The October Surprise

No, we're not talking about the Great Pumpkin. According to Wikipedia, "in American political jargon, the October surprise is a news event deliberately created to influence the outcome of an election, particularly one for the U.S. presidency."

Wikipedia also reports that "In the 1980 presidential election, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan feared that a last-minute deal to release American hostages held in Iran might earn incumbent Jimmy Carter enough votes to win re-election. As it happened, in the days prior to the election, press coverage was consumed with the Iranian government's decision—and Carter's simultaneous announcement—that the hostages would not be released until after the election."

"It was first written about in a Jack Anderson article in The Washington Post in the fall of 1980, in which he alleged that the Carter administration was preparing a major military operation in Iran for rescuing U.S. hostages in order to help him get reelected. Subsequent allegations surfaced against Reagan alleging that his team had impeded the hostage release to negate the potential boost to the Carter campaign."

"After the release of the hostages on January 20, 1981, minutes after Reagan's inauguration, some charged that the Reagan campaign had made a secret deal with the Iranian government whereby the Iranians would hold the hostages until after Reagan was elected and inaugurated."

"Abolhassan Banisadr, the former President of Iran, has also stated that the Reagan campaign struck a deal with Teheran to delay the release of the hostages in 1980, asserting that by the month before the American Presidential election in November 1980, many in Iran's ruling circles were openly discussing the fact that a deal had been made between the Reagan campaign team and some Iranian religious leaders in which the hostages' release would be delayed until after the election so as to prevent President Carter's re-election. He repeated the charge in My Turn to Speak: Iran, the Revolution & Secret Deals with the U.S."

That is what the real October Surprise was about. The allegation that Earl Brian along with George Bush Sr. and William Casey from the CIA met with Iranians in Paris and bribed them to keep the hostages until after the election so President Reagan and Vice President Bush could get elected over Jimmy Carter. The allegations include the claim that the money they used to bribe the Iranians to delay the release of the hostages was from the $50 million Earl Brian embezzled from Nesbitt Thompson clients in Canada. That was the real October surprise. Which forces the question, if they bribed them to delay the release of hostages, did they set the whole thing up and bribe them to take the hostages in the first place just to win the election?

Iran contra was not about selling Iran arms to release hostages. The New York Times reported that "Congress moved quickly to get to the bottom of the affair, in which the Reagan Administration sold arms to Iran and diverted some proceeds to the Nicaraguan rebels." Iran contra was about selling Iran arms to fund the contra rebels in Nicaragua.

They were selling chemical weapons including mustard gas to Saddam Hussein and arms to Iran both at the same time. It had nothing to do with supporting democracy. It was about making money. The Gary Webb story showed the CIA was also letting their contra assets bring cocaine into the US to raise money for their cause creating the US crack epidemic. The exact same time George Bush Sr. was leading the war on drugs in the media he in reality created the problem.

The Site C Dam is better than a Nuclear Reactor

While we're on the subject of sustainable business, we need to talk about the Site C Dam. The mob is fickle and the politicians are spineless. As we speak an oil tanker is drifting aimlessly without power set to crash into the Haida Gwaii off the BC coast. Are we supposed to sit back and watch it happen? Of course not. The coast guard was able to tow it away from running aground temporarily to buy enough time for some tug boats to get there to take control of the situation.

Some people will complain about anything and everything no matter what. There is no pleasing everyone. Some people even complained about the wind generator they put on Grouse mountain. Come on. Are we really supposed to sit at home in the dark without computers, iPhones or Internet and not go anywhere? Oil spills, tar sands and toxic tailing pools of fresh water are legitimate environmental concerns. Nuclear reactors are another.

As we speak the Fukishima reactor is still leaking radioactive water into the pacific ocean contaminating an ocean of fish and an entire food supply. Instead of arguing back and forth trying to hide and deny that fact, let's put our heads together and stop the freaking leak. We can argue about clean up until the cows come home. Until then let's stop the leak and stop it from getting worse. Hiding that ongoing disaster is not socially responsible.

There are huge concerns with nuclear reactors. As we have seen, they are dangerous and can create serious health risks in any natural disaster. As we have seen, they produce radioactive waste that is virtually impossible to dispose of safely. Not only that, but when we give China, Libya or anywhere else nuclear reactors we give them the technology and materials to make nuclear weapons. That is not socially responsible. As we speak Stephen Harper has relaunched the nuclear arms race.

In contrast, hydro electric dams are much safer and environmentally friendly. Next time you go to Grouse mountain, stop off at the Cleavland Dam and take a look at the horrible environmental damage that longstanding dam has done to the ecosystem. It has created a wonderful park and lake that is still used as a water shed for drinking water. It is totally clean and has powered Vancouver for many years.

