Most Albertans are not Rednecks

A great many myths arise from partisan politics, and one most recent is the attribution of 'redneck' to describe people from Alberta.

One satirist wrote recently: Alberta, also known as Saskatchewan's Iraq, is one of the largest oil and gas producing states in Jesus Land. God often conveniently places America's oil into friendly territory to give the US military a break from fighting for big oil in places like Iraq. Alberta is also the Canadian Red Neck Holy Land.

Alberta today is very much like Texas, except that it snows for a goodly portion of the year.... Alberta has secret plans to secede from Canada and form its own country, Redneckistan.

The Canadian Redneck Holy Land? How did this happen?

Perhaps it was with another partisan myth; 'Western Alienation', and the emergence of the Reform Party. This became one of their campaign slogans and helped to create the 'us' vs 'them' mentality that now defines Canadian politics. How sad.

Ironically, the Reform Party's priorities, were decentralizing and reducing the size, scope and cost of government. They were also the party of common sense and you couldn't help but like Preston Manning. He was a father figure, who may have embarrassed you in front of your friends, but who you wanted in your corner when you learned those friends did not have your best interests at heart.

The first Reform Party MP, Deborah Grey, was an amazing woman, who got into politics for all the right reasons. She was honest and trustworthy with an incredible work ethic. How would she have handled herself under Harper? She would never be like Rhona Ambrose, and allow herself to be silenced; unlike Helena Guergis, she was bright and quick-witted, and not at all spiteful like Cheryl Gallant. Grey got out before the party became so brutal, though they could sure use her today to get them back on track.

So what in the hell happened? How did this party attract the lunatic fringe and morph into a party of corruption, huge government, excessive spending and sanctimonious pre-judgement of 2/3 of the Canadian population?

I suppose in some ways, their early initiatives of cuts to social welfare, cultural support programs like bilingualism and multiculturalism, and opposition to Québec's demands for special status, made them a breeding ground for bigots, who now felt validated.

Their Evangelical base caused them to be feared by those of us who equated that with the anti-Christian Religious Right movement, and not just simply honest, clean living. In fact, the original Evangelical movement supported social programs. Evangelist Tommy Douglas gave us Medicare, and Evangelist Lester Pearson, the Peacekeepers.

They followed the prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, who stood for peace, love and helping your fellow man. This new so-called Religious Right movement is about guns, war and intolerance. It's about white supremacy and the annihilation of the Muslims. They follow doomsdayers like John Hagee and Charles McVety. It's no wonder we don't trust them.

However, as we shy away from this Party, we mistakenly believe that they represent all Albertans, and that is simply not the case. Yes, Alberta has always been a Conservative province, but much of that was based on centrist Conservative values. Things like fiscal responsibility and integrity in politics were what mattered. But that is not who the Conservative Party of Canada are today.

Now Alberta is on the verge of becoming known across Canada as the redneck province, so maybe it's time they chose a leader from outside the province, before they completely lose their integrity. According to the Globe and Mail:

Alberta leader fatigue is the federal Tories' next big test
Lawrence Martin
April 16, 2009

Over lunch the other day, a senior Conservative strategist from Calgary mentioned how his party was suffering from Alberta leader fatigue. There's no way, he said, the next Conservative leader can come from that province.

For two decades, he added, Alberta has had the run of the party. The Alberta-born Reform Party started driving the agenda in the late 1980s. Preston Manning was the leader of conservatives in the House of Commons after the 1993 election that saw the Tories reduced to two seats ....

Are the Conservatives Hiring all of George Bush's Flunkies?

When I first learned that Stephen Harper had hired Ari Fleischer (we are paying his salary), I was stunned. Fleischer was the man who tried to sell the Iraq War to the American public and helped steal the 2000 election for George W. Bush. What did the Conservatives want with him? I can only imagine.

But if that move made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, another more ominous hiring will be sure to put me on Prozac, and keep me there for the rest of my natural life.

I'm referring to Jason Kenney's new aid, Alykhan Velshi. Though born and raised in Toronto, Velshi is not a 'real' Canadian by Conservative standards, because he has spent most of his working career in the U.S.

This former member of the Bush Administration, first peaked my interest when I learned that he was outside the Ruby Dhalla hearing, handing out 'secret evidence' to the media. Then I Googled him and frankly wish I hadn't.

It's all starting to add up though. After reading some of Jason Kenney's interviews and listening to his taped responses to immigration policies, I've come to the conclusion that he simply is not very bright, and it takes a certain amount of intellect to be really evil.

