Gates & the Iran Arms Sales
Defense Secretary nominee Robert Gates narrowly escaped legal fallout from the Iran-Contra scandal 20 years ago. But new evidence from his former CIA colleagues suggests Gates was more interested in serving his political masters at the White House than in reporting accurate intelligence.
Gates's actions from that shadowy period are relevant again as the Senate evaluates whether Gates has the right stuff to stand up to George W. Bush.
For the full story about how Gates aided and abetted the worst scandal of the Reagan presidency, go to
Consortiumnews.com.
More Than 140 Bodies Turn up on Baghdad Streets
More than 140 bodies have been found dumped across Baghdad over the past three days, police said Wednesday.
....And
today, "in the worst attack on Baghdad since the war to unseat Saddam Hussein, insurgents killed at least 152 people and wounded 236 in a series of car bombings in the Shi'ite district of Sadr City, security and medical sources said". It seems that each day is now becoming the 'worst day', as Iraq descends into total chaos. Yet Bush and Company blatantly maintain that things are getting better. Anyone believes that should come and see me; I may have a nice piece of swamp real-estate to sell you!
Read about today's "worst Iraq blast since the war" here:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/worst-iraq-blast-since-war/2006/11/24/1163871580108.html(The Sydney Morning Herald)
As you know, the members of the Six Nations of the Grand River community have been engaged in a land reclamation near Caledonia, Ontario since February 28, 2006. This historic action impacts all First Nations on Turtle Island (North America) and beyond; it has advanced indigenous struggles to a level not seen since the start of colonization.
HOWEVER, IT CANNOT SUCCEED WITHOUT YOUR HELP.
The monthly cost of maintaining the camp over the winter months totals $19,000. This is for fuel to keep the generators going, a snow blower, food, clothing, supplies, etc.
A further $10,000 is needed to retain a team of lawyers to defend Onkwehonwe people (indigenous people) who are facing criminal charges for participating in this action.
The Coalition in Support of Indigenous Sovereignty is comprised of diverse solidarity and community groups led by an Indigenous Caucus that has come together to support First Nations Sovereignty on Turtle Island. WE ARE SPEARHEADING A CAMPAIGN TO RAISE $29,000 FOR THE SIX NATIONS RECLAMATION BY DECEMBER 31, 2006.
Please consider supporting this important action. Cheques can be made payable to JANIE JAMIESON and mailed to 10 Britain Street, Toronto, ON, M5A 1R6.
For more information and the latest update, please see http://sisis.nativeweb.org,
the.i.c.@hotmail.com.
Skennon (Peace)
Coalition in Support of Indigenous Sovereignty.
PS: EVERY CENT COLLECTED GOES DIRECTLY TO THE RECLAMATION PROJECT.
Ontario Health Coalition: McGuinty Warned Against British Revolt
Ontario Health Coalition
McGuinty Health Reforms Risk Major Backlash: See British Revolt
Released November 21, 2006
Toronto - Today the Ontario Health Coalition warned the McGuinty government that copying Britain's health reforms is a dangerous path. The McGuinty government's "health transformation agenda" and infrastructure plan copies many of the major initiatives of Britain's Tony Blair government including:
- <>more than 33 privatized P3 hospitals, a model of privatization pioneered in Britain
- <>the introduction of competition for funding between different communities' hospitals
-
local health integration networks that are poised to act as purchasers for health services (similar to the UK's Strategic Health Authorities).
In recent weeks Blair's government has been rocked by major protests over its health policies that newspapers are describing as the biggest revolt since the poll tax.
"The reforms the Ontario government is copying from Britain cast aside Canada Health Act requirements for comprehensiveness and accessibility in favour of an expensive administrative experiment," said Natalie Mehra, director of the Ontario Health Coalition. "The consequences are predictable. In Britain, local hospital services have been cut by hospitals losing in funding competitions. Patients have been forced to travel to numerous different facilities for different services. The formerly public National Health Service is now deeply privatized. The introduction of the market competition caused administrative costs to increase dramatically. Both the political left and the right are decrying the money that is pouring out of the health system into privately financed hospital projects."
