Sandra Finley

2011-04-23 ONE disease, different manifestations. Proposal: “Disease” organizations form a coalition against poisons.

 Corporatocracy or Democracy or Administrative State or WHAT?, Green Party, Health, Sustainability, Take back the University, Water  No Responses »
Apr 232011
 

These three related postings affect our survival on this planet.  They were all written during the election period: 

  • 2011-04-23  ONE disease, different manifestations. Proposal: “Disease” organizations form a coalition against poisons.
  • 2011-04-23  Science and logic. Depression is DETERMINANT of heart disease?… Depression and heart disease are both SYMPTOMS of poisoning. You have one, you may have the other.
  • 2011-04-20  MS, Parkinson’s, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Cancers, Mental unhealth = one disease?

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

RE: It’s time for a national response to Canada’s dementia crisis  +  MS  + Alzheimers + Parkinson’s + Cancer + autism + developmental problems + autoimmune diseases + …

Dear Renee, 

Thank-you for taking the time to write about the crisis in dementia.   I live not that far from you .   Maybe after the Election we can have a chat over coffee. 

I responded to a number of people whose email is basically the same as yours;  however, their families are afflicted by MS or Alzheimers or . .    

EXCERPT from my response to them:

These diseases and developmental problems are not separate;  they are different manifestations of the same basic problem.  The problem is that we are poisoning ourselves and our children, our water supplies, the food we eat . . .  indeed,  all creatures and all of creation.  The poisons are neuro-toxins, among other things. 

The following draws dementia and alzheimers into the discussion, although it began as a response to the question of MS.   I hope it will be helpful until such time as we might talk further. 

My home town of Luseland, SK  is said to have the highest incidence of MS,  but so are other communities in the province said to have this distinction.  My Father fought a very long battle with Parkinson’s disease,  as did other people from that relatively small community.  Cancer rates are also high in the area.  The care facilities in the nearby town of Kerrobert and elsewhere in the health district have a burgeoning population of people with dementia and alzheimers. 

The high incidence of MS was mentioned in casual conversation with Jennifer Brooke Fox when I was in Humboldt last Monday.  A large family in Luseland whose children went to school with my younger siblings:  all but one developed MS.   A fellow Girl Guide, a year younger than me, developed MS.  A friend at my Halifax workplace when I was in my mid-twenties was diagnosed with MS  –  I believe that was the first I ever heard about MS.  I have friends whose family members have MS.  I believe that I myself may well have had the onset of MS.  Through good fortune I was able to identify and remove a major culprit for me (it’s not the same for everyone amd it’s not just ONE poison). 

Something is wrong with the picture.   We have “normalized” disease and developmental problems when they are not normal at all. 

I have done a fair amount of work in the area of disease and the poisons we are putting into our bodies and into the environment.  (I’ve run an activist email network for more than ten years – when people pool information we all learn much more than any one of us can learn working alone.)

From my blog, www.sandrafinley.ca  “We have come to a better understanding of how our immune systems work.  Is there a direct causal relationship between a poison and developmental problems or a particular disease?   …  No,  the same poisons in various combinations with other poisons (stresses on the immune system) will have different health outcomes for different people. 

Immune systems 

  • have different strengths and weaknesses
  • in different people,
  • affected by their life experience and
  • affected by the DNA that gets passed down from generation-to-generation. At least some of the time, DNA that has been damaged by poisons is passed down, in its damaged form.  

Scientists most often research DIRECT causal relationships between poisons and a particular disease.  They draw the wrong conclusions because they do not take into account the nature of our immune systems.  

The situation SHOULD be simple:  do not put known, unnecessary poisons into the environment or into our bodies.    

We know from fish in the Arctic, for example, that poisons disperse widely in the environment and have lasting toxic effects inside the bodies of beings who live far from the production sites of the poisons.    The cellular life of human beings is basically the same as the cellular life of fish and other species.   What we are doing to them we are doing to ourselves.   

The problematic poisons are most often colourless and odourless.  You most often do not know that you are ingesting the poison.   Chemicals, radioactive wind-borne particles, various heavy metals (mercury, lead, aluminum, etc).  We put poisons directly into our water supplies.   

I tried for four years to get the City to stop using a chemical combo called vaporooter to dissolve tree roots in sewer lines.   In defending its actions,  the City (and I) discovered that for one of the chemical ingredients, there isn’t a laboratory in all of Canada that knows how to test for the presence of that chemical in water.   For the chemical ingredient that they COULD test for,  one test cost $3,000.    So you know how often they are testing for the presence of that (just one) chemical.  Unfortunately, upstream communities like Calgary and Medicine Hat, Riverhurst,  etc.  also decided to use vaporooter instead of good, old-fashioned augering to remove roots in sewer lines. 

We are very stupidly poisoning ourselves.  Some people develop MS, some develop cancer, others dementia, children are autistic (a word I had not heard until I was in my 40’s.  Today, very few people have not heard of autism.) 

  • I told you that I believe I had the onset of MS.   My particular symptoms were, among other things, chronic pins-and-needle sensations in my left upper arm and shoulder and a vertical pain in the left backside of my neck.  I worked for more than a year on it, with no success.  I thought I had a pinched nerve and tried first massage and then chiropractic treatments.  Through serendipity I was reminded of what I had forgotten:  “silver” fillings, also called dental amalgams, are 50% mercury.  Mercury is one of the most toxic elements on the planet.  I had the amalgams removed.   The symptoms of MS are gone and the “brain fog”.   That story and supporting information is at  Heavy metals in vaccinations, Mercury in dental amalgams. 

I had a brief email exchange with Jock Murray from Halifax, a retired doctor who has headed up an MS centre at Dalhousie University.  (click on  http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=1110  ). 

Here’s the problem if we accept the usual cause-and-effect direct relationship worldview:

  • I say:  poison X contributed to my likely symptoms of MS
  • Someone else (Peggy) says:  the likely cause of my MS was poison Y that was sprayed on corn which we frolicking young people snitched out of a market garden at midnight for a corn roast.
  • The scientist says:  there is no causal relationship between X and MS.  Nor is there a causal relationship between Y and MS.
  • Someone else says:  the same poison X is the likely cause of my fibromyalgia
  • And someone else says:  it was poison Y that caused my cancer.
  • The scientists says:  there is no causal relationship between X and fibromyalgia;  nor between Y and cancer. 

The statements regarding poisons  X, Y and Z and a causal relationship with diseases A, B  and C are not contradictory, but science treats them as though they ARE contradictory.  In their mind the hypothesis about cause-and-effect fails. 

The chemical Y freshly-sprayed on the cornfield probably played a causal role in Peggy’s MS.   AND the very slow, almost continuous, release of small amounts of mercury (X) that I kept swallowing because it was in my saliva from my dental amalgams probably played a causal role in the onset of MS symptoms for me.   I had a series of health problems,  the mercury poisoning caused different symptoms at different times. I battled to address a symptom,  in time a different symptom would present itself.   It is not an easy, single expression of the poisoning.  And in many cases the immune system can keep the poisonous effects under control for a long time.  It can take 10 to 15 years before some cancers reach a stage where they are identified.  They are slow-acting, but nonetheless lethal.  Dementia and alzheimers do not develop over-night.   

For 50 years the Cancer Societies have been collecting millions and millions of dollars to “find a cure”.   I remember reading a small book in the late 1970’s.   The author documented then:  we KNOW the causes of cancer.  We are not going to find a “cure”.  Remove the CAUSES of the disease.   Unfortunately,  there is a lot of money to be made by the pharmaceutical industry in the “find a cure” approach.    That approach says “it’s okay for you to get the disease.  Because we’re going to find a cure and in the meantime you can take all these pills and treatments.”   It is an extremely inhumane approach, not to mention costly and inane.  

The corporations that are allowed to put their poisons into the environment are not the ones who pay the price.  It is in their interest to find ways to sell and load the environment with MORE poisons.  As with our bodies, the Earth is accumulating a “body-load” of poisons.  They just keep building and building.  But we ARE the Earth – –  more than half of our body is water that keeps recycling through (as it keeps recycling from the sky, through our food crops, into our rivers and lakes, through our bodies and back up into the sky).   If radioactive particles fall in raindrops on our food supply, how do we expect that we will not ingest them?   They are invisible and you can’t smell them.

In order to fight disease, you need to build your immune system.  In many cases the drugs are another assault on the immune system.  They may offer temporary relief.  In time, in many cases, the “side effects” of the drugs become another set of health problems. 

The Green Party of course, works to protect the environment.  “Preventative healthcare” is, to me, almost the same thing.   

It may be a decade ago:  the canvasser for MS came to my door.  I asked her to show me in the brochure what the MS Society was doing for “remove the causes” of MS.   There was nothing.  I told her I would phone the national office and have a discussion, which I did.  The Executive Director at the time told me that they had 20,000 items in their data base.  There was nothing to suggest a link between MS and exposure to chemicals.   I hung up and phoned a data base maintained by a group of doctors in Florida.  They keep track of all the research that is done on chemicals.   I asked them about a possible link between chemicals and MS.  Their answer was:  given A, B, and C (which I have forgotten)  it is definitely PLAUSIBLE that there is a connection.   I sent the information to the MS Society.  Nothing happened.  No research into possible connections between MS and synthetic chemicals.   It is not uncommon to find that the pharmaceutical corporations are hugely influential in disease organizations.   In some cases they own the chemical corporations.   They are both the biotech corporations.

Today, there is a further barrier:  a criterion for funding of health research (and now for most projects) is that the project have the “potential for commercialization”.   But there is no potential for corporate profits in the removal of the causes of disease.   We have lost funding for the public interest. 

We are in a sorry state of affairs.  Hopefully more people are becoming aware.  The incidence of things like autism, MS, childhood cancers, asthma, learning disabilities,  – – the list is long  – –  Good Grief!  Can we not see what we are doing?   These diseases and developmental problems are not separate;  they are different manifestations of the same basic problem.  The problem is that we are poisoning ourselves and our children, our water supplies, the food we eat . . .  indeed,  all creatures and all of creation.   The Earth will be happy when we, as a species, are gone!! 

So what do we do about today?   And the people with MS, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, diabetes, asperger’s syndrome, depression, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, gastro-intestinal problems, auto-immune disease, learning disabilities . . .  ?

Number one we get the corporate interests out of Government, the Universities, and the medi-care system.  

Number two, remove the poisons.   We know that mercury is a neuro toxin.  So you do not put it into human beings, whether in the form of dental amalgams, or as a preservative in vaccinations.  Do not take flu shots.  They contain thimerasol which is mercury.  Research shows (no surprise) that people who have received the flu shot for more than 10 years have an increased incidence of alzheimers   … there’s a whole long list of poisons that need to be eradicated. 

Personally, I believe that disease-support organizations should recognize the extent to which they are connected.   A win for the Lung Association on removing air-borne poisons is a win for the other disease organizations.  (Inhale an invisible radioactive particle.  It will sit in your body continuously emitting.  In time you will develop cancer.  Or it could be diabetes, depending on your individual immune system.)  A win by the parents of autistic children is a win for people with MS and others with cancer or alzhemiers.   As is a win for families and people (like my daughter) who have learning disabilities – – developmental problems caused by the poisons that I can’t escape because they are everywhere.   Worse yet,  no one told me. 

Think of how powerful the force to stop the poisoning would be, if the organizations joined together, if they became a coalition working together.   What if, instead of the MS people getting together by themselves, they had their meetings in conjunction with the other “disease” organizations in Saskatoon?    What if the MS support people went to the planners of the Breast Cancer events and said, “This year, would you consider sending the money to Prevent Cancer NOW?” instead of to whoever it normally goes.     

You may want to check out “Health”, a category you’ll find in the right-hand sidebar of the blog, www.sandrafinley.ca    Also, at the top of the page “Heavy metals in vaccinations, Mercury in dental amalgams.”   

In my experience, it is not elected officials who drive the change (unfortunately).  It is citizens themselves.  

We need to work together.   It is most likely that we are back into an era where our tax dollars will be used for little more than paying down debt (and buying stealth bombers to the tune of $30 billion dollars, more debt).    You may remember that the Mulroney Government ran up the debt to the point where 37 cents out of every tax dollar went to the banks for debt servicing.  Preston Manning created the single-issue Reform Party to challenge Government debt.  Paul Martin’s Government cut social programmes, we spent years paying off debt, to the point where 14 cents out of every tax dollar was spent on debt servicing.  Not bad!   BUT in the last three years, the Harper Government has out-done Mulroney.  They racked up the highest-ever deficit.  Three years of deficits and we now have more than $110 billion dollars of debt to re-pay.   Brad Wall is doing the same thing in Saskatchewan as his predecessor, Grant Devine, did:  driving up the debt.  It makes me furious.  We will be back in a place provincially (as well as federally) where a third of our tax dollars go to debt servicing.

The Parties will tell you the wonderful things they will do for you.  No – we are back into an era where the banks will pay great dividends to the wealthy and to their CEO’s, because of the public debt.   Especially with the $6 billion in tax-cuts to corporations if the Conservatives have their way.  It is quite frustrating. 

HOWEVER!  Hopefully, your lobby joined with other lobbies joined to efforts by the Green Party will secure programmes that provide care and assistance.  These are exciting times with more and more people mobilizing to create a new economy based on caring and sharing, for the Earth and for others.   The Green Party has well-thought out policies to help with caregiver supports and income security.  This email will be too long if I go into that, too!   Please refer to  http://greenparty.ca/issues/vision-green . 

I fully support your work.  I hope that the on-going efforts of my network are a contribution –  www.sandrafinley.ca  is a continuing record of those “battles”.  

When you weave together the accumulated information,  I think it is most likely that the escalation in dementia is due to the neuro toxins (poisons) we are receiving, not only through the environment, but through direct input into our bodies.  Exactly the same situation as with MS.  And, as I say,  if people don’t get dementia, they get Alzheimers or other ailments.

The pharmaceutical companies are putting ingredients like mercury (in the form of thimerasol) and aluminum (another heavy metal) into vaccinations.  Research shows that people who have taken the flu shot for more than 10 years have an increased incidence of alzheimers.   Repeated injections of mercury – what do you expect?   The situation is made worse by the mercury in dental amalgams (“silver” fillings)  – a slow, small, but continuous release of mercury into the body.  Countries in Europe have banned dental amalgams.   In my experience (and I have worked on many issues)  lobbying the Government is often ineffective because the corporate interests, the interests in making money, are too great.    

