Happy Christmas Everyone!

Wishing everyone the best this holiday season, especially my blogging buddies...

Merry Christmas to all Bloggers

Another Year has ended
And with this, I’m sure you’ll agree
I’m broke…. my money’s spended
Thank the lord blogging is free

Once more I look back with glee
At what’s given and taken both ends
Just to think that we, Yeah, you and me
Though still strangers, we’re friends

Oh what stories we make-up
And with all of that hype
Cyberspace we fill up
With all the stuff that we type.

It’s been said many times
We are closer in “here” than with others
Here I’m searching for rhymes
I’ve got it… in “here” we are brothers.

As I read a sad, or happy, post
I often sit with tear in eye
The thing that surprises me most?
Just what has made me cry.

Another time I’ll burst into laughter
As I admire the writing skills
And I’m hooked, a fan thereafter
With all my morning coffee spills.

So to all of us, yeah, I’ll include me too
Whose memories and imagination
No matter whether false or true
Write our posts and avoid litigation.

To all of my blog buddy’s
Wherever from far or near
As you sit in your study’s
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

(If you celebrate some other form of religion or belief
I hope you have a good one)

Merry Christmas to all Bloggers by Peter at Holties House


Comment: Christmas wouldn't be the same for me without Lennon's - Happy Christmas song. A message of hope by way of song that tells us "The world is so wrong"... and yet, "War is over, if you want it. War is over now."

If only the world would listen to our wise ones, the sages like Lennon, or like the man whose birthday it is we celebrate tomorrow.

Have a good one everybody! Be safe and be Happy! Because everyone has a right to be happy.


Warning: Watch the video but I warn you it is graphic and disturbing. I like the music, the message, the song... and that is what I listen to and 'enjoy'... over and over.


To watch this on YouTube click here.



But I am sure that I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely.

Sweden legalizes and regulates cannabis

Stockholm, December 19 - The Swedish Parliament has approved a law which will regulate the growing, usage and trade of cannabis. This is according to the Health and Social Services of Sweden, Jonas Grönhög, who was quoted, "We don't want to make the same mistakes which the USA has done, we do not want to be prohibitionists because the war on drugs has been lost long ago. It is better to prevent marginalization of young people than jail them for soft drugs usage which are comparatively harmless. If we allow the sale of alcohol, there is no reason to ban the soft drugs no longer."

Cannabis products are going to be available in the pharmacies in Sweden as non-prescription medicine since April 20 in 2012 and customers more than 18-year-old can buy 10 grams at once. Growing for personal usage will be tolerated up to 200 grams of dried marijuana and larger amounts stay illegal. It is likely that this will target the Police resources on more serious crime, especially on organized crime, drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings which have been increased for lack of the Police resources in recent years.


Comment: A while back, I posted on how another 'progressive' country (rather than the 'regressive' countries we have here in Canada and the U.S.) took a stand on this issue as well... Argentina rules on marijuana use... with their Supreme Court ruling "The state cannot establish morality"... while ours continues to play God by doing so?

The U.S. with 5% of the world's population has 25% of the world's prisoners, of which 1/2 are in for drug offences. Many of them serving long sentences for simple marijuana possession. I mean look at Marc Emery, a Canadian, who was extradited to the U.S. by the HarperCONS, and is now serving 5 years in a federal prison for selling 'seeds'?

Why do we tolerate governments who abuse us, victimize us, and don't listen to us? The Occupy movement is about more than the inequalities between rich and poor, it is also about breaking the chains of repression and oppression.

We need to free ourselves from state imposed tyranny, which is what Canada and the United States decades long drug war policies are all about. After all, well over 1/3 of our population smoke marijuana, and thereby are considered criminals by the Harper government. A government that could only muster 25% of eligible voters labels 1/3 of its country's population criminals, in their new crime bill? There is definitely something wrong with this picture!

Is this what Harper's new prisons are for, to jail 'pot smokers' while turning a blind eye to corporations and white-collar criminals who are raping our land with impunity, with our governments blessing and support? While also selling us out to the highest bidder...

A further theme is the unparalleled sell out of our country in a manner no other developed country would ever dream of allowing. While this has been taking place at an accelerating rate, the purposeful dissemination in the print media of false information about rapidly growing foreign ownership and control of Canada goes a long way towards explaining why our myopic politicians have failed to take action on this and other related problems that are very quickly robbing us of our ability to plan and manage our own future. Mel Hurtig - The Truth About Canada

The people have become the enemy of their government, and therefore are no longer served by them, but rather 'enslaved' by them instead.



