tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61171904742039742572024-03-05T09:08:32.370-08:00Canadians in AfghanistanThe story of an attempt to extract public information from the Department of National Defence. Original application: 14 December 2006. This blog is just biding its time, waiting for the last Canadian soldier to leave Afghanistan.Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comBlogger1060125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-17365082525388998562016-11-06T15:12:00.000-08:002016-11-06T15:12:00.099-08:00Screeching like Goebbels<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">Donald Trump is the true face of America</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsvr19N2S3-ZjjYoyT2uBsxf-TPpfHFT-6g4KMrI_FimeJGn4R04PwdfWBvhIzK78BnCFIB49bGwgtUlcOfnqd8Vdz6rlR6k2Tc78bHfmurIIhfAS9utZt75b9Lxt8iylw9DXh88SlEE/s1600/kill+anything+that+moves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsvr19N2S3-ZjjYoyT2uBsxf-TPpfHFT-6g4KMrI_FimeJGn4R04PwdfWBvhIzK78BnCFIB49bGwgtUlcOfnqd8Vdz6rlR6k2Tc78bHfmurIIhfAS9utZt75b9Lxt8iylw9DXh88SlEE/s320/kill+anything+that+moves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></div>
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A lot of noise has been heard about how crazy Trump is and how Hillary Clinton is the civilized person's only choice.</div>
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There is nothing civilized about Hillary Clinton, any more than there is about Barack Obama. They make all the right noises and probably somewhere their hearts are in the right place. But like Lyndon Johnson before them - a guy who wanted to be a genuinely healing American president on domestic reform - they crashed and burned on foreign policy.</div>
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There is a lot of evidence about this.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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"These men, largely private, were functioning on a level different from the foreign policy of the United States, and years later when <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span> reporter Neil Sheehan read through the entire documentary history of the war, that history known as the Pentagon Papers, he would come away with one impression above all, which was that the government of the United States was not what he had thought it was; it was as if there were an inner U.S. government, what he called <span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: yellow;">'a centralized state, far more powerful than anything else, for whom the enemy is not simply the Communists but everything else, its own press, its own judiciary, its own Congress, foreign and friendly governments - all these are potentially antagonistic. It had survived and perpetuated itself,' Sheehan continued, 'often using the issue of anti-Communism as a weapon against the other branches of government and the press, and finally, it does not function necessarily for the benefit of the Republic but rather for its own ends, its own perpetuation; it has its own codes which are quite different from public codes. Secrecy was a way of protecting itself, not so much from threats by foreign governments but from detection from its own population on charges of its own competence and wisdom.' </span></span>Each succeeding Administration, Sheehan noted, was careful, once in office, not to expose the weaknesses of its predecessor. After all, essentially the same people were running the governments, they had continuity to each other, and each succeeding Administration found itself faced with virtually the same enemies. Thus the national security apparatus kept its continuity, and every outgoing President tended to rally to the side of the incumbent President.</div>
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"Out of this of course came a willingness to use covert operations; it was a necessity of the times, to match the Communists, and what your own population and your own Congress did not know was not particularly important; it was almost better if they did not know..."</div>
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David Halberstam</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://books.google.ca/books?id=U_WoXcJq_1wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=halberstam+best+brightest&hl=en&ei=68KYTse7MYesiQLe5vS-DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=snippet&q=covert%20operations&f=false">The Best and The Brightest</a></span></div>
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The fact is that as far as most of the rest of the world is concerned - particularly that world that was called the Third World and now euphemistically the Developing World - Trump is the accurate face of American foreign policy.</div>
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Clinton represents, as did Obama, Business As Usual. The forces they represent are not reasonable, not civilized, and not interested in the Nuremberg Principles. It is entirely possible that neither Clinton nor Obama has read the Nuremberg Principles. These forces are in fact unprincipled, lawless, selfish, and vicious.</div>
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Trump's face is the honest one. Clinton's is a lie.</div>
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Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-48963560765867095662016-06-23T18:42:00.000-07:002016-06-23T18:50:20.894-07:00On the refusal to quit<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zgSNlmkJCpg" width="420"></iframe>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-35268811085914397562016-06-23T14:14:00.000-07:002016-06-25T19:28:08.962-07:00Dishonoured Legacy Part 2<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-size: large;">Burying the Afghanistan Inquiry</span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7MgTEjcko_UbPK6sV-pUa1v6IpZFORHHgL9L5HsfOJEqQbn4oPWrT3QMVD_RuuSoAyIcOyb3CMWsGPEXzXfKySFRQ9QMtGbn21FRjoZXSyGhW7xy38U3phHpln0ng-C0iTYHZ6Gcug4/s1600/dishonoured+legacy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7MgTEjcko_UbPK6sV-pUa1v6IpZFORHHgL9L5HsfOJEqQbn4oPWrT3QMVD_RuuSoAyIcOyb3CMWsGPEXzXfKySFRQ9QMtGbn21FRjoZXSyGhW7xy38U3phHpln0ng-C0iTYHZ6Gcug4/s400/dishonoured+legacy.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Entire report is <a href="http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/bcp-pco/CP32-65-1997-1-eng.pdf">here</a>.</span></td></tr>
