L'Insomniaque

Alberta will examine the possibility of having private insurance compete with the public health-care system for all medical treatments, Health Minister Iris Evans told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. "I'm not trying to be an anarchist, I'm just saying that while we're doing this actuarial review, isn't it responsible to look at all the options that are available?''

Solid Waste & Recycling magazine | 12th September 2005 Overlooked in many news reports about the unfolding storm disaster in the southern United States, especially in the City of New Orleans, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, is a potentially dramatic pollution issue related to a toxic landfill that sits under the flood waters right in the city's downtown, according to map overlays of the flooded area. The situation could exacerbate the already dire threat to human health and the environment from the flood waters.

by Scott Weinstein | September 14, 2005 Take the huge disaster we saw in the planning and rescue for Hurricane Kristina and imagine an alternative scenario where progressives, firefighters and nurses were in power. While the natural disaster might not have been avoided, the humanitarian disaster could have been completely prevented.

By Rupert Cornwell | The New Zealand Herald | September 13, 2005 Washington - The Pentagon has drawn up a new strategy, built on the 2002 "Bush doctrine" of pre-emptive military strikes, that would allow the US to make first use of nuclear weapons to thwart an a WMD attack against the country. According to the Washington Post, one possibility is an enemy that is using, or "is about to use" weapons of mass destruction against US military forces or civilian population.

The Bush Administration has relied heavily on the private sector to pick up what should be a government priority, this mess can be directly attributed to the fact that under the Bush regime they privatized FEMA! And one of the worst examples of the privatization of FEMA is the the fact that they contracted out corpse removal, but failed to sign the contract so corpses which were to be removed and disposed of weren't. And the company they have signed with is from George II home state of Texas, and is under investigation for descerating corpses. Yep privatization is so much more efficient than public services.

This Online article needs a subscription, so I thought I would provide a transcript of some of the major points it makes,about animal resuce in the Aftermath of Katrina. If the rescue of humans was completely disorganized the rescue of companion animals was even more so. Add to that the refusal of Buses and other evacuation transportation to take companion animals on board, what's with that? Another question is while a lot of focus has been on dogs, what about the other companion animals, cats, birds, etc. Read the whole article at: http://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2005/09/katrina-its-dog-gone-crime.html

When one thinks of Hip Hop it is hard not too imagine the corporate images that have inundated our televisions and airwaves. Hip Hop culture has become commodified, a money making machine, within the music industries's smoky parade of sex, power and money. The roots   of Hip Hop and its social value as a political force are often lost because of these assumptions and stereotypes. We aim to break these notions by showcasing global works that encourage and exalt positive and inclusive Hip Hop culture.The VIHF celebrates all elements of the global Hip Hop community; Dance, Music, the Visual Arts, and Scholarship.

Video from the dynamic reaction by anarchists against the harsh greek government's policies, especially in relation to the economy, employment and suppression of personal rights and liberties.

...Remember Neil Bush, and how he was implicated in the Savings and Loan (S&L) scandals, where innocent Americans' bank accounts were emptied out by tycoon investors, and the Feds just looked the other way? Or how about George Bush Sr.'s little "October Surprise?" That was the first time we saw the Bush family implicated in an illegally rigged election. And how about that farce of an election we saw GWBush rigging, with brother Jeb, and daddy Bush's old friend Rehnquist handing Little Georgie the reins? Remember the Iran-Contra affair? George Sr. was right in the thick of it. And remember, George Sr. was also the DIRECTOR of the C.I.A. before rigging his vice-presidency by seemingly making deals with Iranians to hold the American hostages longer than needed, so they could be released at the exact HOUR of the Reagan/Bush inauguration. And do not get me started on the Weapons of Mass Destruction or the heartless massacre of Americans on American soil, over money, class, and race, that happened after Hurricane Katrina....

Ray Fulcher | Green Left Weekly | September 14, 2005 PM John Howard announced on September 8 an "unusual but necessary" increase in the state's repressive armament, supposedly to fight the "war on terror". Taking his cue from British PM Tony Blair following the terrorist bombings in London, Howard is seizing the opportunity to introduce draconian new "anti-terror" laws, adding to a plethora of existing "anti-terror" legislation. The new laws will, according to many commentators, move Australia decisively towards becoming a police state.

