The Calabrians and the Ndrangheta

A lot of media outlets are talking about the Ndrangheta. They are the Calabrians from the toe of Italy’s boot. They’re not just in Toronto, they are expanding into the UK and Ireland. One outlet refers to them as Italy’s most powerful crime group. Another describes them as more powerful than the Mafia.

Anti-mafia activist Rosy Canale used to own a restaurant and disco in the region’s biggest city, Reggio Calabria, and the Ndrangheta wanted to push drugs there. "I was to turn a blind eye," she said, speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location in the US. "If I had done so, I’d doubtless still be in Reggio Calabria, driving round in a brand-new Ferrari."

Instead, she refused. And the Ndrangheta took its revenge. Canale was kicked and pistol-whipped almost to death. "Nearly all my teeth were broken. So was my upper jawbone. They broke my collarbone, several ribs and a leg. It was eight months before I left hospital. The doctors had to reconstruct my mouth and for a long time I had to be fed through a tube. At one point, my weight dropped to 39kg," she recalled.

After being discharged, Canale left for Rome and the start of three years of rehabilitation. "I needed to learn to speak again because my tongue had also been damaged," she said. "Even today, I can’t run, though I can walk. And my right hand was so badly injured that I can’t play the piano any longer. This is the price I paid for being an honest person."

"In February, some men came to my parent’s; home in Rome posing as postmen. They said they had a letter. My mother opened the door and they pushed past her. They told her that, if I published my book, they would cut me into pieces and feed me to the pigs. A book creates awareness," added Canale. "And it remains."

The Calabrians couldn’t afford a horse’s head so they beat up a girl and used a rabbit’s head instead. I’m still having a hard time accepting that these guys are more powerful than the Sicilians. The Calabrians keep killing each other. They have no concept of loyalty at all.

The Return of GSP

George St-Pierre won a unanimous decision in his come back fight last night with Carlos Condit after his knee surgery. GSP’s win will likely mean a super fight with Brazilian Anderson Silva. GSP said “I need to take some vacation and think about it." He might give Nick Diaz a shot first.

Daiz seems to be a bit of a mouthy bitch like Tito. CSP has way more class. Yet Condit was clearly groomed for his come back. A stand up fighter without ground skills who wasn’t as strong at stand up as GSP. GSP has ground skills but he’d have a serious challenge with Anderson Silva. Ya gotta respect the Brazilians ground fighting. They wrote the book on ground fighting.GSP is still the hometown favorite.

The War in Gaza

OK I’m going to have to weigh in here. The tensions in Gaza are spilling over to protests in Canada and it behooves us to see the insanity for what it is. I am the first one to admit that Israel is not always right. I am the first one to admit that I am not comfortable giving Israel or anyone else for that matter, a blank cheque of endorsement. Yet this time, I agree with Stephen Harper’s position on Israel. Which doesn’t mean I don’t still have serious concerns about Harper handing over our oil rights to Communist China and signing trade agreements that gives up our sovereignty because I do. What it does means is that although no two people agree on every political issue, no two people disagree on every issue either.

Let’s take a step back to the previous violence in Gaza and look at the wrong that was done by both sides. Gaza says we want to be free. We want to be independent from Israel. Israel says, OK. They pull out and let Gaza have more control of their sovereignty. So what does Gaza do as soon as Israel pulls out? They start firing rockets into Israel at random. That was crazy.

I thought it was absurd how some Canadian trade unions were speaking out against Israel and denouncing a wall they built to protect themselves from rocket attacks demanding the wall be taken down. Those Canadians are crazy. They have no right to make such an absurd claim. If someone was firing rockets at me, I’d build a wall to protect myself too. That was the least aggressive and most peaceful solution conceivable.

So Israel pulls out of Gaza and Gaza responds by firing rockets into Israel. Israel then launches military strikes at points in Gaza where the rockets are being fired from. Fair enough. Israel even called in advance giving Gaza warning about a military strike in a rocket launching area. So the nutbars in Gaza then send in crazed woman screaming like they belong in an institution rushing to where Israel said they were going to strike wanting to be a martyr for the cause so Gaza could tell the world Israel was killing civilians. Not only was that crazy, it was dishonest.

