Sandra Finley

2015-08-20 Spain’s campaigning judge, Baltasar Garzon, seeks change in law to prosecute global corporations. The Guardian

 Baltasar Garzon, Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category)  No Responses »
Dec 012015
 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/20/spain-judge-baltasar-garzon-prosecute-global-corporations#comments

Baltasar Garzón to push for economic and environmental crimes to be treated as those against humanity at international conference next month

Baltasar Garzon’s innovative use of universal jurisdiction is under attack from Spain’s government. Baltasar Garzon’s innovative use of universal jurisdiction is under attack from Spain’s government. Photograph: Juan Medina/Reuters

Ashifa Kassam in Madrid

He has brought down governments, closed newspapers and ordered the arrests of dictators.

Now Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish judge who redefined the boundaries of cross-border justice, has set his sights on widening the definition of international law to target corporations that carry out economic or environmental crimes.

“Humanitarian and economic crises cause more deaths around the world than all of the genocides we have documented,” said Garzón, who made headlines around the world when he ordered the 1998 arrest of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet in London.

Next month, he and other leading activists, judges and academics from a dozen countries will come together at a conference in Buenos Aires to push forward the idea that economic and environmental crimes be considered crimes against humanity, akin to torture or genocide.

Actions that could be considered criminal, said Garzón, include those of the so-called vulture funds that undermine countries’ debt restructuring, or companies that turn a blind eye to the abusive exploitation of natural resources such as coltan, used in mobile phones, digital cameras and computers.

These actions fit within the definition of crimes against humanity, as they affect certain sectors of the population and trample on human rights, he said. Referring to environmental crimes, he said: “We’re seeing how climate change is connected to natural disasters and famines.”

The recent crisis in Greece had yielded another example of what he saw as criminal behaviour. “While the Greeks were voting in the referendum, there was a massive exit of capital from the country, some €2bn. It left the country on the brink of collapse and limited how much money citizens could withdraw each week,” said Garzón. Widening the application of international law could enable courts to force the return of this capital or to embargo it.

The mechanism for prosecution would be universal jurisdiction, a provision in international law that allows judges to try cases of human rights abuses committed in other countries. The doctrine would be particularly helpful in going after large corporations, as it would allow the law to equally pursue perpetrators regardless of where their headquarters are located.

For much of the past two decades, Spanish judges were among the leaders of applying universal justice, relying on the doctrine to reach beyond Spanish borders and investigate serious human rights abuses in Argentina, Rwanda and Guatemala.

Last year, after a court in Spain ordered Interpol to issue arrest warrants for former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and four other senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in Tibet decades ago, the governing People’s party fast-tracked a reform to curb the use of universal jurisdiction in Spain.

Critics accused the Spanish government of prioritising trade relations with China over human rights. Garzón, whose judicial career in Spain ended in 2012 after he was convicted of illegally ordering the wiretapping of conversations between defence lawyers and clients in a corruption case involving the People’s party, warned that the changes were part of a wider step backwards on human rights in Spain.

This latest initiative will likely face serious political obstacles as well, said Garzón. “The problems will come when this initiative affects powerful countries, such as the United States, China or Israel,” he said. “But little by little the path will be paved.”

2015-11-27 Switzerland sentences tax evasion whistleblower Hervé Falciani to 5 years in prison. Leaked HSBC client files exposed $255B stashed offshore, including $4B in accounts tied to Canada

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category)  2 Responses »
Nov 282015
 

NOTE:

I was curious whether tax havens, an election plank, are explicit in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s letter of Mandate to the Minister for Revenue Canada.  Good news – – they are!

 Invest additional resources to help the CRA crack down on tax evaders and work with international partners to adopt strategies to combat tax avoidance.

(http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-national-revenue-mandate-letter#sthash.PTkgj0lA.dpuf)

– – – – – –  – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

CBC News

Former HSBC employee Hervé Falciani, a fugitive from Switzerland, talks to reporters last month in France. He provided global tax authorities with info on tens of thousands of secret Swiss bank accounts, enabling investigators to recover billions of dollars in unpaid tax.

Former HSBC employee Hervé Falciani, a fugitive from Switzerland, talks to reporters last month in France. He provided global tax authorities with info on tens of thousands of secret Swiss bank accounts, enabling investigators to recover billions of dollars in unpaid tax. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

 

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Switzerland has sentenced a former bank IT employee referred to as the “Edward Snowden of tax evasion” to five years in prison for leaking records on 106,000 account holders, including about 1,800 from Canada, in a move that led to billions of dollars in unpaid taxes being recovered by countries around the world.

Whistleblower Hervé Falciani, a former head of computer security at HSBC’s private banking arm in Geneva, was sentenced in absentia Friday after being convicted of corporate espionage for taking records that showed the bank helped hide the equivalent of $255 billion of clients’ money.

He did not attend the trial and remains at large in his native France, where he can avoid arrest because France doesn’t extradite its own citizens.

Falciani began copying the records to his personal computer in 2006, and later fled when he was confronted by his employer.

In a 2010 interview with CBC News in Nice, France, he said he was driven by profound qualms about the secrecy of the Swiss banking industry and how it enabled wealthy people around the world to shield money from tax authorities.

“I came to the point that something was very wrong and should be changed,” he said. “A huge industry is made just to go around rules that we can’t go around as simple citizens.”

HSBC indicted in France

As a result of the documents Falciani exposed, tax investigations were launched in France, Italy, Britain, India and Canada, among other countries.

The value of accounts tied to Canada was around $4 billion, from which the Canada Revenue Agency said it has recovered $28.4 million in unpaid taxes on hidden money, while Revenue Quebec has recouped an additional $34.4 million. France recovered half a billion euros in unpaid taxes.

faclciani-hsbc-300

CBC News interviewed Falciani in 2010 in Nice, France, and revealed that nearly 1,800 secret HSBC Swiss accounts belonged to Canadians. (CBC)

The Falciani revelations were among the first in a series of leaks of offshore banking data in recent years that have exposed how wealthy people worldwide use networks of secret accounts and shell corporations to hide income and avoid or evade tax.

But Swiss authorities and HSBC have maintained that Falciani’s actions amounted to theft. He was finally charged last December following a six-year investigation, with the country’s attorney general alleging Falciani was motivated by profit and tried to sell the account info he took.

