The Battles

I am interested in Canada as a satellite country of the USA.    This was put together 14 years ago.  I’ll review it.   Call it a working copy.  /Sandra

The chronology was developed because of Lockheed Martin’s arrival in Canada.   It applies equally to other companies from the American military-industrial-congressional complex.  The $15 billion dollar sale to Saudi Arabia of armoured vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics in Canada is an example.  Your tax dollars at work.  Enslavement the outcome.

I have tried to make a water-tight case by putting together a chronology, effectively the context  for decisions around our involvement with the war machine.

The need to spell out CONTEXT is a constant theme of mine.  Failure to address context is a sure route to poor decisions.

In the context of the American military’s involvement in

• the data base on Canadians at StatsCan
• now in our military
• in our universities
• in other aspects of our economy through “offset agreements”
• through the setup of subsidiaries in Canada, effectively drawing us into the US quagmire of war, public debt, propaganda and hatred

and

• given the American corporate appetite for resources
• given the utter failure of the Americans to address potentially disastrous water shortages in the West
• given their historical methods of appropriating the resources (think oil) of other nations (war, puppet governments, deliberately manufactured lies, assassinations, PROPAGANDA, infiltration of bureaucracies, etc.)

there should be no support for Statistics Canada developing more and more detailed information on citizens – not if you understand the relationship between military states and detailed files on citizens.

(UPDATE:  the “census long form” has been replaced by the “National Household Survey” and other surveys.  StatsCan employees tell citizens that failure to supply answers can result in prosecution with a possible fine and jail.  Data collection is now done year-round and year-after-year, no longer just through the census once every five years.  Individual names are now on census records.)

Cooperation with the involvement of the American military, through Lockheed Martin, in a comprehensive data base on Canadian citizens means we are skating on very thin ice.

Look at the CONTEXT in which the census contracts are set.

 

MISSING FROM THE CHRONOLOGY:

• the opposition to the Arms Bazaar (CANSEC) in Ottawa (2010)
• all the information on the 2010 Toronto G20 protests which is part of the context of Lockheed Martin in Canada – the growing police-state tactics.  (Note to self, Mar 2015:  add what is known about the NSA involvement in the police antics at the G20 protests.)
• A valuable addition to the CONTEXT would be to weave in what is known about the “SPP”, the Security and Prosperity Partnership (The U.S., Canada and Mexico, Corporate elites running the Govt’s).  It is a large part of the modus operandi of the corporate-military-government-university entity.  We have followed some of the developments (Montebello for example).  The name SPP was quietly dropped after it became a known entity; it exists under a different name and more and more in the dark.
• The Chronology was constructed a few years ago, with some updates.   I have not tried to add everything that has been revealed through the Edward Snowden – Glenn Greenwald duo.    The Feb-Mar 2015 uprisings against Bill C-51 in Canada have led to more documentation.   I will try to get the Chronology updated.

 

WHERE TO START?   (note:  although written in 2010, still valid today, 2015)

How much influence does Lockheed Martin have in the world?  What kind of influence is it?   Those might be good questions to ask.

The original census contracts were awarded to Lockheed Martin at about the same time as the Bush Administration was dropping bombs on Iraq in an illegal war of aggression (2003).  Which of course was hugely profitable for Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed was in a position to influence, and did influence the decision that led to the destruction of Iraqi schools, hospitals, museums, water infrastructure – – everything.  It is a war that is on-going eight years later with death beyond imagination, and I don’t know how many permanently injured,  see the current tally at http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/.

Millions of other Iraqis are either refugees or they are homeless:

“Refugees International has observed extreme vulnerabilities among the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees living in Syria, Jordan, and other parts of the region, as well as the millions of internally displaced persons within Iraq. Most refugees have not been granted legal status and thus live in limbo, often without access to basic services and work opportunities. Many persons displaced within the country have no access to assistance, basic levels of protection, or any hope of return to their original homes.” http://www.refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/middle-east/Iraq

Lockheed Martin, through subsidiary Sytex, was the number one contract-interrogator in the highly illegal torture that took place at offshore American prisons.  They received at least $81 million from the U.S. Govt for their dirty work.

It has cost the American public more than 733 billion dollars to wage the Iraq War (not counting Afghanistan) http://costofwar.com/, money they have needed for their own country.  They sink further into debt.

The international community is asked to step in to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq after the American military-industrial-congressional complex (#1 player, Lockheed Martin) has dropped the bombs; the devastation inflicted by the war is total..

The hatred and the terrorists that have been created by that illegal war and torture are incalculable.  Lockheed Martin’s profits and its share price go up.

 

. . .   What if those bombs had been dropped on us,  from the unmanned aerial vehicles (drones, airplanes, “uav”s) that are  Lockheed Martin’s more recent gift to humanity, following after land mines and cluster munitions which are both illegal under Canadian and International Law?  Lockheed’s unmanned drone programme is now moving to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada; we sink deeper into the writhings of hell.

There are a number of issues regarding Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Canadian census:  large legal, rational and moral issues, and as a significant step of the American military into Canada.  The chronology below provides the context which makes the growing military intrusion apparent.

You will see  serial acts of treason by Canadian officials.

The chronology shows some of

•  the military developments in Canada

•  the growing “normalization” of military police presence in Canada

•  Lockheed Martin’s role

•  mixed in with the resistance in Canada.

 

The iron irony – – me, a resistor to Lockheed Martin since their involvement in the Statistics Canada (census) data base became known in 2003:

•  Lockheed Martin has moved into Saskatoon (my home) with its unmanned drone agenda

• And the University of Saskatchewan, for which I am an elected Senator (term ending in 2016), took up the role of money laundering for Lockheed Martin.   (Money gained from highly illegal activity “gifted” to the University, with strings attached.  That is money laundering.)

I make the point in the chronology that with offset agreements in Lockheed Martin contracts, the Government is transitioning to an economy that makes money on war.  Many years ago (decades ago) I read that 45% of the American economy is dependent upon the waging of war.

The Canada First Defence Strategy enacted in June 2008 is very clearly about transforming the Canadian economy into a war economy.  Is that what we want?  Because that’s what you get with Lockheed Martin.

What is the motivation behind the transformation of Canada into a puppet-state of U.S. corporate interests?  We have circulated a lot of information on the situation in the U.S..  They are running out of resources (e.g. water,  electricity) and so they appropriate what does not belong to them.

It is like the German Nazis:  their war machine ran them out of iron ore, hence the “Quisling” Government in Norway that allowed them a short run from the iron mines in northern Sweden across a narrow corridor that is Norway, to the sea for ocean transport down the Norwegian coast to German weapons factories.