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<i style="background-color: black; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="color: white;"><br />“We can only hope that Somalia represents the nadir of the fortunes of the Canadian Forces. There seems to be little room to slide lower. One thing is certain, however: left uncorrected, the problems that surfaced in the desert in Somalia and in the boardrooms at National Defence Headquarters will continue to spawn military ignominy. The victim will be Canada and its international reputation.”</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">- Preface, <i><a href="http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2015/bcp-pco/CP32-65-1997-1-eng.pdf">Dishonoured Legacy</a></i>, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"> The Report of The Commission of Inquiry into the Deployment of Canadian forces in Afghanistan</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: black; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"><span style="color: white;">"So I said, you know, the NDS tortures people, that is what they do, and if we don’t want to have detainees tortured, we shouldn’t give them to the NDS."</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">– </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">Richard Colvin, </span><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/29903908/Hearing-Transcript-April-13-2010" style="border: 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">testimony before the Canadian Military Police Complaints Commission</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">, April 13, 2010</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">"Canada is proud of the honourable work of the men and women in uniform and civilian officials who served in Afghanistan. Canada remains the leading donor supporting the work of the AIHRC to strengthen its capacity to fulfill its constitutional mandate to monitor human rights in Afghanistan. Throughout Canada’s military operations in Afghanistan, the Government of Canada ensured individuals detained by the CAF were treated humanely and handled, transferred or released in accordance with our obligations under international law. <span style="color: yellow;">Therefore the Government of Canada does not believe an independent judicial commission of inquiry is necessary."</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">- Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/HOC/ePetitions/Responses/421/e-70/421-00217_DND_E.pdf">response to petition 421-00217</a> (for an inquiry) June 16, 2016</span></span></blockquote>
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Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-22448099757370508592016-06-16T13:41:00.000-07:002016-06-16T13:41:27.588-07:00<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Two solitudes? In Quebec, leading media (La Presse and L'Actualite) talking about need for public inquiry. <a href="https://t.co/LDYFgrf9I5">https://t.co/LDYFgrf9I5</a> In ROC? 0</p>— Craig Scott (@CraigScottNDP) <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigScottNDP/status/743500262019473409">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-10765017126771389582016-06-08T15:11:00.001-07:002016-06-08T15:11:32.930-07:00<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Letter to PM Trudeau signed by Joe Clark, Ed Broadbent, former Cdn diplomats calling for inquiry on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghan?src=hash">#Afghan</a> torture <a href="https://t.co/iibYCE8w81">https://t.co/iibYCE8w81</a></div>
— Craig Scott (@CraigScottNDP) <a href="https://twitter.com/CraigScottNDP/status/740651577497772033">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-31112676782099745472016-02-15T21:06:00.003-08:002016-02-16T13:34:25.904-08:00NATO and The Incredible Stupidity of Being<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: yellow;">A film playing 24/7 everywhere.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F4R0LvdXxIQB48hssZa-To_1MgKKdySxsP28y63CW7uDHOB9VbCD_e8vPCueoywPYWQC3sG1pX5g9renYCF6TKvUUoD7GSEJCn0JQH5XghyphenhyphendncmDCE-EZ3rmvWGEi4qZo93mRba2bJI/s1600/msf+hospital+yemen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F4R0LvdXxIQB48hssZa-To_1MgKKdySxsP28y63CW7uDHOB9VbCD_e8vPCueoywPYWQC3sG1pX5g9renYCF6TKvUUoD7GSEJCn0JQH5XghyphenhyphendncmDCE-EZ3rmvWGEi4qZo93mRba2bJI/s320/msf+hospital+yemen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDL1A6ekjAzF7sbzFJi2GFR3A5hVqHfWTNmLN3W_X-5_1S7t3R4s2b3KSpy41j11ohGAsvmPwl_HYIYd2_JmFpfKuAGFHUldCu6iQQy2g4KHPiZKLYhgTWbCeLF_Jh4pVShRMkA8bljo/s1600/MSF_Hospital_101415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGDL1A6ekjAzF7sbzFJi2GFR3A5hVqHfWTNmLN3W_X-5_1S7t3R4s2b3KSpy41j11ohGAsvmPwl_HYIYd2_JmFpfKuAGFHUldCu6iQQy2g4KHPiZKLYhgTWbCeLF_Jh4pVShRMkA8bljo/s320/MSF_Hospital_101415.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the spirit of <i>The Emperor Has No Clothes </i>it's worth pointing out the obvious: NATO doesn't have any either.</div>
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In the current hand wringing over gun violence in the world, it's worth pointing out that after all this hand wringing, NATO tries to solve all political problems with guns. And there's bombing of course (including cluster bombs already forbidden by <a href="https://www.icrc.org/ihl/INTRO/580">The Ottawa Treaty</a>, except for the USA who didn't sign it), rocketing of hospitals clearly marked and identified (war crimes as identified in the Geneva Conventions of 1949, <a href="https://www.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/1a13044f3bbb5b8ec12563fb0066f226/515ec8abe917fe30c12563cd0042aee8">Geneva IV, Article 14</a>) even if some were done by proxy.</div>
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And it's worth pointing out that NATO sees no obvious connection between violence it has perpetrated (I'm not saying started) in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, and the "refugee crisis" now imposing its fully clothed (if occasionally dead) reality on...NATO that is earnestly guarding against it.</div>
