We should never have gone into Afghanistan

I’ve already said it a few times.  Invading a country to force the overthrow of criminals who were uninterested in seizing another criminal near their border was simply insanity.

We entered Afghanistan with too few resources, and no ideas on how to make up for it all with whatever we had on hand. Captured combatants and civilians alike… we ourselves had nowhere to hold them, which is simply put a grave mistake, as we could only give them to the torturing NSA.

Rosie DiManno suggests we were simply too arrogantly noble to give them to the USA troops. Such is probably giving the Cons a bit too much credit. It’s more than likely we couldn’t give them to the US, as by that time they were busy in Iraq, and were also vastly undermanned in Afghanistan.

The NSA was the only option for us. It’s a choice we should never have had to make.

War is hardly an adventure. This is a war in which we should never have gotten involved.

The Cons are in full-out panic

“Not a single Taliban soldier turned over by Canadian forces can be proved to have been abused. That is the crux of the issue.”

Usually, the Cons are a more clever with their words. They don’t tend to say anything that can be picked apart within moments of it being uttered.

We aren’t just aghast if Taliban soldiers were tortured. However, the likelihood is high, and the evidence is likely to be hidden should we just now begin seek it from the Afghan authorities.

We are angry that a senior diplomat, who was fulfilling his duty, found himself up against a brick wall when trying to alert Canadian authorities of the possibility that our transferring prisoners, many of whom were not Taliban, to the Afghan’s was placing all our detainees into the danger of being tortured.

We are angry, as the more is revealed, that we are perhaps complicit in the crime of torture, due to your political party knowing about it for a full year, before seeking any actual remedy. We are angry that “We detained, and handed over for severe torture, a lot of innocent people.” (Richard Colvin)

Mackay, for over a year’s length of time, your party placed our soldiers into an unenviable position of transferring detainees to a government widely suspected of torturing its prisoners. Our diplomats were hard at work finding testimony to support these fears, and it was all ignored and cloaked in absolute secrecy for whatever reason: to perhaps not damage your party’s favorite political wedge issue.

Forcing our soldiers, for a years worth of time, to hand over our prisoners to any government suspected of torture, and to know they torture, and will likely torture our prisoners, is also a crime.

At some point, perhaps when Colvin took his seat to testify lasy week, this stopped being a political game. It became worldly serious, and now there is no longer any stopping, nor even delaying, its consequences.

A prosecuting attourny will not be impressed by your words. A judge will not be placed in any sense of awe. In fact, I should think they would not be happy trying to parse out of it all actual meaning. They will demand clear statements in a court of law, which does not enjoy a spectacle as does the court of politics.

Perhaps this is a Titanic issue for the Conservatives, and it being such means many of you will be dragged under cold uncaring waters. You will find no pity from me.

The Cons, and responsibility

It must be torture for our Cons to start downplaying our troops future role in Afghanistan. After all, it was their favorite red meat, wedge issue for some time, even bringing in Liberals with similar war-loving sentiments like John Manley to feast at the political cornocopia, as it just kept out giving the good, with absolutely nothing to lose in terms of votes.

But now, let’s talk something else. What, hey!? The Americans can handle Afghanistan wonderfully. Heck, they’re already taking our jobs and missions. In fact, let’s direct all questions of Afghanistan to Robert Gates, the American. He’ll be more than happy to speak with all of you. If we’re not there in 2011, then there’s no more need to speak of Afghanistan, here or there, right? Cheerio, let’s move on to another subject, please?

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My, how cynical to write such sentiments in what I consider to be the current thought processes of Mackay et compagnie. All because people are beginning to speculate there is a possibility of this group being dragged into war crimes investigations.

 

My depression

It’s a bit slow around here these days, so I thought I’d jot down a few thoughts about my depression. Maybe some of y’all might be interested in learning something of it.

Mainly, I’m just dealing with every new day as it comes. Some days I’m down. Others I’m merely lethargic. And eventually for few days every so often, I’m up to actually living. I like those days. They’re nice.

I’m usually lethargic though. Simply coasting through life on auto-pilot. Eat. Sleep. Work. Sleep. Play. Sleep. Lots of sleeping involved. And really no desire but to do what I need to do. Everything else becomes unimportant. Life becomes a bit grey in those times, with deep shadows where a depressed person fears to tread. It’s not that the shadowy areas of life hide anything, but that life’s heavier in those places, and drags you down. Trying to slog through those places gets you nowhere. If it lies between you and your destination, it’s better to find a detour, and should the need to return ever arise, then be it when the shadows aren’t so deep and murky.