The American Government dropped bombs on Iraq to secure oil.  It’s a little hard for them to drop bombs on Canada.  The alternative and often-used weapon in the arsenal of the military-industrial-congressional complex in the U.S., is to set up puppet governments (petro-states), take what you want, destroy the local environment, poison the people and leave when you’re finished.

We are the creators of our own misfortunes, or not.   We need to get word to people now so they can start explaining to their friends the need to boycott the May 2011 Census,  as another step in the resistance that will force Lockheed Martin Corporation, the war mongers, out of Canada.

– – – – – – —  — – – – – – — – – – – – – – –

 

WHERE SHOULD THE CHRONOLOGY BEGIN?

The Americans have had their eye on Canadian resources, water in particular, for 50 to 60 years.  It seems to me that if you want to understand the “integration” with the U.S. and the increasing involvement of the American military and corporate structure in the affairs of Canada, it is reasonable to start with the resources they want to secure.

Maude Barlow and the Council of Canadians have done a great and exemplary service in educating Canadians about the national and international situation with water.  Efforts to privatize water have been thwarted many times over, thanks to the Council.  And Maude’s relentless and tireless work.

We have the tar sands and efforts to privatize electricity for export to the U.S., alongside mounting resistance.

If you (American Empire) aren’t getting your way, what do you do?  . . .  The growing presence of Lockheed Martin, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper spending more than a billion dollars to create a threatening military police presence at the G20 Summit in Toronto (June 2010) — – – it isn’t without design.

If space and time were unlimited I would start the chronology with:

• 1972:   map which shows the water diversions from Canada to the U.S.

No!   start earlier than that:

• 1950’s:  NAWAPA (North American Water and Power Alliance)  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Water_and_Power_Alliance 

The plan was to divert water to the U.S. while simultaneously using the infrastructure (the dams) to produce electricity.

The North American Water and Power Alliance (NAWPA or NAWAPA, also referred to as NAWAPTA from proposed governing body the North American Water and Power Treaty Authority) was conceived in the 1950s by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a ‘Great Project’ to develop more water sources for the United States. The planners envisioned diverting water from some rivers in Alaska south through Canada via the Rocky Mountain Trench and other routes to the US and would involve 369 separate construction projects. The water would enter the US in northern Montana. There it would be diverted to the headwaters of rivers like the Colorado River and others. The water would generate hydro-electricity during its trip via dams. The water supply would double the total amount of fresh water available to lower 48 states with its major focus being on the western states. This would solve the water shortage problems of the west for the foreseeable future. The amount of water available would in fact be so great that some water would be left over for use by Mexico via the Colorado River (which is currently significantly depleted as it enters Mexico).

The Corps of Engineers has studied this project and in the late 1950s and early 1960s this project was very close to realization. Washington State Senator “Scoop” Jackson was a significant sponsor and believer in this project.

The project was opposed by public sentiment in Canada on the rare occasions it surfaced in print, though Canadian financier Simon Reisman, who negotiated the Free Trade Agreement, the precursor to the North American Free Trade Agreement, was one of its backers and main promoters. Nonetheless, the Canadian position on free trade exempted water exports, in part specifically to pre-empt any attempted completion of Reisman’s long-time pet project.  (INSERT> CORRECTION:  At the “eleventh hour” the exemption on water exports was removed by the negotiators, in order to secure a deal.  Ha!  Canadians were sold out.  The Mexicans fared better.  Canada’s chief negotiator for the Free Trade Deal was well chosen.)

Recently, there has been a resurgence in the effort to implement NAWAPA, headed up by Lyndon LaRouche and his LaRouchePAC.

In the chronology I would include the Government’s reassurances during the Free Trade negotiations (mid-80’s) that water would be excluded, indeed the exclusion was in the draft text.  But when the finalized text became available to Canadians, the exclusion for water was gone.  The reason offered by the Government of Brian Mulroney:   (sigh) oh dear! at the 11th hour we (i.e. Simon Reisman and Brian Mulroney) had to let it go, in order to get an Agreement with the Americans.

To the Last Drop published in 1986, author Michael Keating:

Simon Reisman, Canada’s chief Free Trade negotiator for the Brian Mulroney Conservative Government, with a link to the Grand Canal Company, is quoted in the book.  He addressed a group of business people and explained that the Americans are desperate for water,  all Canada has to do is to move ahead with projects like the Grand Canal (water diversion from James Bay south through the Great Lakes, down into the U.S.) and the Rocky Mountain Trench  – with no need to worry about capital costs because the Americans are so desperate for water they will supply the money.

A consortium of four of the largest engineering companies in the world (including UMA and Bechtel) was formed because the work will be too much for one company.

All Canada has to do is to sit by and collect the royalties and dividends (the same as with oil and gas) while the water resource flows south.  Economic power on the North American continent would reverse: Canada would be the powerhouse because of the money to be made by selling our water resources.  … Reisman’s statements are on the public record.

The change today is that through corporate control and ownership, as with oil and gas, it isn’t “Canada” that benefits but rather those who have large amounts of money to invest.  The scheme is dependent upon the privatization of water and water infrastructure, step-by-step.  The Council of Canadians and local people, as mentioned, have been vigilant against the privatization efforts, thankfully.   Water is a finite resource.   . . .

 

HOW is the appropriation of the resources to be accomplished? 

1987:  Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.  Free Trade Agreement is signed. Canada largely eliminates its restrictions on US takeovers of Canadian companies, US-owned companies now have to be treated in the same way as Canadian-owned companies. On energy, Canada shares oil and gas shortages with the US, and does not use its energy, including electricity, to create an advantage for Canadian industry or Canadian consumers through lower prices.  As mentioned, water is not exempt from the Free Trade Agreement as it was supposed to have been.

For a more recent statement, see the chronology,  September 13, 2006.  Ron Covais, President for the Americas of Lockheed Martin Corporation spells it out in Meet NAFTA 2.0.  The plan, very explicitly is to bypass democratic governance.

You get the picture and you see the serial acts of treason.  Jumping ahead:

 

CHRONOLOGY

•   2001 December:  The Smart Border Plan.

“John Manley as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Tom Ridge, the U.S. Homeland Security Director sign the SBP which requires the sharing of citizen data, meaning the US Homeland Security gets what it wants to know about Canadians. The terms of this agreement are being implemented incrementally but quickly without the knowledge or consent of Canadians.”  (see below: 2006, April, article by Connie Fogal.)

•   2003 March 20:  The Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq, The Second Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, or Operation New Dawn is launched by the United States and the United Kingdom.  This is an illegal war of aggression sold to Americans with lies and propaganda.

