Calls continue for an inquiry into the actions (and inactions) of the police during the G20 summit in Toronto at the end of June. Toronto police and their allies (who came from 1000s of miles away -- kind of reminds you of Afghanistan!) are accused of both not doing enough to prevent the vandalism and violence or of using excessive force on 100s of innocent bystanders, in other words doing too much.
In response, the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, first said there would be no inquiry. Then Toronto police chief "The Bill" Blair said the police would conduct an "internal review". In other words, they would investigate themselves.
This announcement was, for some reason, greeted with scepticism. Remarks like "couldn't find a blackberry in a saucer of milk" were heard. So now the Special Investigations Unit has been called in. That's the provincial body -- staffed by cops, ex-cops, crown lawyers and such -- whose mission is to exonerate the police of any misconduct in cases where civilians wind up in hospitals or morgues as a result of police actions.
But some people will never be satisfied. Protesters continued to demand a civilian investigation. So now the Toronto Police Services Board, to which the police are supposedly accountable, has announced its own "independent review", to be conducted at a later date, by person or persons unknown, with a mandate to be announced ... errrr ... later.
Expressions of interest are invited for the supply of several thousand gallons of whitewash for use by the three (and counting) inquiries. Bids should be sealed in a plain brown envelope (approx. 2.5" x 6") addressed to "Justice, Queen's Park".
Footnote: The TPSB, in a display of back-pedalling which would make a champion cyclist green with envy, has added that it only has jurisdiction over the Toronto police, so anything done by the Ontario Provincial Police, the RCMP, the Montréal police, the Regina police [that's enough police. ed.] won't be looked at.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Friendly fire
Yesterday I gave you the number of British troops who have died in Afghanistan, and for months now I have been reporting the latest Canadian deaths. But to give credit where credit is due, I should point out that hundreds of Americans are also laying down their lives -- needlessly -- in the most dangerous country in the Middle East.
Yesterday three US soldiers were killed by an IED somewhere in southern Aghanistan. No other details are available.
Afghanistan also has an army (of sorts) of its own, a pretty motley crew of inadequately trained and armed conscripts, led by the "real soldiers" of NATO. They run the risk of dying at the hands of their own countrymen. Anyone with a uniform is fair game.
Associated Press reports that "NATO" mistakenly killed five* of its Afghan army allies in an airstrike this morning. Since the Americans fly most of the gunships in that theatre, we can pretty much assume that some trigger-happy American was responsible. "Hey Joe! You're supposed to shoot at the rag-heads! The ones with the caps are ours!"
It's not like this hasn't happened before. Walt is reminded of the Tarnak Farm incident in 2002, when four Canadian soldiers were killed. Eight others were injured when U.S. Air National Guard Major Harry Schmidt dropped a laser-guided 500-pound bomb from his F-16 jet fighter on the Princess Pats who were conducting a night firing exercise near Kandahar.
Schmidt was charged with negligent manslaughter, aggravated assault, and dereliction of duty. He was found guilty of the latter charge, was fined nearly $5,700 in pay and was reprimanded. Today he lives in obscurity in his home in the USA, known locally as "the Schmidt house".
During testimony Schmidt blamed the incident on his use of "go pills" combined with the "fog of war". The Canadian dead received US medals for "bravery", but no apology.
*According to Agence France Presse the number of dead Afghan soldiers is six. Presumably they too will get medals...but no apology. "Collateral damage" happens!
Yesterday three US soldiers were killed by an IED somewhere in southern Aghanistan. No other details are available.
Afghanistan also has an army (of sorts) of its own, a pretty motley crew of inadequately trained and armed conscripts, led by the "real soldiers" of NATO. They run the risk of dying at the hands of their own countrymen. Anyone with a uniform is fair game.
Associated Press reports that "NATO" mistakenly killed five* of its Afghan army allies in an airstrike this morning. Since the Americans fly most of the gunships in that theatre, we can pretty much assume that some trigger-happy American was responsible. "Hey Joe! You're supposed to shoot at the rag-heads! The ones with the caps are ours!"
It's not like this hasn't happened before. Walt is reminded of the Tarnak Farm incident in 2002, when four Canadian soldiers were killed. Eight others were injured when U.S. Air National Guard Major Harry Schmidt dropped a laser-guided 500-pound bomb from his F-16 jet fighter on the Princess Pats who were conducting a night firing exercise near Kandahar.