If it is okay with you, I will be back in touch with you.   The timing is now – – I believe we have the building blocks in place to mount a coordinated effort at the University to work with the toxicologists and medical people to start dealing with the situation so we can stop the creation of all these diseases and developmental problems.  We have created an industry based on making people tragically sick. 

It is really ONE dis-ease  with many different manifestations,  all caused by the numerous poisons we are putting into the environment and directly into our bodies.   

In solidarity,

Happy Easter,

It is indeed a time of re-birth, of excitement – – a new way of seeing ourselves in the World. 

Sandra Finley

= = = = = = = = = ==

Dear Debra,

Earlier in April I responded to a few people regarding dementia.  And then people with a family member who suffers from MS.  Then came the families of people with Alzheimers. 

 I have run an activist email network for more than ten years, working at different times on different poisons and their impacts on health. 

Our immune systems are different, we each have a different history of known and unknown exposure to poisons that are neuro toxins, teratogens (interfere with normal cell development) and so on.  We each now have a “body burden” of poisons, and the Earth has a “body burden”.

I hope you will read the documentation I sent earlier to others.  Please click on:  2011-04-23 ONE disease, different manifestations. Proposal: “Disease” organizations form a coalition to stop the poisons. 

 Today, I sent an update, as follows:

Each of you contacted me concerning disease.   It was very helpful.  I am able to make stronger and stronger arguments to say that we need to join the organizations for disease and for developmental problems together in an effort to stop the poisons we are putting into the environment and directly into our bodies.

 I was at a meeting in the village of St Denis on the east side of Saskatoon.   In the conversation following, women there spontaneously voiced their concerns about the amount of disease in the community.   It may have been prompted by the fact that many people were absent because they were attending prayers for a woman who had died very suddenly from leukemia.  She was 62 years old.

Sherbrooke Community Centre yesterday  was an opportunity to introduce the idea that many different diseases and developmental problems are the manifestation of one thing:  slow poisoning from a variety of sources.  Before I left Sherbrooke it was arranged that I will be back in touch with Administrators to work out their participation in a project.  I think we can create a fairly powerful force for change.  

The Green Party has very solid, well-thought out plans in aid of care-givers and people who are afflicted.   It makes it easy for me to be a representative of the Green Party. 

A large part of our health policy has always been PREVENTION.   Personally,  I think it is terribly inhumane to say, “It’s okay for you to get the disease.  We’ll treat you and search for a cure.”  After 40 and more years of promising to “find a cure” for cancer,  we need to understand:  we know the CAUSES and we have to remove them.  That is the only way that the disease trend-lines can be reversed. 

Families and individuals bear heavy loads because of the diseases and developmental problems.  I know because of my Father’s long years of dealing with Parkinson’s disease.  If people could just understand:  there isn’t a SINGLE cause, it’s a matter of cumulative impacts on immune systems – –  but that’s said in

I will keep you posted on developments.   In the meantime,  I would like to invite you to join us on Monday evening, 8:00 pm for a celebration.  

There is a very good chance that Elizabeth May will be elected.  I know her personally.  We kept bumping into each other during the years when she was the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and became friends.  She is intelligent, warm-hearted and caring, with amazing energy, dedication and integrity.  She understands the issues and is the reason why I joined the Green Party.  I know that if she is to achieve her potential, there have to be people in every province to help build Green support.

We cannot poison the place where we live, and our bodies, too. Elizabeth has been a strong voice and active force through all the years at the Sierra Club – I am confident that she, working with others in the Green movement, is our best choice when it comes to driving the change in thinking that is urgently needed.

But back to lighter fare:  Please consider coming to the celebration.

 Best wishes,

/Sandra

——————-
Date: Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Subject: Better caregiver supports, income security and research benefit people with MS

Ms. Sandra Finley
Green Party Saskatoon-Humboldt
Saskatchewan

I am writing to ask you to support issues that are of real importance to people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.  Unfortunately, Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with an estimated 55,000 to 75,000 people living with the disease across the country.

People with MS need your commitment right now.

– People with MS need answers. It’s time to set aside funds for a clinical trial of the CCSVI procedure. Earmarking funds ensures there won’t be a delay, if and when the scientific evidence shows a clinical trial should proceed.

– Caregivers need support. It’s time to help family caregivers by providing a range of supports including tax credits and benefits and other programs to ease the daily load for all caregivers.

– People with MS need secure incomes. It’s time to ensure people with MS have the incomes they need. This means making Employment Insurance sickness benefits more flexible so people can work part-time and receive partial benefits. It also means making the disability tax credit refundable – to actually put money in people’s pockets.

– All people with brain conditions need a national brain strategy. Regardless of diagnosis, people living with brain conditions share similar needs and challenges. It’s time for a national brain strategy to accelerate research and improve the quality of life for millions of Canadians.

Multiple sclerosis has a profound impact on the ability to earn a living.  Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40, just when they are finishing school, starting careers and beginning families.  MS progresses in unpredictable ways. For many people, unexpected periods of worsening are followed by equally unpredictable periods of improvement – and then more worsening. This takes a devastating toll on people with MS and their families.

I urge you to support these issues to help people with MS and their families. It would be great if you would become a champion during this campaign – and in Parliament if you are elected. I will look forward to hearing how you will support action on MS.

Yours sincerely,

——————–
Date: Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 5:10 PM
Subject: It’s time for a national response to Canada’s dementia crisis.

Ms. Sandra Finley
Green Party Saskatoon-Humboldt
Saskatchewan

Dear Ms. Finley,

During this election campaign, Canadians are looking to elect politicians who will provide leadership on the most important health issue facing Canada. Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias impact over half a million Canadians and more than 100,000 new dementia cases are diagnosed each year. According to Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society published by the Alzheimer Society of Canada last year, the economic burden of dementia in Canada is $15 billion a year; without a plan to address this crisis, costs will spike to $37 billion by 2018.

On behalf of the millions of family carers, physicians and those with dementia, I am asking you to answer three questions during this campaign. Your party’s leaders are being asked the same questions.

————–
Question 1
————–
Canada lags behind our international partners in the development of a national brain strategy to address the growing dementia crisis. Australia, S. Korea, UK and other Countries in Europe already have plans in place; we need leadership at the national level.
If your party forms the next government would you commit to meeting the needs of the 500,000 Canadians with dementia with a national brain strategy within the first 90 days of the next parliament?

————–
Question 2
————–
In 2008, Canadian families and friends spent approximately 231 million hours providing care for people with dementia. This number is expected to more than triple by 2038, reaching 756 million hours. The financial and social burden on informal caregivers will be unsustainable.
If your party forms the next government would you commit to a comprehensive and universal package of support programs for family caregivers during the next session of parliament?

————–
Question 3
————–
Budget 2011 contained important measures for dementia research, caregiver support, and improved health care delivery.  Despite promising recent leads, the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias remain unknown and there are no effective treatments.  Canadian researchers rank among the best in the world, but they need more funding to follow the many clues that will lead us to the breakthroughs we will need to conquer this disease.

If your party forms the next government would you support these investments and commit to the $100 Million contained in the Budget for brain disease research as a first step towards a comprehensive permanent federal research program?

Today, Canada has no strategy or plan to address the dementia crisis we face, and our commitment to address it pales in comparison to other G20 countries.  Our study, Rising Tide: The Impact of Dementia on Canadian Society was released in 2010, and provided evidence for the enormous and rapidly escalating health, economic and social impact of this devastating disease.  We have been told by politicians that there is no appetite for another national health-related strategy. Yet national strategies have been developed for a long list of other health issues, many of which have far less impact on the health of Canadians than neurological conditions.

We know that a rising tide of dementia is coming; the need for a national brain strategy has never been more apparent and more urgent than now.

Sincerely,

2011-04-22 Uranium Markets: “The Nuclear Renaissance Starts Monday”.

 Nuclear  No Responses »
Apr 222011
 

Background 

The Fukushima disaster has resulted in a sharp decline in the prospects for nuclear power around the world and a corresponding sharp drop in share prices.  On the assumption that this “bad PR” is merely temporary the following article urges investors to “buy into uranium” now while the price is low so as to garner high returns on their investments later. 

Now is the time for concerned citizens around the world to speak out loudly and clearly with words and actions to ensure that the uranium market does not rebound!  

Gordon Edwards.

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

(Click on the link in order to see the graphs.)

The Nuclear Renaissance Lives

Don’t Buy the Hype, Buy Uranium

By Luke Burgess
Friday, April 22nd, 2011 http://www.energyandcapital.com/articles/nuclear-renaissance-uranium-buy/1499  

Leaking radioactive material from the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant has poisoned the entire global uranium market.

Every nuclear- and uranium-related asset on the market has suffered drastic devaluations.

The price of uranium oxide (U3O8) — the most commonly-traded physical form of the nuclear fuel — fell some 32% from $74 to nearly $50/pound in the spot market immediately following Tōhoku earthquake.

Since that time, however, uranium prices have recovered a little bit. But the price of U3O8 remains 24% lower than it was right before the Fukushima disaster.

Uranium stocks have fared no better.

Companies involved in all aspects of the uranium industry — from exploration to production and processing — have also suffered serious market losses. In the past six weeks alone:

  • Cameco (NYSE: CCJ) has fallen 37%
  • Denison Mines (AMEX: DNN) is down 44%
  • Uranerz Energy (AMEX: URZ) dropped 36%
  • Uranium One (TSX: UUU) has lost 39%
  • USEC (NYSE: USU) is off 33%
  • Uranium Resources (NASDAQ: URRE) has slumped 38%
  • Ur-Energy (AMEX: URG) fell 42%

For a broader look, the Global X Uranium ETF (NYSE: URA) — which tracks 23 of the largest uranium companies — plummeted 31% on the day of the earthquake and is still some 28% below pre-crisis levels.

 Fearful investors have hurried to sell off their uranium assets, fearing the Fukushima disaster will force governments to tighten industry restrictions or worse, abandon their pursuit of nuclear power as an alternative energy source all together.

But the knee-jerk reaction in the uranium market has been grossly overdone.

You see, uranium has only been a publicly-traded commodity for only a few years…

In May 2007, the NYMEX began trading uranium futures in monthly contracts. This introduced a much higher degree of speculation into the uranium market as trading became available to investors outside of the mining industry.

And it was these very emotional speculators who oversold the uranium market following the Fukushima disaster.

But it’s only a matter of time until investors snap back to reality and the uranium market begins to rapidly recover.

It’s at this point that investors recognize the truth: The Fukushima disaster does not fundamentally alter the global demand for uranium oxide.

The Energy Bull You Don’t Want to Want to Miss

Our analysts have traveled the world over, dedicated to finding the best and most profitable investments in the global energy markets. All you have to do to join our Energy and Capital investment community is sign up for the newsletter below. You’ll also get our free report, Oil Outlook: Investing in 2011 by our resident energy expert, Keith Kohl.

The Nuclear Renaissance Will Continue to Power Forward

There are still over 440 nuclear power plants around the world that will continue demanding the energy fuel. Each year, these plants require approximately 79,000 tonnes of U3O8; but current mine production is only able to supply 60,000 tonnes of U3O8 annually.

The near 20,000-tonne supply deficit has been covered by secondary sources, including stockpiled uranium held by governments and utilities. But it’s well-known that many civil uranium stockpiles — including those from the once-massive stockpiles of ex-Soviet warheads — have been largely depleted.

And with over 50 new nuclear power plants under construction right now (and 200 more planned in spite of the Fukushima disaster), global demand for uranium will soon begin to greatly exceed available supplies.

There’s no doubt in my mind that nuclear industry will soon rapidly recover.

You know as well as I do that people have very short memories. Call to mind the following recent examples:

  • Massey Energy (NYSE: MEE) didn’t stop mining coal after a massive explosion killed 29 miners at the company’s Upper Big Branch in April 2010.
  • Chile only briefly halted mine production following a cave-in that left 33 miners trapped 2,000 feet vertically underground at the Copiapo copper/gold mine in August.
  • British Petroleum (NYSE: BP) didn’t stop producing oil from the Gulf of Mexico after the oil spill last summer.

And those are just recent examples that are specific to natural resource industry. The Fukushima disaster is the same sort of situation.

Global nuclear energy interests will spearhead cleanup efforts in Japan and continue to promote new technologies. Governments will mandate new safety inspections, and they’ll write laws to include more frequent safety reviews and stricter standards for new nuclear power plants.

These moves should help alleviate most of the mainstream fears and quiet any loud, uninformed voices…

Then the industry can go back to business as usual.

China has already announced it will resume nuclear plans in just a few months. Here’s the latest from MarketWatch:

China’s Nuclear Plans Could Resume by Summer
April 22, 2011
By Chris OliverHONG KONG (MarketWatch) — China’s plan to build more nuclear power stations to meet the nation’s growing energy needs could soon be back on track after a safety review is set to completed this summer, according to a mainland news report Friday.

The central government will assess the report and decide if safety improvements are needed, though Chinese experts believe Beijing will resume its nuclear-power ambitions, perhaps with some minor changes, the China Daily reported.

The report cited former industry regulator and Nuclear Power Technology Corp’s senior official Lin Chengge as saying the pace and scale of China’s building will be adjusted, but dramatic changes are unlikely.

The Chinese government has laid plans to increase the country’s nuclear capacity from the current 10 gigawatts (GwE) to 80 GwE in the next nine years. And the country is clearly moving its nuclear sector forward as it needs to, despite the Fukushima disaster.

Besides, it’s foolish to think that other world governments, major financial institutions, and corporations (all of which have billions tied up in the nuclear industry) are not going to let the nuclear sector fall without a decent fight…

There’s just too much money at stake.

The Diagnosis is Worse than the Ailment

There’s no doubt that the radiation leaking from Fukushima has created serious risks.

But the hard truth is, there is no current form of energy production that is without risk: Mining for coal is dangerous, oil rigs and pipelines can explode, and hydroelectric dams can be breached.

In the end, the market’s overreaction to the Fukushima disaster may be worse than the accident itself if it delays the nuclear renaissance.

With all the wars, uprisings, and general violence in the region, the need to reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil has never been greater. With oil prices rising past $120 and $130 per barrel, uranium investments will once again be seen as a hedge against the Middle East…

And today’s investors will be rewarded from a power rebound in the market as the majority of the heavy selling seems to be drying up.

Remember, it’s still expected there will be some 700 nuclear reactors operating worldwide within the next few years. These reactors will nearly double the demand for global uranium supplies.

If you can think ahead a bit, it’s not difficult to see how panic in the uranium market right now is making for an incredible buying opportunity.

