Friday, November 30, 2012

An Apology from Canada to Palestine and the Rest of the World: The 10 Most Shameful Minutes in Canadian History

On 29 November 2012, John Baird, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada, addressed the United Nations General Assembly on the Question of Palestine. Below you will find the video in which he accuses UN of abandoning its principles by recognizing Palestine.

Canada, Question of Palestine, General Assembly, 44th plenary meeting



Most Canadians are embarrassed and utterly disgusted with what our Conservative government has done. Unfortunately, because of our ’First Past the Post’ electoral system and the bitter reality that a majority government can do anything they want, we can’t do much about it, at least not until the next elections. When that time comes, we promise to do our best to remove from power these fanatics who have shamed Canada and put us on the wrong side of history.

Palestine, of course, was welcomed as a Non-Member Observer State. “Voting by an overwhelming majority - 138 in favour to 9 against (Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Panama, Palau, United States), with 41 abstentions — the General Assembly today accorded Palestine non-Member Observer State status in the United Nations.“

Voting, Question of Palestine, General Assembly, 44th plenary meeting



For those Canadians who have not been in the loop and would like to put into context what the Harper Government has just done, ask yourself this; was it to the best interest of Canada to vote and lobby against this resolution? If the answer is that you don't know, then Canada should have abstained.

In Canada, however, three times as many Canadians supported the Palestinian bid as those who opposed it. The most likely reason, we understand that when two parties are negotiating for peace they must be allowed to come to the table as equals, which was not the case when one party was recognized as a State and the other not.

For now, please accept our humble apologies for what our government has done. I can assure you that many of us are elated and celebrating much like the rest of the world. Congratulations, Palestine.




Enlarge - Source


Source


Enlarge - Source

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Four Lectures on Climate Change: Kevin Anderson, Andrew Simms, Gwynne Dyer, and Daniel Nocera

We have treated the world as a garbage dump. The damage we have done has been devastating and the repercussions unimaginable.

From the disappearing bees to plastic waste vortex’s in the oceans, from the commodification of water to increasing CO2 emissions for cheap gasoline, from deforestation (pdf) to the melting ice caps, from fracking to the oil sands, our politics, our economics, and our way of life are devastating ecosystems across the globe.

The simple fact is that even though it is our technological evolution that is bringing about an economic metamorphosis that we see manifesting itself as a global financial crisis, it will be the environmental revolution forcing our civilization to implement the concept of sustainability that will finally transform our society. In essence, we need to seriously rethink our current economic system.

There are positive changes taking place on the political front, and then some, but we are losing the battle:
“Humans must immediately implement a series of radical measures to halt carbon emissions or prepare for the collapse of entire ecosystems and the displacement, suffering and death of hundreds of millions of the globe’s inhabitants, according to a report commissioned by the World Bank. The continued failure to respond aggressively to climate change, the report warns, will mean that the planet will inevitably warm by at least 4 degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) by the end of the century, ushering in an apocalypse.”
Below you will find four lectures that provide further insight into our current predicament:
  1. In the first video Kevin Anderson presents some data;
  2. In the second video Andrew Simms discusses the absurdity of growth as it relates to our current economic system;
  3. In the third video Gwynne Dyer outlines what the consequences might be if we fail to address this issue;
  4. In the fourth video Daniel Nocera talks about the basic mathematics that we must consider to solve our energy crisis.

Kevin Anderson: 'Rhetoric to Reality'



Andrew Simms: Climate Change and the GDP-led Growth Model

Related: Video of “The impossible Hamster (and economic growth)

Gwynne Dyer: The Geopolitics of Climate Change

Related: Video of “Arctic Methane: Why The Sea Ice Matters

Daniel Nocera: Sustainocene: Harvard Leads a New Epoch for Humankind

Related: More math, full video lecture of “The Most IMPORTANT Video You'll Ever See

Friday, November 23, 2012

Ominous Forewarning from Prof. Norman Finkelstein: “I do think there is a plot, a conspiracy afoot… all the western powers are now acting in concert for a decisive moment.”

In November 2010, Professor Norman Finkelstein and Hamza Andreas Tzortzis spoke at a likeMEDIA.tv hosted event to address the question: “What Will Bring Peace to the Middle East?”

