More free crack pipes for Vancouver

This shows how f*cked up our country is. We're going to cut funding for the RCMP and the Gang task force, raise taxes through the HST to pay for more prisons for nonviolent crimes like the possession of pot while we hand out free crack pipes at the taxpayers expense. Need I say more? This is so wrong.

Nanaimo got rid of the program but the special interest lobbyists brought it back. No wonder the police are frustrated. The law biding citizens are frustrated too because the politicians simply are not listening. The public sale of crack fuels the gang war and the violence associated with it. Handing out free crack pipes supports drug dealers pushing addicts out of windows in East Van for drug debts.

Enforcement, prevention and treatment are three other pillars the special interest spoilt brats completely ignore. They just scream harm reduction over and over again until we become complete enablers and our economy and tax revenue is sucked dry. Brilliant.

Bacchus Pride rally in Saint John

Speaking of Gay Pride, the Hells Angels are holding their own Bacchus Pride rally in Saint John this weekend. Three cheers for the Hells angels and the City of Saint John for publicly endorsing Bacchus Pride. We all know that Bacchus was indeed the patron saint of homosexuality.

The Fredericton police had warned council that the North Star Sports Bar Pub and Eatery had become a magnet for Bacchus and Hells Angels members. At least one Bacchus member, Ron Richard, denied allegations the club has plans to expand in Fredericton in an interview with the Daily Gleaner. He said members just enjoyed going to the pub to party and have a good time. Yeah right.

"We're just old men who like to party with strippers and Viagra. I'm sure their wives and children are thrilled about that. At what point were they planning on growing up?



So if the Rebels wore their colours at the North Star sports bar in Fredericton, and if the Hells Angels and Bacchus admitted they liked to party there, what does that say about their affiliation with the local Rebels?



So what affiliation is Rob and Mike Bubba McLaughlin aspiring to? Maybe Mike wants to trade in his faith for a 666 patch. Be careful what you wish for. You won't be independent after you sell your soul to the devil. Let's just hope they don't sell any more crack or crystal meth in town. No doubt they are under the watchful eye of the po po. Party on dudes.

Gay Pride in Vancouver

Well Gay Pride has been in the news with all the events leading up to the Pride Parade. It's become a huge corporate event. The Vancouver Province ran an article about a Kwantlen University professor and former Surrey North MP Candidate who simply expressed his opinion on twitter saying they should ban the Gay pride parade because of it's vulgar display of sexuality. Let's see how long he keeps his job.

This is where we need balance between the extremes. Obviously no one is going to ban the Vancouver Gay Pride Parade. It's too big of a corporate event. Yet everyone has the right to express their opinion and I think it's important to identify the concern he raised.

What two consenting adults do behind closed doors is no one's business but their own. Beating up someone for their sexual orientation is archaic. Yet do we really need the public display of promiscuity? The whole point of Gay Marriage is a strange controversy. People are going to be gay. Why then get all freaked out when a gay couple want to make a commitment to be faithful to each other?

Some extremists claim that the down fall of Rome was because of their acceptance of homosexuality. I beg to differ. I think it had more to do with their acceptance of promiscuity. I'd be interested in hearing what all these vocal opponents to gay marriage have to say about the TV series desperate housewives. In my opinion adultery is worse than a gay couple promising to be faithful to each other.

The point of the professor's rant was a concern about the public display of sexuality. Nudity, Lingerie, whips and chains, free condoms. Is this something we really want to bring our kids to? I'd certainly like to. I'd like it to be a family event. Some responded with the argument that the Pride Parade isn't for everyone implying that the sexuality really isn't intended for kids. Do we really need that aspect of it then? Let's clean it up so we can bring our kids instead of polarizing the community and thereby creating more division and hate and let's not fire this professor for expressing his opinion.

Top Libyan rebel slain by allied militia

I realize no one cares but this bombing of Libya thing sure has me confused. The latest news is that the head of the rebels along with his two top aids, who we are supporting, were assassinate by his own troops, who we are also supporting. Witnesses have said they were killed by fellow rebels after being taken into custody on suspicion of treason.

