The opening ceremony for the Olympics was quite a spectacle. There was another scene, less well reported than the official goings on. The protests.

I caught the fever of the East Vancouver protests via my son, Samuel and a friend of his, Ellen. They were both on location and kept me up to date with info which I then tweeted to the world.

For those of you not up to speed on the reasons for the protests let me simply say that it has to do with sponsors (mostly Coca Cola and RBC), stolen land and poverty, poverty, poverty and poverty. How many ways can that be said. Additionally, school closures, arts de-funding and such things as the elimination of a nurse practitioner position from the neighbourhood clinic my mother uses. RBC is heavily involved in the tar sands and hence the environmental evisceration and human disease (Fort Chip) associated with them. All in all, the Olympics are a huge price for the poor and marginalized and, we suspect, the middle class for years to come. That is just the humans being negatively affected. The environment is taking a major hit as well and not just because there are fewer Provincial Park staff and less government oversight of the land and water than there was a brief time ago. With that in mind, check out these vids from the protests yesterday.

Today PM Harper paid a visit to the BC Legislature. He and Gordon Campbell apparently had a fine time telling each other happy things.

Meanwhile a crowd of about 300 (200 according to one erroneous news report) had gathered outside to protest several things, but mainly the demise of democracy under the connivance of PM Harper — the proroguing PM. Yes, a real pro rogue.

I saw lots of police and heard that there was an RV full of riot police waiting nearby in case manners were shucked aside. They weren't. It was simply a noisy demonstration of dismay. The chanting went on and on.

Your intrepid scribe walked around to see what was going on in the rear of the building. I found a collection of official looking vehicles complete with drivers at the ready and security gents nearby. After a while, there were two crowds, one in front of the Legislature and one by the entrance with the getaway vehicles and the security lads. Turned out the these were decoys. The bully left the scene via means unknown, possibly a tunnel that apparently runs between the legislature and the Royal BC Museum. I was not aware that such a tunnel exists. [Note to self: Find out.]

The sad fact is the PM Harper, who closed down the House of Commons (our House of Commons) came to speak at this House and then slipped off to avoid a noisy but polite crowd of citizens of Jolly Old Victoria. Having to sneak about like a thief is somehow fitting.

These pictures tell some of the story:

I'm incredibly busy today and so am dropping this video nugget on your table. It's an investigation of a list of scientists allegedly denying evolution in favour of intelligent design. Nicely done. And it saves me from writing. You'll be glad I posted this though.

Short Film: In the Eye of the Whale from MMCTA on Vimeo.

I cannot reprint an article from the Globe & Mail without paying them copyright fees of $250 a year. I am not quibbling though.

I am recommending a G&M article to you. The author is Gerald Butts, President and CEO of WWF Canada. The article is called, Your square-jawed hero is, in fact, the scientist. Read it HERE. In short, it explains that climate scientists are worried because there's a lot to be worried about and maybe you should be worried also. It says climate science is on solid ground so listen to what it says.

The billblog adds that worry is good only when it leads to action, otherwise it sucks. The big illusion is that our small actions mean nothing. And look, I think we are hooped, but just in case I'm wrong I'm going to do what I can.

Damn the torpitudes.

I didn't think I would see it happen this year.

Time will tell how long it will last but for today there is a bona fide miracle in progress in the Southern Ocean, especially if you are a whale. The Japanese whaling fleet has left the international whale sanctuary under the escort of two Sea Shepherd vessels, the Bob Barker and the Steve Irwin.

After a weekend of skirmishing, the Sheps came out on top. (Celebrate now because we do not know what lies ahead. Does anyone know if there are ships from the Japanese Navy anywhere near Antarctica?)

Here's the situation in brief:

The Sea Shepherd's Ady Gil was sliced in half by a Japanese vessel that charged it while it was at rest. The two nations responsible for overseeing those waters, New Zealand and Australia are silent. Three days ago, a Japanese harpoon vessel raced up the starboard side of the Bob Barker, turned hard starboard and gashed the Bob Barker. Videos of these events are HERE.

Meanwhile, the Steve Irwin was on a course to intercept the Japanese fleet and the Bob Barker. Paul Watson once again did the "hide-behind-the-iceberg" trick with the Steve Irwin and joined the Bob Barker in blocking the slipway of the factory ship, effectively shutting down whaling ops.

So now we have the Japanese fleet leaving the whale sanctuary under the escort of the two Sea Shepherd vessels, both of which have a month of fuel. That's a miracle, even if it lasts a day. It's a major humiliation to the Japanese fleet and better than that, a massive expenditure with the source of income, dead whales, choked off.