I do think Israel using white phosphorous on civilians in Gaza that it bought from the US was extreme and over board. Yet they did have a right to protect themselves and strike at militant areas that were firing rockets into Israel. That’s a given. Nutbars rushing into the areas to increase civilian casualties to gain public sympathy was pure insanity and complete dishonesty.

The very fact that Gaza keeps firing rockets into Israel shows why Israel needs to maintain a naval blockade against Gaza. Not against food or medical supplies but against arms that they will clearly use against Israel.

Let us remember that Gaza is different from the rest of Palestine. The residents of Gaza are not the original inhabitants of Gaza. The Philistines were. The Philistines were conquered by Egypt under king Rames and carried away as slaves. No doubt there are many people and many families in Gaza that are normal people who just want a normal life. Yet there are many insane wackos that want to destroy Israel at any cost and play the victim to gain public sympathy as they do so. They don’t have my support.

Perhaps Gaza should be given back to Egypt. Gaza is clearly not mature enough to run themselves.

December is Gary Webb Appreciation month

December 10th is the, correct that, eighth anniversary of the death of Garry Webb. Movember may well be grow a stache for prostate cancer research but this December I want to remember Gary Webb and outline the most profound contribution he made to investigative journalism and the absurd opposition he faced. His memory will continue and so will the story they tried to bury.

When Catherine Austin Fitts read about the Gary Webb story she said something about it rang true. She had worked in the Bush Administration, she had seen how the disinformation campaign works to discredit a source. She referred to them as attack poodles that would flood the internet and media with disinformation to hide or bury a story that may be damaging to them.

Gary Webb doesn’t strike me as a conspiracy theorist. He was an award winning investigative journalist. He was clear and concise and backed everything he said up with facts. Not only do I want to emphasize what Gary Webb revealed, but I also want to emphasize the consistent disinformation campaign that sought not only to bury that story but any like unto it.

Another story they tried to bury was Judge Bonner’s claim that when he was a DEA agent, the CIA smuggled a plane loaded with a ton of cocaine into the United States which ended up on the street. Over and over again the agency passionately denied it. Judge Bonner stood firm. He even went on 60 minutes and documented everything. When confronted with the facts, the CIA finally admitted he was right but then spun it by claiming it was the only time and it was a mistake. They were trying to catch a drug trafficking ring. Only just like in Operation Fast and Furious, they made absolutely no attempt whatsoever to track the drugs and make any arrests. We also know it wasn’t the first or the last time they were caught trafficking drugs in Military aircraft.

Since I am passionate about getting crack and crystal meth off the streets and the resulting gang war that affects all of us, examining the past and present history of the CIAs drug trafficking network is a fundamental part of that. So if you don’t like conspiracies, then take the month off and don’t read my blog during the month of December. It’ll make you go blind. I’m really tired of people repeatedly saying you’re stupid. You’re crazy. You can’t say that. That’s just a wacko conspiracy theory. It is not. It is well documented and is something any real patriot must examine.

I can say whatever I want. If I want to talk about aliens and UFOs, I can. Obviously, that’s not my thing and I don’t have the time of day for that. Yet drugs and the gang war is and I will talk about that. What I will not do is listen to the same people tell me over and over again how stupid I am and how I can’t talk about those things. There are a lot of things I don’t know. I don’t claim to be an expert on anything. Yet I wasn’t born yesterday and I am not stupid. It’s not that my frail self image will crumble with a few insults. It’s just that I’m not going to listen to that abuse any more. So if you post a comment saying how stupid I am and how I’m not allowed to talk about a certain topic, don’t be surprised when that comment isn’t approved. I have a full time job and do the web site and blog on the side. I’m not going to waste my days away sitting on my ass arguing with trolls. I need time away to get out and enjoy the outdoors. That’s what I am.

So, a toast to Gary Webb and the story they tried to bury but just wouldn’t die. Simply because history repeats itself and they keep getting caught doing the same thing over and over again. If we want to deal with the gang war and the cocaine on our streets, we need to deal with the CIAs drug trafficking network. Fighting Hitler and fighting Stalin as important as that is, is in vain if we do not fight that same enemy from within. The question we need to face is if the CIA has lied about years of drug trafficking, what else have they lied about? If they are capable of poisoning their own people to raise money, what else are they capable of? A true patriot will examine that. A traitor will not.