This was an excellent discussion where Prof. Finkelstein provided a secular perspective focusing on international law, while Mr. Tzortzis shared his perspective as an international public speaker on Islam.

What I found especially of interest, however, were the following opening remarks by Prof. Finkelstein:
“I was asked to speak on a very specific topic this evening namely ‘How to resolve the conflict’, if I had my choice in the matter I would’ve preferred to speak about what’s happening now in Gaza and more importantly, what seems to be unfolding in Lebanon, which is quite serious and quite ominous. I think we’re headed towards a crossroads in the Israeli-Palestine conflict in Lebanon in the near future, probably in the next several months…

“In my opinion, there is a very sinister plot, and I don’t usually use the word plot, and there is a very sinister conspiracy, and I don’t usually use the word conspiracy, but I do think there is a plot, a conspiracy afoot, not just by the usual suspects the US and Israel, but also France, Italy, Canada, all the western powers are now acting in concert for a decisive moment.

“We should be very sensitive to that fact and just as they’re laying the groundwork for their evil, we should now be preparing ourselves and not being left at the last moment trying to mitigate a war but to prepare for it because it’s going to be a decisive moment. It will either be 1967 where a significant defeat was delivered to the Arab world or it’ll be 1956 where the British and the French and the imperial powers at the time suffered a major setback. But it is serious and in my opinion it’s really, if I could use the word, it’s quite filthy.”
An ominous - and astonishingly accurate - forewarning considering all the changes that have taken place since 2010 due to the Arab Spring. From Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, to the latest Israeli offensive in Gaza and much more, the face of the Middle East and Northern Africa is changing.

As to the historical events that Prof. Finkelstein refers to, they are the 1967 Six-Day War as well as its consequences, and the 1956 Suez Crisis as well as its implications (pdf).

The video for this event which includes the question and answer period is provided below and is well worth the watch.

Professor Norman Finkelstein & Hamza Tzortzis - What Will Bring Peace to the Middle East?

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Hypocrisy of U.S. Foreign Policy: Obama agrees, all countries have the right to defend themselves against drone strikes

To emphasize the hypocrisy of US foreign policy in the following reply from President Obama, the word “missiles” has been replaced by “drones”, the word “landing” replaced by “striking”, and the word “Israel(i)” replaced by “the country’s”. Obama’s actual video reply follows the modified quote.
"Let's understand what the precipitating event here was that's causing the current crisis, and that was an ever-escalating number of drones that were striking, not just in the country’s territory, but in areas that are populated, and there's no country on Earth that would tolerate drones raining down on its citizens from outside its borders.

“So we are fully supportive of the country’s right to defend itself from drones striking people's homes and workplaces and potentially killing civilians, and we will continue to support the country’s right to defend itself.”

Obama Defends Israel's Right to Defend Itself



As for a non-hypocritical perspective on the Israeli offensive in Gaza, please see the following interview on Democracy Now! with Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies based in Washington, D.C.

Gaza Ceasefire to Be Decided in Cairo, But Will Washington Rein In Israeli Occupation, Blockade?

Monday, November 19, 2012

A Brief Summary of America’s War on Drugs

Below you will find a brief summary of where we stand regarding America’s War on Drugs:
  1. The Carter and Reagan Years

  2. Some Astonishing Statistics

  3. Obama and the Hypocrisy

  4. Washington and Colorado Legalize

  5. Our Present Predicament

  6. How to End Prohibition


I. The Carter and Reagan Years


In 1973 Oregon became the first state to modify its law and decriminalize marijuana use, which meant possession became a civil offense punishable by a fine. A key reason for this legislative change was pressure exerted by the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), a private citizens group founded in 1971 that believed drug laws were unfair to recreational users. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Bar Association (ABA) also supported marijuana law reform – the AMA came out in favor of dropping penalties for possession of insignificant amounts of marijuana in 1972, while the ABA recommended decriminalization in 1973.”
“Ten other states followed Oregon in decriminalizing marijuana and it appeared the nation was well on its way toward a federal policy of less stringent marijuana regulation. This policy seemed all but guaranteed when Jimmy Carter, a liberal politician, was elected to the White House in 1976.”
“Carter chose Dr. Peter Bourne as his special assistant for health issues and instructed him to come up with a plan for reorganizing drug policy. Borne… argued in March 1977 in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. Five months later President Carter asked Congress for legislation to eliminate federal penalties for possession of up to one ounce of marijuana. Though a call for drastic legal change, this was not an extreme departure from everyday reality, as most local police departments were not arresting individuals for possessing small quantities of marijuana.”