Ah, I’m speaking in metaphor again. And it’s all in train of thought with some quick editing to clarify.

My thoughts on those lethargic days are never so quick. Rather they’re slowed down due to a fog in my mind that obscures what I want to clearly see, and confuses my feelings about any one subject that needs careful observation.

It’s always a good day when I’m clearly thinking. I’m simply more alert and creative then. My thoughts are as electricity.

The days when I’m down….

Picture the world with clouds blocking out all sunlight. Feel the rain. It is heavier the more turbulant my feelings. Anger is the lightening across the sky, which possibly strikes out into real life erratically, leaving damage and pain wherever it may strike. The howling winds can cause my thoughts to flicker and fade away as a candle light. The howling winds can also drown out the words of family and friends.

Those days…. Words have no meaning those days. Contact has more meaning than any book. A hearty slap on the back. A bear hug.

I should warn you to conserve your words to a depressed and suicidal person. You don`t know what to say. The depressed suicidal person doesn`t know what they want to hear, anyway. Careless words from someone whom the depressed suicidal person loves can really cut deep and terribly hurt. It`s better to reach out. Never abandon them. Bring them with you, or make sure there`s someone nearby who will watch them if you have to do anything (like call an ambulance). Simple contact with them is the single most important thing you can say, if you must say anything. It communicates everything you want to say, and even that which you`re having trouble saying.

Ah, now I`m feeling sheepish. Said so much there, and it`s really all just my own thoughts. There are proffessionals out there, although nowadays they`re getting too difficult to find these days with all the cuts to healthcare. Definitely get their opinion when you find them.

Wells, thanks for reading this far. Mebbe I’ll write on this again, whenever I gleam a new insight from my own condition and experience. Hard to say though.

A Christmas Carol

For those with an extra bit of cash tonight, go see A Christmas Carol. Wish the BC Libs and the federal Cons, and more then a few banksters and insurers would go see it, and maybe take its lessons to heart.

As for the rest of you, the choir to whom I preach, I guarantee you’ll have fun, and leave the theatre feeling warmhearted. This is the kind of feeling we all need going into the cold season.

It’ll be a riot when the local theatre shows it in 3D. I can’t wait for that.

Please do note

The Toronto Star gives no consideration of why the Six Nations were actually there.

What I am reading is a story of a prolonged riot, or a contained rebellion. Not against anything in particular, but perhaps with targets given defined roles with histories in this conflict between the European descendents and the Six Nations: the land owners who have benefitted from unfair rules laid down upon the Six Nations in the past, with strict enforcement by the state and its police force.

The was possibly a long time coming, with all sides knowing what was going to eventually happen, and there being little to no intervention from any of the parties who were in any position to actually begin resolving this dispute. The Six Nations were shut out of any converstaion with the provincial government regarding their land claims, and the federal government simply didn’t care. And from what I can tell from this story, the local town has a ‘lock ‘em all up’ mindset when it comes to the protesters.

The Six Nations began to protest, and frustrations hundreds of years old boiled over, and sent their anger over the top.

Things may have changed, too, in this relationship. The Six Nations may rather well feel emboldened that they kept the RCMP at bay. Perhaps all the suppressed peoples of Canada should feel this way.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

A decent enough read. Was it worth $29.99? Maybe. I couldn’t wait for a copy from the library to become available, and I actually had some extra cash, and I bought it.

Brown stretches out the ending for too long, especially having his characters wax philosophy in turns, for pages (and chapters) at a time, with them even repeating each other’s arguments. I also managed to guess the ’surprise’ ending almost immediately when the first clues surrounding the mystery of the book’s antogonist were dropped.

Noetics sounds interesting. The scientific analysis of religious books was rather cool, too. Can’t say for sure if any of it is actually feasible. A reference guide might’ve been cool, but how biased would that have been?

As for if it’ll upset people who are happy to be told what to think, it’ll probably be a useful tool for getting them riled up again by their preferred demanagogue, if there`s another Hollywood movie made of this franchise.

Brown noticably steers clear of the more bloody aspects of the United States history, and seems to have trouble resolving the CIA’s real-world involvement in torture, and his fictional CIA characters who take on a heroic nature later in the novel when their role as villains wears out. That might be my personal bias against the CIA though. I also wish he spent a bit of time considering the contradictions in American history versus its founding ideals.