When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear their government, there is tyranny.

Life Getting Tough in Harperland

The consumer price index reveals that Canadians are paying higher prices today than a year ago, with significant increases in food (up 4.8%), shelter (up 1.5%) and gasoline (up 13.5%).

Yet wages have only increased .08% We are not keeping pace.

The Harper government can't blame this on the global crisis because similar increases were reported in 2008, before the so-called crisis.

We were then in an election where the Harperites were promising that Canada would be safe from any economic distresses under their leadership.

We don't really need statistics to tell us that we are worse off today then we were five years ago.

Household debt is at a record high. Income disparity is rising faster that many developed countries.

Poverty is on the rise and when a report was presented to Stephen Harper that outlined ways to decrease poverty, he threw it in the trash. Not his problem.

Compare those headlines with this one: Scotiabank, CIBC Top Bonus Increases After Record Bank Profits

Or this one: Big Oil Companies Post Huge Profits On High Gas Prices

Or this one as we remember the Attawapiskat crisis : Record sales push De Beers’ profits up 55 percent

How do you like Neoconservatism so far?

Posted by Emily Dee at Pushed to the Left and Loving It


Comment: Emily is an outstanding blogger that I follow regularly who is always insightful, well researched and articulate. She has done another 'great job' with this post that is a credit to alternative media, while at the same time showing how brainwashed and dumbed-down we are by msm who avoid the truths she shares with us like the plague.

The HarperCON media constantly paint a picture that everything is wonderful, when it is quite evident that the facts above and in the link below show clearly that that is the furthest from the truth one can get.

The Corruption of America

We are losing our standard of living, our culture, and our country to corporatocracy. The way things are going we will soon be swallowed up, reduced to nothing more than a mere 'colony', for American Empire and corporations sake.



We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, but we can’t have both.

'Scrooge' has no better friend than Crowsnest Pass council

If people have been following my previous posts...

Wall Street 'GREED' Comes to the Crowsnest Pass

Timing is Everything


... on council pushing through their 'outrageous' and 'unconscionable' 50% 'Property Tax Penalty Bylaw' they will know by now where I stand on this 'outrage'.

In this regard, I have petitioned councillors who blog, specifically Councillor Gallant and Councillor Saindon. Gallant would not even publish my comment on his blog, never mind replying. In an email exchange he told me in closing "As far as I am concerned, council has made a decision and the matter is closed." Councillor Saindon at least published my comment but chose to answer with a curt and dismissive "John I guess we can agree to disagree."

I in turn replied today on his blog with...

Mr. Saindon,
At first, I was just going to let your curt reply stand without comment, but then I got thinking that that would just encourage and condone the likes of you and Gallant to treat taxpayer/residents who take the time to communicate with you, voicing their concerns and opinions, to continue treating us as second class citizens, somehow beneath you, deserving of contempt? I do not know where you guys get off treating people this way, especially ones who have occupied your seats in the past, but I for one will not stand for it!

It is obvious to me now that neither one of you have the courage of your convictions to stand up and defend your actions, but instead, you think it is okay to run roughshod over people like what you are presently doing ramming through this new ‘tax grab’ Property Tax Penalty Bylaw of yours that discriminates against the most vulnerable in our society in an unfair and unjust manner.

I voted for the both of you… I obviously made a mistake. From now on I will do what I can to rectify that error in judgement.

John Prince
___________________________________________________

With the above in mind, I started thinking about the past and realized that even John Irwin and Gail Sygutek would never have behaved in the manner these two councillors have. And never in a million years would they have gone after the poor and downtrodden, like what this council is doing.

Both Gail and John, as most of you know, were on my 'shit list', as I was on their's. But we all knew where to draw the line when managing this community. Taking advantage of the poor was never on any of our lists. In fact, we tried to do what we could to make life easier and better for all residents, where we could. Especially for those on low-income and on fixed-income, such as what many of our seniors are on. That's why today there are policies in place with respect to Property Tax, for example, that help the less fortunate, such as: the Seniors discount, and monthly payment plan, as well as the option to individually work out a payment schedule for those in serious arrears. These guys here brought nothing new to the table but a hammer and fist... like the scary 'corporate goons' they have become.