Meanwhile, NATO warplanes bombed three Libyan state TV satellite transmitters in Tripoli overnight. While mandated to enforce a no fly zone, NATO troops are bombing local TV stations restricting the freedom of speech. At what point did NATO change hats?

The whole mission is suspect from day one. First, go in to enforce a no fly zone to facilitate a cease fire and then immediately start bombing one side. Then it clearly becomes a war for oil as NATO help the rebels take a major oil production city.

My first concern was who are the rebels? We have no idea who we are supporting. Unlike Syria where unarmed civilians are being fired upon with live ammunition, the protesters in Libya took up arms against their government to which NATO rushed in to support.

Turns out that the Rebels were tied to Al-Qaeda. I suppose as long as they aren't left leaning like Gaddafi that's OK. Until they overthrow Gaddafi with our help and we then have to send in troops to overthrow them because they turn out to be another dictator.

Glad to hear that we are cutting funding for the RCMP and the Gang Task force and are facing more criminal convictions dropped because of a shortage of court funding so we can spend millions of tax dollars bombing a foreign in country because we want their oil. It's not like the oil companies will drop the price of gas for that blood money either so what's the point?

If we are going to rob Libya of their oil to get cheap gas one could at least rationalize that immoral act. Yet all the profits are going into the oil company's pocket. Tell ya what, instead of spending all that money bombing Libya let's just send all those tax dollars straight to the oil companies. That way we cut out the middle man and less people will die for a lie.

Jeff Oldford

Jeff Oldford is a person of interest in Kamploos. He was found guilty of theft in April 2008, charged with sexual assault in Dec 2010 and recently was charged with trafficking a controlled substance April 2011. One source claims he's the new leader of the Independent Soldiers in Kamloops.

16 years in prison for cocaine trafficking

Well this is a partial victory. Two men convicted of possession for the purpose of trafficking in connection with the largest cocaine bust in B.C. history have been sentenced to 16 years in prison. Actually second largest. The larges bust was the 2 1/2 tons of Hells angels cocaine that didn't result in any charges at all. Although it was destined for the BC Hells Angels, that boat was seized on the US side of the border so I guess they're not counting that one.

This goes back to that suspicious sailboat in Port Hardy where 1,000 kilograms of cocaine were seized. I say partial victory because the criminal organization that was involved with the shipment of that much cocaine wasn't even named.

We are left with two thoughts. Everyone knows what criminal organization I think was involved with that size of a shipment. The Jones Brother's indictment in the US cross border drug ring would support that hypothesis.

Yet the other thought is lengthy prison sentences. Will long prison sentences stop the crack epidemic in our towns and cities? No, but it's a good start. True, when people are killing each other in the gang war, if someone isn't deterred by the threat of death they will not be deterred by the threat of a long jail term. However, it does remove the feeling of invincibility a mule has when working for a large criminal organization like Robert Shannon was.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation means that since the criminal organization was not named, they'll just find another mule. Which simply means we must continue to be vigilant in reporting organized crime to the police. Especially since Harper has cut funding for the RCMP and the Gang Task force.

Ecstasy case thrown out over charter violations

My first thought when reading the headline was another crackpot judge throwing out another gang related drug bust over a stupid technicality. Like the case where police when exercising a search warrant knocked on the front door but failed to knock on the back door too. Throwing out all that evidence over that technicality was absurd. Or setting Jon Bacon free after he was caught with two machines gun and a silencer.

However, this case is a little more complicated and warrants a discussion on the importance of the Charter and the right to be protected from unnecessary searches and seizures. Obviously that clause has many of us dealing with the violence of a drug related gang war frustrated.

Historically, the clause was added to the US Constitution after the founding fathers in the American revolution said they didn't want big brother meddling in their affairs all the time. The purpose of the clause was not to help organized crime. The purpose of the clause was to prevent us from becoming a police state like in a Communist country or under the Third Reich where citizens can be randomly searched at any time for any reason. It is easy to see how that could easily be exploited if the police simply wanted to harass someone for their religious or political beliefs.

Personally I think if you're a known gang member then that would suffice as just cause to randomly search that known gang member when they go out in public for drugs or guns. If you're a known gang member with a firearms ban then that would be just cause to randomly search that known gang member or their vehicle for firearms. Not in their home in the middle of the night. When they go out in public and threaten public safety.