A month prior, France had indicted HSBC on allegations the bank helped launder the proceeds of tax fraud through the same Swiss private banking accounts.

A separate Swiss investigation into HSBC resulted in the bank paying a $53-million settlement and avoiding criminal charges. Switzerland has not charged any HSBC bankers or executives.

U.S. and Belgian authorities are still looking into the bank.

Canada never brought tax evasion charges against any of HSBC’s Canadian account holders.

It is not illegal to have an offshore account or numbered company, but all the income must be properly reported to tax authorities.

Read more about offshore banking leaks:

2015-11-16 YouTube: German Public TV tells Europeans re ISDS (Investor State Dispute Settlements). Canada? U.S.? What are we seeing?

 Trade Deals, PPPs, Integration Canada-U.S.  5 Responses »
Nov 262015
 

It’s very easy to follow – – good English sub-titles.  Just give it a minute.

 

Europeans are seeing Canadian experience with Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDSs) through German Public TV.

This is a very important and informative video.   Many thanks to people in Germany.  And to Janet Eaton – – her remarks below.   Also,  Osgoode Hall Law School professor Gus Van Harten makes very important contributions.  Maude Barlow, Council of Canadians has been a stalwart for years on the Trade Deals.  There’s a link below – – Bless Maude.

I think it’s left to us to forward the word to Canadians and Americans.   It just isn’t being discussed, how are people supposed to know?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2NZ9MQh0w

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

RELATED:

2015-01-14 FTA’s Chapter 11 Makes Canada Most-Sued Country Under Free Trade Tribunals, Huffington Post

2015-03-06 We Canadians get to gift Exxon/Mobil $17.3 million! (compliments of NAFTA)

2015-04-18 Hundreds of Millions of Dollars already paid out to corporations because of trade deals. It’s about to multiply many times over (TPP, CETA, etc.).    (Has a number of links to other postings.)

2015-10-16 Texas Oil Tycoon T. Boone Pickens’ $700-Million NAFTA Lawsuit Against Ontario Nears End, NY Times & Huffington Post

2015-11-22   Offshore Banking and ISIS.

(But click on the video at top from Germany – – it sets everything in an entirely new light.)

With thanks to Janet Eaton:

Dear All,

Here is the video prepared for German Public Television with English subtitles  made for  European citizens to understand the true nature of Investor State Dispute Settlement about which there has been such huge backlash in Europe and especially Germany. [An earlier version in German was released some time ago.]

By highlighting a Canadian case under NAFTA, the first major agreement between developed countries with ISDS included, the producers were warning Europeans about what could happen when saddled with NAFTA- like ISDS agreements with both Canada under CETA and the US under TTIP.

It could  also be useful for lobbying in Canada to have the struggles of a local community portrayed in situ with local interviewees who fought against a large American  quarry there only to lose under ISDS i.e.  the Digby Neck Nova Scotia Bilcon case which has become a lightening rod for critique of ISDS world wide.

Likewise for European cases – Vattenfall against the German decision, after Fukushima,   to phase out nuclear power and Spanish government’s decision to stop the subsidization of solar companies operating in Spain.

You will also see and hear analyses from many legal experts from various European countries as well as from Canada and the US as to what is transpiring politically and economically with what the majority see as an unfair attack on the public sphere and a violation of national sovereignty.

There is also significant documentation provided by Cecilia Olivet from the  Transnational Institute one of Canada’s Trade Justice Network’s  collaborators in bringing to  light the egregious nature of ISDS.

This video should also be useful for informing the public about the mechanics of ISDS and its private tribunals, behind the scenes machinations, and multiple impacts compared to public law courts hence giving an unfair advantage to corporations.

The Vattenfall case against the German decision to phase out nuclear power plants after the Fukushima disaster also reminds us of the Lone Pine Resources case against the government  of Quebec for placing a moratorium on fracking and how difficult it could be to enforce agreements on Climate Action made in Paris as Professor Gus van Harten well knows . He has called for a trade deal exemption clause in his new report, “An ISDS Carve-out to Support Action on Climate Change” a move championed by the Council of Canadians and Maude Barlow.

http://www.nationalobserver.com/2015/09/23/news/nafta-and-fipa-could-derail-cop21-paris-climate-change-agreement-report-claims

Please share this with colleagues and your lists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2NZ9MQh0w

all the best,

janet

——- Forwarded message follows ——-

From:                         Pia Eberhardt

Dear all,

In October, the first German public TV channel broadcasted a pretty good 45 minute documentary on the investor-state dispute settlement system (ISDS), in TTIP and elsewhere: “Konzerne klagen – wir zahlen”.

The film goes in depth into the cases of energy giant Vattenfall vs. Germany, Bilcon against Canada as well as the numerous cases of solar investors against Spain.

It includes strong statements from people from the arbitration industry, politicians, NGO activists as well as academics.

CEO and TNI have now subtitled the video in English and Spanish (you have to activate the subtitles yourselves): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2NZ9MQh0w Some quotes from the movie can be found below, to give you an impression. All the best, Pia

“It’s been a bonanza for the legal industry, that’s growing up around this treaties and it’s ultimate, it only exists, because at some point everyone expects: The public will have to pay.” Gus van Harten, Professor for International Law „

We do see people essentially speculating on the outcomes of corporate attacks on governments.“ Ben Beachy, Sierra Club „

The moment in which those standards as fair and equitable treatment have been applied in an extensive way, meaning that any legislative change which impairs or which brings with it as a consequence that a certain expected investment is not longer going to be possible – this is in my eyes a perversion of the system.“ José-Maria Beneyto, Professor for international law
* * * * * * * * * * * P i a   E b e r h a r d t Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) Cranachstraße 48 50733 Cologne Germany www.corporateeurope.org Tel.: ++49 (0)221 789 678 10 Mobile: ++49 (0) 152 56 30 91 02 pia  AT   corporateeurope.org skype: piaebse Sign up to the CEO e-newsletter: http://www.corporateeurope.org/subscribe-our-newsletter

1958-03 Mandela on U.S. imperialism, “New Menace in Africa.”

