Huge rally in London

Saturday there was a huge rally in London protesting Cameron's Cuts. Organizers stopped counting at 250,000 participants. There are two points I will make. The rally was hugely successful. It was a peaceful public protest that included families and children. There was a reason for the rally. There was a significant purpose that many people took to the street to voice their opinion which I will expand upon. Pensioners and families with children protesting cuts to pensions and education to start.

The other point is the fact that a small break off group of anarchists and who knows who else, seized the opportunity to vandalize and clash with police later in the day and later in the evening at Trafalgar square. The initial peaceful rally that had massive attendance was at Hyde Park with a march to parliament. It was the largest demonstration in England in decades. That means the public has real concerns about the direction the government has pledged to go in. In a democratic society, the government listens to the will of the voters. Dictatorships don't.

I will emphasize that the spin off violence is suspect. Police participated in the rally protesting cuts to policing. Why would the police clash with the police. Sure there are some yahoos that feed off the adrenaline and love to vandalize and loot for any reason. Yet there is without question another very real possibility. There is no doubt that the political extremists who want to privatize everything under the sun and completely remove all public accountability whatsoever would hire people to vandalize things and create violence in the attempt to destroy the credibility of the real protest and distract the world from the real issues that are on the table.

MI 6 were caught doing it in Iraq. Twice. I personally have no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that it is well within the MI 6 mentality to hire masked thugs to create violence to take away from the very serious issues that are on the table. They also did it with the help of the Americans in Iran under the guise of Operation Ajax. That I might add was for oil.

So, setting the spin off violence aside, be it childish brats or paid thugs, let us look clearly at the real issues that have given rise to England’s largest public protest in decades.

Cuts to Pensions

Cuts to pensions is one thing. Deregulating pensions and removing public accountability is another. All too often we have seen many pensions go down the toilet as soon as they are deregulated and the public accountability has been removed. Large corporations covet the ability to utilize pension money and gamble it away in the chance of getting a larger return. Large corporations should not be allowed to get their greedy little mitts on public pensions. The motivation for the deregulation of pensions and removing public accountability has nothing to do with reducing the deficit. It is just plain bad business.

National Debt and The Almighty Corporation

Now this brings us the the most obvious point. Cameron claims he wants to reduce the deficit in four years making all these trade cuts and more frighteningly the complete removal of public accountability from everything and handing all power and control of every conceivable social program into the hands of the greed driven almighty corporation.

Some corporations profit from war. Some corporations profit from oil. The oil companies have been responsible for many wars. Taking tax dollars away from pensions, schools and hospitals to fund the war for oil is just plain wrong.

Let me emphasise that the goals of eliminating the debt is not a bad thing. Pimping that goal to steal tax dollars to fund oil wars and corporate greed is morally wrong. Of course we need a military. The unlawful invasion of Iraq cost American taxpayers billions of dollars. That invasion was based on a lie - Weapons of Mass Destruction. MI 6 were caught red handed giving false information to the media about Iraq's WMD under Operation Mass Appeal to justify the invasion of the oil rich nation.

John Reese from Stop the War Coalition is right. "I think a very big part of the problem that the British government has with it's deficit is it's continual addition to war. If we were to scrap the Trident Nuclear Weapons renewal, if we were to stop the wars in Afghanistan and the attack in Libya we would have a very large portion of the British government's deficit dealt with in a single blow. He has a good point. Yes we need a national defense but we don't need to spend huge amounts of tax dollars on military equipment to invade countries for their oil in a time of peace.

Education

Removing public accountability from the school system is unwise. "Liberating" all of the schools from state control is the most absurd sip of poison kool aid I have ever heard. Cameron is using the reduce the deficit lie to hand over public accountability to the almighty corporation to do with it what that greed driven machine wants.

Public Accountability

Canadian fugitive Moya Greene was hired to destroy the Royal Mail with her bizarre mandate. If you privatize a public corporation, the ceo all of a sudden stands to make a much larger salary than the ceos in public crown corporation. Moya Greene's mandate is to remove public accountability because she claims the private sector thinks the public is stupid. Where have we heard that before?

Save the Dream, Stop Moya Greene.