(Reference the book The Way of the World by Ron Suskind, for example)

Prime Minister Jean Chretien kept Canada out of the Iraq War.

See 2008 June, the Canada First Defence Strategy.  A Canadian prime minister would be hard-pressed to repeat Chretien’s action.  We now have “compatible doctrine” with the Americans, a complete loss of sovereignty.

•   2003 Spring: Omar Khadr.  This is what happened, at the hands of the American and Canadian military/police to a 15-year old boy.  It serves as a reminder of what we get when quislings sell our sovereignty.

“In the early spring of 2003, Khadr was told “Your life is in my hands” by a military interrogator, who spat on him, tore out some of his hair and threatened to send him to a country that would torture him more thoroughly, making specific reference to an Egyptian Askri raqm tisa (“Soldier Number Nine”) who enjoyed raping prisoners. The interrogation ended with Khadr being told he would spend the rest of his life in Guantanamo.[6] A few weeks later, an interrogator giving his name as Izmarai spoke to Khadr in Pashto, threatening to send him to a “new prison” at Bagram Airbase where “they like small boys”.[6] At the end of March, Omar was upgraded to “Level Four” security, transferred to solitary confinement in a windowless and empty cell for the month of April.[6] 

“The only Western citizen remaining in Guantanamo, Khadr is unique in that Canada has refused to seek extradition or repatriation.  …

•   2003 fall:  it becomes known that Public Works Canada and Statistics Canada out-sourced census work to Lockheed Martin of the American military-industrial-congressional complex.  Lockheed Martin is a key player and profiteer from American and other wars.  http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=9

“Lockheed has also been able to exercise its influence in a larger way – in support of the invasion of Iraq. The company’s former vice-president Bruce Jackson chaired the Coalition for the Liberation of Iraq, a bipartisan group formed to promote Bush’s plan for war in Iraq. Bruce Jackson was also involved in corralling the support for the war from Eastern European countries, going so far as helping to write their letter of endorsement for military intervention. Not surprisingly, Lockheed also has business relations with these countries. In 2003 Poland shelled out $3.5 billion for 48 F-16 fighter planes, which it was able to buy with a $3.8 billion loan from the US.”

•   2004 – health records of the Canadian military are contracted out to Lockheed Martin Corp.  Now there’s a nice conflict-of-interest!  I think of the American Iraqi war veterans whose health and reproductive capacity has been seriously harmed by weapons that use depleted uranium. And the Viet Nam war veterans whose lives were ruined by exposure to the chemical weapon called Agent Orange.  They have been decades in the battle for compensation while the military hospitals deny, deny, deny.  The story of the battle to get compensation for the Camp Gagetown Canadian military personnel who were exposed to Agent Orange  . . .  You’re giving the health records of Canadian military personnel over to Lockheed Martin, the manufacturers of some of these weapons???

•   2004 April-May:  we participated in the huge backlash by Canadians against Government plans to contract 2006 census work out to Lockheed-Martin, American “company with a military orientation”.  StatsCan received thousands of letters of protest.  The Quaker Society in N.S. wrote a particularly good letter.

•   StatsCan responds with reassurances that Lockheed Martin will not have access to the census data base. . . scepticism, later (2014-15) validated by the Edward Snowden leaks.   (Lockheed Martin works with the NSA, back-door entry to data bases if they can’t obtain front-door access.)

•   Two websites emerge through which to coordinate opposition to Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the census:  Vive le Canada (Susan Thompson) http://www.vivelecanada.ca/   and Count Me Out (Don Rogers) http://www.countmeout.ca/ 

•   2004 November 28:  New York Times, Lockheed and the Future of Warfare

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/041128-lockheed.htm  

LOCKHEED MARTIN doesn’t run the United States. But it does help run a breathtakingly big part of it. 

‘ . . .   ‘It’s impossible to tell where the government ends and Lockheed begins,” said Danielle Brian of the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit group in Washington that monitors government contracts. ”The fox isn’t guarding the henhouse. He lives there.”

No contractor is in a better position than Lockheed to do business in Washington. Nearly 80 percent of its revenue comes from the United States government. Most of the rest comes from foreign military sales, many financed with tax dollars. And former Lockheed executives, lobbyists and lawyers hold crucial posts at the White House and the Pentagon, picking weapons and setting policies. 

Obviously, war and crisis have been good for business. The Pentagon’s budget for buying new weapons rose by about a third over the last three years, . . . “

•   2005 March:  The SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement) is signed by Martin (Canada), Bush (US) and Fox (Mexico).  Lockheed Martin plays a large role in the SPP (see 2006 September).   Harper replaced Martin as Prime Minister and in 2006 March:  The SPP is confirmed by Harper, Bush, and Fox.  (Martin at the 2005 signing is a Liberal Prime Minister.  Harper at the 2006 confirmation is a Conservative Prime Minister.  The Corporates, with Lockheed Martin at the helm, “lobby” both the major parties.  They have both in their hip pocket.)

•   2005 October:  Washington Post, Lockheed gets (American) census job  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/02/AR2005100201032.html 

•   2005 November:  Ivan P. Fellegi, Chief Statistician of Canada,

“I would like to emphasize that only 20% of the work for the 2006 Census will be contracted out while the remaining 80% is being done by Statistics Canada. The distribution, collection, follow-up and storage of questionnaires will be done strictly by Statistics Canada … ”  . .  “ Under the North American Free Trade Agreement and World Trade Organization Agreement regulations that governed this procurement, non-Canadian based firms were eligible to submit a bid… “

•   2006 spring:  emerging conflict in priorities.  Research organizations support the census because they regularly use StatsCan data.  From Don Roger’s letter to CCPA (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives):

“ the privacy question is a sidebar. The Monitor has remained deafeningly silent on the moral contradiction of having Census taxpayers’ money going to the subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s biggest armaments manufacturers.  The same edition of the Monitor contains an article about the 10 Worst Corporations in the World. There is Lockheed Martin, rubbing shoulders with the world’s worst. …”

•   2006 April re Smart Border Plan:  Connie Fogal (then leader of the Canadian Action Party) publishes  http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=2242

“The Smart Border Plan between the USA and Canada signed by John Manley December 2001 as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Tom Ridge, the U.S. Homeland Security Director which requires the sharing of citizen data, meaning the US Homeland Security gets what it wants to know about Canadians. The terms of this agreement are being implemented incrementally but quickly without the knowledge or consent of Canadians. It is not just covert sharing that is to happen, but overt as well. Start with the stealth and then whammy with the fait accompli.(John Manley currently is a leading light in the North American Task Force of CEO’s commanding the creation of the North American Union.) Our census data will be shared one way or the other so long as this agenda is permitted.

The Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement signed by Martin (Canada), Bush (US) and Fox (Mexico) in March 2005 confirmed by Harper, Bush, and Fox in March 2006.  By this agreement the three leaders agreed to implement the grand design of the most influential corporations of North America to create a common unit of North America sharing data and merging the three countries into one union without an overall democratically accountable representative political structure. They agreed to expand the Smart Border Plan melding the three countries into one corporate/ military union, focusing initially on Canada /US unity. This means changing Canadian laws and legal structures to mimic those created by the US Congress removing civil liberties (like the security of our census information.)

The integration is proceeding in Canada by subtle but massive bureaucratic restructuring of our skin and skeleton, fleshed out by the dismantling of our constitutional rights without due process and by deceit. David Emerson has crossed to the Conservatives to continue that restructuring that he was spearheading under the Liberals. Take note of recently changed names of government agencies that reflect this transformation. …”

•   2006 May:  thousands of people sabotage and do not comply with the census because of Lockheed Martin’s involvement and for other reasons.

•   2006:  I am back-and-forth in correspondence with Ivan Felligi, Chief Statistician, repeating that my objections expressed in 2004 is to Lockheed Martin’s involvement.  He does not address Lockheed Martin in his responses other than to say that through NAFTA American corporations can submit bids.

•   2006 September 13:  The President of the Americas for Lockheed Martin, Ron Covais, active on the SPP with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, tells Macleans Magazine  in an article entitled Meet NAFTA 2.0,

“We’ve decided not to recommend any things that would require legislative changes, because we won’t get anywhere.” The main avenue for changes would be through executive agencies, bureaucrats and regulations, he said, adding: “The guidance from the ministers was, ‘Tell us what we need to do and we’ll make it happen.‘”   2006-09-13    Maclean’s Magazine interview, President of the Americas for Lockheed Martin Ron Covais, Meet NAFTA 2.0

•   2006 September 18:  the Commissioner of the Inquiry, Justice Dennis O’Connor, cleared Arar of all terrorism allegations, stating he was

“able to say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Arar has committed any offence or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada.”

Canadian police forces contributed to what the Americans did;  they are a big part of the reason Maher Arar was tortured and held in a Syrian prison for a year and subsequently transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Canada is the only nation that has cooperated with the Americans in allowing its citizens to remain imprisoned at Guantanamo.

•   2007 April:  Naomi Wolf in the Guardian newspaper (UK).   America,  Ten Easy Steps to Fascism  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment.

“ … there is essentially a blueprint for turning an open society into a dictatorship. That blueprint has been used again and again in more and less bloody, more and less terrifying ways. But it is always effective. It is very difficult and arduous to create and sustain a democracy – but history shows that closing one down is much simpler. . .  “

You may want to read the remainder of the article, also at:   2008-03-03   Troop Exchange Agreement PLUS Naomi Wolf’s 10 Steps to Fascism

•   2007 August:  SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership) Summit (Corporate CEO’s and Government officials) and citizen protests at Montebello, Quebec.    Police disguised as protestors are trained and deployed to turn peaceful protests violent. http://youtube.com/watch?v=DCRsj06wT64

Demands for a public inquiry . . .  The Government stone-walled.   More than a year later there was word that an inquiry would be held.  I have not seen news that an inquiry ever took place.  Watch the video, it’s an outrage that the Government should get away with this – that no one has been held to account.

•   2007 June:   (The StatsCan mantra when you ask them about the morality of contracting-out to Lockheed Martin is “Not our responsibility.  The contracts were negotiated by Public Works.)   Francois Guimont who is well-known to us as head of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Ag Canada, GMO’s, Monsanto’s  bioteched crops) is moved over to become Deputy Minister of Public Works and Government Services.  See 2008 July.  Lockheed Martin is awarded contracts for the 2011 Census, in spite of all the opposition from Canadians to date.

•   2008 February 14:  Canada and the U.S. sign the “Troop Exchange Agreement”.  Reported in the U.S.  Picked up by Canadian journalist David Pugliese February 22. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=403d90d6-7a61-41ac-8cef-902a1d14879d

“ … He (Stuart Trew, Council of Canadians) noted that work is also underway for the two nations to put in place a joint plan to protect common infrastructure such as roadways and oil pipelines.“Are we going to see (U.S.) troops on our soil for minor potential threats to a pipeline or a road?” he asked.Trew also noted the U.S. military does not allow its soldiers to operate under foreign command so there are questions about who controls American forces if they are requested for service in Canada. “We don’t know the answers because the government doesn’t want to even announce the plan,” he said.But Canada Command spokesman Commander David Scanlon said it will be up to civilian authorities in both countries on whether military assistance is requested or even used.

He said the agreement is “benign” and simply sets the stage for military-to-military co-operation if the governments approve.   (INSERT:  puppet governments will approve.)  . . .

If U.S. forces were to come into Canada they would be under tactical control of the Canadian Forces but still under the command of the U.S. military, Scanlon added.”

•   2008 March:  THE AMERICAN MILITARY FUNCTION IS MORE-AND-MORE “OUT-SOURCED” TO CORPORATIONS LIKE HALLIBURTON.  THERE IS LESS AND LESS ABILITY TO HOLD IT ACCOUNTABLE.  IT BYPASSES DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.  REFERENCE GUANTANAMO BAY, ABU GHRAIB AND DIAMONDBACK.  American prisons are also being privatized.  See 2008 June, Canada now has “compatible doctrine” and “interoperability”.

You will know about the contracting-out of military functions through the information coming out of Iraq.  That means the soldiers are not necessarily Americans.  American tax-payors are paying for a growing army of mercenaries that come from poor countries. Information about the operation of “the troops” and accountability are lost when the security function is no longer carried out by the Government.

Similar “partnerships” are occurring in the American prison system.  I’ve circulated an email regarding access to information. It contains the example of the prison in Oaklahoma:  Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, OK, a CCA prison that in 2004 held over 1,000 prisoners under a contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections, and another 800 prisoners under a contract with the Hawaii Department of Public Safety, but had no contract with the State of Oklahoma itself.  How can family from Hawaii visit prisoners, or even know how the prisoners are being treated?  There is NO access to information through the State of Oaklahoma because they aren’t using the prison.

The Canadian Bar Association has written to the Bush Administration, requesting that Guantanamo Bay (American Military Prison in Cuba) be shut down because of its complete disregard for international agreements on the treatment of prisoners.

•   From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“At the most chaotic juncture in Iraq’s civil war, a new law is unveiled that would allow Shell and BP to claim the country’s vast oil reserves.”

