Chris Hedges may be right – –
Chris Hedges on Bill C-51: They have won, and it is up to us
Bill C-51 exists in an unprecedented corporate era. “P-3’s” (so-called “Public-Private-Partnerships”) are exalted by Governments and their Corporate partners. “The Public”‘s translation is “Pick the Public Purse”.
One of the biggest areas of corporate takeover in the U.S. is military and “security” forces, the stuff of Canadian Bill C-51 (Anti-Terrorism, Secret Police).
You do not need a long memory to know the disastrous consequences that arise from “out-sourcing” in this sphere.
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Aside: other postings in the C-51 category, click on the small grey text immediately below the title of the posting.
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So
- start with a reminder of what happens in the real world when you have corporate domination in the military / security sphere, and then
- shift thinking to Bill C-51. …
Bill C-51 must be understood IN CONTEXT. A summary of CONTEXT addressed in previous postings appears at bottom. To it is now added . . .
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BILL C-51 IN THE REAL WORLD
OF “OUT-SOURCING” TO CORPORATIONS
The Torture example was useful in demonstrating the disdain with which the Prime Minister and Police leadership hold the Law. They believe the laws do not apply to them, symptomatic of a police state.
Continue with the Torture example to demonstrate this next point: what happens when the corporate world is heavily involved, as it is, in “defense” or “the military” or “security” ot “the war department” or the CIA, the FBI and the NSA or whatever you want to call it, and using terms from the American side.
Canada was party to the Torture in offshore American prisons.
The 20 “Findings” of the U.S. Senate Committee Report on Torture is a listing of incompetence. (Take my word, or go to the link and scroll down to the Findings.)
Beyond, or in explanation of incompetence, Finding #13:
By 2005, the CIA had overwhelmingly outsourced operations related to the (torture) program.
Lockheed Martin was the major “contract interrogator”:
The posting makes clear the extent and the outcomes of the contracting out. The CIA is a culprit of course, but not the only one. With overwhelmingly outsourced operations and Lockheed Martin a number one contractor, … you get the picture.
It is also clear that with the out-sourcing it is much more difficult to hold people responsible for their actions. The laws are broken with impunity.
Finding #20 of the Report on the Torture says
The CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program damaged the United States’ standing in the world, and resulted in other significant monetary and non-monetary costs.
International and Canadian Law outlaws torture.
The belief that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Police are above the Law is addressed in Laws that do not apply to the Government and Police elites. (very dangerous environment . . . and now you want to add Secret Police without a strong arms’-length watch-dog (Bill C-51)? Just “trust us”? You have got to be joking.).
EXCERPT:
Stephen Harper has not been held to account for the failure to get Khadr out of Guatanamo. Every other western nation removed their citizens from Gitmo – – the torture being done there was well-known. Books were written about it.
Presumably, the leadership of the countries who removed their citizens, Australia for example, understood that they would be acting outside the law, and would therefore be subject to prosecution, if they knowingly left their ctiizens in Gitmo when they KNEW that torture was part of the game.
The reason Stephen Harper could leave Khadr in Guantanamo to my thinking, is that he believes he is above the Rule of Law, that the laws do not apply to him. He believes he will never be held to account for his role in illegal activity (torture).
CANADA AND THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT (ICC):
John McNamer filed a request to the chief prosecutor at the ICC, asking for an investigation of Canada’s complicity in torture, which is being considered by prosecutors. McNamer’s request can be found online here. John McNamer is a Canadian citizen and Kamloops resident. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for service with the U.S. Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam.
(Others, including myself have corresponded with the ICC regarding the American perpetrators. Bush et al will eventually be brought to Justice. See the CHRONOLOGY OF INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS, Arrest George Bush. Rule of Law essential to democracy. The efforts have never stopped.)
(ASIDE: Unfortunately, it is looking as though we are about to be stalwart little loyalists of the military-industrial-congressional-university complex once again . . . well no – – we’ll just be “Americans” and under Harper go into another illegal, badly thought-out war in the Middle East, this time in Syria. Hmmm Chris Hedges mentioned a tax revolt. Refuse to pay the bill?!)
But back to Bill C-51 in the Real World of Out-Sourcing.
The preceding is a record of the following characteristics of the “Security” world (Secret Police, Anti-Terrorism). If we do not resist, this is what we agree to pay for:
- Incompetence (The Findings of U.S. Senate Report on Torture), which is perfectly consistent with the story of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 stealth bombers that Canadians are supposed to buy, but some other countries have refused. The F-35 is one long sorry story of ballooning costs, malfunctions, inferior product, exorbitant price tag … but ah! the money, the lobbying, and the corruption!
- Break Laws with impunity. Innocent people just “detained”, tossed in, and tortured by sadistic people.
- Seems that contracting out is a way to circumvent tedious laws.