The courts don't necessarily see it that way but I don't think we should change the Charter and water it down. The problem rises in what the police define as a gang member or a terrorist. If you are a Branch Dividian, does that make you a gang member or a terrorist? No it does not. What if you are a member of a trade union or a Muslim? Does that make you a terrorist or a risk to public safety? No it does not.

Protecting the charter is an important thing. Yet it is also important to remember the spirit of the Charter and the reason it was introduced. The purpose of the charter is not to protect organized crime it is to protect individuals right to freedom of association. Now that freedom of association does not include the right to commit crime or belong to a criminal organization and no, joining a bowling league or motorcycle club does not automatically mean criminal organization.

However, the case law has been long established that the Hells angels use the name and reputation of their organization to sell and protect people who sell drugs for them. It has become clear that the Hells Angels use puppet clubs to sell drugs and to commit crime for them. After it had been legally established that the hells angels are a criminal organization, their clubhouse was seized in Halifax. Changing the name of that clubhouse to Darksiders, Bacchus or Anarchy bikers does not removed the Hells angels criminal involvement and vested interest in that clubhouse.

We have seen televised fictional drama about police investigating large drug operations and how important timing is to make the bust. The comedy Bad Boys showed the police getting a search warrant in the middle of the night for an urgent application before the drugs were moved. Likely that was the intent of the police getting a telephone warrant from a court outside of their jurisdiction in the Richmond Ecstasy bust.

I have two points. First, the human ego is apparent. Judges and police are all human. They can and do sometimes become arrogant thinking they are god and the other organization is subordinate to them. As common as that seems, there is no place for arrogance or power struggles in law enforcement.

My other point is that in my opinion one of the most important reasons for requiring the police to get a search warrant is to see what kind of evidence the police have that would give them reason to believe drugs or firearms are in that locations. If the police are going to use dynamic entry with weapons drawn, then they better be sure they have the right house or the right suite number.

Not long ago we saw a case in Ontario where the police broke in with guns drawn and had the wrong house. In another case in Ontario SWAT had the wrong house and the tenant fired back thinking it was a home invasion. Getting a search warrant hopefully minimizes the number of mistakes of crashing down the wrong door.

I do think knocking on the door is important. My father always used to object to ERT wearing balaclavas. He'd say if some guy with an automatic weapon wearing army fatigues and a balaclava comes baning on my door yelling open up it's the police, I'm sure not going to open the door. I have no idea it's not a terrorist.

Stun grenades sure sounds excessive too, especially when they get the wrong house. I realize that when making a large drug bust surprise is important. Every extra minute they take in opening the door they could be poring the drugs down the sink or toilet. Yet the whole idea of the police having a search warrant thinking that gives them the right to break down your door without notice and start throwing stun grenades anywhere they want is disturbing.

Protection from unnecessary searches and seizures, protection from arbitrary arrest and detainment, the requirement to be charged with an offense for an arrest and the right to a fair and reasonably speedy trial are indeed important rights in a world where strange things are happening in our political climate. The Constitution and the charter of rights in the spirit of the intent they were framed are still important measuring sticks to safeguard democracy.

Ex-Hells Angel drops appeal

A former member of the Hells Angels who received an effective sentence of one day in jail for weapons offences has abandoned his sentence appeal. Well this is puzzling. The guy drops his one day appeal. No big deal there. Yet he is referred to as an ex Hells Angel.

Randy Potts always was a bit of a Potsie but now that he's been convicted he's referred to as an ex Hells Angel? What about his co accused John Punko? They wouldn't really kill one of their own just for getting caught doing the club's business?

Randy Potts was the guy who was beat up in Surrey and someone took his Hells angels colours. The Hells angels got upset so they told him to deal with it. Potsie ends up getting a police informant to shoot the guy that beat him up. Michael Plant ended up firing a couple rounds over the guys head and pretended the automatic weapon seized.

More Ottawa Police Brutality Allegations

Roxanne Carr alleges that Ottawa police officers broke her arm and wrist, banged her head against the floor and left her naked in a cell for hours after her arrest on Aug. 23, 2008. The incident was investigated by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, which found no wrongdoing by police.