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category)  No Responses »
Nov 252015
 

http://www.themilitant.com/2010/7445/744549.html  
 (Books of the Month column)

Below is an excerpt from The Struggle is My Life by Nelson Mandela, one of Pathfinder’s Books of the Month for November. The book contains his writings and speeches in the fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa, from the time he joined the African National Congress Youth League in 1944 to his release from 27 years of incarceration in 1990. The piece below is from an article he wrote in March 1958, titled “New Menace in Africa.” It takes up the growing threat posed by U.S. imperialism to the mass struggles against colonial rule that had won political independence for many countries in Africa. Copyright © 1990 by Pathfinder Press. Reprinted by permission.

BY NELSON MANDELA
Quite naturally the colonial peoples all over the world have in various ways waged ceaseless battles against foreign domination. In many areas this battle has been decisively won whilst in others it still rages. The imperialist countries have been driven out from practically the whole of Asia and the Pacific regions. China, India, Ceylon, Burma and the United States of Indonesia have won their national independence. In Africa a large number of territories have thrown off the imperialist yoke and are now independent states. Egypt, the Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Ghana are no longer dependencies of foreign powers. In Algeria, Nigeria, Somalia and Uganda self-government in the near future is anticipated. All over the world the people are astir and the struggle for political progress is gathering momentum by the day. Imperialism has been weighed and found wanting. It has been fought and defeated by the united and concerted action of the common people.

Whilst the influence of the old European powers has sharply declined and whilst the anti-imperialist forces are winning striking victories all over the world, a new danger has arisen and threatens to destroy the newly won independence of the people of Asia and Africa. It is American imperialism, which must be fought and decisively beaten down if the people of Asia and Africa are to preserve the vital gains they have won in their struggle against subjugation.

The two world wars, which weakened the old powers and which contributed to the growth of the political and economic influence of the USA, also resulted in the growth of the anti-imperialist forces all over the world and in the intensification of the struggle for national independence. The old powers, finding themselves unable to resist the demand by their former colonies for independence and still clinging desperately to their waning empires, were compelled to lean very heavily on American aid. The USA, taking advantage of the plight of its former allies, adopted the policy of deliberately ousting them from their spheres of influence and grabbing these spheres for herself. An instance that is still fresh in our minds is that of the Middle East, where the USA assisted in the eviction of Britain from that area in order that she might gain control of the oil industry, which prior to that time was in the control of Britain… .

Imperialism in disguise
American imperialism is all the more dangerous because, having witnessed the resurgence of the people of Asia and Africa against imperialism and having seen the decline and fall of once powerful empires, it comes to Africa elaborately disguised. It has discarded most of the conventional weapons of the old type of imperialism. It does not openly advocate armed invasion and conquest. It purports to repudiate force and violence. It masquerades as the leader of the so-called free world in the campaign against communism. It claims that the cornerstone of its foreign policy is to assist other countries in resisting domination by others. It maintains that the huge sums of dollars invested in Africa are not for the exploitation of the people of Africa but for the purpose of developing their countries and in order to raise their living standards.

Now it is true that the new self-governing territories in Africa require capital to develop their countries. They require capital for economic development and technical training programmes, they require it to develop agriculture, fisheries, veterinary services, health, medical services, education and communications. To this extent overseas capital invested in Africa could play a useful role in the development of the self-governing territories in the continent. But the idea of making quick and high profits, which underlies all the developmental plans launched in Africa by the USA, completely effaces the value of such plans in so far as the masses of the people are concerned. The big and powerful American trade monopolies that are springing up in various parts of the continent, and which are destroying the small trader, the low wages paid the ordinary man, the resulting poverty and misery, his illiteracy and the squalid tenements in which he dwells, are the simplest and most eloquent exposition of the falsity of the argument that American investments in Africa will raise the living standards of the people of this continent.

The American brand of imperialism is imperialism all the same in spite of the modern clothing in which it is dressed and in spite of the sweet language spoken by its advocates and agents. The USA is mounting an unprecedented diplomatic offensive to win the support of the governments of the self-governing territories in the continent. It has established a network of military bases all over the continent for armed intervention in the domestic affairs of independent states should the people in these states elect to replace American satellite regimes with those who are against American imperialism. American capital has been sunk into Africa not for the purpose of raising the material standards of its people but in order to exploit them as well as the natural wealth of their continent. This is imperialism in the true sense of the word.

 

2015-11-22 Offshore Banking and ISIS.

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category), Rule of Law  1 Response »
Nov 222015
 

Among the top oil-producing countries in the world are

  • Saudi Arabia
  • Iran
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Kuwait
  • Iraq

– – – – – –  – – – – – – – – –

Syria is a small country; it’s not in the top 10 or 11 producers, but it produces oil.

Unimaginable wealth in those countries.   . . .  which is a big part of why ISIS exists and specifically in the Middle East.

The analysis is right:  to stop ISIS you have to stop their access to money and to weapons.   (Many of their fighters are paid.)

That might be unlikely to happen.

You do not hear debate about how ISIS’ access to money and weapons will be stopped.
And why is there no debate?    . . .
you are getting into the economy of the ultra rich and the ultra corrupt.

 

In that economy, it does not matter whether you are

  • ISIS (a terrorist or freedom fighter)
  • a drug runner
  • an Arab Prince
  • an Executive of a Western Arms manufacturer
  • a wealthy client of KPMG Vancouver,    or indeed
  • a member of the Bush enclave.

The common denominator is lots of money.

Offshore banking ensures that the money will not enter the economy of the commoners, silly fools who pay taxes in support of public goods and programs.

To more fully understand the significance of offshore banking and ISIS, I think you have to start with American/British/European Imperialism.

Use this one little example:  Mohammad Mosaddegh https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Mosaddegh

Think – 1951.   Six years after the end of World War II, an era in which many countries were reclaiming their countries from imperialist forces.  (India, Ceylon, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Uganda, many more …  In the words of Nelson Mandela,  Imperialism has been weighed and found wanting. It has been fought and defeated by the united and concerted action of the common people.)

But back to Mossadegh as an example:

Mossaddegh was the democratically elected[1][2][3] Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 until 1953, when his government was overthrown in a coup d’état orchestrated by the American Central Intelligence Agency and the British Secret Intelligence Service.[4][5]

An author, administrator, lawyer, and prominent parliamentarian, his administration introduced a range of progressive social and political reforms such as social security, rent control, and land reforms.[6] His government’s most notable policy, however, was the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry, which had been under British control since 1913 through the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC / AIOC) (later British Petroleum and BP).[7]

Many Iranians regard Mosaddegh as the leading champion of secular democracy and resistance to foreign domination in Iran’s modern history. Mosaddegh was removed from power in a coup on 19 August 1953, organised and carried out by the CIA (Kermit Roosevelt) at the request of MI6.  

