statism watch

Flashback: Health officials confirm 6 cases of swine flu in Canada, ‘makings’ of pandemic | Illinois-based Baxter working on vaccine to stop swine flu outbreak in Mexico | ‘We have to assume’ swine flu is in Ontario, health official warns | Mexico cancels public events because of deadly flu outbreak | Canadians returning from Mexico urged to be on alert for flu-like symptoms | Army: 3 vials of virus samples missing from Maryland facility | ‘Accidental’ Contamination Of Vaccine With Live Avian Flu Virus Virtually Impossible | Officials investigate how bird flu contaminated vaccines in Europe | Researchers unlock secrets of 1918 flu pandemic

John M. Ackerman, Slate.com
April 27, 2009

Mexico’s president is trying to use the swine flu to consolidate his power

The Mexican government’s initial reaction to the outbreak of swine flu does not inspire confidence. Practically speaking, its slow response has allowed the disease to spin out of control, leading to up to 100 deaths in Mexico and 20 cases of infection in the United States. From a political standpoint, Mexican President Felipe Calderón appears to be using the outbreak to consolidate his power.

New influenza cases started appearing in Mexico City on March 18. The first death occurred April 12. But the government dragged its feet, hoping that this was an isolated case. As deaths mounted over the following days, the Calderón administration refused to take decisive action.

It wasn’t until half a dozen cases were discovered in the United States that the Mexican authorities sent mucus samples to Canadian and U.S. laboratories for testing. The lab results immediately sent alarm throughout Mexico and the world. But almost a month had been lost.

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Evidently, a terminal case of selective dementia, poor man.

Flashback: Mulroney wanted Schreiber deal kept quiet, inquiry told | Mulroney, Kohl may have discussed Airbus: inquiry document | Schreiber says he paid Mulroney because he’d need him ‘sooner or later’ | Moores linked to Airbus before Mulroney came to power, memo reveals | Schreiber Inquiry: Premier’s wife testifies bank account was to be hers, not Mulroney’s | Mulroney-Schreiber inquiry steers clear of ‘Airbus affair’ on first day | Mulroney-Schreiber probe has no jurisdiction to find liability | Mulroney confidant knew about Airbus commissions: CBC News investigation | The Mulroney Affair: Why politicians seek out the rich | The Fifth Estate: Money, Truth, and Spin

CBC News
April 27, 2009

A former senior adviser to Brian Mulroney said he can’t remember writing three letters or receiving a fax regarding the purchase and delivery of Airbus planes to Air Canada.

Fred Doucet, testifying at the federal inquiry into the business dealings between Karlheinz Schreiber and the former prime minister, said he had no recollection of any of the correspondence relating to Airbus that took place between 1992 and 1994.

Of particular note is a fax that was sent to Doucet from Denis Biro, then Air Canada’s manager of investor relations, and a letter written by Doucet to Schreiber. Both are dated April 27, 1993, the same date that Mulroney received his first cash envelope from Schreiber at a hotel in Mirabel airport.

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A targeted Google search on Dr. Lee (+”charles lee” forensic pathologist -dziekanski) reveals that he is the forensic pathologist working out of Vancouver General Hospital. See his work here, here, here, and here. While he works very closely with the police, this journal has no reason to suspect his professionalism – he actually believes in this syndrome of magical acausal death during police restraint. Which isn’t surprising, since the profession regards it as a terribly complicated problem. See also ‘excited delirium‘. Note the circular reasoning connecting the two syndromes – those with excited delirium may experience sudden death during restraint. Sudden death by restraint may be attributable to excited delirium. How about a common sense explanation – being TASERed five times, being kneeled on by police with your arms and legs wrenched behind you, having a weak heart are all risk factors for cardiac arrest. But would Robert Dziekanski have died suddenly if he wasn’t TASERed? No? It’s conclusive, then, that he was killed by the RCMP.

CBC News
April 27, 2009

‘Don’t think it would have ultimately changed my final cause of death’: Charles Lee

The forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy on Robert Dziekanski was not told by the Mounties that the Polish immigrant had been stunned by a Taser as many as five times, a public inquiry into his death heard Monday.

Charles Lee testified that two RCMP investigators sat in on the autopsy, and that they never said the energy weapon had been fired at least five times at Dziekanski.

“Isn’t that a significant fact, sir?” Walter Kosteckyj, the lawyer representing Dziekanski’s mother, asked Lee.

“It’s something that would have been nice to know,” Lee said about the number of shocks deployed from the Taser. “But I don’t think it would have ultimately changed my final cause of death.”

