The Great Divide

The Vancouver Sun ran a profound article about a civil war reenactment called North-South divide still runs deep. The civil war reenactments help open up the dramatic reality of the event. It was a huge struggle with a huge loss of life. One participant said there are lessons to be learned from the civil war.

"What is the lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan?" I ventured. "We shouldn't be there," Bishop said. "You got to read the book of history. He who doesn't remember history is destined to repeat it. Look what happened to the British. Look what happened to us in Iraq, and we were in cahoots all along with Saddam Hussein, that no-good son of a bitch."

Interesting analogy. I don't think the invasion of Iraq was wrong because it was a long and hard struggle with many casualties. I think it was wrong because it was based on a lie. Yes Saddam Husein was yet another CIA asset who was sold chemical weapons to use on Iran. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Bush said they had Weapons of Mass destruction. He was wrong. Then after all the carnage of a foreign invasion based on a proven lie, his final pep rally displayed a banner that said Mission Accomplished. Mission accomplished alright. The oil companies and Dick Cheney's Haliburton made a fortune which the American taxpayers are now paying for.

Afghanistan was different. If Bin Ladden really was responsible for 9/11 then something had to be done. Yet Bin Ladden was found in Pakistan not Afghanistan. The CIA confession video didn't even look like Bin Ladden. The third tower collapsing into it's own blueprint at free fall speed due to heat and fire is simply unscientific.

There were many irregularities that tainted the Afghan mission. Unicol was one. Not only was the Taliban trained by the CIA to fight the Russians, Unicol were wining and dining them over in Texas trying to win them over so the Taliban would give them the contract for the Central Asia gas pipeline through Afghanistan. Shortly after the Taliban ended up giving the contract for the oil pipeline to an Argentina firm named Bridas, Afghanistan was invaded and that decision was reversed.

The invasion of Iraq was just plain wrong and the war with Afghanistan became very confused and tainted. Handing over prisoners to be tortured and harvesting opium pretty much confirmed the mission went bad. Very bad.

Yet the article was about the historical civil war which it claims was over the issue of Slavery. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks that is what the war was about. I had always concurred with the brother from Boston who asked, who wants a Union with people who fought a war for the right to keep slaves?

I got in an argument with a biker from Tennessee who used the Southern flag as part of their logo and said it was racist. He claimed many Confederates fought in the civil war for independence not slavery. If that is true that would soften my heart towards the south. Yet the historical realities of the time are hard to deny.

The Irish had sympathy for the Abolition Movement. They opposed British occupation of Ireland and supported the American Revolution. Daniel O'Connell sent word to the Irish in America inviting them to support the end to slavery because it was a cause they as a people supported through their own struggles.

I personally, can't see any good in fighting a war for the right to keep slaves. If the south wanted to be independent then that's fair enough but slavery is nothing to boast about or endorse.

Oslo Tragedy

A Norwegian gunman disguised as a police officer beckoned his victims closer before shooting them one by one, claiming at least 84 lives, in a horrific killing spree on an idyllic island teeming with youths that has left this peaceful Nordic nation in mourning.

The island tragedy Friday unfolded hours after a massive explosion ripped through a high-rise building housing the prime minister's office, killing seven people in a scene some likened to the aftermath of 9/11.

The same man - a blond-blue eyed Norwegian with reported Christian fundamentalist, anti-Muslim views - is suspected in both attacks. His name is Anders Behring Breivik.

I had a close friend from Norway. He used to say he was born with skis on his feet. He had served in the military before I worked with him. I found him to be a very honest, trustworthy and hard working man. I am indeed shocked and saddened with the news of an individual fruit loop who has completely lost touch with reality.

I was shocked and concerned when I saw photos of him with a Freemason apron on. I was even more shocked and disappointed to see a bizarre video claiming to be from the Knights Templar calling for a new crusade to decimate cultural Marxism. The gunman opened fire on a youth retreat for young members of the labour party. He killed them for their political beliefs. That is not something St George would endorse.