And the Four Day Week. While surfing I came across this interesting site on an alternative to downsizing workers, downsizing the work day. Not a new idea but one that resurfaces when whenever capitalism adopts new technology to reduce labour costs. As Dr. Marx pointed out the class struggle is all about reducing the work day.

GERMANY- The Munich Beer festival has banned alcopops (flavoured alcoholic beverages) and pop music to stop the event turning into a 'drunken orgy'. CHINA- Farmers in the poor Chinese province of Shaanxi have been stealing oil from a state owned pipeline and carrying it off in large plastic bags.

By COLIN FREEZE AND KAREN HOWLETT | Globe and Mail | September 12, 2005 Toronto -- Seeking to end months of debate, Premier Dalton McGuinty now says "there will be no sharia law in Ontario" -- an announcement that should quell a growing public-relations crisis concerning the use of Islamic law, but which also exposes Queen's Park to attacks from other religions.

Yep another two Grizzly's are slaughtered by their tradtional enemy, humans. Callously, without regard for where they are the vehiclular murder of these two defenseless cubs shows that the National Parks are less about protecting wilderness and more about profit. In this case the traffic on the Trans Canada is heavy and fast enough that animals are at risk in an area that is technically their refuge. Read the whole article at: http://redbetweenthelines.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=735621

Mr. Dodge said that demographic shift threatens to push the world economy into stagnation for years, as consumer spending sags, dragging down growth and pushing up unemployment. "There really is a risk of a prolonged deficiency in global demand as we look out over the next couple of decades," he said, speaking to the Spruce Meadows roundtable conference in Calgary. A higher rate of savings might seem to be an unalloyed virtue, but for economists too much thrift is a bad thing, if it eats into demand too much.

Editorial | NY Daily News | Sept 10, 2005 Announcing the removal yesterday of FEMA chief Michael Brown from direct involvement in Hurricane Katrina relief operations, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said: "Michael Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge." Now, there's a quote that's open to interpretation. It's like saying, "SpongeBob SquarePants did everything he possibly could to master quantum physics." He just failed miserably, not having the remotest ability to deal with the matter at hand.

By John Andrews | 13 September 2005 |  World Socialist Web Site In a ruling with vast implications for basic democratic rights, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Friday that the Bush administration can continue to incarcerate Jose Padilla, seized May 8, 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare airport, in a military prison, without filing any charges against him. The ruling attacks the right to be free from arbitrary imprisonment, the fundamental liberty dating back in Anglo-American law to the Magna Carta of 1215, as well as basic notions of due process. It demonstrates the extent to which the American ruling elite has broken with democratic standards and traditions.

Diamonds are not a Bushmans best friend. According to the Reporters segment BBC World Report DeBeers and diamonds have been responsible for the forceable removal of all but 200 Kalahari Desert Bushmen from their land by the Botswana Government.

Support Amato's unpaid workers Demonstration Thursday September 15th @ 6 pm Amato Pizza · 534 Queen Street West (just East of Bathurst) Stop the broken promises and bounced cheques. Pay workers owed over $18,000 in unpaid wages. Feeling the heat from weekly information pickets, Amato sent one worker owed $8,000 some cheques. But on Friday September 9th -- all the cheques for $4,000 bounced!

"If we have our way? First of all, we own the land and Canada has to listen to us. Anybody in the world should feel lucky to have such partnership as with the Deh Cho."

By JAN M. OLSEN | Associated Press | September 11, 2005 LULISSAT, Greenland (AP) - The gargantuan chunks of ice breaking off the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier and thundering into an Arctic fjord make a spectacular sight. But to Greenlanders it is also deeply worrisome. The frequency and size of the icefalls are a powerful reminder that the frozen sheet covering the world's largest island is thinning - a glaring sign of global warming, scientists say.

Al Jazeera | 09 September 2005 US and British pilots whose bombs killed Iraqi civilians were murderers, and actions taken by those two countries during the invasion and occupation of Iraq amounted to terrorism, former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has said....Several British and US diplomats walked out in protest of Mahathir's broadside against their countries in a speech at a national conference in Kuala Lumpur on human rights on Friday.