He is merely a puppet, with men like John Hagee, Charles McVety and Alykhan Velshi , pulling the strings. It's no wonder Kenney is downright giddy these days. These men are making him look smart and ruthless, instead of just stupid and mean. How else could we explain the actions of a man who looks like Fred Flinstone, talks like Barney Rubble and thinks like Dino the Dinosaur? He's being coached.

According to his bio, Alykhan Velshi; the new Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs for Jason Kenney, was a foreign policy analyst at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and manager of research at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, where he co-founded the Center for Law and Counterterrorism with Andrew C. McCarthy.

Sounds impressive, right? Well let's break it down.

The American Enterprise Institute is a neo-conservative think tank that was one of the leading architects of the second Bush administration's public policy. More than twenty AEI alumni and visiting scholars and fellows served either in a Bush administration policy post or on one of the government's many panels and commissions. Mr. Velshi's colleagues at AEI include, Paul Wolfowitz, one of the engineers of the Iraq War; and Lynne Cheney, wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Enough said.

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies is another neoconservative think tank that claims to conduct "research and education on international terrorism. From Source Watch:

In early 2001, a tightly knit group of billionaire philanthropists conceived of a plan to win American sympathy for Israel's response to the Palestinian intifada. They believed that the Palestinian cause was finding too much support within crucial segments of the American public, particularly within the media and on college campuses, so they set up an organization, Emet: An Educational Initiative, Inc., to offer Israel the kind of PR that the Israeli government seemed unable to provide itself.

At first, Emet floundered, without an executive director or a well-defined mission. But that changed after Sept. 11, and Emet changed too, into what is now the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. The name is different, but the goal of influencing America's opinion-forming classes remains.

What makes all of this possible is the support the foundation receives from its billionaire backers. Its nearly $3 million annual budget comes from 27 major donors, most of whom are members of "the Study Group"--also sometimes called the "Mega Group" because of their sizable contributions--a semi-formal organization of major Jewish philanthropists who meet twice a year to discuss joint projects.

Center For Law and Counterterrorism with Andrew C. McCarthy - This group is currently under investigation, but Andrew McCarthy makes Rush Limbaugh seem like a moderate. They

They found an eager mouthpiece with this Conservative MP.

At a rally in Calgary on April 3, 2003:

Calgary Southeast MP Jason Kenney echoed his Canadian Alliance party's view that Canada should do more to support its Anglosphere allies."In the last couple of weeks, for the first time I was not proud to be a Canadian... not proud of what Jean Chretien did to undo 130 years of Canadian history," he said. "Jean Chretien, has no right to undermine the history, the tradition of our country. We have to let our allies know that even though Ottawa doesn't support them, we as citizens do."

I think it's Kenney who forgot that Canada stayed out of the Vietnam War and welcomed draft dodgers. So much for tradition.

An interesting choice of term though for a multiculturalsim minister to use: 'Anglosphere'. I looked it up and according to the dictionary: The word Anglosphere refers to the totality of anglophone (English-speaking)... Was this another little stab at Chretien and French-Canadians?

I mentioned in another post that Jason seems to be emulating Conrad Black, by throwing in big words, often out of context. Black can pull it off but Kenney can't. It's like hearing Daffy Duck try to explain the theory of relativity. It just makes me laugh.

Kenney's buddy Velshi also loves the convicted criminal Conrad Black. He once stated: - "The trial by attrition of Conrad Black has exposed the dark underbelly of the legal system, where the government can ruin a man, take his property, his means of livelihood and make him a social pariah -- all without the hassle of securing a conviction. An iconoclastic mentality has emerged in the legal system that is focused less on securing justice than on bringing down the high and mighty while pandering to the politics of envy."- Alykhan Velshi, New English Review

Kenney sure keeps some good company and taxpayers are footing the bill.

More Postings on Stephen Harper and George Bush:

1. Why Did Taxpayers Fund a Bush/Harper Reunion?

2. Roots of Reform: Tristan Emmanuel and Canadians For George Bush

New Evidence Links Jason Kenney to Nanny-gate.

Since the character assassination of Liberal MP Dr. Rhuby Dhalla began, it became evident that Jason Kenney, her opponent in the House, and Parm Gill, her opponent in Bramptom; played an integral role.

But was it a complete set-up or just an opportunistic move to link the story to Ms Dhalla, despite the fact that she did not hire the women in question herself, as revealed in the evidence provided by her lawyer? It's looking more and more like a set-up, and the drama has claimed new victims. The former housekeepers who may be selling their souls for immigrant status.

This is unfortunate. I only hope Jason Kenney sticks to his promise and allows them to stay, though he won't be able to circumvent the law if they were working illegally.

