They Don’t Value Democracy

It bothers me that there are trolls on the Internet who make it their mission to diminish the role that protesters play in our democratic system. I know I’m not supposed to feed the trolls, or be bothered by them, but it’s not possible to love your country’s freedoms and stand by while anti-democratic protesters spew their nonsense all over the WWW, unchallenged.

Police forces and cities across democratic countries are bulking up on “security” equipment like sound weapons, CCTV, and Tasers. This is why the price tag of “security” at farcical intergovernmental meetings is so astronomical that it boondoggle-boggles the mind. This is the sort of thing that the American 2nd Amendment was created to defend against! Unfortunately, the sort of people in Canada who normally defend against this sort of thing (the “gun nuts”) have forgotten to keep their guns, but kept the nuts.

Check out these fascist gems by Mary:

“I just hope a lot of protesters get arrested and jailed for a long time. They have no hope in hades to change anything on the agenda. All they do is allow us to see what fools they are, little terrorists in training. Anyone in a face mask, automatic arrest.”
“If there isn’t a guilt by association, there should be, or maybe [protesters] could be charged as accomplices [in riot damage].”
“As for the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is only for trouble makers.”

Protesters in the streets are essential in a democracy. If there is civil unrest, the media needs to see it, otherwise it’s assumed all is well. The more than $1,100,000,000.00 the Conservatives are spending of our tax money to HIDE and suppress protest at the G20 meetings, is an attack on democracy in this country. Its not Harper’s first attack on our democracy and freedoms, and it’s probably not the last.

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The UK Parliament has probably more than just Lucas as a former protester, now an MP.

Foxy Oil and the BPocalypse

Fox News is the official lubricant for the stupid.

“Where is the oil?” shows that Brit Hume is a sell out. He obviously doesn’t care much for the people and animals who live in the Gulf of Mexico (and on the Atlantic Ocean). The same mistake that many make in regard to climate change, is that natural emissions do not equal (or absolve) additional human caused emissions. There may well be some oil released into the ocean from cracks in the ocean floor, but there are damn few wells that release tanker fulls of crude oil every few days in an ongoing catastrophe.

Meanwhile, news reporters who are covering the disaster show you where the oil is. It’s also a mistake to call this Oilpocalypse. The more accurate, and funny name for this disaster is BPocalypse. Get it? You’ve heard of the Apocalypse; well this is its plan B for the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. This disaster could hasten the economic demise of the seafood industry, as people may soon be afraid to consume seafood, lest it have been dining on the toxic soup put into the Gulf.

A worst case scenario? This is the tipping point event that accelerates climate change, and a mass extinction in parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Sleep well on the unfolding train wreck we’ve made Earth.

Scary Times Two

Deepwater Horizon’s Blowout, Part 1: The scariest video you’ll see this year; hopefully there’s nothing worse that’s true.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

The video shows how the BP (Beyond the Pale) oil company and Trans Ocean damaged a critical seal in the well, and elected not to repair it. This allowed explosive natural gas to escape to the surface, and critically damaged the rig, killing 11 people on board. There’s a first hand account of a survivor being tossed around a room by multiple explosions on the other side of 3″ thick fire doors. And then he has to jump into the ocean, covered in blood and oil.

Part 2

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And human arrogance doesn’t only find a home in oil companies that drill without working safety measures in place. It also is easily found in politicians who support the oil industry and the concessions and incentives it receives.

This isn’t about economic or social policies. It’s not about the environment or international relations, or electoral reform, or even Afghanistan. The biggest issue with the Conservatives has to do with their character. You can have informed and rational discourse around technical things like trade or pollution and military interventions, but you can’t do those things with shameless liars and cowards who really have no interest in the substance of any matter save what serves their political survival. Like meth addicts, nothing they say can ever be trusted. Not agreements with other parties, not their own legislation, not their own ideologies. [...]

You wouldn’t work for them, with them, or employ them. You wouldn’t tolerate their behaviour in children or other adults. I doubt even Conservatives supporters would in their day to day lives. When did it become OK to elect them?

If you’re a Conservative voter, what do you gain by casting a ballot for a member of that party? How does it benefit you to elect someone who may be an honest person, to a party that rewards mainly corrupt liars who hate most of humankind?

Tony Burman – UofR Minifie Lecture – LIVE BLOG

7:43 Introductions over, Tony begins.
He feels he met Minifie, but never had.
Covered Ethiopian famine, was the first North American journalist there with a partner.

He’s proud to be representing Al Jazeera English AJE. AJE is coming to Canadian TVs finally within 6 weeks.
-Makes a Palin joke, can see Iran from his home ( but not really).

7:50
News devoted to international stories is dropping. Journalists are being laid off.

