Marc Dreier

Speaking of corporate fraud and white collar crime, let's take a look at Marc Dreier. The TV series American Greed ran a segment about him the other night.

Crack dealers are irritating because the resulting property crime addicts commit to pay for the drug is bothersome. Yet that is nothing compared to the large scale fraud of white collar crime which not only affects millions of dollars, it also can destroy entire pensions in the process. That is why it's so serious.

Marc Dreier was a fraudster who made a fake bond for $20 million and sold it to a hedge fund. In fact he did it several times totalling $700 million in fraud. On one occasion the hedge fund was getting suspicious and wanted to meet with the CEO of the real company one of his fake bonds were made for. So he gets a friend to pretend to be the CEO and hold a meeting with the hedge fund in a board room in the company's New York office.

He tried the same thing himself in Ontario with the Ontario Teachers Pension fund. That time he impersonated the CEO himself. The buyer got suspicious and asked the receptionist if the person he was just with was really who he claimed to be. When the receptionist said no the police and the Feds were called in to investigate.

Like I said, this kind of large scale corporate fraud not only rips off millions it also destroys pensions which is very serious indeed. That drives us to examine some of the other ongoing corporate fraud out there.

Supporting the Troops

Yo bro those aren't tulips that soldier is tip toeing through. Those are poppies and that is opium. I guess they're going to want us to use a new type of poppy for Rememberance Day.

As much as I admire and respect Michele Obama, I'd have to say I'm a bit disappointed in the new campaign about supporting the troops and supporting military families. Supporting the military is without question a good thing. Yet the terms and conditions of the new wars are questionable.

It's not like we're engaged in WW I or II. The invasion of Iraq was based on a lie. Torturing prisoners in Guantanamo bay and in Afghanistan is wrong. Indeed, supporting the troops now has certainly taken on a new meaning.

Supporting the troops now means smoking opium or using heroin supplied by the American military and boycotting opium and heroin supplied by the Taliban or other competitors. Supporting the troops now means buying gas from oil companies owned by the US and boycotting oil from companies like Bridas or other competitors. Times have sure changed.

Fortunate Son

We can talk about tough on crime all we want. Until we enforce the law we are wasting our breath. The Hells Angels profit from the crack sold at the Carnegie Centre and the police do nothing about it. The Hells Angels profit from the pot sold at the black door across from the Amsterdam cafe and the police do nothing about it. Giving crack addicts the boots but not arresting the crack dealers is dysfunctional. It is displaced aggression. It is kicking the cat.

When the city of Vancouver slips the Hells angels and extra million dollars buying a building from them for social housing, we know something is very wrong and it is bigger than you or me.

The sad thing is that Gordon Campbell was reelected before his ultimate demise. So was George Bush. At least we can blame George Bush’s reelection on the voter fraud software. Here in BC we have no excuse but our own stupidity for reelecting Gordon Campbell. No doubt some people will be stupid enough to vote for Stephen Harper again just like they did Gordon Campbell. People have the right to make the wrong choice because that is what democracy is all about.

People, like children are naive and gullible. We tend to learn from our mistakes and thereby have to be free to make mistakes so we can learn from our own experience. People are just starting to see the real Stephen Harper. No doubt if we give him enough rope he will hang himself politically. Let’s just hope we still have a medical system in place when he’s done.

The key thing is, Stephen Harper is a liar and a fraud. History has recorded that. You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. His fiscal responsibility lies and his oil wars will eventually catch up with him. In the mean time I can say with calm assurance that I am not voting for Stephen Harper and I do not support the kind of society he wants to build. That sure ain't me. I prefer the Lester Pearson model. I ain't no fortunate son.

Let’s get tough on crime

Stephen Harper’s right. Let’s get tough on crime. Never mind pot. Let’s introduce mandatory minimum sentences for corporate crime and fraud. You know like Bre-X. Let’s introduce mandatory minimum sentences for insider trading on government contracts and illegal lobbying. Like how Bruce Carson diverted government contract funds to his favorite escort. Or how Raymond Sturgeon lobbied for the company that wants to build Harper's conflicted jets for an undisclosed sum of money.

Or when the Harper government used it’s position to put pressure on the CIBC to settle with Barrick gold on behalf of Brian Mulroney. Let’s put mandatory minimum sentences for those kinds of crime.