The Legalization of Pot

The second thought I wanted to mention was all this frenzy about the legalization of pot now that Washington and Colorado said yes. California I might add, said no. To me it’s kinda like Gay pride. What two consenting adults do behind closed doors is their business. Yet parading around half naked in public with whips and chains handing out free condoms isn’t really a family friendly event.

If someone wants to smoke a blunt in private that’s their business. Yet parading around in public flaunting it and forcing others to smell it and inhale all that second hand smoke gets carried away. I’ll be the first one to admit that I don’t support mandatory minimum sentences for smoking pot. Nor do I think sending people to jail for smoking pot is productive. Yet we know what human nature is like. We know how people get carried away on 420. I don’t support the legalization of pot. I support the decriminalization of pot. There’s a big difference.

Recently there was a headline in the paper about how a pot advocate won the lottery and has committed to spend a portion of his winnings on legalizing pot in Canada. I find it somewhat amusing that all of a sudden they are referred to as pot advocates. Back in the day we called them stoners. People who smoked pot all the time and were basically burn outs. Society didn’t look up to them back then. Times have changed.

The Separation between Church and State

I have two moral thoughts before catching up on some biker news back east. The first involves the separation of church and state. Someone brought this to my attention on facebook and I’m astounded it’s even being considered. In Riverside, California there’s a popular hiking trail on Mount Rubidoux.

Mount Rubidoux is a public park beloved by the community and has had a cross on its top since 1907. It is home to what locals say is the longest-running outdoor Easter sunrise service, which began in 1909. A group of extremists calling themselves advocates for the separation of church and state have threatened to sue city council if the cross isn’t taken down. As a result, the citizens are rallying together to preserve the religious and historical monument.

Before we weigh in and debate the issue we need to clarify one thing. This group that claims to be advocates for the separation of church and state are anything but. They are not advocates for the separation of church and state. They are advocates for the elimination of church. Before we go anywhere let’s be honest about that simple fact before we let anyone pervert and destroy the sacred constitution.

If this is a religious and historical monument, then tearing it down would be a violation of the constitution and their freedom of religion. It’s not about preserving Christian principles, it’s about preserving the constitution. Tearing down all the statues of Buddha or Islam or any religious symbol is not supporting the separation of church and State. It’s supporting a Marxist Leninist Atheist sate I.E. Communism where you’re not allowed to worship how where or what you may. That is where we are going with this. Just so we’re clear.

It is Communism that tells us we’re not allowed to go to church. It is communism that tells us we’re not allowed to pray or have religious symbols. It is the Constitution that tells us yes we can. It is the Constitution that tells us, yes we are allowed to pray and have religious symbols. First they came for the Christians, then they came for the Muslims. Then they came for the Buddhists. All we were left with was a Communist state with no human rights. That is not the road any of us want to take.

Come to think of it, there’s a group in California that want to outlaw circumcision. Next they’ll want to outlaw personal hygiene. Jews and Muslims both believe in circumcision. That is their constitutional right. Violating the constitution is against the law. Everyone gets all freaked out as soon as someone threatens to sue. Let them sue and make a counterclaim for costs and damages. The constitution needs to be preserved. We know what the end result is if it isn’t.

Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan under investigation

I’m all for scandals and conspiracies but this one is simply tabloid trash and when you put it together with the recent resignation of the director of the CIA, it smells fishy. Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is now under investigation for what is being described as "inappropriate communication" between the general and a woman implicated in the scandal swirling around former CIA director David Petraeus.

An unnamed Pentagon official told the Associated Press that between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of emails and other communications between Allen and Jill Kelley are under review. A senior defense official would only tell AP that some of the emails could be described as "flirtatious." However, other top officials have told AP that generally speaking, the messages are not sexually explicit.