I'm not suggesting that these women were not overworked, but it appears that it was at the hands of Rhuby's family, and not herself. I do believe, however, that there may be some exaggeration at the hands of the members of the Conservative Party, who really need to take attention away from the John Baird influence peddling case, and Brian Mulroney's Airbus inquiry.

New Evidence in Jason Kenney's Conspiracy.

1. The documentation the Toronto Star released shows an application (not for a nanny but for a housekeeper/caregiver), approval, passport passed along for immigration purposes, and payments - all documented, but no mention of Ruby Dhalla's name. Her brother and mother appear to have handled the paperwork and the payments.

2. The timing coincides with the tabling of the standing committee on immigration report and with efforts of Jason Kenney and Parm Gill, who had been working together on the Punjabi community just in the past month or so.

3. Despite the fact that Dr. Dhalla has been tried and convicted by the media, there has been no formal complaint made to the Ontario Labour Board by the 'nannies'.

4. From BCer in Toronto: Kenney, you'll recall, insists he knew nothing about the nanny's allegations about Dhalla in advance, and insists he has no desire to politicize this affair. That hasn't stopped Kenney ....... from trying to do just that.

Take this report this morning from Toronto Star reporter Susan Delacourt:

At the immigration committee this morning, I was a bit surprised to see the Immigration Minister's assistant, Alykhan Velshi (Jason Kenney's Aide), handing out some documents to reporters. It was three pages, stapled together -- excerpts from this material, available on The Star's website. The title: "Was Ruby Dhalla involved in the hiring of the caregivers?"

What surprised me most was the active participation of the minister's office in a committee hearing. Perhaps I'm naive, but I believed Mr. Kenney when he said he wasn't allowed to get personally involved in any immigration case. That sure looked like personal involvement to me.

Why was Velshi even at this hearing? Kenney wasn't testifying. Does he just randomly hang-out at committee meetings, passing out material to reporters regarding matters his boss supposedly doesn't want to politicize? Was he there at Kenney's behest, or was he freelancing?

5. From Aaron Wherry a MacLeans blogger: In the audience sat half a dozen reporters, a smattering of spectators and one aide to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

The aide from Kenney’s office had been handing around a bit of amateur handwriting analysis based on various documents related to the case. Dykstra asked Dhalla if the handwriting was hers. She said no.

Who prepared this amateur handwriting analysis? Parm Gill or one of his cohorts? Also why were they distributing this so-called evidence to the media and not the committee? I think I know.

6. From Impolitical - Jason has answered questions about his prior knowledge very carefully), Velshi was johnny on the spot with stacks of on-topic material to feed a hungry press corps:

In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he couldn't comment on specific allegations nor would he deign to "politicize the complaints process."But his assistant, Alykhan Velshi, later circulated to reporters a press release from the Independent Workers Association that called on Ontario's attorney general to investigate Dhalla.

Veslhi has called this a Liberal cover-up, but it looks more like a Conservative cover-up of a well orchestrated smear campaign.

Bush and Harper Appoint Climate Change Deniers to Science Boards

When George Bush wanted to make sure sure that the oil and gas industry would be allowed to continue their operations unchecked, he established the National Energy Policy Task Force, headed up by his VP, Dick Cheney.

This task force completely ignored reports that carbon emissions were accelerating Global Warming, and instead hired people directly from the oil and gas sector to write environmental policy.

The first six months of the Bush administration were a giddy time for the fossil fuels and nuclear industries. After eight years of treading lightly around Bill Clinton's centrist energy policies, the "Old Fuels Club" was warmly welcomed back into the White House. Not only were their opinions sought, but these companies were even asked to help write the largest review of energy policy since Jimmy Carter preached conservation in a cardigan.

By the time the Bush-Cheney energy policy was announced, in June 2001, the oil, gas, coal, and nuclear industries were slated to be awarded $28 billion in tax breaks and the keys to some of our country's most precious natural assets. Indeed, the debate over energy—how it's supplied, how it's financed, and how it's consumed—has been one of the defining issues of George W. Bush's presidency. The Bush energy plan was developed in closed-door sessions by Vice President Cheney and his National Energy Policy Task Force. (1)

Every agency tied to the environment was stacked with industry hacks. And seeing as how it worked so well for the Bush Administration, Stephen Harper followed suit, appointing climate change deniers to science boards:

Already alarmed over funding cuts to basic research, scientists say two appointments in particular are worrisome. Mark Mullins, the executive director of the conservative-leaning Fraser Institute — and a former adviser to the Canadian Alliance Party — was recently appointed to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), which funds university research projects that have included studies on climate change.

Dr. Mullins is an economist and critic of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations-sanctioned scientific body that has authored warnings of floods, famine and extinctions that triggered political efforts around the world to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. More than 200 Canadian scientists have contributed to the IPCC's work and most of them are employed by the federal government. The 18-member NSERC already includes another Harper government appointee, mathematician Christopher Essex, who wrote a book challenging the "myth of climate change."