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This journal wonders what they’ll manufacture – Green cars? Implements of war, as Opel and Ford did after the German culture was regimented in the 1930s? Stay tuned and place your bets.

Andrew Clark, The Guardian
April 27, 2009

Struggling car maker GM offers debt-for-equity plan in a desperate attempt to avoid bankruptcy

The US government would be handed a controlling stake of more than 50% in General Motors under a last-ditch restructuring proposal outlined by the cash-strapped carmaker in an effort to avert filing for bankruptcy.

Today, GM proposed a massive debt-for-equity swap to refinance its $62bn debts. It warned that unless its lenders agree to the deal, it will be obliged to declare itself bankrupt, leaving the courts to intercede.

Under the deal, the government and unions would get a combined stake of 89% in the company through an issuance of new stock, with bondholders taking a further 10%. Existing shareholders would end up with ownership of just 1%.

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Between this issue and multinational pushes for DNA databases, GPS-tracked road tolls, and the shared no-fly lists evidence continues to pile up to support the view that national policy is already being written at a transnational level – announcements that ISPs will have to hold massive databases of user information have already been made recently in Canada and the US, and the NSA fully intends to datamine this information.

Flashback: US Bill proposes ISPs, Wi-Fi keep logs for police | The Spy Factory: The New Thought Police | New law to give police access to online exchanges | Private firm may administer UK surveillance database | US military targets social nets | UK Security services want personal data from sites like Facebook

Alan Travis
April 27, 2009

Home secretary rules out state-run ‘super-database’ but firms would store details of calls, emails, texts and web browsing

The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, today ruled out building a single state “super-database” to track everybody’s use of email, internet, text messages and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Smith said creating a single database run by the state to hold such personal data would amount to an extreme solution representing an unwarranted intrusion of personal privacy. [Ed. Note: Wait for it, wait for it...]

Instead the Home Office is looking at a £2bn solution that would involve requiring communications companies such as BT, Virgin Media, O2 and others to retain such personal data for up to 12 months.

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Here is the website for the ‘Mission of Canada to the European Union‘. Just to reiterate – is this what Canada wants? To integrate economically with the EU? Will we even be given a say in the matter?

Flashback: Canada expects EU free-trade talks soon: Stockwell Day | Harper, Sarkozy vow to work toward Canada-EU deal | CD Howe Institute backs Canada-EU deal, deep integration | Towards a new world order: Canada-EU trade proposal rivals scope of NAFTA On Food: Codex Alimentarius – An Emerging Threat | Codex Alimentarius Commission adopts more than 50 new food standards On Copyright: Anti-counterfeiting treaty talks heat up | Obama Administration Claims Copyright Treaty Involves State Secrets | Latest Round of Closed-Door ACTA Copyright Negotiations Wrap Up | Digital rights groups sue for access to secret ACTA treaty | Transparency needed on ACTA | Revamped copyright law targets electronic devices

Constant Brand, Associated Press
April 27, 2009

LUXEMBOURG – The European Union endorsed plans today to open negotiations with Canada on a new free-trade pact.

The negotiations, which could last two years, are to be officially launched at an EU-Canada leaders summit May 6, in Prague.

EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton said launching the talks “sends a signal that the European Union remains committed to trade and open markets at a time of economic crisis and rising protectionist sentiment.”

The “enhanced” trade deal will aim to open up trade in numerous areas including investment services, government procurement and agriculture goods. It will also aim to include a first-time agreement to allow the temporary movement of workers between Canada and the 27-member bloc and include efforts to bring into line regulatory rules on everything from copyright to food and animal safety rules.

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Why should this be such a big secret (and funnelled through a newly expanded CDI, unaccountable to civilian oversight) if it was about putting a couple satellites up to watch navigation lanes? That would be a proper function of government. What’s being hidden?

Related: Secretive Canadian spy agency to get $62-million HQ | Listening in on the enemy: Canada’s master eavesdroppers

Steven Chase, Globe and Mail
April 27, 2009

OTTAWA – Polar Breeze is a military project so cloaked in secrecy the Department of National Defence at first categorically denied it even existed.

Today – apart from backtracking on their denial – the military is refusing to answer any questions on the project that experts believe has a role to play in protecting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty and security.

The silence irritates the New Democratic Party, which obtained documents under the Access to Information law showing that Polar Breeze’s price tag has soared 30 per cent beyond its original budget to $134-million and that there has been internal concern about a risk of audits.

NDP defence critic Jack Harris said National Defence should not be allowed to duck questions on rising costs.

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