Fear has created a frenzy in the uranium market; we’ve seen investors irrationally sell off their assets without considering market fundamentals or intrinsic value. And everything we know from history tells us that the market will eventually recover to come back stronger than ever.

It’s a no-brainer. And all investors need to do now is step up to the plate and take a swing at a slow, easy pitch.

Right this very second, the uranium market is panicking. As you know, uranium companies have seen their market valuations nearly cut in half!

There’s still a lot of fear sloshing around in the market. But this sell-off has naturally created an unprecedented opportunity for us as investors.

That’s why for the past three weeks, I’ve been scrambling to put together a new report…

My #1 Uranium Stock for 2011

A veteran geologist recently told me about a rapidly developing uranium district in Argentina’s Rio Negro Province, where property was being snapped up by major names in the mining industry.

Experts recently discovered this region is geologically similar to other regions known to host world-class uranium deposits. That means there could be billions of dollars in untapped uranium reserves waiting to be discovered…

And since the whole story has been kept such a secret, a small handful of companies have staked most of the prime exploration land.

In fact one small exploration company was able to get its hands on a massive 1.2 million acres of prime uranium property. This 25-cent stock was worth over $1.00 before the Fukushima disaster; once the fanaticism dies down, I expect share prices to strongly rebound.

That’s why, for the past three weeks, I’ve raced to put together a new video report that details this small uranium exploration company. In this video, I give you the whole story — including more details on the Argentinean uranium region and exactly why I’m so excited about this opportunity.

The tragedy in Japan and subsequent fear in the market have presented us with an incredible opportunity to take a position in the uranium market.

The Wall Street investment houses and financial institutions are still under pressure not to own uranium assets; but growth prospects for nuclear power continue to remain strong, as do the prospects for its yellow cake fuel.

The uranium market will survive the Fukushima catastrophe. And once the fear and emotion settle down, I expect uranium prices to rebound from their current lows to their pre-Japan crisis highs of over $70 per pound.

Sooner or later, the money that was taken out of uranium stocks will be put back in.

And that makes right now one of the single best times to invest in uranium.

There are plenty of great opportunities in the market now for investors to buy uranium stocks. But some are better than others…

Be sure to check out my #1 uranium stock of 2011.

Good Investing,

 Luke Burgess
Editor, Wealth Daily
Investment Director, Hard Money Millionaire and Underground Profits

2011-04-22 The Drone-ification of America. (correction: .. of NORTH America)

 Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles / UAVs)  No Responses »
Apr 222011
 

My stomach quakes.  Read the last three paragraphs of this article.  It’s a description of what Lockheed Martin and Boeing are doing in Saskatoon.   As soon as the Election is over, this needs to be tackled.  It’s bloody scary.  And I don’t scare easily. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-whitehead/campaign-contributions-defense-spending_b_852708.html

John W. Whitehead

Attorney and author

The Drone-ification of America
Posted: 04/22/11 03:49 PM ET

 “Although it is hard to predict where the drone infrastructure will grow, if other defense contracting projects are a reliable guide, the drone-ification of America will probably continue until there is a drone aerodrome in every state and a drone degree program to go with it.”–Richard Wheeler, Wired (Feb. 28, 2011)

The U.S. government has a history of commandeering military technology for use against Americans. We saw this happen with tear gas, tasers and sound cannons, all of which were first used on the battlefield before being deployed against civilians at home. Now the drones — pilotless, remote controlled aircraft that have been used extensively in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan (at least 600 civilians have been killed in drone attacks in Pakistan since the United States started targeting insurgents in that country) and were most recently approved by President Obama for use in Libya — are coming home to roost (and fly) in domestic airspace.

As USA Today reports:

Police agencies around the USA soon could have a new tool in their crime-fighting arsenal: unmanned aircraft inspired by the success of such drones on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Local governments have been pressing the Federal Aviation Administration for wider use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs — a demand driven largely by returning veterans who observed the crafts’ effectiveness in war, according to experts at New Mexico State University and Auburn University. Police could use the smaller planes to find lost children, hunt illegal marijuana crops and ease traffic jams in evacuations of cities before hurricanes or other natural disasters.

Attached as an amendment to the “Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Act” (S.223), the legislation allowing drones to fly in general American airspace has already cleared Congress, thanks to support from military contractors and a lack of opposition from those who should know better — including an American populace preoccupied with rising gas prices, a dismal economy and endless wars abroad. The only thing lacking is Obama’s final stamp of approval, which is expected at any moment.

Of course, there’s been a lot of predictable political chatter about how the introduction of drones equipped with weapons and surveillance devices into general airspace will help with national security and in the domestic fight against terrorism. But the real motivator, as is usually the case in Washington, is money — to be exact, money in the form of job creation (which ultimately translates into electoral votes) and campaign contributions from military contractors. In total, Boeing spent $2.57 million and Lockheed Martin spent $2.4 million in campaign contributions to those running for Congress in 2009-2010.

Indeed, elected representatives on both sides of the aisle benefit equally from the push for more widespread use of drones. For example, Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), a sponsor of the amendment who, by the way, received $10,000 from Lockheed Martin (a manufacturer of drones and missiles used by drones) during his 2010 re-election campaign, is looking to preserve 1,215 jobs at a base in Mattydale, N.Y., while also potentially creating “millions of dollars in radar research contracts for local defense companies.” In other words, Schumer is hoping he can get enough donations and win over enough voters to maintain his seat in Congress.

On the House of Representatives side, Reps. John Mica (R-Fla.) and Candice Miller (R-Mich.), the driving forces behind the drone amendments that ended up in the House bill, didn’t hesitate to talk up the advantages drones would bring to national security and the economy. They also didn’t hesitate to take campaign contributions from companies involved in the production of drone technology. In his 2010 re-election campaign, Mica received contributions from Boeing, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon amounting to $10,000 each, while Miller received $10,000 each from Honeywell and Ford, and $8,500 from General Dynamics. Maurice Hinchey (D – NY), a member of the 43-person drone caucus, received $10,000 each from Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Honeywell, as well as $9,500 from L-3 Communications in 2010.

Unfortunately, there are few in Congress who are not complicit in helping to advance the agenda of the military industrial complex. Even President Obama, ironically enough the winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize who received $870,165 from defense contractors during his 2008 campaign and yet was expected by many anti-war protesters to rein in George Bush’s run-away war machine, has marched in lockstep with the war hawks, essentially maintaining the status quo in the war in Iraq, ramping up the war in Afghanistan, and interjecting America into the conflict in Libya. And in fact, Obama’s 2012 military budget provides strong funding for drones with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, with $4.8 billion set aside just “to develop and procure additional Global Hawk Class (RQ-4), Predator Class (MQ 1/9) and other less expensive, low-altitude systems.”

The practical impact of these drones, which can range in size from 15 ounces to 34,000 pounds with a wing span bigger than a Boeing 737, will be felt by all members of society, regardless of how law-abiding one might be. Certainly these unmanned vehicles could be used for legitimate purposes, such as search-and-rescue missions, etc., but living as we do already in a semi-surveillance state with our constitutional rights in peril at every turn, these drones, which can be armed with surveillance devices, as well as weapons, are yet another building block in a total control society.

Drones have already been used in a limited capacity domestically to patrol the border between the U.S. and Mexico and at peaceful political rallies to intimidate and track protesters. However, researchers at Auburn University, charged with studying the risks associated with unmanned aircraft, predict that drones will be used by police departments in 5-10 years.

Unfortunately, drones are not foolproof gadgets. In fact, they have a history of malfunctioning in mid-air. As David Zucchino reported in the Los Angeles Times, “The U.S. military often portrays its drone aircraft as high-tech marvels that can be operated seamlessly from thousands of miles away. But Pentagon accident reports reveal that the pilotless aircraft suffer from frequent system failures, computer glitches and human error.” For example, the first drone sent to the Texas-Mexico border in the summer of 2010 experienced a communications failure which led to “pilot deviation.” UAVs had to be temporarily grounded while technicians received more training. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The U.S. military was on the verge of launching fighter jets and even entertained ideas about a possible shoot-down when an errant Navy drone veered into restricted airspace near Washington, DC, in August 2010. The incident only served to reinforce concerns about drones let loose in American skies. “Do you let it fly over the national capital region? Let it run out of gas and hopefully crash in a farmer’s field? Or do you take action and shoot it down?” said Navy Adm. James Winnefeld Jr., head of Northern Command. “You don’t want to shoot it down over a populated area if you can avoid it.” Even so, Winnefeld is pushing to get more drones into the air, citing the need for a slower and lighter aircraft that could be used to monitor events such as outdoor sports games, political conventions or inaugural activities.

Apart from the safety concerns, of which there are many, the widespread use of drones domestically also poses certain security and privacy risks. As one blogger notes, “One has to wonder if the cost of these high tech machines would be balanced by their potentially limited uses or if departments would be forced to expand the uses in order to even employ the drones. Like SWAT battering rams and armored vehicles, would departments feel compelled to use the drones more often than necessary simply to justify their cost?”

There’s also the problem of drones being hacked into and potentially hijacked. After all, it’s happened before. In 2009, it was discovered that Shiite insurgents had hacked into Predator drones with a software program that cost only $26 and gained access to video footage shot by the spy planes. One can only imagine what a technically proficient hacker in America might be able to do with the wealth of information he could potentially take from these drones, not to mention what a terrorist could do with a fully-armed, remote-controlled airplane. If there’s one thing you can be sure of, it’s that these drones will be equipped with weapons. In fact, the Pentagon actually wants some drones to be able to carry nuclear weapons. The destruction brought about by a mid-air collision or sudden communications failure with a drone carrying weapons would be devastating.

This is not a problem that’s going to go away quickly or quietly. Indeed, the government is making sure that drones will be around for some time to come. As Wired magazine points out:

Federal education and stimulus money is being used to create nonmilitary drone education programs. The Department of Aviation at the University of North Dakota, located in Grand Forks and the operator of the test and training site at Grand Forks AFB, now offers the first Bachelors of Science program in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. The Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Northland Community and Technical College, located in Thief River Falls, Minnesota just 40 miles east of Grand Forks, will soon offer courses in the repair of UAVs.

Added to that, an amendment to the House version of the bill legalizing drone testing in American airspace set September 30, 2015 as a deadline by which to have general use of drones. The University of North Dakota is also offering a 4-year degree in piloting drones in what is soon expected to be a $20 billion industry.

Clearly, Congress, the Defense Department, the Obama administration and the military contractors who drive the wars all have strong financial interests in having drones crisscrossing the skies of America. They know that this spy technology will be the next big money-making scheme for those who profit from war and the machinery of war. But you can rest assured that the introduction of drones into American airspace will not only further fuse the American government, the American economy and the military industry, perpetuating needless foreign interventions at the expense of civilians abroad and Americans at home but it will serve as yet another nail in the coffin for American civil liberties.

2011-04-21 Saskatchewan Tax-payers give $30 million (or $47?) to Nuke at U of S, Nancy Hopkins Chairs U Board of Governors, is on Cameco Board, has $1.8 million in Cameco shares, Chairs Search for next President +

 Corporatocracy or Democracy or Administrative State or WHAT?, Nuclear, Take back the University  No Responses »
Apr 212011
 

I was elected to the Senate of the University of Saskatchewan last year.  The April meeting of Senate is today.

Will you tell me what you think? . . .

I have thought that people in public institutions would automatically declare a conflict-of-interest and step down from any task that might be perceived to be a conflict-of-interest.

CONTENTS

1.  NANCY HOPKINS IS THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN.  SHE IS A LAWYER.

2.  NANCY HOPKINS IS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF CAMECO (DIRECTOR SINCE 1992)

3.  NANCY HOPKINS, Cameco shares and options: $1,843,273 in 2009;   $1,001,871 in 2008

4.  NANCY HOPKINS CHAIRS THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY

5.  GRANT ISAACS, FORMER DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF COMMERCE,  NOW SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF CAMECO.  CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF U?

6.  RICHARD FLORIZONE, VICE-PRESIDENT OF FINANCE U OF S, CHAIRED THE INDUSTRY-STACKED “URANIUM DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP” FOR THE BRAD WALL GOVERNMENT. LIED TO THE PEOPLE OF SASKATCHEWAN THAT ACID RAIN IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM WHEN NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN IS DYING FROM ACID RAIN FROM TAR SANDS DEVELOPMENT.  CAMECO PLAZA AT THE UNIVERSITY.  “SMALL” REACTORS FOR TAR SANDS.  FLORIZONE ,  CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF U?

7.  GEORGE IVANY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE U OF S, ON CAMECO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

8.  THE GOVERNMENT GIVES $30 MILLION TO THE U OF S, EAR-MARKED FOR THE NUKE INDUSTRY

9.  ON-CAMPUS NEWS, MARCH 17, 2011 SAYS FUNDING IS NOW $47 MILLION

10. PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO SENATE APRIL 16, (PAGE 16 OF MEETING MATERIAL) “Govt of Sask .. will provide $30 million …”

11. TAR SANDS DEVELOPMENT NEEDS VAST AMOUNTS OF ELECTRICITY, NUKE WOULD BE NICE FOR CAMECO AND FOR NEXEN, SUNCOR, ETC.  TAKE A LOOK AT WHO IS ON CAMECO’S BOARD

12. THE PEOPLE OF SASKATCHEWAN SAID “NO” TO NUKE. THE UNIVERSITY IS THE BACK-DOOR FOR FUNDING THE INDUSTRY.

13. FUKISHIMA REACTORS IN JAPAN, A DISASTER.  WHO MADE THE MONEY AND WHO PAYS THE COSTS?

14. SO LET’S SEE. IF THE WORLD SAYS “NO” TO NUCLEAR, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE VALUE OF NANCY HOPKINS’ $1.8 MILLION DOLLARS (AT DEC 2009) WORTH OF CAMECO STOCKS AND OPTIONS? GOVERNMENT MONEY SENT TO THE UNIVERSITY IS GOOD FOR CAMECO, AND FOR NANCY. MOVE THE “SMALL” REACTORS THROUGH FOR TAR SANDS DEVELOPMENT. CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST?  ACCEPTABLE? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

15. IF THIS IS WHAT I FOUND IN 20 MINUTES, I WONDER WHAT I’D FIND IN A FEW DAYS OF FOLLOWING THE MONEY?

16. THE PEOPLE OF SASKATCHEWAN BUILT THE UNIVERSITY, THEY OWN IT. IT IS VALUABLE. IT IS UP TO US TO PROTECT OUR INVESTMENT.  NANCY HOPKINS SHOULD NOT BE THE CHAIR OF THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT.  IN FACT, I DON’T THINK THE UNIVERSITY IS IN A POSITION TO MAKE THE SELECTION. IF ANYONE SHOULD KNOW CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST, AND REFUSE TO BE PART OF IT, THEY SHOULD.