The Libya Lie

Stephen Harper sends Canadian jets to Libya to enforce a cease fire in their civil war. As soon as that happens, Libya announces a cease fire. THEN the Western forces start bombing Libya and THEIR offensive begins. What's wrong with this picture?

I've compared Libya to Saudi Arabia. Why would we support a revolution against Gaddafi but not a revolution against the Monarchy in Saudi Arabia? Because we like the Saudi King and he lets the US have troops there? Because we don't like Gaddafi since he refuses foreign ownership of his country's oil? This is so wrong.

David Cameron said he was afraid they would lose the opportunity to strike in Libya. He was right as soon as the ceasefire started there was no need to bomb Libya. Unless of course they ceased the opportunity to start bombing Libya after the ceasefire already started and hope the media forgets that small detail.

Giving Stephen Harper a majority government is just plain wrong. It diminishes us as Canadians. Operation Libya is only about oil. As soon as the Western Allies started bombing Gaddafi's forces, rebels took the oil town of Ras Lanouf and the next day the rebels started shipping oil.

Canadian Postal workers strike Vote

My father used to say there are three kinds of people in the world. Those who watch the parade, those who join in the parade and those who don't even know a parade is on. I am shocked to hear that workers on the floor have no idea what the issues are on the table involved in the up coming strike vote. I am not surprised in the least to find out the issues on the table are very serious.

However, when the members are told the Union recommends something, that really doesn't tell them anything because some do and some don't have confidence in what the Union has to say. When the members see pictures or video clips of people running around with signs that say Solidarity, that really does nothing to tell them just what issues are really on the table and how serious the situation really is. How about some signs that say Job Security, Protecting Pensions or Protecting the Future Generation.



Let's mention the word Winnipeg. Most Postal Workers in Canada have heard that the new route measurement implementation in Winnipeg have been a disaster. Most realize that when those changes come to their work floor, they're screwed.

Many have heard that when they tried to implement the same thing in Moncton that they did in Winnipeg, it was also disastrous but the Union won an arbitration that throws out the new restructuring of letter carrier walks that led to the problems there. Unfortunately as we all know the Corporation will just create another new way that will need to be addressed in the courts. The problem is the screwy way these new line of travel machines work and the insane way they demand the work be done to utilize those new machines. There has to be another way.

So when thinking about the up coming Strike Vote and what issues are on the table, let's think about Winnipeg and Moncton then read the fine print in the Corporation's global offer. Winnipeg was a disaster. Moncton was a disaster. Moncton won an arbitration throwing out their new way of restructuring routes. Ya think maybe the Corporation wants to change a few key words to prevent a court from stopping them from implementing their insane route measurement system and wrecking havoc on the work floor for generations to come?

CPC wants the ability to impose an interim standard when there is no agreement between the parties. The ability to impose an interim standard. When we have seen what they did to Winnipeg and Moncton that is a very scary thing indeed. The Corporation should not be able to randomly and arbitrarily throw our the Route Measurement system and create whatever they want whenever they want. That demand is absolutely insane.

CPC is attempting to impose a multiple bundle delivery method. Notice they said impose and notice they said multiple bundle delivery method. They didn't just say two pull method which is bad enough they said impose a multiple bundle delivery system which means not only are you juggling your flats and letters separately, but each individual flyer that they aren't letting you stuff or run in to your case. It gets worse.

The turn around mail that doesn't get sorted by the new machines in time. You have to manually sort that into the case you share with other routes and carry that separately was well. God help you if you dare run your line of travel mail into the case with your turn around mail. If you do that or criss cross a street you will be fired. That is insane. They won't even let carriers help with efficient ideas on how to make their stupid machines work. They are determined to force a multiple bundle of insanity upon us.

Don't forget Moya Greene's STD's that are still lingering after her departure. She did away with sick time and implemented the Short Term Disability program where you go on EI if you're sick and you can't accumulate sick leave credits. She stole PSAC's sick leave as well as managements. If CUPW keeps their sick leave managers will get theirs back. Don't you think the managers are now cheering on the bargaining unit hoping they keep their sick leave so they can get their back? Beware of Moya Greene's STDs.

