I welcome alternate views and comments. I wrote this a number of years ago.
Political Parties should be clear that they do not support or condemn Gay Marriage. Instead accept that freedom is entrenched in the Canadian Constitution.
When taken a political stand on religious issues it is very important to understand religion. There are many problems caused by mixing religion and politics. We only need to look around the world today to see these problem. For example, fighting non-believers so that believers can live according to their understanding of the commands of God, is still fighting. There are many examples today and throughout history of where religion has been manipulated and used as a political tool. In fact this is not a new problem.
About 2000 years ago, many Jewish leaders at the time freely used religion as a political tool. Christ clearly condemns them for doing so. Christ reaches out to everyone, not asking them to follow simple rules, but to search for the truth with help of the holy spirit. People who use religion as a tool for political gains as is in the case of gay marriage, stem cell research, etc, are the same people that Christ spoke against 2000 yrs ago. Remember the final temptation of Christ was to fall down before the devil and the devil would give all kingdoms. Unfortunately everyone who uses religion as a political tool does exactly that.
More to the point, a good tree bares good fruit. Every ideology and religion can be judged on this base. Neither the Bible nor any other religious book is about science and if it claims to be, it is a lie. Evolution vs. Creationism is strictly a political issue and not a religious issue. In fact creations evolve to meet ever changing challenges. Lesser things are simply manufactured. Abortion is rarely mentioned in the bible. The bible does not promote or condone a gay life style.
Christ teaches us not to use religion for political gains. For this reason political Parties should not support or condemn Gay Marriage. Instead should support the freedoms is entrenched into our Canadian Constitution.
Green Party candidate Richmond Delta
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Need for a Monitored Independent Investigation into Toronto G20
An investigation into police tactics alone does not address the poor G20 planning, mismanagement of public funds, the security command issued orders, or directive under which those orders were issued. This monitored independent investigation is an opportunity to learn and improve so that public is served by all levels of government, police and security services.
The public's goal is to minimize government corruption and incompetence to ensure efficient usage of public resources/funds and that that government decisions making is competent and accountable. To achieve these public goals there is; the separation of power, independent selection of judiciaries and high ranking public servants, free and fair democratic elections and independent decentralized media. Incompetence is furthered by an inability to study mistakes of ourselves and others. It is through this learning process that competence is gained and errors are avoid. By definition public corruption is abuse of public office for private gain. The private gain may be a group's use of preferential access to government as means of improving their condition relative to other groups. It may be maintaining a government in power in order to enable continued preferential treatment. By its very nature corruption is secrete and requires deceit. As greater deceit is employed to hide incompetence, corruption grows unbounded unless checked.
Democracy requires an educated public with empowered votes voting in fair elections. Democracy is tool which enables empowered inclusion of those affected in collective decisions and actions. The educated public on which democracy depends requires decentralized independent media to prevent the influence of a group through preferential access to government or public. Only through both current and investigative reporting, independently reviewed can the public access the competence
and corruption of their public officials. The public does not have the resources to directly investigate government actions. Corruption is secretive, citizens are unlikely to have the knowledge they require to investigate, expose and combat corruption. Individual citizens who resist corruption face a public goods problem, no citizen has sufficient resources to investigate, expose and combat corruption. The public depends reviewed independent detail investigation of government actions required to investigate, expose and combat corruption. Successful examples of reviewed independent investigation of corruption, exposing and combating corruption include the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption combined with their independent Judiciary.
It is the public's low tolerance for corruption that ties democratic participation to controlling corruption. This is why "long exposure to democracy" predicts lower corruption. As the public's tolerance for corruption increases the tie between democratic participation and controlling corruption diminishes. Also required is a high amount of reliable information required to discern where corruption is present and empowered voting where their vote is effective for the public to exercise their intolerance for corruption an incompetence. This is why the public requires a monitored independent investigation into the G20. Governments not punished for corruption, are encouraged to increase their corruption “unjust exclusion or disempowerment” as means of retaining power. And the public has no choice, but to view any and all who stand in the way of reviewed independent investigations as supporters of corruption and also corrupt. In real terms as the tie between democratic participation and controlling corruption diminishes common people are increasingly likely to seek out increasing radical measures as burden of corruption grows.
- G20 planning. Why were the recommendations of Toronto ignored. Security at the CNE could have been obtained at a fraction of the cost? A military base which includes security could have been used with open land for demonstrations with very few targets for vandalism. Who was involved in the planning decision process and why was advice ignored to located the G20 at more easily secured location?
- G20 enormous mismanagement of public funds, A detail audit is required of the over 1.1 Billion spending.