On the same day Dr. Mullins was appointed to NSERC, April 23, another skeptic of global warming was appointed to the board of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which funds large research projects. John Weissenberger is a close friend of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, a former chief of staff in the Harper government and a geologist who works for Husky Energy in Alberta. Dr. Weissenberger has written opinion pieces in the media and on his Internet blog expressing his "skepticism about global warming." That and other comments by the two appointees on the public record were compiled by NDP researchers and verified by The Globe and Mail. (2)

And like the Bush Administration, the Harper government has awarded enormous grants and tax breaks to the oil and gas sector, while failing to address the threat of global warming altogether.

Sources:

1. The Book on Bush: How George W. (mis) Leads America, By Eric Alterman and Mark Green, Penguin Books, 2004, ISBN: 0-670-03273-5, Pg. 16.

2. Global warming critics appointed to science boards Harper government's actions are 'dreadful' and undercut public pledges to tackle climate change, leading glaciologist says, By Bill Curry, Globe and Mail, May 11, 2009

The Conservatives Have Poor Relationship with Indo-Canadians

As news broke this week about Brian Mulroney's silencing of the Air India Bombing inquiry, it's a reminder of just how combative the Conservative Government has been toward Indo-Canadians.

Yes I know that Jason Kenney is currently exploiting the Sikh community, travelling across the country and globe with his new 'Mini-Me' Parm Gill, but overall their record has been abysmal.

Unfortunately Kenney's endorsement of Gill has meant an unprecedented attack on Gill's opponent, Rhuby Dhalla; which could very well drive a wedge in the Sikh community of Brampton. What does Kenney care? He just really wants a Private Investigator in his camp for the impending Conservative leadership race, if Stephen Harper loses the next election. Stockwell Day had to hire his own, when he paid an American Private Investigator (James Leigh) $ 6500.00 to spy on Jean Chretien.

Mulroney's office withheld Air India report
By Kim Bolan
Vancouver Sun
May 8, 2009

The office of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney withheld a report on the Air India bombing from an Indian judicial inquiry because it was worried Canada would look bad if the information was released, according to formerly secret documents released Friday.

The Canadian Aviation Safety Board report, prepared for India’s Kirpal Commission, concluded in the fall of 1985 that a terrorist bomb out of Vancouver brought down Air India Flight 182 months earlier, killing all 329 aboard.

But at a meeting chaired by Mulroney’s senior advisor Fred Doucet in January, 1986, the PMO concluded the CASB should not have prepared the report and that its conclusions were premature, flawed and damning to Canadian interests.

Memos about two PMO meetings in the months after the bombing are among dozens of previously classified documents released publicly Friday by Air India inquiry staff.

The public portion of the inquiry, headed by retired Justice John Major, ended in February 2008, but the production of evidence has continued for over a year behind closed doors. The final report is expected to be released next fall.

The government’s refusal to provide certain information to the Kirpal commission is “evidence of a cover-up,” lawyer Jacques Shore, who represents the Air India Victims Families Association, said Friday.

“These are among the incredibly shocking revelations that have come to light since we completed our hearings,” Shore said. At the time of the Kirpal Commission, victims’ families were fighting for compensation from the Canadian government for their lost loved ones.

Shore filed new submissions in response to the government revelations saying it is obvious “Canada intended to suppress the CASB report, believing its conclusions could be damaging to the case the government was trying to build with respect to the bombing, in addition to being potentially damaging to its reputation.”

Mulroney’s staff and the “cabinet ministers concerned” did agree that the report’s author would be able to testify at the Kirpal inquiry even though his report would not be provided..

But they did not want Canada to give any information to Justice Kirpal that might link the Air India crash with the same day bombing at Tokyo’s Narita Airport that killed two baggage handlers.

In August of 2008, the Indo-Canadain community of Vancouver were incensed over a weak apology that Harper gave relating to an incident that occurred when Conservative PM Borden was in charge.

Canadian PM apologises for Komagata Maru, Indo-Canadians reject it

The Indo-Canadian community has refused to accept an apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the 1914 Komagata Maru ship incident in which hundreds of Indian passengers were not allowed to enter Canada. The Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship hired by Malaysia-based wealthy Sikh Gurdit Singh to bring 376 Indians from Hong Kong to Canada in 1914 to challenge its racist laws.

The Indians were not allowed to disembark in Vancouver and forcibly sent back to India where many were shot on arrival in Calcutta, as it was then called.