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The fact that Russia does bad things is irrelevant.</div>
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This, ladies and gentlemen, is stupidity at its most elemental level: the denial of a reality verifiable by a child, and a crime verifiable by anyone who can read.</div>
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And Canada is part of it.</div>
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Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-91128565829336684402016-02-14T13:41:00.000-08:002016-02-14T13:41:26.833-08:00Valentines for the Planet<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Being in space you realise what matters most on Earth: look after each other & the planet <a href="https://t.co/6ONemF7fGc">https://t.co/6ONemF7fGc</a><a href="https://t.co/GRijUDXlUv">https://t.co/GRijUDXlUv</a></p>— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) <a href="https://twitter.com/astro_timpeake/status/698798110546366464">February 14, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Edgar Mitchell of Apollo 14 & 6th man to walk on the moon has died today. R.I.P Ed. 👊😕👍 <a href="https://t.co/XxQbOdDeJi">pic.twitter.com/XxQbOdDeJi</a></p>— tim cornwell (@247razz) <a href="https://twitter.com/247razz/status/695798536731037696">February 6, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-46772471111510224762016-01-07T22:29:00.004-08:002016-06-26T14:40:16.297-07:00When you think the world's going to hell, this'll help<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Tanguy de Lamotte, "Smoke on the Water" (extended version)</b></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CHlj3hNTkoc" width="420"></iframe><br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; color: white;">"<span style="font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Air guitar sur "Smoke on the water" de Deep Purple à 45 noeuds de vent ça fume pour Tanguy de Lamotte sur Initiatives Coeur durant son Vendée Globe 2012."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="color: white;">And he's back.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: black; font-family: "roboto" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><a href="http://www.vendeeglobe.org/en/skippers-2016.html"><span style="color: white;">Vendee Globe, 2016</span></a></span>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-53384648284326791202016-01-02T21:43:00.001-08:002016-01-04T19:45:25.031-08:00The Hunting of the Snarf (système national pour un autre référendum franglais*)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrziYNU0hfD1D6d6KAIkUC3Uz4vxBgdlcJL5IwLMcM7JQHwWlnyYzZnRkkU_PxqOOh1cGMOwr-oWwAwRd_vN4F1FEWHXPUnh7KeH9EMlls8TK-8E1Hlj-zhHkadgtrXwu7oHdIXRXLZc/s1600/snark3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQrziYNU0hfD1D6d6KAIkUC3Uz4vxBgdlcJL5IwLMcM7JQHwWlnyYzZnRkkU_PxqOOh1cGMOwr-oWwAwRd_vN4F1FEWHXPUnh7KeH9EMlls8TK-8E1Hlj-zhHkadgtrXwu7oHdIXRXLZc/s320/snark3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173165">Fit the only~~</a></i></b></div>
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They sought it with thimbles, they sought its great mission;</div>
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They pursued it with forks and hope;</div>
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They threatened its life with a Royal Commission;</div>
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They charmed it with smiles and soap.</div>
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"Just the place for a Snarf!" the Prime Minister cried,</div>
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As he landed his crew with care;</div>
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And supported them all on the strength of his bride</div>
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With her fingers that gripped his great hair.</div>
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"Just the place for a Snarf! I have said it twice:</div>
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That alone should encourage the crew.</div>
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Just the place for a Snarf! I have said it thrice:</div>
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What I tell you three times is true."</div>
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The crew was complete: it included a Sikh—</div>
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A man who was expert on 'Hoods—</div>
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A Barrister, brought in to arrange their first nations—</div>
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To make treaties and guilt understood.<br />
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A new-found Rainmaker, whose skill was immense,</div>
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Might have influenced more than his share—<o:p></o:p></div>
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But a Banker, engaged at enormous expense,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Had the whole of their cash in his care.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There was also a Beaver, who paced on the deck<o:p></o:p></div>
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And gnawed parts of the wheel for a dam,<o:p></o:p></div>
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That installed on the prow, often saved them from wreck,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Though none of the crew could say how.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was one who was famed for the number of things<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She forgot when she entered the ship:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her corporate history, her pipelines of mystery,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the ethics she’d bought for the trip.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She had forty two ethics, all carefully packed,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With her name painted clearly on each:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But, since she omitted to mention the fact,<o:p></o:p></div>