(In the interests of the oil companies.  The U.S. had a large stake, too.)

In another posting I’ll provide a compendium of precisely the same stories – –  only the country, the name of the democratically-elected leader, and the year are different.   The resource being protected for exploitation by Western Corporate is usually, but not always oil.

The stories vary in their degree of brutality.  The popular leader who was determined that his countrymen will be the beneficiaries of their resources, might be beheaded or “removed”.  Bloody civil war might be fomented.

Universally, the outcomes are corruption of governance, the siphoning off of resource revenues, impoverishment of local people, poisoning of their environments, mobilization of local freedom fighters determined to protect their families and their land, growth of military – – “terrorism”.

Mossadegh’s fate is sufficient to set the stage.   If you have any doubts that it is representative of Imperialism in the world since WW2, the compendium (to come) will remove the doubts.    Now,  on to the offshore

OFFSHORE BANKING  (includes Tax Havens)

It’s worth the time to try and understand a bit of the huge role played by offshore banking.   It is estimated that half of the world’s GDP flows through tax-sheltered secret bank accounts and trusts – – trillions of dollars.

Maybe you think it’s not a big deal, you live in Canada and it’s not all that bad here.   (??)

 

 

 

 

The connection to ISIS and a sea of refugees make it worth your while to know a bit about how these things work.  And if you think the same factors applied to Canada will not result in the same outcomes,  the propaganda of Imperialism has been successful, alas!

The institutions, the bankers, consultants, accountants, auditors and lawyers are the same,

whether you are

ISIS, the CIA, a Bush crony or B.C. resident Marshall Cooper.

(Cooper is the fellow who used KPMG Vancouver’s

plan that would “target” wealthy Canadian residents worth at least $10 million. It offered them “confidentiality,” … and the ability to receive money “free of tax.”

In return, KPMG would take a 15 per cent cut of the taxes dodged….”

There’s more than one relationship between “offshore banking” and ISIS.

  • The obvious relationship is to the movement of oil money and illicit activity related to weapons and the corruption of regimes.  ISIS uses all that machinery, too (the same secret banking).

 

  • The not-so-obvious connection:  Corrupt Westerners, working with their Corrupted Counterparts, use the offshore banking to siphon off the money.

The oceans of oil that have been exported from the Middle East should have resulted in peoples who are wealthier than Americans (who ran through their oil supply and went into declining domestic production of conventional stocks by the 1970s.  Jed Clampett and the Beverly Hillbillies are bygones of history.  We forget that the U.S. had, at one time, large domestic conventional oil stocks.).

From P. 135,  A Game as Old as Empire, edited by Steven Hiatt:

“Iraq is a rich country, but its people are poor,”  … 2006 … one fifth of the population – 2 million families – live below the poverty line, defined as having income of less than a dollar a day. “

(That’s just one of the Middle Eastern countries, one of the world’s top-producers of oil.)

There is poverty in the Middle East.  And it’s not because they are Muslim, or incompetent, or dishonest or barbaric.

There is poverty and violence in the Middle East because Imperialist Powers stop at nothing to assert control over resources, for their own benefit.   Mossadegh is one in a long line of tragic casualties through the years since WW2 – – the potential for great good  overcome by forces of evil, repeatedly.   This is “us”, not “them”.

I was curious whether tax havens, an election plank, are explicit in new Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s letter of Mandate to the Minister for Revenue Canada.  Good news – – they are!

 Invest additional resources to help the CRA crack down on tax evaders and work with international partners to adopt strategies to combat tax avoidance.

See more at: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-national-revenue-mandate-letter#sthash.PTkgj0lA.dpuf

I know this:  Prime Minister Trudeau’s intentions are a threat to the big and corrupt players in that economy that exists in a layer above ours.   It will be a David vs Goliath.  I want David to win.

For David to win,  we had all better start talking and explaining to our fellow citizens about offshore banking.  Without us behind him, Trudeau will be shred to ribbons by propagandists and who knows what.  Trudeau’s potential for great good will be snuffed just like Mossadegh, Lumumba, Torrijos,  the list is long.  The bad guys are psychopaths.   They are “us” (the West), not “them” (Muslims).

The story of BCCI, one of the offshore banks, is telling.  When action in the U.S. against BCCI commenced, just imagine how those with power, money, influence and no conscience, rallied around to make sure that part of their infrastructure would not get damaged, or Heaven forbid, shut down!

More on that later.  (I’d like to acknowledge Lucy Komisar, author of BCCI’s Double Game:  Banking on America, Banking on Jihad,  published in  A Game as Old as Empire, P. 69.)

The flow of money and weapons to ISIS is unlikely to be stopped because it would mean shutting down the offshore banking of the elites.

It’s important way beyond us, and beyond ISIS that J Trudeau and his Cabinet succeed on tax evasion and money laundering through offshore banking.

/Sandra

This posting follows:    2015-11-18    I’d blow our heads off, too.  A poem in word Graphs.

2015-11-20 Air Force Whistleblowers Risk Prosecution to Warn Drone War Kills Civilians, Fuels Terror. Democracy Now

 Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles / UAVs), Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category)  No Responses »
Nov 202015
 

https://www.democracynow.org/2015/11/20/exclusive_air_force_whistleblowers_risk_prosecution

  • Click on the above link.   The whistleblowers are pictured.  There’s a video.   Below:   transcript,  for backup purposes.

– – – – – – – – – – – –  – – –  – – –  – – – – –

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Since the Paris attacks one week ago, France has escalated bombings of Syria, and the U.S. has vowed an intensification of its war on the Islamic State. With only a small number of U.S. special forces on the ground, Iraq and Syria have become new fronts in a global drone war that has launched thousands of strikes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia.

But now an unprecedented group is calling for the drone war to stop. In an open letter to President Obama, four U.S. Air Force servicemembers who took part in the drone campaign say targeted killings and remote control bombings fuel the very terrorism the government says it’s trying to destroy. The four whistleblowers write, quote, “We came to the realization that the innocent civilians we were killing only fueled the feelings of hatred that ignited terrorism and groups like ISIS, while also serving as a fundamental recruitment tool similar to Guantanamo Bay. This administration and its predecessors have built a drone program that is one of the most devastating driving forces for terrorism and destabilization around the world.”

