statism watch

Say hello to Canada’s latest favoured trade partner! If the continent were a schoolyard, Colombia would be one of the kids your mom warned you against hanging out with – but little Stephen Harper wants to hang with the rough crowd.

Flashback: Obama’s War for Oil in Colombia | The Columbia Coverup | Outcry in South America over US military base pact | PM calls on Parliament to pass Colombia free-trade pact | Peru protest violence kills natives and police | Harper Pledges to Double Funding to International Bank at Americas Summit | Harper vows Canada will remain open to international trade | Confirmed: Mexico drug plane used for CIA ‘rendition’ flights | Canada, Colombia reach free-trade agreement | South American union is created | Third Cocaine Plane Surfaces and is Tied to Web of Government Connections | Sloppy tradecraft exposes CIA drug plane | Drugs on crashed plane belonged to Mexico’s biggest dealer | DC9 with 5.5 tons of cocaine was CIA plane | Pulitzer Winning Journalist Who Linked CIA to Crack Sales Found Dead of Apparent Suicide | Dark Alliance: The Story Behind the Crack Explosion

Dan Kovalik, The Huffington Post
April 1, 2010

The biggest human rights scandal in years is developing in Colombia, though you wouldn’t notice it from the total lack of media coverage here. The largest mass grave unearthed in Colombia was discovered by accident last year just outside a Colombian Army base in La Macarena, a rural municipality located in the Department of Meta just south of Bogota. The grave was discovered when children drank from a nearby stream and started to become seriously ill. These illnesses were traced to runoff from what was discovered to be a mass grave – a grave marked only with small flags showing the dates (between 2002 and 2009) on which the bodies were buried.

According to a February 10, 2010 letter issued by Alexandra Valencia Molina, Director of the regional office of Colombia’s own Procuraduria General de la Nacion — a government agency tasked to investigate government corruption — approximately 2,000 bodies are buried in this grave. The Colombian Army has admitted responsibility for the grave, claiming to have killed and buried alleged guerillas there. However, the bodies in the grave have yet to be identified. Instead, against all protocol for handling the remains of anyone killed by the military, especially those of guerillas, the bodies contained in the mass grave were buried there secretly without the requisite process of having the Colombian government certify that the deceased were indeed the armed combatants the Army claims.

And, given the current “false positive” scandal which has enveloped the government of President Alvaro Uribe and his Defense Minister, Juan Manuel Santos, who is now running to succeed Uribe as President, the Colombian Army’s claim about the mass grave is especially suspect. This scandal revolves around the Colombian military, most recently under the direction of Juan Manuel Santos, knowingly murdering civilians in cold blood and then dressing them up to look like armed guerillas in order to justify more aid from the United States. According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pilay, this practice has been so “systematic and widespread” as to amount to a “crime against humanity.” And sadly, when Ms. Pilay made this statement, she literally did not know the half of it.

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Note that StatismWatch has no information as to whether Infoshop is NGO-funded or not. Their website (which has taken down the story referred to here for ‘technical reasons’) in fact asks for donations. The concerns Kurt Nimmo expresses below are, however, well founded. Any large organization of this kind is bound to have been infiltrated to some degree by Federal agents.

Update (2010/04/02): A followup to this article has been posted with additional information including the unmasking of Black Bloc protesters as federal provocateurs during the 1999 Seattle WTO protests.

Flashback: Black bloc taints anti-Olympic movement | Vancouver Olympics protesters fall silent as Black Bloc ruins it for everyone | Olympic protesters smash store windows | Provocateur Cops Caught Disguised As ‘Anarchists’ At Pittsburgh G20 | G20 police ‘used undercover men to incite crowds’ | G20 protests: Riot police, or rioting police? | Rioters Were Paid To Provoke the Police in Bulgaria | Greek Cops Caught on Video Posing as Anarchists | ACLU wants probe into police-staged DNC protest | Ex-Italian President: Provocateur Riots Then “Beat The Shit Out Of Protesters” | Police inspector posed as militant protester | Quebec police admit agents posed as protesters | Canadians who trust our secret police should think again

Kurt Nimmo, Infowars.com
April 1, 2010

Black bloc anarchists specialize in providing meaningless property damage for corporate media cameras. Is this the sort of behavior Tea Party activists can expect from anarchist counter-demonstrators on April 15 when the Tea Party movement plans to protest confiscatory taxation?

It is hardly surprising “anarchists” (now synonymous in many instances with government agents provocateurs) are calling for “crashing” Tea Party events. Government ops masquerading as anti-government activists often attack the real folks who oppose the government. Governments have run such false flag operations since time immemorial.

“On April 15th thousands of right-wingers will attend rallies in cities and towns across the United States,” writes the admin of Infoshop News. “The organizers of this nationwide day of protest call it a tea party. This tea party movement that emerged only a year ago is a coalition of conservatives, anti-Semites, fascists, libertarians, racists, constitutionalists, militia men, gun freaks, homophobes, Ron Paul supporters, Alex Jones conspiracy types and American flag wavers.”