- Confusion and high command order telling officers to stand down and not stop vandals even though they had more than sufficient manpower and equipment. Even with over 1.1 Billion in spending, individual citizens were required to take security into their own hands and take action to stop vandalism. http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/joe_warmington/2010/06/30/14564416.html Later police after first failed the public by their inaction during the vandalism, the police performed an unconstitutional mass arrest. Who ordered the mass arrests? Mass roundups and pre-emptive arrests have served a very unethical political purpose of deflect attention from the G20 policy decisions and legitimate concerns the peaceful public attempted to present. Who comprised the high command and from where did they receive their orders? It is unbelievable that individuals rising to this level of high command could have been so incompetent.
- Why did police deceive the public about the public works laws? Action must be taken when police do not honestly execute laws and regulations. This is police corruption.
These problems cross multiple levels of government, police and security services. Which have failed to protect and serve the Canadian public to various degrees.
This requires an independent investigation. Given that these problems cross multiple levels of government and police, I strongly suggest monitoring the independent investigation committee by international monitors who will publish at various point of the investigation, with a final full published report at the completion of the investigation. These monitors of the independent investigation committee provides a review necessary to insure complete and impartial investigation.
Therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves hating evil and loving good establish justice, faithful until death.
The public's goal is to minimize government corruption and incompetence to ensure efficient usage of public resources/funds and that that government decisions making is competent and accountable. To achieve these public goals there is; the separation of power, independent selection of judiciaries and high ranking public servants, free and fair democratic elections and independent decentralized media. Incompetence is furthered by an inability to study mistakes of ourselves and others. It is through this learning process that competence is gained and errors are avoid. By definition public corruption is abuse of public office for private gain. The private gain may be a group's use of preferential access to government as means of improving their condition relative to other groups. It may be maintaining a government in power in order to enable continued preferential treatment. By its very nature corruption is secrete and requires deceit. As greater deceit is employed to hide incompetence, corruption grows unbounded unless checked.
Democracy requires an educated public with empowered votes voting in fair elections. Democracy is tool which enables empowered inclusion of those affected in collective decisions and actions. The educated public on which democracy depends requires decentralized independent media to prevent the influence of a group through preferential access to government or public. Only through both current and investigative reporting, independently reviewed can the public access the competence
and corruption of their public officials. The public does not have the resources to directly investigate government actions. Corruption is secretive, citizens are unlikely to have the knowledge they require to investigate, expose and combat corruption. Individual citizens who resist corruption face a public goods problem, no citizen has sufficient resources to investigate, expose and combat corruption. The public depends reviewed independent detail investigation of government actions required to investigate, expose and combat corruption. Successful examples of reviewed independent investigation of corruption, exposing and combating corruption include the Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption combined with their independent Judiciary.
It is the public's low tolerance for corruption that ties democratic participation to controlling corruption. This is why "long exposure to democracy" predicts lower corruption. As the public's tolerance for corruption increases the tie between democratic participation and controlling corruption diminishes. Also required is a high amount of reliable information required to discern where corruption is present and empowered voting where their vote is effective for the public to exercise their intolerance for corruption an incompetence. This is why the public requires a monitored independent investigation into the G20. Governments not punished for corruption, are encouraged to increase their corruption “unjust exclusion or disempowerment” as means of retaining power. And the public has no choice, but to view any and all who stand in the way of reviewed independent investigations as supporters of corruption and also corrupt. In real terms as the tie between democratic participation and controlling corruption diminishes common people are increasingly likely to seek out increasing radical measures as burden of corruption grows.
- G20 planning. Why were the recommendations of Toronto ignored. Security at the CNE could have been obtained at a fraction of the cost? A military base which includes security could have been used with open land for demonstrations with very few targets for vandalism. Who was involved in the planning decision process and why was advice ignored to located the G20 at more easily secured location?
- G20 enormous mismanagement of public funds, A detail audit is required of the over 1.1 Billion spending.
- Confusion and high command order telling officers to stand down and not stop vandals even though they had more than sufficient manpower and equipment. Even with over 1.1 Billion in spending, individual citizens were required to take security into their own hands and take action to stop vandalism. http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/joe_warmington/2010/06/30/14564416.html Later police after first failed the public by their inaction during the vandalism, the police performed an unconstitutional mass arrest. Who ordered the mass arrests? Mass roundups and pre-emptive arrests have served a very unethical political purpose of deflect attention from the G20 policy decisions and legitimate concerns the peaceful public attempted to present. Who comprised the high command and from where did they receive their orders? It is unbelievable that individuals rising to this level of high command could have been so incompetent.
- Why did police deceive the public about the public works laws? Action must be taken when police do not honestly execute laws and regulations. This is police corruption.
