Suncor, TransCanada, Imperial Oil and Shell Canada.

But

according to Raiit’s spokesman, johnny-on-the-spot  Steve Outhouse, that just shows Lisa is working hard. Well, working hard does not necessarily equal being productive.

Overall, in the 11 months covered by registry records, steve harper’s cabinet has been contacted by lobbyists close to 1000 times. Contacts with harper himself are reported to be at 29. Those include propaganda outlet, the Canada-Israel Committee, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, and the Royal Bank.

The  Citizen also states that there have been many more contacts among lobbyists and other government officials.

 

Over the first 11 months covered by registry records, lobbyists reported making contact with members of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet more than 950 times.

As part of the Tories' changes to ethics laws, lobbyists are required to report all contact with public office holders -- cabinet ministers, ministerial staff and senior government officials.

The records of these meetings or phone calls are listed in a public registry, now containing more than 6,500 contacts between lobbyists and government officials.

Canada.com has more names and numbers.

 

• Jim Prentice (environment) 85
• Tony Clement (industry) 81
• John Baird (transportation) 63
• Jim Flaherty (finance) 59
• Stockwell Day (international trade) 58
• Gary Goodyear (science and technology — junior) 45
• Gerry Ritz (agriculture) 43
• Rob Merrifield (transportation — junior) 42
• James Moore (Canadian heritage) 32
• Stephen Harper (prime minister) 27
• Leona Aglukkaq (health) 28
• Peter Van Loan (public safety) 18
• Peter MacKay (defence) 13

Read More»

wingnut goes too far, gets arrested

Via Daily Kos. Fresh off the heels of a senseless murder by a right wing extremist, another right winger snaps. Radio and blog host Hal Turner has been arrested for inciting Connecticut Catholics to "take up arms" and singling out two Connecticut lawmakers and a state ethics official. Hal’s money quote~

"It is our intent to foment direct action against these individuals personally," the blog stated. "These beastly government officials should be made an example of as a warning to others in government: Obey the Constitution or die."

He didn’t stop there. 

And, the post continued, "If any state attorney, police department or court thinks they're going to get uppity with us about this; I suspect we have enough bullets to put them down too."

There are several links in the comments exposing Turner for the racist that he is. Oh, and he is linked to ultimate douchbag, sean hannity.

Read More»

Jordanian woman alleges beating by "the Special Police" at Pearson

Interesting story. A woman on her way to an environmental conference in Montreal decided to make a stop in Toronto first.  Lubna Salah, a 39-year-old environmental engineer and president of her own small company, arrived in T.O two weeks before her speaking engagement. With her were six Jordanian men who Salaha claimed worked  for her.

Two days before landing, an “anonymous”  tipster told immigration authorities that she was a people-smuggler, which as I have learned, differs from human-trafficking.

According to the woman’s lawyer, Ms.Salah said she was immediately pulled aside and brought into a room for questioning. Salah  also told immigration attorney Guidy Mamann, she was fine while being questioned by a  Canada Border Services Agency employee, but when an Arabic-speaking interrogator arrived, the situation turned violent. Salah alleges that when she refused to confess, the interrogator, who told her he was with the   “Special Police” , threw her against a wall and kneed her between the legs.  Her attorney believes the man was 

an agent of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

"The photographs reveal dark purple welts on her arms that are consistent with someone grabbing her by both arms violently," Mamann said. "She also has bruising inside of her thigh and outside of the other thigh."

 

"Let me put it this way. They beat it out of her. That's what happened," he said.

So there appears to be some photographic evidence of some injuries. But Crown prosecutor Linda Teffler warns,  “Whatever the allegations are that Miss Salah is making they are simply allegations — unproven, untested and nothing more than allegations.”

Okay, that is a fair point. Here is another. Based on this past week’s revelation pointing to what amounts to a less than honest spy agency, I think Canadians should view anything the C.S.I.S has to say with a healthy dose of skepticism.  A CSIS spokesperson told CBC News that the intelligence service is aware of the allegation and co-operating fully with the investigation. 

I’m sure it’ll be fine. The RCMP co-operates fully all the time.

Read More»