(There is info in this that needs to be available on-line, before I have finished it. Apologies for sending it incomplete. Wish us well at Senate Meeting!)

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

1.  NANCY HOPKINS IS THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN.  SHE IS A LAWYER.

http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/board/board_members.php

Ms. Nancy E. Hopkins ( Chair )

A BComm graduate of the university in 1977 and a law graduate in 1978, Nancy Hopkins has been cited in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory as a leading practitioner in her field. A partner in the firm of McDougall Gauley LLP, Hopkins currently serves on various boards throughout the city and province. Her previous volunteer work includes president of the Saskatchewan Legal Education Society and chair of the Saskatchewan Police Commission. Hopkins has received various honours for her contributions to the community and her profession, including being named one of Saskatchewan’s Women of Influence by Saskatchewan Business magazine in 2004. She has lectured in the Canadian Bar Admissions Course and at the U of S, where she taught wills and corporate planning. Hopkins was appointed to the board in 2005 and elected as chair in 2010.  She presides over the board meetings and acts as the public spokesperson.  She also serves on the governance and executive and the human resources committees.

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

2.  NANCY HOPKINS IS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF CAMECO (DIRECTOR SINCE 1992)

http://www.cameco.com/responsibility/governance/board_of_directors/nancy_hopkins/

Nancy E. Hopkins

Saskatoon,

Saskatchewan, Canada

Director Since: 1992

Nancy E. Hopkins, Q.C. is a partner with the law firm of McDougall Gauley, LLP in Saskatoon, where she concentrates her practice on corporate and commercial law and taxation. In addition to the public company boards listed below, Ms. Hopkins is vice-chair (Now Chair), of the board of governors of the University of Saskatchewan, chair of the board of the Saskatoon Airport Authority and serves as a director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Except for the public companies listed below, she has not served on any other public company boards over the past five years.

Ms. Hopkins has a bachelor of commerce degree and a bachelor of laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan. She is an honourary member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan.  …

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

3.  NANCY HOPKINS, Cameco shares, DSUs and options: $1,843,273 in 2009, $1,001,871 in 2008

Securities & Options Held Table

Total amount of equity at risk (Cameco shares, DSUs and options): $1,843,273 in 2009, $1,001,871 in 2008

“DSUs” refers to deferred share units under Cameco’s DSU plan for Directors.

4. The total value of Cameco shares and DSUs was calculated as follows: for 2007, based on $39.57, the 2007 year-end closing price of a Cameco share on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX); and for 2006, based on $47.20, the 2006 year-end closing price of a Cameco share on the TSX.

9. The Board of Directors has determined that Joe F. Colvin is independent as three years have passed since the end of Mr. Colvin’s term as President and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute. Gerald W. Grandey, Cameco’s President and CEO, was a member of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s executive and compensation committees during the last ten months of Mr. Colvin’s term.

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

4.  NANCY HOPKINS, CHAIRS THE SELECTION COMMITTEE FOR THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY

Excerpt from email from University Secretary (full text follows):

Nominations for the candidacy for the position may be submitted to Ms. Nancy Hopkins, Chair, Board of Governors and Chair, Search Committee for the President.

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

Here is the exchange (I emailed the University Secretary to find out the process for selection of the next President of the University).

Tue 3/15/2011 8:26 AM

RE: University:  Search for New President to replace Peter Mackinnon

Thank you, Sandra, for your questions regarding the process for the search for a new president.  There will be an opportunity to discuss the selection of the Senate member to serve on the presidential search committee at the April 16th Senate meeting, as presented by Bev Dubois, chair of the Senate Nominations Committee.  My responses regarding the process and Senate’s involvement are found below.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions regarding this very important task.

Regards,

Sandy Calver

Acting University Secretary

Questions:

1.     Does the appended memo on the selection process for senior administrators apply to the search for a new president?

Yes, the newly approved search and review procedures approved March 4, 2011, by the Board of Governors will apply to the presidential search; the new procedures can be found at:  http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/policies/search_proc.php.  The principles and associated procedures can be found beginning on page 29 of the joint committee report.

2.     If so, does the current president play the same role in the selection of his successor?

The current president is not involved in the search for his successor, search committees report to the Board of Governors through the president, except the search committee for the president, which reports directly to the Board.

3.     The Search Committee includes “ …   and, typically, a Senate representative”.    What is the process for selecting the Senate representative?

Under the new procedures, the Senate Nominations Committee selects the Senate member to serve on the presidential search committee.  The Senate Nominations Committee met recently and determined that expressions of interest from Senators willing to serve on the search committee be requested at the April 16th Senate meeting, to be considered subsequently by the Senate Nominations Committee.

4.     Saskatchewanians will possibly have people who they think would be good candidates for the position of President of the University of Saskatchewan.  What does the University recommend as the best avenue through which people of the Province can input their recommendations to the selection process?

Nominations for the candidacy for the position may be submitted to Ms. Nancy Hopkins, Chair, Board of Governors and Chair, Search Committee for the President.

5.     I presume that the process has a time-line with deadlines.  What is the time-line?

The search committee is to be constituted by July; following the search committee will determine its own timelines within the framework of the search and review procedures, with a view to making an appointment by July 1, 2012.

6.     In the interests of transparency,  I as a Senator, will appreciate being informed as the administrators of the process become known.

Regular updates on the process and progress towards appointing a new president will be communicated to the university’s governing bodies and stakeholders.  In addition, broad consultation regarding the accountabilities for the position as stated in the search and review procedures, as follows:  “For a Presidential Search, the committee will provide the opportunity for interested members of the University community to provide written comments on the strategic goals and objectives of the University, and on the progress made or problems encountered in achieving those goals and objectives” (no. 9, pg. 35).

________________________________________

From: McBain, Norma

Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 11:27 AM

To: Sandra Finley

Cc: Calver, Sandra

Subject: RE: University:  Search for New President to replace Peter Mackinnon

Ms. Finley,

By copy of this e-mail I am forwarding your message to the Acting University Secretary, Sandra Calver for reply.

From: Sandra Finley      Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 10:52 AM

To: McBain, Norma

Subject: University: Search for New President to replace Peter Mackinnon

TO:  Norma McBain

Office of the University Secretary

University of Saskatchewan

Phone:  (306) 966  4635

Fax:  (306) 966  4530   norma.mcbain   AT   usask.ca

Dear Norma,

RE:   Process for selection of the new President for the University, Peter Mackinnon’s memo, Jan 28, 2011

Do you mind forwarding this to the appropriate person for response?    The questions arise out of my role as a University Senator.  I understand that I am to help represent the voice of the citizens of Saskatchewan in the governance of the University.

Questions:

1.     Does the appended memo on the selection process for senior administrators apply to the search for a new president?

2.     If so, does the current president play the same role in the selection of his successor?

3.     The Search Committee includes “ …   and, typically, a Senate representative”.    What is the process for selecting the Senate representative?

4.     Saskatchewanians will possibly have people who they think would be good candidates for the position of President of the University of Saskatchewan.  What does the University recommend as the best avenue through which people of the Province can input their recommendations to the selection process?

5.     I presume that the process has a time-line with deadlines.  What is the time-line?

6.     In the interests of transparency,  I as a Senator, will appreciate being informed as the administrators of the process become known.

Thanks!

Sandra Finley

 

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

http://www.usask.ca/president/news_and_events/news_items/Clarification-and-Update-on-Search-Processes.php

MEMO

TO: President’s Advisory Council, all faculty, USSU President, GSA President

FROM: Peter MacKinnon, President and Brett Fairbairn, Provost and Vice-President Academic

SUBJECT: Clarification and Update on Search Processes

DATE: January 28, 2011

Colleagues,

We write to acquaint you with the university’s current selection processes for deans and other senior administrators–a topic widely discussed on our campus in recent weeks and months. As of late, search processes in general have been a topic of media stories, most notably regarding two searches, where misleading and inaccurate statements have been made.

Just yesterday, University Council concluded its discussion of our university’s senior search and review procedures. This topic has been the subject of more than a year of careful and thoughtful work by a joint board-council committee.

The report of the Joint Committee on the Review of the Search and Review Procedures for Senior Administrators confirms that our practices are appropriate for an institution of our kind in the 21st century. The committee has brought forward changes of a housekeeping nature together with some updates, modifications and clarifications. Perhaps most significantly, the committee has developed clear statements for our university that also detail the principles underlying our search and review processes. The committee’s work will no doubt be helpful to future committees, their members, the provost, president and Board of Governors. Now that University Council discussions on search processes have concluded, the report will next be presented to the Board of Governors for review at their March meeting, with a view to a final decision.

You are encouraged to view the committee report, which can be found online in the University Council agenda for Jan. 27, page 106: http://www.usask.ca/university_secretary/council/Council%20Meetings/agenda_archives/2011_Jan_CouncilAgendaFinal.pdf.

As the report indicates, confidentiality and respect for participants are among the important principles for searches. While we can discuss the procedures, out of respect for the individuals involved in the searches, we avoid public comment about individual searches and urge others to show the same discretion.

…/2 Clarification and Update on Search Processes Page 2

The new report does not change the fundamentals of our process. As detailed in the University Act 1995, deans and other senior administrators are appointed by the Board of Governors on the recommendation of the president. The board and president are assisted by large, multi-stakeholder search committees which include: members of the faculty of the college concerned; students; representation from the Board of Governors; the provost or designate; deans or other senior administrators; and, typically, a Senate representative.

The search committee is invaluable in the process and we want to take this opportunity to thank all members of search committees for their dedicated efforts. It is important to note the search committee is responsible for a number of tasks including:

• Reviewing the position profile and needs of the college

• Identifying candidates

• Collecting information about the candidates and assessing this information rigorously, collectively, and in confidence. Information assessed by the committee includes feedback from presentations done in the colleges during open searches.

• Interviewing candidates

• Keeping colleges informed on the progress of the search

Both the provost’s office and a search consultant support committees to do this work.

At the conclusion of its process, the committee is encouraged to deliberate in a way that provides a range of committee members’ perspectives on all final candidates, promotes internal consensus, and helps the provost frame a recommendation to the president. The president makes his recommendation to the board, and the board makes the final decision with the knowledge of what the search committee has reported.

The value of the search committee’s report lies in the advice it provides about all candidates. This important advice helps guide the provost, president, and the board in the processes leading up to the appointment. The university’s board and administration are represented within the search committee, hear all the discussion, and are participants throughout the process. The result is normally consensus. In 14 of 15 senior administrator searches co-ordinated by the provost’s office over the last five years, the university offered the position to the candidate favoured unanimously or by a wide majority of the search committee.

Search procedures for senior administrators are very different from search procedures for faculty members. In faculty searches, a committee comprised of faculty members and the department head make a recommendation, first to the dean and ultimately to the provost. No appointment is made by the provost without a positive recommendation from the search committee. The procedures for faculty searches can be found in Section 13 of the USFA collective agreement at http://www.usask.ca/hrd/docs/USFA_Collective_Agreement_2010_2012_Agreed_Language.pdf.

Please feel free to share this memo with others in your college or unit as you see fit.

…/3 Clarification and Update on Search Processes Page 3

If you have any further questions about search committee procedures, please contact the provost’s office by phone at 966-8484 or by email at provost@usask.ca<mailto:provost@usask.ca>.

Sincerely,

Peter MacKinnon Brett Fairbairn

President Provost and Vice-President Academic

= = = =  = = = = = = = = = = =

POTENTIAL NEW PRESIDENTS FOR THE UNIVERSITY:

Grant Isaacs, former Dean of the Edwards School of Business at the University, hired to be a senior Vice-President at Cameco (a million-dollar a year job).  It is rumoured that Grant is a contender to become President of the University.

Richard Florizone, Vice-President of Finance for the University, Chair of the “Uranium Development Partnership” industry-stacked Committee established by the Government, whose contribution to the public consultation process from a position of respect and influence was to tell Saskatchewanians that the acid rain problem in Canada has been fixed. It was known that some locations in Northern Saskatchewan are past “critical load limits” for acidification from Tar Sands development as early as 2003.  (Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment.)  Richard Florizone, in his position of VP of Finance has a funding relationship with Cameco.  He is considered by some to be a contender for the President’s job.  With Nancy Hopkins, Chair of the Selections Committee, also on the Board of Cameco?

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

IN THE INTERESTS OF FULL DISCLOSURE:

I graduated from the U of S, College of Commerce, with honours in 1971.

I am the Green Party candidate for Saskatoon-Humboldt, a former leader of the Green Party of Saskatchewan.

I am a participant in the Coalition for a Clean Green Saskatchewan which has spearheaded the dissemination of information on the nuclear industry to people in the Province. In 2009, through public consultations, citizens of Saskatchewan overwhelmingly said “no” to nuclear.

– – – – – – – – – – – – —

Corporate interests want “small” reactors for tar sands expansion (they need huge volumes of electricity or energy for heating up the tar so it will flow. The Government is working with the industry and the University to circumvent the public wish.

This past week members of the Coalition presented a petition with 4500 signatures to the Legislature.  Which caused Wall to back down from high-level radioactive waste dumping in the Province.  But he’s still holding out on the “small” reactors. It is public money being used for nuclear, after the people said “no”  (cut through the spin and propaganda).

Public money comes to the University already ear-marked.  And the conflicts-of-interest at the University with Cameco people are outrageous.   It is not surprising that Arts funding decreases.

I am doing a public event in Humboldt on Monday.  Part of campaigning.  Information on what’s happening in Sask on the nuke issue.  Sent the following to Humboldt reporter.

The Province announced  $30 million to the University;

the On Campus News for March 17 says that the amount is now $47 million for the Nuclear Studies Centre at the University.

There are serious and unacceptable conflicts-of-interest between the Board of Governors of the U of S and the Board of Cameco.

The Public Consultations in the summer of 2009 clearly rejected nuclear development in the Province.  The Nuclear Industry working with the Government is using the University as its backdoor entry point.

The corporations have way too much money.  Provincially (not federally)  Election rules allow them to contribute to political parties (but the Green Party of Sask does not accept corporate or union contributions).   There is a revolving door between Government officials and the industries they are supposed to regulate (Dwain Lingenfelter is a prime example.).

We do not have democracy, we have corporatocracy.

Wish us well at Senate Meeting!

2011-04-20 MS, Parkinson’s, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Cancers, Mental unhealth = one disease?

