CANADIAN POLITICS:

CONSERVATIVE CORRUPTION:

Ex Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer has become the subject of outrage to the average Canadian and amusement to those who take politics as a spectator sport. From accomplishing the almost impossible in being beaten by an NDP candidate in Edmonton of all places to having an aide imitate him on a talk show his is a hard act to follow. It's very hard to top being caught over 0.08 while driving and having cocaine found in one's possession at the time of the arrest and getting off with a "driving without due care and attention" slap on the wrist. Mr Jaffer, however, has managed to top himself, as the following story from the Toronto Star about the events that preceded his arrest details.

There is only one person on the Canadian political scene that gives Jaffer any competition for the title of loosest cannon, and that is his wife, sitting Conservative MP Helena Guergis. While the public may wonder how anyone could escape and double whammy change of drunk driving and cocaine possession (political interference ???) the spectacle of someone throwing a vandalistic temper tantrum at airport security and not only not being charged but actually being allowed to proceed onto the plane may be equally mystifying. Guergis also apparently took a page from her husband's book and had her staff fake letters to the editor from supposed 'unconnected' members of the public. the latest pit that she has fallen into is that there are now demands for a investigation on the part of the Ethics Commissioner concerning the details of her house purchases. A fine pair indeed. Obviously meant for each other.

Here are the sordid details of Jaffer's night out before he got nailed. It begins with a high end party at a Toronto steak house attended by 5 characters of ill repute plotting how to soak the Canadian taxpayer. Their escorts for the night are three ladies of the same.

CPCPCPCPCPCPCPCP
Former MP Rahim Jaffer connected to alleged conman

Jaffer boasted to businesses: I can get government money easily

Kevin Donovan
Staff Reporter
The booze was flowing on the back patio at Harbour 60 Steakhouse in downtown Toronto.

Nazim Gillani of International Strategic Investments, four business associates, and three busty hookers dined in style last Sept. 10.

Former MP Rahim Jaffer, a self-described peddler of government grants, credits and loans, was in fine form, chatting up prospective clients. Early the next morning, Gillani would greet the day with a colourful email to the night’s guests: “Mr. Jaffer has opened up the Prime Minister’s office to us,” he boasted, unaware at the time of how Jaffer’s night had ended. Gillani is a character. By last September, at least two major police departments and the federal taxman were after him on fraud or tax evasion allegations.

Sixty kilometres north of the dark wood panelling of Harbour 60, a dozen Ontario Provincial Police officers were setting up a RIDE check, a routine stop and sniff assignment that is the bread and butter of the Caledon OPP detachment. Sgt. Mike Garant was the boss. Ten-year veteran Kim Stapleton, a by-the-book officer, was also on duty. Often praised for her work, Stapleton was one of a group of OPP officers selected to travel to the Olympics to work on a security detail in the new year. With other Caledon officers that night, she set up a highly visible RIDE checkpoint just north of the road that snakes past the Pumpkin Patch Childcare Centre. Proudly displayed in their tiny OPP detachment is a MacLean’s article on strict policing with the headline: Caledon: Where you can’t get away with anything.

The intersection of Gillani, Jaffer and the waiting RIDE program is central to the unanswered question surrounding events that Thursday night – how did Jaffer escape serious charges with a slap on the wrist? And its raises another question – was the former MP selling government access he did not have?

Nazim Gillani lives and works out of a rented, million dollar, two-storey home on a busy stretch of Kipling Ave. in Etobicoke. Hanging around the house at any given time are a former CFL offensive guard who once faced steroid production and marijuana possession charges (they were dropped); a lawyer suspended three times for not cooperating with Law Society probes into his business ; a creeping nest of would-be-titans-of-finance; and an odd parade of 20 something interns from business schools across the country.

In the driveway there is usually a Porsche Turbo, two BMWs, a sleek Infiniti, a Mercedes, and a lumbering old white van. Gillani owns none of his empire, at least on paper.

Gillani, the ceo of ISI, is a 43-year old wheeler dealer whose company boasts it “has been successful in obtaining grants and loans from various Government bodies.” A typical day for Gillani involves a late breakfast on the Queensway, an afternoon meeting around the kitchen table at the house, an early evening visit to his “Bloor Street Office” (the VIP lounge at strip joint Club Paradise) and a dinner like this one.

At Harbour 60, Gillani was doing what he always does: Talking big about deals. Gillani – “Naz” to his pals – has a habit of finding new businesses, promising to take them public. As the first part of that process he convinces owners of companies to pay him cash to cover his fees. Businessmen who have walked away angry say Gillani owes them hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they received nothing in return. Some speculate that Gillani raised money for them, and kept it. Though some would like to complain to police, they say they are reluctant to because Gillani has told them he has compromising photographs of them at strip clubs.

Keeping a close watch on Gillani at the dinner, as he always does, was former Toronto Argonaut offensive guard Mike Mihelic, his six-foot-five inch, 310 pound vice-president of business affairs (who owns most of the cars in the driveway).

Mihelic and Gillani, that night, were feeling heat from York Region Police, who were probing their involvement in a $1.5 million wire transfer fraud against home buildings supply company Rona, a case unrelated to Gillani’s investment schemes. The allegations of investment fraud were being looked into by the Integrated Market Enforcement Team, an RCMP-led task force.

Gillani was visibly drunk; Jaffer was not, though he drank steadily.

Jaffer is known in Ottawa, where the Edmonton native was an MP for a decade, as a party animal. To those assembled at Harbour 60 though, Jaffer explained that he could not stay out all night. He had borrowed his wife’s Ford Escape, parked it at the Kipling Street house, and Mihelic had driven him to Harbour 60 in the Porsche. Jaffer said his wife, Helena Guergis, the minister of state for the status of women, was returning from a business trip and he had to get home to the house they shared in Angus.

The night progressed from cocktails to wine to liqueurs.

The women were supplied by 23-year-old Jasmine of high class escort agency Cachet Ladies. Gillani tells his friends he is engaged to Jasmine, whom he met a year ago on an escort date.

Jaffer, as he often does, told businessmen that he and his company, Green Power Solutions, were experts in obtaining government money. “I can get it, no problem,” he said. His company’s promotional material boasts a “thorough knowledge of government policies and incentive programs.”

“I have access to a green fund,” Jaffer said at the table.

A few weeks before the Harbour 60 dinner, Jaffer and Gillani held court at another steak restaurant, La Castille in Etobicoke. Gillani told a group of invited businessmen that his company could arrange start-up financing, and that Jaffer could come up with federal government funds. Jaffer explained that he had expertise, particularly in securing what he called “green loans” at very low interest rates.

Though Jaffer has not been an MP since he lost an election in 2008, he still gives out his MP business cards and did so at La Castille.