They continue, saying, quote, “We witnessed gross waste, mismanagement, abuses of power, and our country’s leaders lying publicly about the effectiveness of the drone program. We cannot sit silently by and witness tragedies like the attacks in Paris, knowing the devastating effects the drone program has overseas and at home.”

AMY GOODMAN: On top of the toll on civilian victims, the letter also addresses the personal impact of waging remote war. All four say they have suffered PTSD and feel abandoned by the military they served, with some now homeless or barely getting by. The letter brings together the largest group of whistleblowers in the drone war’s history. Three of the signatories operated the visual sensors that guide U.S. Predator drone missiles to their targets. Two are speaking out for the first time; three in a TV broadcast, they’ve never done it before. The other two have previously raised their concerns about the drone program, including in the documentary, Drone. The film, premiering in New York City and Toronto today, reveals how a regular U.S. Air Force unit based in the Nevada desert is responsible for flying the CIA’s drone strike program in Pakistan.

BRANDON BRYANT: We are the ultimate voyeurs, the ultimate peeping Toms. I’m watching this person, and this person has no clue what’s going on. No one’s going to catch us. And we’re getting orders to take these people’s lives.

MICHAEL HAAS: You never know who you’re killing, because you never actually see a face. You just have a silhouette. They don’t have to take a shot. They don’t have to bear that burden. I’m the one that has to bear that burden.

P.W. SINGER: There’s always been a connection between the world of war and the world of entertainment. The military has invested in creating video games that they’re using as recruiting tools.

UNIDENTIFIED: War is an unbelievably profitable business.

CHRIS WALLACE: The drones have been terrifically effective. They’ve taken out a lot of the al-Qaeda leadership. It’s cheap. It doesn’t involve putting troops on the ground.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I believe the United States of America must remain a standard-bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight.

UNIDENTIFIED: United States is violating one of the most fundamental rights of all: the right to life.

UNIDENTIFIED: There’s a large number of innocent civilians who are being killed, and that has to be reported.

CHRIS WOODS: The majority of the secret drone strikes that have taken place have, we have always understood, been carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency.

BRANDON BRYANT: There is a lie hidden within that truth.

AMY GOODMAN: The trailer for the documentary Drone, premiering today in New York City and Toronto. In speaking out together, the four former servicemembers risk prosecution under the Espionage Act by an administration that’s waged an unprecedented campaign against government whistleblowers. They also set their sights on a cornerstone of President Obama’s national security policy just as it threatens to escalate in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. After being elected to office on a platform of Iraq War opposition and a vow to bring the troops home, President Obama has quietly expanded the drone war far beyond its size and lethality under President George W. Bush.

Today, in this Democracy Now! exclusive, these four war whistleblowers join us in their first extended broadcast interview. We’re joined by Brandon Bryant and Michael Haas, who have spoken out to a certain extent before, both former sensor operators for the U.S. Air Force Predator program. Stephen Lewis, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, is also a former sensor operator for the Air Force Predator program and this week is speaking out for the first time. Also going public for the first time is Cian Westmoreland, a former Air Force technician who helped build a station in Afghanistan used to relay drone data.

But first, I want to turn to Jesselyn Radack, national security and human rights director at the Government Accountability Project, former ethics adviser to the U.S. Department of Justice. As an attorney, she is representing several former drone operators, including this group of four young men who are speaking out today.

Jesselyn Radack, how much do they risk in speaking out on Democracy Now! today?

JESSELYN RADACK: They’re taking an enormous and very brave public risk in speaking out. I have clients in the national security and intelligence communities who have done nothing more than tell the truth about some of America’s darkest secrets, like torture and secret surveillance—and now, in this case, drones—and those clients, a number of them, have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act—and Edward Snowden, of course, another one, is living in exile—not because they’ve done anything wrong or even revealed classified information, which they’re not here to do today, but because they have embarrassed the U.S. government. All of these men—a number of them, half of them, have complained internally, to no avail. They have gone through internal channels.

And we’re hoping that today, by going public, that this will have more of an influence in the debate, because somehow there’s a complete disconnect between these terrorist attacks in Paris and elsewhere and the fact that the drone program has fueled ISIS and al-Qaeda and a number of terrorist groups, and that really needs to be addressed.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And I’d like to ask Brandon Bryant—we’ve had you on Democracy Now! a couple of years ago, and these guys here worked with you, as well. Could you talk about the decision to come out as a group, how you came to that and why at this particular point?

BRANDON BRYANT: Well, you know, when I first started talking out about my experiences, it was more to get a bunch of stuff off my chest and to actually try to come clean with what I have done and reveal what exactly is going on. And I’m actually really honored to be with these gentlemen right here, is that I trust them. And this is their decision to come out, and I’m here to support them, because I’ve already been doing this for three years, and it’s time that we just get a bigger coalition of people together to attack this issue.

AMY GOODMAN: Why did you sign this letter? And what are you calling on President Obama to do?

BRANDON BRYANT: We want the president to have more transparency in this issue, and we want the American people to understand exactly what’s being done in their name. And I think that all this fear and hatred that keeps going on is just out of control, and we need to stop it somewhere.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Michael Haas, I wanted to ask you, in terms of your experience in the drone program and the culture that the military basically allowed to flourish in the drone program, you’ve talked about how your fellow servicemembers talked about the children that they were targeting, as well.

MICHAEL HAAS: Yes, the term “fun-sized terrorists” was used to just sort of denote children that we’d see on screen.

AMY GOODMAN: What was it?

MICHAEL HAAS: “Fun-sized terrorists.”

AMY GOODMAN: “Fun-sized terrorists”?

MICHAEL HAAS: Yes. Other terms we’d use would be “cutting the grass before it grows too long,” just doing whatever you can to try to make it easier to kill whatever’s on screen. And the culture is—that mentality is very much nurtured within the drone community, because these—every Hellfire shot is sort of lauded and applauded, and we don’t really examine who exactly was killed, but just that it was an effective shot and the missile hit its target.

AMY GOODMAN: When did you start to have questions?