Tendering the apology at the annual Mela Gadari Babian Da at the Bear Creek Park in Surrey city near here Sunday, Harper said Canada was sorry for the mistreatment of the passengers in 1914 and apologises for it.

Since the government had promised to apologise only in the nation’s parliament, mela organisers immediately rejected it.

“We wanted the House of Commons to apologise, not the PM at this rally. We reject this apology,” shouted Mela organiser Sahib Singh Thind even as security personnel whisked the prime minister away.

Thind said: “The government has betrayed us, as only yesterday it had promised us that the PM will announce only a date here for the apology in parliament later.

“Today, they have treated us like they did the Komagata passengers in 1914. It was the same racist Conservative government then as now. Racism is alive in Canada.” He said the Indo-Canadian community would chalk out its plan to fight for an apology in the nation’s parliament.

However, Jason Kenney, secretary for multiculturalism and Canadian identity, ruled this out, saying: “The apology has been given and it won’t be repeated.”

An indignant Indo-Canadian MLA Jagrup Brar, who was instrumental in getting the provincial British Columbia assembly to apologise for the Komagata Maru just last month, asked: “If our provincial assembly can apologise, why can’t the nation’s parliament?

“It was the House of Commons which had passed a unanimous resolution proposing an apology. The apology should have been entered into the House records. I wonder who is advising this PM.”

But Deepak Obhrai, Canadian parliamentary secretary (minister of state) for foreign affairs, justified the apology, saying: “It does not matter where the apology is tendered. Some people are bound to make noises. The government has acknowledged that Indo-Canadians were discriminated against in the past.”

Did Jason Kenney Pass Geography 101?

For most of the first three years that Stephen Harper has tried to play the role of Prime Minister, he has kept his MPs bound and gagged; so the only thing we heard from them were staged questions and answers in the House of Commons, and the reading of press releases straight from the PMO.

However, after the parliamentary crisis, when Jack Layton used Stephen Harper's idea of a coalition to stage one of his own, Harper's position within his party became precarious at best. His leadership proved not to be so strong after all, and while they may give him one more kick at the can, if he loses the next election, or once again fails to get a majority; he will be replaced. There's no doubt about it.

Enter Jason Kenney. He wants the leadership so bad he'll do anything to get it. However, unlike Stephen Harper, Kenney will do what Charles McVety wants and the way he has been systematically setting up his office to align himself with the Christians United For Israel doomsday movement is alarming.

When he first started to twit and blather to the press, I thought OK. Now I know why Stephen Harper doesn't let them speak. This silly little man and his 'mini-me' sidekick Parm Gill, represent the exact opposite of any Canadian values I know to be true.

However, after unearthing all the radical groups and organizations that Jason Kenney fronts, and then listening to the man; I realized that while he may be dangerous, someone else is definitely pulling the strings, because frankly, Jason Kenney is not that bright.

Is it sexual repression? At 40, he admits to still being a virgin, claiming to be saving himself for marriage. There's one savings plan that will bear little interest.

Is it his lack of education? Holding only a high school diploma, he's been pushed into a role where he is clearly over his head.

However, as immigration minister he should at least have some basic geography, right? And yet, soon after his trip to India, where he campaigned for and with Parm Gill, who will co-incidentally be running against Rhuby Dhalla, he had this to say.

Canada plans to admit more foreign students

"We are not receiving enough foreign students," Kenney said at a scrum during the conference. "They have a huge advantage because of the Canadian Experience Class. Canada is looking to Asia as well as India for potential students. Universities are happy to get them, he said, because foreign students are "a source of revenue" since they pay the highest tuition fees.

Most elementary school students know that INDIA IS IN ASIA, so why doesn't a man in his position? At such a critical time in our history, Canadians deserve the best that this country has to offer. Uneducated theologs just aren't making the grade. Maybe instead of taking his new protege on a photo-op to India, he should first learn where India is.

And he wants to be Prime Minster! That's almost as ridiculous as making someone like Sarah Palin Vice-President of the U.S.

Jason Kenney and the Private Investigator

When Jason Kenney visited India in January, he took along his latest protege, Pram Gill, the man who launched an aggressive campaign against Liberal MP and Multiculturalism critic, Rhuby Dhalla.

As a self described 40 year old virgin, I'm not suggesting that Jason's Kenney's choice of companion was of a clandestine nature, just a little odd. But then again, maybe not.

Don Martin described their visit in his column.

"While Kenney's aiming to remake immigration into a more selective process, recruiting only the fittest for an economy that will bounce back into a skilled labour shortage, the politics of every action are never far from his sight.