They were all left behind on the beach.<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were more crew besides but the time and the tides</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Propelled Snarf-hunting right to the fore,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which was trapped by the dam that the Beaver had planned</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So they left it and met on the shore.</div>
<br />
The Prime Minister said as he stood in his bed:<br />
"Our Snarf-hunt must have a Commission,<br />
To see promises kept and not furtively swept,<br />
Beneath carpets of Sins of Omission."<br />
<br />
But none was too sure what the promises were,<br />
To their consternatèd recollection,<br />
Until they recalled Rideau Hall in the fall,<br />
'Twas to form a new means of election.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Commissioners each formed a different view<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well before terms of reference were read,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And they all spoke at once so that none of them knew<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One word that the others had said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They considered the means, the whys, whens, and wherefores<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To be newly and fairly elected,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the means of Australia, New Zealand, and France,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Great Britain among those selected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Australia, some cried with particular pride,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Has national mandatory voting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And a Senate elected (thus appointments rejected),<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And gun control laws without gloating.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But New Zealand others said, Mixed Member Prop Rep!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More than 90 per cent turnout also!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But unfortunately they had elected John Key,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An NSA lick-spittle bozo.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"But what do we say of the U.S.of A?"<br />
The Barrister asked in confusion.<br />
"They are neighbours of ours, they have very good bars<br />
And a famously good Constitution."<br />
<br />
"Yes, the writing is grand" said the Beaver whose hands<br />
Were unrolling the said Constitution.<br />
"But as George Carlin said, it's unfortunately dead,<br />
And embalmed in the Smithsoniootion"<br />
<br />
"We can do no other than consider the Mother<br />
Of All Parliaments!" the PM declared.<br />
"It used to be good," said the Sikh in the 'Hood,<br />
"But then it coughed up Tony Blair."<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were those who thought that a Snarf might be sought<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Through Proportional Representation.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But the example they gave (it was Israel) so grave<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘Twas rejected without hesitation.</div>
<br />
The discussion went on, and further and further<br />
Through one hundred and ninety-three nations,<br />
And though each sometimes pleasey, could be just as sleazy<br />
So concluded in futiliation.<br />
<br />
The French were too boozy, the Italians too floozy,<br />
The Dutch and the Germans too rigid,<br />
The Indians too Chinese, the Chinese too Indian,<br />
And Scandinavians of course far too frigid.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
They sought it with symbols, they sought through thin air;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They pursued it with storks and dope;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They threatened its life with a Terrorist Scare;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They charmed it with smiles and soap.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They shuddered to think that the chase might fail,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the Beaver, excited at last,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Went bounding along on the tip of its tail,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the daylight was nearly past.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"There's Wassername laughing!" the Prime Minister cried,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"She was laughing like mad till she barfed!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He looked all around then adjusted his gown,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"She certainly has found a Snarf!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They gazed in delight, while the Barrister exclaimed<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"She was always a doubtful appointment."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She was up to her neck—their Heroine unnamed—<o:p></o:p><br />
In Unethical Swamped Disappointment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Erect and sublime, for one moment of time,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the next, that wild figure they saw<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sank more in the soup to submerge with a "floop"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
While they waited and listened in awe.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"It's a Snarf!" was the sound that first came to
