reed writes

Liberals have been having troubles ever since the so-called sponsorship scandal. It was indeed a scandal, but not the fault of the Party itself.

In fact Paul Martin convened an open public inquiry at the earliest opportunity. There was transparency, accountability and perpetrators were punished. However the party was tarnished and the stink of scandal clung.

But – let’s not ever forget the most important stat of all – the opposition still has 63% plus of the popular vote according to all the polls.

Plenty to form a coalition.

Now here’s what the Liberals ought to do in order to improve their own prospects and also the outlook for our country.

A message from the leader of The Liberal Party of Canada

Voice Over:  Here now is the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Michael

“My fellow Canadians.  I recognize that I have failed as Leader of the Official Opposition.

I blame no one for my lack of popularity, except myself.

Believe me…I love my country dearly. For many years my Father represented this nation as an international diplomat.

I learned a great deal from him…but not enough to provide effective leadership for this great country.

It’s clear to me that I cannot continue for much longer in my present role at the helm of the greatest political party in Canadian history.

Therefore I have made the following decision:

I am announcing today that I will continue as leader until the next election, which I believe is coming very soon.  Perhaps sooner than any of us know at this moment.

You have elected many highly capable and dedicated women and men to this Liberal caucus.

In your great wisdom you have denied any party a majority. Nevertheless, damage has been done. I recognize that and I recognize that to some extent, I am responsible.

On the day following the coming election, regardless of the outcome, I will – in consultation with the Party and the country – set a reasonable date for a leadership convention.

Together with our Caucus and general membership I will continue to lead, until an open and democratic Convention chooses a new leader. In this way, I intend to maintain continuity.

By making this announcement now – I am giving ample time for leadership candidates to prepare.

This has been a painful decision for me. It is however, my decision and mine alone.

I believe it is a decision that is in the best interests of my chosen political party – the party of Laurier, Pearson, Trudeau, Chretien, Martin and so many other great leaders.

The Liberal Party was hurt by the sponsorship scandals, by internal division and more recently by my own lack of appeal to Canadian voters.

My great hope is that my decision will put the Liberal Party back on track and help put Canada back on track.

Thanks to all who have supported me; I will continue to work for those millions of Canadians who believe in and want a nation that will serve them and preserve their ideals.

I will work with and support the next Liberal leader.

In the meantime I will work with this Parliament to serve the best interests of us all.

Thankyou.

Sometimes We Need To Reflect On Just Who We Are

We are quick to demonize Islam, calling it a male-centred, oppressive and aggressive religious belief. But in doing so, we forget not only our own history and past practices, we forget our own present-day sins.

The Christian Crusades constituted perhaps the bloodiest and most aggressive campaign against innocent people ever conducted by a religious civilization based – supposedly – on the teachings of Jesus. (more…)

Ehud Barak

According to Ehud Barak – Apartheid is standing in Israel’s doorway, and if it hasn’t already, it is about to take a seat at the table.

Ehud Barak, is Israel’s Defence Minister.

Is he too an anti Semite…?

Stephen Harper might Think so. You can read his remarks here.

Invasion and/or Assassination As An Official Policy Will Always Come Back To Bite You.

Ask America

Way back in 1961, the CIA Deputy Director of Plans, Richard Bissell laid plans for an invasion of Cuba in order to unseat Fidel Castro.

The invasion did not spark a popular uprising by the Cuban People and Bissell’s plan to organize the murder of the Cuban Leader failed as well.

The depths to which government officials can sink is illustrated by Bissell’s plan.

He recruited members of U.S. organized crime – specifically Sam Giancanana, among others to poison Fidel, in the hope that Castro’s death would enable the invasion to succeed.

The murder plot failed, but President John F. Kennedy had been “had”

JFK Trapped by the CIA

If Kennedy had cancelled the invasion, there was the real possibility that the CIA force of angry Cuban exiles might take over the government of Guatemala and so the invasion of Cuba went ahead. It failed dismally. It was denounced by Kennedy and forced the resignation of the Director of The CIA, Allen Dulles.

In the end, Castro’s forces captured hundreds of the CIA-sponsored invaders and eventually traded them for 50 million dollars worth of medical and other supplies.

All of this is contained in a recently-released top secret CIA report on the CIA fiasco.

Texas Congressman Dr. Ron Paul

The report contains damning evidence of an American shadow government, which operates in secret, following illegal policies with unlimited funds and – according to American politician Dr. Ron Paul – threatens American democracy. There is now a growing group of Americans who are calling for the dissolution of the CIA itself.

• When a government attempts to make policy by unlawful means, whether by invading another country or murdering political leaders, the door is opened to disaster.

We’ve seen it in Central America, in the Caribbean, in Iran, in Afghanistan, in Iraq and the new revelations about The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba shows us the roots of this failed approach to foreign policy. Congressman Paul believes that Israel is treading on dangerous ground.

More from Dr. Ron Paul, a U.S. Congressman from Texas in this video.

Thoughts on the Canadian Budget -

It’s interesting to me…and obviously to others as well…that one place to cut costs is the military budget, which has been bloated by the present government and the one before it. We spent hundreds of millions on tanks that were never used. (The enemy we are fighting is not intimidated b y tanks and/or fighter bombers).

Get real.

Harper is planning to spend billions on fighter bombers we do not need. Neither we nor the Americans have an enemy with an air-force.  If money is to be spent on the military…it should be spent to improve public relations and intelligence gathering.

We can cut the military budget drastically…by at least 20 billion dollars.

Further advice -

• Provincial transfers must be maintained, perhaps with some performance conditions attached.

• Correct the number one Conservative mistake and restore the 2% cut in the GST.

• Invest heavily in scientific and industrial R&D.

• Initiate a credible search for alternative means of energy production.

• Examine more creative and productive approaches to the rehabilitation of offenders and the operation of prisons in general.

• Focus on improving our educational system from bottom to top.

• Develop a national rail transportation system that improves on the one we have now; invest in railway technology and tir in more closely to U.S. rail road systems.

• Increase taxes on those individuals earning 250,000.00 or more, by 10%.

• Provide tax incentives for Canadian manufacturers employing up to 50 workers in rural areas. (The term “rural area” to be defined.)

• End the prohibition on marijuana and re-classify it and tax it as a legal drug in the same manner as alcohol and tobacco. For a rational argument on this issue, see Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. (Click Here).

• Have the Auditor general conduct a review of Crown Corporations and Crown-owned assets, with respect to their viability. Those that work well will be retained and those that do not, will be shut down or sold. The Auditor General’s Report on this matter would be discussed and debated in Parliament and acted upon by the House of Commons as a whole.

• Make a serious commitment to open government, accountability and transparency, thereby dramatically increasing Canadian confidence in the federal authority.

• Institute a freeze on all government salaries, including those of elected members and their staffs. This would also include the setting of a ceiling on the salaries of politicians and their staffs.

* For guidance on the above point, take a look at Elections Canada, which pays relatively low wages, for a relatively high return in terms of productivity.

*And finally, make a commitment to the exercise of common sense in government decision-making.

I have the feeling that a majority of my fellow citizens would agree.

Thanks