Have you ever gone boating on Stave Lake or Alouette lake? Those lakes were created by hydro electric dams. There are numerous dams in the lower mainland that have served us well. They are clean and sustainable. As I've said, some people will complain about everything given the chance. Flooding a forest is an initial concern. So log it first before it's taken out by a forest fire or the pine beetle. If people own land that will be flooded, they have to be fairly compensated.

Years ago I was handing out flyers in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery. A couple of transient punk rocker kids were giving me a hard time and yelled out "How many trees did it take to make your flyers?!" Without hesitation I yelled back "How many trees did it take the last time you went to the bathroom?!" He stopped in his tracks and with a stunned look on his face turned to his girlfriend as if to ask what the hell I was talking about. She finally broke the awkward silence by saying "Toilet paper. Everyone uses toilet paper and it takes trees to make toilet paper." The guy just kind of pondered that for a while and realized that he and everyone else uses trees to some extent. The challenge is to be sustainable. Cut down a tree and plant three in it's place. That's responsible. Clear cutting forests without tree planting is not.

When I look at the Site C Dam proposal it looks like a freaking park with a lake that would be teaming with boaters and recreational uses. It's a lot better than a nuclear reactor. It never ceases to amaze me that with all the relatively modern technology of splitting an atom, all the brain surgeons do with it is create heat to boil water to turn a steam turbine that generates electricity. The same thing a hydro electric Dam does only not as effective. Hydro electric dams are the power of nature. Imagine tapping the power of the Niagara falls. That's what hydro electric dams do.

The only real concern that I can see is the risk to spawning salmon. So how do we respond? We create a fish hatchery which improves the survival rate of the Salmon. On your way to Grouse mountain and the Cleavland Dam on Capliano Road, stop off at the fish ladder and hatchery on the way. You can see if for yourself and hike all around that wonderful sustainable ecosystem.

Take a look at the location of the proposed Dam. There are already two dams on the same river up stream. Stave Lake and Bunsen Lake are a chain of dams and tunnels that lead into other dams. That's good business. We would be much better off helping China build hydro electric dams then helping them build coal plants and nuclear reactors to reignite the nuclear arms race.



Note: Using the site C Dam to collect water to sell to the US for fracking would be a bad idea. Using the dam to generate electricity is a good idea. Electric cars need electricity to operate.

Exporting Fresh Water for Fracking

I realize there has been a huge ongoing campaign about fresh waters sales from Canada to the United States and to be quite frank, I never understood why. Water is a renewable resource. It evaporates and come back to us as rain. Now I realize why it is a concern. They are polluting massive amounts of water for fresh water fracking.

CBC is reporting that "the Western Canada Wilderness Committee and the Sierra Club filed a petition against the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission and energy company EnCana Corp. over the commission's decision to grant repeat short-term water approvals to the company. The environmental groups wanted the court to declare the approvals a violation of the provincial Water Act. They also asked a judge to quash several such permits issued to Encana. But in a decision posted this week on the court website, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick dismissed the application."

Why was the application dismissed? "Days before the court hearing began, the provincial government introduced its updated Water Sustainability Act, which expressly allows recurrent short-term approvals. But the previous legislation did not prohibit such approvals." Christy Clark and the BC Liberals changed the law that they were breaking days before the trial. The Water Sustainability Act does the exact opposite of what it claims just like Harper's not about Crime bill does and just like the US Patriot Act does.

"Court heard that in 2012, the oil and gas commission granted the industry access to 20.4 million cubic metres of surface water. About seven million were for fracking — 54 per cent of that from short-term approvals." The judge lied and said only a small percentage of the water the US gets from Canada is being used in fresh water fracking. That is a lie. The US is using massive amounts of fresh water for fracking. Instead of using it for drinking or irrigation they use it for fracking. We give them water for drinking and irrigation so they can use theirs for fracking. It's that simple.

Recently Gwyn Morgan criticized New Brunswick and Nova Scotia's decision to join with Quebec to ban fracking because of the massive amounts of water it pollutes. Apparently they have banned liquid propane fracking as well as fresh water fracking. There is a huge difference between the two. Fresh water fracking involves putting massive amounts of toxic chemicals into the water to make fracking fluid which leaves toxic tailing ponds behind. Fracking with propane does not.

As one blog reader pointed out, fracking with liquid natural gas doesn't pollute massive amounts of fresh water like fresh water fracking does. He claims one Alberta company does fracking with propane not water and they have some oil wells in northern BC. The problem is not all the BC oil wells use propane fracking instead of fresh water fracking.

The same concern exists in the United States. The massive amounts of fresh water they are still using for fracking is creating a drought from Texas to California. We need to put a moratorium on fresh water fracking in BC and the export of BC water for fresh water fracking. Claiming they aren't uing it for fracking is untrue. If the BC Liberals won't do it we need to elect someone else who will.