In 1980, Ronald Reagan won the elections, and the War on Drugs entered a new stage. “In his first year in office, Reagan called for total abstinence and substantially more funding for law enforcement – under the Reagan administration the enforcement part of the federal drug control budget shifted from one half to two thirds. The following year, Reagan launched a huge new campaign to combat drug trafficking and organized crime. It involved a variety of federal agencies and included the Defense Department, which was allowed for the first time to take an active part in the war on drugs. Vice President George Bush played a prominent part in the campaign by leading a task force to combat trafficking in Florida.”

“By 1984, thirteen antidrug task forces involving multiple federal agencies were operating nationwide and Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ campaign, a program that promoted the value of a drug-free life style, was being inaugurated in the schools. A year later, 1985, a federal drive was begun to combat the growth of marijuana plants.”



II. Some Astonishing Statistics


Since the beginning of this new “crusade”, the United States “has experienced a surge in its prison population, quadrupling since 1980, partially as a result of mandated sentences that came about during the ‘war on drugs.’”


click to enlarge - source

Disproportionately, it has been minorities and the poor that have received the harshest sentences.


click to enlarge - Source 1 (direct), Source 2 (main)

African-Americans are arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned for drug offenses at far higher rates than whites. This racial disparity bears little relationship to racial differences in drug offending. For example, although the proportion of all drug users who are black is generally in the range of 13 to 15 percent, blacks constitute 36 percent of arrests for drug possession. Blacks constitute 63 percent of all drug offenders admitted to state prisons. In at least fifteen states, black men were sent to prison on drug charges at rates ranging from twenty to fifty-seven times those of white men.”

Source 1, Source 2 (pdf), Source 3 - Table (pdf)
Additional: Source 4 - Table (pdf) – Federal and State – includes Hispanic ratios as well


According to the FBI, in 2011 49.5% of arrests for drug abuse violations were related to marijuana, 43.3% of those for simple possession. “Police made 757,969 arrests in 2011 for marijuana-related offenses,” a minor decrease from the past 5 years when the total was over 800,000 arrests per year.



The monetary cost of this has been astronomical to the U.S. taxpayer. In 2007 alone, a staggering $74 billion was spent on corrections, $104 billion on policing, and $50 billion on judicial, even though reports indicate that $37 billion would be saved annually with legalization.

click to enlarge - Source

This is the cost of the Prison-industrial complex in the United States and the difference between good infrastructure and bad infrastructure.
"The sacrifices we make to build these prisons are astonishing. Between 1987 and 2007, state spending on prisons increased by 40 percent (as a percent of the general fund). State spending on higher education decreased by 30 percent. We are financing our prisons by cutting our colleges.

"We continue to build even though prisons are often disappointing for economic development. The best jobs go to people from out of town, and dollars spent on prisons have little 'multiplier' effect. They don’t generate future additional dollars of economic activity, as do dollars spent on transportation, schools and so forth. Every dollar invested in highway construction generates $2.50 of gross domestic product in the short term. Raising teacher wages by 10 percent is associated with a 5 percent decrease in drop-out rates. But still we shortchange our schools and other rural enterprise, and build new prisons."

source


Keep in mind that “the United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners”, with "1 in 100 U.S. adults behind bars.” The numbers become even more mindboggling when you consider that “the U.S. correctional population -- those in jail, prison, on probation or on parole -- totaled 7.3 million, or 1 in every 31 adults.


Source: chart, table


III. Obama and the Hypocrisy


One of the most astonishing aspects of the war on drugs, specifically in relation to cannabis, is that even though the federal government has classified it as a ‘Schedule I’ substance, which means that according to the federal government the cannabis plant “has no currently accepted medical use”, in the United States there are at present 5 people who have a federal medical marijuana license.



Rather than respond to public and political demands for marijuana's medical availability, federal drug agencies are instead promoting bureaucratically sanctioned alternatives which are synthetic, expensive and often ineffective. It is ironic that after decades of pretending marijuana is medically useless, federal drug agencies are now aggressively pushing synthetic Marinol, the so-called ‘pot pill,’ by arguing it is as safe and effective as marijuana.”