Scary is right! These guys we have now are scary. Scary people do unpredictable things that we find both troublesome and disturbing. They upset our balance causing us annoyance and irritation, which in turn creates hostility and anger in us. Angry people do not realize that "holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned". Therefore people need to release that anger in order to help cure themselves. "Physician, heal thyself!"

The first step then is to channel that anger in a meaningful way... that could start with a phone call to Marion Vanoni at 403-562-8833 or email her at finance@crowsnestpass.com. This then could be followed up by a visit to council as part of a delegation in January... if necessary?

As a final note, it now seems clear to me, thanks to Joni's editorial, that this devious council has deliberately rammed this 'tax grab' through at this time of year, hoping people will be too busy, having too much on their minds, to give this the due attention it deserves. If this is true, then that is contemptible!

You want to do a good deed for Christmas and help those less fortunate? Then make that phone call!

Demand council rescinds this Bylaw. Then go and have yourself a Merry Christmas, knowing you helped someone who really needed it.



I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.

Time to suck it up, and be swallowed in... 'Harper's Border Deal'

Harper's Border Action Plan:

'ONE BORDER' TO BE PUT AROUND CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
and the border between us is being removed ...

Last week, in Washington D.C, Stephen Harper and Barack Obama announced the next step in the corporate takeover of North America. This new agreement aims to put one 'corporate-planned' border around both Canada and the United States, while at the same time largely 'removing' the border between our two countries, to create 'something new'.

Negotiations between our governments, and the world's biggest corporations, have been going on for the past 18 months or more - in complete secrecy.  On December 7th the 'Joint Action Plan' was publicly announced, with a massive propaganda barrage aimed at Canadians to convince us that this is a truly wonderful new deal for us all. But it's not!

REMEMBER:
THE CORPORATIONS WANT THE DEAL.
THE CORPORATIONS OWN THE MEDIA.
THEIR MEDIA TELLS US THE DEAL IS GREAT

One part of this deal is to put one border around both Canada and the United States, probably to give the corporations more control than they already have. Canadian resources will become 'North American' resources. Beginning in the summer of 2012, police forces from both countries will begin to operate on 'both sides' of what used to be our border. As of 2015, Canadian nursing graduates will have to pass an American exam in order to work in Canada. The Canadian exam will disappear and our nurses will have to pass an exam from a 'privatized' system. At the same time, our governments are being completely removed from the governing 'process', because with two countries inside one border, but with only 'one set of rules', who will be making those rules?

Luckily, a new 'corporate authority' The Regulatory Cooperation Council has been set up to do just that...

ANOTHER PART OF THIS PLAN IS TO WEAKEN AND GET RID OF ALL OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS THAT PROTECT US FROM THE CORPORATIONS AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO HAVE SOME CHOICES.

Pesticide rules in Canada have recently been watered down to the more corporate-friendly US rules; so we Canadians now have more pesticides in our foods. Similarly, every safety standard and health standard and environmental standard that they can get their hands on is going to be destroyed under this new agreement.

Several Canadian provinces, led by BC and Alberta, are already involved in secret agreements that give businesses the legal right to demand - on a wide variety of issues - that the lowest standard in any participating province will be applied to them, even if the province they are in has higher standards. The corporations want one low level of standards right across Canada and the United States, and this is happening with the full support of very corrupt politicians and a totally corrupt media.
Neither Canadians nor Americans are even told about all of this, instead we are just betrayed.

To see the Harper Government's point of view,
www.borderactionplan.gc.ca  
Please click on the 'Regulatory Cooperation Council'. This is the corporate group that has been set up to bring in lower standards.

For the corporate point of view on all of this,
Google: CCCE

The Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) represents 150 of the largest corporations in Canada. Many people think the CCCE is the real government of Canada, and their website will tell you what a wonderful new border plan this is. Virtually every tv station, radio station, and newspaper in Canada is owned by a CCCE member, which is exactly how they control everything that we see, hear and read in their media. 

The two parts of this new plan are:
The Action Plan on Perimeter Security and Economic Competiveness and the Action Plan on Regulatory Cooperation. Both parts of this plan seem to be evolving without any participation from the citizens of either country, or our governments.  Just Mr. Harper and Mr. Obama. Our two corporate puppets.

What can we do?
1. Support independent media.
The corporate control of the media is one of their most powerful weapons, and a real enemy of our democracy.
2. Support democracy.
Right now the corporations have all the power. More democracy will give us citizens a voice in what is going on, and that has to be a good thing.