Kelley was the recipient of threatening emails from Paula Broadwell, the 40-year-old woman with whom Petraeus, 60, admitting to having an extramarital affair. As the world turns. Who the hell cares? This is just soap opera drama. However, it does launch a parade of red flags. First we have big brother combing through 30,000,000 pages of private e-mail after searching their entire home for whatever they’re really looking for. Second, we have the Pentagon sending out press releases giving the media updates. That’s a red flag. If they weren’t out to get these guys, they’d be hushing it up. Instead, they’re on a character assignation campaign which is the first thing they do to a potential whistleblower.

Remember the Secret Service agents in Columbia that were caught stiffing a prostitute? There were tons of high ranking officials involved. No Pentagon press releases about that one and low and behold, it’s all swept under the carpet. Surprise surprise. Another red flag is that fact that General John Allen took over the command in Afghanistan from General David Petraeus. That means they knew each other and have worked together. It’s even possible that they were friends with each other.

Let’s put this in perspective. I certainly don’t condone adultery. Yet I find getting all freaked out because General Allen had private correspondence with some woman completely disproportionate when we say nothing about US troops helping protect the Opium farms in Afghanistan. That’s the real scandal right there. Not a word said about that though because the pentagon aren’t sending press releases out about that.

Reversing the contract for the oil pipeline is a way bigger scandal then a bunch of flirtatious e-mail. Yet that doesn’t matter because that’s the party line. What’s the matter, weren’t these guys gonna tow the party line any more?

Turns out court records show the former CIA director and Gen. John Allen intervened last September in a messy custody dispute on behalf of Jill Kelley’s sister, whom a judge described as dishonest and lacking integrity. This photo is of Petraeus with Jill Kelley’s twin sister Natalie Khawam. I’m not sure what all those beads he’s wearing represents but he looks like he’s having a good time. Somehow I don’t think there was anything secret about any of these relationships.

St. John's inmate mistakenly released from jail – again

A New Brunswick inmate who was released by mistake from a Saint John jail last month is now facing charges in a home invasion that resulted in a death. It's not clear if McCutcheon duped the administration at the detention centre or if it was a paperwork error.

In 2010 another inmate was mistakenly released from jail in St. John's Newfoundland even after trying to persuade guards, sheriff's officers, court staff and police that he should remain locked up.

Remembrance Day 2012

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 the hostilities of World War I came to an end. In Flanders Fields is a famous poem written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae during that war that referred to the poppies that grow in the fields of France where some of the bloodiest battles of the war were fought. As a result, the poppy has come to symbolize remembering the sacrifices made on our behalf in times of war.

The other day the Vancouver Province ran an editorial cartoon of a solemn memorial for all the soldiers who died in war. The picture beside it was a memorial for all the civilians who lost their lives in war. That monument was three times the size. That is indeed tragic. Last year one reader said it was a 10 to 1 ratio of civilians killed in war compared to soldiers. Certainly Hiroshima and Nagasaki were examples of that. Just as the poppy has come to symbolize the sacrifices made in war, the paper crane has come to symbolize the civilian casualties of war. Something we need to remember as we embark on drone wars to kill suspected terrorists and civilians.

Last year on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year I wrote a post about how we’ve gone from the poppies of Flanders fields in France to the opium poppies grown in Afghanistan after the allied invasion. Times have sure changed and it hasn’t been for the better. We have changed the mission and distorted the dream. I’ve been surprised how much traffic that old post is getting this month.

I’m not going to restate the same concerns here but I will expand upon them. WWI and II were pretty clear cut good versus evil. A madman rises to take over the world and the world responds to stop him. It is important to remember the steps Hitler used to con his people and convince them into giving him more power then he ever deserved.

Even Korea and Vietnam, as controversial and unpopular as those wars were, were fighting for a specific cause. It was a stand against a nation who wanted to invade another nation and bring them into bondage. It was still a fight for Freedom. The invasion of Iraq changed all that. It introduced war profiteering and propaganda which resulted in the occupation of foreign land based on a lie. We were tricked in Afghanistan and lost many wonderful sincere soldiers as a result. The loss of life does not make a struggle wrong. Fighting for oil pipelines and control of the opium trade does.