"The political consequences of favouring privatization, market mechanisms, and the latest management fads over human need have become abundantly clear as the British population has taken to the streets to reject the closure of local hospital departments and privatization. The McGuinty government should take note. If we continue to follow the British course, the same thing will happen here," she warned.
British protests:
November 1- thousands rallied at the British parliament described as "the biggest lobby against health cuts since Labour came to power united surgeons and laboratory workers, health visitors and care assistants, senior midwives and young nurses not yet out of training. In many of their hospitals, clinics and surgeries colleagues worked overtime to let them deliver the urgent message..." (The Guardian, November 2).
October 25 - Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Alex Salmond has declared, "Labour's PFI disaster will cost Scotland an additional £5bn" and called for the abolition of P3s ( www.pppbulletin.co.uk/about). (PFI is the UK term for P3). SNP is leading in opinion polls and looks poised to win the next election. P3 in Scotland has a chequered history with the Scottish Executive forced to buy out several projects, at an inflated rate, from local health regions that cannot afford the project payments. Currently there is resentment over a proposal that an A&E (Emergency) department in South Lanarkshire will close as a cost cutting exercise to finance a hospital built using P3. The Royal Edinburgh P3 has been plagued by scandal over shady land deals, loss of public control and high costs.
On October 27 the Conservatives reversed themselves on the P3 hospital policy that they put in place 14 years ago after obtaining figures showing that the eventual repayments for 83 hospital building projects worth £8bn would total £53bn under the P3 program. Calling the costs "complete lunacy" the Conservative health critic Andrew Lansley said, "It is perverse that, with hospitals around the country now suffering cutbacks and closures, over 80 NHS organisations are locked into long-term contracts for the building of large hospitals that we have no idea whether the NHS will actually need." (Guardian Unlimited, October 27).
On October 26, The Guardian reported that, "Grassroots protests against hospital cuts and NHS reorganisations across England have in recent months become the most widespread and prolonged unrest since the poll tax revolt in 1990." Petitions have been signed by tens of thousands in key Labour seats. In September Paul McCartney gave his support to 7,000 marchers campaigning to save emergency and maternity services at a local hospital in Hastings. Protests have attracted thousands at Hayle in Cornwall, Oxford, Nottingham, Banbury, Huntingdon, Stroud, Ludlow and the Forest of Dean. Labour's chief whip is in political trouble over cuts to her local hospital as is cabinet minister Charles Clarke. Health Minister Patricia Hewitt is being challenged by Barry Monk, a dermatologist, threatening to stand on a "Save Bedford Hospital" ticket. In 2001 Richard Taylor campaigning as an independent seized Wyre Forest from Labour and held it in 2005 in a campaign against downgrading Kidderminster hospital. The government has created a "heat map" to provide early warning of political trouble ahead.
The First Nations Plan for Creating Opportunity
Make Poverty History: The First Nations Plan for Creating Opportunity
Dear Make Poverty History supporter:
In Canada, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) recently launched Make Poverty History: The First Nations Plan for Creating Opportunity. We are asking all members of the public to sign our on-line petition to ensure that the Government of Canada sees that First Nations poverty is a truly shared issue for all Canadians.
First Nations poverty is the single greatest social justice issue in Canada.
There are more than 750,000 First Nations people living in Canada, on reserves, in urban areas and in Northern Territories. Compared to Canadians:
- one in four First Nations children live in poverty versus one in six;
- life expectancy is 7.4 years less for First Nations men and 5.2 years less for First Nations women;
- overcrowding in First Nations homes is almost double;
- mold contaminates almost half of homes;
- socioeconomic conditions has been compared to developing countries with health status well below the national average. First Nations people simply cannot afford the means to good health.
