Smackdown

Smackdown – Raskolnikov Socks It To Six Nations Wind Claimers

Mulder

Land claims, get your red hot land claims here.

Caledonia has been spoken for. Crown land in Ottawa’s Green Belt has been spoken for. And now a windfarm near Shelburne has been spoken for.

The Six Nations Confederacy is interfering with the development of a wind farm on land owned by Canadian Hydro and says both the land and the wind that passes over it are the rightful property of Aboriginal Peoples.

When someone starts claiming the wind that goes over land in a land claim, I have to draw the line. That would be a wind claim and falls under a completely different legal claim.

I am very familiar with wind claims because I eat a lot of broccoli. When I let one rip in the car and my wife and kids start gasping for breath, I don’t hide the fact the air they are breathing is mine. I proudly pipe up (no pun intended) and tell them: “That was me.” Because I am proud of the wind I break.

Natives claiming Mother Nature’s farts are theirs just sounds moronic. What’s next? The gas in tanks under filling stations? The electricity produced at Churchill or Niagara Falls?

Raskolnikov over at DustMyBroom calls the land claimers out with the precision of a veteran lawyer.

If they own the wind, does that mean non-Indians can sue them the next time a big gust takes down a tree and it goes through someone’s roof or car?

I think all those people who own cottages up in Muskoka could probably get back all that money taxpayers put into Indian Affairs after that storm that blew through a week or so ago.

Smackdown – Cotler Breaks Rank, Bitchslaps Louise Arbour

Mulder

Almost a month ago, I wrote that Irwin Cotler was already on the record regarding his view on the situation in the middle east.

Well now Cotler has come out and bitchslapped Louise Arbour for her view on the situation.

Louise Arbour’s comments on international law as it applies to Israel’s military actions in Lebanon are as superficial as they are simplistic as a matter of law, and uninformed and misleading in their appreciation of and application to the facts.

There is much more to read and I urge you to do so. It is quite nice to see someone speak out for what is right instead of just towing the party line.

H/T to Dispatches From The Socialist Gulag

Smackdown – Harper Questions U.N. Presence In Warzone

Mulder

Stephen Harper laid a smackdown on the United Nations and questioned their presence in the Middle East warzone.

“We want to find out why this United Nations post was attacked and also why it remained manned during what is now, more or less, a war during obvious danger to these individuals,” he told reporters.

Asked about UN head Kofi Annan’s statement suggesting Israel had targeted the outpost, Harper said: “I certainly doubt that to be the case.”

I can just picture Kofi Annan fuming right now and asking himself when Canada got a backbone.

I think it was the morning of January 24th, 2006.

Smackdown – Maronite Monsignor Raymond Hanna Rightfully Bitchslaps The Media

Mulder

This man, Mgr. Raymond Hanna, the head of the Maronite Church of Ottawa, spoke to Lowell Green earlier in the week and told Lowell that he was thankful to Canada and ESPECIALLY to Stephen Harper for the efforts being made to get Lebanese Canadians out of harms way.

He is such a softspoken man, but today I saw an interview with him on CTV Newsnet and he bitchslapped the media for only interviewing one or two angry, outspoken Lebanese evacuees regarding their harrowing trip. He also says that the media should try to get some of those holding rosaries or Korans for an interview because he knows the majority of those coming to Canada are grateful for being here and thankful to be out of the warzone. He, in fact, admonished the media for it’s bias!!! (You Go Monsignor!!)

I for one am very proud to have this man running an organization in the city of Ottawa, with it’s very large Lebanese community. I do believe that they are one of the bright spots in our community and they have been nothing short of fantastic citizens and friends to me.

With the backlash starting and many speaking out about how ungrateful the evacuees are being, I think the Monsignor realizes that the media bias is going to cost the Lebanese community quite a bit of respect among other Canadians.

Thank you Monsignor. You truly are helping making a bad situation get better with your words of thanks and your well needed scolding of the media.

(note: I have been watching CTV for a repeat of his speech to record but CTV must have been embarassed by his admonishment because they have not replayed it…yet)

Smackdown (June 24th, 2006)

Mulder

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay has called for the arrest of Iranion Prosecutor General Saeed Mortazavi for his … ahem General PERsecution which lead to the death of Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi.

The Iranian Justice Minister responded:

But in an interview with CBC News, Iranian Justice Minister Jamal Karimirad dismissed Canada’s claims, calling them “highly regrettable, a violation of international protocols.”

According to Karimirad, allegations that Mortazavi had any involvement in the death of Kazemi are unfounded.

“The allegations are fabrications,” he said, “baseless lies.”

“The fact Canada’s foreign minister was repeating them,” he added, “was libelous.”

To these comments, Peter MacKay laid the smack down Canadian style:

“Take me to court. Come to Canada and face it in the justice system, if that’s what he believes. I don’t put a lot of faith in what the Iranian justice minister has to say, frankly.”

Ouch. That had to hurt.

I just can’t imagine why Iran has such disdain for Canada.

H/T to Seanblog

Smackdown (June 8th, 2006)

Mulder

I can just hear the University of Ottawa scream “Oops!!” on this one.

H/T to Brent Colbert for this one.