I know this looks bad and it is bad. I want to clarify two things. Freemasons promise to keep their religious rituals secret. They don't promise to keep the crimes of other Freemasons secret. George Washington and Ben Franklin were Freemasons. They were good and noble men aspiring to something higher.

The Knights Templar, aside from being portrayed in the movie Da Vinci code, is the highest degree of Freemason in the York Right. Shriners are Freemasons. This individual's twisted view of Freemasonry is not what Freemasonry or the Knight Templar teach. He is a wacko who committed mass murder.

Perhaps this tragic event is a good lesson for all of us. Not all Muslims are terrorists just like not all Christians are crazed gunmen. The freedom of religion and the freedom of political affiliation are fundamental rights is a free and democratic society.

The young victims in this shooting spree were not Marxists, they were members of the Labour party. This is why Harper's name calling and labels are so offensive. The crazed gunman was a member of a right wing political party that campaigned against immigration.

Amy Winehouse reported dead

This is a shocking tragedy. Amy Winehouse was indeed an immensely talented singer. Her struggle with drug addiction was very public. I myself joked about the fact that she was a poster girl showing why people shouldn't smoke crack yet no one would wish this kind of misfortune on anyone.

She was famous for her remake of the song They tried to make me go to rehab. Amy Winehouse certainly isn't the only famous musician that struggled with drug addiction. All that money and all that pressure can be a very challenging combination.

The reason I joked about the situation was because some were taking her mocking about going to rehab to the extreeme and were rationalizing drug addiction which clearly is nothing to joke about or endorse. The physical transformation on her body was extreme. The obsession with anerexia is tragic. People need to be more acepting of themselves. The obsession with losing weight is not healthy. Yet skinny or fat people are human and despite Amy's physical transformation she was still a beautiful person.

Betral and loss are hard to deal with. It was tragic when one of her "friends" sold a copy of a video she made of Amy smoking crack. That must of hurt. Even more painful was to see the context of the video. It was after the break up of her marriage. She had a wedding photo on the wall and was looking at it as she lit up the crack pipe. It was heart breaking to see.

I am very sorry to hear of Amy Winehouse's death. I still think joking about not going to rehab and promoting drug adicition is wrong and this tragic death reinforces that. People who make money off that kind of addiction are parasites. Amy Winehouse will always be remembered as a talented musician and a beuatiful human being.

Harper and Xenophobia

The Vancouver Sun ran an article yesterday claiming Civil rights groups say the (Harper) government is stoking the fires of xenophobia and vigilantism by making public a list of 30 foreign men in Canada suspected of war crimes. I had to look up what xenophobia meant. Xenophobia is defined as the "hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers or of their politics or culture. I'd have to admit, the Harper government is very much guilty of that. Just as fear and ignorance are the seeds of racism, so too are xenophobia and hypocrisy.

Harper's media machine has recently released three stages of finger pointing distractions. First we hear that new Canadian citizenship applications are way down. Then we hear the Harper Government is planning on revoking 1800 Canadian citizenships. Then finally we hear the Harper government has 30 men on a war crimes wanted list, looking for them to revoke their citizenship.

Personally I find this information inherently hypocritical. Yes acts of torture are wrong. They do in fact constitute war crimes and yes we should be vigilant in opposing war crimes. Yet Harper's Canadian Most Wanted list missed the three biggest offenders. George Bush vetoed the bill to stop torture at Guantanamo bay. He didn't just lie and cover up the fact that they were torturing prisoners at Guantanamo bay. He didn't just fire the whistle blowers that leaked out the information that they were torturing prisoners at Guantanamo bay. Everyone knew they were. That's why congress passed a bill stopping it. George Bush vetoed that bill. You can't get any more war criminal than that. If we are to pursue the 30 men on Harper's Canadian Most Wanted list, then we have to arrest George Bush when he comes to speak in Surrey this October. It would be pure hypocrisy not to do so.