their ears,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And seemed surely a relief that it be.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then followed a torrent of laughter and cheers:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then the ominous words "It's a Key—"<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, silence. Some fancied they heard in the air<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A weary and wandering sigh,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That sounded like "—stone!" but the others declared</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was only a breeze that went by.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They hunted till darkness came on, but they found<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not a button, or feather, or scarf,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By which they could tell that they stood on the ground<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where Wassername met with the Snarf.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the midst of the word she was trying to say,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the midst of her laughter and glee,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She had softly and suddenly vanished away—<o:p></o:p></div>
For the Snarf <i>was</i> a Keystone, you see.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: center;">*NotSorry</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-24881541634362544192016-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:002016-01-04T19:31:08.662-08:00"And yes, there is hope. I think ordinary common sense suffices - no special training, like my uncle - to unravel this and see what's really happening."<br />
<span style="color: yellow; font-size: large;">"I don't think it's hard to discover that the U.S. is a leading terrorist state. It's obvious."</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ghoXQxdk6s" width="420"></iframe>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-29100746113475402312015-12-30T09:22:00.000-08:002016-06-25T19:29:53.215-07:00UN Security Council Resolution 2254 - a diplomatic clusterfuck<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
"Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers."</div>
</blockquote>
George Orwell, <i><a href="http://georgeorwellnovels.com/essays/politics-and-the-english-language/">Politics and the English Language </a></i><br />
<br />
There is an industry - known by many names but "strategic communication" is one - whose goal is to convince people that pigs fly. This disease has infected the Security Council.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: yellow;">Self-evident matters of fact and law:</span><br />
<br />
1. Neither this resolution (2254) nor resolution 2249 authorizes military action under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.<br />
<br />
2. The proposition that Canada's current military involvement in Syria is in any way "self defence" is ludicrous.<br />
<br />
3. There is no other circumstance that use of military force by one nation state in the territory of another is lawful under the Charter.<br />
<blockquote>
</blockquote>
Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-75262996654285448062015-12-30T09:14:00.000-08:002015-12-30T09:14:23.315-08:00War on Terror, explained (via Mark MacKinnon)<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Man accidentally comes up with perfect metaphor for 14 years of the "War On Terror." <a href="https://t.co/UHAES3twc1">https://t.co/UHAES3twc1</a></div>
— Mark MacKinnon (@markmackinnon) <a href="https://twitter.com/markmackinnon/status/654385408458006528">October 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Man tries to put out garbage fire by driving over it in a van loaded with ammunition: <a href="http://t.co/EZ73JB1r18">http://t.co/EZ73JB1r18</a> <a href="http://t.co/SFdB9csm72">pic.twitter.com/SFdB9csm72</a></div>
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) <a href="https://twitter.com/KCStar/status/654293513031430144">October 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-74681492957812975792015-12-07T22:50:00.001-08:002015-12-07T22:50:23.428-08:00Australians in Iraq<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6tF-5Xg_byk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-19577166135492034182015-12-04T22:01:00.001-08:002015-12-05T13:49:52.997-08:00"The Mission" and UN Security Council Resolution 2249<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XEUY3aCtLf3XVodPCNRk9GZo9N8BkaZPZQtmOZjt6NAeM2biYJsC0xdcsrAe0cpNLDLolWyB2uCqFQoF9M86mDWF_t_nuyX8aO2BL9xS9XEKPUbw0U_Rp3B9uLEWpdVa1Ec7cOshQqs/s1600/2249.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0XEUY3aCtLf3XVodPCNRk9GZo9N8BkaZPZQtmOZjt6NAeM2biYJsC0xdcsrAe0cpNLDLolWyB2uCqFQoF9M86mDWF_t_nuyX8aO2BL9xS9XEKPUbw0U_Rp3B9uLEWpdVa1Ec7cOshQqs/s400/2249.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What mission?<br />
<br />
Resolution 2249 conspicuously avoided authorizing any military action under Article 51 of the Charter (or any other part of Chapter VII) but spelled out the body of international law "particularly the Charter" that must be observed.<br />
<br />
Article 2(7) says<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ol style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; counter-reset: my-counter 0; font-family: Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.15px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 18px 26px; padding: 0px;">
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-image: none; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 0px; padding-left: 8px;">Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures under Chapter Vll.</li>
</ol>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Enforcement measures under Chapter VII are not authorized by 2249. But it calls for "all necessary means" to "eradicate" the safe haven for terrorists in Iraq and Syria.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a resolution of weasel words. It calls on members to eradicate terrorists without, once again, giving a clear statement of what terrorism is, except that "terrorists" are people who are then placed on the "1267 committee" terrorism list, an opaque process. So we have circular arguments about who the terrorists are, and contradictory instructions and permissions to member nations who have the capacity to do the unspecified eradication. "All necessary means" presumably does not include nuclear weapons.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A plain reading of the UN Charter seems to make clear that participation in civil wars is forbidden. Whatever is going on in Syria and Iraq is civil war. If the UN Security Council wants something enforced, it should say so and give authorization for military action. Otherwise, shut up.</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