(Former and current associates of Gillani were granted anonymity for this story for several reasons, primarily because they fear physical retribution from Gillani and his associates.)

Also on hand at both steakhouses was Dr. Hai Chen, a business associate working with Gillani and Jaffer on a murky deal Gillani calls the ‘China initiative.’

At Harbour 60, Jaffer and Chen made plans for the first of two trips to Shanghai to grow business contacts between Canada and China. After Jaffer said he could secure Canadian government money for businesses, Chen said he could do the same in China. There was much talk around the table of “green” projects, particularly a Canadian venture where waste could be turned into solid fuel.

Shortly before 11 pm, the dinner party ended. The bill for dinner and drinks for nine was more than $3,200. Gillani paid and he and his guests went to the parking lot. It’s unclear where everyone went, but Jaffer and Mihelic drove off in the Porsche. There was much talk at the dinner that some would head off to Club Paradise.

Constable Kim Stapleton was going off shift and left her fellow officers at the RIDE program in Palgrave at 12:45 am. A diligent officer, she activated her mobile radar detector as she drove south through Palgrave on Highway 50. The speed limit in the small town was 50 kph. The detector beeped and clocked the approaching Ford Escape SUV at 93 kph.

“I’ve got a high miler here,” Stapleton said into her radio, turning on her lights. She told Sgt. Mike Garant back at the RIDE program that she was pulling over an SUV.

Walking up to the car, the female officer shone her flashlight in at the driver. Rahim Jaffer looked back. Stapleton smelled alcohol and asked Jaffer several questions.

“I smell alcohol, I am doing an alc test,” Stapleton radioed to Garant.

Pulling a roadside breathalyzer unit from her cruiser she administered the test, which showed positive for alcohol. Stapleton radioed for a male officer to join her because she was arresting Jaffer. Stapleton called for a tow truck to take away the Ford.

Sgt. Garant sent an officer down to Stapleton’s position. The officer searched Jaffer and found a bag in his pocket, which turned out to be cocaine.

The police officers looked inside Jaffer’s car and found a stack of Helena Guergis’ business cards. They drove Jaffer to the Caledon East OPP detachment and administered a blood alcohol test, which showed a level above the legal .08 level (police have not released the level or amount of cocaine). In Ontario, the penalty for being found guilty of driving above the legal level is a one year licence suspension, a $1,000 fine and a requirement to install an ignition lock that prevents a vehicle from starting unless the driver provides a sober breath sample.

Officers at the OPP detachment conducted a strip search of Jaffer, which police say is standard protocol when drugs are found on a person.

Stapleton charged Jaffer, 38, with driving over the legal blood alcohol limit, speeding 93 kph in a 50 kph zone; and possession of cocaine. He was released from the station around 6 am on Friday, Sept. 11.

The news of the high profile former MP’s arrest did not trickle out for a week. The morning Jaffer was charged, Gillani sent out an email to investors that was full of positive bluster.

“As most of you may have heard, we had a rather earth moving experience last night at dinner with Rahim Jaffer and Dr. Chen. Mr. Jaffer has opened up the Prime Ministers’ office to us and as a result of that dinner – he today advised me that is just as excited as we are and joining our team seems to be the next logical step,” Gillani wrote to a dozen close associates. (Tory insiders say Jaffer has no such access). (Well he doesn't now-Molly )

When news of Jaffer’s arrest leaked out the next week, it was front page news. Toronto lawyer Howard Rubel was hired to defend Jaffer. Jaffer told associates that the cocaine was in his jacket pocket, which was hanging in the back seat of his car, which he said meant he would likely get off on a technicality. The police maintain the cocaine was in his pants pocket.

OPP officer Stapleton, with the realization that this high profile case was likely coming to court during her Olympic duties, prepared her notes and understood that if needed she would fly back to testify.

Meanwhile, York Regional Police detectives charged Gillani, Mihelic and several others in November with fraud in connection with a deal Gillani allegedly orchestrated. A former senior employee of Rona was coerced into using his computer and finance knowledge to wire $1.5 million of Rona money to a dummy account in Hong Kong. Jasmine, the Cachet Ladies escort, was with Gillani in his bedroom when detectives arrived to make the arrest. Sobbing, she pleaded with them not to take her boyfriend away.

Two of those accused have said they will plead guilty in return for providing evidence against Gillani. No findings of guilt have been made and the case continues in Newmarket court later this month.

At IMET, the detectives who investigate financial market fraud allegations, senior officer Kevin Harrison said through a spokesman that he is aware of Gillani, but won’t confirm that an investigation is underway. Gillani has previously faced charges of carrying a handgun in B.C., and is being probed in a tax evasion case. Neither of these cases have been resolved.

Jaffer and Gillani’s friendship and business association cooled by November, though Jaffer and Chen are still friends. Jaffer had four brief court hearings on the cocaine and driving charges last fall and early winter. His lawyer showed up; he did not.

For the OPP in Caledon, the Jaffer arrest was a routine case. That’s why officers were surprised to be told in early January by Crown Attorney Marie Balogh that she did not want a trial. Instead, she was seeking a guilty plea on reduced charges. A pre-trial conference – the matters discussed are secret – was held on Feb. 18, 2010 before a judge. Caledon OPP were notified that the deal with Jaffer was made at “the most senior levels” of provincial law enforcement. OPP Caledon pushed back but to no avail. ( No luck for the OPP- Molly )

The next night, Jaffer and Dr. Chen had dinner to discuss their recent trip to Shanghai and another planned for April. Jaffer told Chen his wife was flying in from Prince Edward Island – he was hoping to pick her up at the Toronto airport but heard she was delayed.

Chen said he learned the next day from news reports that the delay came because Charlottetown airport staff had asked Guergis to take her boots off for screening and the minister threw a tantrum. Guergis later apologized.

On March 9, 2010, crown attorney Balogh told a hearing (in front of a different judge) that she was withdrawing all charges – speeding, driving over the legal blood alcohol limit, and cocaine possession – against Jaffer because there were issues with the evidence and she saw no reasonable prospect of a conviction. She replaced the charge with one count of careless driving, to which the former MP pleaded guilty. He was fined $500 and also voluntarily made a $500 payment to a cystic fibrosis charity.

In Ottawa, politicians speculated that Jaffer received a deal – the judge described it as “a break” – because of political connections. Former Stephen Harper spokesman Kory Teneycke said that is “ridiculous.”

In Toronto, former associates of Gillani speculate that Jaffer has “rolled over” on Gillani, provided evidence, and in return was given a good deal on his drug, speeding and drunk driving charges. ( Possibly-Molly )

Jaffer lawyer Rubel said it that is “laughable.”