Thanks Sea Shepherd. The Japanese whale industry must be bleeding cash big time. Looks good on them.

I grasp at any good news. The latest survey of biologists reveals this opinion: We are witnessing a mass extinction of species on this planet. While this is opinion, it can't be ignored considered where it comes from and the evidence has been mounting for decades. Our species may well be the last of the hominids but it's a damned shame to take so many other species down with us. Protecting biodiversity has never been so critical.

I doubt if there are more than a million of any type of whale alive today and some have populations verging on extinction. The good news from the Southern Ocean lightens my day. Damn the torpitudes.

On Saturday afternoon, February 8, we attended an anti-prorogation forum at the Public Library in Sidney BC. (For those of you not familiar with the area, Sidney is a small town near the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal. If you take a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria you will disembark at Swartz Bay.)

The speakers were:

• Colin MacLeod, UVic Professor of Law and Philosophy,
• Craig Ashbourne, UVic Sociology Grad Student
• Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada, candidate for Saanich & The Gulf Islands

This was the second such forum last week.The themes of the speakers were similar. That is, while breaking no law, PM Harper has subverted (perverted?) democracy by using prorogation to escape democratic processes of dialogue, debate and deliberation, and and to concentrate power in the PMO. The government continues to function minus the accountability of a sitting Parliament. In other words, democracy is down for the count except that Canadians are not standing for it. As Craig Ashbourne pointed out, democracy happens in between elections.

Although the topic was democracy in Canada and the battering it is taking, I thought that mention of the Afghan detainees could have been highlighted in the formal presentations since revelations of possible Canadian complicity in torture were the very thing that provoked Harper's use of prorogation the second time. It was his escape pod. Finally, toward the end of the Q&A, Elizabeth May brought focus not only onto the Afghan detainees but also onto Omar Khadr and the betrayal of him by PM Harper & Co.. Elizabeth May has a way of articulating the most pertinent aspects of the situation of all of these prisoners in relation to the Government of Canada. Refreshing.

Nice to see a full room of people come out on a warm Saturday afternoon. Besides being opportunities for learning and sharing, by their existence such forums keep the Conservative Government uneasy, worried, nervous, jittery and in the minds of so many, just plain ridiculous, somewhat unprincipled and utterly self-aggrandizing — not a pretty sight, though true.

BTW, this forum took place a five minute walk from the constituency office of Gary Lunn, Conservative MP. He had been invited to attend to offer his point of view, but he failed to even respond to the invitation.

*In case you don't appreciate the heading for this post, let me explain. It's just a bit of humour from an old hippie. In the late sixties there was a song named, "Don't Bogart That Joint". So, 'tis simply a simple play of words to entertain the billblogger himself and possible three or four others who still remember seeing "Easy Rider". No big deal [another joke?].

***********

Oh yeah, I photographed these crocuses in front of the library. We are having a warmer spring than in decades. It's been an easy winter for the hummingbirds. The early cherry trees are blooming now too — this is way ahead of schedule for them — and the Winter Olympics are almost upon us. As my daughter says, "Nothing says Winter Olympics like cherry blossoms."

Cheers from the Left Coast of Canada.

I am compelled to offer the following youtube vid on the billblog because it is pertinent to my posts on the question of the torture of Afghan detainees, a.k.a. prisoners and because, well, it is just such a lame performance by MP Braid. It's part of a PR campaign to bring the appearance of integrity to a dishonest government. The spiel is this: If you want full disclosure of information pertaining to the torture of Afghan prisoners then you are unpatriotic and impugn the integrity of soldiers. Lame.

(On the same topic, a U of Ottawa professor, Errol Mendes, stated yesterday that PM Harper has violated the Constitution by refusing to release uncensored documents relating to the Afghan detainee issue. READ HERE.)

The billblog is pleased to see that the issue of the treatment of Afghan prisoners is not going away. Obvious to all who are not in denial about the integrity of the current government is that prorogation of Parliament is essentially an oh so lame way to attempt escape scrutiny on this issue.

What is being hidden? Who knew what and when did they know it? More importantly, when did they do or not do with the information they had. What information could be so dangerous that a PM would violate the Constitution, prorogue Parliament, killing all of its own legislative initiatives and provoke the ire of the populace just to stop an inquiry? The billblog suspects something is rotten in the Conservative Coven and it isn't just the week old baloney sandwiches in waste basket.