Will Obama finally fulfill the US administrations promise to end prohibition, a promise that was made by President Jimmy Carter over 30 years ago? After all, Obama did support the decriminalization of marijuana in 2004:
“The war on drugs has been an utter failure, and I think we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws.”



Unfortunately, however, the answer is no. In March 2009, during an Interactive Town Hall Meeting, Obama stated that:

“‘There was one question that was voted on that ranked fairly high (it was actually the number 1 question) and that was whether legalizing marijuana would improve the economy and job creation, and I don’t know what this says about the online audience,’ Mr. Obama said, drawing a laugh. He said he wanted to make sure the question got answered. ‘The answer is no, I don’t think that was a good strategy.’”



The above statement made just a few short weeks after taking power showed what a complete hypocrite Obama had turned out to be. Since his dismissal of the number one question from the online community, “the Obama administration has quietly unleashed a multi¬agency crackdown on medical cannabis that goes far beyond anything undertaken by George W. Bush.
“The feds are busting growers who operate in full compliance with state laws, vowing to seize the property of anyone who dares to even rent to legal pot dispensaries, and threatening to imprison state employees responsible for regulating medical marijuana…

“‘There's no question that Obama's the worst president on medical marijuana,’ says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. ‘He's gone from first to worst.’”
The audacity of a leader that is willing to destroy countless lives for something that he has admitted to doing himself, frequently, must be taxing to those who have and are still willing to support him.




IV. Washington State and Colorado Legalize


There are, however, major changes taking place. On 6 November 2012, Washington State and Colorado join the fray and legalized the recreational use of cannabis.
“’It’s very monumental,’ said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington-based group that advocates legalization. ‘No state has ever done this. Technically, marijuana isn’t even legal in Amsterdam.’”
Under the measures, “personal possession of up to an ounce (28.5 grams) of marijuana would be legal for anyone at least 21 years of age. They also will permit cannabis to be legally sold and taxed at state-licensed stores in a system modeled after a regime many states have in place for alcohol sales.”

In addition, the cultivation of up to six plants for personal use will be legal in Colorado while still remaining illegal in Washington State.

How this will play out with the federal government’s war on cannabis is anyone’s guess.

After Historic Votes Legalizing Marijuana, Colorado & Washington Prepare for Federal Gov’t Showdown



What we know for sure, however, is that everything has changed and that change is reverberating around the globe. Below you will find the most recent global map available from wikipedia on the legality of cannabis. Please pay special attention to the two dark blue areas shown in the United States of America. Expect there to be more.

UPDATE: "Pot in the Air: Marijuana Legalized in Oregon, Alaska and DC"

click to enlarge - Source: “Legality of cannabis by country”


V. Our Present Predicament


Just to recap, in the United States, hundreds of thousands of people are being arrested for marijuana violations under the pretence that marijuana has no medical use, but at the same time the government has allowed 5 people to carry a federal medical marijuana license. The US government has also authorized pharmaceutical companies to synthesize THC, the active ingredient of marijuana, and to market and sell it as medicine. Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, Washington State and Colorado have gone beyond the medical marijuana debate and legalized the recreational use of cannabis.

Amazing times indeed.

We are now in 2012, and we have a president that has stated publicly that he has smoked and inhaled marijuana. He has also stated that “we need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws”, in essence agreeing with Jimmy Carter when he stated that:

“Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana.”
While we wait to obtain our freedom we should keep in mind that those who consume cannabis are not criminals. They are our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, our grandparents and our children, and many have been sacrificed to further the agenda of certain individuals and organizations who feed off the profits from the criminalization of a plant.


VI. How to End Prohibition


As for what we, personally, can do to help end America’s war on drugs? Our best option is to support grassroots organizations that are working towards repealing prohibition, they did, after all, get the ball rolling on this.
In 1973 Oregon became the first state to modify its law and decriminalize marijuana use, which meant possession became a civil offense punishable by a fine. A key reason for this legislative change was pressure exerted by the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (NORML), a private citizens group founded in 1971 that believed drug laws were unfair to recreational users."
Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs - Johann Hari on RAI (1/2)


Below you will find the names and websites of some of the more prominent groups spearheading the battle to end prohibition in the United States and Canada. They are trying to bring sanity back into our lives and I’m sure they would appreciate our support as much as we appreciate their efforts.