These problems cross multiple levels of government, police and security services. Which have failed to protect and serve the Canadian public to various degrees.
This requires an independent investigation. Given that these problems cross multiple levels of government and police, I strongly suggest monitoring the independent investigation committee by international monitors who will publish at various point of the investigation, with a final full published report at the completion of the investigation. These monitors of the independent investigation committee provides a review necessary to insure complete and impartial investigation.
Therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves hating evil and loving good establish justice, faithful until death.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The challenge of copyrights
page 74, Intellectual property and open source By Van Lindberg
The “individual” economic benefits of copyright discussed in Chapter 1 are build on controlling expression, while the "aggregate economic" social and cultural benefits of copyright are based upon shared expression.
This problem of control puts copyright into a difficult economic position, comparable to the original market failure that prompted the development of copyright. Of course this is an issue with patents too, but the much shorter term of patent protection mitigates the problem. In the copyright world, the combination of strong controls, long term, and widespread incentives to share sets up a persistent unstable dynamic.
To clarify I added "comments" to the quote.
--------------
Shared information grows quickly. Where as controlled and restricted information is forgotten. Information is not a traditional resource which is reduced by consumption. Rather information grows through is consumption and reuse.
As the IT industry long discovered with IBM as good example, information in the form of software is difficult to sell. However the service of creating, refining and applying the information is highly profitable. The success of GNU software is much due to that shared expression creates a much aggregate economic benefit and as result faster growth. To maximum profits many companies have chosen to take a smaller piece of the fast growing shared information rather than taking slowly growing proprietor pie.
The economic model that relies on controlled expression is further complicated by the fact that no one owns all the information upon which their improvements/refinements are based.
Copyright is an important tool to insure due credit is given to the contributors and to insure open access required for future contributions. Copyrights perform other roles as well, but these are probably the two most important roles.
Timothy Webster
Green Party Candidate for Richmond Delta
The “individual” economic benefits of copyright discussed in Chapter 1 are build on controlling expression, while the "aggregate economic" social and cultural benefits of copyright are based upon shared expression.
This problem of control puts copyright into a difficult economic position, comparable to the original market failure that prompted the development of copyright. Of course this is an issue with patents too, but the much shorter term of patent protection mitigates the problem. In the copyright world, the combination of strong controls, long term, and widespread incentives to share sets up a persistent unstable dynamic.
To clarify I added "comments" to the quote.
--------------
Shared information grows quickly. Where as controlled and restricted information is forgotten. Information is not a traditional resource which is reduced by consumption. Rather information grows through is consumption and reuse.
As the IT industry long discovered with IBM as good example, information in the form of software is difficult to sell. However the service of creating, refining and applying the information is highly profitable. The success of GNU software is much due to that shared expression creates a much aggregate economic benefit and as result faster growth. To maximum profits many companies have chosen to take a smaller piece of the fast growing shared information rather than taking slowly growing proprietor pie.
The economic model that relies on controlled expression is further complicated by the fact that no one owns all the information upon which their improvements/refinements are based.
Copyright is an important tool to insure due credit is given to the contributors and to insure open access required for future contributions. Copyrights perform other roles as well, but these are probably the two most important roles.
Timothy Webster
Green Party Candidate for Richmond Delta
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Harper goes prorogue
Careful management of spending during this economic slowdown which could still turn worse is very important. The war in Afghanistan is very expensive. We don't know how expensive, because Harper has denied access to this information to protect himself from embarrassment.
I whole hearty supported Canada's mission to bring good governance to Afghanistan. Only through good governance can win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people required for stability and lasting peace.
http://industry.bnet.com/government/10004569/canada-finds-war-expensive/
It is estimated that Canada will spend about $20 billion U.S. on defence this year. Again because Harper has denied access to military spending information it is impossible to know if this money has been spent efficiently or wasted corruptly. Lack of spending transparency presents a major temptation for both Canadian military and Canadian government service corruption. We need a substantial military force in Afghanistan in order to provide security during the good governance mentored process. With reduced corruption the Afghan government would be able to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and police itself.
Our mission in Afghanistan has been sabotaged by our government complete failing in mentored good governance in Afghan. Our government under Harper failed to establish an Afghan independent anti-corruption commission required to route out corruption within the Afghan government, justice and prevent torture. In effect the act of routing out corruption within the Afghan government and justice required to prevent torture would have met Canada would have fulfilled its mission to bring good governance relatively free of corruption to Afghanistan.