Obviously Harper failed to add himself and Peter MacKay to his list of wanted war criminals. Yet they are much larger scale offenders than the 30 petty war criminals on his list. Peter MacKay did what he does best when asked if the Harper government knew Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan were handing over prisoners to be tortured, he lied. Just like he lied about calling Belinda Stronach a dog in Parliament. Why lie about that? It was a funny dig after what she did. Why lie about it when he was caught on tape and did so in a house full of witnesses?

How can we place Peter MacKay in a position of trust if he is a progressive liar? I say progressive because lying about making fun of his old girlfriend is a small lie. Lying about the Harper government's knowledge about prisoners being tortured in Afghanistan is a huge lie. As is refusing to release the documents which proved it on state security claims and then heavily censoring the evidence with a giant black felt marker.

Peter MacKay was most certainly not acting alone in that capacity. He was Harper's right hand man. Harper assumes legal liability for MacKay's cover up because he was acting under Harper's direction with the goal of protecting Harper. Stephen Harper slandered and fired the whistle blower for leaking the fact that we were handing over prisoners to be tortured in Afghanistan.

If the Harper government is going to pursue the 30 war criminals on their Canadian Most Wanted list, then he is under legal obligation to release the uncensored documents proving his knowledge and participation in the torture of prisoners in Afghanistan and he needs to put himself in one of those nice new cosy jails he plans on building after he cut funding for the RCMP and the Gang task Force. That would be justice. Privatizing prisons is wrong.

Hells Angel Censorship

Let's talk about the big bad wolf. Another thread about the Hells Angels on the Kelowna Castanet forum totally disappears. Someone asks where the link went and a troll responded with a link to another thread kissing HA a*s. That wasn't the thread they're talking about.

That kind of brazen censorship is disappointing. It's actually somewhat shocking. Like we're living behind the iron curtain or the third reich. Examining that act of censorship I want to discuss two false concerns and one very real concern. The first false concern is threats of legal action.

There was a thread going on about the Hells Angels and all is well as long as people are kissing their a*s but as soon as anyone starts to raise some valid concerns and cite some real cases, the drama queen trolls cry the blues. They huff and they puff and they threaten legal action.

Some idiot parroted that same old insane argument stating that the Hells Angels have never been found a criminal organization by the courts so they aren't one. I responded with a statement saying that simply was not true. The Ontario case law has been well entrenched. Ricky the fat a*s liar got his feelings hurt and said after that decision came out, he was sitting in a restaurant and someone asked to be moved because they didn't want to sit beside someone involved with a criminal organization. Ricky fat a*s cried the blues in court and appealed the decision. His appeal failed and the decision was upheld.

The trolls then say well we live in BC and the courts in BC have never defined the Hells Angels to be a criminal organization so they're not. That isn't entirely true. Twice criminal organization convictions have recently been upheld by the courts. They just didn't name the criminal organization. Which seems a bit weird but I suppose whatever works. Yet in those cases they were involved with the Hells angels.

That's when the little red troll huffed and puffed and threatened to sue me. They lied and said the media never reported on any ties to the Hells Angels so unless I was present in court I should shut up or the Hells Angels will sue me for slander. Well that was a threat made based on a lie. The Kelowna Marina cocaine trafficking case which was the first case in BC where criminal organization convictions have been upheld was in fact involved with the Hells Angels. I cited the case in the thread on the Castanet forum which was then deleted.

In the Kelowna Marina trial it was reported that there was another call between the two men. Fraser phones Herrick and orders him to “bring some s**t” to “the clubhouse.” With loud music in the background, Fraser tells him the address is 837 Ellis Street, the property known locally as the Hells Angels clubhouse.

So when that little red troll threatened to sue me for slander he was lying. I was telling the truth. So why would Castanet delete an entire thread if I had simply quoted something they themselves reported in the news? There's only two other possibilities.

Let's talk about due process and the right to a fair trial. Yes someone is innocent until proven guilty. Yes someone has the right to a fair trial and a unbiased jury. Yet that doesn't mean the public isn't allowed to discuss a case. The Paul Bernardo case was very public. So was the Pickton trial. Courts can order publication bans on the evidence presented at a trial but they can't forbid the public from discussing a case as it comes to trial.