November 21, 2006 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' (RCAP) final report. Our report card on RCAP implementation shows that Canada has failed to act on most of the recommendations.
One year ago, First Ministers of all federal, provincial and territorial governments, and leaders of First Nations and other Aboriginal organizations unanimously agreed to adopt the Kelowna Accord. Unfortunately, the commitments made in the 10-year Plan for closing the gap in poverty between First Nations and other Canadians have not yet been honored by the new federal government, although the Conservative party platform agreed with the targets to be achieved.
Yet, it costs more to keep First Nations in poverty than creating opportunity.
You can help to create pressure for long overdue action on First Nations poverty by signing the on-line petition at http://www.afn.ca/webcast/petition/wcr.htm. More information is also provided on the website.
Please join us in the struggle to Make Poverty History for First Nations and Create Opportunity for First Nations.
Thank you.
Phil Fontaine
National Chief
Chertoff's 'Chilling Vision'
Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff describes his "chilling vision" of a future in which the actions of the U.S. government are constrained by international law.
To avert this danger, Chertoff urges right-wing legal activists at the Federalist Society to go on the offensive against the European Union and other governments trying to pressure the United States into operating within the Geneva Conventions and other human rights standards.
For the full story about Chertoff's lament, go to
Consortiumnews.com.
This poignant piece by Brent Budowsky is a Guest Contribution on today's BuzzFlash.
Brent Budowsky served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, responsible for commerce and intelligence matters, including one of the core drafters of the CIA Identities Law. Served as Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Whip, House of Representatives. Currently a member of the International Advisory Council of the Intelligence Summit. Left goverment in 1990 for marketing and public affairs business including major corporate entertainment and talent management.
A Message From John Fitzgerald Kennedy On November 22, 2006
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Wed, 11/22/2006 - 8:08am. Guest Contribution
A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Brent Budowsky
My fellow Americans:
On November 22 four decades ago I left you, and for those of you who think of me, let me ask a personal favor: reflect for a moment on the world we lived in, the things we believed in, the deeds we did, and the Nation we left in trust for you.
I was born as America was winning the First World War, was young when America won the Second World War, and was President when America was winning the battle of ideas that led to our victory in the Cold War.
History teaches lessons; here are some I pass on, to you.
I was the younger generation, within the great generation. I was never comfortable with that term, great generation, because what makes America America, is that every generation can be great. Some are, some aren't. It was up to us. Now it is up to you.
When I was a young man, we faced and we defeated the challenge of fascism. When I was President in middle age, we met the challenge of communism. Had I lived long enough, I would have been with you, when the last brick was torn down from the Berlin Wall, where I once stood as the leader of America and the leader of the free world.
.... Read the rest of this BuzzFlash Guest Contibution here.
MidEast Dispatches: Support Gathers for Sunni Leader
Support Gathers for Sunni Leader
*Inter Press Service*
Dahr Jamail and Ali Al-Fadhily
*BAGHDAD, Nov 20 (IPS) - The arrest warrant issued last week by the Iraqi government for Sunni leader Dr. Harith al-Dhari has sent shockwaves through the government, and galvanised much of the Sunni population.*
Iraq's minister for the interior Jawad al-Bolani told reporters that al-Dhari was wanted for inciting terrorism and violence. At the same time, Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi said the warrant was "destructive to the national reconciliation plan."
Sixty-five-year-old Harith al-Dhari heads the influential Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), the leading Sunni religious leadership of Iraq. Al-Dhari is currently in Jordan; he left Iraq five months back for fear of personal safety. The AMS is known to have contacts with the Iraqi
resistance, and has been opposed to the U.S. occupation and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government.
AMS has refused to participate in any political activity under the occupation, and has insisted on withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq so that elections and other activities would be "honest and transparent."