Neither Gillani, Mihelic or Jaffer would respond to interview requests. Gillani cancelled numerous appointments with a Star reporter.

“Last night I woke up in excruciating pain and my feet were the size of footballs. I don't know what it is - but I haven't moved at all,” Gillani wrote in one cancellation email.

Kevin Donovan can be reached at (416) 312-3503 or kdonovan@thestar.ca

CPCPCPCPCPCPCPCP

Further Molly Comment:

I can't say that I'm surprised by this sort of story. Over the years I've come to believe that while left wing politicians may be more annoying overall that right wing ones beat them hands down for sheer unmitigated dishonesty and corruption. This tendency reached truly astronomical heights in the USA, but as far as I can determine it is universal. I explain it by the shrivelled conscience that seems to go with the pursuit of power through right wing politics. Not that every conservative shares this disability, but it seems to be characteristic of their leaders.

Left wing politicians can indeed be venal, but the evidence is that right wing ones are very much more so. I think this is because their concept of "morality" has shrunk down to attempts to control the sexual behavior of others. If all it takes to appear moral is to condemn the behavior of those who say "have sex with knotholes in trees" then items such as theft and telling lies simply don't register as "sins" in such a world view.

Just to close it should be noted that Jaffer's little deception on the talk show happened in 2001. In 2006 that infallible judge of character and pillar of morality Prime Minister Steven Harper appointed him Chair of the Conservative caucus in Parliament. Think about this as you watch the conservative wheels spin as they attempt to distance themselves from him and his battle-axe wife. This pair gave lots of warning about their tendencies a long time ago, but to a Conservative politician such things are unimportant. Getting caught big time is, however, quite important.

AMERICAN POLITICS:

TREAT IMMIGRANTS FAIRLY:

The following item from the Jobs With Justice Coalition is for our American readers as it is an appeal to the US Congress that those of us out here in the colonies cannot participate in. If the quality of a society can be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members then American society has had a failing grade for some time now, and there are, unfortunately, those who want to perpetuate this state of affairs. There are, however, other Americans who see justice and compassion as part of their national heritage, and the following appeal is from one such group.

%^%^%^%^%^%^%^
Tell Congress: Treat Immigrants Fairly in Health Reform:‏
First our political leaders said health care reform would cover everyone. Now we hear that Congress is considering barring legal immigrants from health reforms that would enable low and moderate income families to secure affordable coverage.

As the House of Representatives moves to finalize its health reform legislation this week, immigrants continue to be left out. As it stands now, most recent legal immigrants are forced to wait 5 years to use Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP, even though they pay the same taxes as citizens to support these programs.

Your voice is needed to urge the House of Representatives to act right now to give immigrants a fair opportunity for affordable health insurance. You can take action on this alert via the web at:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/immigranthealth/wukd7sd927eiw5ij?

Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/immigranthealth/forward/wukd7sd927eiw5ij?

We encourage you to take action by November 30, 2009

Tell Congress: Treat Immigrants Fairly in Health Reform

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/immigranthealth/wukd7sd927eiw5ij?

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:Your Congressperson

----THIS LETTER WILL BE SENT IN YOUR NAME----

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

Legal immigrants and citizens should be treated equally under health reform. End the five year waiting period for legal immigrants in Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP.

----END OF LETTER TO BE SENT----

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR/SWINE FLU:
SWINE FLU AND LABOUR:

As best as I can read the results of what is happening worldwide (which I admit is something like predicting the future from the entrails of sacrificial animals-in this case pigs) the global panic over "swine flu" (or whatever it may be renamed because of political pressure) is overblown. The over 100 deaths in Mexico probably represent the mortality tip of a very large morbidity iceberg, one of a new flu strain that has probably been spreading for some time and whose general symptoms, if there are any, are hardly severe enough to convince people in a poor country such as Mexico- without universal health care- to even see a doctor, let alone go to a hospital.




Be that as it may, with the probability that this flu will be no more virulent than recurring seasonal flues at this time ,there is no guarantee that we won't see "the big one" this fall when the virus has had enough time to evolve and swap genetic material with other flu viruses across the world. In any serious outbreak there will be certain classes of workers who will have much more potential exposure than others. This includes not just the obvious health care workers but also pretty well anyone in various branches of the transport industry. The following article from the AFL-CIO blog speaks of the inadequacy of the present systems to protect these workers. While not agreeing with the expected tendency of the authors to refuse any criticism whatsoever of the present US Administration I still think this post is valuable for pointing out present problems with American preparedness for any pandemic.
LLLLLLLLLLLL
Health Care Workers at Risk as Swine Flu Spreads:
by Mike Hall, Apr 30, 2009
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the threat of widespread human infection from the outbreak of swine flu to its second-highest level. The outbreak of swine flu originated in Mexico and is now spreading throughout the United States and around the globe.




But as an April 16 report released by the AFL-CIO and several unions, including the United American Nurses (UAN), warned, the nation’s health care workers—the first line of defense against the diseases—are at risk because many the nation’s health care facilities are not prepared to deal with a pandemic. The report, which surveyed 104 health care facilities in 14 states, found that while health care facilities have made some progress in preparing for an influenza pandemic, much more needs to be done. The survey found:
**More than one-third of the respondents believe their workplace is either not ready or only slightly ready to address the health and safety needs necessary to protect health care workers during a pandemic.
**43 percent of respondents believe that most or some of their fellow workers will stay home.
**One-third of the facilities have yet to develop a written plan for responding to pandemic flu and only 54 percent of the facilities have identified health care workers who will be at some risk of occupational exposure to the pandemic flu virus.
**Fewer than half the facilities surveyed (43 percent) have provided pandemic flu training to their workers, one of the fundamental elements of protecting workers from occupational hazards.





The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) is urging broader national action to promote containment and prevention of a broader swine flu pandemic.





The nurses union says after years of neglect of the public safety net, the nation’s health care infrastructure is badly eroded. Says CNA/NNOC co-president Deborah Burger, RN:





From SARS to avian flu to the current escalating outbreaks of swine influenza, it has become increasingly clear that we are risking a major catastrophe unless we act to restore the safety net, and devote the resources that are needed to protect the public.





The CNA/NNOC’s pandemic action plan includes:
**Recruit and mobilize teams of scientists to create the appropriate effective vaccine for the virus.
**Cease and desist any reductions in public health programs at federal, state and local levels. Lift any freezes on public health funding currently in place.
**Implement a moratorium on any closures of emergency rooms, layoffs of direct health care personnel and reductions of hospital beds.
**Assure the availability of protective equipment for all health care personnel.
For more information, visit http://www.calnurse.org/.