 Green Party, Health  No Responses »
Apr 202011
 

These three related postings affect our survival on this planet.  They were all written during the election period: 

  • 2011-04-23  ONE disease, different manifestations. Proposal: “Disease” organizations form a coalition against poisons.
  • 2011-04-23  Science and logic. Depression is DETERMINANT of heart disease?… Depression and heart disease are also both SYMPTOMS of poisoning. You have one, you may have the other.
  • 2011-04-20  MS, Parkinson’s, Autism, Fibromyalgia, Cancers, Mental unhealth = one disease?

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

The cries for help

But don’t you see

Your dis-ease is the

Same as my dis-ease

In different form 

Poisons maim

Contort and kill life

One dis-ease, different manifestations

Come out of your dis-ease silo

Join us

Our cause is the same

Same foe – the poisoners

And their collaborators inside Government

Inside the Universities.

The cries for help echo and re-echo

Unite and sing.

NOTE:   I include “mental unhealth”  in “one disease”.   The literature and the experience of people who suffer from mercury poisoning establishes a clear link with brain functioning, including states-of-mind.   Refer to   Heavy metals in vaccinations, Mercury in dental amalgams.     Mental unhealth is not addressed in the following which was written to people whose advocacy work is related to Multiple Sclerosis (MS).   It certainly COULD have been included.  

(I have added to the original of this email.)

Dear Sandy, Stan, Michelle, and Bernadette, 

I sincerely appreciate your efforts around Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  

My home town of Luseland, SK  is said to have the highest incidence of MS,  but so are other communities in the province said to have this distinction.  My Father fought a very long battle with Parkinson’s disease,  as did other people from that relatively small community.  Cancer rates are also high in the area.   MS, Parkinson’s, cancer.  One place.

The high incidence of MS was mentioned in casual conversation in Humboldt just yesterday.  A large family in Luseland whose children went to school with my younger siblings:  I believe all but one developed MS.   A fellow Girl Guide, a year younger than me, developed MS.  A friend at my Halifax workplace when I was in my mid-twenties, was diagnosed with MS  –  I think that was the first I ever heard about MS.  I have friends whose family members have MS.  I believe that I myself had the onset of MS.  (Through good fortune I was able to identify and remove the particular culprit poison for me (it’s not the same for everyone)). 

Something is wrong with the picture.   We have “normalized” disease and developmental problems when they are not normal at all. 

I have done a fair amount of work in the area of disease and the poisons we are putting into our bodies and into the environment.  (I’ve run an activist email network for more than ten years – when people pool information we all learn much more than any one of us can learn working alone.)

From my blog, www.sandrafinley.ca  “We have come to a better understanding of how our immune systems work.  Is there a direct causal relationship between a poison and developmental problems or a particular disease?   …  No,  the same poisons in various combinations with other poisons (stresses on the immune system) will have different health outcomes for different people. 

Immune systems 

  • have different strengths and weaknesses
  • in different people,
  • affected by their life experience and
  • affected by the DNA that gets passed down from generation-to-generation. At least some of the time, DNA that has been damaged by poisons is passed down, in its damaged form. 

 Scientists most often research DIRECT causal relationships between poisons and a particular disease.  They draw the wrong conclusions because they do not take into account the nature of our immune systems.  

The situation SHOULD be simple:  do not put known, unnecessary poisons into the environment or into our bodies.    

We know from fish in the Arctic, for example, that poisons disperse widely in the environment and have lasting toxic effects inside the bodies of living beings who live far from the production sites of the poisons.    The cellular life of human beings is basically the same as the cellular life of fish and other species.   What we are doing to them we are doing to ourselves.  

We KNOW that mercury from unregulated industry in China (or any other country) is carried by the wind and affects our health here in North America.   European countries have banned dental amalgams; others require that the water from dental offices cannot “go down the drain” into the “waste-water” or sewer system.   Health Canada recently put forward legislation to ban the import of most products that contain mercury.  (We petitioned to ban dental amalgams, too.)

The problematic poisons are most often colourless and odourless.  You most often do not know that you are ingesting the poison – – chemicals, radioactive wind-borne particles, various heavy metals (mercury, lead, aluminum, etc).  We put poisons directly into our water supplies.   I tried for four years to get the City to stop using a chemical combo called vaporooter to dissolve tree roots in sewer lines.   In defending its actions,  the City (and I) discovered that for one of the chemical ingredients, there isn’t a laboratory in all of Canada that knows how to test for the presence of that chemical in water.   For the chemical ingredient that they COULD test for,  one test cost $3,000.    So you know how often they are testing for the presence of that chemical.  Unfortunately, upstream communities like Calgary and Medicine Hat (and I believe Outlook),  etc.  also decided to use vaporooter instead of good, old-fashioned augering to remove roots in sewer lines. 

We are very stupidly poisoning ourselves.  Some people develop MS, some develop cancer, children are autistic (a word I had not heard until I was in my 40’s.  Today, very few people have not heard of autism.) 

I told you that I believe I had the onset of MS.   My particular symptoms were, among other things, chronic pins-and-needle sensations in my left upper arm and shoulder and a vertical pain in the left backside of my neck.  I worked for more than a year on it, with no success.   The neck pain at night often interfered with sleep.

I had a brief email exchange with Jock Murray from Halifax, a retired doctor who has headed up an MS centre at Dalhousie University.  (click on  http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=1110  – for that and more info.)

Here’s the problem if we accept the usual cause-and-effect direct relationship worldview:

–         I say:  poison X contributed to my likely symptoms of MS

–         Someone else (Peggy) says:  the likely cause of my MS was poison Y that was sprayed on corn which we frolicking young people snitched out of a market garden at midnight for a corn roast.

–        The scientist says:  there is no causal relationship between X and MS.  Nor is there a causal relationship between Y and MS.

–        Someone else says:  the same poison X is the likely cause of my fibromyalgia

–        And someone else says:  it was poison Y that caused my cancer.

–        The scientists says:  there is no causal relationship between X and fibromyalgia;  nor between Y and cancer. 

The statements regarding poisons  X, Y and Z and a causal relationship with diseases A and B  are not contradictory, but science treats them as though they ARE contradictory.  The hypothesis about cause-and-effect fails because they do not take into consideration how the immune system works. 

The chemical Y freshly-sprayed on the cornfield probably played a causal role in Peggy’s MS.   AND the very slow, almost continuous, release of small amounts of mercury (X) that I kept swallowing because it was in my saliva from my dental amalgams probably played a causal role in the onset of MS symptoms for me.   I had a series of health problems,  the mercury poisoning caused different symptoms at different times. I battled to address a symptom,  in time a different symptom would present itself.   It is not an easy, single expression of the poisoning.  In many cases the immune system can keep the poisonous effects under control for a long time.  It can take 10 to 15 years before some cancers reach a stage where they are identified.  They are slow-acting, but nonetheless lethal.   The experience of people whose immune systems are struggling with the overload of poisons is often the same:  one health problem after another  TREATED as though they are separate and unrelated.    It is in hindsight,  if the source of the poison is removed BEFORE IT DOES PERMANENT DAMAGE, that the sick person typically sees that the disease is one and the same,  complex manifestations as the body, mind and spirit struggled against the poison(s).

For 50 years the Cancer Societies have been collecting millions and millions of dollars to “find a cure”.   I remember reading a small book in the late 1970’s.   The author documented then:  we KNOW the causes of cancer.  We are not going to find a “cure”.  Remove the CAUSES of the disease.   Unfortunately,  there is a lot of money to be made by the pharmaceutical industry in the “find a cure” approach.    That approach says “it’s okay for you to get the disease because we’re going to find a cure and in the meantime you can take all these drugs.”   It is an extremely inhumane approach, not to mention costly and inane.  The corporations that are allowed to put their poisons into the environment are not the ones who pay the price.  

In order to fight disease, you need to build your immune system.  In many cases the drugs are another assault on the immune system.  They may offer temporary relief.  In time, in many cases, the “side effects” of the drugs become another set of health problems. 

The Green Party of course, works to protect the environment.  “Preventative healthcare” is, to me, the same thing.   You can have unhealthy people in a healthy environment; you do not have healthy people in an unhealthy environment. 

It may be a decade ago:  the canvasser for MS came to my door.  I asked her to show me in the brochure what the MS Society was doing for “remove the causes” of MS.   There was nothing.  I told her I would phone the national office and have a discussion, which I did.  The Executive Director at the time told me they had 20,000 items in their data base.  There was nothing to suggest a link between MS and exposure to chemicals.   I hung up and phoned a data base maintained by a group of doctors in Florida.  They keep track of all the research that is done on chemicals.   I asked them about a possible link between chemicals and MS.  Their answer was:  given A, B, and C (which I have forgotten)  it is definitely PLAUSIBLE that there is a connection.   I sent the information to the MS Society.  Nothing happened.  No research into possible connections between MS and synthetic chemicals. 

Today, there is a further barrier:  a criterion for funding of health research (and now for most projects) is that the project have the “potential for commercialization”.   But there is no potential for corporate profits in the removal of the causes of disease.   We have lost funding for the public interest. 

We are in a sorry state of affairs.  Hopefully more people are becoming aware.  The incidence of things like autism, MS, childhood cancers, asthma, learning disabilities,  – –  the list is long  – –  Good Grief!  Can we not see what we are doing?   These diseases and developmental problems are not separate;  they are different manifestations of the same basic problem.  The problem is that we are poisoning ourselves and our children, our water supplies, the food we eat . . .  indeed,  all creatures and all of creation.   The Earth will be happy when we, as a species, are gone!!

So what do we do about today?   And the people with MS, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, asperger’s syndrome, depression, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, gastro-intestinal problems, auto-immune disease, learning disabilities . . .  ? 

Number one we get the corporate interests out of Government, the Universities, and the medi-care system. 

Number two, remove the poisons.   We know that mercury is a neuro toxin.  So you do not put it into human beings, whether in the form of dental amalgams, or as a preservative in vaccinations.  Do not take flu shots.  They contain thimerasol which is mercury.  Some vaccinastions contain aluminum, another neuro toxin … there’s a whole long list of poisons that need to be eradicated. 

Personally, I believe that disease-support organizations should recognize the extent to which they are connected.   A win for the Lung Association on removing air-borne poisons is a win for the other disease organizations.   A win by the parents of autistic children is a win for people with MS.   Think of how powerful the force to stop the poisoning would be, if the organizations are united! 

In my experience, it is not elected officials who drive the change.  It is citizens themselves. 

 We need to work together.   It is most likely that we are back into an era where our tax dollars will be used for little more than paying down debt (and buying stealth bombers to the tune of $30 billion dollars, more debt).    You may remember that the Mulroney Government ran up the debt to the point where 37 cents out of every tax dollar went to the banks for debt servicing.  Preston Manning created the single-issue Reform Party to challenge Government debt.  Paul Martin’s Government cut social programmes, we spent years paying off debt, to the point where 14 cents out of every tax dollar was spent on debt servicing.  Not bad!   BUT in the last three years, the Harper Government has out-done Mulroney.  They racked up the highest-ever deficit.  Three years of deficits and we now have more than $110 billion dollars of debt to re-pay.  

The Parties will tell you the wonderful things they will do for you.  No – we are back into an era where the banks will pay great dividends to the wealthy and to their CEO’s, because of the public debt.   Especially with the $6 billion in tax-cuts to corporations if the Conservatives have their way.  It is quite frustrating.

HOWEVER!  Hopefully, your lobby joined with other lobbies joined to efforts by the Green Party will secure programmes that provide care and assistance.  These are exciting times with more and more people mobilizing to create a new economy based on caring and sharing, for the Earth and for others. 

I fully support your work.  I hope that my on-going efforts are a contribution.  You may want to take a stroll around www.sandrafinlcy.ca   

Best wishes,

Sandra Finley   (candidate, etc.)

———-  ———-
Date: Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 12:52 PM
Subject: Better caregiver supports, income security and research benefit people with MS

Ms. Sandra Finley
Green Party Saskatoon-Humboldt
Saskatchewan

I am writing to ask you to support issues that are of real importance to people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is an often disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord.  Unfortunately, Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with an estimated 55,000 to 75,000 people living with the disease across the country.

People with MS need your commitment right now.

– People with MS need answers. It’s time to set aside funds for a clinical trial of the CCSVI procedure. Earmarking funds ensures there won’t be a delay, if and when the scientific evidence shows a clinical trial should proceed.

– Caregivers need support. It’s time to help family caregivers by providing a range of supports including tax credits and benefits and other programs to ease the daily load for all caregivers.

– People with MS need secure incomes. It’s time to ensure people with MS have the incomes they need. This means making Employment Insurance sickness benefits more flexible so people can work part-time and receive partial benefits. It also means making the disability tax credit refundable – to actually put money in people’s pockets.

– All people with brain conditions need a national brain strategy. Regardless of diagnosis, people living with brain conditions share similar needs and challenges. It’s time for a national brain strategy to accelerate research and improve the quality of life for millions of Canadians.

Multiple sclerosis has a profound impact on the ability to earn a living.  Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 40, just when they are finishing school, starting careers and beginning families.  MS progresses in unpredictable ways. For many people, unexpected periods of worsening are followed by equally unpredictable periods of improvement – and then more worsening. This takes a devastating toll on people with MS and their families.

I urge you to support these issues to help people with MS and their families. It would be great if you would become a champion during this campaign – and in Parliament if you are elected. I will look forward to hearing how you will support action on MS.

Yours sincerely,

= = = = = == = =  == = =

Date: Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 10:46 AM
Subject: We need more action on mental health and mental illness~

I am a constituent in your riding and a mental health professional/person with lived experience of mental illness. Polls consistently rank health care as the number one concern of voters in this election. Mental illness and poor mental health have a profound impact on Canadian society. Mental illness affects individual Canadians of all ages and in all segments of the population, and is prevalent in all regions, including rural and urban areas. It is estimated that each year, at least 1 in 5 Canadians will develop a mental illness. The economic costs associated with poor mental health and mental illnesses are also significant, both in terms of their impact on business and on the health care system. I am seeking your views on the following important issues.
1) Does your party platform contain
 anything related to mental health or mental illness?
2) Do you support
 parity between resources made available for treatment of mental and
 physical health problems?
3) Less than one-third of persons with mental
 health problems receive needed services. What will your party do to enhance
 access to mental health services and address the shortage of mental health
 professionals in Canada? And in this riding?
4) Will your party commit
 to increasing funding to mental health and mental illness research?
5)   What will your party do to support individuals, families, the workplace and
 communities when it comes to mental health and mental illness?

