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JUNE 14, 2010 -- JUNE 27,2010

ARE BILLION DOLLAR SUMMITS WORTH THE COST?

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I'm not sure why this stat wasn't also included in this report:

"Of those polled who expressed awareness of the summits, 61 per cent said they were "too expensive to be worth it," while 32 per cent said the summits' costs were justified." (From a Winnipeg Free Press Article, http://ur1.ca/0a5xb)

So it would seem that a majority of respondents support the G8/G20, but don't believe it should cost over $1 billion to host them.

Read the article GLOBE&MAIL/Most Canadians see G8/G20 summits as important (Poll)

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They are important, but the decision to put them in big urban centres is total nonsense and extremely expensive.

We have so many wonderful natural remote places in Canada to show to the rest of the World where grizzly bears, cougars and rutting elks would have taken care of the Security for these summits for free.

Read the article GLOBE&MAIL/Most Canadians see G8/G20 summits as important (Poll)

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I agree that it is time the G20 leaders and finance ministers stopped spending so lavishly on themselves and just got the business done. Videoconferencing is a good idea. There was a suggestion at one point that having a permanent G20 "home" would make meetings easier to organise and cut down on the costs of security and logistics.

I also dislike the way the G20 summits seem to cut off the leaders from the population. Security might be important but the message is clear: our electorate are second rate and we are the saviours. I have a suspicion that this is more circus than substance. Government has proven itself to be less able to lead and find solutions than at justifying more and more power and control for "security" reasons.

Read the article GLOBE & MAIL/What do you think about the G20 summit?

 

THE ROCKY ROAD AHEAD IN AFGHANISTAN

 

Petraeus wouldn't be taking this on if he thought it were doomed to certain failure. He's served his country and earned his place in the history books.

The exit (the "victory" if you like) is to get the Taliban to come to the negotiating table with the elected Afghan government, but they won't do that while they still believe they can win.

The strategy is to spend the next year weakening the Taliban as much as possible, while strengthening Afghan institutions as much as possible.

One way or another, US troops will start leaving next year and the fate of Afghanistan will depend on the balance of power at that time.

If the Taliban are still strong, then we'll see a resurgence of the Taliban, and a great deal of violence and blood-letting. If they have been weakened sufficiently, maybe we'll see something more moderate and sustainable emerge from negotiations.

This has to be the year that we go after the Taliban hard or we lose.

Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/Michael Hastings, RollingStone, says troops are happy McChrystal was ousted.

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The questions raised in the article is will the Administration's and NATO's strategy work in the time allotted (one year) with the number of NATO and US troops available. The answer isn't readily apparent to anyone.

However, COIN was actually developed to work in cultures like Afghanistan (tribal heads running small communities disconnected from any centralize govt) versus Iraq (dysfunctional communities with no ties to central govt). It is actually interesting that COIN worked in Iraq. Now let's see if works in a war zone that it was designed for--of course, this operation actually needs more time and people which the administration will not give (nor are NATO or the US public willing to see it through).

Read the article NPR/Generals change but Afghan strategy doesn't

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We had a winning formula in Iraq. I served there for 9 months. We built schools, refurbished regional medical clinics, improved infrastructure for villages, worked with villages to build wells, and provided security. The outfit I was with was a Cavalry unit, so we had scouts and armor working as MP's. Was it what we were trained to do? Nope. Was it something that we were good at? Yep. There are parallels after World War 2 where we occupied the enemy countries and worked closely to rebuild.

The problem is getting the right mix in the ROE, you cannot tie the hands of your special operations or the conventional forces that support them. The local population has everything to lose if we fail, because, for the most part they are not the fanatics, they are normal people that live everyday in that world and would like nothing more than to see it bettered for their children.

If we leave, there will be hell to pay as the propaganda machine for the jihadists will be in overdrive, another super-power vanquished. So, we stay. For as long as it takes and eventually, if we can truly win the hearts and minds with technology and farming techniques and medical improvements and educational improvements and true human rights, then and only then will the tide turn.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNAL/A critical moment in war effort

AFGHANISTAN'S TRILLION-DOLLAR TREASURE TROVE

Are we really supposed to be surprised by this? In 2006 I was in Afghanistan as a reporter for a British regional newspaper. I spent nearly two weeks talking to troops and locals about the situation. I did the same in 2007 for nearly three weeks.

On both occasions I asked people why they thought this was so important to NATO countries. After all the landscape was a void of any life, except by the edge of the river and the Taliban showed no signs of going to the West. Indeed the response I got from both senior officers and the foot soldiers was the same - the Taliban weren't going anywhere.