Meanwhile, the Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) is asking the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enact flu safeguards that would include passenger screening tests for the swine flu. The AFA-CWA is also asking the FAA to order airlines to supply attendants with latex gloves and face masks and not to count sick day absences against contractually allotted sick days.





The union also wants the FAA to ensure that aircraft are equipped with proper and sufficient hand-washing materials and to emphasize the importance of regular and thorough hand-washing, and not touching one’s face, to crew and passengers.





In other swine flu developments, this week the Obama administration called on Congress to allocate $1.5 billion for combating the virus. That money to fight the swine flu outbreak would be available now if Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and “Bush’s Brain” Karl Rove” had not led the fight to strip $870 million from the Obama administration’s economic recovery package that was designated for pandemic preparation. Says John Nichols in the Nation’s blog The Beat:





The attack on pandemic preparation became so central to the GOP strategies [to attack the recovery package] that [the Associated Press] AP reported in February: “Republicans, meanwhile, plan to push for broader and deeper tax cuts, to trim major spending provisions that support Democrats’ longer-term policy goals, and to try to knock out what they consider questionable spending items, such as $870 million to combat the flu.





Sunday, Collins attempted to defend herself, dispatching a spokesman to declare that, “There is no evidence that federal efforts to address the swine flu outbreak have been hampered by a lack of funds.” But, as The Washington Post notes: “Collins and the others who led the fight to axe the flu money three months ago can only hope that doesn’t change.”





One the key recommendation to prevent the spread of swine is to stay home from work if you become infected with the virus. But as we reported in September, nearly 50 percent of private-sector workers have no paid sick days. For low-income workers, the number jumps to 76 percent. Says Pat Garofalo at the Think Progress Wonk Room.





Unfortunately, staying home due to illness is simply not possible for a large number of Americans….These workers have to decide between the health of themselves and their co-workers, and the wages that they lose by staying home.





This could be remedied by the Healthy Families Act, which Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) plan to reintroduce in Congress next month. The bill would “guarantee workers up to seven paid sick days a year to recover from an illness or care for a sick family member.” And if it helps prevent the spread of illnesses like swine flu, even better.





For more information, visit the CDC online at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ and WHO at http://www.who.int/en/, and check out the AFL-CIO resources on pandemic influenza.


LLLLLLLLLLLL
This story has a local connection here in Manitoba where seasonal agricultural workers are brought in each year, mostly from Mexico. The local papers have been abuzz with claims and counterclaims about how these workers are covered, or not, by our medicare system. The provincial government claims that they are covered, but the experience of the past says that they are not. Many are covered only by "dollar store" private health plans that don't pay for many expenses that are covered under public plans such as Medicare. This has importance as many workers are quite fearful of running up medical bills that they have no ability to pay. The following is an article from one of our local papers, the Winnipeg Free Press, about the situation. the person interviewed, Gustavo Mejicanos, works for the Portage la Prairie branch of the Agriculture Workers' Alliance. The worker centres affiliated with this organization have been organized by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) which is trying to do here in Canada what has been done in the USA by the United Farm Workers. So far the results have been small, but the UFCW has at least managed to establish some unionization on farms here in Manitoba. The "big fish" of Ontario and BC, however, are still a work in progress, as previous articles on this blog have mentioned. It is important in the face of any pandemic, however severe or not, to make reporting to the health care system as easy as possible. Refusing to cover medical expenses goes in precisely the opposite direction. However much a mean spirited conservative attitude might like to punish such workers by denying them benefits, this sort of childish fit of pique shouldn't be allowed to get in the way of rational public health policy.

LLLLLLLLLLLL
Migrant workers without health coverage a swine flu risk: union rep:
By Gabrielle Giroday, Winnipeg Free PressApril 28, 2009
WINNIPEG — Mexican migrant workers could put Manitobans and themselves at risk of swine flu because of their inadequate health insurance and fear of seeking medical help.





The warning came Tuesday from a Spanish-speaking union worker who said the migrants need better government-funded health coverage while in Canada.





“We are in a situation where we can’t take chances. . . . This is very dangerous to the system,” said Gustavo Mejicanos, who comes into contact with about 400 seasonal workers each year as co-ordinator of the Agriculture Workers Alliance Centre in Portage la Prairie, Man., about 100 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.





He said the migrant workers come to Manitoba each year on temporary visas to make money for their families. Many are afraid to access health care because of costs not covered by the private insurance they are required to get.





Manitoba chief medical officer Dr. Joel Kettner said he doesn’t think the province is doing anything to address the issue of Mexican seasonal workers, but plans to look into it further.





“It’s an excellent question and I don’t know the answer. But it’s important to get an answer,” he said.





Private health coverage for migrant workers is often organized by the farm’s owner, Mejicanos said.





In Saskatchewan, a provincial spokeswoman said seasonal workers under the same federal program are covered by provincial health care.





Mejicanos estimated there are 60 Mexican seasonal workers already in Manitoba, men ages 20 to 45. He said 15 to 20 of those workers have arrived during the last month.





He said many seasonal workers work 12 to 16 hours a day on Manitoba farms and some suffer injuries. Many do not want to call attention to themselves for fear of losing their contracts, Mejicanos said.





“They’re afraid of losing their job and being sent back to Mexico,” he said.
gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca
LLLLLLLLLLLL
Finally here is something that I really, really, really, really agree with. Seasonal workers arriving in Canada are now to undergo a much more extensive health screening than previously. That's all fine and good, as the following press statement from the UFCW points out- ie they have no qualms about this either. What is important, however, is that such screening be applied to all without discrimination on the basis of social class. Personally I'd like to see it done to Canadians returning from Mexican vacations, especially those who have gone there since the public furor about the flu. As I said, I don't think this unavoidable pandemic is "the big one", but such a situation is plain and simply inevitable. Best to get a few things straight before the worst happens.
Presently it seems that both Canadians travelling to Mexico on business and wealthy Mexicans arriving here for similar purposes are exempt from the screening that the poorer Mexican seasonal workers will have to undergo. This actually is something very close to the definition of "irrational". Airborne infections such as influenza just don't discriminate on the basis of the fatness of one's wallet. A rich Mexican has just as much chance of harbouring the virus as a poor one. Airborne infection, I said. NOT something from bad water or bad food. This can't be argued against. The following press release presents this demand for a rational fairness in perhaps less emphatic tones than Molly does, but what they say is obvious.
LLLLLLLLLLLL

Statement by National President Wayne Hanley on new screening protocols for seasonal Mexican agriculture workers arriving in Canada:

April 27, 2009 — "Over the past decade, UFCW Canada has supplied information and services to tens of thousands of seasonal agriculture workers who are fundamental to the Canadian agriculture sector. The majority of those workers come from Mexico under a long-established federal program that has always required health testing of workers before they arrive in Canada.