“Immediately following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly out-sources the running of the “War on Terror” to Halliburton and Blackwater.  After a powerful tsunami devastates the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine beaches are auctioned off to tourist resorts. New Orleans’s residents, still scattered from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals and schools will never be reopened.”  It seems to me that getting into bed with Lockheed Martin is part of all this, and not the route to the kind of society we want.

•   2008 April:  I (Sandra Finley) receive a summons to court.  I am charged under the Statistics Act for failure to fill in a 2006 census form.

•   2008 April 15:  First day in Court.  I enter plea “not guilty”.  Trial date set for January 2009.

•   2008:  Todd Stelmach, Kingston  ON and Darek Czernewcan then from Marathon Ontario are also charged with failure to comply.  Both were found guilty.  Coercion is a big factor, especially in Darek’s case, by the prosecutor:  you face jail time (up to 3 months) and a fine (up to $500); I’m going for the maximum penalty plus a court order to make you fill out the form.  Todd was eventually fined $300 – see 2009 April.  The judge in Darek’s case was lenient (if you disregard the Charter Right to privacy) – a suspended sentence.

•   2008:  Some people, notably from Kingston,  begin the protest over contracting-out of 2011 Census work to Lockheed Martin

•   2008 May 14: (this would be good, if we want a police state.)

“Top police psychologist likens RCMP to Putin’s Russia”  (Part of the resistance, people speaking out.)

VANCOUVER – Someone else might have resisted the temptation, especially knowing he might be blackballed as a result. But Mike Webster has never operated that way.

And so, when the respected police psychologist testified this week at the B.C. public inquiry into the use of tasers, he didn’t mince words when asked about the Mounties’ decision to zap an unarmed Robert Dziekanski last October, and more recently, a penknife-wielding 82-year-old man lying in a hospital bed in Kamloops.

“I’m embarrassed to be associated with organizations that taser sick old men in hospital beds and confused immigrants who are arriving in the country,”  said Mr. Webster, considered one of the top police psychologists in the world.

Even as the words spilled from his mouth, Mr. Webster knew they had the potential to cause him more trouble with the RCMP. He knew because of a chilling incident late last year that still hangs over his association with Canada’s national police force.   . . .

“As a psychologist, I know it’s not healthy for people to live in such an oppressive climate,” Mr. Webster said. “Being a member of the RCMP today is like being part of Putin’s Russia; they don’t tolerate any opinion that doesn’t reflect the party line.”

A devastating charge. Mr. Webster currently has a one-year contract with the Mounties. After it expires next April, he has no idea if more work will be offered to him.

“I find it offensive that I’m expected to park my morals at the door if I’m going to be part of the organization,” Mr. Webster said. “If that’s what it means, I won’t do it. I just won’t.”

•   2008 June 19:  the  Canada First Defence Strategy comes into being.  We now have “interoperability” with the American Military and “compatible doctrine“.   The decades-long Canadian dedication to alternatives to “killing wars” is gone.   Had this Strategy been in place in 2003, Canada would have directly participated in the killing and destruction that is on-going in Iraq, for no reason other than American imperialism.

The language of the strategy leads one to believe that Canadian industries will be the beneficiaries:

“A Military in Partnership with Canadian Industry

The Canada First Defence Strategy will also have significant benefits for Canadian industry. The infusion of long-term stable funding it provides will enable industry to reach for global excellence and to be better positioned to compete for defence contracts at home and abroad, thus enabling a pro-active investment in research and development and opportunities for domestic and international spin-offs as well as potential commercial applications.“

Minister responsible, Peter Mackay: “… reveals details of $490-billion defence strategy to modernize military”.

But WHO REALLY gets the money?  (Tax-payors pay it.) The billion-dollar contracts are awarded to Lockheed Martin. Lockheed then works with Canadian industries  (Lockheed Martin distributes the goodies.):

“Under the in-service support portion, the contractor (Lockheed Martin) will be required to spend in Canada 75 per cent of the total cost in direct industrial regional benefits – well above the 60-per-cent ratio negotiated by the previous government for purchases of this magnitude.”  (Source:  Michael M Fortier, Minister of Public Works, Government press release, January 2008.)

Canadian defence strategy is to become “compatible” in “doctrine” with the U.S..  The problem with the “doctrine” of the Bush Administration is that killing creates hatred.  Hatred breeds violence. Violence becomes terrorism. It is known that dropping bombs on people is counter-productive.  But lucrative for Lockheed Martin.

The killing-combat model (doctrine) only escalates problems.  It does not mobilize the tremendous power of people, as Gandhi did.  A crowd of thousands, eventually millions, will overcome the various forms of violence, given time. It is the fastest road to peace.  The killing ways of “combat” add to the hatred, prolong the conflict, is transferred from one generation to the next and will destroy the earth.  In its long history, the killing ways have never accomplished peace, only destruction.  This planet is and has been our one and only home, folks.

Becoming compatible with “the doctrine” of the Bush Administration, its buddies in Halliburton Corporation, Lockheed Martin, the contracting-out to mercenaries, etc., Canada too is setting up to cash in on “combat”.  Is that what we want for “defence” strategy – –  opportunities to make money?  (Really, it is a transfer of money out of the public purse to the military industry that has record profits because of illegal and immoral war.  Those record profits then go into the pockets of the already-wealthy who have money to invest, and do so with no conscience.)

The Canada First Defence Strategy states:

“It will also allow the Government to develop a stronger, mutually beneficial relationship with industry.” 

The role of Governments is the relationship with human beings and other species, not corporations (“industry”).

The contracting-out of Census work and other purchases have nothing to do with the efficiency of Lockheed Martin because it is the private sector.  It has everything to do with transnational corporate access to the public purse through Government contracts and contacts.  How is that accomplished?  In the U.S.,

“Lockheed Martin spent more on lobbying Congress than any of its competitors, spending $9.7 million in 2002. Only General Electric and Philip Morris reported more lobbying expenses. In the 2004 election cycle, Lockheed contributed more than $1.9 million”.

80% of Lockheed’s money comes from the Government of the USA.  The biggest chunk of the 80% is from military contracts.  (It should be noted that Lockheed is diversifying into other Government service areas.  Census work is one example.  Lockheed is also set to perform “data capture” and other services for the 2011 Census in the United Kingdom.  It does the US census work.  The Canadian census and medical records of Canadian soldiers have already been mentioned.)

Lockheed Martin is an obvious vehicle through which to become interoperable with the U.S. military. See 2010 June below where Lockheed Martin is moving into Saskatoon with its unmanned drone technology.

•   2008, July 21:  Lockheed Martin is awarded contracts for the 2011 Canadian census.