Harper cannot deny the fact that he has actively disregarded our mission in Afghanistan to mentor Afghan in the good governance. Instead Harper with his complacent support of torture and legal corruption within the Afghan government, he must hid the facts and dismiss them as irrelevant. Harper's government refused to correct the prisoner transfer agreement problems they were made aware of by Dawn Black in April 2006. By this self denial, Harper's leadership actively disregarded our mission in Afghanistan to mentor Afghan in the good governance. Instead under Harper's leadership, those who have acted corruptly committing and allowing torture have been protected. Harper's leadership has in effect supported a corrupt Afghan government. Harper has called a prorogue in order to delay international required public investigation into the Afghan torture. Harper's Government is complicit in the Afghan torture which makes it accountable as war criminals.
Without the Canadian Government lead by Harper performing its required political role, our military has been crippled. The decision to mostly ignore the drug dealers, torture and other corruption has been a strategic blunder. Rebellion against the corruption within the Afghan Government gives the Taliban more than enough support. We have wasted the lives of Canadians who has died trying to bring lasting peace and security to Afghanistan. We have wasted untold billions, because Harper was/is unwilling to listen. We have wasted what was probably our only chance to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan and reduce the threat of terrorist who feed on the misery and corruption.
To quote news from Afghanistan.
FOB Jackson is currently home to Battle group headquarters for 2 Rifles. The area around the river is called the “Green Zone,” but just as appropriately could be called the Opium Zone. During season, the area is covered with colorful poppies, whose 2009 products are probably showing up by now on the streets in Europe. European money flows back here and buys fertilizer in the Sangin Market, which can be used to make bombs, produce more opium, get more money and make more bombs and grow more opium and make more money and bombs and grow more opium. Sangin is at once an ATM and weapons bazaar for the enemy. Nearly all fatalities in this unit have been caused by fertilizer bombs. The decision to mostly ignore the drug dealers has been a strategic blunder.
I whole hearty supported Canada's mission to bring good governance to Afghanistan. Only through good governance can win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people required for stability and lasting peace.
http://industry.bnet.com/government/10004569/canada-finds-war-expensive/
It is estimated that Canada will spend about $20 billion U.S. on defence this year. Again because Harper has denied access to military spending information it is impossible to know if this money has been spent efficiently or wasted corruptly. Lack of spending transparency presents a major temptation for both Canadian military and Canadian government service corruption. We need a substantial military force in Afghanistan in order to provide security during the good governance mentored process. With reduced corruption the Afghan government would be able to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and police itself.
Our mission in Afghanistan has been sabotaged by our government complete failing in mentored good governance in Afghan. Our government under Harper failed to establish an Afghan independent anti-corruption commission required to route out corruption within the Afghan government, justice and prevent torture. In effect the act of routing out corruption within the Afghan government and justice required to prevent torture would have met Canada would have fulfilled its mission to bring good governance relatively free of corruption to Afghanistan.
Harper cannot deny the fact that he has actively disregarded our mission in Afghanistan to mentor Afghan in the good governance. Instead Harper with his complacent support of torture and legal corruption within the Afghan government, he must hid the facts and dismiss them as irrelevant. Harper's government refused to correct the prisoner transfer agreement problems they were made aware of by Dawn Black in April 2006. By this self denial, Harper's leadership actively disregarded our mission in Afghanistan to mentor Afghan in the good governance. Instead under Harper's leadership, those who have acted corruptly committing and allowing torture have been protected. Harper's leadership has in effect supported a corrupt Afghan government. Harper has called a prorogue in order to delay international required public investigation into the Afghan torture. Harper's Government is complicit in the Afghan torture which makes it accountable as war criminals.
Without the Canadian Government lead by Harper performing its required political role, our military has been crippled. The decision to mostly ignore the drug dealers, torture and other corruption has been a strategic blunder. Rebellion against the corruption within the Afghan Government gives the Taliban more than enough support. We have wasted the lives of Canadians who has died trying to bring lasting peace and security to Afghanistan. We have wasted untold billions, because Harper was/is unwilling to listen. We have wasted what was probably our only chance to bring lasting peace to Afghanistan and reduce the threat of terrorist who feed on the misery and corruption.
To quote news from Afghanistan.
FOB Jackson is currently home to Battle group headquarters for 2 Rifles. The area around the river is called the “Green Zone,” but just as appropriately could be called the Opium Zone. During season, the area is covered with colorful poppies, whose 2009 products are probably showing up by now on the streets in Europe. European money flows back here and buys fertilizer in the Sangin Market, which can be used to make bombs, produce more opium, get more money and make more bombs and grow more opium and make more money and bombs and grow more opium. Sangin is at once an ATM and weapons bazaar for the enemy. Nearly all fatalities in this unit have been caused by fertilizer bombs. The decision to mostly ignore the drug dealers has been a strategic blunder.
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