2011-04-16 Drones Fly Through Congress to Enter US Skies

 Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles / UAVs)  No Responses »
Apr 162011
 

http://www.truth-out.org/lobbying-report-drones-fly-through-congress-enter-us-skies/1302937200

Lobbying Report: Drones Fly Through Congress to Enter US Skies
Saturday 16 April 2011
by: Nick Mottern, Truthout

Within weeks and possibly days, President Obama is likely to sign into law a bill that will bring unmanned aerial vehicles – drones – into US general airspace, crisscrossing the country in company with passenger planes and other human-carrying aircraft.

The story of how planes without on-board pilots will gain entry into our crowded airspace, where birds are life threatening, possibly within the next three years, is one involving campaign contributions, jobs and fear. As we will see, safety appears not to be the top priority.

I became aware of the pro-drone legislation from a February 10, 2011, Syracuse Post Standard report that Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) was supporting an amendment to the pending Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill (S. 223) that would create test zones for the introduction of drones into general airspace.

Senator Schumer was interested in the pro-drone amendment because MQ-9 Reaper drones, killer drones that are flying over Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, are stationed at Hancock Air Base near Syracuse. However, FAA safety restrictions have limited drone flights out of Hancock.

“If Schumer’s legislative move succeeds this week,” said the Post Standard, “it would help ensure the future of 1,215 jobs at the (air) base in Mattydale (New York) and potentially lead to millions of dollars in radar research contracts for local defense companies.”

Bad Drones – Good Drones?

Drones have a grisly war history of misidentification. For example, on April 11, 2011, The Los Angeles Times carried a story of how a failure of US Air Force drone operators at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada to accurately identify the enemy led to the deaths in February 2010 of at least 15 non-combatant Afghani men, the wounding of 12 more and the deaths of a woman and three children.

“Technology can occasionally give you a false sense of security that you can see everything, that you can hear everything, that you know everything,” said Air Force Major Gen. James O. Poss, who oversaw the Air Force investigation, according to the Times. “I really do think we have learned from this.”

The newspaper said that survivors were compensated with $2,900 and families of the dead got $4,800.

Drones like the Reaper are also used for assassination, killing people without trial or conviction, a violation of international law, compounded by the problem of misidentification.

The Reaper can also be used strictly for surveillance and there are a variety of drones that can perform either killer or surveillance functions. Drones are also being produced for commercial uses, which include scanning land and oceans for agricultural, mining and fishing enterprises.

Given the deadly record of drones, I and others in New York State and elsewhere, moved to lobby Senator Schumer to end his support of the drone amendment.

Drone Envy

We knew we were starting very late. On February 15, we presented a letter (appearing at the end of this article) at Senator Schumer’s Peekskill, New York, office urging him to abandon the drone amendment. He did not respond and his staff did not provide any information to us until well after the FAA reauthorization bill, with the pro-drone language embodied in an omnibus amendment, cleared the Senate on February 17.

According to Open Secrets.org, Senator Schumer received $10,000 for his 2010 re-election campaign from Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is one of at least 50 companies making drones of various sizes and types and it produces Hellfire missiles, used by drones and other aircraft. Lockheed employs 2,200 in Syracuse.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) also supported the drone amendment, saying in a press release: “This bill is about making southwest Ohio a critical part of this high-growth initiative. UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) could be used for a host of important purposes, from patrolling the border, to surveying Kandahar province, to combating drug smuggling and it’s critical that Wright-Patterson Air Force Base plays a key role in their development and testing. I’ve worked on a bipartisan basis – first with (former) Sen. (George) Voinovich and now with Sen. (Rob) Portman – to enable the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson and the Springfield National Guard to test unmanned aerial systems in Southwest Ohio.”

Among other Senate supporters of the drone amendment were Sens. Kent Conrad (D-North Dakota) and John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), whose state seeks to be a center of drone development and where the University of North Dakota claims to be the first in offering a four-year degree program for drone pilots “hoping to take the sticks in a field expected to swell to a $20 billion industry over the next decade.”

Senator Hoeven said on the Senate floor, in support of the amendment:

“We’re already flying UAVs in airspace all over the world. Now we need to open the skies for them at home to make our nation more secure, our communities safer and our economy more dynamic, creating jobs and opportunities in our country. If we don’t you can be sure other nations will.”

(Note: Open Secrets shows no major aerospace companies contributing to Senators Brown or Hoeven in 2010; Senator Conrad received $22,600 in 2010 from Carlyle Group, which owns ARINC, a company with drone business.)

With Senate approval of the FAA bill, our anti-drone lobbying shifted to the House of Representatives where the FAA reauthorization (H.R. 658) containing pro-drone amendments similar to those in the Senate was still under consideration. While the senate drone legislation did not set a deadline for drone entry into general US skyways; a House amendment, which was ultimately approved, sets a deadline of September 30, 2015, for integration of commercial drones.

Gliding on Zephyrs of Cash

I thought that it might be possible to strip the drone amendments from reauthorization bill with last-minute floor action by one or two House allies. However, as I watched the House action on the FAA bill on C-Span on March 31, it became clear that the Republican leadership was determined to win every amendment that it put forward and to crush amendments put forward by Democrats. None of the members of Congress we hoped would act, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-New York), Brian Higgins (D-New York) and John Tierney (D-Massachusetts), wished to make a comment, much less a fight, over the amendments and it may have been they felt is was not worth the effort.

Had there been more time for contacting Congressional aides and identifying drone supporters, it would also have been clear that there was strong aerospace industry activity in both houses of Congress for the drone amendments.

The drone amendments that ended up in the House bill came from Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), chair of the House transportation Committee, and Rep. Candice Miller (R-Michigan), a member of the transportation and homeland security committees and also a member of the Congressional Unmanned Systems (drone) Caucus, comprised of 43 members of the House.

Congressman Mica did not speak in any detail on the floor of the House about his drone amendment, referring to it only as being included in an omnibus amendment package. He introduced into the record a letter from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, an industry group, saying: “Without a doubt, UAS (unmanned aerial systems) will have a tremendous impact on the aerospace industry and aid in driving economic development in many regions across the country. How quickly new job creation and economic benefits become a reality however depends on the progress and timeliness of UAS integration efforts.” The Mica amendment package was approved 251-168.

Congresswoman Miller’s remarks in support of her amendment, which was approved by a voice vote, focused on the use of drones for law enforcement and border security:

“My amendment is designed to help expedite and to improve the process by which FAA works with government agencies to incorporate unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs as they’re commonly called, into the National Airspace System. Currently, Mr. Chairman, law enforcement agencies across the country, from Customs and Border Protection to local police departments, et cetera, are ready to embrace the new technology and to start utilizing UAVs in the pursuit of enforcing the law and protecting our border as well.

“However, the FAA has been very hesitant to give authorization to these UAVs due to limited air space and restrictions that they have. I certainly can appreciate those concerns; but when we’re talking about Customs and Border Protection or the FBI, what have you, we are talking about missions of national security. And certainly there’s nothing more important than that. It was a very, very lengthy exercise to get the FAA to authorize the use of UAVs on the southern border. While they’re finally being utilized down there, we are certainly a long way from fully utilizing these technologies.”

After the pro-drone amendments passed the House, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-California) chair of the Congressional drone caucus, released a statement saying that the House FAA bill “promotes the safe integration of unmanned systems into national airspace. Carefully integrating these systems by 2015 will improve our border defenses, public safety and emergency response systems.

“Although this bill is a step in the right direction, I have concerns with the FAA’s languid Certification of Authorization requirement for public unmanned systems.”

Congressman Mica received the following contributions for his 2010 re-election campaign from these companies involved with drones, according Open Secrets:

Boeing – $10,000
Honeywell – $10,000 (makes engines for the Reaper and Predator drones)
Lockheed Martin – $10,000
Raytheon – $10,000

And for Congresswoman Miller in her 2010 race:

Honeywell – $10,000
General Dynamics – $8,500
Ford – $10,000 (Ford engines are used in a Boeing drone, although as a Michigan representative if is likely she would get Ford money in any case)

Congressman McKeon received the following contributions among those for his 2010 campaign:

Lockheed Martin – $52,000
Northrop Grumman – $50,500
Boeing – $28,900

His combined contributions from “defense aerospace” and “defense electronics” were $232,900.
Help fight ignorance. Click here for free Truthout email updates.
We were hoping that Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-New York) might assist in opposing the drone amendments given his opposition to our wars, in spite of his membership on the drone caucus. But we found that his aide wanted to talk only about Hinchey’s opposition to the wars, not about drones. In 2010, the following contractors with interests in drones were among his major contributors:

Lockheed Martin – $10,000
Boeing – $10,000
Honeywell – $10,000
L-3 Communications – $9,500

All the biggest aerospace contractors have an interest of one kind or another in drone manufacture. The top Congressional aerospace campaign contributor in 2009-2010 was Boeing, $2.57 million, followed by Lockheed Martin, $2.4 million, according toOpen Secrets.org.

A Department of Defense summary of the 2012 Obama military budget notes:

“The fiscal 2012 budget continues strong funding for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that enhance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The base budget includes </b>$4.8 billion<b> to develop and procure additional Global Hawk Class (RQ-4), Predator Class (MQ 1/9) and other less expensive, low-altitude systems.” [Emphasis added.]

Time magazine reported in 2008 that Barack Obama’s campaign “pocketed $870,165 from defense contractor sources, 34% more than the $647,313 in contributions McCain’s campaign received from the same sector.”

At this writing, the Senate and House versions of the FAA reauthorization bill, which cover a wide range of aviation concerns, will be submitted soon to a conference committee made up of members of both houses of Congress. A compromise bill will be presented to both houses for a vote and then sent to the White House for signature. The conference committee could meet as early as the week beginning April 18, if not before. Action should be completed at the latest by May 30, when the current FAA authorization expires.

Observations

1. Safety

It is obvious that many in Congress have embraced drones of all kinds for money, for themselves and their constituents, willfully ignoring what drones are doing in war or the real dangers they will bring with them into the skies over the US.

In March 2010, Congressman Tierney held drone hearings and heard testimony that addressed ways in which the US use of killer drones has violated international law.

Ideally, Congress would by now have banned the use of drones for assassination and limited their battlefield use to situations in which troops on the ground can make visual identification of enemy forces. This is presuming that the US is involved in wars that do not violate international law, unlike the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As for use of drones over the United States, at this writing, the FAA restricts drone flights to specific zones where they can be carefully segregated from general air traffic. As suggested above, the military, some law enforcement officials and drone manufacturers have been pushing the FAA to move fast to allow drones to fly much more freely. The FAA has resisted quick introduction for safety reasons, as indicated in the following testimony by Henry Krakowski, chief operating officer of the FAA air traffic organization before Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Aviation Operations in September 2010:

“As the most complex airspace in the world, the NAS (National Airspace System) encompasses an average of over 100,000 aviation operations per day, including commercial air traffic, cargo operations, business jets, etc. Additionally, there are over 238,000 general aviation aircraft that represent a wide range of sophistication and capabilities that may enter the system at any time. There are over 500 air traffic control facilities, more than 12,000 air navigation facilities and over 19,000 airports, not to mention the thousands of other communications, surveillance, weather reporting and other aviation support facilities. With this volume of traffic and high degree of complexity, the FAA maintains an extremely safe airspace through diligent oversight and the strong commitment to our safety mission …

“While UASs (unmanned aerial systems) offer a promising new technology, the limited safety and operational data available to date does not support the expedited or full integration in the NAS. Because current available data is insufficient to allow unfettered integration of UASs into the NAS – where the public travels every day – the FAA must continue to move forward deliberately and cautiously, in accordance with our safety mandate.”

At the same time that Congress is pushing the FAA to allow drones to fly everywhere, the House version of the FAA bill would roll back the agency’s budget to 2008 levels, allocating $57.8 billion for a four-year period.The larger issue is whether drone technology can ever be perfected to the point where pilots on the ground are going to be able to look out for danger in the same way pilots in the air can. As Air Force General Poss said in the quote at the beginning of this article, technology can lead to unwarranted confidence. It seems certain that if Congress, the military, law enforcement agencies and the aerospace industry get their way, we will be having drone hits on passenger aircraft just as we are having bird hits now.

In addition, there is no restriction in the FAA reauthorization against drones flying in US airspace carrying weapons, raising the specter of accidental firings at other aircraft and at people and objects on the ground and of mid-air explosions from accidental hits on other aircraft. The Pentagon is also planning drone aircraft that can carry nuclear weapons.

2. Who Will Watch the Watchers?

Drones also present a real threat to personal privacy and safety. Drones are envisioned as eyes in the sky for police departments as well as for border patrols. Although members of Congress touted drones for surveillance, nothing in the FAA legislation discusses when surveillance can be undertaken or any restrictions on use of material gathered in drone surveillance.

This becomes of even greater concern in view of the problems of drone misidentification, demonstrated in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

There is also the possibility, not addressed in the FAA reauthorization, of police arming their drones to fight crime, which raises the fundamental issues of misidentification, due process and collateral damage, among others.

This article is obviously being written at a very late date. How could we have known sooner about the pro-drone amendments and their implications?

3. Citizen Surveillance

At this point, there is no anti-war legislative action office in Washington, DC, that is devoted solely to: (1) providing continuing information to grassroots organizers on weapons and war funding; and (2) building grassroots response organizations in Congressional districts.

Matt Southworth of the Friends Committee on National Legislation was helpful in identifying some Congressional aides who might wish to help address the drone amendments, but he was stretched thin and had only limited time to make calls, much less visits. Ideally grassroots anti-war groups would have the benefit of one or two people in Washington who would follow weapons and war funding legislation, such as the drone amendments, and provide early warning to local anti-war organizers.

A model for this would be Bread for the World, which develops grassroots organizations to lobby Congress on hunger and food policy issues.

This points also to the need for local educational groups that work to inform the public not only on current wars but on business/job alternatives to the military contracting work being done by plants in their areas.

What we need immediately is legislation banning the use of US drones for assassination and banning drones from US general aviation skyways.

*    *    *    *

Senator Charles Schumer February 15, 2011
One Park Place, Suite 100
Peekskill, New York 10566

Dear Senator Schumer:

On February 10, 2011 you issued a press release saying that you want to amend the Federal Aviation Administration law so that air space will be expanded around Syracuse for testing of “cutting edge military drones.” You said this will “unleash millions of investment into the region and create jobs.”

For the reasons outlined in the attached flyer, we the undersigned urge you to reverse course and work to end all drone testing, training and operation in New York State, including drone operations at Fort Drum in Watertown NY.