Pensions. Changing the formula for pensions is serious. Time in plus years of service used to equal 85. They want to change that. They also want to reduce wages, job security and pensions for new employees. Don't sell out the future generations just because you want to make a quick buck before you retire. This is all about protecting jobs for our children and the next generation. That is what this is all about.

I encourage everyone to find out what the issues are because as we all know, this is important. Lead, follow or get out of the way.

Finian's Guinness Chocolate Truffles

OK This is a work in progress. My daughter tells me she found a Guinness Chocolate truffle recipe on Youtube and sent it to me. I thought it sounded interesting since Guinness and chocolate are my two favorite things. I think it would go great together. Better than peanut butter and chocolate.

Only the recipe called for Ginger syrup and ginger snap crackers and I don't like ginger very much and didn't think it would go that well. So we made a few changes. I tried molasses and that sucked. The taste wasn't right and the proportions weren't right either. To wet and runny.

If you put that much Guinness in it, you're going to need a thickening agent. Off hand I can think of three. Flour, corn starch or gelatin / aspic. Gelatin would work well in a mouse you pour in a glass and let set but it wouldn't be right for this because you can't work with it. Flour's out because you have to cook the flour taste out and that's not going to happen so I tried cornstarch. I almost had it perfect but then it got too think and I added a bit more cream and it broke. I'm still working on the proportions.

I found this other recipe that used corn syrup as a thickening agent and used brandy. Sounded great but I thought I could substitute the Brandy with the Guinness and it should be about right. I'll have to perfect the proportions. For the covering we have melted white chocolate rolled in roasted ground walnuts.

St Patrick's day

Happy St Patrick's day. Vancouver doesn't have a lot of history or a lot of traditions. Not like other places. I always say Vancouver's history is the heritage people bring with them when they come here. St Patrick's Day is a fun tradition. If I had know how easy potato bread and soda bread was to make I wouldn't have waited 20 years to make it.

Potato bread is just mashed potatoes without the milk and some flour mixed in. Roughly 2 parts potatoes to 1 part flour depending on the consistency you prefer. Once you mix the warm potatoes with the flour kneed it a few times and roll it out to 1/2 inch think. Then I cut it in squares or rectangles and fry it both sides on the grill. Because I made it a bit thicker than normal I finished them of in the oven.

Soda bread is basically a butter milk backing soda biscuit just a different shape. Usually it's a round loaf with a scored X on the top. I rolled it out into just under 1 inch think then cut them into rectangular portions. Baked them for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees, the recipe said 425 but I thought that was a bit high. When they had cooled a bit I cut the top and bottom crust off and sliced them in half making them thinner. You can fry them in oil for an Ulster fry with potato bread, bacon and sausage. I'll pass on the blood pudding.

Traditions are a good thing. Ramadan is a nice tradition. One culture's traditions don't threaten or inhibit another culture's traditions. Diversity is a good thing. When I was young my parents took me to see Fiddler on the Roof at a live play in Vancouver. That play is all about tradition.

Music is a nice tradition. Today I was listening to some of Mozart's concertos for the violin. What a wonderful instrument. When my son played in the Youth Symphony I was amazed to see a handful of wind instruments with a sea of young kids kicking ass on the strings playing difficult classical pieces. Now that is a symphony I thought. The violins, bases, cellos and violas enhance the wind instruments and make a symphony much fuller than just a wind ensemble.

I even like a little TSO. Mixing classics with the modern in a talented remix. It reminds me of how the Scorpions performed Rock you like a Hurricane with the Philharmonic orchestra in Berlin. I was amazed at how well the two different styles blended and complemented each other. One didn't over power the other.

It's also amazing to see the versatility of the violin when used as a fiddle to play traditional Irish music like in Riverdance. The electric violin is pretty awesome too. Indeed music is a good tradition. Fuse rocks.

Finian Escapes like a Bat out of Hell

Here's another epiphany. I was really upset about "losing" the TELUS trial in San Fran and caved into their stupid demand of destroying all the copies I had of TELUS Idol but then it finally dawned on me. I didn't really lose the case.

