statism watch

Hate (thought crime) laws, as corrupt as they are, aren’t even meant to address depictions of hate in cases where the work’s intent is to proscribe or condemn these positions. And if he thinks the depiction of theocracy run wild in The Handmaid’s Tale is an accurate portrayal of the majority of Christian folks, then perhaps the shoe fits. Hey, heard of the Inquisition, genius? Expect renewed attacks on this and other books if Canadian society continues to close since it addresses issues of state brutality, sexism, and the mechanics of apartheid. Everyone should take this opportunity to read it. Maybe Atwood should even send Edwards a cheque and a ‘longpen’ thank-you note for the free publicity.

Kristin Rushowy, The Toronto Star
January 16, 2009

Robert Edwards says if students repeated some of the words from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale in the school halls, they’d be suspended, so he questions why it is okay in the classroom.

And what about the foul language, the anti-Christian overtones, the violence and sexual degradation, asks the parent who launched a formal complaint about the Canadian novel. Don’t they violate the Toronto board’s policies of respect and tolerance?

“If you look at the board’s policies, it goes to these great lengths to talk about respect and not using profane language, and in fact so do the policies at Lawrence Park Collegiate,” where Edwards’ 17-year-old son was studying the book in his Grade 12 English class.

“The board is adamant about those policies, but then puts books like this in place.”

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Michel Chossudovsky, GlobalResearch.ca
January 16, 2009

A very large delivery of US weaponry to Israel consisting of 3,000 tons of “ammunition” is scheduled to sail to Israel. The size and nature of the shipments are described as “unusual”:

“Shipping 3,000-odd tons of ammunition in one go is a lot,” one broker said, on condition of anonymity.

“This (kind of request) is pretty rare and we haven’t seen much of it quoted in the market over the years,” he added.

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From the article: “The shells burst in the air, billowing white smoke before dropping the phosphorous shell.” So that’s why we’ve seen so many images of these small airbursts that seem to accomplish nothing… it’s a chemical firebomb.

Richard Norton-Taylor, The Guardian
January 16, 2009

Gaza doctors detail burns to entire victims’ bodies from chemical that is forbidden to be used as a weapon

Video showing injuries consistent with the use of white phosporous shells has been filmed inside hospitals treating Palestinian wounded in Gaza City.

Contact with the shell remnants causes severe burns, sometimes burning the skin to the bone, consistent with descriptions by Ahmed Almi, an Egyptian doctor at the al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

Almi said the entire body of one victim was burned within an hour. It was the first time he had seen the effects of what he called a “chemical weapon”.

The Israeli military has denied using white phosphorus during the assault on Gaza, but aid agencies say they have no doubt it has been used.

Watch the video.

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Paul Lewis, The Guardian
January 16, 2009

Central bank attempts to keep pace with hyper-inflation in country where prices are doubling every day

Zimbabwe has unveiled a 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar banknote, worth around $33 (£22) on the black market.

The country’s central bank, which is struggling to keep up with hyper-inflation, also plans to introduce Z$10tn, Z$20tn and Z$50tn notes, state media reported.

With food and fuel in short supply, prices are doubling each day in Zimbabwe.

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Phillip Inman and Julia Kollewe, The Guardian
January 16, 2009

The BoA rescue matches that given to Citigroup, another stricken US banking giant, which is today expected to report its deepest quarterly deficit yet

Bank of America was today given a new injection of $20bn (£13.5bn) by the US government and a guarantee of $118bn on potential losses on toxic assets that have threatened to overwhelm the financial system.

The move came as Merrill Lynch, which has been taken over by BoA, reported a $15.3bn loss for the fourth quarter. BoA lost $1.79bn in the quarter. Citigroup, another stricken banking giant, posted a loss of $8.29bn today and said it would split in two.

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