On Monday, the federal government announced additional health screening protocols for these workers. To date, no Mexican worker in Canada has been diagnosed with the flu strain in question, and thousands of these workers have been here for months. That said, we support these protocols because safety is the top priority.




If these screening measures are considered appropriate for agriculture workers, logically they should also be used to screen all travellers from Mexico, including tourists and business travellers as well. The additional screening measures announced by the government should be applied to all those arriving from regions impacted by this new strain of flu.




As for workers already here from Mexico, our nine agriculture support centers continue to translate and distribute to them up-to-date information from the public health authorities. We are also there for any worker who is concerned about a health issue, or needs someone to act as an interpreter at a health clinic or hospital.




This is certainly a distressing time for all concerned. We share that concern and are prepared to work with all the stakeholders - here in Canada, and in Mexico, to ensure that safety remains the top priority for Canadians, for the workers, and for our communities."

ABORIGINAL ISSUES/FEMINISM/CANADIAN POLITICS:

SHARON MCIVOR VERSUS THE INDIAN ACT:

With over 24 years of legal struggle Sharon McIvor has been challenging the provisions of Canada's Indian Act that discriminate against women. Here is the latest news of her victory in the BC Court of Appeal. As the following article from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) makes plain the fight is not yet over, given the mindset of the present federal Conservative government.

############

Sharon McIvor's fight against the Indian Act's gender discrimination isn't over yet:
BC's Court of Appeal ruled April 9 – in Sharon McIvor's favour – that the Indian Act still discriminated against women by denying Indian status to the grandchildren of Aboriginal women, but not those of Aboriginal men.

Sharon McIvor was a law student when she first challenged the act. That was in 1985. The Merritt BC woman is a grandmother now.

The Indian Act McIvor first challenged in 1985 had itself been the subject of a court challenge because it stripped women of their Indian status if they married non Aboriginal men.

Meanwhile, non-Aboriginal women who married men with Indian status got status themselves.

McIvor's grandmothers were both Indians, but their husbands were not.

So when the federal government changed the Indian Act to comply with a 1983 Supreme Court ruling that Indian women who married non-Indian men should maintain their status, McIvor applied for Indian status.

The letter she got back from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs offered her Indian status, but not her children.

Two years later, her internal appeals exhausted, McIvor took the case to court.
It took 17 years to get in front of a judge.

In June 2007, two years after the first hearing, BC Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross sided with McIvor, arguing the law implied that "one's female ancestors are deficient or less Indian than their male contemporaries. The implication is that one's lineage is inferior."

The federal government appealed Ross's ruling, but lost. The government has 60 days to file an appeal with the Supreme Court of Canada.

If - as expected - the Harper government appeals the decision, McIvor's quest for justice will take another three years and at least $250,000.

McIvor has got this far in part because of the Court Challenges Program. The Harper government - which seems to have no difficulty finding money for its costs - cancelled the program in 2006.

To lend your support to McIvor's efforts, visit the Support for Sharon McIvor's Court Action group on Facebook.

############

This court case is important even beyond the situation of treaty rights. The legal question involved is whether descent through the maternal line is at least of equal importance compared to decent through the male line. many societies actually recognize only descent through the female line. The Jewish religion is the most prominent of these, but there are numerous other matrilinear societies besides this example. In terms of Canada it is of importance that this legal barrier against women be abolished. Here is more news on this case from the Support Sharon McIvor's Court Action site on Facebook.

############

Support for Sharon McIvor's Court Action:

Description:
Canada's Indian Act discriminates against Indigenous women and their children. Sharon McIvor has fought this in the courts since 1989. She has won a major victory in the BC Supreme Court but this decision will be challenged by the Government of Canada all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The reason for this group is to raise the profile of this case and build support for Sharon McIvor's struggle on behalf of all Indigenous Women in this country. Learn more about the case in the "Vancouver Sun" article posted below.
Contact Info
Email:

ravensroot@northwestel.net
Location:
Whitehorse, YT
Recent News
The long, hard road of Sharon McIvor

She has fought for two decades for her and her children's rights under the Indian Act. Despite a court victory, her fight isn't over yet

Daphne Bramham

Vancouver Sun

Friday, November 09, 2007

The Native Women's Association of Canada and several B.C. women's groups describe it as one of the most important equality rights cases in Canada, affecting an estimated 300,000 people who were improperly denied Indian status.

It began in 1985 when Sharon McIvor was a law student. She had no idea that her battle to reclaim her birthright and that of her descendants would drag on well into the first decade of the 21st century, or that it would likely end up in the Supreme Court of Canada.

A descendant of Lower Nicola Valley band members, McIvor applied within months of 1985 amendments to the Indian Act to be registered as a status Indian along with her children.

Both McIvor's grandmothers were Indians, but her grandfathers were not.

The amendments were ostensibly supposed to remedy the gender inequity of stripping Indian status from women and denying it to their children if they married non-Indian men. Men who married non-Indians not only retained their status, but their wives and children were registered as status Indians.

But the amendments simply put off the gender discrimination by a generation. Women who married non-Indians and their children got status, but the women's grandchildren did not, while the grandchildren of Indian men and non-Indian women did.

Sixteen months after that first letter, McIvor received a reply from the government. She could be registered as a status Indian, but her children could not.

On May 29, 1987, McIvor wrote another letter asking that the decision be reviewed. It took 21 months for a response. In February 1989, she was told that the initial decision had been upheld.

McIvor launched her court challenge that year, but her case wasn't heard until October 2006, 17 years later.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Carol Ross agreed with what McIvor has been saying all these years -- the 1985 Indian Act's section that determines who is given Indian status contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as international conventions on human rights, women's rights and children's rights.

In June 2007, Justice Ross declared the section "of no force and effect" because it "authorizes the differential treatment of Indian men and Indian women born before April 17, 1985, and matrilineal and patrilineal descendants born before April 17, 1985."

In a sharply worded, 144-page judgment, she said that by drawing a distinction between male and female ancestors in determining who can be registered as a status Indian, the section offends the basic notion of human dignity.

The judge wrote that the section implies that "one's female ancestors are deficient or less Indian than their male contemporaries. The implication is that one's lineage is inferior. The implication for an Indian woman is that she is inferior, less worthy of recognition."

Because the government had used every tactic possible to delay the case getting into court for 17 years, Ross refused its request to have two years to find a remedy.

It was a sweeping victory. The favourable decision stunned McIvor, who is now a 59-year-old grandmother, practising law part-time in Merritt and teaching law, indigenous studies and political science at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.