From the very beginning I was ready to agree to a consent order letting them have TELUS Idol as long as I could get all the other videos they had taken off YouTube back on. The ones they claimed copyright to but had no possible copyright to. Like home videos of the picketline and songs written and performed by members on the picket line. They had 23 videos taken off YouTube not 11.

Their San Fransisco lawyer wouldn't agree to a consent order so we proceeded to trial. Obviously they were initially trying to scare me. The consequence for copyright infringement could be a fine of up to $500,000.00 as well as imprisonment. The fine for a Corporation who gets caught committing copyfraud, claiming copyright to things they don't have copyright on to censor the Internet is $2,000.00. Absolutely nothing for a large corporation.

Clearly TELUS and I did not have the same risk on the table. Which is why their Vancouver lawyer thought I was insane since I was fully aware of that fact. In the end, although they were not convicted of perjury, I wasn't fined $500,000.00 and sent to jail either.

So indeed. Finian Escapes like a Bat out of Hell and Darren Entwistle can kiss my black Irish ass because he's still a bitch. $12 million doesn't buy respect.

Libyan Intervention

British Prime Minister David Cameron warned that time is running out for the international community to intervene in Libya. Personally I wouldn't follow David Cameron into a bar not to mention another war for oil. Cameron is A) a freak and B) Untrustworthy.

He's the freak that wants to "liberate" every single publicly accountable program under the sun from "State" control. Schools, hospitals - everything. The freak show is all done under the guise of democracy when in reality it is clear that removing public accountability and handing all power over to private corporations removes our democracy and our autonomy.

"Every day Gadhafi is brutalizing his own people," he said. "Time is of the essence." As he spoke, Libyan government forces continued to bombard opposition positions as they advanced on the rebel capital, Benghazi, in a counteroffensive that has pushed rebels back 160 km in a week, far outpacing diplomatic efforts to impose a no-fly zone.

Gadhafi is fighting a coo. It is a civil war. People want him to leave while others don't. Like I said before, if the Falklands wanted to be free from British rule would David Cameron let them go or would he send in the Navy to crush that rebellion. Again.

I don't know all the bad things Gadhafi has done and is doing, but I do know England got involved in Iranian politics because they wanted their oil and convinced the Americans to get involved there which created quite a mess.

We know that England and America invaded Iraq for their oil and there were no weapons of mass destruction. That was a premeditated lie perpetuated in Operation Mass Appeal. We do know that Libya has oil and that Gadhafi has worked hard to prevent foreign ownership of that oil which England and America don't like. Look what happened to Afghanistan when the Taliban gave the contract for the oil pipeline UNICOL wanted to Bridas, and Argentina firm instead of an American firm.

Things are heating up in Saudi Arabia too as the people there are rebellion against their monarchy. Do we go to war with Gadhafi because we don't like him and then go to war with the Saudi people because we do like the monarchy they are rebelling against? It's all very problematic so it is. Perhaps conflicted would be a better word. It's a double standard.

Pray for Japan or at least text

I'm not much of a religious man anymore and I'm not much for prayer. I've always believed if you want to do something go out and do it. Yet I do recognize that we can do nothing without the help of the almighty and therefor have little to boast about.

The situation in Japan with the earthquake and Tsunami is very sad. Yet the Japanese are such quiet peaceful people. The gas stations are closed and stores have limited hours yet they are quietly lining up in civilized order. Unlike here. People would be looting and rioting. There they wait in line for their turn admits horrible conditions.

I'm not a very bright guy but one would think with all this talk of earthquake preparedness, that some of these scientists would plan what to do in the event a nuclear reactor undergoes an earthquake. The possibility of multiple reactors melting down is horrific. I always found it strange that with all the scientific advances in nuclear fission that they would use a complex nuclear reaction to create heat to boil water and turn a turbine. You'd think they'd have some kind of silicon cell like they use to covert the suns rays into electricity to covert a nuclear reaction directly into electricity. I guess I'm just simple.

Nevertheless my heart goes out to Japan and those noble people. Perhaps we should just text a donation or paypal a donation in to the Red Cross. Prayers are nice but actions speak louder than words.