We were also talking about Dain Philips murder in the Castanet thread that was deleted. How Kim Bolan reported that witnesses claim they saw the accused beat Dain to death with baseball bats and hammers. Even if someone kills those witnesses or threatens them or their family so they refuse to testify, that does not change the fact that they did in fact tell Kim Bolan what they saw.

Now the little red troll says what if the witnesses are lying and Dain was holding a weapon? Wouldn't that change things considerably? No, I said. It wouldn't. Aside from the fact that I don't believe it, that many men with weapons beating a single man to death would be excessive and uncalled for. Secondly, I don't believe he was holding a weapon. Let's face it, right or wrong, the public has the conception that the Hells angels are murderers. There is no way a single man with a family is going to threaten a group of men led by Hells Angels with a weapon. He's going to try and negotiate with them knowing full well if he attacks them with a weapon, he will have to deal with more of them at a later time.

So when the little red troll lies and says Dain was holding a weapon, I'm forced to cry bullsh*t. That lie fails the test of believability. Secondly, I will cry foul. How dare you censor me for telling the truth while you slander a dead man and lie about the witnesses behind their back to gain public sympathy. Shame on you. Talking about the case is not a violation of a publication ban that doesn't exist. We are allowed to talk about what happened.

Just like we are allowed to talk about the two gang rapes at the Renegades clubhouse in Prince George. Their lawyer contacted me and lied. He said I wasn't allowed to report the charge which is absolutely false. Then he quotes a publication ban which was imposed to protect the identity of the victim. He was trying to censor all discussions about the case hoping the public would forget about it and say they're great guys. They do the toy run every year.

That only leaves us with one option why Castanet deleted the thread. If the Hells Angels are going to threaten me, then it is well within the realm of believability that they are going to threaten the reporters and editors at Castanet. I have first hand knowledge of this happening in the past. Yet it doesn't have to be a direct threat for it to be a real threat. Chris Hudsen raised his shirt and showed his Hells Angel tattoo and said "Don't you know who I am? I'm a Hells Angel." Simply showing his tattoo was a threat. Wearing gang colours is a threat. If someone says you better delete that thread or the Hells angels won't be happy, that is a threat. That I can understand. It doesn't make it right but that I can understand.

Just don't tell me I'm not allowed to talk about the fact that two Hells Angels were seen beating a father to death with baseball bats and hammers and don't tell me I'm not allowed to talk about two gang rapes at a Hells Angels puppet clubhouse in Price George because I am allowed to talk about it and I should. It's a matter of public safety.

New Strip bar in Rutland

A new strip bar in Rutland has community members concerned. Perhaps the real concern isn't the strip bar it's who's running it. First let's take a look at the location - Rutland. Rutland was in the news recently after two Hells Angels were charged in a Rutland beating death.

That tragic story involved a father who was beaten to death with baseball bats and hammers as he was trying to make peace between his sons and a few kids they knew from High School. Which High School? Rutland High School. Aside from the two hells angels and the president of the throttle lockers, also charged were Daniel Joseph McCrae, 21, Mathew Thomas McCrae, 19, Ansen Lloyd Schell, 19, and Thomas Allen Vaughan, 22 from Rutland Senior Secondary School.

So right after this savage murder a new strip bar opens up in Rutland. Some sources claim it's run by the Hells Agnels, yet that's hard to prove. Tbarz in Surrey is run by the Hells Angels according to a US cross border drug ring inditement. Yet Whiterock Hells Angel Randy Jones has it registered in his mother's name.

There have been a lot of concerns expressed about the number of stripper agencies the Hells angels own or control. Sure, CJ Barrowby is an idiot but he is empowered by the Hells angels. He was sentenced to house arrest for trafficking cocaine for the Hells angels and now just runs a stripper agency for them.

So when someone tells me they are concerned about the new strip bar in Rutland being run by the Hells angels, I have to share their concerns. The location is very suspicious after the recent violent murder. Letting them expand their business in that community is an insult not only to Dain Phillips and the community but to Canada and humanity. BTW Please be advised, the new name of the strip club is in trademark violation because the name and domain has already been registered in the US. You're supposed to do a name search before you register a company.