Al-Dhari denounced the warrant for his arrest as "proof of the failure and confusion of the Iraqi government," and suggested that Shia ministers were attempting to divert attention from security scandals that showed links between the militias and police.
The Shia-dominated government is seen by Sunnis as responsible for widespread killing of Sunnis through its 'death squads'. Shias are the second largest denomination among Muslims, who believe that Prophet Muhammad's teachings were best propagated by his cousin Ali rather than a caliphate as believed by Sunnis. In Iraq Shias form about 60 percent of the population of 25 million. The minority Sunnis had been dominant under the regime of Saddam Hussain, a Sunni Muslim.
Al-Dhari called on Iraqis to be patient and not get dragged into such "conspiracies." He said he would attend a court if government officials also came before the same court to be questioned for crimes against the Iraqi people. But Sunni parties are now threatening to withdraw from the
unstable government.
The move by the Iraqi government has angered many Shias as well. The Shia movement al-Khalissiya, led by Sheikh Jawad al-Khalissi in Baghdad, has opposed the arrest warrant. The group is also opposed to the occupation, together with the AMS and other leaders who are a part of the Iraqi Foundation Conference.
"It was a silly warrant that will only increase anger against a corrupt government," al-Khalissi stated on al-Sharqiya satellite channel. Al-Khalissi went on to praise Dhari for defending Iraqis regardless of their sect or religion.
Other groups are also supportive of the Sunni leader. "Al-Dhari is the main Sunni figure, and his association is considered the main Sunni representative in the region," Talal Saied, a member of the Communist Party told IPS in Baghdad. "He was officially invited by most governments in the region to visit their countries as a recognised leader, although he did not represent any government office. He never talked for the Sunni sect alone and always forbade sectarian killings against all Iraqis."
Harith al-Dhari inherited some of his reputation from his grandfather Sheikh Dhari who led the resistance against the British occupation of Iraq in the early 20th century. Sheikh Dhari killed Lt. Col. Gerald Leachman of the British army who was sent to Fallujah to quell rising resistance.
Harith al-Dhari's continuous opposition to the occupation has made him the enemy of the United States and its Iraqi collaborators, while earning him widespread respect from most Sunni and many Shia political and religious leaders.
Former Iraqi interim prime minister Iyad Allawi, who has known ties to the CIA, has also condemned the warrant against Dhari.
Sheikh Ali Karbalaai, spokesman for Shia Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, severely criticised the warrant and called on the government to recognise the dangers of such acts against the solidarity and security of the Iraqi people.
On the other hand, the Shia parties in power and their officials who have often been accused of being loyal to Iran have led a harsh attack on al-Dhari, and accused him of provoking sectarian problems. These groups have been supported by President Jalal Talibani and the Kurdish
parties.
_______________________________________________
(c)2006 Dahr Jamail.
All images, photos, photography and text are protected by United States and international copyright law. If you would like to reprint Dahr's Dispatches on the web, you need to include this copyright notice and a prominent link to the
http://DahrJamailIraq.com website. Website by photographer Jeff Pflueger's Photography Media
http://jeffpflueger.com . Any other use of images, photography, photos and text including, but not limited to, reproduction, use on another website, copying and printing requires the permission of Dahr Jamail. Of course, feel free to forward Dahr's dispatches via email.
Tomgram: Mark Danner, How a War of Unbound Fantasies Happened
From fantasies come consequences caught, in the case of Iraq, by the following headline from the Houston Chronicle, "At least 700 Iraqis die in 8 days of unrelenting violence." ("They've been beheaded, tortured and blown up while looking for work. They've been shot, kidnapped and felled by mortars.") Think of this as George W. Bush's Iraq. Mark Danner, one of our most incisive writers on Bush's war, steps back in this moment that he calls "the time of solutions" to consider just how we got from the soaring rhetoric (not to speak of the lies and manipulations) of the Bush administration, from those planet-encompassing dreams of domination, to the most singularly sordid situation imaginable -- with the possibility of worse still ahead.