In our time, political speech and writing are largely the defense of the indefensible. Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which do not square with the professed aims of political parties. Thus political language has to consist largely of euphemism, question-begging and sheer cloudy vagueness. Defenseless villages are bombarded from the air, the inhabitants driven out into the countryside, the cattle machine-gunned, the huts set on fire with incendiary bullets: this is called PACIFICATION. Millions of peasants are robbed of their farms and sent trudging along the roads with no more than they can carry: this is called TRANSFER OF POPULATION or RECTIFICATION OF FRONTIERS. People are imprisoned for years without trial, or shot in the back of the neck or sent to die of scurvy in Arctic lumber camps: this is called ELIMINATION OF UNRELIABLE ELEMENTS. Such phraseology is needed if one wants to name things without calling up mental pictures of them. </blockquote>
<br />
Orwell, Politics and the English LanguageNeil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-50556329461360837272015-11-27T11:00:00.000-08:002015-11-27T13:05:19.403-08:00Low tech national security<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLFyjc_cC1gxRzcW52NGJvdH1ZjI3ZmVbbmy09SjKFhBNbQFe-4VUFfm_5LKFTqaCi3f2OQdV83AV1Yw3jHNsDUdDWLDF0Xws0rUaokmZD83YidQ4F4VUc-ZXdIvfkykg1nw73b7pkyI/s1600/David-Cameron-in-Syria-de-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXLFyjc_cC1gxRzcW52NGJvdH1ZjI3ZmVbbmy09SjKFhBNbQFe-4VUFfm_5LKFTqaCi3f2OQdV83AV1Yw3jHNsDUdDWLDF0Xws0rUaokmZD83YidQ4F4VUc-ZXdIvfkykg1nw73b7pkyI/s320/David-Cameron-in-Syria-de-010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b></div>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">1. Learn the history</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">2. Speak the language </span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: yellow;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: yellow;">3. Listen to the people who live there</span></b><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
All he heard from his generals President Johnson said was “Bomb, bomb, bomb. That’s all you know. Well, I want to know why there’s nothing else. You generals have all been educated at the taxpayers’ expense, and you’re not giving me any ideas and any solutions for this damn little piss-ant country. Now, I don’t need ten generals to come in here ten times and tell me to bomb, I want some solutions, I want some answers.” </blockquote>
<blockquote>
David Halberstam<br />
<a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=U_WoXcJq_1wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=halberstam+best+and+brightest&hl=en&sa=X&output=reader&pg=GBS.PT1">The Best and the Brightest</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>
Military people can always rationalize almost any problem's becoming military and thus susceptible to a military solution. They dislike interference on the part of the State Department when that Department sees serious political consequences stemming from the use of military force. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
James Gavin <br />
<a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=DoYrENwKc4sC&q=one+to+berlin+gavin&dq=one+to+berlin+gavin&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y">On to Berlin</a></blockquote>
<blockquote>
Then we dropped, hovered, settled down into the purple lz smoke, dozens of children broke from their hootches to run in toward the focus of the landing, the pilot laughing and saying, "Vietnam, man. Bomb 'em and feed 'em, bomb 'em and feed 'em." </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Michael Herr<br />
<a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=QcWumjEd-HIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=herr+dispatches&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj896qiwLHJAhUQWYgKHVCaCr0Q6AEIJDAA#v=onepage&q=herr%20dispatches&f=false">Dispatches</a></blockquote>
<br />Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-36458996138126045472015-11-23T23:49:00.000-08:002015-11-24T00:06:28.238-08:00Fear and loathing of Islam<br\>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vEvEmkMNYHY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br\>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SteveJobs?src=hash">#SteveJobs</a> father <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AbdulfattahJandali?src=hash">#AbdulfattahJandali</a> was born & grew up in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Syria?src=hash">#Syria</a> before joining <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/refugees?src=hash">#refugees</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Startup?src=hash">#Startup</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FastForward?src=hash">#FastForward</a> <a href="https://t.co/5VZthWPf7c">pic.twitter.com/5VZthWPf7c</a></p>— Alessandro AE Anzani (@AleAeAnzani) <a href="https://twitter.com/AleAeAnzani/status/666482660567588864">November 17, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-17904950663341945572015-11-21T17:38:00.000-08:002015-11-21T17:38:26.942-08:00Sanity and more sanity<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPBLPubWT15U08Ygio2XhozcKdLj3Lt7T2Ah2hos5umtn8dHpqC-raLsHKVZPrGpBlTzvA9zxh2O9VT5G2Bpp6wgOUQzyYpHfY4QHzzczppcjL3GlM-Fu1YHXedC89nOJlIXEPxoDoGo/s1600/mcleans.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPBLPubWT15U08Ygio2XhozcKdLj3Lt7T2Ah2hos5umtn8dHpqC-raLsHKVZPrGpBlTzvA9zxh2O9VT5G2Bpp6wgOUQzyYpHfY4QHzzczppcjL3GlM-Fu1YHXedC89nOJlIXEPxoDoGo/s400/mcleans.PNG" width="366" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Four days on the trail of terror: The problem isn’t as simple as defeating Islamic State <a href="https://t.co/Q3jX8nJcdw">https://t.co/Q3jX8nJcdw</a> <a href="https://t.co/2HqHSLFu3h">pic.twitter.com/2HqHSLFu3h</a></div>