In fact since verbal contracts are legally binding in BC, lets charge every politician who promises one thing and does another when elected with breech of contract and fraud. That way we can put Stephen Harper in one of his brand new prisons so he can play with as many toy jets his very little heart desires.

I couldn’t watch the debate on TV for more than five minutes. Listening to Stephen Harper speak is painful. I did like one comment Duceppe made. He said we know Stephen Harper is soft on crime. Just look at his own office. Indeed it’s full of criminals. C’est vrais. There is absolutely no way Stephen Harper did not know about his long time senior aide Bruce Carson’s criminal record for fraud. There’s just no way he didn’t know that.

That’s why he hired him. He wanted someone good at fraud. Just like how they hired someone from Enron to help them fix the books for the pentagon. This whole bit about lobbying for Brian Mulroney is absolutely criminal. The government paid Brian Mulroney a $2 million settlement when he sued the government for libel when they implied he received kickbacks on the Airbus scandal and later it turned out Brian Mulroney totally lied and later admitting to receiving kickbacks for Airbus. Brian Mulroney committed perjury and defrauded the Canadian people out of $2 million. Let’s introduce mandatory minimum sentences for that.

Bruce Carson brought a Prostitute to Sussex drive

Bruce (the John) Carson brought a prostitute and money launderer to a gathering at Sussex drive. According to APTN, Khan was an escort at the time she met Carson.

Before Carson proposed to Michele McPherson, (the 22 year old escort he was caught funneling government contract funds to) he was involved with another prostitute, Barbara Lynn Khan, a woman who was convicted and served time in the U.S. for money laundering after authorities alleged she ran a prostitution ring before being deported back to Canada.

Property records obtained by The Canadian Press show Khan and Carson paid $400,000 in November 2009 for a condominium in downtown Ottawa. Khan apparently still lives there, although she and Carson have reportedly separated.

MACLEANS reports that Mr. Carson’s fiancée’s mother, who works for the water filtration company that Mr. Carson is alleged to have represented.

Elizabeth May wrongfully kicked out of Debate

I'm not sure why Elizabeth May was allowed to participate in the last leadership debate and why she isn't allowed to participate in this one. I know they said it's because the Green Party doesn't hold any seats in parliament yet but why did they let her in the last one? She did very well. To ban her from the next one is censorship. Maybe she'll ask some of those secret questions Harper's aids don't allow on the script.

The Green party has the next largest parentage of the votes. Each election they get more. To allow her to participate in the last leadership debate but not this one is strange. The media said that if she was to participate some of the other parties might not. That was a rather bizarre threat? Who said they wouldn't show up if Elizabeth May was allowed. Was if Harpless? CTV claims Jack Layton was one. That's somewhat shocking. However, Elizabeth May claims that is untrue and that Layton and Ignatieff both support her being included.

If one of the other parties gave up their chance to participate because they were intimidated by her then so be it. Giving in to that kind of bullying is wrong. Harper's desire to exclude everyone except him and ?Ignatieff is stomach turning arrogance. He's just playing after he looked stupid for backing down after he challenged Ignatieff to a one on one debate. There are other choices in this election than Liberal or Neocon.

If you look at the table Votes Won: 2008 v. 2006 between the 2006 election and the 2008 election each of the four main political parties lost votes. The Green Party was the only party that increased votes. Looks like someone is afraid of her. That's why they don't want to let her participate in the debate.

Peacemakers

Canada has been known for it's peacekeeping efforts. Roméo Dallaire was an example of a great peacekeeper and a great human being. So was Bill Turner. I recently saw a video on YouTube that mocked Jack Layton's position on the military implying his idea of peacekeeping was to send in folk singers to distract and entertain two opposing forces at war. I found it to be kind of a dumb video and accusation.

Lester B. Pearson won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis. During Pearson's time as Prime Minister, his minority government introduced universal health care, student loans, the Canada Pension Plan, the Order of Canada, and the current Canadian flag. During his tenure, Prime Minister Pearson also convened the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. With these accomplishments, together with his groundbreaking work at the United Nations and in international diplomacy, Pearson is generally considered among the most influential Canadians of the 20th century.