The surprise came from a number of people who told me that Afghanistan's stunning mountain landscape was rich in minerals. Everything was there I was told, from uranium to metals. If these could be accessed then there was a whole new economy. Afghanistan, I was told, had the potential to be one of the world's richest countries.

So ask yourself, if America has 'just identified vast riches of minerals in Afghanistan'.

Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/U.S. identifies vast riches of minerals in Afghanistan

Nothing good will come out of this as long as Karzai and his brother are in charge. The vultures are already circling. The Chinese want in, the Karzai brothers and cronies want their cut. Warlords want their cut. The Taliban will fight to the death to prevent the foreigners from getting their hand on all this. The Americans and NATO nations spilling their blood feel they deserve the first shot.The bottom line; the Afghan people will get nothing out of this. Their lives will not change one bit. 5% of the population will get fabulously rich, the remaining 95% will continue to live in abject poverty. And so it goes.

Read the article NEW YORK TIMES/U.S. identifies vast riches of minerals in Afghanistan

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Do people really think that geologists and Pentagon "officials" were just roaming the desert in a war zone, looking for minerals? These huge deposits have been known for decades - only recently were they more thoroughly evaluated.

This (old) news is clearly just being used to ramp up support for putting more federal funding into the region, whether for increased US military presence, or for mining development. 

Read the article NPR/Report:: U.S. discovers huge Afghan mineral wealth

 

JUNE 7, 2010 -- JUNE 13, 2010

WORLD CUP KICKS OFF WITH A FANFARE!

 

For South Africa, and by extension, Africa as a whole, the World Cup is of paramount importance.

It'll be the first time that an African nation has hosted the tournament and for some Africans, football is their only sense of the world outside of their country and their continent.

Football is a global sport that brings people together from all corners of the world. Therefore the tournament will put South Africa in the spotlight and allow the Rainbow nation to show off its stadia and show just how far the country has come.

Hopefully this will help change many people's stereotyped views of Africans. However, being in the spotlight will also allow the rest of the world to scrutinise South Africa - security and possible violence during the tournament will be an issue. Will the infrastructure be able to handle all the people visiting the country for the matches? So South Africa will be under pressure to get everything right.

As for ordinary South Africans, I imagine they'll feel a great sense of patriotism, and the country will no doubt benefit from increased tourism, but the long-term benefits remain to be seen. Will the stadia and infrastructure be put to good use once the tournament is over? How much of a financial drain will hosting the World Cup be? Will the boom be followed by a bust? So hosting the World Cup can be something of a mixed blessing.

Read the article BBC- HAVE YOUR SAY/How important is the world cup for Africa?

 

After many years of watching my son play from 5 years old through college I have come to appreciate the beauty of the game. The different styles of play, the individual skills, the collective teamwork, the passion, and the national pride are in full display on the World Cup stage.

More than most sports, soccer is a players' game where decisions are made on the field as opposed to an army of coaches directing every move. No game is perfect, but soccer or 'football's' universal appeal gives us an opportunity to share a common interest with almost every country of the world.

Over time, I think we as Americans will come to appreciate a sport where a skillfull, instinctive, diminutive young star such as Lionel Messi can enthrall every fan no matter what their nationality of position in society.

Read the article  WALL STREET JOURNAL/The world cup doesn't need us

I was one of the haters of the vuvuzela, until I experienced the Colombia-South Africa match. It is deafening yet amazing to actually 'feel' the vuvu's in the calabash.

BUT and a huge BUUUUT!!!!!!!! there needs to be an etiquette developed around the use of the vuvu during national anthems and speeches by (some) dignitaries. The large companies sponsoring the World Cup should develop ads that encourage the VUVU wave, a beautiful spectacle with all the rainbow colours of our nation just flowing around the stadium, for these moments.

Please grow the VUVU wave movement for those moments when the VUVUs really need to seen and not heard !

Read the article MAIL & GUARDIAN/Vuvuzelas: Curse or musical fanfare?

BHOPAL JUSTICE DELAYED

BHOPAL MEDICAL APPEAL

The Indian citizen deserves better legal protection from such gross violations to their safety. Definitely this case has been a major let down to the entire country and shows the scant regard by all the three machinery that runs the country - Legislative, Judiciary and Executive.

All the three have connived to ensure minimum penalty for those accused in this mass murder. Indeed, a sad day for the vibrant democracy of India!

Such cases will further strengthen the fundamental elements in the society to take law into their hands to deliver justice, as the maoists are doing in these under developed areas. Who else will take up the cause of those helpless victims who have struggled for over 25 years now and will continue to pay the price for a few more generations?