An article in the Vancouver Province recently cited how much money the Harper government is spending on advertizing. A new trend mirrored by the flailing Christy Clark government here in BC. A government starts to sink in the polls and instead of heeding the democratic will of the people, they spend millions on advertizing trying to convince voters why big brother knows best.

Yesterday morning I was awoken by a commercial on my clock radio. It was a Harper attack add on Thomas Mulcair. I found it offensive, obsessive and dishonest. It went on and on about how Mulcair supports a gas tax that could be as high as ten cents a litre and how we can’t afford Thomas Mulcair because he wants to spend huge amounts of tax dollars. It was indeed dishonest, offensive and obsessive. This isn’t even an election. Back in the day we would only hear election ads during an election.

Harper’s obsessive paranoia started off with attack ads against the federal liberal leader Bob Rae after the election. The liberals were wiped off the face of the earth after the election. The criminally dishonest robocalls played a role in that. Spending money on attack ads after a political party were wiped off the map was very obsessive. Now the ongoing attack ads have turned to the leader of the opposition and are inherently dishonest. Stephen Harper’s pal Gordon Campbell was the one who supported a gas tax as well as the HST. The NDP and the provincial conservatives in BC do not. Friday I filled up with gas in Abbotsford. There already is a 9 and a half cents per litre difference in the price of gas in Surrey compared to Abbotsford. That is criminal.

Aside from attack ads after the election is over, we also have these crazy ads the Vancouver Province talks about which are paid for with tax dollars just like the Christy Clark government is doing in BC. Why no wonder. They both have the same Pee Wee Herman advisor. The Clark government went so far as paying for a self promoting commercial during the Super Bowl. Insanity to the extreme.

This is the one day of the year Stephen Harper and Peter McKay should hang their heads in shame and be in hiding because they have betrayed the Canadian military they exploit. As we speak there are law suits and complaints of cuts to funding for soldiers, pensions and support services. Jack Layton would not have done that but Stephen Harper did.

It’s like getting elected on a tough on crime platform then cutting funding for the RCMP and the gang task force while at the same time spending millions on advertizing for the RCMP trademark. This is Stephen Harpers bizarre new world that looks more like a bad acid trip down the rabbit hole with Alice in Wonderland then anything we had hoped for. Millions on insider trading jets that can’t be used in the arctic to protect Canada but nothing for the soldiers or coast guard. Billions on the banks that didn’t need a bail out why we cut pensions and raise the age of retirement. What have we done?

When I was looking through youtube videos of the Pink Floyd’s song Requiem for a post war dream, one had a clip of a sky full of parachutes as a multitude of soldiers descended to a bloody battle for freedom. It’s overwhelming to think about how many soldiers volunteered for that colossal cause. It also showed clips of soldiers killing each other and it made me ask, what makes us different from the enemy?

The first difference was we weren’t invading another country trying to conquer them. We were helping to stop that. The other difference was that we don’t torture our prisoners. Sadly in modern warfare both distinctions have been lost. This is not what our soldiers fought for. This is not the dream they died for. What happened? What happened to the post war dream? Take heed. Take heed of the dream. That’s what makes us different from the enemy. Lest we forget. Lest we forget who we are. Je me souviens. Blessed are the Peacemakers. That is what we used to be.

The FU Crew and the Outlaws

Looks like the Ontario Village Idiots have just become the hunted. A second shooting in London Ontario targeting the Hells Angles appears to be linked to the FU Crew tied to the Outlaws. I’d say that’s a natural consequence... of being an idiot.

The fires and shootings erupted because the FU Crew and the Outlaws motorcycle club are pushing back at the Hells Angels' attempt to take over the drug trade in London, multiple sources said. "The Hells Angels have terrorized everyone for 10 years," said one man.

Ten months after a Hells Angels leader was shot in London, police have arrested a fifth person in the attempted murder. The attempted murder charge indicated Jason Greenwood is accused of counseling another person to murder Diamond Ialenti, the reputed Hells Angels leader shot Jan. 11 during a tense turf war in London.

Besides the shooting outside the Hells Angels clubhouse, a strip club, tattoo shop and two massage parlours believed to be connected to gang members were set on fire, and a house was shot at over a two-day period, with total damage estimates at almost $200,000.