Every community in Denendeh faces similar possible impacts of a proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline, but some regions have specific concerns; Zhati Kóé (Fort Providence) is not on the actual route of the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project pipeline. What could happen to the community is not mitigated or lessened by the geography of the situation, however.

Jeff Lee and Darah Hansen | Vancouver Sun | September 03, 2005 MERRITT I Two RCMP officers have been suspended and an auxiliary constable has had his peace officer status revoked after allegations a young aboriginal man was picked up on Friday night two weeks go, severely beaten and dropped off in the bush to walk 10 kilometres back to this Nicola Valley town. "This has got to be the worst beating I've ever had in my life," Glenn Shuter, 25, said Friday. Two weeks later, Shuter still sports a black eye, a swollen ear and two broken front teeth -- the result, he said, of the police assault.

Below, a long and sad but incomplete list of the negligence shown by the organization in charge of rescue operations in New Orleans. FEMA and their (un)supportive military and police units in the area seem more interested in preventing people from getting the help they need than providing any sort of aid, especially to the most needy. Only in America?

By Steve Connor | The Independent UK | 08 September 2005 The Kyoto treaty's attempts to curb man-made emissions of greenhouse gases are being undermined by extra carbon dioxide released naturally from the ground as a result of climate change. A study has found that the soil of Britain is emitting more carbon dioxide into the air than a quarter of a century ago because increasing temperatures are speeding up the natural rate of organic decay.

Two paramedics stranded in New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina give their account of self-organisation and abandonment in the disaster zone. [ED: the response of the police, national guard etc is unbelievable]

U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney postpones scheduled Alberta visit Now it may be said that it was Katrina that thwarted Cheney's attempt to take over the Alberta Tar Sands, but come to think of it where has he been for the last week? Haven't seen or heard hide nor hair of him during the disaster in New Orleans. Probably hiding in the same cave he was in after 9/11. So folks planning to protest his visit here, can rest easy for a while, but he promises to visit in the future, oh joy. Read the whole article: http://redbetweenthelines.modblog.com/?show=blogview&blog_id=731944    

To anyone who can assist, I am writing this note to request your assistance in getting a straight story out to the public. Recently there have been several articles in the papers regarding Cheam and fishing. Most of this is racial profiling and propaganda that in most cases the media is only talking to one side and not the cheam people.

On September 11th of 1973, General Augusto Pinochet installed himself as dictator after leading the US-supported military coup that overthrew the government of Chile.

If you are one of the people who are immediately wanting to open your house up to the survivors of the Katrina disaster, who are immediately wanting to welcome these survivors into your schools and public/social services systems, you need to really ask yourself this question: "Do poor people really need to DIE and SUFFER HORRIBLY en masse in front of you, to get you to care about the homeless and poverty issues in America?" The Katrina massacre by our federal government was one thing, but the conditions that existed, where these poor folks were neglected by their government PRIOR to this is a reality.

By ERIC MARGOLIS - The most important news from Iraq last week was not the much ballyhooed constitutional pact by Shias and Kurds, nor the tragic stampede deaths of nearly 1,000 pilgrims in Baghdad. The U.S. Air Force's senior officer, Gen. John Jumper, stated U.S. warplanes would remain in Iraq to fight resistance forces and protect the American-installed regime "more or less indefinitely." Jumper's bombshell went largely unnoticed due to Hurricane Katrina.

The recent attempt by the American government to have Marc Emery extradited to face trial on charges of money laundering and selling marijuana represents a terrifying challenge to Canadian sovereignty. As most South American countries can testify, the American war on drugs has long been a cover for more naked imperialist goals, and Canadians should recognize that the potential extradition of Emery, a Canadian citizen and prominent political icon, represents a major step along the same path. But all that said, the elevation of Emery to martyrdom is not appropriate. He's the target of an imperialist regime, but he's still an idiot who needs to be defended on the big issues, and then dismissed into irrelevancy by the Canadian Left for his hackneyed politics.

