HARPER'S NEW PRISONS ARE FOR US

Yes, the New Prisons are for us.

Else why would Harper be building so many? Especially when statistics show that violent crimes have actually gone down in Canada? I believe Harper’s big investments in prisons (up to ten new prisons, expanding old ones; billions of dollars) are to alley his worst fears of the Canadian people. Fears? Yes, in my opinion, I think that Harper fears public reaction to his future economic plans and that the prisons will be primarily to accommodate a wave of public protest against the joblessness and finale cuts in social programs he will make if reelected. And Harper’s uncompromising political agenda is buttressed by his religious ones.
Stephen Harper is a fundamentalist evangelical Christian of the Dispensationalist variety, that is, one who holds a literal belief in the Bible, particularly the Book of Revelations. This book describes the Armageddon, a name given to the events prophesied to occur when the earth’s people will be in total chaos and Jesus will return and create the “Rapture” for believers. And non- believers? Well, they get to perish in a river of fire. And I believe that Stephen Harper’s brothers in faith, Stockwell Day and Chuck Strahl (and supported by Jimmy Pattison who is rumored to be the richest man in BC) are returning to British Columbia to prepare for the Second Coming.

It can be argued that Mr. Strahl’s return to BC is connected with his asbestos related cancer, but this did not diminish his enthusiasm for Canadian asbestos mines and the perceived need to export it to poor third world countries whose people, in turn, will sicken and die from asbestos. I think this a rather peculiar, uncaring position to take, and until his decision to return to BC with Stockwell Day, Mr. Strahl insisted that he would run again. In my opinion, Harper called an election (by refusing input of the other parties) because he foresees another Armageddon, a financial one this time, perhaps to proceed his expectation of the Biblical one, when (if) he is reelected.

The financial Armageddon has to do with the high Canadian dollar. As of today (April 4th) the Canadian dollar is worth one dollar and three cents US (and climbing). But that’s good, right? To have a strong Canadian dollar? Yes, if we’re shopping in the US, but no, if our jobs and very livelihoods depend on exports. As everyone knows we Canadians live primarily by exporting our natural resources…wood, water, oil, and minerals. But when the Canadian dollar is so high then our exports are not as competitive in the world market and then many of our commodities just sit, waiting for the market to change. The market seems loath to change at the moment but it must be made to do so fairly soon or Canada will go broke. How to make our dollar go down?

Two ways...the Bank of Canada (or in reality our domestic banks) can print more money which would gradually devalue our dollar until it gets pushed down below par with the US. However, this would cause hyper-inflation. Or there could be some sort of readjustment at the Bank of Canada that would be the equivalent of an immediate devaluation. And that would be that. No more great American shopping and anything imported would cost lots more. However, some jobs might pick up immediately as more commodities would be shipped out. But, as always, the CEO’s and stock holders of our great international resource sucking corporations will take the money and run.

Perhaps those of us Canadians, who can, should go ahead and shop south of the border while our dollar is high. My guess is that if Stephen Harper is reelected the Canadian dollar will immediately plummet as he will not resist the demand from the corporations who own us to devalue the dollar (in cooperation with the banks, of course, and their obscene profits) and cut more corporate taxes (like they pay a lot now).

And the Stephen Harper, Stockwell Day, Chuck Strahl, Jimmy Pattison fundamentalist brand of religion will flourish in British Columbia. The condition of the majority of us will resemble the condition of First Nations on contact…the exploiters take the land and resources and give us the Bible. Particularly the Book of Revelation. And if we vehemently object then yes, Harper’s new and expanded prisons will be waiting.

Fighting Over Scraps

Fighting over scraps of public forests. That’s what we’re doing. Not even old growth, that’s all gone, but second growth. That was the scenario last Friday at Qualicum Beach. There was a rally, signs, speeches, citizen dedication and participation, all trying to muster support from the BC Liberal government against the logging of rare Coastal Douglas-fir in District Lot 33 in Nanoose Bay. The BC Liberal government sent excuses and the promise of more meetings. I was out front with my remarks. Unless citizens find the will to resort to, use, and support peaceful civil disobedience in defense of environmental integrity then we are whistling in the wind.

