Comments for StraightGoods.ca

Comment on Elderly nickeled and dimed in BC facilities by A Socialist in Canada » King Coal of Wyoming tours Vancouver as new B.C. government presses forward on coal, tar sands pipelines and natural gas

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:24:30 +0000

[...] by the only independent MLA in the provincial legislature, the aforementioned Vicki Huntington. Writing about it, journalist Bill Tielemann [...]

Comment on Drones: re-inventing war by Obama’s Shock Doctrine strategy shrinks defense spending » StraightGoods.ca

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:46:44 +0000

[...] state of perpetual war, and to achieve that result at least partly by using drones. As I wrote in Drones: re-inventing war, drones are the key to changing international conflict from being hellishly bloody and expensive [...]

Comment on Calgary’s anti-mayor video implicates Preston Manning by Arby

Arby — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:13:53 +0000

"Developers certainly have a right to get involved in municipal elections by financially supporting candidates as long as they follow the rules" For the rules to work for everyone, they need to be changed. I have no use for electoral politics. They are good for elites, their allies and assorted courtiers (media, major and supposedly alternative). The only way elections can be fair is for them to be 100% publicly funded. And then you do need a genuine alternative media to do what major media won't do and keep a close watch on all the ways unprincipled special interests will influence the public and hence the vote. And all of that is a waste of time, from the people's standpoint, if you don't have a truly people's party in the game. With fascism upon us (genuine alternative media will see the need to use that term, needed to wake people up and not keep them asleep), only a party that is explicitly anti-fascist will do. We are out of time. But we aren't. Which is it?

Comment on Lessons from BC Election: fear beats hope by Observations of Recent BC Election Campaign | Taplay Communications

Observations of Recent BC Election Campaign | Taplay Communications — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 06:49:46 +0000

[...] to do this.The BC Liberal party ran an effective campaign based on its ability to run with a very focused message. They did not get distracted with other issues and did not allow the media or the opposition to [...]

Comment on Harper still hasn’t explained Afghan detainees by JanetHudgins

JanetHudgins — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 18:05:19 +0000

Thanks John. Glad to see this ressurected as despite committees etc in the House, even by well-meaning people, this has mysteriously disappeared from public notice. I've sent it around.

Comment on Canada holds out on landmark UN arms trade treaty by JanetHudgins

JanetHudgins — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:53:58 +0000

I would like to know the kinds of arms we ship out of Canada, by which companies to which countries and the kind of money it involves. Anybody know where to find this?

Comment on Greeks arrive to protest Canadian-owned mines by Harper seduced by the extractive industry » StraightGoods.ca

Harper seduced by the extractive industry » StraightGoods.ca — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:54:43 +0000

[...] the world, Canadian mine operators are embroiled in controversy. Last week, SGN covered a delegation from northern Greece touring Canada to draw attention to a huge expansion in their area by Eldorado Gold of [...]

Comment on Right-wing US billionaire brothers driving Keystone XL by Harper seduced by the extractive industry » StraightGoods.ca

Harper seduced by the extractive industry » StraightGoods.ca — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:22:50 +0000

[...] To our shame, Canada is fast becoming the poster child for the depraved indifference of the energy barons.The point of the tar sands scheme — over which its proponents are inveigling politicians with promises of pipeline jobs – is to ship raw Alberta bitumen to Texas for the benefit of the notorious US right-wing billionaire Koch brothers. [...]

Comment on Salvaging the Senate by Bill_Bell

Bill_Bell — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 18:35:09 +0000

I would summarise this by suggesting that the 'lower house' produces what we could charitably call garbage and the 'upper house' picks through their results to reduce the smell. Legally neat and clean the output might be but what do we need either of these institutions for?

Comment on BC Liberals’ win out of proportion by David Huntley

David Huntley — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 02:44:15 +0000

I agree.
But, if AV is instituted it would help get people accustomed to the idea of preferential voting. That would then make people more favourably inclined to preferential voting generally, whether it be for city councillors or members of legislatures and parliaments.