Organizations Working Towards Ending Prohibition

  • Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP)

  • Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP)

  • Erowid

  • Moms for Marijuana

  • Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)

  • Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)

  • DrugSense

  • Educators For Sensible Drug Policy (EFSDP)

  • National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (USA) and NORML Canada

  • The November Coalition

  • Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER)

  • Drug Policy Alliance (DPA Network)

  • Alternate title: A Brief Summary of America’s War on Drugs

    Friday, November 16, 2012

    Regarding Israel and Palestine, and the new offensive in Gaza

    Is it election time in Israel again? Is white phosphorus on the menu again? What’s the cause of this recent bloodshed? Is it because Israeli gunfire killed a boy or the assassination of a Hamas commander, or is it retaliation for all the rockets? Whatever the excuses, the dynamics of the conflict have changed and the ceasefire has been broken.

    Gaza Ceasefire to Be Decided in Cairo, But Will Washington Reign In Israeli Occupation, Blockade?



    Below you will find two videos I put together four years ago during the last major Israeli incursion into Gaza. The videos are just as relevant today as they were then, however, some major changes have taken place on the global landscape since 2008, three of which are: 1) Mubarak is no longer in power in Egypt; 2) the Arab Spring has altered the mindset and landscape of the Middle East and; 3) Palestinians are close to obtaining observer status at the United Nations.
    Zaki said that once the status of a Palestinian state is upgraded, the Palestinians would be able to pursue Israel for ‘war crimes’ in the International Criminal Court.

    “’Once we become a recognized state, we will go to all UN agencies to force the international community to take legal action against Israel,’”

    Two differing perspectives on the Israeli offensive in Gaza that began on 27 December 2008



    From Vancouver, with Love: a prayer for Gaza from Elders of the Coast Salish Territory, January 2009

    Wednesday, November 14, 2012

    What to Expect from the Obama Administration for the Next Four Years: Synopses from Tariq Ali, Gore Vidal, Noam Chomsky, Chris Hedges, and Ralph Nader

    We are already familiar with Obama’s policies from the last four years, so we should not expect much to change now that he has retained his title as the President of the United States of America. No matter the opinion on his domestic policy both in praise and in criticism, most would agree that his foreign policy has been a dismal failure. Hence, in the grand scheme of things his administration gets a failing grade, especially considering that foreign and domestic policy have become indivisible.

    Tariq Ali: Obama’s Expansion of Af-Pak War "Has Blown Up in His Face"



    Below you will find four interviews conducted by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now! The first is a 2008 interview with Gore Vidal about where we’ve come from - up to and including the Bush years. The second, third, and forth are 2012 interviews with Noam Chomsky, Chris Hedges, and Ralph Nader, respectively, summarizing Obama’s first term and giving us a glimpse of what to expect for the next four years.

    Legendary Author Gore Vidal on the Bush Presidency, History and the "United States of Amnesia"



    Noam Chomsky on WikiLeaks, Obama’s Targeted Assassinations and Latin America’s Break from the U.S.



    Chris Hedges on 9/11, Touring U.S. Economic Disaster Zones in "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt"



    "He Says One Thing and Does Another": Ralph Nader Responds to Obama’s State of the Union Address

    Wednesday, November 7, 2012

    Washington State and Colorado Join the Fray: Cannabis Legalized

    UPDATE: "Pot in the Air: Marijuana Legalized in Oregon, Alaska and DC"


    The big news from 6 November 2012 was not that the lesser of two evils won the US presidential elections, but that “Washington and Colorado voters legalized recreational use of marijuana.”
    “’It’s very monumental,’ said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, a Washington-based group that advocates legalization. ‘No state has ever done this. Technically, marijuana isn’t even legal in Amsterdam.’”
    Under the measures, “personal possession of up to an ounce (28.5 grams) of marijuana would be legal for anyone at least 21 years of age. They also will permit cannabis to be legally sold and taxed at state-licensed stores in a system modeled after a regime many states have in place for alcohol sales.”