Stephen Harper is no Lester Pearson. When Jack Layton says he's concerned about military pensions, I believe him because he's concerned about everyone's pension. Something that the neocons have no regard for. If we want to talk about supporting the military, let's talk about exposing our own soldiers to chemical and biological weapons then robing them of medical coverage. Let's talk about the ethics of using depleted uranium as a weapon in war. Actually, let's not.

Let's talk about the religious right and Christ's promise "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." When I see all the intolerance in modern Christianity I wonder if Christ came today and taught the same things he taught when he was on earth, it would likely be the Christian church that would crucify him all over again.

I've talked about the parable of the good Muslim or the good Communist putting the parable of the good Samaritan in modern perspective. Samaritans were infidels. How could an infidel be a better Christian that one who professes to be one.

Gandhi was a peacemaker. Although he was not a Christian, he was clearly a better Christian than most. Dare we discuss Christ's commission to visit the sick, clothe the naked, house the homeless and even visit those in prison?

Election shock and awe

Michael Smyth from the Vancouver Province ran a synopsis of the week of Election campaigning as a week of shock and awe. We were shocked with revealing scandals and in awe with too good to be true promises.

He pointed out that many of us are having a hard time doing the math with all these election promises. "Yes, folks, you can have it all in this magical land we call Canada: lower taxes, more services and no nasty deficit hangover when the party's over. If only working out your family budget at the kitchen table were this easy."

I'm not sure what his hard on for Jack Layton is about other than according to his article Jack Layton is gaining votes at the expense of the Conservatives. Perhaps he just wants to be equally critical of everyone to be fair. Yet to be fair, when Jack Layton says he will hire more doctors and nurses to staff our hospital emergency rooms I believe him.

I did believe Harper when he said he wouldn't tax income trust and create an elected senate. Only he broke his word so I don't trust him any more. Saying that Layton will never become Premier so he will never have to fulfill any of his election promises is unfair. He's the only one we haven't given a chance to betray our trust yet.

A generation ago, people tended to vote how their parents voted. Now times have changed. We have seen new political parties emerge and other political parties wiped off the map overnight.

In all fairness I'd have to admit that it was Darren Entwistle that caused Harper to turn face on the not taxing income trusts promise. He was going to turn TELUS into an Income Trust to avoid paying corporate tax. Letting Entwistle do that would have see the government lose a lot of revenue. Evey major corporation would followed suit. His hands were tied. Yet everyone knew Entwistle was going to do that. It was public knowledge so I don't understand why Harper made that promise knowing Enwistle's intent.

Michael Smyth pointed out that Stephen Harper's senior aid, Bruce Carson, was the subject of some socking revelations. "The Bruce Carson story just keeps getting worse. The fraud convictions. The escort agencies. The money laundering. How the heck did a guy with a rap sheet longer than the Rideau Canal end up as one of the prime minister's top men in Ottawa?"

The network revealed this week that before Carson proposed to Michele McPherson, (the 22 year old escort he was caught funneling government contract funds to) he was involved with another prostitute, Barbara Lynn Khan, a woman who was convicted and served time in the U.S. for money laundering after authorities alleged she ran a prostitution ring.

Smyth cites the event this week where Harper's aid kicked out two university students because one of them posted a picture of herself on facebook with Michael Ignatieff. Like how did those stalkers know she posted that picture on facebook. That is really creepy. And so what? People from other political parties are allowed to come and hear other candidates speak. Only not in Harper's world. Or at least in his plastic press bubble where his people still pick who asks what questions when. No wonder they don't want the Green Party at the debate. They might ask Harper to explain Jim Flaherty's intervention on Brian Mulroney's behalf putting pressure on the CIBC to settle with Barrick Gold. Like that's not conflicted.

Michael Smyth reminded us of that incident where Chretien was wading through a crowd of protesters and was caught grabbing one by the throat. Those were the days. That kind of thing just wouldn't happen in Harper's bubble.

Smyth also cited how Ignatieff fired candidate Andre Forbes this week, when it was discovered he was a whiterights advocate who once called aboriginals lazy "featherheads." Ignatieff "had been on a bit of roll up till then. This week's Momentum Meter shows him stuck in neutral." That former judge's comments about rape was just bizarre.