Schmidt was charged with negligent manslaughter, aggravated assault, and dereliction of duty. He was found guilty of the latter charge, was fined nearly $5,700 in pay and was reprimanded. Today he lives in obscurity in his home in the USA, known locally as "the Schmidt house".
During testimony Schmidt blamed the incident on his use of "go pills" combined with the "fog of war". The Canadian dead received US medals for "bravery", but no apology.
*According to Agence France Presse the number of dead Afghan soldiers is six. Presumably they too will get medals...but no apology. "Collateral damage" happens!
Monday, July 5, 2010
311
A reader from across the pond wants to know why Walt hasn't been keeping track of the numbers of British troops killed in Afghanistan. My apologies. I don't mean to minimize the fighting being done by the British and the Americans. It's just that news of Canadian casualties gets to me more quickly.
Today a serviceman from The Royal Dragoon Guards died while on patrol in Helmand province. He was the victim of an IED. His death brings to 311 the number of British troops who have died in Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001.
Today a serviceman from The Royal Dragoon Guards died while on patrol in Helmand province. He was the victim of an IED. His death brings to 311 the number of British troops who have died in Afghanistan since the start of the war in 2001.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Competitive eating - who knew?
The silly season is upon us. Breaking news today is that a chap named Takeru Kobayashi [What part of Eire is he from? ed.] was arrested at Coney Island when he disrupted the annual July 4th hotdog eating contest.
In spite of the altercation, "competitive eater" Joey Chestnust retained his Major League Eating (MLE) championship. He wolfed down 54 "Nathan's Famous" dogs in ten minutes. Now I'm afraid to turn on the TV news for fear of having to see the video. Worse yet, someone is bound to post the aftermath on YouTube. Yes, there is a dark side to coming in first at a hotdog- or pie-eating contest. Winning has its price.
For me, the real fascination in this story lies in discovering that there really are organizations called Major League Eating and the International Federation of Competitive Eating. MLE is the franchise that oversees all professional competitive eating events [sic] and competitive eating television specials. Not making this up!
"The mission of Major League Eating," according to Wikipedia, "is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience." You can see its competitions -- should you have the stomach for such things -- on Spike TV. Another good reason not to spend money on the premium cable package!
Competitive eating... Who knew?! Now competitive drinking ... that's another matter!
In spite of the altercation, "competitive eater" Joey Chestnust retained his Major League Eating (MLE) championship. He wolfed down 54 "Nathan's Famous" dogs in ten minutes. Now I'm afraid to turn on the TV news for fear of having to see the video. Worse yet, someone is bound to post the aftermath on YouTube. Yes, there is a dark side to coming in first at a hotdog- or pie-eating contest. Winning has its price.
For me, the real fascination in this story lies in discovering that there really are organizations called Major League Eating and the International Federation of Competitive Eating. MLE is the franchise that oversees all professional competitive eating events [sic] and competitive eating television specials. Not making this up!
"The mission of Major League Eating," according to Wikipedia, "is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience." You can see its competitions -- should you have the stomach for such things -- on Spike TV. Another good reason not to spend money on the premium cable package!
Competitive eating... Who knew?! Now competitive drinking ... that's another matter!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Multiculturalism vs national unity
Note from Ed.: Walt is feeling a bit indisposed this holiday weekend -- the Bacardi flu perhaps -- so I will substitute excerpts from an editorial headed "Multiculturalism has undermined unity".
I am reminded of that famous verse from Sir Walter Scott’s long narrative poem, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, which begins, “Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,/Who never to himself hath said,/This is my own, my native land!” This verse is a rebuke of [the] wretched individuals who have little or no love for their country.
But in the period since...1967, the politics of multiculturalism...have contributed to widening ethnic divisions in a country of immigrants.... However charitably we consider the good intentions that launched multiculturalism as a policy..., the consequences — especially when examined since the events of Sept. 11, 2001 — have increasingly undermined the ideal of [national] unity.
The worm inside the doctrine of multiculturalism is the lie that all cultures are equally embracing of individual freedom and democracy. The concerted assault by Islamists on the West and its values is proof of this lie.
Moreover, multiculturalism by reinforcing hyphenated identities...keeps alive divided loyalties....