This is certainly one of the longest pieces the New York Review of Books has ever run in a single issue. (It will appear in the December 21st issue, soon on the newsstands.) It won't even fit in the Tomdispatch "shell" and so I'm proud to post it, with the kind permission of the editors of the New York Review of Books, as an instant two-part piece. Most of you will be breaking for Thanksgiving. So now you have your assignment for the extended weekend. I couldn't send along a better journalist -- or writer -- as company.
Tomdispatch.com will return on Monday afternoon, November 27th, with a week of genuine surprises, part of an explosive special book project long underway at the site. Look for it. Tom
Iraq: The War of the Imagination
By Mark Danner
[This piece, which appears in the December 21, 2006 issue of the New York Review of Books, is posted here with the kind permission of the editors of that magazine.]
"Today, if we went into Iraq, like the president would like us to do, you know where you begin. You never know where you are going to end." -- George F. Kennan, September 26, 2002
"I ask you, sir, what is the American army doing inside Iraq?... Saddam's story has been finished for close to three years." -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to Mike Wallace on Sixty Minutes, August 13, 2006
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
U of T events & meetings this week
For those living in the Toronto area, here are a few upcoming events and meetings to be a part of...
1) 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence
2) Students Against Israeli Apartheid: Nov.22nd
3) No One is Illegal: Nov.23rd
4) Women's Gathering: Nov.25th
5) OPIRG New Volunteer Orientation: Nov. 28th
Also, Visit
www.opirguoft.org for all other upcoming events on campus and in the city
_________________________________________
1) 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE
Events at The Centre for Women & Trans People @ U of T
ALL WELCOME!
All events are FREE, wheelchair accessible, and take place at 563 Spadina
Ave., Room 100 (just north of College, on the east side of Spadina).
Check out our website for more details!
http://womenscentre.sa.utoronto.ca
===
Thu. Nov. 23 / 6:30pm - 8:30pm - READING: LEE MARACLE, award-winning First
Nations writer (part of our 20th Anniversary Writer Series)
Co-sponsored by Toronto Women's Bookstore
===
Mon. Nov. 27 / 6:30-8:30pm - GENDER VIOLENCE AND THE PRISON SYSTEM
Prisoners Justice Action Committee presents a workshop on violenc experienced by women and trans people (focusing especially on youth) in the prison system.
===
Thu. Nov. 30 - FILM SCREENINGS: RESISTANCE IN THE FACE OF COLONIALISM
4:00pm - 'The Original Summit: Journey to the Sacred Uprising' (Dir: Rebeka Tabobondung & Adrian Kahgee, 2002, 45 min - This resistance documentary examines the roots of globalization from an Indigenous perspective, uncovering a legacy of sacred uprising)
Followed by:
5:00pm - 'Keepers of the Fire' (Dir: Christine Welsh, 1994, 55 min - Profiles Canada's Native warrior women who are protecting and defending their land, their culture and their people in the time-honored tradition of their foremothers)
===
Tue. Dec. 5 / 6:30pm - 8:30pm - PANEL & READING: 'VOICES OF RESISTANCE:
MUSLIM WOMEN ON WAR, FAITH AND SEXUALITY' w/ Shadi Eskandani and Nuzhat
Abbas (part of our 20th Anniversary Writer Series)
Co-sponsored by Toronto Women's Bookstore
--
The Centre for Women and Trans People
@ The University of Toronto
563 Spadina Ave, Room 100
North Borden Building
Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2J7
Phone: 416.978.8201
Fax: 416.978.1078
Email: womens.centre@utoronto.ca
Website:
http://womenscentre.sa.utoronto.ca
We are located north of College, on the east side of Spadina. We are wheelchair accessible through Bancroft Avenue. We provide TTC tokens upon request for sponsored meetings and events, and we may be able to provide childcare with advance notice. We are child friendly and strive to be a trans inclusive space.