MICHAEL HAAS: Shortly after I became an instructor and I started to see how much the mentality had shifted since I had been in. And the 11th hadn’t really changed how they had trained their sensor operators from a basic-level standpoint.

AMY GOODMAN: The 11th is?

MICHAEL HAAS: The basic training squadron up at Creech. They train all the sensor operators.

AMY GOODMAN: This is at Creech in Nevada.

MICHAEL HAAS: Yes.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And you were a video game addict as you were growing up. Can you talk about this whole impact of sort of the video game approach to war?

MICHAEL HAAS: The thing that makes the gamers a prime target for this job field is that ability to just multitask and do a lot of things subconsciously and just sort of out of reflex. And you don’t really even have to think about it, which is, you know, paramount to doing this job. But a lot of it is getting used to just seeing something on screen, killing it and then going about your business as though you don’t really—you don’t really pay it a second thought. It was just an objective to be completed.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.
Next story from this daily show
“Numbing & Horrible”: Former Drone Operator Brandon Bryant on His Haunting First Kill

 

2015-11-19 US approves GM fish. Is Health Canada next? GM salmon eggs to be produced in PEI.

 AVAAZ, Genetically Modified, Salmon & Fish  2 Responses »
Nov 192015
 

(I used the COMMENTS at bottom to post update – – court challenge in the U.S.)

Today, the US government approved the world’s first GM food animal for human consumption – a GM fish that will originate from Prince Edward Island (PEI) Canada.

The US company AquaBounty will produce all the GM fish eggs in PEI, and ship them to Panama for grow out and processing for the US market.

(We’ve pitched in on this issue:

Just this week, CBAN supported Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society in court where they challenged the Canadian approval of GM salmon production. We heard strong, inspiring arguments from lawyers about the need for transparency and accountability in this Canadian decision.

Health Canada has not yet approved this GM salmon for eating. You can write to the new Minister of Health instantly from CBAN’s website: www.cban.ca/noGMfish

 

PRESS RELEASE

Canadian Groups Concerned as US Approves GM Salmon

Canada to produce GM fish eggs

For Immediate Release Thursday November 19, 2015. Ottawa.

 

Canadian environmental and consumer groups are expressing grave concerns over the US government’s approval of the world’s first genetically modified (GM) food animal, a GM Atlantic salmon that will originate as GM fish eggs produced in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.

“This approval has grave consequences for Canadians and people across the world, and poses a serious environmental threat,” said Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), “If Health Canada also approves this fish, Canadians won’t even know how to avoid it in grocery stores because GM foods are not labeled.”

The Canadian government has already approved the GM salmon and eggs for commercial production, in a decision that was challenged in court this week. However, Health Canada has not yet approved it for human consumption. “We were just in court two days ago challenging Canada’s approval of GM salmon production,” said Mark Butler of Ecology Action Centre. “We’re extremely concerned about the risks to the future of wild Atlantic salmon.”

Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society were in federal court on Tuesday arguing that the Canadian government’s approval of GM salmon production was unlawful. The US company AquaBounty has a facility in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada where GM fish eggs would now be produced for shipment to Panama, for grow out and processing for the US market. “We don’t want PEI to be known as the home of the Frankenfish,” said Sharon Labchuk of the PEI group Islanders Say No to Frankenfish. “We cannot allow this global threat to originate from our beautiful island.”

In an Ipsos Reid poll conducted in August 2015 for CBAN, almost half of Canadians (45%) said they would not eat a GM salmon, and 88% said they wanted mandatory labelling of all GM foods.

-30-

For more information: Lucy Sharratt, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, 613 809 1103; Mark Butler, Ecology Action Centre, 902 266 5401; Sharon Labchuk, Islanders Say No to Frankenfish, 902 626 7327; Karen Wristen, Living Oceans Society, 604 788 5634. The poll results are available at www.cban.ca/2015poll Information on the Canadian court case is available at www.ecologyaction.ca/gmsalmon Background on the GM fish is available at www.cban.ca/fish

 

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator  Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)  Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice Suite 206, 180 Metcalfe Street Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 1P5  Phone: 613 241 2267 ext. 25 Fax: 613 241 2506  coordinator@cban.ca  www.cban.ca

https://www.facebook.com/cban.canadian.biotechnology.action.network

@biotechaction

Donate today! www.cban.ca/donate

 

 

2015-11-18 I’d blow our heads off, too. A poem in word Graphs.

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category), Peace or Violence  2 Responses »
Nov 182015
 

Graphs would be great, a series of them!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Number of people killed in Iraq/Syria/Afghanistan/Libya/Yemen by us

Number of us killed by them.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Number of them tortured by us

Number of us tortured by them.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Number of them driven from their homes by weapons and bombs we sold

Number of us driven from our homes by weapons and bombs they sold

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Number of them permanently maimed by us

us maimed by them.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Number of their schools, hospitals, museums, and homes destroyed

vs ours.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

BEST OF ALL!

Revenues from North American oil that have gone into the Middle East

Revenues from Middle Eastern oil that have gone into the West

UNIMAGINABLE AMOUNTS

And a graph of the poverty created by corrupt elites in the West who keep corrupt regimes in place in the Middle East, in order to assure the flow of oil money into offshore bank accounts

Poverty happens when resource money is diverted to the rich and then shielded from taxation.

The tax havens are in the West.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I’d blow our heads off, too.

p.s.  I’ll be elaborating on the imperialism, the offshore banking and the connection to ISIS.

2015-11-09 Letter to Justice Minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould. Census long form. Protect Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information.

 Privacy of Personal Information; Charter Right; Surveillance; StatsCan Censuses & Surveys  5 Responses »
Nov 092015
 

UPDATE:  the reply from the Minister’s Office, and my response are appended.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

(Versions of this sent to Minister of Democratic Institutions (Maryam Monsef) and Privacy Commissioner)

Dear Jody Wilson-Raybould,

It is truly wonderful that you are the Minister of Justice!

I wish to place a pressing matter re Charter Rights on your overloaded desk.  Sorry!

People are herd animals. We have gone off in a stampede, or jumped on the proverbial bandwagon.   It is sometimes impossible to return us to a state of calm and realistic deliberation.

The Census long form is not a simple matter.  People are advocating for the building of detailed files on citizens, if they understand the Census and Surveys data base at StatsCan.