Operation Enduring Resistance: Remembering Nine-Eleven 9-11 should never be forgotten. One of them happened four years ago with three thousand lives lost. But there was another "9-11", going back to 1973, with a US-backed military coup in Chile. There was also Sep 12, 1977 with the death of Steven Biko, the crushing of the Attica Rebellion on Sep 13, 1971, the "humanitarian intervention" in Somalia on Sep 14, 1992 and many other unmarked days. Forums, music, poetry, and march in Vancovuer, Coast Salish Territories from Friday September 9- Sunday September 11

OPERATION ENDURING RESISTANCE: REMEMBERING NINE-ELEVEN Commemorating the "9/11's" of resistance against occupation, racism, and imperialism in Chile, Attica, South Africa, Gustafsen, Palestine, the Philippines, Somalia, and all around the world... Complete listing of events (Friday, September 9 - Sunday, September 11) below:

Tahltan Traditional Territory | September 5, 2005 On September 3 a court injunction and enforcement order was delivered to the Tahltan people at the Klappan Blockade. The court was held over 2000 miles away in Vancouver with very short notice. The RCMP will be moving in on Tuesday, September 6, to enforce the order. Elder Jenny Quock, has been on the blockade for the past 7 weeks. Jennys says, "It's confusing when they can treat us like criminals, for defending our rights and our land. The real criminals are government and industry for destroying what does not belong to them."

Provincial and Federal Housing Ministers will be meeting in Nova Scotia Sept 22-23, ostensibly to discuss affordable housing. However, the absence of community consultation and the inaccessible situtation of the meeting at a beach resort >100km from Halifax, clearly show that this is nothing more than a beach party for the rich and powerful.

Ramsey Clarke, Former U.S. Attorney General is heading up this site, and campaign. I hope we can get Canada here doing their own "Impeach Bush Rally" on Sept.24th, and help to show the world how you feel, and stand on this issue.

As I watch the throngs of American citizens coming out of the Katrina disaster, I relate to the single moms, the "welfare moms," who had no property, spouse, or family when Katrina hit. I am a poor single mom. I immediately related to the fact that this hurricane, then aftermath, hit at the end of the month when poor people have the least money available, thus evacuation would have been impossible on their own. My son, who is now an adult, and I immediately realized that we would have been those left behind in New Orleans, as we are poor, with no car, or means. I have lived in New Orleans, and it was the poorest city I have ever lived in, for sure. Coming from the West Coast, that level of poverty was something I had never experienced before. To be in that kind of poverty, during a disaster of this proportion, while also being responsible for the lives of children, is overwhelming to even think about, much less live in real life.  

By: Samir Shaheen-Hussain | September 3, 2005 The goal of the delegation was to focus attention on the prolonged hunger strike of these two men, while urging the PM to act immediately to have their demands met so that their health and lives are no longer at risk. Their demands are modest, to say the least, given that they have been held without charges and without having access to any evidence that may be being used against them as part of the security certificate process for four and five years, respectively; Mr. Almrei's principal demand is to be allowed to have one hour outside his solitary confinement cell while Mr. Mahjoub's is to have contact visits with his wife and children. Although two men are not convicted of any crime, they are demanding no treatment beyond that which is accorded to most federal prisoners!

Food Not Bombs groups all across the southern United States are feeding families displaced by Katrina. We need clothes,cooking equipment, food, cooks and money to provide for thousands of hungry homeless people.

By Herbert Docena | Asia Times Online | September 1, 2005 LAST JUNE 30, the Iraqi newspaper Al-Mada published the latest draft of the Iraqi constitution that was then being negotiated by Iraqi politicians. Its contents would have been enough to give former occupation authority chief Paul Bremer a heart attack. The Iraqis - even those who were willing to cooperate with the United States - wanted, at least on paper, to build a Scandinavian-type welfare system in the Arabian desert, with Iraq's vast oil wealth to be spent on upholding every Iraqi's right to education, health care, housing, and other social services. By the time the next version was leaked in late July, the progressive provisions in the draft constitution had disappeared.

By Kirsten Anderberg We all remember quite well in 2003 how GWBush sent troops invading Iraq STRAIGHT to the oil fields to protect THEM first and foremost. While America "guarded" Iraq's oil supply, they let the hospitals, museums, universities and libraries become gutted and looted. Some of the oldest pieces of art ever found are now lost, thanks to GWBush. I feel   what we just saw in New Orleans after Katrina was very similar. America has become a government to protect elite business profits WORLDWIDE. We all know about the Cheney - Haliburton connection and we all know about the Bush family oil connection. At this point, people are just little bumps in the road for the SUVs and military vehicles of the Bush administration worldwide.