Heating with natural gas is good. Heating with coal is bad. Fracking with liquid propane is good. Fracking with fresh water is bad. Fracking with liquid propane costs more. That's why some companies won't do it. The public need to force them to. It's a matter of public safety.

Seniors take on Canada Post

The Globe and Mail is reporting that Seniors and the disabled are taking on Canada Post over their unilateral decision to remove door to door delivery. The scam was introduced based on the lie that the company is struggling financially. They have consistently made a profit year after year and pay dividends to the Canadian government which has considerably added to the tax revenue.

The only reason Canada Post could possibly manipulate the numbers is by including huge expenditures on US sorting machines that don't work in Canada because of our six digit postal code as opposed to the lengthy US zip codes. Canada Post regularly lies to the media and the media blindly reprints those lies without thinking or questioning them. Canada Post already implemented a massive price increase on stamps to help offset the costs of the old machines that don't work in Canada. Ask Rick Mercer what he thinks.

Canada Post needs to be publicly accountable. Eliminating door to door delivery is a bad idea. It adversely affects seniors and the disabled and it puts the security of the queen's mail at risk.

Save the Dream, Stop Moya Green. Oh right she ran off to shaft England. Now they've contracted out her axe murdering position to derail Canada Post just like she did to CN and to Bombardier when she was with them. Buyer Beware. Moya Greene is Bad for Business. Public services need to be publicly accountable. Privatizing Canada Post will remove public accountability and reduce tax revenue which means taxpayers will have to come up with the loss in tax revenue.

Vancouver Civic Election Nonsense

Speaking of the communist take over of Canada, take a look at Meena Wong's brainstorm. She's the COPE candidate for the mayor of Vancouver. The Vancouver Observer is reporting that she wants to implement a $30 a month Transit pass. She wants to force every citizen to buy one like they force every University student to buy one even if they live on campus. That my friend is communism. I don't ride the sky train. It sucks. I shouldn't be forced to buy something I don't use.

She also wants to introduce a $15 minimum wage. A nice idea but who's going to pay for it? The provincial government sets minimum wage not the city. She is overstepping jurisdiction and is just getting extreme. Larry Campbell was a good guy. Vancouver's own Da Vincci. COPE has never been able to get it together since him. I realize they are typically left leaning but these guys are a bit weird for my comfort zone.

In Vancouver I'm going to have to go with Kirk LaPointe and the NPA. They support business and oppose the toxic garbage incinerator. That is common sense. Ever Gregor Robertson and Vision Vancouver is becoming weird and extreme. Looks like we've come full circle.

Here in Surrey Barinder Rasode, the one that shafted the entire Sikh community on the conflicted Gateway Casino scam, now wants to do away with election signs. Nobody likes 50 million election signs everywhere but eliminating them completely? Come on, that's a bit weird.

I'll admit that having Linda Hepner's painful face plastered all over the city is indeed a form of air pollution. There should be a fine for that. Yet it does fall under free speech and they have to come down after the election is over. Obviously the reason Rasode is concerned about election signs is because she doesn't have the financial backing the others do which once again puts her credibility into question. However, does it always have to be the richest candidate wins? That's not right either. We need to use common sense and shun extremism.

Fuel Tanker set to crash into Haida Gwaii - 2nd Update

MSN News is reporting that a ship, which had been travelling from Everett, Wash., to Russia, is carrying 400 tonnes of bunker fuel and 50 tonnes of diesel fuel has lost power and is drifting off the B.C. coast toward Haida Gwaii. On its Facebook page, the Council of the Haida Nation on Friday morning said “Coast Guard is preparing for the worst with the ship hitting ground in 3-4 hours” and called the situation “dire.” Mobilize. There is no reason this accident can't be prevented. Get a ship load of tugboats on the scene to steer it to safety.



CBC is now reporting that "the Canadian Coast Guard vessel Gordon Reid has managed to secure a line and is towing the incapacitated Russian cargo ship Simushir away from the Haida Gwaii coast, according to officials with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria. Navy Lt. Paul Pendergast told CBC News the two vessels are currently moving away from the direction of land at a speed of approximately 1.5 nautical miles per hour. Three other vessels currently en route to the scene have greater tow capability that the Gordon Reid, and are expected to arrive early Saturday morning, Pendergast said." Thank God. This is another reason we need the coast guard in Vancouver that Stephen Harper cut.

Update: CBC is now reporting that the oil tanker is drifting again after the tow lie broke three times. The two other coast guard vessels arrived on scene but aren't properly equipped to secure a tow line. Well that wasn't very smart. Send in some freaking tug boats. This is important. Dispatch the tug boats. Send three new tow lines to the coast guard vessels on scene by helicopter. Use all three tow lines at once so they don't break. Come on scare crow. Use your brain.