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) <a href="https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/667865842160427008">November 21, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
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<a href="https://t.co/mKTOHXssIJ">https://t.co/mKTOHXssIJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/MNpGt8UrFB">pic.twitter.com/MNpGt8UrFB</a></div>
— Charles Glass (@CGlassArticles) <a href="https://twitter.com/CGlassArticles/status/667468469894561792">November 19, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-32946234326439344382015-11-16T02:39:00.000-08:002015-11-17T23:07:19.375-08:00Little Boys, Big Toys, Fools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6yaYYD1wjLlfDyawjpNs3Kv5u40SDaN5zrlzd4gpLSctFVZh94fR-3QNT3imMacIMlU-6O1x7Cz3EZEX2RUJqQFlHiuLIcoWMWsm3oTcY0H_RzFGOsg380ATMLJl3qZw5dMFvo4DBP0/s1600/hollande.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6yaYYD1wjLlfDyawjpNs3Kv5u40SDaN5zrlzd4gpLSctFVZh94fR-3QNT3imMacIMlU-6O1x7Cz3EZEX2RUJqQFlHiuLIcoWMWsm3oTcY0H_RzFGOsg380ATMLJl3qZw5dMFvo4DBP0/s400/hollande.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"We see the United States as deeply worried about terrorism. But effectively fighting against terrorism does not mean increasing the number of military operations; it means fighting against what causes terrorism. If you introduce kindness and gentleness at the place where terrorism begins, you will eradicate terrorism without pain. It is necessary to examine the most sensitive areas of the earth. You can do nothing to stop the seventeen-year-old kid who has decided to place a bomb somewhere. You can do strictly nothing, and any effort against him will just fly back in your face. Countering violence with violence is the most ineffective response imaginable. Instead, we should target the pain, with the goal to alleviate it. I firmly desire a worldwide dialogue, and I would like to see the United States discharged from the monologue. The period of great wars is over. Science has put in the hands of children extraordinary means of death. The greatest error the United States is currently making is to think that international military operations can stop a seventeen-year-old child from acting. The focus should be placed instead on alleviating the pain in the most sensitive regions of the world, beginning with Jerusalem."</div>
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<a href="http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ral/summary/v035/35.1rice.html">Excerpt from</a> “Déchiffrer le silence”:<br />
A Conversation with Germaine Tillion<br />
by Alison Rice<br />
<br /></blockquote>
Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-19052273078464922732015-11-15T01:39:00.000-08:002015-11-15T01:39:13.642-08:00Smashed-in-Head Buffalo Jump foreign policy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1GJ81t8CQa-ZiPIeGhyphenhyphenH8kmtdlVfgDncv3bthBDctUHsQxLAK0ZKv5FCvf4FcfanwCF9cw01Cz9UeNQOFA2Eup-_QvVPAomdqALDtY5Cq2Jiynk7uQ7hVLewoR63KXzeVQT8YnmzTfA/s1600/buffalo+jump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1GJ81t8CQa-ZiPIeGhyphenhyphenH8kmtdlVfgDncv3bthBDctUHsQxLAK0ZKv5FCvf4FcfanwCF9cw01Cz9UeNQOFA2Eup-_QvVPAomdqALDtY5Cq2Jiynk7uQ7hVLewoR63KXzeVQT8YnmzTfA/s400/buffalo+jump.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-13179948458451042252015-11-13T20:27:00.000-08:002015-11-15T01:20:42.855-08:00A perspective on Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MTAATweLKvFL_ypZN-KmJtmONzjoNhHiIARFiHkWGwaa8wxrztdfFvG7wWUDzEq-Qa2aE68Sr8GdDhuQSr9UC1DOF7AlL_YHuaL2biisPMlY8IfeCP32zLW59GemfI5JDueR6OqiRuM/s1600/Iraqcivcas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MTAATweLKvFL_ypZN-KmJtmONzjoNhHiIARFiHkWGwaa8wxrztdfFvG7wWUDzEq-Qa2aE68Sr8GdDhuQSr9UC1DOF7AlL_YHuaL2biisPMlY8IfeCP32zLW59GemfI5JDueR6OqiRuM/s400/Iraqcivcas.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraqcivcas.png#/media/File:Iraqcivcas.png">Iraqcivcas</a>" by Hannah Fischer, Information Research Specialist- Knowledge Services Group - <a class="extiw" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Research_Service" title="en:Congressional Research Service">en:Congressional Research Service</a>. Licensed under Public Domain via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/">Commons</a>.
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<br />
What happened last night in Paris was an average night in Iraq for about 2 years.<br />
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Those two years were part of a hideous tapestry of violence that began with the American invasion of 2003 and isn't over yet. That's just Iraq.<br />
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Afghanistan - quasi-legal invasion and incompetent occupation by white Christian armies<br />
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Libya - quasi-legal bombing campaign (begun with some really adolescent enthusiasm by France and subsequently conducted by rogue elements in NATO) that resulted in anarchy and destruction of society, which is apparently of interest to nobody, including France<br />
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Syria - Oh, God<br />
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Mali - see Libya<br />
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Egypt - it's so nice to have our vicious autocratic kleptocracy back on our side<br />
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Palestine and the occupied territories - "sorry?"<br />
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Last night in Paris didn't come out of nowhere. There's more than one monster rampaging in the Middle East.Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-68063692769275001192015-11-11T16:40:00.001-08:002015-11-11T16:42:57.405-08:00Remembrance Day, 1944<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1Cm86kiVqoFO9us5ptTwSnEng-XqOfEzBASBEPpiYYQAClTNYRci1AvJca0HpBaP9PGNwLf9GLVRJuvkr3lFwiHcDurmJcY_xwUllB_L2KIUg034debFo9olqCDfe5EEu-WoupfLHTg/s1600/matthew-halton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1Cm86kiVqoFO9us5ptTwSnEng-XqOfEzBASBEPpiYYQAClTNYRci1AvJca0HpBaP9PGNwLf9GLVRJuvkr3lFwiHcDurmJcY_xwUllB_L2KIUg034debFo9olqCDfe5EEu-WoupfLHTg/s320/matthew-halton.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matthew Halton, CBC</td></tr>