The Centre for Women and Trans People advocates on issues of racism, Islamophobia, and anti-semitism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, classism, ableism, and ageism. Specifically, we advocate for equality for systemically marginalized groups. We work within the University of Toronto but commit ourselves to making connections to other communities.
_______________________________________
2) Campus Divestment /
Students Against Israeli Apartheid
Is a new action group at the University of Toronto working to raise awareness and pressure around the need to sever economic and academic ties between U of T and support for apartheid Israel.
Wanting to get involved and learn more about this group?
CONTACT:
saia@riseup.net
The next information meeting will be:
Wednesday, Nov.22nd
7:30 PM
Sidney Smith
________________________________________
3) No One is Illegal U of T presents...
Movemientos Populares Columbiana
The Social Conflict in Columbia and its Continent-wide Dimensions.
Political alternatives as Presented by Grassroots Social Movements.
Featuring:
Amparo Torres - Columbian Labour Activist and Human Rights Lawyer
Thursday, Nov. 23rd
7 - 9 PM
OISE Room 4422
252 Bloor St West (@ St. George Subway Station)
_______________________________________________________-
4) A Women's Gathering
on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
Join the Women Against Poverty Collective
Saturday, November 25th
1:00 - 5:00 PM
@ the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre / Multicultural Women Against Rape
17 Phoebe St. (1 block north of Queen and Spadina)
LUNCH WILL BE SERVED
TTC, Childcare, and notetaker will be provided
Wheelchair accessible
The Women Against Poverty Collective came together this summer to protest the fact that too many women face violence in their lives, lose their housing and have no where to live. This gathering is a chance to plan actions that will chance this
This gathering is part of the Ontario Step It Up! Campaign
www.stepitupontario.ca
For more info Contact:
Magaly @ 416-531-2411 x 248
END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
______________________________________________________
5) WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OPIRG - Toronto?
New Volunteer Orientations
Last Tuesday of Every Month (except December)
5-6 PM
OPIRG - Toronto Office
563 Spadina Ave
CONTACT:
opirig.toronto@utoronto.ca / 416-978-7770
_____________________________________________________
Wal-Mart accused of mislabeling organics
The article below comes from a wonderful weekly online mag the Weekly Grist, which sends out emails about interesting articles dealing mainly with environmental issues:
The Case of the Mislabeled CaseWal-Mart accused of incorrectly labeling organic productsAh, Wal-Mart -- always reliable for some good old-fashioned eco-drama. Last week, the Cornucopia Institute, an activist group representing small farmers, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that accuses Wal-Mart of incorrectly labeling or otherwise misrepresenting various products as organic in some stores. Visiting a dozen stores in four Midwestern states, the group found several troubling misrepresentations. In one case, "all-natural" yogurt was labeled organic; in several stores, non-organic products were residing in an organic-designated cooler. "We live and die by the reputation of the organic label," says Cornucopia cofounder and organic farmer Mark Kastel. "If Wal-Mart cheapens it, we all lose." Wal-Mart pooh-poohed the accusations and defended its organic offerings. Nevertheless, the USDA has opened an investigation into the retailer's organic-labeling practices; violations of labeling standards can carry a fine of $10,000 per instance. straight to the source: Gazette Extra, Associated Press, Emily Fredrix, 15 Nov 2006 straight to the source: Detroit Free Press, Bloomberg News Service, Alan Bjerga, 15 Nov 2006 straight to the source: Star Tribune, Matt McKinney, 14 Nov 2006
The Press Release below (also in French) went out Thursday Nov. 16th 2006 during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetings in Quebec City. It is largely based on the report of the Canadian Pugwash/Science for Peace Forum held
recently in Toronto.
Thanks go to Erika Simpson, Debbie Grisdale, Mike Wallace, Robin Collins and all others involved in the work of drafting the text, seeking media contacts, then organizing translation and distribution all within a 4 day period to allow us to communicate our concerns during the NATO meetings.