Check out Conservative MP Peter Braid in the video below. A new lame is achieved. The background to this encounter is news of a pamphlet that apparently will be delivered to Canadian homes. READ HERE.




Lame.

Listen. Why not take your pamphlet back to your local Conservative constituency office and say your piece? Keep the heat on. Something un-lame to think about.

Here is the full text of an email sent to Gary Lunn, Member of Parliament (Canada) for Saanich and the Gulf Islands. See the previous billblog post for reference. I will let billblog readers know of the response to this email.


February 4, 2010


Dear Minister Lunn,

On January 7, 2010 I emailed you with a concern, namely, the termination of the inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees and the question of Canadian complicity in their torture. Unfortunately you or your staff must have read my email in haste. I received a letter from you this week and it had nothing to do with the detainee torture issue. 

Your letter mainly told me how hard you are working during this period of prorogation. Thank you for your hard work. However, that wasn't my issue. The use of prorogation to derail the inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees — Taliban prisoners and innocents alike — is the issue.

I want my Government to investigate the detainee torture issue with transparency and persistence, via independent public inquiry. It is important that we know the truth. It is important to the Afghan people that they can count on Canadians to treat them humanely. 

Will you push for a new inquiry? Will you publicly say so?

Do you personally think that even Taliban detainees deserve to be treated in accordance with the terms of the Geneva Convention? 

Do you personally believe that if there is doubt about Canadian adherence to the Geneva Convention that it should be vigorously investigated thoroughly and transparently?

Thank you.

sincerely,

Bill Davidson
Saanich BC


(Please do not reply by snail mail -- it's not a conservationist style of communication. If you wish to reply, you have my email address now.)

I've written my Member of Parliament, Gary Lunn, a few times. I am certain that he never sees my mail though I hope that he gets to read a summary of all of his mail. I am not sure of this though. One thing that I am sure of is that the letters of response that he signs are from an alternate universe. You see, he tends to reply to issues I have not raised. He talks about other stuff.

(I know. I know. It's just the technique of sticking to talking points established by PR brainiacs and ignoring what is actually asked or said. Gary, that's B.S. 101.)

A letter from Gary Lunn's alternate universe arrived this morning. Wow. Gary's alternate universe has moved further away. It is as if no one, not even the office paper clip monitor, read my email. So, I am doing what all good bloggers do, making it public.

I wrote about the cancellation of the inquiry into the alleged torture of Afghan detainees. I got bafflegab about how hard Gary works even though Parliament is prorogued. The subject field of my email was: "What I ask". Gary writes back "re: Parliament". He spends the entire letter saying he is working hard and mentions briefly that proroguing is a common practice. He takes a shot at opposition MP's who criticize the prorogation.

Prorogation is a parliamentary tool that has been used several times. A hockey stick is a tool in hockey. If it is used to whack someone, not cool. Go to the penalty box. Prorogation has been misused and we all can see it. Because it has been used, the inquiry into the question of the torture of Afghan detainees remains unanswered.

My main point is this: I am not at all concerned about the reputation of the Conservative Party. I am very concerned about the treatment of Afghan people — Taliban prisoners and innocents included. Get it, Gary?

For the record, here is my email:

From: Bill Davidson
Subject: What I ask
Date: January 7, 2010 1:40:43 PM PST
To: LunnG@parl.gc.ca

Dear Minister Lunn,

As a citizen of Saanich I ask that you stand up to the Prime Minister. He's not behaving as one would expect of a Prime Minister devoted to democratic rule. I worry that your staff is justifying the PM's behaviour when I phone to offer my thoughts. Not impressed. Proroguing is a tool that can be used properly and improperly. It is being used improperly.

Regardless of the partisan politics that may be at stake, I ask that a new inquiry into the Afghan-detainee situation be convened. We must know what has happened. It is a most un-Canadian-like feeling to be left wondering about whether Canadians have violated the Geneva Convention. The behaviour of the PM and high-ranking cabinet ministers is worrisome.

As my representative, I want you to stand up for disclosure and transparency, the very things that were promised by the Conservative Party.

I represent a constituency of one -- myself -- when I speak.

I belong to no political party.

I am a citizen.

Please do not reply by snail mail -- it's not a conservationist style of communication most of the time. If you wish to reply, you have my email address now.

sincerely,

Bill Davidson
Saanich BC

Gary Lunn (or staffer) replied to me by snail mail. The hogwash factor was higher than normal, so I have put it here so that you can read it too.

I will write a response to Gary Lunn's response and will publish it in a blog post later this week after the email is sent.