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<object height="126" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.cbc.ca/video/swf/UberPlayer.swf?state=shareaudio&clipId=1724126623&width=512&height=126" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://www.cbc.ca/video/swf/UberPlayer.swf?state=shareaudio&clipId=1724126623&width=512&height=126" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="512"height="126" /></object>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-57004585059158979262015-11-09T22:06:00.000-08:002015-11-09T22:21:49.036-08:00Awww... Foreign Affairs is thrilled to see the Liberals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkH6w4dVozs-CEnlBukkRVIY2TTxHw8GyM9KrOuEm8I4mcBaMLaDEzX1sPQSagHoeuQZ3pIHxML36fLimVG4DXlcfP9AQQmcFjs-BNBBtEyH5czWmGXOFInEZqGRHQIxL-ERcdp5Yu10/s1600/hill+times+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOkH6w4dVozs-CEnlBukkRVIY2TTxHw8GyM9KrOuEm8I4mcBaMLaDEzX1sPQSagHoeuQZ3pIHxML36fLimVG4DXlcfP9AQQmcFjs-BNBBtEyH5czWmGXOFInEZqGRHQIxL-ERcdp5Yu10/s400/hill+times+photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, let's talk about that.<br />
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There are questions about the last 10 years in Foreign Affairs, about people who were complicit with Harper and people who weren't. For starters:<br />
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1. Whatever happened to David Mulroney?<br />
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2. Who was the woman from DFAIT who put down her pen whenever torture was discussed in Afghanistan?<br />
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3. Where was the Deputy Minister when Richard Colvin was being fucked around by the Department of Justice?<br />
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Disasters occurred, people were tortured, Canadians died, careers were advanced. Why look back when we can look forward?<br />
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As our investigation progressed, we were able to move closer to the key centres of responsibility as we moved up the chain of command.</blockquote>
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Unfortunately, the Minister's decision of January 10, 1997, eliminated any possibility of taking this course to its logical conclusion and prevented us from fully expanding the focus to senior officers throughout the chain of command who were responsible before, during and after the Somalia mission.</blockquote>
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- <a href="https://qspace.library.queensu.ca/bitstream/1974/6881/6/somalia_exe_summ.pdf">Executive Summary</a>, Somalia InquiryNeil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-38322079259303472412015-11-09T21:58:00.000-08:002015-11-09T21:58:24.795-08:00People and power<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: yellow;">Or, Lord Acton again</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-ChzpzJxiYIYwjSsLzGivL08HBAocGcgzIH_f6TnkWkTtWWGI8InhsMhFYFUw63SedsNnxZqE_8Mc_cdwmOyBi6Ul3nrTP2Odv0_LuV7yX8TNSzVfqH23ivLXrQAUCaN3jcuoDulhcc/s1600/rideaumania.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd-ChzpzJxiYIYwjSsLzGivL08HBAocGcgzIH_f6TnkWkTtWWGI8InhsMhFYFUw63SedsNnxZqE_8Mc_cdwmOyBi6Ul3nrTP2Odv0_LuV7yX8TNSzVfqH23ivLXrQAUCaN3jcuoDulhcc/s400/rideaumania.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption, it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. All power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or certainty of corruption by full authority. There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dalberg-Acton,_1st_Baron_Acton#cite_note-bostonbeacon346-6">[7]</a></div>
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Any person who achieves power, sincerely believing in the importance
of accountability, will find that the importance of accountability declines rapidly to
zero as a function of time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At its natural limit, desire for power excludes desire for accountability.</div>
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The healthy consequence of absolute lack of accountability is
absolute lack of power.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-49268078482050528412015-11-05T23:00:00.000-08:002015-11-05T23:00:05.344-08:00Surgical precision in Kunduz<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRziZKJmKixMjf62l-SlHrBBrR8aFI5RjdARk5SNC2v_8gf3IKdMhQBB18Ka-EGb8wfCdfJTU3YOi-7kwqtf_sJLFPuYCh9GGWRTDBHjdndJq8CrWvMwSC2dlRhxH2yPYckAKR_aFWNDY/s1600/surgical+precision.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRziZKJmKixMjf62l-SlHrBBrR8aFI5RjdARk5SNC2v_8gf3IKdMhQBB18Ka-EGb8wfCdfJTU3YOi-7kwqtf_sJLFPuYCh9GGWRTDBHjdndJq8CrWvMwSC2dlRhxH2yPYckAKR_aFWNDY/s640/surgical+precision.PNG" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://kunduz.msf.org/#start">MSF Review Kunduz bombing</a></span></td></tr>
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<br />Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117190474203974257.post-76069528079652385012015-11-03T20:19:00.003-08:002015-11-04T21:44:37.978-08:00Tobogganing in Afghanistan with Genghis Khan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2-ddYP_ocf9Lke4D9xQxCtM1003z9SWA4-Mz178hiMl8ajNUQN2kYC0TuBQFXRI56sqLiws5jDWQRTVx0wbZqhxsTJwzyj_ZKp4JrUByX8gz4BlAnkTtfMuUKl6P6vHv4uM9OqEQzpk/s1600/afghan+toboganning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN2-ddYP_ocf9Lke4D9xQxCtM1003z9SWA4-Mz178hiMl8ajNUQN2kYC0TuBQFXRI56sqLiws5jDWQRTVx0wbZqhxsTJwzyj_ZKp4JrUByX8gz4BlAnkTtfMuUKl6P6vHv4uM9OqEQzpk/s400/afghan+toboganning.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>The Afghan - Mongol war happened about the same time as the Magna Carta. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>The Magna Carta evolved. </b></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>Genghis Khan didn't.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b>NATO evolved with Genghis Khan.</b></span><br />
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: yellow;"><b><br /></b></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JnMozZMSeIY" width="420"></iframe>Neil Kitsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16457569170770888736noreply@blogger.com