statism watch

People are so willing to cling to accepted knowledge – they’ve psychologically invested in it, they don’t want the hassle of having to reconfigure their world view. And yet, the truth shall out.

David Gutierrez, Natural News
November 9, 2008

Grand Rapids, Mich. has become the most recent city to question the practice of fluoridating public water, as part of a growing tendency for local governments to question the use of many chemicals that formerly been taken for granted.

“I think this pattern has been growing because there is better environmental health research that draws connections between low levels of chemical exposure and changes in our bodies,” said Dr. Howard Hu of the University of Michigan. “As the research has become more sophisticated, it shows that environmental toxicants can do other things beyond just kill you: they can stunt your growth, change behavior and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

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Michel Chossudovsky, Globalresearch.ca
November 9, 2008

Most Serious Economic Crisis in Modern History

The October 2008 financial meltdown is not the result of a cyclical economic phenomenon. It is the deliberate result of US government policy instrumented through the Treasury and the US Federal Reserve Board.

This is the most serious economic crisis in World history.

The “bailout” proposed by the US Treasury does not constitute a “solution” to the crisis. In fact quite the opposite: it is the cause of further collapse. It triggers an unprecedented concentration of wealth, which in turn contributes to widening economic and social inequalities both within and between nations.

The levels of indebtedness have skyrocketed. Industrial corporations are driven into bankruptcy, taken over by the global financial institutions. Credit, namely the supply of loanable funds, which constitutes the lifeline of production and investment, is controlled by a handful of financial conglomerates.

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Gillian Steward, Toronto Star
November 09, 2008

Canada would provide a secure oil supply in exchange for common standards on emissions

Even before Barack Obama won the presidency it was clear the Harper government was rethinking its stance on energy and environmental issues: the traditional Alberta mindset would no longer do.

The first clue was Stephen Harper’s promise, delivered in Calgary during the Canadian election campaign, to ban exports of bitumen – the thick, black, unrefined oil that comes from the Alberta tar sands – to countries with lower carbon emission standards than Canada.

It was a strange promise since at this point not much raw bitumen goes anywhere except the U.S. It peeved Alberta officials who saw it as an intrusion into their territory by the feds.

Nevertheless, Harper signalled that climate change and energy policies are now tied together. This was a big departure for Harper, who a few years ago didn’t even believe in climate change.

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Sue Bailey, Jim Bronskill, The Globe and Mail
November 9, 2008

OTTAWA — A plan to introduce taser stun guns into Canada’s prisons has been indefinitely shelved amid intense public scrutiny of the powerful weapons.

“We’re constantly evaluating the equipment we use,” said Guy Campeau, a spokesman for the Correctional Service of Canada.

“The use of that technology is still being considered but is under review.”

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