New West to repeal racist bylaws

Well it's about time. New Westminster claims they will repeal a few very old bylaws that were blatantly racist. It's embarrassing that those bylaws ever existed but is clear evidence of the racist attitude New Westminster had toward the Chinese people. Kinda brings us back to that school they built on a Chinese Cemetery. Repealing the racist bylaws is a step. Restoring the cemetery is another.

Mercury Rises

NASA claims we can see Mercury and Jupiter at Sunset this week. As the week goes on toward Paddy's day, Mercury will be seen above Jupiter on the horizon. Kinda where we normally see Venus.

Scottish Independence

Well since things are certainly heating up in England I might as well mention Scottish Independence. I hear the concept has resurfaced in political debates. Don't get me wrong. If Scotland really wants Independence, feel free. It's kinda like Quebec talking about separating from Canada. If they really want to go, be my guest. The sky will not fall. Alaska functions quite well separate from the rest of the United States.

Personally I think we as Canadians would be diminished without Quebec and the French similar to how England would be diminished without their Scottish heritage. Even Prince Charles wears a kilt. Which brings us to the fundamental irony.

Back in the days of the mighty William Wallace, England oppressed Scotland. Scotland rose up in rebellion. So how did England quell the rebellion? They put a Scot on the throne. Queen Elizabeth is of Scottish ancestry. So did England really conquer Scotland or did Scotland conquer England? Having a Scot on the throne to me implies Scotland was the victor.

But that's not all. There are some pretty interesting legends about the genealogical heritage of the Queen of England. We are told that the prophet Jeremiah fled to Egypt with the daughters of King Zedekiah just prior to the Babylonian captivity. Well, legend has it that he then went to Spain on the ships of Tarshish and on to Ireland where one of the daughters married into Spanish royalty and the other married into Irish royalty.

Now before you scoff and say there's no such thing as Irish royalty, I'm talking about a long time ago. 600 years before Christ. Con of the 100 battles, Cormac MacArt, Nial of the Nine Hostages. Those kings were the forefathers of the Scottish and English kings. Legend has it that the Queen of England is therefore a descendant of King David through Fergus mor MacEarca and Zedekiah's daughters.

Don't believe me? Where do you think the stone of scone came from? Fergus mor MacEarca brought it to Scotland as a gift from his brother Muircheartach Mac Earca in Ulster. It's all written in the Annals of Ulster so it is. That was the stone of scone that sits in Westminster Abby. It came from Ireland. Legend has it that Jeremiah brought it to Ireland from Israel and it was originally Jacob's pillow or something like that. Personally I don't understand why Jeremiah would bring a huge rock some guy slept on and had a dream but who am I to question tradition. And no I don't think the Ark of the Covenant is in Tara. I think that's in Sudan.

Remember that scene from A Knight's Tale when they're all drinking at a pub in France? The French guys cat call over to the Brits and say Hey England, the Pope is French. (You can tell that was before King Henry started the Church of England.) Anyways the English get a bit choked and in their rivalry they shout back, Yeah well the Pope might well be French but Jesus was English. Kind of a funny line but there are indeed many legends about Jesus' Uncle Joseph of Arimathea coming to the Tin Mines in Cornwall. He certainly could have brought his nephew on one of those trips.

In fact, the other legend is that Zara, the son of Judah, Pharez's twin brother, descendants came to England and the Queen is descendant of him as well. All legends and rumors but interesting nonetheless. And that's not even part of the Davinci code.

So that brings us back to Charles. I don't really understand the concept of a monarchy. When I was working in London many years ago, it was during the royal wedding between Charles and Dianna. The media was all over it. I remember being at work and hearing the media give the play by play as the door opened and they described what Dianna was wearing while the fashion designers raced off to copy her dress. I stopped and said what's the big deal? You'd think it was the freaking first moonwalk or something. The Caribbean guy I worked with laughed but the locals did not think it was very funny. They're like, the monarchy is very important to us. I could see that. I just couldn't understand why.

In Canada we have the Queen's picture on our money. No one really knows why but it's better than having a picture of some American I suppose. Nevertheless, I will say this about Charles. I like him. I respect him. I think he would make a good king if there ever was such a thing. He married Dianna because the Queen told him to. Dianna was indeed the best thing that ever happened to the Royal Family. She was noble. She walked with Mother Teresa and took her glove off to hold a lepers hand. That woman was holy. William and Harry carry that compassionate nobility for future generation.