Greek Fraud Bailout

With all the news of the financial crisis Greece I think it's important to look at the investment fraud that created the crisis. Jochen Zeitz, the outgoing chief executive of Puma, claimed: "This is about systematic evasion and embezzlement." What was public money is now, mysteriously, become very private money.

The former manager of a well known and reliable insurance company in Rhodes, convinced Rhodian investrors with substantial financial standing, to redeem their mutual fund units and reinvest in virtual and non-existent securities funds, which he had invented. Greek "Madoffs" are springing up like mushrooms.

Money laundering in Greece is a problem for all of Europe. Even in the US, Chael Sonnen, the UFC middleweight currently serving a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, has pleaded guilty to money laundering related to mortgage fraud.

"This office will continue to aggressively prosecute real estate professionals who committed the mortgage fraud that contributed to this country's economic downturn and wreaked havoc on our community's housing market," US Attorney Dwight Holton said in a statement. "We entrusted these professionals to honestly broker real estate transactions and instead, they defrauded lending institutions throughout the country and left financial ruin in their wake."

Bailouts are preceded with money laundering and investment fraud that pumps the market up then sucks it dry. Protecting against investment fraud is protecting our sovereignty.

Rehabilitation

Obviously the gang war concerns us. Public and private violence is a legitimate concern. Seeing the loss and grief in Chris Mohan's mother's eyes is heart breaking. Ultimately, there can be no justice because nothing will bring her son back. Not even the death of those who murdered her son. Yet doing nothing mocks that wonderful life that was stolen.

Perhaps too much effort is put into trying to rehabilitate sexual offenders. Some call for mandatory castration. The objectives of the judicial system is not just to punish the guilty but to protect public peace. To prevent other victims.

Leaving murder and sexual assault aside, I do want to talk about rehabilitation. There was a Hells Angel who was caught selling crack at Surrey Central. He cried just like the Hells Angels caught selling date rape drug, said he was sorry and promised he'd change his ways. Although confession and remorse are the right steps to take, they aren't the only steps. Perhaps I was too critical of this individual. It's really not my place to judge him. I just thought the whole thing was suspicious since as a result of his real or fake tears, he only served one day in prison.

Yet I will agree change is not only possible, it should be encouraged. Kim Bolan interviewed James Coulter who was with the UN and had a crack addiction. He had gotten off the drug and started giving back by volunteering in East Van. This guy seemed legitimate. Not Like Tony the Hypocrite who was "helping" East Van prostitutes by selling them heroin.

Recently someone sent me the link to another reformed gang member who was now speaking to kids in schools. I hesitate to cite the web site or discuss it in a positive light because that might put him at risk. Yet if the Hells Angels are going to try and continue with their dishonest facade about not being drug dealers, then they really shouldn't have anything against someone speaking to kids against drugs and the gang life.

Dave Habib had a famous boxer come and speak against drug abuse to the boxers in his gym. Anyways, the guy's name is Tom Winget. His web site is called You can't reset this game. He is the former Sargent in Arms for the Manitoba Hells Angels. After doing time in the Zig Zag crew round up, he claims to have seen the light and now speaks to kids in schools about gang life. His conclusion is if kids get involved in the gang life there are two places that road will lead: prison or death. It's a pretty honest message. I certainly wouldn't want to see him die of an unfortunate accident for his work.

My whole point is yes people can change and yes that is our ultimate goal. Martin Luther King taught that the old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. As Christians rally in a mob mentally spirit of criminal vengeance I am reminded of Martin Luther King's conclusion when he said: "I've seen too much hate to want to hate and every time I see it I say to myself hate is too great a burden to bear."

Hate is too great a burden to bear. So is losing a child to violence. We should be concerned with preventing future victims of violence. The first step to rehabilitation is helping people overcome their addictions to hard drugs not by being enablers helping them perpetuate their addiction. Three months in jail for selling crack is not excessive. It is essential. Not doing so is negligence.