As much as I oppose Ignatieff's position on torture, I really object to the political circus degenerating into a survivor play by play drama of it's all about me. Survivor is all about lies, secret deals and promoting one person above the others. Life on the other hand is all about being honest, serving others and sacrificing for the greater good.

The underlining point missing in this weeks election circus show was highlighted by Dan Gardner in his article Voters should consider Harper's contempt.

"The status quo is just not tenable, for anybody," says Peter Russell, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto and one of the country's most respected political scientists. But a Conservative majority would be worse.

"It would send a bad message about parliamentary democracy if a government brought down for contempt, very serious contempt, on the finding of a Speaker, is rewarded with a majority. I think it would encourage Mr. Harper and maybe those after him to be contemptuous of Parliament. And then I think we're in real trouble."

It's easy to forget that, in the mad rush of events leading up to the election call and the noise that followed, Stephen Harper's government was found to be in contempt of Parliament -by vote in the House of Commons -for refusing to disclose the cost of several items on its agenda. It's what brought down the government and you might say it's what this election is about.

Not that anyone would know that listening to the prime minister. Speaking at Rideau Hall after asking the governor-general to call an election, Harper said nothing about the contempt verdict. It was a fittingly contemptuous response, as all his comments on the matter have been.

Another good point was raised by a letter sent in to the Province entitled Harper's insult. "To hear Stephen Harper talk, our democracy and economy is so fragile, that if we don't give him a majority government, the dreaded socialists and separatists will form a coalition with Michael Ignatieff and ruin the country.

This kind of arrogance and fear mongering is insulting to all Canadians and has no place in our democracy."

Jeffrey Klassen convicted of assault

Jeffrey Klassen has finally been convicted of assault. He was the use of force trainer that beat and robbed a newspaper delivery man with two other cops when they were off duty in Vancouver.

Kelowna Grow Ops

Are there any grow ops in Kelowna not run by the Hells Angels? We know this East Vancouver Hells Angels support hoodie was found at a Kelowna grow op. We know that David Giles from the East Vancouver chapter of the Hells Angels lives in Kelowna. We also know that Joseph Bruce Skreptak, a full patch Hells Angels from the same chapter, also lives in Kelowna.

Bruce is the one that rented out a house in Kelowna to someone who had a grow op. He claimed it had nothing to do with him even though his truck with a Hells Angels sticker was parked outside the grow. A door leading into the mother-plant room had a sticker on it reading, "Support Your Local Hells Angels White Rock." For all practical purposes that would let everyone know it was a Hells angel grow op as in not to f*** with it.

Bruce has a history of violence. He was caught with Cory and a few associates speeding through Salmon Arm with a car full of guns, bear spray, bullet proof vest and a cell phone jammer.

Many people speculated that they were on their way to do a grow rip. Kinda makes you wonder when not long after they were caught a grow op just outside of Salmon Arms was abandoned.

Which kinda brings us back to Brittney. If she lived on a grow op that was recently busted, was it not a grow op for the Hells angels? Would Joey, a low lever drug dealer rip off someone who did business for the Hells angels? Some claimed he owed money and that murder would wipe away his debt. Yet who wanted her dead? Were the hells Angels really stupid enough to think Brittney was the rat that had her own home busted?

There was a grow op in Kamloops tied to a double murder which neighbours say was thought to have been connected to the Hells Angels. The Hells Angels are making their support for Kamloops finger puppets public.

We know that someone claiming to be from the East Vancouver chapter of the Hells angels ran into the American Backpackers Hostel with guns looking for a kid who was selling pot there. They claimed he had to leave town and wasn't allowed to sell pot in their area and that if anyone there wanted to buy pot, they had to buy it from them at the black door.

This would clearly imply that if there was a grow op in Kelowna not run by the Hells Angels, they would use threats of violence to take it over. Once again, why would a low level drug dealer rip off Britney who was selling pot for a Hells angels grow op? If he did, he would have left town but he didn't. When he was arrested he was walking around town without a care in the world. To me that would clearly imply that the Hells angels sanctioned if not commission Brittney's murder. After all Geoff Meisner was tied to the Hells angels and the Kingpin Crew. The pinheads were even in Kamloops with their puppet master recently.