We want to emphasize here that the atrocities and assassinations being committed by the United States using drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Yemen are unconscionable. The idea that you would use job creation as a reason for encouraging the development and use of these weapons is morally unacceptable.

Every single minute, $300,000 goes into our wars. Because of this spending, the United States cannot meet the educational and employment needs of its citizens. For you to tout job creation from weapons building under these circumstances is astounding.

We would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss these concerns. Please respond to the WESPAC Foundation at (914) 449-6514 orwespacfoundation@gmail.com

Sincerely,

Harriet Ackerman, Hastings on Hudson
Wayne Alt, Buffalo
John Amidon, Albany
Sondra Armer, Croton on Hudson
Kevin Ascher, Mount Kisco
Frank Brodhead, Hastings on Hudson
Brooklyn for Peace
Elaine Brower, World Can’t Wait, Military Families Speak Out, New York City
Russell Brown, Veterans for Peace, Buffalo
Frank Carbone, Newburgh
Joe Catron, Brooklyn
Ben Chitty, Co-cordinator Tappan Zee Brigade, Veterans for Peace Chapt. 61, Yonkers
Martha Conte, White Plains
Andrew Courtney, Croton on Hudson
Pamela Daly, Hartsdale
Don DeBar, Ossining
Sandra Dolman, Peekskill
Gayle Dunkelberger, Katonah
Roger Drew, Greenburgh
Marilyn Ellie, Cortlandt
Gail L. Evans
Sarah Flounders, International Action Center, New York City
Kathryn Joy Fuller, Syracuse
Carol Gable, Gaithersburg, MD (formerly of Mamaroneck)
Felice Gelman, Tarrytown
Mirene Ghossen, New Rochelle
Jack Gilroy, Endwell
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, Stoney Point
Dr. Arthur Grant, Chappaqua
Teresa Gutierrez, May 1st Coalition for Worker and Immigrant Rights, New York City
Dennis Hanratty, New Rochelle
Mary Herbst, Grand Island
Judith A. and George E. Homanich, Buffalo
Joan Indusi, Ossining
Dottie Ji, Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War
Agnes Johnson, Bronx
Mary Johnson, Mt. Kisco
Lorraine and Sam Katen, Mamaroneck
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Chicago, IL
Nada Khader, White Plains
Ed Kinane, Syracuse
Charlotte Koons, Women Opposed to the Nuclear Threat, Northport
Cecelia Lavan, New Rochelle
Maxine Lawrence, Ossining
Leila Luvka, Somers
Jeff Mackler, Administrative Committee, United National AntiWar Committee
Kwame Madden, Peekskill
Ann Marwick, Yorktown Heights
Kathryn Mang-Haag, Kenmore
Larry McGovern, Dobbs Ferry
Nick Mottern, Hastings on Hudson
Dan M. Nalven, Ossining
Valerie Niederhoffer, Buffalo
Ardeshir and Ellie Ommani, Co-Founders, American-Iranian Friendship Committee, Armonk
Pepi Powell, Peekskill
Peg Rapp, Washington Heights Counter-recruitment, New York City
Ken Roberts, Yonkers
Joanne Robinson, Yonkers
Enrico Rodrigues, White Plains
Victoria Ross, Buffalo
Meredith Ryan, Mount Vernon
Lisa Savage, Brunswick, ME
Pat Sorbini, Buffalo
David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, Co-founder WarIsACrime.org, Washington, DC
Syracuse Peace Council
United National AntiWar Committee
Roland Van Deusen, Clayton
Rose Viviano, Syracuse
Bennett Weiss, Newburgh

2011-04-13 Pakistan Moves to Curb More Aggressive US Drone Strikes, Spying

 Drones (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles / UAVs)  No Responses »
Apr 132011
 

http://www.truth-out.org/lobbying-report-drones-fly-through-congress-enter-us-skies/1302937200?q=pakistan-moves-curb-more-aggressive-us-drone-strikes-spying/1302678000 

Pakistan Moves to Curb More Aggressive US Drone Strikes, Spying

Wednesday 13 April 2011

by: Gareth Porter, Inter Press Service

Washington – The Pakistani military’s recent demands on the United States to curb drone strikes and reduce the number of U.S. spies operating in Pakistan, which have raised tensions between the two countries to a new high, were a response to U.S. military and intelligence programmes that had gone well beyond what the Pakistanis had agreed to in past years.The military leadership had reached private agreements in the past on both the drone strikes and on U.S. intelligence activities in Pakistan, but both had changed dramatically in ways that threatened the interests of Pakistan. The Pakistani military, which holds real power over matters of national security in Pakistan, is now insisting for the first time that Washington must observe strict limits on both the use of drone strikes and on the number of U.S. military and intelligence personnel and contractors in the country. And they have backed up that demand with a suspension of joint intelligence operations with the United States – a programme that had been strongly sought after by the Barack Obama administration. The new Pakistani demands for restrictions on U.S. operations are being taken seriously by the United States, because it was Pakistan’s Army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, who communicated them to U.S. officials, as reported by the New York Times Monday. The detention of U.S. contract spy Raymond Davis for killing three Pakistani citizens in January was a turning point in U.S.-Pakistani relations. But it was only the occasion for the Pakistani military leadership and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to take a much stronger position on larger issues that concerned them, according to Kamran Bokhari, a specialist on Pakistan for the consulting firm STRATFOR.�
 

Fight the lies and misinformation! Please make a tax-deductible donation to Truthout today and keep real independent journalism strong.

“What we’re seeing is ISI and the Pakistani state take advantage of the Davis affair to renegotiate the rules of the game with the United States,” Bokhari told IPS in an interview. The first move by the Pakistani military and ISI after Davis was detained was to suspend joint intelligence operations between ISI and the CIA, which had been successful in capturing a number of high-ranking Taliban leaders in early 2010. That suspension was kept quiet for months by both sides until it was leaked by a ranking ISI official to Reuters last weekend. It was understood by U.S. officials as a bid by the Pakistanis to force serious changes in U.S. covert activities on Pakistani soil. But Pakistan’s tough line on Davis and on the joint intelligence operations clearly got the attention of the Obama administration. U.S. drone strikes were suspended in January and February while U.S. officials sought to resolve both issues. During the Musharraf administration, the Pakistani military had reached a private understanding with the George W. Bush administration on the use of drones against al Qaeda and its Pakistani allies. But military and intelligence officials had watched with growing concern as the drone programme shifted from targeting high level al Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban officials to the rank and file members and supporters of either Afghan or Pakistani Taliban organisations. Pakistani officials had privately sought to convince the Obama administration to narrow its targeting. Senior Pakistani officials had complained that the CIA was increasingly killing “mere foot soldiers”, as reported in a Feb. 21 story by The Washington Post’s Greg Miller. 

Do you like this? Click here to get Truthout stories sent to your inbox every day – free.

Within hours after Davis was released, however, the drone strikes resumed, as if to make the point that the U.S. had no intention of altering its strategy of reliance on the drones. 

Then on Mar. 17, a drone strike on a gathering in North Waziristan killed more than 40 people, including some Taliban members but mostly tribal elders and members of the local government militia force. The tribesmen and elders were meeting in a jirga to discuss the issue of payment for the sale of a chromite mine by the Madda Khel tribe, according to local officials. One tribal elder who lost four relatives in the bombing said 44 people were killed, including 13 children. The Pakistani military could hardly be insensitive to the fact that tribal leaders across the North Waziristan region were calling for revenge against the United States after the Mar. 17 bloodbath. “We are a people who wait 100 years to exact revenge. We never forgive our enemy,” the elders said in a statement issued immediately after the bombing. It also outraged public opinion all across Pakistan, where the drone war has created growing anger at the United States. Kayani himself issued a strong statement condemning that strike as “intolerable” and said it made it more difficult for the military to fight terrorism. Pakistani officials had long been saying both publicly and privately that the programme had become “counterproductive”, but it was the first time Kayani himself had weighed in. In the past, Pakistani military and government complaints about drone strikes were “hypocritical”, said Anatol Lieven, a specialist at Kings College, Cambridge, and the author of a new book on Pakistan. But Lieven told IPS the Pakistani military leadership appears to have been “seriously annoyed” by that March drone strike and its large number of civilian casualties, because “it was such a public insult”. “The Pakistanis are in a deeply humiliating position” in regard to the drone strikes, said Lieven. He said the military leadership no longer trusts the Americans’ judgment on the programme, in part because the strikes are killing people in North Waziristan who are willing to make a deal to end their fight against the Pakistani military and government. The Pakistani military’s demand beginning after the Davis arrest that the United States reduce the number of CIA and Special Operations Forces personnel in Pakistan by 25 to 40 percent, as reported by the New York Times Monday, was a response to a dramatic increase in the number of such personnel entering the country without explicit agreement from the Pakistani military, according to Lieven. “What the Pakistanis are demanding is a rollback of a huge influx that has occurred in recent months,” Lieven told IPS. “They are for a return to the status quo of last year.” They are specifically complaining about more U.S. personnel who had come into the country without explicit permission, said Lieven. The United States had increased the number of “unilateral” intelligence personnel in Pakistan – those who were not specifically involved in joint intelligence efforts – by at least a few hundred in late 2010 and early 2011. Lieven said some U.S. officials had privately agreed that the U.S. spying in Pakistan “has gotten seriously out of hand”. The Kings College scholar said he has been assured by Pakistani intelligence officials that they are committed to helping prevent any attack against the United States from Pakistani territory, because “the consequences would be disastrous for Pakistan if there were ever an attack.” But that does not apply to the Afghan Taliban presence in Pakistan. “The Pakistanis have been giving very little help on Afghanistan,” he said. And that is one reason the U.S. had increased the number of intelligence agents in Pakistan.

2011-04-12 What are some answers for our system of governance?

 Green Party, Voting System (Proportional Representation vs Winner Take All/FPTP)  No Responses »
Apr 122011
 

We have an old and corrupted system of governance.  We can to better for ourselves.

We’ve shared information on the mobilization to create the new system.

The following exchange is with persons in Fair Vote Canada (FVC).  (I am on the Board of the Sask Chapter.)

FVC is a Canada-wide effort to create awareness of the problem with the first-past-the-post electoral process.  FVC Chapters are especially active now, using the Election as a vehicle to drive change.  You will find the “Declaration of Voters’ Rights” and other good material on the website,  http://www.fairvote.ca/  — from a great group of volunteers working hard for the benefit of all of us.

I submitted resolutions for the Green Party of Sask’s Annual Meeting in May, to begin addressing a new system of governance provincially.  Among other things we need a Citizens’ Assembly that will do the consultations, information-gathering and sorting to move us along toward implementation.

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

INPUT TO THE FVC DIALOGUE:

On Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 10:14 PM, Sandra Finley wrote:

I know there is a benefit to focusing on one aspect, reform to obtain some form of proportional representation.

However, I believe that if other factors are not considered, the “remedy” is not going to achieve the results we need.

  • An ADVERSARIAL system is inherently divisive.   And it creates monsters out of some people who are otherwise nice Canadians.   With the added effect of undermining respect for politicians.   An adversarial system also promotes and is attractive to a particular personality-type.  Not all, but to some extent.   The particular personality-type in an adversarial system is not a recipe for finding solutions to problems.   As a system for governing ourselves, an adversarial model is a very poor choice.  Surely we, as a society, have the wherewithal to create a new system that is cooperative.  The Northwest Territories does not use an adversarial system.
  • The PARTY system also needs to be evaluated.  I was happy to see it mentioned in Carolyn Bennett’s remarks from Hansard:  Commentators said that the result reflected the electorate’s skepticism about political parties. The lack of transparency and democracy in every political party deterred people from voting in favour of the referendum question.“  ( http://www.facebook.com/FairVoteCanada#!/topic.php?uid=39315431246&topic=15592 )   The Territories do not use a party system.

 ·       George Soros, “the best fund manager in history, a stateless statesman, and an original thinker”, turned philanthropist.  From his book, “Open Society  [Reforming Global Capitalism]“, published in 2000 by PublicAffairs:

p. xi,  “… Perhaps the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the world today comes from the formation of unholy alliances between government and business.”

There has to be a separation of powers between the commercial and political spheres, for the same reason that church and state are separated, the judicial and legislative functions are independent of each other, etc.   The commercial (corporate) agenda is now the business of the Government.   It is the perfect and known recipe for corruption.  (Please see the appended citations.)  The corporations have too much money.   Just as we have learned not to concentrate the power of church and state,  surely we can see the necessity of separating the power of commerce from governance.

Public-Private-Partnerships are a poison pill for democracy.

Corruption has not been addressed with a change in Government (Liberals to Conservatives).  Corruption means that the rule of law is waning,  – – to the point where Harper and others can openly flaunt the breaking of the rules.  The rule of law is critical to democracy.   The decline of democracy will and must continue,  no matter what system of proportional representation might be developed, if we do not understand that it is the concentration of money and power in the hands of corporate leaders working with some Government officials that is a root cause of the decline in Canadian democracy (to corporatocracy).

  • The new system should contain elements to balance the current system’s extreme weakness in relation to the longterm interests of our grandchildren  (I think that has already been said).  I am wondering whether it might be worth talking about what might happen if all elections were not in the same year on the same day?

Sandra

APPENDED:    THINKERS OF THE DAY ON PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS:   http://sandrafinley.ca/?p=1970

(1)  We have Justice Krever, Commission of Inquiry on the Blood System in Canada, 1996

“Industry can’t be regulated by government – and for environmental and health reasons they must be – if that government is in bed with them.”

(2)  John Ralston Saul, “Health Care at the End of the Twentieth Century”,  1999

“The Panel identified… serious concerns about the undermining of the scientific basis for risk regulation in Canada due to… the conflict of interest created by giving to regulatory agencies the mandates both to promote the development of agricultural technologies and to regulate it…”

(3)  From John Kenneth Galbraith’s “The Economics of Innocent Fraud – Truth for our Time”, published in 2004 :

“… As the corporate interest moves to power in what was the public sector, it serves, predictably, the corporate interest. That is its purpose. …One obvious result has been well-justified doubt as to the quality of much present regulatory effort. There is no question but that corporate influence extends to the regulators. … Needed is independent, honest, professionally competent regulation … This last must be recognized and countered. There is no alternative to effective supervision. …”

4)  Mae-Wan Ho, Genetic engineering – Dream or Nightmare?, 1998

“To reassure us, they lie to us, and then treat us as idiots by insisting on things we all know are untrue. Not only does this prevent a reasonable debate from taking place, but it also creates a very unhealthy relationship between citizens and their elected representatives.” 