Comment: Special thanks to Fred Poirier for sending this to me.

Harper said that by the time he finished with Canada we wouldn't recognize this country.

Sold out without even firing a shot?

Traitors and corporatocracy are winning the war to enslave us, as nothing more than wage and debt slaves.

Oh, what a proud and great country we once were! Now soon to be nothing but a mere 'colony'... a simple possesion, an asset... of corporations.



There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.

Timing is everything

Well, my gal Joni MacFarlane has come through again (with a little prodding from yours truly, I'm thinking? :-) ) in doing an 'excellent job' by way of reporting on the fast, under the table dealing, by our administration and council in what can only be called a cold, calculated, sinister, and diabolical 'tax grab' from those least able to afford it, or to defend themselves...


Editorial - Crowsnest Promoter
By Joni MacFarlane Editor

Council has now passed the new bylaw increasing penalties on unpaid property taxes.

First reading went through on Nov. 29. One week later – Dec. 6 – second and third readings were passed.

So what?

During the voting process of the final reading, council was told by administration that they'd received no opposition from the public on the issue.

The reason the municipality hadn't received phone calls on the issue, was simple. The public didn't know about it yet.

Because two meetings had been cancelled in November, council then held meetings over two consecutive weeks.

Few people ever attend council meetings and those that do, usually stay for a particular portion of interest to them and then leave as soon as they can.

Without over-inflating the media's importance, it's still the first source for accurate reporting on municipal news.

Due to the nature of press deadlines and publishing dates, by the time the newspaper's story hit the newsstands, the bylaw was a done deal. Residents didn't get a chance to react and in most cases, weren't even aware of it until the bylaw was passed.

This is the downside of holding council meetings back to back. Unless there is a public hearing or an issue of importance is given time for public awareness, weekly newspapers can't bridge the shortened timeline.

Municipal administration may want to consider this when they're advising council of the public's apparent indifference.

In some cases, it may not be as it seems.


Comment: This is a council in financial trouble, I'm thinking. When they have to resort to subterfuge in order to push through their agenda, while at the same time rushing in the new outrageous tax penalty of 50% to take effect at the end of this month, giving people 2-3 weeks notice only, is disgraceful and shameful. Especially, considering what time of year it is. Never mind, that it is unfair, unjust and just plain wrong!



The government consists of a gang of men exactly like you and me. They have, taking one with another, no special talent for the business of government; they have only a talent for getting and holding office.

VIDEO: Yoga Undressed

And now for something completely different..

Yoga Undressed Trailer from Gabriel Bienczycki on Vimeo.

To be enlightened is simply to be absolutely, unconditionally intimate with this moment. No more. No less.

Wall Street 'GREED' Comes to the Crowsnest Pass

After working my ass off all week to feed the machine (like most people) I find our trusted leaders have been busy successfully conspiring to steal from the most disadvantaged, destitute and downtrodden in our community... the poor and bankrupt. Those least able to protect and defend themselves against morally corrupt, powerful and influential policy makers (politicians), otherwise known as the "suits" (whose reputation for being on par with the banksters is legendary).

Yet another case of how low politicians will stoop to achieve their ends of fleecing the public (much like what Wall Street GREED has done) any and every which way they can, has now happened in our very own community of the Crowsnest Pass. I speak to the new 'improved', tax them any way you can, squeeze them till they bleed, Property Tax Penalties Bylaw (top of page 7, Bylaw 836). Otherwise known as the ruthless and heartless, evil and sinister, "we found a new 'backdoor' way to raise additional revenue".

This week, mayor and council (those pampered and smug guardians of the public purse) passed said Bylaw (that I spoke to on a previous post) and in doing so attacked the poor and defenseless in our community by way of a diabolically, mean-spirited and sinister (tax) penalty, far in excess of what was already a very healthy return on fines from delinquent taxpayers who failed to pay their property taxes on time. Do the math! A bank loan today at 3-4% acquired by the municipality to carry them over until the property owner pays (and they ALL eventually pay one way or another i.e. the municipality always collects what is owing albeit sometimes they have to wait up to 3 years... but they ALWAYS collect, over and above), not only his or her property tax but an additional annual 20%+ (compound interest) late payment surcharge penalty (tax) is charged, is how things have been. But now their greedy insatiable appetite wants even more and has just increased this surcharge penalty to an outrageous 50%!! (Even the banks and credit card companies are NOT that greedy!)