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNALBLOGS-INDIA REALTIME/The Bhopal gas verdict

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Years ago I studied this accident in detail. These articles really don’t do it justice. They just don’t give one enough facts to make a reasonable judgement.

For example, Union Carbide told India that this was a dangerous process and insisted that people not live next to the plant. Yet, people did and the government did nothing.

Union Carbide had no control of the officials running the plant. They were all picked by, basically, Indian government. Union Carbide did a safety review and identified the problems before the accident. Yet, none of the officials chose to address any of the problems.

Since Union Carbide could not fire any officials, what real leverage did they have. And, finally, it was pretty obvious that there was sabotage by local disgruntled workers.

Read the article WALL STREET JOURNALBLOGS-INDIA REALTIME/The Bhopal gas verdict

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Thousands of people were killed. It took 25 years for the courts to hurtle the obstacles put in place by the execs. The money paid in the settlement was used (partly) to clean up the destruction, while very little of it was ever got to the victims.

Why? There's no conspiracy, just the evil of red tape. Over $213 million will be left over after the last of the settlements are reached. That's a little under half. Each documented death yields about $2000 for the surviving family members. If only injuries were proven, then the amount was much, much smaller.

The money isn't missing. It wasn't used to build condos for Indian officials. It simply was distributed unless direct death could be proven. In 1992 over 40 percent of the claimants had yet to be examined by doctors. No one except the victims had any reason to want justice. The company dragged, the government, mindful of its reputation for protecting business, also dragged. The victims suffered, and continue to suffer.

Read the article CNN NEWS/Indian court finds chemical execs guilty in Bhopal case

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A victim's power over corporations is in direct relation to the courage and independence of its nation's court system. This has been demonstrated (once again) by today's Bhopal decision that required 25 years to come to a verdict... let alone that the verdict highlights laws, which protect corporations rather than victims, i.e. the wealthy and not the poor.

The only way to tip the scales of justice to protect those who suffer is to build the factories next to government buildings and in the posh areas of the city. In that case, there would have been either no disaster, or the disaster would have spawned local outrage by those who control the laws and set the tone for court decisions.

I agree with Abdelilah Boukili in Morocco: corporations' factories are built where governments can be bought off and where the laws permit poor practices for the sake of profit. Perhaps consumers around the world should judge the corporations they purchase from by the locations of the factories, rather than by the low cost of the merchandise.

Read the article BBC WORLD SERVICE/Do victims have any real power over corporations?

 

 

MAY 31, 2010 -- JUNE 6, 2010

FLOTILLA FALLOUT: ISRAELI SHIP RAID UNLEASHES STORM OF PROTEST

I have been a friend of Israel for my whole life: now, however this latest in a catalogue of Israeli over-reaction has pushed my forbearance to the limit.

It is well past time for the international community to insist that she has the right to take pre-emptive action when Israel considers her interests to be threatened regardless of the cost. It is not acceptable for Israel to hide behind the shield of "the only democracy in the Middle East" or throw the cheap retort that anyone who criticizes Israel is an anti-Semite. The former grows more debatable with each passing incident and the latter is arrant nonsense.

Read the article BBC-HAVE YOUR SAY/Was Israel right to board the Gaza flotilla?

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Israel has no way of knowing what was on board. It may be justified humanitarian aid and it may be weapons, munitions and even international terrorists. This is why Israel has the blockade in place and monitors everything entering Gaza. Israel could not allow unmonitored cargo to enter Gaza. Even if this Flotilla is innocent it would create a precedent for future flotillas that may not be as innocent.

Israel has indicated and in fact confirmed that they will transfer all humanitarian aid to Gaza after inspection.But this was ignored by the organizers of the flotilla indicating that this was a provocation and not an aid relief project as portrayed.

Read the article AL JAZEERA/Gaza flotilla raid - your views

YOUTUBE VIDEO

It's important when commenting on an incident like this to take all emotions out of the equation. On the face of it the Israeli action seems unjustified, but to say that ignores the fact that the Holocaust is seared into the collective psyche of not only every Israeli, but every Jewish person around the globe. Combine that with a siege mentality, and you have a very belligerent nation indeed; they will allow nothing whatsoever to get in their way, and anyone, or any nation that does so, does so at their own peril. Israel will also simply ignore any international law that it perceives as going against its national interest, and not just laws either - treaties too - just look at the fake passports their Mossad agents used to kill an alleged terrorist recently.