“Survived the twin scourges of fascism and communism.”

Rocky start to this century.
An attempt to spread democracy to all corners of the world. Premature thinking.
News media has been passive or even complicit in the face of injustice.

People are protective, out of fear. CNN and BBC dominate world news coverage.
Others cut back international offices. Cronkite noted that journalists face cuts and waning support.

Some absolve journalists by claiming the public, victims, are at fault of apathy’s growth.
.
7:57
Americans don’t understand international news. PEW Research blames reporters.

News focuses on negative news, and reporters focus on their interests, rather than their audiences’.

The world is like a backyard. Interest in financial crisis.
-Immigrants want to hear of their old home.
But news is limited, and superficial, so the public turns it off, and the cycle of decline continues.

-Paris Hilton gets more coverage than Darfur. Tabloid “news” has increased in interest, because of commercial reasons. Nicole Smith death only brought 1 million more viewers, but a quarter of the day’s coverage was devoted to the story.

Postman – Amusing Ourselves to Death. Population distracted by trivia. “Culture death is a clear possibility.”

8:07 AJE on air for 3.5 years. Number one channel in the Pentagon.

8:11 Tony feels less direction from Qatar government than he did from Canadian government while he worked at CBC.

8:15 In Nov. 2001, Bush, Rummy, and Cheney denounced AJ for reporting that civilians were dying in Afghanistan from US attacks.

He thanks the audience. 8:18

8:22 Q: Is AJE going to compromise to be allowed into countries?
A: No. He hopes for a more professional relationship than was had with the Republicans.

Q: Linkage between business and governments and media, are they the new reality?
A: Yes, ABC bought by Disney, and other examples. News run by corporations. AJ has sports channels. Doesn’t expect to make money from news. USA tries to make money from news now.

Q: Latin coverage needed, Canadians not aware of mining problems supported by Can. govt’ there.
A: Canadians have a particular interest in the Americas.

Q: Canadian infrastructure coming?
A: Yes, will have news bureau here, the only international station to do so!
AJE Livestation.com you can watch online

“A polite audience, I must be in Regina!”

Q: What got Tony interested in jurnalism?
A: Was interested in the world, 1960s, in Quebec. Wants to share stories.

Q: Jill S.
A: Commercial interests corrupt the public interest.

Q: Bill
A: Qatar is wealthy country. Protected from financial meltdown, (current one.).
Gov’t funding is huge.
8:44PM
A: If your goal is to drive buyers to your products, the news will be different.

Q:new media impacting loss of investigative journalism?
A: Two separate questions.
He rec’s iphone app.
Thinks most people in 10 years won’t know NYT started as a paper.
Investigations start controversy, so are unpopular with companies. High risk, low corporate gain potential.

Q: What spectrum of politics does Qatar come from?
A: A gulf state near US military base. Recognizes Israel. Peace making mission. Obsessed with education.
No communication between Qatar and AJ.
AJ is to put Qatar on the map, it’s for country prestige. Needs autonomy or it would destroy AJ’s credibility.
Q2: But democratic?
A; Can’t answer in his role he’s visiting under.

8:58 Wrapped up, food time now.

Didn’t See That Comin’

There will be one less newspaper to feed to the worms in Saskatchewan. News printed on paper? People still start businesses based on that model? Interesting.

The Sasquatch, an independant [sic] Saskatchewan newspaper has become a casualty of difficult economic circumstances for the media industry. March/April will be the publications last issue.

Seriously it’d be nice if there were more news options, but the big players have so much of the remaining market, that there’s almost no point in trying.

Copy, right?

Michael Moore is on NPR Wednesday morning, and TV later to talk about problems in America such as Medicaid. Doctors are dropping Medicaid patients because they lose money when they see them. Already money losing funds are being cut.

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Copyright is being talked about on NPR later today, and it’s been the buzz on the web for a recent while thanks in part to a private member’s bill. Some think Angus is going too far, despite his calls for sanity in the past.

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Most news in Australia comes from spin. But that can’t happen here, right? If it did, the spin would go in the opposite direction, back to the spinners, right? Now excuse me while I watch e-Talk Daily on the News at Noon, and listen to the tidbit of the day at the end of News Talk Radio’s hourly news broadcast. You never know when it will come in handy to remember that iPods come in 4 new colours, or who Ben Mulroney spent last night with.

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Good grief, we have to vote on DST? I’d forgotten about that Sask Party nonsense.

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Boardwalk gets back to me, but with information that doesn’t seem scientifically possible. Do you think they are blowing smoke? I’ve called their bluff, let’s see what they lay on the table.

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Follow me on Twitter, if you aren’t already. Currently I’m following 3 tweeters for every 4 who follow me. What’s your follower to followee ratio?