(5)  Jane Jacobs’ “Systems of Survival, the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics” sets forth a framework for understanding that the system of governance will succumb to corruption if we fail to appreciate the functional roles of two separately evolved sets of ethics, one for the commercial function in a society and the other for governance (guardianship).  But,

“Societies need both commercial and guardian work … the two types are prone to corruption if they stray across either their functional or moral barriers.”

(6)  George Soros, “the best fund manager in history, a stateless statesman, and an original thinker”, turned philanthropist.  From his book, “Open Society  [Reforming Global Capitalism]“, published in 2000 by PublicAffairs.

p. xi,  “… Perhaps the greatest threat to freedom and democracy in the world today comes from the formation of unholy alliances between government and business.”

—

“Changing a country’s electoral system often represents a far more realistic
goal to work towards than dramatically changing the culture’s view of women”

June Macdonald
Women for Fair Voting– Fair Vote Canada
http://www.fairvote.ca/women

From: June Macdonald
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 5:36 PM
To: Sandra Finley
Subject: Re: [FVCchapters] THe House dialogue (Hansard) identifies: there is a problem with the Parties that has to be addressed

Hi Sandra

you may be interested to know that proportional systems are sometimes referred to as consensual voting systems. Arend Lipjhardt has written a classic on this:

summary here:   http://wikisum.com/w/Lijphart:_Patterns_of_democracy

And there is one on our website as well:  http://s.fairvote.ca/files/Lijphart_summary.pdf?q=files/Lijphart_summary.pdf

cheers

June

2011-04-12 Lesson in democracy: Challenge to the notion that YES / NO responses are appropriate to democratic functioning.

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category), Green Party  No Responses »
Apr 122011
 

Maybe I was too blunt?   

The Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan sent a questionnaire for me, the candidate, to answer.   I appreciate their efforts to inform their members.  However!  There is a fundamental flaw in their questionnaire. 

. . . . .    Tell me  – – have I erred in my thinking (my response to them)?  

NOTE:  my reply to the Superannuated Teachers  fails to mention that one of the three planks in the Green Party election platform is “True Democracy”.  And I didn’t tell them that I believe in putting ideas into action. 

MY COMMENTS  to the  YES /  NO  set of questions  (scroll down to see the questions) :

Democracy is about dialogue and debate.  It is the vehicle through which we arrive at decisions that are well-informed, as inclusive as possible, reflective of our values, progressive and balanced. 

I do not know how it has come about that we accept the notion that  YES  /  NO  responses to questions are an appropriate way to conduct the work of democracy.

Personal relationships based on a  YES  /  NO  exchange are manipulative.   The world is not black or white.   Also, a response that is limited to YES /NO assumes  a kind of superiority of the questioner:  s/he knows ALL the options, and so a YES  /  NO  response is all that is required.   IN FACT,  the questioner may NOT know or have presented all the options.   Nor know all the nuances.

YES  /  NO,   black / white  fits in an authoritarian regime, not in a democracy.    To my way of thinking.

I am quite sensitive to this issue because my ten + years of activist work have led me to the conclusion that we are moving quite quickly toward a corporate state – – which is fascism.   The last place where this type of questioning should show itself is in the ranks of our educational institutions,  if I may be so frank.  (I assume that in the ranks of educators, people are encouraged to be frank.  It is the search for elusive “truth”.) 

The most important custodian of democracy in any society is its educational institutions.  Democracy is fragile.  Every generation of students needs to be versed and re-versed in the theory and practice of democracy.   Yes / No responses to questions restrict my ability to convey ideas – – that’s a death knell for democracy.  

Let me use JUST ONE example from the following list of questions.   Will your party support the establishment of a National Pharmacare program?     You want me to answer “yes”;  if I don’t, you will condemn me.   . . .  

HOWEVER,  an election is an opportunity to DISCUSS and ELUCIDATE.  And this particular topic is IN DIRE NEED of that discussion.   You will know as well as I, that the Pharmaceutical industry is corrupt.  They are into biotech pharmaceuticals now.  Biotechnology usually involves the patenting and ownership of life forms  (seeds),  which is control over production.  You will know from the experience of many organic farmers that corporate ownership brings with it the use of the RCMP and Court system as a means to intimidate and silence opposition, in order to assert power and control. 

The chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporations are one and the same, in many cases.  One owns the other.  These corporations have enough influence in Government that a standard criterion for PUBLIC funding is whether “health” research will have the “potential for commercialization”.   

There IS no potential for commercialization in research that is directed at removing the CAUSES of disease and developmental abnormalities.  Additionally, many Pharmaceuticals have longterm very deleterious effects on health.   It is more and more the case that people are recovering their health through alternative therapies, in combination with allopathic medicine.   In fairness to people who seek non-pharmaceutical remedies,  how do we balance PharmaCare against HealthCare?   Which is not to say that there is NO place for PharmaCare. 

The Drug Companies have tonnes of money;  they use propaganda to sell their wares.  They have powerful lobbying capability.  They “buy” science.  They are corrupting of democracy.  If they can get a drug  (use just one example, rotavirus vaccine)  to be mandated and paid for through the public purse,  they have access to a big pot of easy money.  And they will propagandize the need for the drug.  All of this should be factored into decisions around a National Pharmacare programme.   It is unwise to be naïve;  it is unwise to ignore the complexity of different issues.  

We have a very large problem with corporate intrusion into the public sphere.  I refer you to my blog,  www.sandrafinley.ca  (Not because I “know it all”, but because discussion is informative.)  Go to JUST ONE topic,  Heavy metals in vaccinations, Mercury in dental amalgams.   The drug companies are one of the big offenders.  

An election, properly used, is a time for citizens to engage in informative debate.   

For your consideration,                                                         

Best wishes,

Sandra Finley

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

Hello Heather, 

I expect you need input immediately.   Will just have to go with the following.   Which is a challenge to the idea that  YES / NO responses are appropriate to the needs of democracy. 

Thanks,

Sandra Finley

———- Forwarded message ———-

Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan

Memorandum

TO:      All Progressive Conservative, Liberal, New Democratic and Green Party Candidates in Saskatchewan for the May 2nd Federal Election 

cc:       STS Executive

STS Chapter Presidents and Chapter Liaison Persons

 FROM:  The Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan

                Email: sts  AT   stf.sk.ca

DATE:   April 4, 2011

In an effort to better inform our 9,400 members of the party positions on various issues that affect retired teachers, we are requesting that each candidate respond to the following questions by April 25, 2011.  Your responses (including non-responses) will be communicated to our members on April 26, 2011. 

Thank you very much for your efforts to better inform our members.

                                                                                                                                    YES    NO

  1. Will your party enforce application of the principles of the

Canada Health Act (1984) by the provincial and territorial

governments?                                                                                                ____   ____

Will your party support the establishment of a National

Pharmacare program?                                                                                 ____   ____

Will your party support the automatic inclusion of eligible

pensioners in CPP/QPP and OAS benefits, and the improvement

of these plans to help seniors living in poverty?                                        ____   ____

 Will your party support the elimination of the OAS clawback

and the age credit reduction?                                                                      ____   ____

 Will your party support tax changes to allow charitable donations

to receive treatment comparable to political donations?                         ____   ____

 Will your party support a tax credit for registration in       

recreation/wellness activities for seniors comparable to the tax

credit for youth fitness/cultural activities?                                                   ____   ____

Will your party provide sustainable infrastructure funding so that

seniors can access affordable housing?                                                   ____   ____

 Will your party support the volunteer service of teachers, both

active and retired, in training teachers in developing countries

across the world as has been rendered for more than forty years

through CIDA’s financial support of Project Overseas operated by

the Canadian Teachers’ Federation?                                                        ____   ____ 

Comments:

2011-04-11 “Vote Mobs” spreading across Canada. Also “Voter Socials” – what a riot! (Re)Generating our democracy.

 Freedom of Speech. (Remove some wrong postings from category), Green Party  No Responses »
Apr 112011
 

(In follow-up to:  Xcorporatocracy,  democracy fighting back in North America! )

Matthew’s email – –  I can hardly contain my excitement, long enough to send this to you! 

So what did I do?  – –   got an even greater adrenalin rush:  a youtube of  (Canadian) Leonard Cohen’s “DEMOCRACY”!    Listen to that and I want to dance down the street singing it!  Vote Mobs and Voter socials?  Democracy is coming!    I don’t know the words to the song very well, so I appended them in case you don’t either.  

“Democracy is coming  . .  to the U S A.”   We just have to modify the words: 

“Democracy is coming . . .  to Ca Na Da”   or  “North A Mer Ik Ka”  . . .    Yeeeay!  

Now calm down, Sandra, and get this out.  Spread the word! 

Can you host a “Voter Social” during advanced polling, on Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd or Monday 25th April?

Pre-registration is now open, and you can . . . .  

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

1.     VOTER SOCIAL 

I’m doing one of these!   I LOVE the way these young people make things fun and easy.   You can do it in any small community. 

Click on:   http://www.leadnow.ca/en/vote-wave  

Coincidentally, the Post Office just delivered my VOTER’S CARD.  It has the advance poll information on it.   

(If you are on the Voter’s List, you should have received your card.  Might want to give it a day if you haven’t.   Phone Elections Canada at 1-800-463-6868 to get yourself on the Voter’s List, if you aren’t already.)

I set my voter social to meet right at the location for my Advance Poll.  You are invited and anyone you want to bring along!

  • DATE:  Friday April 22
  • TIME:   5:30pm
  • PLACE:  Oskayak High School on Broadway  (Advance Poll location)
  • AND THEN:  Walk 2 blocks from the High School towards 8th Street.
  • TIME:   6:00 pm 
  • LOCATION:  “Keo’s Restaurant”.  I booked a table for 12 people.  Let me know if you’re coming;  we might need more seats. 

It would be great to get a Voter’s Social for every Advance Poll.   I’ll let local media know about them, too. 

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

2.     VOTE  MOBS 

Check out the amazing “Vote Mobs” that are spreading across Canada!  (Scroll down on the webpage to the videos.) 

But Hey,  what gives?  – – I do not see EVEN ONE in Saskatchewan…  ..    Come on,  Let’s get it rolling!   Maybe YOU are the (younger) person to get one going?! 

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

3.   GOTTA PUT IN A PLUG FOR MYSELF 

If you don’t mind, will you have a look at the map for Saskatoon-Humboldt?  http://www.elections.ca/scripts/pss/maps/C47009.pdf   

If you know people in this ELECTORAL DISTRICT, I will sure appreciate if you put in a word of recommendation for me, if it suits you.  Or, forward the link to others who might know people there.   I am the Green Party candidate.   People can assess whether I would be a worthy representative by going to  www.sandrafinley.ca.  My full contact information is at the bottom of this email.  I’m happy to answer your questions and supply information that is not on the blog.   /Thanks. 

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

4.      WHERE DO VOTER SOCIALS & VOTE MOBS COME FROM?

(THE CONTINUANCE OF   Xcorporatocracy:  democracy fighting back in North America!  )

Received:    Mon 4/11/2011 7:48 AMDear (Re)Generation:    Voices for Canada  hosts ,

So much has happened in the last month! Over 4,000 Canadians joined the process you started in your events by participating in the values survey and priority voting. The result is the Declaration for Change.

Now, we need your help to change the story of this election. In short, we need your help to build a wave of voters going to polls before election day to vote for the Canada they want. You made (Re)Generation: Voices for Canada possible, so we’re asking you to host a “Voter Social” first, so that when we invite people from our large action list, everyone will see that there are already events signed up and be encouraged to join.

http://www.leadnow.ca/en/vote-wave

Here’s the problem: our politics have become so toxic, divisive and uninspiring that people are tuning it out. People will act when they think it will make a difference. If people do not think that the election will matter, then they will not raise their voices for the issues they care about, and they wont vote. The consequence will be more of the same in Ottawa. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To change the status-quo we need to speak up with a call for a new kind of politics, and we need to show that there is a growing wave of voters who are going to get out to the polls to vote for the Canada they want.

By turning out in large numbers during advanced polling, we will make a media splash and inspire Canadians to get out and vote on election day.

What’s a Voter Social? Simple: invite a bunch of your friends to meet you at an advanced poll, go in and vote together, and then celebrate afterwards however you choose. The more Voter Socials, the bigger the media splash, and the more Canadians will be inspired to vote on election day. Voter Socials can be big or small, public or private, and we’re here to help make it easy to host and find your advanced polling station.

Can you host a “Voter Social” during advanced polling, on Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd or Monday 25th April? Pre-registration is now open, and you can sign up your Voter Social here:

http://www.leadnow.ca/en/vote-wave

Thank you,

Matthew, on behalf of the Leadnow.ca team

—
Matthew Carroll
cell: 289.244.9930  |  skype: matthew.f.carroll
www.leadnow.ca  |  fb.me/leadnowcanada  |  @leadnowca

Thursday April 12th  –  Leaders Debate: Tweetup for Democracy

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ==
APPENDED

“Democracy”    Leonard Cohen

It’s coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It’s coming from the feel
that this ain’t exactly real,
or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to Ca – Na  – Da.
It’s coming through a crack in the wall;
on a visionary flood of alcohol;
from the staggering account
of the Sermon on the Mount
which I don’t pretend to understand at all.
It’s coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to Ca – Na  – Da.

It’s coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin’
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to Ca – Na  – Da.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

It’s coming to Canada first,
the cradle of the best and of the worst.
It’s here they got the range
and the machinery for change
and it’s here they got the spiritual thirst.
It’s here the family’s broken
and it’s here the lonely say
that the heart has got to open
in a fundamental way:
Democracy is coming to Ca – Na  – Da.

It’s coming from the women and the men.
O baby, we’ll be making love again.
We’ll be going down so deep
the river’s going to weep,
and the mountain’s going to shout Amen!
It’s coming like the tidal flood
beneath the lunar sway,
imperial, mysterious,
in amorous array:
Democracy is coming to Ca – Na  – Da.

Sail on, sail on …

I’m sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can’t stand the scene.
And I’m neither left or right
I’m just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I’m stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I’m junk but I’m still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to Ca – Na  – Da.

Have fun! 

Over and out,  Sandra

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

 Email from:

Sandra Finley

Green Party Candidate, Saskatoon-Humboldt

306-373-8078

sabest1@sasktel.net

www.sandrafinley.ca 

Twitter:   @Xcorporatocracy

Facebook.com:   search for Sandra Finley Candidate
 Older Entries  Newer Entries