No, the Tea Party movement came into existence as the Boston Tea Party in December of 2008, not that we should expect a suspicious gaggle of “anarchists” to get the facts straight, especially if the facts do not fit in the narrow confines of their ideology.

“The Libertarian Party of Illinois got the idea to hold an April 15, 2009 anti-tax ‘Boston Tea Party’ in Chicago way back in December of 2008. On February 10, 2009 they started a Facebook page and began promoting the website throughout the Illinois media,” writes Donny Ferguson of the Libertarian National Committee. “Of course, for the Libertarian Party every day is a Tea Party. We’ve been the only consistently pro-taxpayer party since our founding over 30 years ago.”

Apparently the bizarro world of corporate media dominated political propaganda has infected the “anarchists” (at least the Infoshop variety) who now sound like Democrats. Once upon a time, anarchism was a political philosophy that stood in opposition to government.

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Flashback: ‘Security Certificate’ victim Charkaoui to sue Ottawa for $24 million | Government will review ‘anti-terror’ security certificates: Van Loan | Judge eases restrictions on Harkat | Canadian Courts don’t buy word of government | CSIS forced to ‘reveal’ info on secret source in Harkat case | Judge orders recall of CSIS witnesses in Harkat case for potential perjury, obstruction | Tories aim to bring back anti-terrorism provisions | Lawyers slam CSIS on phone recordings | If released, security detainee Almrei to be surveilled, wiretapped, and GPS-tracked | Feds ordered to share evidence with defence in Harkat security case | More secrecy added to already secret process | Charkaoui set to fight new security certificate law | The New Security Certificate: Rushing injustice through the Senate | New security certificates issued | Court puts security certificates in limbo

Mohammed Adam, The Ottawa Citizen
April 1, 2010

OTTAWA-The federal government case against Ottawa terror suspect Mohamed Harkat appears to have suffered a significant blow Wednesday when a document was introduced in court showing that Abu Zubaydah, once considered a master terrorist and 9/11 mastermind, actually had nothing to do with the attacks.

Even more surprising, the document, which quotes U.S court filings declassified last week, shows that Zubaydah, once believed to be one of the top leaders in al-Qaeda, was not even a member of the terrorist group.

One of Harkat’s lawyers, Norm Boxall, said the information is significant because part of the government’s case against Harkat is that he is an associate of Zubaydah.

If Zubaydah has no ties to al-Qaeda, as now appears to be the case, a large chunk of the case against Harkat is under question.

The document, a report under the byline of Jason Leopold, quoted U.S. court documents, which say the American government now admits that Zubaydah did not have “any direct role in or advance knowledge of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001,” and was neither a “member” of al-Qaeda nor “formally” identified with the terrorist organization.

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Flashback: MacKay knew of Afghan detainee concerns: diplomat | Tories flood Ottawa with blacked-out documents in response to Afghan torture scandal | Opposition threatens contempt motion over Afghan torture documents | NDP tables torture-prevention bill | Ottawa anticipated Afghan torture allegations: memo | CSIS secretly interrogated Afghan prisoners | Canada wanted Afghan prisoners tortured: lawyer | Harper grilled over prorogation, Afghan detainee torture documents | MP threatens motion on Afghan documents | PM Harper downplays detainee torture scandal, prorogation | Claims troops mistreated prisoners unfounded: military police | Peter MacKay, Red Cross discussed detainees in 2006 | Canada’s troops investigated for Afghan abuse | Colvin disputes witnesses’ detainee testimony | Tories sabotage Afghan committee meeting | Canada ‘defended’ torturer | Ottawa won’t release Afghan torture documents | Top general’s Afghan detainee reversal hikes pressure for public inquiry | Richard Colvin’s Afghan torture memos reveal government concealed prisoner access issues | Torture claims unreliable, officials say, despite having found evidence of torture | MPs vote public inquiry into Afghan detainees, Tories ignore majority motion | Torture claims weren’t probed, official testified | Harper government changes tune on Afghan prisoner issue | Colvin’s testimony true: former Afghan MP | David Mulroney testifies war confused issue of torture | Hillier says he saw no credible reports of torture | Afghan torture emails reached MacKay’s office | Opposition wants documentation prior to government torture rebuttal, PM cries foul | Canadian officials discussed torture in 2006 | Canada shamed on Afghan prisoner torture | Canada ignored torture warnings: Diplomat | Military lawyer stonewalls on Afghan torture claims | Ottawa was warned Afghan detainees might be tortured | Military commission suspends torture hearings, gags witness | Torture probe delayed; Tories deny gagging witness | Federal court limits Afghan detainee torture probe | Watchdog rejects government bid to delay Afghan detainee inquiry | Ottawa moves to block Afghanistan detainee torture hearings again | Bid to Block Afghan Detainee Inquiry Slammed | What Ottawa doesn’t want you to know: Government was told detainees faced ‘extrajudicial executions, disappearances, torture and detention without trial’

Bruce Campion-Smith, Toronto Star
April 1, 2010

OTTAWA — The federal government has released thousands more documents related to the Afghan detainee controversy.