•   2008, August:  Lockheed Martin is awarded census contracts in the UK.

The Office for National Statistics today announced the award of the first large contract to support the delivery of the 2011 Census for England and Wales. The contract has been won by Lockheed Martin UK Ltd.

•   2008 (actually the protests started in 2007):  Protests begin in the UK.  I contacted some of the people.

•   2008, through “offset agreements” in the contracts, Lockheed Martin starts “gifting” tax-payer dollars.  The only way that Lockheed Martin has excess money to dole out (e.g. to Dalhousie University or to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology), is if the government contracts are exorbitant. Lockheed Martin has a long history of “procurement fraud” in the U.S.

Lockheed gets the credit for the largesse and dictates how the money will be spent.  The public interest is lost to corporate interest.

“Dalhousie University is announcing a multi-million dollar research contract with Lockheed-Martin. This contract is the result of government policy, which requires a foreign company to invest in Canada before it can enter into a government contract.”

Offset agreements will in time duplicate the American military-industrial-congressional complex in Canada.  Maybe that has already happened.

•   2008 Oct 1:  “the First Brigade of the Third Infantry Division, three to four thousand soldiers, has been deployed in the United States …”  Americans are upset because the Posse Comitatus Act (1878) forbids standing armies on American soil.

•   2008 November 12 – 18: Massive ‘Homeland Defense’ Joint Exercise Is Under Way in the U.S.. Canada is part of this, through NORAD and the other agreements we now have with the U.S.  Canadian commanders play large supporting roles. http://www.alternet.org/rights/107195/massive_’homeland_defense’_joint_exercise_is_under_way/ 

•   2008 November:  OTTAWA CITIZEN, “CANADIAN OFFICIALS .. WILL MEET THE NEW STANDARD” FOR SUPPLYING DATA ON CANADIANS TO THE AMERICANS

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=64f59d78-ce97-48dc-b2fd-381859ce6c84

(I believe “visa-free access” is a tactic of attempted intimidation to which Canadians should not bow.)

“…  In exchange for continued visa-free access to the United States, American officials are pressuring the federal government to supply them with more information on Canadians, says an influential analyst on Canada-U.S. relations.

“Not only about (routine) individuals, but also about people that you may be looking at for reasons, but there’s no indictment and there’s no charge,” Christopher Sands of the Hudson Institute told a security intelligence conference in Ottawa yesterday. .  Canadian officials have said this country will meet the new standard, “plus or minus a little,” by 2011, he said. “But there’ll be tremendous pressure (from the U.S.) to get there faster.“

What better vehicle for the American military to get information on all Canadians than through the Census with Lockheed Martin as the conduit?

•   2008 December:  I read Edwin Black’s book, IBM and the Holocaust, 2001, http://www.ibmandtheholocaust.com

Detailed files on individual citizens is a characteristic of nazi/fascist/militaristic regimes. Mechanized census files were critical to Hitler’s extermination of people. Statistics Canada is moving more and more in this direction, with the help of Lockheed Martin and IBM as a sub-contractor.  I recommend you read “IBM and the Holocaust”.   It is dangerous to hand over detailed personal information to Government.  Canadians have a Charter Right to privacy specifically because of the historical abuses by Governments that collect data files on citizens.  It is prudent to learn the lessons of history.

•   2008 December:  email sent  “THE PLAN”, IN THE CANADIAN CONTEXT.  THE KICKER:  OIL SECURITY FOR THE USA.

I recommend this video to you.

Edwin Black uses American daily oil consumption figures to establish the extent and consequences of American dependency on oil imports.  He makes the point that the Americans do not have a plan for a disruption in supply (European countries do).  The role of the Straits of Hormuz in the supply line become abundantly clear.

Black does not mention the Tar Sands, nor the fact that Canada is now the number one oil supplier to the U.S.  I am left with the feeling that the Americans, contrary to Black’s statements, DO have a strategy for oil security.  It lies in Canada.  Uneasiness about that comes with the Troop Exchange Agreement (Feb 14, 2008)  and the new “Canada First Defence Strategy”  (2008 June).

I guess I can CHOOSE TO KNOW or choose not to know:  we are part of the strategy for oil, water and electricity security for the U.S.  And, regardless of the court case, Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the Canadian census is problematic, similar to IBM’s involvement in the data capture and storage functions in various countries in Nazi Europe.

Edwin Black at Western Automotive Journalists’ Symposium video  , click on this web link (Be patient through the introductory comments or bypass them.):

(Sorry – the link is no longer valid.  http:   //video.google.ca/videosearch?hl=en&q=edwin+black&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title# )

•   2008 early December: I communicate with the Court (Prosecutor) to ensure that everything is in order to proceed to trial in early January.

•   2008, December 3: Canada signs international treaty banning cluster munitions.

“Today governments from around the world are signing the most significant disarmament and humanitarian treaty of the decade, banning the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions.”

Lockheed Martin manufacturers cluster munitions.  The U.S. does not sign the treaty.

“Announcing at the last minute it would join the group was Afghanistan, which had earlier been seen as bowing to U.S. pressure to refrain.”

Lockheed Martin subsequently removes all references from its web-site to its cluster munitions.

•   2009 January:  two days before I am to appear in Court, the Court determines that “pre-trial” has not been done.  (By this time, and since 2006 I have received numerous communications from StatsCan and then from the Canadian Department of Justice to tell me that if I do not comply with the census I face jail time and a fine.  It is possible that they thought I would bow to the coercion, that the trial would not proceed and so they were unprepared when I didn’t cave in.)

•   2009 Early:  the U.S. Census Bureau (Lockheed Martin with IBM a sub-contractor, same as in Canada and the UK) hires 100,000 people to start doing census work in preparation for the 2010 U.S. census.  GPS locator information is being tied to individual census records.  (2010:  U.S. census documents are on the internet.  They are almost the same as the Canadian ones.)

•   2009 January 23:  Student protests at the University of New Brunswick, Lockheed Martin on campus.

http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/search/article/549077

Lockheed Martin Canada intends to return to the University of New Brunswick.

The company, a subsidiary of the giant U.S. military-equipment maker, cancelled an employer information session planned for the campus on Wednesday after a UNB-based social activist group expressed opposition to its presence. . . .

•   2009 February 02.

LOCKHEED MARTIN HIKED U.S.LOBBYING BY WHOPPING 54% IN 2008

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175029 

•   2009 Spring:  I appear in Court for “pre-trial”, representing myself.  The trial is re-scheduled to January 2010.

•   2009 April 6:  Todd Stelmach found guilty and fined $300.   (from Chelsea and Todd Stelmach)

Good News!