The following groups have endorsed this statement:
The Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
Canadian Pugwash Group (CPG)
Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW)
Pacific Campaign for Disarmament & Security (Canada)
Physicians for Global Survival
Project Ploughshares (Calgary)
Science for Peace (SfP)
World Conference of Religions for Peace (Canada)
World Federalist Movement (Canada)
*PRESS RELEASE
November 16, 2006
*
*
CANADA AND NATO 'DOUBLESPEAK' ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS
*
"NATO's nuclear policy and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime are incompatible,” concluded representatives of many Canadian and international NGOs at a workshop sponsored by the Canadian Pugwash Group and Science for Peace. As a signatory to the NPT, Canada supports the "unequivocal undertaking" for the total elimination of nuclear weapons while at the same time affirming the central tenet of NATO’s Strategic Concept that nuclear weapons are "essential".
"Canada and its NATO allies must reexamine the fundamental contradiction inherent in their simultaneous loyalty to both the NPT and NATO nuclear policy," says Professor Michael Wallace from the University of British Columbia. "That the Canadian government remains silent about this glaring inconsistency is yet another example of its reflexive compliance with American wishes."
Among its recommendations in support of the threatened nuclear non-proliferation regime, delegates to the working group strongly advise the Canadian government to re-open NATO's decade-long debate about the viability of its Strategic Concept. "Canada cannot allow the NPT to be further weakened by NATO's policies--policies that without question undermine the very purpose of the NPT," says Professor Erika Simpson, a Board Member of the Canadian Pugwash Group and author of /NATO and the
Bomb/.
The intransigence of NATO members was further demonstrated in recent voting patterns at the UN Committee on Disarmament. Canada and its NATO allies refused to support tough resolutions calling for immediate negotiations on a phased program of nuclear disarmament or to criticize the nuclear weapons states for their modernization programs. The overall voting demonstrated that Canada and the other non-nuclear NATO countries are caught in a giant contradiction.
"Canada has taken a leadership role in support of NATO nuclear policy reform before. We must push even harder now or proliferators may learn lessons that result in real security threats," warned Robin Collins, Chair of Council for the World Federalist Movement -Canada. “The NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting this week in Quebec City is an important venue for elected officials to raise the issue of NATO nuclear
policy reform,” he added.
Full report is available at:
http://www.pugwashgroup.ca/ *
MEDIA CONTACTS*:Dr. Mike Wallace, Professor, Department of Political Science, University
of British Columbia, Vancouver, (Cell) 604-822-4550
Dr. Erika Simpson, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science,
University of Western Ontario, London: (w) 519-661-2111, ext. 85156;
(home) 519 -438-1938
Robin Collins, Chair of Council, World Federalist Movement-Canada (cell)
613-791-5198
Debbie Grisdale, Executive Director, Physicians for Global Survival
(Canada) (w) 613-233-1982
*
The full report is also endorsed by: *Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR)
Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW)
World Conference on Religions and Peace (WCRP)
Toronto: Women Against Poverty Collective Public Event - Sat. Nov. 25th!
This Saturday Women Against Poverty Collective Public Event
Join the Women Against Poverty Collective on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women for a Women's Gathering
Saturday November 25,1-5pm
Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape
17 Phoebe St(1 block North of Queen St,east off Spadina)
Lunch will be served
TTC,parking,Childcare,and notetaker available
For more info contact:Magaly 416-531-2411 ext 248
What is the Women Against Poverty Collective?The Women Against Poverty Collective came together this summer to protest the fact that too many women face violence in their lives,loose their housing and have nowhere to live. This gathering is a chance to plan actions that will change this.