By Lucinda Marshall | 02 September, 2005 | Countercurrents.org For the last four years, the anti-war movement has been seriously handicapping itself with its 'We support the troops but we're against war' mantra of qualified dissent. Initially, the phrasing of this message was a reflexive attempt to fit into the context of pro-militarism created by the Neocon spinmeisters who quickly established a flag-waving, 'Support our troops' litmus test in the aftermath of the tragedies of September 11th. Wanting to avoid being branded as un-American traitors from the get-go, the left promptly started couching their verbage in the newly minted criteria for patriotism. Unfortunately, that line of thinking is still alive and well today and has become a serious detriment to bringing an end to the agenda of empire.

Strike! | Sept. 2005 | Vol.1, Issue ..3 (Ontario Edition) anarchist news and commentary CBC Workers Locked Out - J.Shantz Community Power vs. Fire-power: Getting to the Root of Gun Violence in Toronto - G.Sweetman Anarchy in New Orleans? - P.Lilley Labour Day: From Parades to Pickets - J.Shantz Bad Boss of the month: Amato Pizza + Community Events Listings

Tahltan Blogger | September 03, 2005 Tahltan Territory, BC - The Tahltan Elders, youth and families were disappointed by the injunction granted against their blockade to protect their lands and people against Fortune Mineral's open pit coal mine and Shell's coalbed methane proposals. However, their commitment to ensuring no unsustainable development takes place remains strong. "We view this as a minor setback in a much longer struggle for the Tahltan to protect the future of their people and the air, land and water on which they rely, said Rhoda Quock, "We believe the courts will set aside this decision once our lawyers have a chance to tell our story."

I have not seen one person of color, anywhere, on any news broadcast, on any TV special, in any print article, even on the streets themselves, saying that the response to Katrina in New Orleans had "nothing to do with race." The mere fact that the ONLY people saying that are white says it all to me. Last night, I saw the Mayor of Houston whose name is ironically "Mr. White" pooh-poohing the racist part of this wholly. There is something totally obnoxious about this white mayor of Houston, saying it is "divisive" to try to address race in the Katrina response. Indeed, white boy President Bush said that any mention of this massacre in New Orleans being racially driven is merely a "political agenda" put out there by his opponents. I am sure Bush is scrambling to find some black faces to publicly deny the racist part of this, and that is why we have Condi Rice around. For times like these. You can tell just how racist this country is, by how many white men are working round the clock to pooh-pooh what is obvious to the world at this point.

by Walter Lippmann | Sep. 03, 2005 Yesterday Fidel Castro spoke on Cuban television's nightly news magazine, the Mesa Redonda (Round Table) where he explained in detail the effors which Cuba's government made DISCRETELY to send 1100 doctors to New Orleans immediately. No response has yet been received from the United States government. Cuba has provided such assistance to many countries all over the world for many years.

We have all heard the terms "old money," and "new money" with regards to familial wealth. "Old money" is perceived to be more noble, and more dignified in stature somehow. "New money" is considered superficial, transitory, or even happenstance. These same concepts can be applied to the poor. And what is interesting is the way society will try to separate out the "new poor" from the "old poor" when determining who to give aid to.

Due to the blatant racism of the Katrina response, and the constant denials of this obvious racism by white people, I am running a Black Power Speech-A-Thon this Labor Day Weekend. From Sept. 3-5, 2005, I will be providing black power speeches for free downloads on my website at http://resist.ca/~kirstena. I will post a new speech every few hours Sat. - Mon. Nothing has gotten better, only worse, since the 1960's regarding American racism. So, to counteract this crap, I am going to be providing hard core black power speeches from the 1960's to wake America up! This is not a new problem. This is an INSTITUTIONALIZED problem. And Black Panthers had their fingers on this. Thus, this Labor Day, enjoy these speeches and share them. It is time to up this thing. Agitate, agitate, agitate..."A White Man's Heaven is a Black Man's Hell."