For example, a Brampton riding hopeful named Parm Gill (described in local media as an 'upcoming leader' of the Conservatives) tagged along on Kenney's recent trip to India and was bragging to reporters that the government would move to reduce the immigration rejection rate for Punjabi youth to 20 per cent from 55 per cent now.

That smells more like a play for political gains back home than economic recruitment and, in a candid moment, Jason Kenney would probably agree."(emphasis added)

Ruby Dhalla barely defeated Gill in Brampton-Springdale in the last election, by less than a thousand votes. Judging by the above, they're certainly attempting to ensure that they pick up that seat next time for Gill, courtesy of Kenney's immigration machinations. Note that the policy mentioned above might also move votes in a neighbouring GTA riding, that of Andrew Kania who had just a 231 vote margin over the Conservative in Brampton West.

A little early campaigning for Parm Gill who's determined to knock Ms Dhalla out of the water. His most recent twitter entry states: "Heading to roundtable with Sikh community folks in Brampton, with indefatigable candidate of record Parm Gill."

We know that Mr. Gill would appeal to the Conservative dog team. Aggressive and not afraid to get his hands dirty. He's a natural.

However, Parm Gill brings something else to the table. From his campaign literature when he was running in Ontario, York West, in 2004:

Born in India, Parm Gill was raised and educated in Toronto from the age of 14, when he immigrated with his family to Canada. An OSSD Graduate, with a Diploma in Private Investigation, Parm currently works as a senior vice-president of Paramount Manufacturing. (A company that will deliver mattresses to your door.)

A private investigator? So how hard would it be for him to dig up dirt on Rhuby Dhalla? I mean if the two girls were upset after being fired, why wait a year to file a complaint and why arrive together, when they never worked together?

There's a lot more going on here. This has created a media frenzy and was even being debated in the Ontario Legislature, where Jim Flaherty's wife is hoping to be the next leader of the provincial Conservative party.

But what does this have to do with Jason Kenney? According to the Canadian Press: "Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who hails from Calgary, may also be wooed by provincial Tories (Jim Flaherty's wife) anxious to gain access to his contacts in ethnic communities in the Toronto area. He was invited to speak at the provincial party's convention last month, where he joked about having been made an "honorary" Ontarian."

Oh what a tangled web we weave...

Pope Benedict Disagrees with Jason Kenney

With the demands for a two state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict heating up, Jason Kenney's initiatives, and those of his fellow Conservatives, are being left in the dust.

Kenney, who under the direction of the Christians United for Israel (CUFI), has been setting the stage for John Hagee's biblical solution, or as he puts it "God's Foreign Policy", is being outnumbered; as those with level heads and sound judgement, look for peace, not nuclear war.

Pope Benedict has joined with U.S. President Barack Obama's and Vice-President Joe Biden, this week, in calling for a two-state solution, not a 'final solution'; to establishing peace in Middle East.

Jason Kenney received a cloistered faith based education at a Catholic boarding school, so hopefully he'll start listening to the Pope. I Mean, he's the POPE!

Pope's Middle East trip his most delicate yet

Wed May 6, 2009

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Friday ventures into the political, cultural and religious minefield of the Middle East, starting a trip to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories that may prove his most difficult yet.

Benedict's own past controversial comments on relations with Jews and Muslims, which some members of both faiths have perceived as insulting, will weigh on him as he starts a trip which some Church observers see as a chance to mend fences.

On Wednesday he told the people of the region he wanted to share "your aspirations and hopes as well as your pains and struggles. I will be coming to you as a pilgrim of peace". Ever present in the background of the trip will be the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Both the political and the Church situation in the Middle East are anything but easy," said Cardinal Walter Kasper, a German -- like the pope -- whose office includes the Vatican department on relations with Jews.

"A balance will have to be found between the Pope's encounter with Israel and the Jews on the one hand, and with the Christians, who for the most part live in the Palestinian territories, on the other. A difficult task - but all the more necessary for that," he told a German Catholic news agency.

The May 8-15 trip mirrors the historic journey made in 2000 by the late Pope John Paul, who managed to achieve the personal feat of being equally admired by Jews and Muslims.

It starts in Jordan, where Benedict will be greeted by King Abdullah, who has been active in Middle East peace efforts and has stressed that Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders must play a leading role in achieving a settlement.

SECOND MOSQUE VISIT
All ears will be on what the pope says when he visits an Amman mosque and addresses Muslim religious leaders, the diplomatic corps and Jordanian academic leaders.

It will be only his second visit to a mosque -- the first was in Turkey in 2006 -- and will give him another chance to put matters straight with Islam. Catholic-Muslim relations nosedived after Benedict delivered a 2006 lecture in Germany that was taken by Muslims to imply Islam was violent and irrational.