So, what can be done to alleviate this in-built stress that seems to be at the core of every Jewish person? If I had the answer to that I'd be in serious demand, but a start would be to treat those around them with humanity, even if it's not shown back. If Israel wants to be seen as morally superior, then it has to respect international law, treaties with its friends, and allow humanitarian aid to areas that it controls. It would have been easy to board those ships in a peaceful manner, and to show respect to those on board, but what happened instead appears to have been a chaotic mess, leaving Israel looking more and more like the terrorists they're fighting.

Read the article BBC-HAVE YOUR SAY/Was Israel right to board the Gaza flotilla?

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It's too early to say what happened exactly other than Al Jazeera were on board documenting the whole incident and Israel already had Mark Regev and Ayalon set up for interviews indicating that they knew this would happen.

What we do know is that Israeli commandos seized the boats in international waters which can be interpreted as piracy, allowing the people on board every right to defend themselves which includes trying to wrestle weapons from said attackers. It must also be important to note that Gazan waters are not Israeli waters either since this blockade is illegal thus voiding any legitimacy that Israel may had in justifying their actions.

By all counts this aid represented roughly 70% of the weekly aid being delivered to Gaza therefore i would question why Israel decided to carry out such a politically destructive execution? Why were live weaponry taken on board at all?

The cynic in me thinks that this may have been planned as an excuse to avoid peace talks in America tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what the US says about this mess.

My thoughts go out to the families of those who died trying to help a besieged country.

Read the article BBC-HAVE YOUR SAY/Was Israel right to board the Gaza flotilla?

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Some readers may be disappointed to find out that Israel's actions were not illegal.

Under international maritime law, in a state of armed conflict as exists between Hamas controlled Gaza and Israel the country has the legal right to enforce a blockade to prevent supply of weapons. The country furthermore has the right to stop any vessel attempting to break through this blockade even in international waters if the intention of the vessel is clear.(as it was in this case)

So tragic as the results are to all, they are protected under international law. 5 of the 6 ships did not actively resist the boarding of the ships and no injuries occurred. On the big ship the passengers decided to actively resist and attack the boarding party.

You don't really expect to attack an israeli commando and expect to get away with it unhurt. What were the passengers thinking? That it is all a game? The soldiers were expecting peace activists not hooligans.

Read the article AL JAZEERA/Gaza flotilla raid - your views

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 2010 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 2010

It's good to finally see that other organizations are coming around to see the human rights infringed upon Aboriginal peoples. It's great to see the truth finally coming out, not from Aboriginal people, but non-Aboriginal people who are understanding what has happened to us. This is promising and gives me and my children hope for a better and equal life in Canada. I would never tell advocacy groups to butt out else the so called "majority" would continue to destroy the rights of all other minorities.

The UNDRIP may not be legally binding to Canada even if we endorse it (or not) but it will be used as an interpretive instrument in the courts that will help to strengthen Aboriginal claims - rightly so. We are on a fast moving train that can not be stopped. All we want is to be understood on what happened to us so that we can finally move up - and we are doing that - Maybe not as fast as society would like to see us, but our statistics are improving in many areas but they are still way behind the general population.

All we want is a fair chance to live like so many others in Canada have the luxury without facing racism or discrimination. we want and are valuable members of society just like any other human being.

Read the article WINNIPEG FREE PRESS/Amnesty International criticizes Canada's treatment of aboriginals

It is sad to see viewers instantly complaining at the absence of Israel whenever 'human rights' are discussed. Such is the level to which the media has brainwashed the public. Notable by their absence is any request to mention Arab human rights abuses.. Enough said.

Amnesty has consistently exploited human rights principles to demonize Israel. On this occasion it mentions the attacks upon Israeli civilians and Hamas’s campaign of abductions, unlawful killings/torture of people accused of collaborating with Israel with 30+ individuals summarily killed & scores of others shot to cause permanent disability. Abuses committed with impunity & the approval of the Hamas leadership.

Sadly Amnesty misses out on the thriving Gaza economy due to illegal smuggling and the aid supplied by Israel. Independent newspaper reports rubbish the comments of Amnesty, who selectively omit what isn't expedient to them.

Read the article SKY NEWS/Amnesty: Big nations soft on human rights abuses

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It's unbelievable to me that the world frowns upon the Swiss actually pointing out they have an opinion, and that is wanting to not change the rules of their home to accommodate the visitors. I'm not Swiss, but I live here. I came not to conquer and bring my ideals here; I am a guest in their home. I respect that. And I respect that they don't want minarets. How can that be so bad? Why do people want to live in Switzerland? And as for the asylum seekers, sorry if you break the rules, you also have to go. Simple. Read the article SWISS INFO/Amnesty International criticizes Switzerland

 

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