Two Cabinet Ministers are the best hope for working out protection for the Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information on the Census Long Form bandwagon, the

  • Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Canada (you!)
  • Minister for Democratic Institutions (Maryam Monsef)

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Daniel Therrien, also has a role to play.

You may not be aware that Lockheed Martin Corporation is a contractor at StatsCan.   A specialty of theirs is surveillance, and they have contracts with the NSA.   You probably know about the leaks by Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald and Julian Assange.   The NSA, CIA, FBI establish back-door entry to data bases if they cannot obtain legal, front-door access.   It is no secret that the U.S. wants access to the data on all Canadians.

Our Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information reads:

“In fostering the underlying values of dignity, integrity and autonomy, it is fitting that s. 8 of the Charter should seek to protect a biographical core of personal information which individuals in a free and democratic society would wish to maintain and control from dissemination to the state.”

In light of the troubling fact that in 2011 we RE-elected the Harper Conservative Agenda for the under-mining of democracy, in light of the still rampant racism (the denigrating emails that are circulating about Muslims, the abuse even by Police of First Nations women), in light of everything that mainstream media does not tell citizens, it is my opinion that Canadians will be making a tragic mistake if they agree to extinguish our Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information.

Many Canadians understand the danger inherent in allowing the state to build and maintain files that hold detailed personal information about them. The Minister of Justice will understand the importance of constitutional Charter Rights.

The resolution of the debacle at StatsCan must include a solid defence of the Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information.

I have communicated with Maryam Monsef   I cannot know if my communications make it through the screening between me and a Minister.   If the staff is partisan, it will not make it because the Liberal platform promised a mandatory long form census. Period.

I laid out the “minefield” on this issue in detail, for the Minister responsible for StatsCan, Navdeep Bains.   Please go to http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=15633.

Because I have been involved in this issue for 12 years (from the beginning when Lockheed Martin was awarded Census contracts) I was asked for “my take” on the situation.   The link to “my take” is on the above URL.   I think you will find it helpful. I was thinking in terms of solutions.

Note that the original intention with the contracting out to Lockheed Martin was that they would do pretty well the whole census operation, down to the rental of the extra office space required when a census is undertaken, and the hiring of the workers.   They and the StatsCan leadership did not get what they proposed because of the outrage of Canadians.  Lockheed Martin fared just fine, nonetheless.

I will be happy to answer questions, if I am able.

I sincerely wish you all the best in your new job.   I know you will do your best, and that will be more than enough.   Other Canadians have to help out, too.

In service to democratic governance and the rule of law,

Sandra Finley

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

APPENDED, REPLY FROM MINISTER’S OFFICE

From: Ministerial Correspondence Unit – Mailout    Sent: January 8, 2016 1:24 PM    Subject: Correspondence on behalf of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

Dear Ms. Finley:

On behalf of the Honourable Jody Wilson‑Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, I acknowledge receipt of your correspondence of November 9, 2015, concerning the long‑form census.

As you may know, the matter you raise falls within the purview of the Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. I have therefore taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your correspondence to Minister Bains for his information and consideration.

Thank you for writing.

Yours sincerely,

L. Bisson

Manager, Ministerial Correspondence Unit

c.c.:      The Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

MY RESPONSE TO MINISTER’S OFFICE

From: Sandra Finley   Sent: January 9, 2016 3:55 PM

To: ‘Ministerial Correspondence Unit – Mailout’

Cc: Jody.Wilson-Raybould (Minister);  Sean.Casey (Parliamentary Secretary)

Subject: Census Long form & Charter Right to Privacy RE: Correspondence on behalf of the Minister of Justice

Regarding your reply to my concern re

the infringement of the census long form on the Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information,

addressed to Attorney General Jody-Wilson Raybould, Nov 9:

Many Canadians understand the danger inherent in allowing the state to build and maintain files that hold detailed personal information about them. The Minister of Justice will understand the importance of constitutional Charter Rights. 

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Cc  Parliamentary Secretary to Attorney General, Sean Casey, 613-996-4714, sean.casey@parl.gc.ca

Dear L. Bisson,

Please make your response right by acknowledging who is responsible for what.

You have gotten it wrong.  Charter Rights do not, as you replied to me,

(fall) within the purview of the Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. 

Your email below passes me off to Navdeep Bains whose office does not have the expertise to deal with questions of Charter Rights.

Bains’ office has already passed me off to StatsCan.  StatsCan’s non-reply (Marc Hamel, Nov 28) on behalf of Minister Bains:

“ thank you for taking the time to share your views and information …” .

The Charter Right seriously offended by the Census Long Form:

“In fostering the underlying values of dignity, integrity and autonomy, it is fitting that s. 8 of the Charter should seek to protect a biographical core of personal information which individuals in a free and democratic society would wish to maintain and control from dissemination to the state.”

Appended:  Liberals re Charter Rights – – excerpt from the Prime Minister’s Mandate to Jody Wilson-Raybould and two quotes regarding Charter Rights from his book “Common Ground”.

I see now where Bains announced (Jan 7) that the Government will proceed without any changes to the Census Long Form.   There will be no attempt to address infringement of Charter Rights.

I think and hope that the Government has under-estimated the determination of many Canadians to vigorously defend our Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information.

Census non-compliance in 2011 was 11% according to numbers supplied by StatsCan at the Toronto trial of Audrey Tobias.

Through your acknowledgement of who is responsible for what, my input might be forwarded to the Attorney General and Parliamentary Secretary who in turn might have meaningful conversations with StatsCan.

Someone needs to advocate against the building of detailed files on citizens that is on-going at StatsCan.  The Attorney General is the obvious person.

Engaged citizen,

Sandra Finley

APPENDED

Liberal Commitment to the Charter of Rights and Freedom:

Prime Minister J Trudeau mandated Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould (Attorney General):

… You are expected to ensure that the rights of Canadians are protected, that our work demonstrates the greatest possible commitment to respecting the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that our government seeks to fulfill our policy goals with the least interference with the rights and privacy of Canadians as possible. 

Prime Minister J Trudeau recognizes the value of Charter Rights,  he writes in his book, “Common Ground” 2014:

(p. 192)   “I know that everyone in this room supports our Charter of Rights,” I told the crowd.  “It’s the document that forms the basis of the rights we all enjoy … The Charter of Rights protects freedoms for everyone.  You can’t pick and choose the rights you want to keep and leave behind the ones you don’t like.”    