After more than three days in Jordan, the real papal tightrope walk begins when Benedict moves on to Israel and the Palestinian territories.

"We affirm the state of Israel and maintain diplomatic relations with it, and our relationship with the Jews has improved enormously. On the other hand we must do justice to the Palestinian Christians, who do not have an easy life," said Cardinal Kasper, who will accompany the pope on the trip.

"The Holy See is in favour of a two-state solution but that does not seem so important to the Israeli government at the moment. The diplomatic high-wire act will therefore be not to accept any false compromises," Kasper said.

Since being sworn in as head of Israel's new, right-leaning government on March 31, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not specifically discussed establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a U.S. and Arab priority.

Anything the pope says on the subject will echo around the region, particularly when he visits a Palestinian refugee camp within sight of the barrier Israel has built near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

The Vatican established full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1994, something that Jews around the world pushed hard for, saying it would help show that Israel was here to stay.

ISRAELIS OPTIMISTIC
Israeli officials say the trip could be helpful in the broader Middle East context. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in Rome this week that Jewish-Christian dialogue could serve as an example for dialogue between Judaism and Islam, "so we accord infinite importance to the pope's visit".

In the 45 years since the Second Vatican Council repudiated the concept of collective Jewish guilt for Christ's death, Catholic-Jewish relations have lurched up and down, haunted by the Holocaust and the questions of what the Church did -- or failed to do -- in one of the darkest periods of human history.

They went through one of their worst periods several months ago when the pope lifted the excommunication of four traditionalist bishops, including one who denied the Holocaust.
The Vatican says it did not know enough about the bishop's past and both sides now hope the issue can be definitively closed with the pope visits Jerusalem's Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust on Monday.

The status of Jerusalem, which Israel unilaterally declared its capital in 1980, remains sticky, both for Vatican-Israel relations and in the broader context of Middle East peace.

The Vatican wants an internationally guaranteed special statute safeguarding its identity and sacred character for the three great monotheistic religions. Palestinians see East Jerusalem as a future capital of their state.

Thankfully Joe Biden Does Not Agree with Jason Kenney

Despite the fact that men like John Hagee in the U.S. and Charles McVety and Jason Kenney in Canada, have been actively campaigning against a peaceful solution in Gaza, we finally have level heads and sound judgement, determining the direction that this conflict should go.

A two state, democratic solution is the only one that should be acceptable. Too many people have died and too many lives destroyed, to want to prolong the carnage.

Even the Pope is calling for peace.


Biden urges Israel to accept two states

WASHINGTON — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Israel's new right-leaning government to stop building settlements in the West Bank and accept negotiations for a Palestinian state.

Biden also asked Arab states to start moving toward ending Israel's isolation as President Barack Obama and his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres met for talks here.

It was the first summit between the close allies since Benjamin Netanyahu was elected Israel's premier, and Obama took over in January as U.S. president.

"Israel's security is non-negotiable. Period," Biden told some 6,500 delegates to the annual conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, which calls itself the most influential foreign policy lobby in Washington.

"But Israel has to work toward a two-state solution," Biden said in the most forceful language the Obama administration has used so far to set out what it expects both from Israel and Arab nations.

"You're not going to like my saying this but (do) not build more settlements, dismantle existing outposts and allow Palestinians freedom of movement," Biden told the audience, which nonetheless applauded him.

And he stressed at a Washington Convention Center decked out with giant photographs of U.S. and Israeli leaders greeting each other over the decades, that the Obama administration stood behind Israel's security.

Netanyahu, who has been invited for talks here in the coming weeks, has so far refused to publicly endorse the creation of a Palestinian state, and has insisted on focusing efforts on strengthening the West Bank economy before engaging in negotiations on a final status agreement.

Biden said the Obama administration looked forward to working with Netanyahu on how to strengthen the security apparatus of the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

He urged the Arab states to support and fund Palestinian security and other institutions in the West Bank, which the PA still rules after a 2007 violent showdown with the militant movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

"Now is the time for Arab states to make meaningful gestures to show the Israeli leadership and the people the promise of ending Israel's isolation in the region is real and genuine," Biden said.

"They must take action now," he added.

Senator John Kerry, a fellow Democrat who replaced Biden as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made more specific pleas to the Arab states when he spoke to the conference moments earlier.

He urged Arab states to start "treating Israel like a normal country, ending the boycott, letting El Al (airline) fly over their countries and meeting Israel leaders."

He said "lack of support from Arab states" was a key reason that the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks failed in 2000 and degenerated into years of violence.

But he said there was a shift in the region in which Arabs now embrace the idea of land for peace and are also arrayed against a growing threat from Iran.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Hamas must recognize Israel, renounce terror and abide by past deals with Israel if Washington is to encourage the Jewish state to hold talks with the Palestinian Islamist movement.