Would I buy the book again at $29.99 feeling the way I do after having just finished reading it? Hmm. Dunno. Really wish I could buy it later on, instead, and take my niece to that Jim Carrey Christmas flick instead, now.

Yeah, I’d buy it again, maybe even at the hardcover price, but it wouldn’t be a huge priority. I could probably wait for the paperback now, though.

After ACTA, the next logical step would be to start closing libraries

Go read it.

This is rather frightening. I openly admit to having downloaded copyrighted material, and it’s likely I’ll do it again. So, yeah. I guess that makes me a criminal. A thief. A con.

But you know what? The swag I’ve swiped is usally deleted after a day or so. And I might even buy it from a store… eventually, when I can actually afford the overpriced garbage, and even then only if it’s actually really worth buying.

To be completely honest, I view the internet as a resource, much as a library is to a community as a whole. And I can get much of what I desire from a library, also. I can borrow the same CDs, DVDs, and books from there, as easily as firing up eMule, and downloading it all from a fellow pirate from some distant point in the world. Except it’s 24/7.

Everything has its price? Well, yeah. But everything is free, eventually, too. Wait a day or two, and junk is priced at what it’s actually worth to people. Either priceless or worthless.

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The question is, once Harper signs this treaty (colour me skeptical that he won’t sign this to please his corporate American masters), am I really in danger of losing access to the internet? Am I and all my family really likely to lose access to the internet? I can’t think of one cousin who doesn’t get music from the net via extra-legal means. Not one.

My local ISP would certainly lose a hella lotta customers from this part of the woods. With the loss of the internet, what actual reason would there be to get cable TV? I don’t watch TV. Personally, I hate it. I only get it cause I get the internet. It would be no great loss to me to also return the cable box when my internet is cut.

But not being able to write like this? That’d be a wrench. It’d be a huge blow to my ego. Mais, c’est la vie. I’d have to do something else then to get my opinion out there.

POGGE has some thoughts, too. And Dr Dawg, as well.

Grocery store unions

I was speaking with a couple of friends about the union. One asked why I got so few hours even though I work for a union grocery store. I could surmise it was probably because I’m in a defeated union. The other chiped in that grocery store unions now are as weak as water, which is true considering current union contracts with the employers.

I do gotta mention working in a non-union place and a union place are far different despite any perceptions. Working for a non-union company is honestly mental. I get the feeling one of these days my mouth will get my ass fired for back-talking the boss (at the non-union company for which I work).

People working at these big box stores need to join unions if they ever want a chance at a decent life. My friends keep complaining that I shouldn’t be working at a grocery store anyway. That I should go out and get a university degree and get a respectable job. But you know, that ain’t entirely possible these days. I’m trapped here in near-poverty, working my ass off to keep even a pitance of savings so I might get a few presents for my little nephews and nieces at Christmas time. I’m glad I work for a union company too, as I won’t be so easily rid of there, but I have no idea what will happen wherever else I may be employed.

Something I’m trying to get at here is that these low-end jobs, these big box store jobs aren’t valued high enough. People as a whole don’t think they’re worth much. We need to change this idea around. We work hard, and give good value to any company. A good workforce is priceless to any company, but they, the bosses, don’t bother with these sort of thoughts. We need to start thinking highly of these jobs, that they’re worth working, and worth having. Continually thinking they’re worthless in comparison to a ‘professional’ job is self-defeating.

I don’t know of a world without big-box stores. Perhaps in fifty years, with the potential collapse of cheap overseas transport, we’ll return to a world without ‘em. But for now, with no prospects and little chance of escape from working poverty, we who work in the Wal-Marts, and the Zellers, and the Canadian Tires, and McDonalds, and so and so on need to start thinking union.

And those of us already in unions, but which are hurting from decades of defeat from hostile government and corporations, need to pick ourselves up, and forget about trying to deal nicely with our adversaries.

It’s our opportunity. It’s our hope.

The union.

It’s a good idea, Mister Byers

I like it, and I would support it, were it to come to fruition. However, it would involve placing a huge amount of trust into the Liberal Party, which has shown just earlier this year what happens when you place any amount of faith into it. It tears it into absolute shreds.

Proportional Representation would definitely have to be part of this deal. If it’s not there, there’s no point in making a deal. Plus, any promise from the Liberals on anything of importance during an election is foolhardy. Remember their staunch opposition to NAFTA? To the GST?

At the very least, it would be a good idea to approach the Libs on this. See if anything comes to life here.