The judge’s decision today was basically what we were hoping for (next to being found not-guilty, which was almost impossible, considering Todd represented himself …): Todd was found guilty, with the sentence being NO jail time, a 300$ fine, and NO court-order to fill out the census!

•    2009 June 15:  Brad Wall, Saskatchewan premier, becomes co-spearhead of the “largest on the planet” Canada-U.S. Western Energy Corridor for tar sands and nuclear energy.

•   2009 Fall:  Found!  a local lawyer, Steven Seiferling, who specialized in Privacy law before returning to Saskatchewan.  Hallelujah!  Although not my original objection, the compelling legal argument in my trial is Privacy of information.  Which is a Charter (constitutional) right in Canada.

I pay Steve to prepare the written argument for the Court.

The dilemma for me:  the winning legal argument is a citizen’s right to privacy of information. It is important to fight for and to uphold that right.  (We don’t have that right if it’s taken away and we don’t fight to keep it.)  But the moral argument is as compelling to me.  Lockheed Martin has no place in Canada.

The trial raises the issue of our complicity in the enrichment of a corporation that has a long record of very serious court convictions.  If I was Lockheed Martin Corporation I would be in jail for life.

In addition, Lockheed Martin has been (still is?) a major manufacturer of weapons of mass and indiscriminate destruction, land mines and cluster bombs both of which are outlawed by International Law and are illegal under Canadian Law. They are into unmanned drones which are also weapons of mass and indiscriminate destruction and immoral as far as I am concerned.  (By 2015 Lockheed’s role as “contract Interrogator”  (torture) is known.)

Lockheed Martin is a major contributor to American political campaigns and is well-positioned in the Pentagon.  There is good reason why the U.S. will not sign onto the “Laws of Wars” (International Humanitarian Law).

Canada is signatory to the International Laws that prohibit these weapons, and we have our own laws that are even more stringent than the International Conventions.

So how is it that we are awarding Government contracts collectively worth way more than a billion dollars to these people?  Canadian foreign policy dictates that we are to impose sanctions against entities that break International Laws.

The rule of law and morality must be enforced.  If citizens do not insist upon the rule of law, I don’t know who will.  Unfortunately, I (under advice from the lawyer) cannot see how the Justice system can be used in my case to address the morality of the Government’s actions and still win the case.  The case CAN be won using the legality of their actions (contravention of Charter Right to Privacy) which is different.   So okay, we’ll go that route.

•   2009 December:  (An excellent article.)  U.S. WAR SPENDING EXCEEDS ALL STATE GOVERNMENT OUTLAYS http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/news/1/12560-us-war-spending-exceeds-all-state-government-outlays.html

•   2010 January 11-12:  I represent myself in Court.  Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms is about freedom from “unreasonable search and seizure”, seemingly unrelated to my case.

However, because of the significance of Charter Rights and Freedoms (constitutional law), the Courts have given broad interpretation to the various Sections.  The case law associated with Section 8 protects   “a biographical core of personal information” such as that an individual in a free and democratic society would want to maintain, but not want to hand over (“disseminate”) to the Government.

With Steven Seiferling’s written presentation for the Charter Section 8 argument in hand, and activist lawyer friend, Stefania Fortugno in attendance at Court, I am confident.

“But the Court headed for an override of my Charter Right to privacy of information.  Through the Crown witness, Anil Arora from StatsCan, the prosecutor laid the foundation for the claim that the value to all Canadians of the census data is greater than my individual right to privacy of information. “

Late in the day when I realized I was in trouble because I don’t know the legal arguments to prevent the Section 1 override of my right to privacy, I dragged out the rest of the proceedings so that my presentation of “evidence” remained open.   The Judge scheduled March 16th for the completion of presentation of evidence.

I exited the Courthouse and went straight to Steven:  “here, the case is yours to handle!”.

The combination of self-representation and then a lawyer have worked pretty well.  I was able to get statements onto the Court record regarding Lockheed Martin Corporation.   Most lawyers would stick to the central legal argument (Charter Right to privacy) and not have made statements regarding Lockheed Martin.

•   2010, February 24:  USING DEFENCE STOCKS TO BOLSTER YOUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO, SPOTLIGHT ON LOCKHEED MARTIN, Globe & Mail  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/e-zines/globe-investor-magazine/using-defence-stocks-to-bolster-your-portfolio/article1478990/?cmpid=1

For me, this newspaper article is a tragedy of epic proportions.  Not a tragedy of a single person or family, but of our society.  It is bizarre that this can be an article from a “normal” newspaper, on a normal day, written by a normal person.  It’s not normal; it is insanity.  Invest your money in Lockheed Martin; war is a sure bet when the rest of the stock market is plummeting.  . . . (How different the world would be if “capital” was invested in enterprise that cared about the environment and people.  That day is coming!  See “Agenda for a New Economy, 2nd Edition” (2010) by David Korten.  “From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth”, “A Declaration of Independence from Wall Street”.)

From John Ralston Saul’s On Equilibrium:

. .  if utilitarianism (e.g. making money from war and illegal weapons) is given leadership in a given area, it will set about demeaning, marginalizing and unraveling the non-utilitarian elements (INSERT:  like morals) at play. Why?  Because utility is not thought.  Nor is it argument.  It does not, in and of itself, have a purpose or a direction.  A toilet would just as happily dispose of fresh caviar or unwanted goldfish.  It will indifferently send its cargo off through a system of pipes to be deposited in a sewage-treatment plant or directly into your drinking-water supply.  That was the point about the IBM Hollerith punch-card machine, indifferently an organizer of death camps and of efficient workplace structures.

Utilitarianism can only lead us if it reduces all else to its own narrow truth of utility.  The closest utility can come to a purpose is efficiency and, related to that, self-interest.  (INSERT: invest in Lockheed Martin because it will make you money.  Never mind about the moral issues.)  This can be made into a seductive proposition, thanks to myriad fast, apparently clear, short-term answers and concrete illustrations of those answers.

But what makes a society a society or a civilization is precisely its more complex, less clear, more long-term, non-utilitarian aspects. And so it was a consensus around the ‘nature of the other’ which solidified the idea of responsible individualism and social inclusion, which drove the movement for egalitarian waste removal and clean-water supplies.  This was an illustration of culture in its broadest sense.  It included what we have always considered to be culture – ideas, literature, images, music, architecture, the sciences.  Why do we think of these as culture?  Because they are the repositories and the mechanisms of thought and argument.