- Exorbitant costs of the Torture program: just one example, American tax-payers paid $1,800 per day each to the two principals in the original contract. Perfectly consistent with everything we know about Lockheed Martin projects.
- Terribly damaged national reputation.
- Created resistance (of course) which is eventually expressed as “terrorism”. Your actions have consequences, torture has consequences, as does the appropriation of resources that belong to other people.
- Secrecy – – the fact that “interrogation” was being done by outside contractors was largly unknown until 2004.
- So you know damn well that lying and cover-up is standard in the Out-Sourced World. Not to mention murder.
Oh well, you can add to the list. That’s enough from me. Except for this: The preceding is an inevitable outcome. See CAUSE AND EFFECT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC-PRIVATE-PARTNERSHIPS AND CORRUPTION
Bill C-51 exists in a world of out-sourcing, and I did not make up the preceding example (torture). It’s real.
You think C-51 has nothing to do with Lockheed Martin Corporation? … I hope to address that in another posting when time permits.
Ask yourself this question: what are the benefits for citizens of the arrangement whereby the police, military and “security” services are “out-sourced”? When you’ve answered that, ask “Why is it done?”.
The next posting will address the extent of the “partnering”. I think we are generally and deliberately “in the dark”.
Chris Hedges may be right (they’ve won). But it’s not over until … (?) we stop fighting and that hasn’t happened! Mount the steeds! Start firing off those rat-a-tat-tat emails. Start a conversation. Join a protest. Whatever you do, be informed and support the protesters. Even if what they do is not something you would do. Be comfortable with your own contribution.
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You might see the following reflected in Naomi Wolf’s 10 Steps to Fascism (Item #3 in that posting)
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BILL C-51: Aspects of CONTEXT
addressed in previous postings,
the creation of a Police State in hyped fear of enemies:
Bill C-51 (Anti-Terrorism / Secret Police), if it is passed. would be ON TOP OF:
- Comprehensive SURVEILLANCE that is already in place What has been known, confirmed and elaborated upon by Edward Snowden.
- A Propagandized population (Greenwald, plus. Recommend, use the “search” button on this blog (upper right), enter the word “propaganda”.)
- Detailed files on citizens (Privacy Commissioner, Therrien). Added to this is what I learned after five years of being in an out of Court over the issue of Lockheed Martin’s involvement in the comprehensive and growing data base on Canadians at Statistics Canada.
- Prime Minister and Police who break the Law with impunity, believe the Laws do not apply to them (Most egregiously, the laws against torture.)
“Montebello” should be added:
Police provoke Violence at SPP protest (2007). Police are the Provocateurs.
Quebec police admit they were the Provocateurs
Protesters said they gathered to voice their concern about Canada losing control of its energy and water resources and borders. Others decried what they called a high level of secrecy at the summit.
Add: The Troop Exchange Agreement, 2008
Add: The “Canada First Defense Strategy”, 2008-06-19. Very serious. The vehicle for worming the American military-industrial-government-university complex into Canada. Peripherally, when I didn’t have time, I noticed – – I think they’ve changed.this document. It doesn’t matter – – it is the blueprint.
Add: a list too long …
- Very serious water shortages in the U.S.A., a country that is ruthless in appropriating the resources of other nations.
- Creation of enemies. You might not think you need unfettered Secret Police if you weren’t in the business of creating enemies abroad. We have followed Canada’s decline in international stature in the imposition of GMO’s on other nations (to help our biotech “partners”), followed it in service to Canadian mining companies in South America. . . . This is just the latest: C-51 Secret Police. Major wake-up call for Canadians. Canada Spying. Communication Security Establishment’s (CSE) cyberwarfare toolbox. Mexico, North Africa, Middle East among targets of cyber-spy hacking, CBC
Add to this: Collaborators and Vengeance. Savage Continent
- Manipulation of the Knowledge base, The Minerva Initiative. . . The goal of the Minerva Initiative is to improve DoD’s (U.S. Dept of Defense’s) basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the U.S. The research program will:
- Leverage and focus the resources of the Nation’s top universities. …
Add to this, American defense contractors in Canadian Univerisites: 2014-08-19, Request to Board of Governors, University of Saskatchewan: END the relationship with Lockheed Martin Corporation
Sent: March-27-15 2:45 PM
To: Sandra Finley
Subject: RE: Bill C-51 (Anti-terrorism), Secret police in a world of corporate domination. Ouch!
That is a double whammy to our freedoms!
Sincerely
Raelle
From: Winnie
Sent: March-27-15 2:49 PM
To: Sandra Finley
Subject: RE: Bill C-51 (Anti-terrorism), Secret police in a world of corporate domination. Ouch!
Corporate domination and secrecy has also overtaken the Academy. They cannot deal openly with problems such as sexual assault of students nor faculty plagiarism of student work as it might affect their corporate sponsorships so all complainants must be silenced and the problems worsen.