By way of an example (to prove a point on this issue of unconscionable diabolical GREED on the part of our elected officials), with the current 1 million dollars plus in outstanding taxes @ 50%, that works out to $500,000 plus in fines by way of criminal usury fees, in my opinion, on the backs of our ever growing poor and disenfranchised, by greedy and unscrupulous individuals who see a way of filling their depleted coffers, not on the backs of them and their rich friends in this community (who depleted it in the first place, and who have never paid their fair share), but on the backs of politicians of late favourite target. Those who are marginalized, weak and defenseless i.e. the poor and bankrupt (e.g. of the latter, bankrupt developers and their investors who have been victimized and left on the hook with lengthy court proceedings tying things up leaving investors and the municipality in an untenable situation... that includes arrears on property taxes.

Re-victimizing investors and poor residents, is no way to run a municipality that professes to care about ALL its residents... those already here, and those who wanted to be.

It should of never been allowed to happen that we would elect such a licentiousness mayor and council (after the previous mayor and council(s) practically bankrupted this municipality through gross mismanagement to the point where there is more month than there is money these days) that would not only come up with such a 'brainy' idea but actually vote in 'unanimously' this 50% tax grab, on top of a tax already (I thought only Revenue Canada could get away with this shit?!) .

There you have it folks. Don't forget to vote next election... but NOT for these guys!

(Photo by Mark Reno)

Unless you think it's okay to condone and encourage that the little guy get screwed this way? Bearing in mind, you will be emboldening these people and the ever growing long list of 'others' waiting in the wings to join in the FREE LUNCH at the expense of our long suffering Crowsnest Pass taxpayer.

Scrooge times seven over, is unfortunately what we got here in the Pass.



The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'

NDP debate: Nine leadership hopefuls primed for Debate No. 1

Don’t miss the first debate of the NDP 2012 Leadership Race – this Sunday, December 4th.

New Democrat leadership candidates will face off this weekend at the Ottawa conference centre in the first of six debates for those vying to replace Jack Layton as leader of Canada’s Official Opposition.

MOVING CANADA FORWARD – BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE ECONOMY

Date: Sunday – December 4th, 2011 (12:00pm MST)

Watch it live on CPAC or online right here:


UPDATE: Several candidates did very well but Mulcair lead the pact in my opinion, while Topp was a disappointment considering all the hype and party brass that are supporting him.

The best line of the debate in my opinion was made by Nathan Cullen... "A government that believes that a National Housing Strategy is to build more prisons is a government that's out of touch, and perhaps out of its mind."


Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians.

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada

The way the HarperCONS and their bought and paid for MSM are portraying the Attawapiskat situation is a travesty. Blaming the victim, much like what society and the justice system once did to rape victims, when you yourself are much to blame, is unconscionable.

The following link offers a statistically backed researched analysis of the true picture of the plight of the FNs people in our land. It is a section out of a book by Mel Hurtig 'The Truth About Canada' that should be required reading by every Canadian. Some of it is truly appalling, like the section on Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

"The shameful neglect of appalling, disgraceful, grinding poverty."

Like the book says, "Many of us just don't give a damn." Harper, who refuses to even visit Attawapiskat and who killed the Kelowna Accord, is certainly at the top of that list. SHAME on him!

Aboriginal Peoples in Canada



We, the great mass of the people think only of the love we have for our land, we do love the land where we were brought up. We will never let our hold to this land go, to let it go it will be like throwing away (our) mother that gave (us) birth.

VIDEO: The Deception of Media

A must watch. I wonder what cover Canadians will receive! Newspapers, magazines and TV are all being used as tools to control you. Its called programs and programming for a reason!





The press is so powerful in its image-making role, it can make a criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal. If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.

VIDEO: Generation WE

By Generation We

Millennials are the largest generation in American history. Born between 1978 and 2000, WE are 95 million strong, compared to the 78 million Baby Boomers.

WE are politically, socially, and philosophically independent, and are spearheading a period of sweeping change in America and around the world.

The new book, Generation We, explains the emerging power of our Millennial Generation, and shows how WE (and older people who think the way WE do) are poised to change our nation and our world for the better.

Generation WE: The Movement Begins...

DOWNLOAD THE FULL BOOK, FREE:
gen-we.com/sites/default/files/GenWe_EntireBook3.pdf



Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.