I've heard talk about how the crown might skip Charles and go directly to William. William and Kate make a great couple but why skip Charles? That man drips competence and he followed his dream. He loved Camile. Surely that means something. The current Queen's husband doesn't share the crown. Things didn't work out between Charles and Dianna. They both had their strengths but they were different. She was young and beautiful. He was older and more mature or shall be say reserved. Camile was his true love and you have to admit that was noble.

Dianna was younger and prettier but he loved Camile. I'm sure there is a rich reward in Heaven for Dianna. She really moved us. Her impression will be felt forever. Yet Charles, he should wear the crown. The people don't need another reality tv show host. Kate and William will have their day. That doesn't mean we should skip Charles. If we did we would be diminished because that maturity and reserved fortitude is exactly what we need right now to save us from the corrupt politicians who want to privatize the crown.

So if Scotland really wants independence they should vote on it. Yet the whole concept of Scottish independence is quite an oxymoron when everyone is signing over their sovereignty to the EU. These are trying times and the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will shrink from their duty and the service of their country for future generation. Charles is the type of man who does not shrink from his duty. There's no reason the Queen can't respectfully pass on the crown now and become an advisor to Charles in this uncertain but hopeful future.

England What have we done?

Yesterday I glanced at a headline in the Canadian edition of the British Telegraph that read Public Sector Shaken Up. As I read the beginning of the article I was amazed at the concept and the terms used to describe it. It was all about releasing public services from “the grip of state control”.

I'm trying to find a copy of the article but it appears to be driven by the ramblings of David Cameron. "Liberating" the public sector from State control simply means removing public accountability. It is giving up sovereignty and handing it over to the corporate machinations.

What Cameron refers to as the grip of state control is in layman's terms called democracy. Public accountability is not a Communist plot to overthrow the free world. This Cameron guy is a freak.

He starts off his rambling by of course blaming Labour for everything under the sun then we find out David Cameron has been secretly consulting Tony Blair about Libya. Tony Blair's big screw up was following the US into Iraq based on a lie. A lie that was spread by MI 6 in the media under Operation Mass Appeal. David Cameron is even worse than Tony Blair.

Privatizing all the schools and hospitals means the government will be collecting taxes but they won't be providing any services in return. What's next? Privatizing prisons, police forces and the military? The Americans did that with Blackwater and Haliburton. A private army in the hands of big corporations is not a good thing. What started off as wholesome conservative values has been transformed into voluntarily giving up our sovereignty. No wonder they hired Moya Green to do to England what Canadians didn't want her to do to Canada.

Now what on earth has happened to the media in the UK? Did someone let Conrad Black out of prison and has he been buying up all the media outlets again? When I had a look at the British Telegraph's web site yesterday it looked more like Fox News propaganda than anything British.

The headline was, SAS considers seizing Gaddafi's stores of mustard gas, a slam on Obama and a plug for Sarah Palin's daughter's book. What the hell? Sara Palin is no Maggie Thatcher. Palin is an idiot. Just ask Matt Damon. The Republicans can do a lot better than that. She is famous for saying really stupid things. Like how not long ago when North Korea started aggressive actions against South Korea. Palin was quoted in the media as saying. "Of course we will stand by our allies in North Korea." Someone better tell her that the US were allies with South Korea not North Korea in that war. How can anyone get that mixed up? She's a great reality tv show host or David Letterman comedian but having her in government is absolutely scary.

Why would a British newspaper be trashing Obama and plugging Sarah Palin? That is bizarre. Do an interview with Michele Obama. At least she has a brain. And don't get me started on the SAS wanting to seize Gaddafi's mustard gas. What a crock of shit that is. Why is it that the Americans and the British are so concerned about human rights when oil is involved but they don't give a rat's ass about human rights when oil is not involved?