    In addition, the cultivation of up to six plants for personal use will be legal in Colorado while still remaining illegal in Washington State.

    How will this play out with Obama’s war on cannabis, especially considering his record on medical marijuana?
    “The Obama administration has quietly unleashed a multi¬agency crackdown on medical cannabis that goes far beyond anything undertaken by George W. Bush. The feds are busting growers who operate in full compliance with state laws, vowing to seize the property of anyone who dares to even rent to legal pot dispensaries, and threatening to imprison state employees responsible for regulating medical marijuana…

    “‘There's no question that Obama's the worst president on medical marijuana,’ says Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. ‘He's gone from first to worst.’”

    After Historic Votes Legalizing Marijuana, Colorado & Washington Prepare for Federal Gov’t Showdown



    So why didn’t the residents of Washington and Colorado heed the warning from the former senior drug policy advisor to the Obama Administration that “once these states actually try to implement these laws, we will see an effort by the feds to shut it down”? The odds are that they realized that the war on drugs is complete madness. It’s a war that has gone through multiple mutations and over the last few decades grown into the monstrosity that it is today. A one sided war declared by nations on their citizens, a war sustained entirely due to ignorance, fear, and greed.

    Everything, however, changed on 6 November 2012. The citizens of the United States from Washington and Colorado joined the fray, and I for one welcome them.

    Below you will find the most recent global map available from wikipedia on the legality of cannabis. Please pay special attention to the two dark blue areas shown in the United States of America. Expect there to be more.

    click to enlarge - Source: “Legality of cannabis by country”

    Monday, November 5, 2012

    The Presidential Debate that Most Americans Didn’t See, and Why: League of Women Voters and the Full 2012 Third Party Presidential Debate

    The 57th United States presidential election will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. I’ve been asked numerous times who I would vote for if I was eligible to vote, one of the third party candidates has been my answer. My reasoning, if your only choice is to vote for the lesser of two evils, then in the limit you will only end up with pure evil.

    Below you will find two videos; the full 2012 third party presidential debate preceded by an excellent interview by Amy Goodman with George Farah, founder and executive director of Open Debates, where he explains how the presidential debates came to be and how private corporations with the assistance of the Republican and Democratic parties where able to “seize control of the presidential debates from the League of Women Voters in 1987.
    GEORGE FARAH: Well, the commission, the Commission on Presidential Debates, sounds like a government agency. It sounds like a nonpartisan entity, which is by design. It’s intended to deceive the American people. But in reality, it’s a private corporation, financed primarily by Anheuser-Busch and other major companies, that was created by the Republican and Democratic parties to seize control of the presidential debates from the League of Women Voters in 1987. And precisely as you said, Amy, every four years, this commission allows the major-party campaigns to meet behind closed doors and draft a secret contract, a memorandum of understanding that dictates many of the terms.

    “The reason for the commission’s creation is that the previous sponsor, the League of Women Voters, was a genuine nonpartisan entity, our voice, the voice of the American people, in the negotiation room, and time and time again, the League had the courage to stand up to the Republican and Democratic campaigns to insist on challenging and creative formats, to insist on the inclusion of independent candidates that the vast majority of the American people wanted to see, and most importantly, to insist on transparency, so that any attempts by the Republican and Democratic parties to manipulate the presidential debates would pay—would result in an enormous political price…

    AMY GOODMAN: George, you have a lot of—you have a lot of time here, so I really want you to lay out how this happened. Explain the moment when this was taken out of the hands of the League of Women Voters and this commission was formed. How was this justified?

    GEORGE FARAH: The best part of the history starts in 1980. In 1980, John B. Anderson, an independent candidate for president, runs against President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. President Jimmy Carter absolutely opposed independent candidate John Anderson’s participation in the presidential debates, and the League had a choice: do they support the independent candidate’s participation and defy the wishes of the president of the United States, or do they capitulate to the demands of President Jimmy Carter? The League did the right thing: it stood up to the president of the United States, invited John B. Anderson. The president refused to show up. The League went forward anyway and had a presidential debate that was watched by 55 million Americans. “You fast-forward four years later, Amy, and the Walter Mondale and Ronald Reagan campaigns vetoed 80 of the moderators that the League of Women Voters had proposed for the debates…”

    As Obama, Romney Hold First Debate, Behind the Secret GOP-Dem Effort to Shut Out Third Parties



    2012 Third Party Presidential Debate | Ora TV

    “The entire 2012 Third Party Presidential Debate complete with participants including Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson, Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, & Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson.