(p. 184)   I reminded them that it had been twenty-five years since my father had given Canada the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, one of the most valued tools the world has even seen for ensuring the protection and full exercise of human rights.  “Now we are all children of that Charter,’ I said.  

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

RELATED POSTINGS:

 

Sept 20:  Advocating for detailed files on citizens  (Response to Maclean’s Magazine)

 

Nov 5.  Mandatory long form census, to Minister Navdeep Bains (Innovation, Science & Development)  Minister Responsible for the Census

 

Nov 6.   To Prime Minister J Trudeau, Census Long Form & Charter Right to Privacy

 

Nov 7.  My reply to “What’s your take?”

 

Nov 9.  Request to defend Charter Right (Privacy of Personal Information) – to Ministers Justice, Democratic Institutions & Privacy Commissioner    Includes reply and response.

 

Jan 9.  2016-01-09 To Parliamentary Secretary for Justice, Sean Casey, re Mandatory Census Long Form and Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information

 

2015.    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms: 1. Letter of Mandate to Attorney General & 2. Quotes from Trudeau’s book, “Common Ground”  

 

2015.    1940′s “U.S. Census was used to round up hundreds of thousands of patriotic American citizens at gunpoint”.   

2015-11-07 What’s my take? Census Long Form, Lockheed Martin Corp, Privacy of Personal Information, StatsCan

 John Perkins, Privacy of Personal Information; Charter Right; Surveillance; StatsCan Censuses & Surveys  11 Responses »
Nov 072015
 

Janet asked:    What’s your take . . .

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

It’s probably crazy to expect that anything can be done at this stage (census long form).

NONETHELESS, I sent e-communications to ministers responsible:

Still nervous, yesterday I sent by Canada Post:

Because the Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information is the responsibility of the Attorney General (Minister of Justice), I then sent through Canada Post:

UPDATE:

To me,  the communication I sent to Bains and Monsef  says:

  • Coercion does not work  (2011 – non-compliance is 11%)
  • Openness is required.  The Lockheed Martin problem has to be addressed.   You cannot sweep it under the rug.
  • Collaborative problem solving is required.
  • Spin-doctoring doesn’t work.  (I didn’t say, but should have:  Neither does Deny, deny, deny work in a somewhat informed citizenry.)

I think the complete solution is more than getting rid of Lockheed Martin’s involvement.   (Note that Lockheed doesn’t  “process” the census and survey data.  They have been involved with the data base at StatsCan.)

I have no doubt that NSA “back-door” access to the StatsCan data base is in place, through Lockheed’s involvement at StatsCan:

  • The report by Ottawa Citizen on Security Conference in Ottawa,  unequivocal statement that the Americans want access to the data on all Canadians.
  • The Maclean’s report in which the “President for the Americas, Lockheed Martin” spells out how they are going to get what they want.
  • Add to that the information leaked by Ed Snowden and Glenn Greenwald, include Assange.
  • Add to that the spying culture that has arisen out of American imperialism.

I did not, but should have included in the documentation sent to the Government, the story of Ladar Levison:

A few points:

  1. Getting rid of Lockheed Martin at StatsCan won’t remove the backdoor access to the data base.
  2. All credibility has been lost.  You can’t trust what is said.  Communications Consultants are about whitewashing and pushing an agenda.  Their work is not judged by ethical standards.   To them, truth and openness are obstacles.  There are unethical quislings in strategic positions in the bureaucracy, amongst the ethical and hard-working ones.
  3. We are “nice”.   We are prone to forget “not nice”.   At our peril.   Lockheed Martin is a big player in the corporatocracy which is well described by John Perkins.  I hope to soon circulate this link by email:  Confessions of an Economic Hitman

Janet – – if you haven’t read Perkins’ Confessions,  take time to listen to the Youtube interview of him at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-a6jzU0YgQ    .   Perkins is legitimate, I did background checks.   His work has been in the public domain for at least 8 years, and is supported.

4.   Most citizens understand that elected officials don’t run the show:  big corporations are doing it behind the scenes with their collaborators.   Perkins enlightens as to their tactics.  They are without scruples.  We have to deal with that reality.   And we are, through citizen movements big and small (Occupy, March Against Monsanto, Idle No More, Black Lives Matter, Dis-invest, #HaveNoFear;  Committee For Future Generations; ad infinitum).

5.   In light of point #4,  in light of the troubling fact that in 2011 we re-elected the Harper Conservative Agenda, in light of the still rampant racism (the denigrating emails that are circulating about Muslims), in light of everything that mainstream media does not tell citizens,  it is my opinion that Canadians will be making a tragic mistake if they agree to extinguish our Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information.

“In fostering the underlying values of dignity, integrity and autonomy, it is fitting that s. 8 of the Charter should seek to protect a biographical core of personal information which individuals in a free and democratic society would wish to maintain and control from dissemination to the state.”

In answer to your question,  the resolution of the debacle at StatsCan must include a solid defence of this Charter Right.  It seems to me that many Canadians understand the danger inherent in allowing the state to build and maintain files that hold detailed personal information about them.

(Sorry – – never a “short” answer from me, Janet!)

/Sandra

 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

RELATED POSTINGS:

 

Sept 20:  Advocating for detailed files on citizens  (Response to Maclean’s Magazine)

 

Nov 5.  Mandatory long form census, to Minister Navdeep Bains (Innovation, Science & Development)  Minister Responsible for the Census

 

Nov 6.   To Prime Minister J Trudeau, Census Long Form & Charter Right to Privacy

 

Nov 7.  My reply to “What’s your take?”

 

Nov 9.  Request to defend Charter Right (Privacy of Personal Information) – to Ministers Justice, Democratic Institutions & Privacy Commissioner    Includes reply and response.

 

Jan 9.  2016-01-09 To Parliamentary Secretary for Justice, Sean Casey, re Mandatory Census Long Form and Charter Right to Privacy of Personal Information

 

2015.    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms: 1. Letter of Mandate to Attorney General & 2. Quotes from Trudeau’s book, “Common Ground”  

 

2015.    1940′s “U.S. Census was used to round up hundreds of thousands of patriotic American citizens at gunpoint”.   
 
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