"I actually didn't trust that we would get a good decision," she said this week. "I've acted as counsel in other cases, similar kinds of cases involving women's equality and I haven't had any good decisions . . . . It's just so totally unbelievable that we won."

But it was only the first round. The government has vowed to appeal.

Set aside just how offensive it is to any reasonable person's expectation of a speedy hearing that it took so long for McIvor's case to be heard.

What is so depressingly evident throughout the 144-page judgment is just how badly we have mistreated -- and continue to mistreat -- aboriginal women and their children. It started when the colonial government lumped all aboriginal people together and misnamed them Indians.

In its determination to "civilize" aboriginal people, the Indian Act of 1850 imposed and entrenched a strictly patriarchal system. Even though many first nations were matriarchal societies, the "civilizers" stripped aboriginal women of their equality and property rights and overturned centuries-old hereditary systems.

The 1857 Act to Encourage the Gradual Civilization of Indian Tribes that "enfranchised" men over 21 who met specific criteria, not only stripped them of their Indian status, but that of their wives and children as well.

The 1869 Indian Act went further. It is the great-great-grandfather of the discriminatory system that was continued into the current act. Women who married non-Indians lost their Indian status. Women who married outside their own tribe were stripped of their band status, which meant if the marriage failed they could not return home.

All of the subsequent revisions and amendments to the Indian Act have failed to correct those inequities.

They have continued even though the Canadian Bill of Rights was passed in 1960; and even though in 1982 the United Nations Committee on Human Rights found Canada was in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights for effectively denying Indian women access to their culture, religion and language.

"It seems to me," Ross wrote, "that it is one of our most basic expectations that we will acquire the cultural identity of our parents; and that as parents, we will transmit our cultural identity to our children."

It was the judge's empathy for and understanding of what it must be like to be excluded as McIvor and her children were from their culture that most impressed McIvor.

"It was lonely and painful to be excluded from the Indian community," McIvor said when she testified. "My family and I suffered various forms of hurt and stigmatization because we did not have status cards.

"They were excluded from the traditional hunting, gathering and fishing as well as from traditional marriage, funeral and healing ceremonies.

They were not allowed to live on reserve land or go to Indian schools and they did not qualify for health and dental benefits or free post-secondary education.

On Oct. 16, 2006 -- the day McIvor's case finally went to court -- the government suddenly found a reason to recognize her son, Jacob Grismer, as a status Indian.

He was "ecstatic" to finally be recognized for what he is, McIvor said, even though the official documents didn't arrive until this past August.

McIvor started this fight for herself and her children. They now all have Indian status. But McIvor vows to continue the fight in the appeals courts for her grandchildren, aged 16 and 14, who do not have status and were not even born when this battle began.

Aside from the personal toll of having to lay bare one's entire life before bureaucrats, lawyers and judges over a period of more than 20 years, this case has cost McIvor tens of thousands of dollars in legal expenses. And it's not over.

It's almost certain to go to the Supreme Court of Canada, which will take at least three years and a minimum of a quarter of a million dollars.

Time and money are no problem for the government. It has deep pockets; McIvor does not.

"It would be horrible to lose because I can't mount a defence," she says.

McIvor estimates that legal costs for the B.C. Court of Appeal will be about $120,000 and that's only because she is doing some of the legal work herself and her lawyers, Robert Grant and Gwen Brodsky, aren't charging her anywhere near their usual fees.

It will cost at least that much to prepare for a hearing at the Supreme Court of Canada. Canada's court challenges program has covered a portion of McIvor's costs so far. But the Conservative government eliminated that program last year(With far less of the publicity that such a change should have generated-Molly).

It's added another burden and further insult to McIvor, who is fighting not only for her family, but for thousands of others like her.

dbramham@png.canwest.com

Sharon McIvor fund

The Supreme Court of B.C. decision is available at:

http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/Jdb-txt/SC/07/08/2007BCSC0827.htm.

The Native Women's Association of Canada and Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter are sponsoring a reception on Wednesday between 7 and 9 p.m. at Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, to honour Sharon McIvor and help raise money for her legal costs.

For information on how to donate to the fund, contact

mcivorfund@rapereliefshelter.bc.ca.

Cheques to support Sharon McIvor’s case can be written to:

“Vancouver Foundation - McIvor Case Fund”

Tax receipts will be issued.

If you are mailing a cheque, it can be sent to:

Kathie Bell

Manager, Named Funds

Vancity Community Foundation

510 - 815 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC

V6C 1B4

############

MOLLY NOTE:

This cause is obviously "on the side of the angels". What strikes me, however, most prominently is the almost quarter century that the case has taken to wind its way through the courts. This alone is atrocious, and is a condemnation of our present system of "justice". Surely !!!! there are better ways, and anarchists have often advocated them. No "council of reconciliation" would take even 1% of the time to render a decision in such a case.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-CHINA:

JUSTICE FOR HUANG QINGNAN:

The following appeal is from the Clean Clothes Campaign, an international network struggling for decent conditions in the clothing industry. In china today numerous workers are struggling for basic union rights and decent working conditions. One of their centres is the Dagonzhe Migrant Worker Centre in Shenzhen. This centre has been the target of numerous attacks, and the latest incident is the stabbing of Huang Qingnan, a staff member of the centre.

.............................

Take Action Today: Fair and Open Trial Needed in Attack on Chinese Worker Advocate‏:
URGENT ACTION

-------------------

Call on Chinese Authorities to Ensure a Fair and Open Trial!

In November 2007, Huang Qingnan of the Dagongzhe (DGZ) Migrant Worker Centre in Shenzhen, China was seriously injured after being stabbed by two unidentified men. The assault followed on the heels of two other violent attacks on the DGZ Centre, which provides a free library, labour law education and free legal consultation to the many migrant workers in Shenzhen. The attacks appear to have been an effort to prevent the Centre from empowering migrant workers and educating them about China’s new Labour Contract Law, which went into effect in 2008.

Five suspects, including a local businessman who owns several local factories, have been detained since January 2008. Contrary to the law, the trial was long delayed. On December 24, 2008 a hearing was finally scheduled at Longgang District Peoples’ Court. Some 60 supporters from Mainland China, Hong Kong and abroad came to the court to serve as observers in this critically important trial, but the room was too small to accommodate the supporters. Rather than risk that the trial begin without the observers present, Huang Qingnan accepted the court’s offer to delay the hearing which is now scheduled for January 16, 2009.