    “The debate was moderated by Larry King & hosted by the Free And Equal Elections Foundation at the Hilton Chicago. Topics discussed include war on drugs, legalization of marijuana, foreign policy, civil liberties, economy, education reform, & domestic policy.”
    As for which third party candidate I would vote for, considering my stance on privacy, prohibition, politics, and the environment, the answer should be obvious after watching the debate above.
    "The November election is not a battle between Republicans and Democrats. It is not a battle between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. It is a battle between the corporate state and us. And if we do not immediately engage in this battle we are finished, as climate scientists have made clear. I will defy corporate power in small and large ways. I will invest my energy now solely in acts of resistance, in civil disobedience and in defiance. Those who rebel are our only hope. And for this reason I will vote next month for Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, although I could as easily vote for Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. I will step outside the system. Voting for the “lesser evil”—or failing to vote at all—is part of the corporate agenda to crush what is left of our anemic democracy. And those who continue to participate in the vaudeville of a two-party process, who refuse to confront in every way possible the structures of corporate power, assure our mutual destruction."
    "Why I’m Voting Green" by Chris Hedges

    RT Debate - Third-party Candidates on WikiLeaks - Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein

    Friday, November 2, 2012

    Commodification of Water, the Quintessential Issue of Our Time

    Commoditization of the commons is the most important issue of our time, the most vital aspect of which is the commodification of water, usable water (pdf) to be more precise. As Global Water Corporation, a Canadian water privatization company has stated (pdf):

    “Water has moved from being an endless commodity that may be taken for granted to a rationed necessity that may be taken by force.”

    Strong words indeed for an important issue. Gavin Power, the deputy director of the United Nations Global Compact, reiterated this message when he made the following statement after receiving support from some of the largest corporations in the world in an effort “to help [sic] solve the global water crisis”:

    “The scale of the water problem is so big that governments can’t solve it alone. They need the help of the private sector.”

    Privatization of water, however, has some serious adversaries. Veronica Lake, a Michigan-based environmental activist, in a 2004 article cautions that corporations are using the following three tactics to take control of the world's water:

    1. “Through ‘water mining’ of the aquifers and vast sources of water that feed streams, and rivers;

    2. “Through long-term leases or concessions allowing corporations to take over the delivery of water systems and the collection of revenues;

    3. “Through ‘managing’ municipal water systems.”

    This, of course, is exactly what has been happening over the last few decades, intensifying in the last few years. From Coca-Cola’s water use in India to NestlĂ©’s in the United States, from the Alberta tar-sands to fracking projects across the US, there is a mad rush by private organizations to secure water rights and, unfortunately, certain governments have been facilitating this takeover of our commons.

    RMR: Rick's Rant - Experimental Lakes Area Cuts



    All is not doom and gloom however. “On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realisation of all human rights” (more info at the Council of Canadians and the People's Summit).

    By a vote of 122 in favour to none against with 41 abstentions, the resolution adopted by the General Assembly:

    1. “Recognizes the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights;

    2. “Calls upon States and international organizations to provide financial resources, capacity-building and technology transfer, through international assistance and cooperation, in particular to developing countries, in order to scale up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all;

    3. “Welcomes the decision by the Human Rights Council to request that the independent expert on human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation submit an annual report to the General Assembly, and encourages her to continue working on all aspects of her mandate and, in consultation with all relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, to include in her report to the Assembly, at its sixty-sixth session, the principal challenges related to the realization of the human right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation and their impact on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”

    Additional information on what we are facing is provided below by an excellent lecture by Maude Barlow and two documentaries that are well worth the watch; “A World Without Water” and “Blue Gold: World Water Wars”.

    The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water | Maude Barlow

    Further reading on some of the information mentioned in the video: 1) Proposal Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth, 2) OUR RIGHT TO WATER: A People’s Guide to Implementing the United Nations’ Recognition of the Right to Water and Sanitation (pdf), 3) Botswana Bushmen win right to water and Victory for Kalahari Bushmen as court grants right to water.

    A World Without Water



    Blue Gold: World Water Wars