Conrad Black on the Prison System

Speaking of prisons, I found this article about Harper's Roadmap to Strengthening Public Safety written by Conrad Black somewhat interesting. I am by no means a fan of Conrad Black. I think he is a liar and a crook. Yet just as no two people agree on every issue, likewise no two people disagree on every issue either. Conrad raises a good point about human rights.

Back in the day we had prisoners of war. Understandably, there is a certain amount of animosity directed toward a prisoner of war. After all, they were caught trying to kill you. Yet they are human beings and are entitled to basic human rights. I'm not going to ramble about prisoner's rights as though it is some kind of demand they are entitled to. I'm going to speak from the position that since we are human beings, treating prisoners like human beings is something we owe ourselves if we are to continue claiming to be members of that race.

I will add that since crime should be punished according to the nature of the offence, I am glad Conrad Black was finally incarcerated for Investment Fraud. Just as we need to address the issue of violent crime, we also need to address the issue of investment fraud since it poses such a legitimate threat to the market and pension security. Robbing a bank is wrong. Whether you come into the bank with a gun, or if you come in with a suit and tie and defraud it, both acts are the same.

Concerns have been raised about Harper’s Corporate Prison Plan and indeed they should. California's prison crisis came about because of the privatization of prisons just like Enron. A privatized prison is a conflict of interest. A privatized prison mandated to make a profit has no regard for rehabilitation or human rights.

Obviously, rehabilitation is not the primary objective of incarceration. Public safety is. Nevertheless, in the spirit of public safely, rehabilitation is a factor. It's not the primary factor but it is a factor nonetheless. After all, "Christians" are taught to visit those in prison and equate it with visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and housing the homeless.

The Cost of Incarceration

Canada's annual prison costs jump 86 percent to $3B in just five years. As we contemplate raising taxes, reducing deficits, and prioritizing expenditures we do need to examine how much tax dollars we spend on what and why.

We have expressed the concern that the current Judaical system for violent crime is flawed. If you commit murder or if a group of people swarm and assault an individual, that crime needs to be taken seriously and have some kind of legitimate consequence to it. House arrest for trafficking cocaine for the Hells Angels is nonsense. Crimes committed with firearms need to be taken seriously.

Yet often our world is full of extremes. Mandatory minimum sentences for violent crime is one thing. Mandatory minimum sentences for possession of pot is another. When we look at the crisis the California prison system is in, it becomes clear that we must be prudent and prioritize our expenditures.

The California prisons are desperately over crowded. Three to a bunk is excessive. As a result of the privatized prison system refusing to adequately address the issue, the courts ordered them to release one quarter of the prison population. That is significant. The most basic and obvious concern is that the release of prisoners has almost become a lottery as they aren't necessarily releasing nonviolent offenders first which is absolutely absurd.

Equally absurd is Harper's promise to get tough on crime then cut funding for the RCMP and the Gang task force. Crime prevention is an important factor in dealing with crime. Having police officers walk the beat in East Vancouver and in Surrey Central is a good thing. A police presence in those areas can help reduce crime. You don't have to spend a lot of money on Crime Prevention for it to be effective. Block Watch is a volunteer program that effectively gets the community involved in reporting crime and being aware of suspicious behaviour. Surrey Place and Guldford mall have volunteers to help patrol which has dramatically helped reduce the amount of car theft in those areas.

In California they incarcerate deadbeat Dads. No one likes a deadbeat Dad but throwing him in jail costs taxpayers money. Garnishing his wages costs the deadbeat Dad money. It really is that simple.

Yes there is crime associated with grow ops but the real problem is when the gangs take the BC pot and trade it in the US for cocaine to be sold here as crack. As soon as you bring cocaine into the picture the violence increases exponentially. As soon as you start selling crack or meth on the street the violence is off the hook.

Enforcement means not letting the gangs sell crack in public. That is the New York model. Mandatory minimum sentences for selling crack are needed. Mandatory minimum sentences for selling pot is disproportionate and since it would be so costly, it would prevent us from being able to incarcerate the violent criminals and in essence shoot ourselves in the foot.