I will admit England did get involved in Bosnia and there was no oil there to be gained. But what if the Falklands wanted to rebel against British control? Would we let them have their independence or would we send the Navy in to crush their rebellion like Gadaffi is doing. The Falklands dispute appears to be over oil as well. Argentina? Didn't the invasion of Afghanistan start after the Taliban gave the contract for the oil pipeline there to Bridas, an Argentina firm? After that invasion it was given to an American firm. Hmmm...

Who sold Saddam Hussein mustard gas to use on Iran during that war? It was the Americans. We haven't heard a peep out of Gaddafi since Regan's you can run but you can't hide. Now the "Allies" including Stephen Harper are trying to seize the opportunity in Libya because of the oil. Don't get me wrong, if Gaddafi is firing on protesters, that is wrong. Just as it was for England to do it on bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland.

I don't understand what is really going on with the sweeping protests in the Arab world right now but as far as I can see Gaddafi supporters are fighting with those that want him to step down. It could well be a civil war kind of thing. The Americans had a civil war. Is that something we really want to get involved in? The fact that oil is involved makes intentions suspicious.

What were the SAS doing dressed up as Arabs in a car loaded with guns and explosives in Iraq anyways? If Operation Mass Appeal was real, why on earth have we let the media in the UK become a Fox News tabloid? Look what we did to Iran. Maggie, what have we done?

The Justification Process

We can justify pretty much anything if we really want to. We can justify lying, cheating, stealing, misrepresenting, pretty much anything. In fact there's a justification process that lets TWU members leave their Union without a decertification. It's kinda like going to the CLC and saying help, our Union is dysfunctional. In a way it puts the Union into receivership and gives it a chance to straighten up before it's replaced with another Union.

Merging with another Union is always an option. Raiding is another. I'm not so morally opposed to Raiding as most in the Labour Movement are. I think bad Unions should be held accountable to the members they are paid to represent and if the Union members don't like their representation, they should be free to change their representation. If Unions are not accountable they tend to do what they want when they want regardless of the democratic will of the membership.

However, in the current TWU crisis, I don't think a raid is in order. Merger is one option. Merge with who? CEP? CUPE? I'd say CAW is definitely out. Some talk about the Steelworkers but you want to go with a proactive Union that is in a field that is growing. You don't want to get swallowed up by a dying union to protect their job security.

Protecting the TWU pension is another important quest. A lot of other Unions want to get their grubby little mits on the TWU pension. Personally, I think the Justification Process might be the safest and wisest option.

Some might rightfully argue that there are too many officers that are involved in this toxic scandal that need to be changed and not enough candidates to run against them. That too was my first thought. Then again, if Darth Sidiuos' yahoos were kept in line by two good men, or rather two good women, then maybe two strong voices to assist Sherryl might be enough to turn the tide of insanity that has swept over and blinded the TWU.

George Doubt, John Carpenter, Betty Carrasco and Lee Riggs in my opinion are the driving force behind the new era of insanity that locked out COPE, fired two of the most senior COPE members, fired the workers champion and fired the secretary treasurer. Those four were all active participants. Tamara's blind rationalization of their misdeeds is bizarre. Look at how she is quoted in the media.

Cope has concerns about the TWU. But we're a good employer. Cope says you laid off the two most senior staff members and they have filed a grievance. We're a good employer. We don't think there's a grievance. Can't she see how stupid that looks and sounds? I don't want to be mean but she is coming off like a complete airhead. She has been acting Secretary Treasurer for quite a while now. In my opinion, she's doing a very bad job at acting.

It didn't have to get personal. They didn't have to fire Lila. But they did. They didn't have to fire Sherryl. But they did. That's when it got personal. When Sherry and Lila objected to extravagant Executive council meetings like the one they planned at Harrison when they refused to send members to be trained at the CLC winter school at Harrison, that wasn't personal.

They made it personal when they started to harass fellow officers for expressing their concerns about finances. They didn't have to do that but they did. Now when Tamara blinks here eyes and says Oh I think that was a nice letter to Lila or Oh I think we are a good employer, the rest of the world is shaking their head saying airhead.

I don't think the TWU members would have a hard time convincing the CLC their Union is now dysfunctional and needs help. I think putting the Union into receivership through the Justification Process will help save it. After all, it's Christmas eve in Sarajevo.