Multiculturalism demonstrably promotes politics based on ethnic loyalties in a multiethnic country — countries built by immigrants arriving from different parts of the world are by definition multiethnic and not multicultural — and, thereby, sharpens ethnic quarrels it was supposed to dissolve.
We need to liberate ourselves from the lie with which multiculturalism amplifies our differences and greatly threatens the unity of our country.
Sorry about all the elipses. If you click on the link and read the entire article, you'll find the writer was referring to Canada and the One Canada Vision of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, "the first Canadian". It applies also the the USA and the UK -- in spades.
You'll also discover that the piece, complete with what some will say are anti-Muslim sentiments, was written by Salim Mansur, a Muslim who immigrated to Canada roughly four decades ago.
I am reminded of that famous verse from Sir Walter Scott’s long narrative poem, The Lay of the Last Minstrel, which begins, “Breathes there the man, with soul so dead,/Who never to himself hath said,/This is my own, my native land!” This verse is a rebuke of [the] wretched individuals who have little or no love for their country.
But in the period since...1967, the politics of multiculturalism...have contributed to widening ethnic divisions in a country of immigrants.... However charitably we consider the good intentions that launched multiculturalism as a policy..., the consequences — especially when examined since the events of Sept. 11, 2001 — have increasingly undermined the ideal of [national] unity.
The worm inside the doctrine of multiculturalism is the lie that all cultures are equally embracing of individual freedom and democracy. The concerted assault by Islamists on the West and its values is proof of this lie.
Moreover, multiculturalism by reinforcing hyphenated identities...keeps alive divided loyalties....
Multiculturalism demonstrably promotes politics based on ethnic loyalties in a multiethnic country — countries built by immigrants arriving from different parts of the world are by definition multiethnic and not multicultural — and, thereby, sharpens ethnic quarrels it was supposed to dissolve.
We need to liberate ourselves from the lie with which multiculturalism amplifies our differences and greatly threatens the unity of our country.
Sorry about all the elipses. If you click on the link and read the entire article, you'll find the writer was referring to Canada and the One Canada Vision of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, "the first Canadian". It applies also the the USA and the UK -- in spades.
You'll also discover that the piece, complete with what some will say are anti-Muslim sentiments, was written by Salim Mansur, a Muslim who immigrated to Canada roughly four decades ago.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Scary pictures from London
Agent 6 forwards these pictures of Muslims marching through the streets of London during a recent "Religion of Peace" demonstration.
Makes you think, doesn't it. Can you imagine having a Christian or Jewish or any other religious demonstration against Islam in downtown Baghdad or Kabul?But hey, that's what freedom of speech is all about ... in London, at least.
Canadians love their cops
OK, here's the straight poop on the riot in Toronto on G20 weekend.
Some have objected to my use of the word "riot", but there were thousands of cops and fewer thousands of demonstrators/protesters/rioters in the streets, over 900 arrests, over a million dollars in property damage, burning police cruisers...the lot. If that isn't a riot, what is it?
The G20 leaders and some invited guests (like the president of the great state of Malawi) met in Toronto this past weekend to resolve the problems of the world: recession, fat cat bankers, "maternal health" (read: abortions for Africans) and so forth.
They were invited by Canadian Prime Minister "Call me Steve" Harper, presumably to get even with Toronto for not electing a single Conservative MP to sit in the rows of trained seals behind him in the House of Commons.
Toronto's leftie mayor, David Millertime, and rightie police chief, Bill "The Bill" Blair [you have to be British to get that - ed.] warned that there'd be trouble, but no-one listened, except to decide that maybe now would be a good time to beef up security.
So over a billion Canadian taxpayers' dollars was spent to bring cops in from all over Canada -- as far away as the Northwest Territories -- for an all-expenses-paid weekend in the Big Smoke.
And of course there were toys for the boys:
Some have objected to my use of the word "riot", but there were thousands of cops and fewer thousands of demonstrators/protesters/rioters in the streets, over 900 arrests, over a million dollars in property damage, burning police cruisers...the lot. If that isn't a riot, what is it?
The G20 leaders and some invited guests (like the president of the great state of Malawi) met in Toronto this past weekend to resolve the problems of the world: recession, fat cat bankers, "maternal health" (read: abortions for Africans) and so forth.
They were invited by Canadian Prime Minister "Call me Steve" Harper, presumably to get even with Toronto for not electing a single Conservative MP to sit in the rows of trained seals behind him in the House of Commons.