Drive by shooting in Surrey

The Surrey Now is reporting that there was a drive by shooting in Surrey 8:40 p.m. Wednesday, in the 12100-block of 82nd Avenue. Numeorus shots were fired into a house in Newton. People were inside the house at the time.

BC Local News is reporting that a Maple ridge man named Christopher Leigh Harmes was in possession of fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that is similar to heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine.

Saskatoon Hells Angel uttered threats on camera

Last August we heard news that Saskatoon Hells Angel Jesse Bitz will stand trial in October for uttering threats kill the owner of Xtreme Mining and Demolition. Well, it's October and as several blog readers have pointed out, the trial is under way.

The Star Phoenix is reporting that Xtreme Mining’s owner, Leonard Banga, testified Bitz threatened to kill him on three occasions. Banga said he phoned Bitz on Dec. 23, 2012, after getting a report that Bitz had been caught sleeping on the job by an employee at the Agrium Vanscoy potash mine and then threatened the employee. Banga said he told Bitz, “If you get caught sleeping at work and you threaten somebody, you’re fired.” Bitz replied, “‘Nobody fires a f----n Hells Angel’ ... He said if I try to fire him, he’s going to f---n kill me,” Banga told court.

Banga’s wife Michelle also testified on Tuesday. She said she was sitting next to Banga during the phone conversation and could clearly hear Bitz yelling, “You can’t fire a Hells Angel, you’re f----n dead.” Testifying in his own defence, Bitz said he remembered the conversation differently. He denied saying he’d kill Banga. “I told him I’d smash his face in,” Bitz testified.

"On Dec. 31, 2012, Banga and Bitz met south of Saskatoon, but that conversation didn’t go well, ending in a fight on the side of road. Banga said Bitz threw the first punch and the fight ended when he wrestled Bitz to the ground." Bitz threw the first punch and his boss took him to the ground. The two men didn’t have any more contact until they ran into each other on June 24, 2013, at Cabela’s. Banga said Bitz started yelling at him, saying he’d never forget what happened on the side of the highway. (when the boss kicked his ass)

“The only reason you’re still alive is because you have Hells Angels working for you,” Banga said Bitz told him. “Once you don’t have Hells Angels working for you, I’m going to kill you and your family.” Banga’s wife was with him and testified Bitz said similar words that day. Bitz testified that what he said was, “As soon as the last guy’s done working for you, I’m going to put your teeth in the back of your head.”

OK so the brain surgeon that was caught sleeping on the job admits to uttering threats in colours on several occasions. He claims he threatened to assault his boss, witnesses claim he made death threats. The fact is, by his own admission, he threatened his boss in coulors on more than one occasion. On top of that he was caught on video confronting his boss is a store.

The Star Phoenix posted the video the court saw were the Hells Angel wearing colours storms into the store right after his boss and girlfriend enters it, confronts him with his finger in his face then storms out showing his colours for the security camera. This guy is brain dead. Threatens someone in colours on camera in front of a witness. Good luck with that buddy. Who's a dead man now? The Saskatoon Hells Angels are suing for wrongful dismissal. If they only had a brain.

Kelowna drug bust

Castanet is reporting that on Oct 10, members of the Kelowna RCMP Street Enforcement Teams (SET) concluded a four week long drug trafficking investigation with the execution of simultaneous search warrants residences in the 200 block of Mills Road and the 1400 block of Crawford Road.

Only a trace amount of heroin, hash and ecstasy was found but Castanet is also reporting that on August 22nd police seized a kilo of cocaine and a kilo of crystal meth out of a vehicle in Kelowna. Two Kelowna men in their 30'a have been arrested and charged. I'm assuming it's the same two in the previous seizure. Names have not yet been released for some strange reason.

Saanich drug bust tied to Vancovuer gang - again

The Vancouver Province is reporting that "Saanich police have arrested six people believed to have ties to gangs on the Lower Mainland following an investigation into a drug-trafficking operation in an apartment on Gorge Road West." No names have been released yet. Police seized 26 litres of GHB, 100 grams of crystal meth and four ounces of heroin as well as a semi automatic rifle.

Name the accused and name the criminal organization. Although these are low level dealers, the last high level drug bust in Saanich with ties to a lower mainland gang were connected to the Independent Soldiers who work for the Hells Angels. Very problematic indeed since Saanich drug dealers have been implicated in Lindsey Buziak's murder.

Lindsay Buziak's ex boyfriend who she was trying to leave was friends with top level drug dealers in Saanich and Langford. Ziggy Matheson and Ali Ziaee were charged in that bust. Careful how far you go down that rabbit hole. You might end up back at BC Rail and implicate the BC Liberals.

Last June Hells Angels associate Bryce Cameron McDonald from Courtney was charged with various offenses after 19 firearms were seized by the CFSU along with six grams of crack cocaine, a machete and equipment believed to be used for the sale of drugs. Imagine that.