But Betty, some have told me, civil disobedience, even if it is peaceful, is against the law! How often I have heard that! But my reply is this…the law we are dealing with in British Columbia is grotesquely skewed in favor of the rights of corporations and opposed to the rights of citizens including First Nations. Like clean drinking water. BC Courts have refused to rule definitively that the people of BC have the right to clean drinking water. Fancy that. And the Harper government has steadfastly refused to introduce, or support, a national water program. How can we demand that we must save our watersheds from logging to protect drinking water when BC Courts have refused to rule that we have an innate right to clean drinking water? And the Harper government is meeting with corporations bent on damming our rivers for the US?

So log the watersheds, our courts have said, clear cut out the rest of the valleys, helli-log the mountainsides, drain the wetlands for development, dam up the streams for US hydro, destroy it all, slash and burn, who cares, certainly not Stephen Harper or Christy Clark. Harper is preparing for the Rapture of the Second Coming while meeting with corporate water mongers and Christy Clark is preparing for her role as provincial BC Liberal queen of 3’ps…more corporate pillaging, polluting and privatizing.

I heard this morning (CBC radio) that the US has agreed for Monsanto to plant genetically modified Alfalfa. Alfalfa is a huge crop on this continent; it feeds both people and animals. Monsanto intends to control the food supply of the entire world. And it will. Who will stop it? With no right to clean water and no control over our food supply and no right to halt the systematic destruction of our natural world what actually do citizens control? Nothing. Nothing of importance.
But there is such a thing as “ Natural law.” There is a lot of jurisprudence (legal discussions of law) around the concept of Natural Law. On page18 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_law last paragraph under the heading: In contemporary jurisprudence: “ …a law can be unjust without it being any less a law, (but) a natural law jurisprudence would say that there is something legally deficient about an unjust law.”

This is exactly what is happening to us individually, and as a people. We are bound by both “legally deficient” statute and case law that have been put there by corporate influenced judges (most have been corporate lawyers) and law makers. If we want our children to grow up sane and sound, or grow up at all, it’s time we all started looking at peaceful civil disobedience as a legitimate way to reclaim our innate rights as citizens in cooperation with First Nations.

- Betty K

Christy, You've Shrunk the Cabinet!

Christy, what happened to your cabinet? The media has rather congratulated Christy Clark on the slenderness of her new cabinet. After all, small is more manageable, right? Not in this case. Not if one ponders the full import of Steve Thompson’s new portfolio titled Ministry of Natural Resource Operations. Steve Thompson’s slogan is “One Project, One Process.” But what does this mean?

After reading Steve Thompsons Ministry of Natural Resource Operations service plan for 2011-2013 the intent of this service plan becomes somewhat clearer. Everything to do with our natural resources are to be held under Thompsons one portfolio and this includes Forests, Water, Energy, Environment, Mines, Tourism, Agriculture, and oddly enough, First Nations. But aren’t there separate ministries for all of these headings? Yes, but they don’t mean anything now. They have been hollowed out, gobbled up by the new Ministry of Natural Resource Operations. Christy Clark, you could boot at least half a dozen more out of your cabinet and you wouldn’t even notice. But what is the purpose of this amalgamation?

The purpose, under the heading of One Land Manager for British Columbia in their Service Plan for 2011-2013 on page 6, Steve Thompson explains: “This new structure will streamline government processes in the natural resource sector to better attract global investment and turn proposed projects and investments into actual worksites…” and same page, further down:..”The one project, one process approach for major investments creates a single framework that is timely, diligent, and science based.” In other words, all of the decisions made concerning our natural resources will be made swiftly by a few people in Christy Clarks new ministry, the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations. Very few people.

These people are making decisions that favor corporations who plunder the lands, waters, and the people of British Columbia and are doing it in our name. Who created this “One Land Manager for British Columbia?” This vicious reorganization that will swiftly accelerate the damming of our streams for US power, the increasing desire to fell every last old growth tree in this province, to nudge farmland into oblivion, to increase trophy hunting on Crown land, and to continue to work to divest First Nations of their rights in disputed territories? Whose brilliant idea? Gordon Campbell’s of course. He was, and still is, the “The One Land Manager”. He created this monster just before he left office. It was his last, swift kick in the pants to the people of British Columbian. Christy Clark? Steve Thomson? They will carry out Campbell’s mandate if they aren’t stopped. They must be defeated. What’s left of our natural resources depend upon it.

* Betty K