…  None of this is a comment on whether utility is good or bad.  Or waste disposal.  Or trade. (INSERT:  or investment in Lockheed Martin) Nor is it a comment on the necessary function of self-interest.  I’m simply pointing out that these characteristics and functions are not in and of themselves rational.  They are not equipped to lead society.

Why then are we so obsessed by utilitarianism?  We have always wanted the comfort of clarity and permanent systems.  We remain uncomfortable with our own qualities and strengths – with complexity and uncertainty. …

… Rousseau: “As soon as public service ceases to be the main concern of the citizens and they come to prefer to serve the state with their purse rather than their person, the state is already close to ruin.”

Norway will not invest public money in Lockheed Martin Corporation.  Morality enters into their investment decisions.  You invest your money in the kind of economy that is beneficial to the Earth and its people.  It’s a no-brainer.  What has happened to us?

•   2010, March 3:

“ . . .  Secure Flight, the newest weapon in the U.S.’s war on terrorism, gives the United States unprecedented power over who can board planes that fly over U.S. airspace – even if the flights originate and land in Canada. The program, set to take effect globally in December, was created as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, adopted by the U.S. Congress in 2004.  Canada’s Parliament never adopted or even discussed the Secure Flight program – even though Secure Flight transfers the authority to screen passengers, and their personal information, from domestic airlines to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The European Parliament, on the other hand, has consistently voiced objections to the Secure Flight plan. .. “

•   2010, March 16:   I am back in Court.  Presentation of evidence concluded by Lawyer Steve Seiferling.  I am confident:  it is the Government and not me that is breaking the law.  They are using the threat of jail time and a fine to coerce citizens into handing over a biographical core of personal information.  Charter Rights prohibit the Government from doing this.  And they cannot meet the test which would allow them to override my privacy rights.

The Judge sets the next court date, September 9th , to hear the Crown and Defence arguments based on the evidence presented.

•   2010 March:  The U.S. Census is starting up with a big ad campaign.   There is large opposition because of the privacy issue.  I contact numbers of websites:  the Americans appear to be completely unaware of Lockheed Martin/IBM’s role in the U.S. Census Bureau.

•   2010 March 24:  Armoured vehicles adopted by B.C. RCMP

http://news.ca.msn.com/local/britishcolumbia/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23717966

“The RCMP said the so-called “Cougars for cops” is a national program, and residents of other cities can expect to see the vehicles on their streets too. “

(This is part of the “normalization” of a military presence in Canadian communities.  It is not normal at all and should be strenuously resisted.)

·        2010 March 25:  Sweeping New Powers Would Threaten Privacy: Watchdog  BC Government wants to amend law to allow much more collection and sharing of personal data.

http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/03/25/NewPowers/?utm_source=mondayheadlines&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=290310 

•   2010 April 1:  Edmonton woman threatened with jail time and a fine if she doesn’t supply information to Statistics Canada survey

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/04/01/edm-statscan-labour-force-survey-refusal.html

•   2010 April 7:  More cameras, guns for Parliament Hill   (Instead of addressing the concerns of citizens, the Government reacts with “more cameras, more guns”.  An ideological reaction.)   (Link no longer valid  http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/More+cameras+guns+Parliament+Hill/2771750/story.html)

•   2010 April 10.  Lockheed Martin sets up in First Nations (Whitecap) business park outside Saskatoon.

Business park in the works    (Link no longer valid  http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Business+park+works/2786466/story.html)

You will see in the article that Whitecap Development Corp (First Nations) south of Saskatoon  “is trying to obtaining licensing rights” for “an unmanned vehicle for military .. use”.  Drones that drop bombs come to mind.  Lockheed Martin is in that business:

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2006/LOCKHEEDMARTINSUNMANNEDSYSTEMSTECHN.html

•   2010 June 26:  Aerospace Giant Lockheed Martin Donating  $3.5 Million  Training Package to the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT) in Saskatoon

(Link no longer valid)

Also:  http://www.marketwatch.com/story/lockheed-martin-donates-35-million-canadian-training-package-to-saskatchewan-indian-institute-of-technologies-2010-06-25-90590?reflink=MW_news_stmp

It is not mentioned what kind of “aerospace” technology we are talking about.  It seems reasonable to assume that it’s the same being talked about at White Cap:  an unmanned vehicle for military .. use.  If you marry the two articles, add in “aerospace”, it would seem that indeed we are talking about unmanned drones that drop bombs on real live people, but ones that live far away.

First Nations people should have training in the jobs of the future:  energy conservation, retrofitting and renewable energy.  They should not be held hostage by the likes of Lockheed Martin Corporation.

And so, the American military-industrial-congressional complex is imported by quislings who rely on ignorance, into Canada.  We now have “inter-operability” with the Americans, “compatible doctrine” and other goodies like lots of money to expand the military-industrial economy that is dependent on the making of war.  Thank-you, Stephen and all our politicians!  Where is the opposition?

And so we in Saskatchewan are now part of the unmanned drones launched by computer-game whiz kids from military installations in the desert in Nevada against targets in Yemen and elsewhere.  We in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan will play a central role in the further development of this latest outrage against humanity.  The tactics of the Nazis were marginally less immoral.

But it’s not over yet.  There is non-cooperation (non-violent resistance, the weapon of Ghandi) with the May 2011 Census.  And people spreading this information.

•   2010 June 29:  “The federal government is scrapping the mandatory long census form in favour of a voluntary survey”

(They renamed it the National Household Survey and started doing not just once-in-five-years data collection on individual Canadians (census).   We have data collection that is on-going all the time, through the NHS.  And the StatsCan workers tell Canadians that they have to hand over the information, it is mandatory and they are subject to fine AND potentially jail time if they don’t.  It does not matter that the Statistics Act, the actualLaw says that surveys are voluntary.)

•   2010 June 29:  article by Murray Dobbin in the aftermath of the G20 Summit and protests in Toronto, Is this what a police state looks like? http://murraydobbin.ca/2010/06/29/is-this-what-a-police-state-looks-like/

•   2010 July:  Researchers mount a lobby to maintain the mandatory requirement of the long form.

•   I and others phone and email some researchers, to explain the role of Lockheed Martin Corporation in the census.  This factor is largely absent from the current public debate.   When it does arise, the spin is now that the Government “bought” software from Lockheed Martin; it is no longer work that has been “out-sourced” or “contracted out”.

•   The Government reacts to the social scientists and genealogists by mounting an on-line survey to collect feedback from them for Industry Minister, Tony Clement and Chief Statistician, Munir Sheikh (who soon resigned).

Still, Life is Good.

To generate a list of postings that extends past 2010 July, go to the righthand sidebar, to “Peace or Violence”, Lockheed Martin, War Economy (includes Cdn Census & Trials)