Deputy government house leader Tom Lukiwski presented a box filled with government documents Thursday morning in the House of Commons.

Like last week’s release of documents, this latest batch also appears to be censored and some are even written in Farsi, said officials with the Liberals and NDP as they got they first glimpses at some of the 6,200 pages.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh said it appeared many of the documents were previously released through access to information requests or the Federal Court case involving the issue with Amnesty International.

He accused the Conservatives — under pressure to release documents related to Afghan detainees — of playing a “charade” by dribbling out papers a bit at a time.

“They’re repackaging previously released documents, heavily redacted and presenting them as part of package that may contain new documents,” said Dosanjh, the party’s defence critic.

“It’s an April Fool’s attempt to be transparent,” he said.

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You might hope this is some sort of April Fool’s joke. Unfortunately, no…

Flashback: PQ wants probe after Taser used on mentally challenged man | Merced police used TASER on unarmed, legless man in a wheelchair | Pregnant mother tasered at baptism party | US Lawsuit: Cops tasered 3 kids in shelter, threatened one with sodomy | Latest TASER victim looked ’scared’ as officer approached with knife | Mounties discussed Tasing Dziekanski prior to altercation | UK Police watchdog to investigate Taser arrest, beating posted on YouTube | New video shows officer shove, then taser 72-year-old great grandmother | etc etc..

Paul Joseph Watson, PrisonPlanet.com
April 1, 2010

Old woman dared deputy to tase her so he did

An Austin cop was cleared of any wrong doing by a grand jury this week after he tased a 72 year old woman during a routine speeding stop.

The Travis County grand jury declined to indict Deputy Constable Christopher Bieze on a charge of injury to an elderly person, following the incident on May 11, 2009.

Bieze pulled over Kathryn Winkfein on Texas 71, west of Austin, on suspicion of driving 60mph in a 45mph zone.

When the great grandmother refused to sign the citation, Bieze ordered her out of the car and threatened to tase her.

The 4-foot-11 Winkfein dared the Deputy Constable to use his Taser on her, as he began pushing her away from the road when she attempted to return to her vehicle.

Apparently at his wits end, Bieze took her up on the dare and hit her with 50,000 volts from the shock gun.

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Some wag on the CBC board suggested that TASER Intl may now be working on a ‘junior model’. Don’t give them any ideas.

Flashback: RCMP had no grounds to use Taser on N.W.T. girl: report | U.S. police taser 10-year-old | US Cop Tasers and Arrests a 10-Year Old Girl For Throwing a Fit | RCMP defend Taser use on girl, 16 | US Lawsuit: Cops tasered 3 kids in shelter, threatened one with sodomy | Ban stun gun use on young people, Ontario child advocate urges | RCMP Investigates, Clears Self of Wrongdoing in Case of TASERed Inuvik Girl | Probe into tasering of teenaged girl reopened | Mounties pinned me down in cell and tasered me, Manitoba girl says

The Associated Press
April 1, 2010

Police stunned, slapped unruly boy at Indiana daycare

Two police officers called to a central Indiana home daycare to subdue an unruly 10-year-old boy have been suspended after one used a stun gun on the child and another slapped him in the mouth.

The child suffered no significant injuries in the incident, which happened Tuesday.

Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave while the confrontation in Martinsville is being investigated.

Martinsville police Chief Jon Davis said he believed the two officers could have restrained the 94-pound boy without using force. Davis said the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department was investigating and an internal review was planned on the officer’s use of the conducted energy weapon, commonly known as a Taser.

“We need to look at it a lot closer because it’s not really made for 10-year-olds,” he said at a news conference Thursday.

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Related: Former premier Bill Vander Zalm rallies against the HST in BC | Athens erupts as Greek austerity plan passes | Anti-HST protest at Ontario legislature spills onto Toronto streets | Ontario Health Tax Review Called a ‘Sham’

CBC News
April 1, 2010

As Quebec’s finance minister was out promoting his budget at Montreal’s Board of Trade, thousands of people took to the streets to protest it.

Demonstrators said they are angry the government is asking them to pay more.

“We can’t afford that they keep raising the price on everything, “ said Shannon Cross, a single mother from Châteauguay, who was one of hundreds of protesters bussed in to Montreal for the demonstration.

“We’re paying the same price as people who have higher salaries.”

Tuesday’s budget included a new health-care fee – $25 a year as of 2010 with yearly increases to $200, and a possible health deductible in the future. Provincial sales tax and the fuel tax will both rise as well. The government also plans to increase tuition fees in 2012 and is considering an increase to raise hydroelectricity rates.

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