What's with the
CBC?

Canadian Beirut Coverage?
As I awakened this morning to the Mother Corp Radio, as is my normal practice, the big news was all about the great and gigantic investigation that the CBC has been devoting to solving the assassination of Lebanon's Rafik Hariri almost six years ago with the SPECIAL REPORT Neil Macdonald CBC Investigation: Who killed Lebanon's Rafik Hariri?

A months-long CBC investigation, relying on interviews with multiple sources from inside the UN inquiry and some of the commission's own records, found examples of timidity, bureaucratic inertia and incompetence bordering on gross negligence.

I find it convenient how well their findings play into the pro-Israel policies of our great Leder Stevie Harper and the pro-Israel/anti-Iran (anti everybody in the ME that isn't Israel or other client states like Saudi Arabia, the source of the alleged 9/11 hi-jackers) stance of the United States of looking after the interests of Israel. Perhaps now the CBC could devote it's resources to solving the JFK assassination - heaven forbid that they devote any resources to investigating troubling events transpiring in CANADA.

This is the same network of the Canadian people that has studiously almost entirely IGNORED the ongoing assault on Parliament and democracy emanating from the PMO in Ottawa through disruption of committees, prorogation when necessary and general avoidance of Parliament as much as possible.

Then there is the can of nasty worms that is British Columbia and the ongoing crime spree emanating from Victoria as Gordon Campbell and his henchmen have systematically raped the assets of the people of B.C. to benefit a select group. If the CBC was my only news source I would hardly be aware of the Raid on the Legislature and the ensuing legal farce that ended a few weeks ago. I still haven't even heard the issue of the possible destruction of evidence that was to be used in that trial MENTIONED on the CBC, though I don't listen/watch 24/7/365. The CBC also has had little to say about the Rape of the River IPP scams, the LIEberal promotion of fish farms at the expense of native salmon, the Kemano giveaway, the shenanigans going on at supposedly non-partisan Elections BC and the tricky way the LIEberals have seen to it that we in the hurtland pay the tolls for the Beamers blasting up to Whistler while paying our own freight to get over the bridge into the Big Smoke, or Vancouver the Pit down by the coast where all our money goes.

With right wing privatizers running the agenda in both Ottawa and Victoria, perhaps the CBC is afraid to offend folks like Gordo the Greedy and not so slim Stevie Harper. But as time goes by, the radio station I miss when I leave the country becomes more and more like the rest of the right wing media like Faux, CKNW and the rest of them with only the lack of irritating DeeJays and toxic commercials. The CeeB still on occasion is a breath of fresh air among a forest of media clones, but I would like the old CBC back, which was while cognizant of the world at large, really focused on Canadian issues that affected Canadians daily.

Almost I'm Persuaded, by Grant

I've been pondering how to express my disappointment with what is going on with the NDP lately. This is important, as they appear to be the only option for governance in this province ever since W.A.C. Bennett managed to corral everyone to the right of FDR into a co-alition of free enterprise (though he himself aside from his rhetoric was virtually a Hugo Chavez of the North). The whole issue of leadership of basically ineffectual parties on both sides at the moment that has galvanized the media and allowed them to ignore more important issues has really bothered me of late. Carole James' behaviour and tenacity and dedication to keeping her big chair and lack of exercise of her junior bully pulpit as leader of what is supposed to be an OPPOSITION, has been perplexing, but my colleague from the (liquid) Sunshine Coast nailed it in Carole James puts up a Fight, a Fight for her Position, Too bad she never fought for the Province! The Powell River Persuader begins with:

So Carole James lashes out in anger, lashes out at party dissidents,.....I have never seen or heard that kind of anger expressed by Carole James once in the last decade......

So what spawned this anger, was it the ministry of children and family development erring and causing the death of an innocent child, was the anger over a $600 million and growing tax indemnity we owe to BC Rail over the illegal theft of our railway...

Was this extraordinary anger over Campbell not raising the minimum wage in a decade, did she express this rage over Jane Thornthwaite`s drunk driving during the Olympics, did she become infuriated over once again B.C. leading Canada with child poverty, was the outburst over a massive spike in food bank use, did Carole scream to the rafters about 5000 additional long term care beds promised by Campbell in 2001 that have yet to be delivered on, did she rage about the treatment of seniors and hospital closures, the dismantling of public education, has she demanded the Premier resign over habitual lies, over lying about our fiscal books, gag laws, the slashing of legal aid, the closure of 10 prisons and 25 courthouses since Campbell`s reign of terror began........


No friends, Carole`s new found anger and scathing critiques, her bravado, her drawing a line in the sand, her putting her foot down and saying...Saying she`s furious and won`t take it anymore, the new Carole James only learned to fight for herself.

Grant, I feel violated, you've been reading my mail, or my mind! I can't really say it much better than that. Democracy isn't something exercised once every few years, but it should happen at the local level, in the riding associations, during the convocations like occurred this past weekend. A healthy airing of ideas and the occasional vote to define policy and choose or illustrate support for a leader is how democracy SHOULD work. No body elected Carole James to tell the rest of the party that it is her way or the highway, that's Gordo's way and it works for awhile, but eventually dictators wear out their welcome. All I heard from Carole is "I'm the Leader and like it or lump it," what I haven't heard is where she wants to lead and on the issues mentioned above all I've heard is DEAFENING SILENCE!!!!!