After the charges were dropped the court ordered the video be released. Yet the video went missing and the replacement video was selective. The first clips shows he being partially hog tied. Her body in each clip seems almost lifeless so it would appear that any brutality had already happened.

What we do know is what was seen on the Stacy Bonds Ottawa police brutality video from September of 2008 14 days later involving one of the same officers.

Another blogger in Ottawa described another scene. I arrived at the corner of Bank and MacLaren this afternoon as three police officers were trying to put an unconscious, handcuffed woman into the back of a van. She looked like a rag doll. Then they changed their minds and laid her out on the sidewalk and sent for an ambulance.

In that case what I find disturbing is the police's bully tactics of preventing the public from talking photos. No doubt of the Rodney King video wasn't allowed to be taken, we never would have seen it. As police brutality rises the public do have the right to take photos and videos of suspected brutality.

Interesting to note that someone claiming to be Roxanne Carr made a post in that thread describing the events that led up to her arrest. She claims she was beaten to a pulp before she arrived at the police station. It was her room mate Devon Morgan who called the police. He was a military cop and also worked with the Ottawa Police and called one of his friends.

Obviously not all police are bad, yet increasingly we see arrogance rise and brutality increase. This needs to be kept in check by a civilian agency.

Rob Ford strikes again

Well Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is at it again. He was caught talking on his cell phone while driving and a mother told him to get off his cell. She claims he gave her and her daughter the finger. He denies giving he the finger but his office admits he was on his cell.

This is another one of Stephen Harper's drunk drivers. He had a dui charge in Florida and was caught with marijuana then came out to endorse Harper in the election. He admitted to lying about yelling and swearing at a couple while he was drunk at a hockey game in 2006.

The more I read about this guy them more it becomes clear he is a psychopath. Yes he is a fat f*ck. He looks like Java the hut. But that's no crime. The crime is being an abusive liar and that is what he is. He was charged with assaulting his wife. This is Team Harper. God help us.

Lonely Anarchy Biker looking for Love

Well if this doesn't break my achy breaky heart. Someone sent me a link to an add on craigslist Anarchy Biker Leo Galant posted claiming all he needs is one honest women to understand him. His add didn't say anything about selling crack or the anarchy bikers. It just says he's lonely in Montreal. Ah... c'est dommage.

Gang Related Issues

Just to recap, Winnipeg is under fire due to their mini gang war between the Hells angels and the Rock Machine. When the Hells angels killed one of their own to let the Ontario Hells angels take over the drug trade in Thompson Manitoba it created quite a rift in the omg community. Again.

Just for the record, the Kelowna cease pool has become a toxic wasteland because of the Hells angels not because of immigration. Kelowna still is a wonderful place. Yet people with Hells angels associations are still dying. Two Hells angels publicly beating a father to death with baseball bats and hammers has been the pinnacle of the depravity. The new strip bars with alleged Hells angels ties in that same community is an absolute offence. Sure it may be full of Russians. Tbarz is full of Indo Canadians. Randy Jones still owns it and it was still the central hub in a cross border cocaine ring according to a US indictment.

I'm also shocked and disappointed to hear people publicly denouncing multiculturalism and claiming it's socialist. A free and democratic society guarantees religious freedom. That means Jews are allowed to be Jews and Muslims are allowed to be Muslims. It does't exclusively apply to Christians.

A free and democratic society protects citizens from discrimination base on race, colour or creed. The founding fathers of the US constitution were not socialists.

When I stayed in New York many years ago, I used to rock the A train up to 155th street in Harlem. When I stayed in South Seattle I stayed in a predominantly African American community. When I stayed in London England I stayed in Brixton which is predominantly Caribbean. Locally, I have close friends who are from Trinidad. They used to hold Caribbean dances and on a couple of occasions asked me to work the door. I had no problem with doing so at all. The Caribbean community is wonderful. The only problem I had was with a white guy who came drunk and was spilling drinks and grabbing asses.