"Those (requirements) haven't changed," Gibbs told a press briefing.

No details immediately emerged of Peres's separate talks with Obama, Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

But Peres told reporters Netanyahu had signed up to the commitments of the U.S.-backed "road-map" when asked by reporters about the new Israeli administration's failure to so far endorse a two-state solution.

"Mr Netanyahu said he will abide by the commitments of the previous government," Peres said after his closed-door meeting with Obama.

"The previous government accepted the road map — in the roadmap you will find the attitude to the two state solution."

Biden ended his speech by calling for Palestinian militants to release immediately and unconditionally Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip for nearly three years



So far there has been only one comment on the Calgary Herald article, but it shows just how disillusioned many Canadians have become over the issue. The ridiculous posturing of the Conservative government has made some believe that we are invincible. We will wear George Bush's mentality for some time. At least until we get the Tories out of power and bring intelligence back to Canadian politics and our foreign policy.

Unfortunately I think accepting two states would be the worst possible move here. If they do I am sure Hamas or whatever wingnut is in charge will say that this proves that they cannot be defeated and that they must continue along the current path. Its unfortunate but most likely true.

Very sad and so un-Canadian.

Obama a Voice of Reason on Israel

As the Conservative government has become deeply entrenched in the theories of doomsdayer John Hagee, and Jason Kenney has been attacking Canadian Muslims and Arab-Canadians, while trying to suggest that any criticism of Israeli aggression could be viewed as a hate crime, U.S. President Obama is trying to reach out and look for a peaceful solution.

Finally a voice of reason over the conflict, though until the Conservatives are out of power, the situation still poses a grave threat to our national security.

Obama outreach to Muslims worries Israelis

May 4, 2009
The Associated Press

JERUSALEM -- A solid majority of Jewish Israelis worry that U.S. President Barack Obama's outreach to the Arab and Muslim world will come at their expense, a new poll showed Monday.

Israelis also strongly back stopping Iran's nuclear program, even if Israel has to attack Iran without American approval, according to the survey.

The poll found that 63 per cent of those questioned believe Israel will suffer from Obama's declared intention to reconcile with the Muslim and Arab worlds. At the same time, 60 per cent of respondents said they view Obama favorably or very favorably, as opposed to 14 per cent who regard him unfavorably.

"Israelis like Obama as a person, but they also have reservations about his policy and ability to deal effectively with the Middle East," said Eytan Gilboa, a professor at Bar-Ilan University who directed the poll.

The poll of 610 people was conducted last week by Bar-Ilan's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and the Anti-Defamation League, a U.S.-based Jewish advocacy group.

It has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. It did not question members of Israel's Arab minority, who make up 20 per cent of the country's 7.4 million people.

Obama has called for engaging Iran diplomatically in order to defuse an international standoff over Tehran's suspect nuclear program. Obama also has begun a dialogue with Syria.

Israel believes Iran is developing nuclear weapons, and accuses both Iran and Syria of backing anti-Israeli militant groups, like Hamas and Hezbollah.

"Israelis fear that President Obama's opening to talks with Iran, Syria and perhaps even Hamas, will be taken as appeasement by these radical actors," added BESA's director, Professor Efraim Inbar.

The results were released on the eve of Obama's first meetings with Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Iranian nuclear threat will be a top item at those meetings.

The poll also revealed that 66 percent of the people surveyed said Israel should take military action against Iranian nuclear facilities should diplomacy and sanctions fail, while 75 percent of those who support military action would back it even if the U.S. opposed such a strike.

Israel and the West are skeptical of Iran's claims that its nuclear program is designed to produce energy, not bombs. But U.S. officials have said recently that any Israeli military strike would be ill-advised.

This may, however, be just a bit of subtle Republican opposition to the new president's peace initiatives, by their conservative base, who want Iran destroyed. Those conducting the poll - The Anti-Defamation League and BESA, both pro-Israeli organizations, will hardly be impartial.

My Other Postings on President Obama and Stephen Harper:

1. Stephen Harper May Support the Bush Doctrine But Thankfully Obama Does Not

2. NAFTA Leak Was Only Step One in Trying to Promote McCain

3. Was Harper Himself Responsible for NAFTA Leak That Hurt Obama?

4. Happy Birthday Dad. Oh, and You Too America

5. Obama Knows That Stephen Harper is Putting us on the Wrong Side of History

6. Obama Snubs Harper. I'd Have Locked the Door

7. Oh No! A Socialist has Won the Nobel Peace Prize!!!

8. Obama Snubs Harper Again. He's Out of the Loop