This gathering is a part of the Ontario Step It Up!Campaign.
www.stepitupontario.ca
Tomgram: Robert Lipsyte, How the Republicans Lost the Garage
The 2006 election season ended on November 7 with the crowning of a new Congressional champion, the Democratic Party. Today, less than two weeks later, the NASCAR season ends with the Ford 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida and the crowning of a new Nextel Cup champion. In the piece that follows, Robert Lipsyte, former New York Times sports columnist (who covered Nascar for years) and author most recently of the striking Young Adult novel, Raiders Night, explains just how curiously linked the two events are.
When I was a youth, I worked for a while in a small, tinker-toy industrial strip in Hayward, California, with skilled young printers who were also fervent racing car enthusiasts. They could offer brilliant interpretations of how our world worked without ever leaving the universe of cars. Lipsyte, one of the best sports writers we've had, has the same skill. Back in September in "Shooting Up on Jock Culture" he explored for Tomdispatch readers the deeper meaning of the steroid scandals. He is now officially this website's sports columnist. Expect a new column every second month. The Super Bowl is, to mix sports metaphors, on deck. Tom
Driving Values
By Robert Lipsyte
1. It's the Car, Stupid
"I hate that term, NASCAR Dads, it's narrow and patronizing, but it's about time Democrats showed some sensitivity to the stock car culture." -- David (Mudcat) Saunders, political consultant.
The Democrats won the Senate and the House because the Republicans lost the garage.
Four years ago, mad political scientists created Nascar Dad to combat Soccer Mom. The result was as epic as Beowulf versus Grendel's Mother. We know how both those battles came out. And now we also know that Nascar Dad, like the great Scandinavian mercenary, began to wonder if he was protecting the right mead hall.
Click here to read more of this dispatch.
George Galloway in Toronto
****************************************************
The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War is pleased to present...
GEORGE GALLOWAY
After the war in Lebanon -
What next for the Middle East?
A public lecture by British Member of Parliament, George Galloway
George Galloway is a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons and a leading figure in the international anti war movement. A well renowned speaker and orator, Galloway has campaigned around the world for an end to the occupations of Iraq and Palestine.
In spring 2005, he appeared before the United States Senate and delivered his now famous testimony that exposed the lies and deceit behind the US-led invasion of Iraq. This summer, Galloway spoke out against Israel's war on Lebanon and successfully challenged the pro-war media in several high profile interviews.
Galloway on Sky News:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-brkmfrxrQY&mode=related&search=
(If you can't click on the link directly, please cut-and-paste it into the address line)
Join us once again to welcome George Galloway to Toronto!
Monday, November 20
7:00pm doors open, 7:30pm event begins
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
427 Bloor Street West
(nearest subway: Spadina)
Tickets:
$15.00 Adult - $10.00 Students and youth (18 and under) - $10.00 Seniors (60 and over)
This event is expected to sell out quickly. Please buy your tickets right away!
Tickets now on sale at:
Resistance Press - cash or cheque only
Trinity-St. Paul's Centre
427 Bloor Street West
Suite 202, 2nd floor
* Please phone in advance to make appointment to buy tickets: 416-795-5863
Toronto Women's Bookstore - cash, debit or credit card
73 Harbord Street
Hours: Mon to Wed 10:30am to 6pm
Thu and Fri 10:30am to 8pm
Sat 10:30am to 6pm
Sun 12pm to 5pm
Students' Administrative Council (SAC) - cash only
University of Toronto
SAC office
12 Hart House Circle
Hours: Mon to Fri 10am to 4:30pm
Ryerson Students' Union (RSU) - cash or debit only
Ryerson University
Student Centre, 55 Gould Street
Front desk in main lobby
Hours: Mon to Fri 9am to 8pm
Organised by the
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
TCSW is Toronto's city-wide anti-war coalition, comprised of more than fifty labour, faith and community organisations, and a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance.
www.nowar.ca stopthewar@sympatico.ca 416-795-5863
**This information was sent to me by Peter at the Mississauga Coalition for Peace and Justice-
MCPJ
mcpj@resist.orgwww.mcpj.org
