Category Archives: first amendment

Turkey, Syria, and Armenians

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It’s really depressing that Turkey has apparently supported the violence in Syria.  More detailed report here.  (hat tip to Jared Leto).  I pretty much ignore the WSJ piece, given the bias of Rupert Murdoch.  It starts off with the Canadian Ambassador for Religious Freedom protesting Turkey…and yet my blogs on the Canadian gov’t treatment of First Nations people smacks in the face of that.

For those who don’t know, the Armenians suffered through a massacre a hundred years ago.  A survivor of the massacre tells her story.

Another tragic story of survival here. 

French mayor pushes for Turkey to recognize the genocide.   Others join in.

My past blog on Syria here and here. Bishop Desmond Tutu on Syria here.

Fred Klonsky’s blog on helping in Syria.

 

 

 

Canada’s Spy Agency and the First Nations

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The Canadian gov’t  was vewy vewy skeered of those pesky indigenous whom honor their traditions and refuse to be completely assimilated.  Good Grief.  They act like these people have tanks, helicopters, drones, etc….like it’s a freaking war.  Who…or What are they fighting against…?

And the quote that CSIS would not be involved if there wasn’t sufficient threat…who are they kidding?

My other posts:

Here we have a First Nations woman removed from a public meeting for…well, we don’t know because she wasn’t doing anything.  Her mere presence, apparently, made her “guilty” of a crime.

First Nations protests

Setback for First Nations protestors.

First Nations continue to stand up

Finally, this celebration on sacred Native American grounds that Mall of America was built on.

 

 

Wall of Women stand opposed to Kinder Morgan

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First Nations and Greenpeace women stand together against pipeline expansion…

“We’re standing here together to link arms to build the wall of women to say no, we do not want that in our communities, we will not accept this in our communities, we want better,” said Nahanee. “Canada has a responsibility to protect their communities, we have the right to live in healthy environments— healthy environments to raise our children, to take care of our grandparents, to drink healthy water, to eat healthy food. It’s basic human rights.”

– Mandy Nahanee

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Who would have thought that we would actually have to protest keeping our water clean and healthy??

Good on the women standing together, protecting the Earth. She needs us.

Video of Russian forces breaking down the gate

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Global News has obtained video of the Russian gate crashers at the Ukraine air base in Crimea. The report states they are not sure if they are Russian military or pro-Russia militia in Ukraine.

It’s hard to see the layout, but it does look rather open.  I would think with the situation, there would have been more armored vehicles to prevent such an attack.  It just looks like they “walked” up to the door and let themselves in.

The second question I thought was why have they not begun to pull back once Crimea voted to join Russia?  Are there more people in Crimea wanting them to stay and we aren’t being told this by the lame media?  Because if the gate crashers are pro-Russia militia…with obvious military capabilities…that are intimidating the peaceful ones of Crimea…then Houston, we have a problem.

I think I’ve found my answer here.

 

Getting us into yet another war

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John I-don’t-know-how-many-houses-I-own McCain is once again banging the war drum…although he is careful to not make it sound that way.

Let’s take a look back, shall we?

My blog here on the media’s culpability in getting us into Iraq.

John McCain on Iraq here.

I want the Ukraine people to have their democratic government, but I am not willing to go to war over it. I am sick of wars and I’m sick of warmongers like McCain and Clinton who slobber at the thought of going to war.  One has to wonder how much they are invested financially in defense contractors or other war profiteering.

Let’s not forget the lie of the reasons to go to war…as she smiles and says “it’s the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make…”  Utter bullshit

And this video on Hillary Clinton’s views on the media and exchange of free information is chilling.  Without a free exchange of ideas, without the media uncovering greed & corruption, and violations of our Constitution, our democracy is lost.    Why is Hillary so afraid of that?

Finally, my Russian reader has not been back since Putin clamped down on the media.

My hope is that he/she will be back when things settle down.  I hope so….please know that not all Americans are like Clinton and McCain…we value peaceful solutions to conflict.  We are all connected.  Peace to you.

And this is heartening…a journalist quits the Russian media in protest of Putin.  Bless her.

 

Freed U.S. Hikers write book

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Democracy Now! featured the three hikers captured in Iran.

They emphasized during the program that they did not hate the Iranian people.  I think this is an important point because it sends the message of peace instead of revenge.

It’s fascinating that this incident apparently was the beginning of tentative peaceful relations that was behind the historic Iranian nuclear deal.

I’m glad that they are using what could be a negative–anger for what happened to them–and turned it into a positive–working for the end of solitary confinement and other ills of the prison system.

A concrete dog run?  Are you kidding me?  Talk about being treated like an animal.  I always thought that they were allowed out into fresh air on a grassy yard.  They’re not even getting that much.  It’s pretty sad when someone in a U.S. prison is experiencing the same thing as prisoners in Iran.

In one of the prisons here, the prisoners once had an organic garden.  Governor Daniels got that stopped.  Um-hmmm….

 

Greenpeace in France, too, against Nuclear Power

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Greenpeace activists were also protesting a dangerous nuclear power plant in France.  They are concerned about the plants far-reaching effects.

There has always been a narrow-minded view of nuclear power in that only the immediate area was in danger…but as we have seen with Chernobyl and Fukushima—one country’s nightmare spreads to other countries.  The country that benefits from the nuclear power risks radiation, but countries that don’t share that benefit of power will ultimately share in the disaster of radiation.

 

The Winter We Danced

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Leanne Betasamosake Simpson has a post up on a book about the Idle No More movement with stories and poems and such.  I haven’t read it, but would love to have a copy of what sounds like a wonderful historical book.  She notes that the royalties will benefit the indigenous youth.