-----------------

Take action now! Please call on the Chinese authorities to ensure that a fair and open trial takes place and that justice is served.http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/09-01-15.htm#action

-----------------

If you would prefer to send your own letter, please write to the Chinese Embassy in your country or to the Chinese Mission to the European Union using this SAMPLE LETTER:

Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Communities

The Honourable H. E. Mr. Song Zhe

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary

Head of the Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Communities

chinamission_eu@mfa.gov.cn

Mr. Xu Zhong Heng

Mayor of Shenzhen City

xuzh@sz.gov.cn

Mr. Liu Yu Pu

Secretary of the Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee

liuyp@sz.gov.cn

Dear Sirs:

I am writing to express my grave concern about the case involving Huang Qingnan of the Dagongzhe (DGZ) Migrant Worker Centre in Shenzhen. In the fall of 2007, several attacks took place on the DGZ Centre and its staff and on November 20, 2007 staff member Huang Qingnan was seriously injured after being stabbed by two unidentified men. He suffered wounds – some more than 10 centimetres long – in his back, waist, and left leg. The muscle, bones, blood vessels, and nerves in his leg were cut apart, resulting in a permanent handicapped on his left leg.

The Dagongzhe Migrant Worker Centre is a valuable resource, providing a free library, labour law education and free legal consultation to migrant workers. It has been involved in raising awareness of the new Labour Contract Law, which affords better employment protection for workers.

Five suspects, including a local businessman, Zhong Wei Qi, who owns several local factories, have been detained since January 2008.

Contrary to the law, the trial was long delayed. On December 24, 2008 a hearing was finally scheduled at Longgang District Peoples’ Court. Some 60 supporters from Mainland China, Hong Kong and abroad came to the court to serve as observers in this critically important trial, but the room was too small to accommodate the supporters and the hearing was postponed. The court has recently announced that the hearing will take place on Friday, January 16, 2009.

I am writing to ask that you ensure that a fair and open trial takes place and that justice is served. The Chinese government must protect civil society organisations and staff members from violence. Fair resolution of this case is important to maintaining harmonious labour relations and to improving the protection of civil groups and their staff in order to prevent violence and maintain public security.

Sincerely,

Your Name

For more information: http://www.cleanclothes.org/urgent/09-01-15.htm

CANADIAN JUSTICE:
ROBERT LATIMER APPEALS PAROLE BOARD DECISION:
Back on December 7th of last year Molly blogged on the refusal of the National Parole Board to grant Robert Latimer day parole. As noted then the original event was a mercy killing, and Latimer is apparently the only Canadian ever to serve time for such an action. Most Canadians know that it is a certain fact that Mr. Latimer will never re-offend, and much of the public outrage about the denial of parole stems from the fact that the so-called "justice" system is supposed to be all about protecting the public. The public needs no such protection from Latimer. This is the basis of the appeal filed last Wednesday, January 23, on behalf of Mr. Latimer by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. They say that the board erred in law by not considering the fact of Latimer's extremely low likelihood of re-offending. As Molly noted back in December what really and truly offended the people who first heard Latimer's case for parole was that he didn't crawl and speak psychobabble to them- like almost all cons who fully intend to re-offend on release do. Lese majeste I guess. The appeal will be heard by the appeals division of the National Parole Board, and a decision may come as early as two weeks or as late as two months from now. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association argues that the Corrections and Conditional Release Act requires the parole board to consider only the offender's risk of committing an offense while on parole and whether the offender's release is consistent with his reintegration into the community.
Here is a timeline of the Latimer case:
Oct. 24, 1993: Latimer kills his daughter Tracy by piping carbon monoxide into his truck.
Nov. 16, 1994: Jury convicts Latimer of second degree murder, but recommends that he be eligible for full parole in only one year.
July 18, 1995: Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decides 2-1 to uphold Latimer conviction.
Oct. 25, 1995: Revelation that prosecutor interfered with jury by questioning them about religion, abortion and mercy killing.
Nov. 27, 1996: Supreme Court of Canada hears Latimer case.
Feb. 6, 1997: Supreme Court orders new trail due to jury interference, but upholds Latimer's confession.
Oct. 27, 1997: Latimer's second trial begins.
Nov. 5, 1997: Jury finds Latimer guilty of second-degree murder and recommends that he be eligible for parole after one year.
Dec. 1, 1997: Judge Ted Noble gives Latimer "constitutional exemption", orders sentence of less than two years, with one to be spent in the community.
Nov. 23, 1998: Saskatchewan Court of Appeal sets aside constitutional exemption and upholds mandatory sentence of at least 10 years.
Feb., 1999: Latimer appeals to the Supreme Court of Canada.
May 6, 1999: Supreme Court announced it will hear an appeal of Robert Latimer's sentence for 1993 killing of his severely disabled daughter.
June 14, 2000: Supreme Court hears appeal.
Jan. 18, 2001: Supreme Court upholds life sentence, with no parole for 10 years.
Dec. 17, 2003: Speaking more than ten years after the event Robert Latimer says he still believes he did the right thing.
Dec. 5, 2007: Latimer's bid for day parole is denied after a National Parole Board hearing at a prison in Victoria, The three board members, who took about an hour to make a decision, said they were struck by Latimer's "lack of insight" into the crime he committed.


For a full background on the case see the Robert Latimer. Net website.

CANADIAN JUSTICE ?

ROBERT LATIMER DENIED DAY PAROLE:

There are some things that come across on the news that are really and truly anger-provoking. The latest that Molly has seen is the decision of the National Parole Board who, in their wisdom (sic), have decided to deny day parole to Robert Latimer after he had served 7 years of his 2nd degree murder conviction for killing his severely disabled daughter Tracy Latimer. Mr. Latimer will not have the opportunity to apply for parole again for another two years. Tracy suffered from cerebral palsy due to a difficult birth. This was perhaps the least of her problems. She also suffered from severe scoliosis, epilepsy, quadriplegia and chronic vomiting. her medical condition was such that most of the doctors involved in her case felt that they could not advance treatment for her chronic excruciating pain beyond liquid Tylenol. She also had severe difficulty in swallowing.

Now Molly has lots of "ins" on this one. First of all, she is a veterinarian, and she knows the old medical adage about what to do when confronted by an obviously intractable medical problem. The saying goes..."refer the bastard". It's a variation of the everyday-life method of making something become somebody else's problem. Tracy was "referred" repeatedly in her short life to surgeons who were fully confident in their techniques, and repeated cutting and chopping did nothing nut make her pain worse. There's a second "in" here as Molly has a grand-nephew who also suffers from cerebral palsy because of a difficult birth. The difference is that he is not in screaming unremitting pain 24/7. He is institutionalized, but his life is tolerable, and the family has given him and his mother, my niece, the maximum possible support. Latimer's case was very different. Every medical intervention seemed to make Tracy worse and worse. For readers of this blog from outside of Canada (and some in this country) I refer them to the Robert Latimer. Net site for Latimer's own story and also to the Wikipedia article on the case for the full story from a disinterested viewpoint. My last "in" on this situation I will leave for later in this blog, but it should be apparent from what I have said above that I am not "unfamiliar" with the matters involved in this case.