We need to think globally. The world is a big place with a huge population. Compared to the rest of the world population, Caucasians are the minority. It really concerns me that we seem to be taking a step backwards in time and promoting hate and division. Yeah I said hate because that's what it is. Ian Paisley was a paid minister and member of Parliament from Northern Ireland. He preached hate over the pulpit for a generation. That isn't what we need in Canada.

Although I respect and admire Jack Layton, I most certainly don't agree with him on every issue. He thinks we should legalize pot. I don't. I think we should decriminalize pot and prioritize going after the harder drugs like crack and crystal meth. I trust Layton a lot more than I trust Harper. Harper is just another Brian Mulroney. History has recorded Mulroney to be a liar and a fraud who scammed Canadian taxpayers out of a $2.1 million settlement based on a lie.

There are clearly some strange things happening in our political climate. Firing whistle blowers is wrong. Free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association are fundamental principles in a free and democratic society. That's not socialism.

The Norway lunatic was not a Knights Templar

I just want to clarify that the Norway lunatic was not a Knights Templar. The Knights Templar is a charitable society like the Shriner's tied to Freemasonry. It is not mandated to murder Muslims, Socialists or children with left leaning political beliefs. Behring Breivik is a lone wolf psychopath violating copyright by using the Knights Templar name and logo for fraudulent purposes. Anyone can buy a logo on e-bay and misrepresent it.

It does appear that he was at one time a Freemason. Photos of him with his Freemason apron have been posted on the Internet. True it is a blue lodge apron symbolizing the 3rd degree of Freemasonry. Knights Templar would be one of the highest degrees of the York rite. Behring Breivik is not a member of the Knights Templar and has violated his masonic oaths by murdering innocent children. The Knights Templar are not mandated to murder Muslims or children who have left leaning political beliefs.

The movie Da Vinci code talks about the Knights Templar and claims the big secret was that Jesus was married before he was crucified. True or false, I personally don't see how that fact would radically impact Christianity. It would not change his claim to divinity at all. The Tomb Raider treasure hunt was fiction.

The point is, this crazed gunman was a lunatic. Some reports claim he was a Christian. We cannot then rightfully conclude that all Christians are crazed gunmen. That is not what Christianity teaches. To become a Shriner, you have to be a Freemason. These are noble men who raise money for children's hospitals. They don't shoot kids or commit murder.

Jack Layton battles new form of cancer

No, we're not talking about a new Harper policy. Jack Layton announced today that although his treatments for prostate cancer are doing very well, he has been diagnosed with a new form of cancer and is taking a leave of absence for treatment. He is hopeful he will be healthy enough to return when Parliament reconvenes in September.

I don't care about his politics. I admire him as a human being. The values he has and the vision he imparts is very inspiring. Indeed that kind of vision can and does inspire optimism. Chuck Cadman had cancer. That certainly isn't a sign of weakness. Look at Terry Fox. Indeed people with personal challenges can be very inspiring.

Our values include equality and love not division and hate. It's like comparing Carol James "Because everyone matters" with Gordon Campbell's drunk driving selfish indulgence. It means supporting Small Business and free enterprise. It doesn't mean multinational corporations have more power than elected governments as they launder the public purse.

The Rock Machine Down Under

Looks like the Rock Machine are involved in a similar conflict in Australia. Rock Machine president Paul Boof Samways had his tattoo parlor trashed after a previous arson attempt.

In Australia it's the Rebels not the Hells Angels who are fighting with the Rock Machine. The Rebels are affiliated with the Outlaws. Seems like the Rock Machine are having a hard time getting along with anyone.

The media reports that the arson attempt on Paul Samways' tattoo parlor happened after he testified against three Coffin Cheaters.

I have no problem with someone testifying against thieves, drug dealers or murderers. That's a civic duty. I have concerns when it's done to eliminate the competition so they can steal, sell drugs and commit murder themselves.

Standing up to the Hells Angels is a good thing but it's not a good thing if the reason you do it is so you can sell drugs and commit crime just like they do without having to give them a cut. That is rather pointless.

Nevertheless, in the Coffin Cheaters case, three coffin cheaters were accused of assaulting and stabbing bouncers with a knife after they were denied entrance to a bar with gang colours on. Samways testifying in that case is no act of treason.

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.