Toronto's leftie mayor, David Millertime, and rightie police chief, Bill "The Bill" Blair [you have to be British to get that - ed.] warned that there'd be trouble, but no-one listened, except to decide that maybe now would be a good time to beef up security.
So over a billion Canadian taxpayers' dollars was spent to bring cops in from all over Canada -- as far away as the Northwest Territories -- for an all-expenses-paid weekend in the Big Smoke.
And of course there were toys for the boys:
- shiny black storm trooper outfits straight out of Star Wars
- gas masks to be donned when the world leaders spoke [really? ed.], and
- brand new cannons -- water and sound, the use of the latter being blocked by court order just before the fun began
Some construction work was done too. An old film studio was converted into a temporary "holding facility" -- i.e. a jail -- capable of housing 500 protesters/anarchists/innocent bystanders. And a Really Big Fence was built around several downtown city blocks, either to keep the residents in or keep the rabble out.
The Fence is central to this story. Just before the storm broke, the police announced that anyone approaching within 5 meters (about 16 feet) of the fence could be stopped and asked for ID, searched...and arrested if they didn't comply.
On being questioned about their authority for this, "The Bill" told the media that these powers had been confirmed by the Ontario government a few days earlier, in a secret Order-in-Council which would be gazetted (government-speak for "published") next month. Deputy Police Chief Eric Cartman said, "Don't question my authoritie!" [Are you sure about this? ed.]
It turns out that ... errrr ... there was no such law or regulation on the books. Never was. The cops lied about that. Caught in the lie through the efforts of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the media, "The Bill" now says, in effect, that it was better for the public to think the cops had extraordinary powers of arrest, even though they didn't. In other words, the end justified the means.
Here's a quote from this morning's Globe and Mail column by Adam Radwanksi.
"Not only did Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals place limits on civil liberties without telling anyone – but they also then washed their hands as police misrepresented and misused their new powers.
"It’s a glaring abdication of responsibility, reflective of a government overly content to give police carte blanche even in the most volatile situations."
Why would the Ontario government -- and the federal government which was ultimately responsible for this fiasco -- let the police be a law unto themselves? Let me give you two answers.
First of all, the government of Ontario has no policies or principles. The Premier, Dalton McGuinty -- who it is rumoured recently turned down the lead role in a remake of Father Knows Best -- has yet to have Idea One about what a government should or should not do. So he does what "staff" (i.e. the bureaucrats in Queen's Park) tell him is good to do.
That's not the same as "the right thing to do", in spite of his parrotting of this phrase to defend the new Harper Sales Tax. Another case in point: the recent flip-flop over whipping the LGBTQ sex-ed agenda on 8-year-olds in Ontario schools. See Walt's blog, passim.
Reason Two. The plain truth is that our governments -- federal, provincial and municipal -- are afraid of the police. Why else would they spend ten times more than has ever been spent before on defending a city which didn't want the damned summit against a "security threat" which became a self-fulfilling prophecy?!
The whole riot could have been avoided by holding the Big Powwow in a more appropriate place. La Ronge, Saskatchewan, would have been a good choice. Walt lived not far away, once upon a time. Nice lake there. They wouldn't have had to build a fake one...inside a downtown building. But nooooo....
"There's gonna be trouble!", the cops told us. "Better give us more arms, and lots more boots on the ground. Oh yeah, and more power too. When we say 'Jump!', those pinko queer protesters better ask 'How high?" And so it came to pass.
We are left with the disturbing image of what has been called "a police state". Canada is not a police state like China or Zimbabwe. But it is a state which is over-policed.
Let us not kid ourselves that the boys and girls in blue can do no wrong. They can...and they do. Cops are bullies. It's the nature of the beast. The kids at school who wanted to be hall monitors or prefects are the same ones who grew up to be cops.
The police love their authority. They revel in it. They wallow in it. They delight in pushing people around. And unless they get called on it -- perhaps by the inquiry which ought to follow the events of this weekend -- it will just get worse and worse. Don't expect the G20 riot to be the last.
FOOTNOTE: A reader writes in New Canadian English to say that only $122 million was spent on beefing up the police presence. Whether it was $122 million or ten times that amount is beside the point. A small fortune was spent needlessly and Toronto still got trashed. Ed.
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