The denial of Latimer's parole has sparked incredible outrage from a vast segment of the Canadian population. In the original trial the jury was ignorant of the legal fact of "jury supremacy" ie that a jury can rule for acquittal despite the obvious guilt of the accused. This "residue of real justice" is part of our common-law heritage, and remains part of it so that common sense can overrule legal formalities. Mr. Latimer never denied his guilt. After the act he drove to the local RCMP and turned himself in. The jury in the original case was also kept ignorant of the consequences of their decision to convict him of second degree murder. When, despite their recommendation for a very minimal prison sentence(one year), they were informed of the full consequences of their decision many broke down crying. The original judge's sentence of one year prison and one year "house arrest" on the Latimer farm was overturned on appeal by a vindictive prosecution. It is interesting to note that Robert Latimer is the only person to ever serve any jail time for a "mercy killing" in Canada. In other cases the prosecution has exercised its discretion by laying much more minor charges such as "administering a noxious substance" or manslaughter. In yet other cases the juries involved have been fully aware of their rights, and have opted for their right to acquit despite the evidence.

The case of Robert Latimer is what might be called in epidemiology an "index case". There was little doubt that a vast majority of the Canadian population at the time of the trial believed that he should serve a very minimal prison sentence (if any at all). About the only ones who disagreed were the professional disabled lobby (representing about 0.0001% of the population) who evoked the "slippery slope' argument 9corrupted, of course, by their own financial interests) and those who disagreed on religious terms (about 10% of the population, as most people pick and chose the decrees of their sect). The reaction to the denial of his parole has been even more vehement.

The "index case" of this reaction can perhaps be best expressed by the frequently expressed comment that "Karla Homulka got parole and has even had a baby" while Latimer rots in jail. The matter is often elaborated by the fact that really and truly evil murderers receive sentences that are far less than that that Latimer received. They are often out in two years. The public perception in this case is quite correct. Latimer is not only a "minimal risk to re-offend". He is a zero risk to re-offend. The public cannot see why, when there are numerous cases of people who went on to murder while on bail, on day-parole, on early release, on serving a tiny bit of their sentence,etc., that a harmless man should not be released. If the purpose is "denunciation" people see that there are other criminal acts in our society that are far more deserving of such "denunciation" than what Latimer did. Almost every murder in the news involves someone who has received far more mercy than Latimer has received.

Here is where Molly has got to intervene with her final "in". Never mind that she has medical knowledge that allows her to judge just how serious the situation that the Latimers were in. Never mind that she has personal knowledge from both her family and from meeting other people in similar situations who were not in the extreme situation of the Latimers, something that those who cry for Latimer's head rarely have, approaching it as they do from religious abstractions. I can only hope that a curse that such people who put abstractions over people comes true, and they suffer at last 1/10th as much as the Latimers suffered. The final clincher is that Molly has direct experience of having a family member murdered. Almost two decades ago her favourite nephew was killed in a manner sufficient that we had to have the classical "closed-coffin funeral". The whole thing became quite the media sensation as it dovetailed into politically correct angst about "gay-bashing", even though the evil thug's own "sexuality" was more than slightly questionable. It is rather off-putting to see your kin's name mentioned on page 2 of the Globe and Mail in reference to the hunt for the killer. Yeah, it became a NATIONAL CASE. To make a long story short the killer was apprehended, tried, convicted and imprisoned. Of course for a far shorter time than Mr. Latimer is destined to serve. The last that Molly heard of this reptile was an interview with him on the CBC where he was crying the blues about the lack of medical care for Hep-C and Aids infected people in prison. After he got his early release, of course. All that I can wish for him the most slow, unpleasant and painful death possible. May his disease eat him up and rot him from the inside, and if I should be so privileged I would wish to be present at his death-bed to mock him. It would be a great existential privilege.

OK, you get the idea about why I often get quite aggressive with juvenile "anarchists" (sic) who want to glorify criminality, often to the point of not just foolishly trying to recruit thugs-a goddamn bad idea- to the ideology but even to elevating such people as 'examples" of the class struggle. All that I can say to this is that, if you want to propose an "alternative" to the present society, that you shouldn't make it so obvious that your alternative is worse than what presently exists. But there is a matter in the present Latimer case that goes far beyond the tiny anarchist movement and how some within it are bloodily determined to preserve their illusions of superiority by being as illusionarily radical as possible.

This other matter revolves around the so-called "justification" that the Parole Board gave for their decision. Mr. Latimer expressed "no remorse" for his actions. That is not exactly true. He was an ordinary Saskatchewan farmer, unaccustomed to either lying nor covering up his motivations by psycho-babble. He was questioned about his "feelings" at the time when he killed his daughter, and, like a normal person who does not make their living by manipulation, he responded by speaking the truth about Tracy's condition. In the worldview of the mind-worms, however, truth is irrelevant, and they responded by saying that he "lacked insight and understanding regarding what he did". They sentenced him to more prison time and , what may be worse, "counselling". In other times and places what they sentenced him to was "further political re-education". The grossest part of their lie was when a spokesman for the board went on the CBC radio and tried to deny that Latimer's "lack of remorse" had anything to do with the decision of the Board by invoking a piece of bureaucratic newspeak by invoking the quote above. Gross obvious fucking lies. Those who wish to replace the previous roles of the priests in our society DEMAND that ritual acts of contrition be laid before their altars, no matter how contradictory to common sense such rituals are.

Molly has spoken about this before on this blog. Mr Latimer has has, according to this holy incantation "issues". Bullshit and double bullshit. The board may not even disagree with Latimer's act, as the great majority of Canadians do not. What offended them was his refusal to speak the language of their class and its pretensions to religious power. This is why Karla Homulka got parole. She actually "studied" the arcane pseudo-science of "psychology" in prison and was evil enough and shameless enough to parrot back the bullshit to her parole board. Most of us in the real world recognize what a liar she is, but the whole idea of "lies" is beyond the intellectual (sic) horizon of good social workers- especially when they lie constantly. What Mr. Latimer is is a "political prisoner" with far more justification for such a term than almost any of the criminals that my dear deluded comrades want to raise to such a status in the USA. His act of killing his daughter who could not be relieved of her insufferable pain in any other way is far more worthy than those who rob banks and then say they did it for "political reasons". His defiance of the high priests of the Parole Board is also a much more direct attack on at least one of the organizations that oppress ordinary people than the lying justifications of those who commit crimes for their own benefit. It is a clear "class matter", and, if it cannot be seen as such, it is merely evidence of how far the "left" has strayed from its traditional populist basis.