Letter to Dalton McGuinty from legal counsel for Mike Harris

TORONTO, June 7 /CNW/ –

VIA FACSIMILE (416) 325-3745

The Honourable Dalton McGuinty
Premier
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1A1

Dear Sir:
Re: The Ipperwash Inquiry

We are counsel to the Honourable Michael D. Harris and represent him in The Ipperwash Inquiry.
In the legislature yesterday you were criticized by Progressive Conservative members regarding ongoing events in Caledonia, Ontario, where
direct action has been taken by some First Nations persons regarding certain land issues. In responding to that criticism you made the following statements:

“The party opposite would prefer that we direct a police action. Let’s be honest about where they’re coming from in this regard. That is their preference. We bring a different approach. It is thoughtful; it’s based on our recent understanding of some painful lessons in the history of this province.
(…)
“I prefer to be direct with Ontarians. Again, the Conservatives prefer that we direct the police and that we send them out on some kind of police action. We see things differently. They have not drawn the appropriate lessons from what happened some four years ago. We have.
(…)
“But I suggest to my friend opposite that he really should own up to the fact that the objection he has, in terms of the approach we have taken, is that we have refused to direct the Ontario Provincial Police.
(…)
“What the member opposite is asking us to do is to direct the Ontario Provincial Police in the conduct of a police action.”

The plain meaning of these statements is that Progressive Conservatives have in the past preferred and have chosen to address direct action by First Nations persons by directing police operations against them. Any reasonably informed Ontarian would also understand through your references to the past and “painful lessons in the history of this province” that your words referred to the police operations involving First Nations persons at Ipperwash Provincial Park in 1995 and their tragic outcome.

Your statements demonstrate complete ignorance of the evidence that has in fact been heard by The Ipperwash Inquiry. The allegation that Premier Harris directed the police operations at Ipperwash is unfounded.

Your statements also presume the outcome of matters in issue in The Ipperwash Inquiry’s ongoing proceedings. For a Premier of Ontario to make such statements is plainly prejudicial to the integrity of The Ipperwash Inquiry’s process. You should immediately withdraw your improper statements and apologize to Commissioner Sidney Linden.

Any allegation that Premier Harris directed the police operations at Ipperwash is also gravely defamatory of Mr. Harris personally. Our client will not tolerate the revival for your present political purposes of irresponsible and unfounded smear tactics deployed against our client in the past by members of your government.
If you make such statements again outside the legislature, either expressly or impliedly, legal proceedings will immediately be commenced against you personally.

Yours truly,

Peter A. Downard

cc. W.A. Derry Millar, Lead Commission Counsel, The Ipperwash Inquiry

Note: I altered spacing for visual purposes but not the content in the above letter.

Smackdown (June 6th, 2006)

Mulder

In Question Period the following exchange took place today between Liberal Defence Critic, Ujjal Dosanjh, and Minister of National Defence, Gordon O’Connor.

Dosanjh: Mr. Speaker, Could the Minister of National Defence confirm that under International Trade and Arms Regulations, C-17 aircraft that the Canadian government plans to purchase from the United States would carry with it a veto for the U.S. over where in the world that aircraft could be flown?

O’Connor: Mr. Speaker, the government has made no decisions on any equipment, as I’ve said a number of times in this House. But I’d would like to quote the member (Dosanjh) who had a press conference yesterday who said:

“The conservatives campaigned on strategic airlift acquisitions. Once in government, they refuse to deviate from their political platform.”

I can understand why somebody from the liberal party would say something like that because they deviate from their platforms all the time.

Simply Priceless!! Well done Minister.

Smackdown Of The Week (June 4th, 2006)

Mulder

I love this one. Jean Charest has challenged Gilles Duceppe to put up or shut up.

Charest issued the dare Friday in response to Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe’s accusation earlier this week that the premier has shown “no backbone” in demanding that Prime Minister Stephen Harper share the cost of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“If he (Duceppe) believes in what he’s saying, unless it’s empty rhetoric, well then he’ll vote against the budget in the House of Commons,” Charest retorted angrily.

“So we’ll see who has backbone.”

…

Charest said Duceppe should stop telling him how to do his job and start doing his own.

“Mr. Duceppe is the leader of a federal party that sits in the House of Commons with a minority government. He’s not the premier of Quebec,” Charest said.

Roasto Toasto!!! Backbone indeed. He may as well have told Duceppe his cajones are as big as chick peas.

Ahhh, Jean. You may be a Liberal now, but you still have a place in my heart.

Smackdown Of The Week (May 27th, 2006)

Mulder

In today’s National Post, page A10, Sue Montgomery’s article entitled Guite will not call witnesses at fraud trial

Two good summer students could have produced that

These words were spoken by Jacques Nantel, a marketing professeur with the Montreal based Ecole des hautes etudes commerciales, with regards to Groupaction getting paid $500,000 for a report on what Ottawa could do to increase it’s visibility. This took place in Chuck Guite’s trial.

So what Mr. Nantel is saying is that we, the tax payers, paid Groupaction half a million dollars when we could have paid two summer students for the same quality of report. All I know is that when I worked summers between college, I made anywhere from $7000 to $12000 depending on the job I got that summer.

Are you feeling better about the Liberals getting tossed out on their ears yet? I know I sure am.