The media says they're devoted to protesting the commercialization of Christmas. They say the media are a bunch of idiots. I'm not sure who to believe - frankly I'm scared...

WELLINGTON, N.Z. (AP) - A group of 40 people dressed in Santa Claus outfits, many of them drunk, went on a rampage through Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, robbing stores, assaulting security guards and urinating from highway overpasses, police said Sunday.

The rampage, dubbed Santarchy by local newspapers, began early Saturday afternoon when the men, wearing ill-fitting Santa costumes, threw beer bottles and urinated on cars from an overpass, said Auckland Central Police spokesman Noreen Hegarty.

She said the men then rushed through a central city park, overturning garbage containers, throwing bottles at passing cars and spraying graffiti on office buildings.

One man climbed the mooring line of a cruise ship before being ordered down by the captain. Other Santas, objecting when the man was arrested, attacked security staff who were later treated by paramedics, Hegarty said.

The remaining Santas entered another downtown convenience store and carried off beer and soft drinks.

"They came in, said 'Merry Christmas' and then helped themselves," store owner Changa Manakynda said.

Two security guards were treated for cuts after being struck by beer bottles, Hegarty said. Three people, including the man who climbed on the cruise ship, were arrested and charged with drunkenness and disorderly behavior.

So the opposition parties finally got their act together and overthrew the government. Canadians will go to the polls on January 23^rd and either vote for the status quo or vote for change. Having listened to the various arguments and policy announcements on an almost daily basis I feel the need to put my thoughts forward.

Now before I get to far into things I think it’s only fair to say yes, I have more than a bit of bias against the Liberals. In fact calling them a ‘bunch of lying, cheating, greedy bastards’ would probably sum up my attitude towards them quite nicely.

Because I can’t stomach the NDP’s socialist agenda I am left with throwing my support behind the Conservatives. Yet as in life, not all is black and white. For instance I support the Liberal initiative to decimalize pot and I’ll be the first to admit that Stephen Harper isn't very engaging and is painfully un-photogenic. Still, faced with the alternatives, I’ll take the Conservatives.

With all that said, here are some observations on Paul Martin and company...

-     Just prior to being forced out of office, the Liberals announced almost $25-billion in spending promises. The vast majority of this spending going to Eastern Canada. Alberta only received $2-million of this windfall and then only in Edmonton – the sole region in Alberta to elect a Liberal (Anne McLellan) last election. This is a shameful attempt at buying votes and should be illegal.

-     When things are looking bad for the Liberals they always play the Health Care card and allege that the Conservatives would privatize everything and the poor (as if multi-millionaire Paul Martin gives a shit about them) would be forced to pay for their medical needs. All Stephen Harper has said is that the current system obviously isn’t working and an honest and open debate on the issue is needed. It’s telling that Ottawa threatens Alberta with huge fines for breaking the Canada Health Act, yet conveniently overlooks that it is in fact Quebec which has the highest rate of private health care in the country.

-     The Liberals swept into power 12 years ago partially on the promise to get rid of the GST (yet another in a long list of broken promises). In fact they seem to have a mindset that paying obscene amounts in taxes is one of the things that defines us as Canadians. As someone who only gets to keep half of what I make, I do not share that view. What is especially grating is that as finance minister, Martin introduced legislation that closed offshore tax havens – except for the Barbados. Shortly after the changes came into effect Martin's family business Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) moved their headquarters there to avoid having to pay taxes. I guess we’re expected to grin and bear it while he manages to weasel out of having to pay his share.

-     In 1998 the Liberals decided to cheap out and buy 4 used submarines from Britain – subs that had been rusting in dry-dock. Their argument was that they were saving money over buying new subs. 8 years later (and one sailor’s death due to faulty wiring) they still aren’t in operation! Having been frequently docked while they undergo various repairs. Then there’s the helicopter fiasco. In 1993 the Liberals cancelled the outgoing Conservative government’s purchase of replacement helicopters for our 40-year old Sea Kings (incurring $0.5 Billion in cancellation fees). 13 years later they only just awarded a contract – to Sikorsky for an unproven, civilian design that is less capable than the other contender. Why? Because the other contender is the very same helicopter that they originally cancelled! They are playing with people’s lives and the capability of our armed forces merely to save face. Sadly, throughout this fiasco 11 choppers and seven lives have been lost in Sea King crashes.

-     If all else fails, the Liberals will portray Harper as a bible thumping homophobe. They’re already trying to turn something out of nothing by focusing on the same sex marriage (SSM) issue. All Harper has said is that he’d allow a free vote on the matter. Unlike the Liberals who cut off debate and forced their members to vote along party lines – regardless of whether their constituents were overwhelmingly opposed or not. Oh, but Martin argues that the Supreme Court has already decided on the matter…Ah, yes a court that for the past 13 years has been filled with judges handpicked by the Liberals. In case you weren’t aware, Supreme Court judges aren’t hired based on their qualifications, or hired by their peers – no, the Prime Minister ‘appoints’ them.

-     Lastly, there’s the need for election reform. Since 1989 Alberta has ‘elected’ 7 Senators. In each case Ottawa has refused to recognize them. Why? Because Senators aren’t elected, the ruling party appoints them. It’s bad enough that we don’t have proportional representation and that the election winner is announced before we even get a chance to vote – but at least throw us a bone and allow the Senate to be elected! Apparently that’s just too much democracy for the Liberals.

There is something profoundly wrong when all a political party has to do is win in Ontario and the fate of the rest of Canada is decided. We are currently deadlocked between the Bloc Quebecois, the Bloc Ontario (Liberals), and the Bloc Alberta (Conservatives). How is it that we’ve come to this? Successive Liberal governments awash in corruption, greed, and scandal who’s only concern is clinging to power – while our once fine nation continues to slide into irrelevance.

Alberta, arguably Canada’s strongest province, has not made a difference in any election in the past 38 years! Should Ontario once again thumb their noses at the rest of Canada and vote the Liberals back into power, it should be time for all Albertans to seriously reflect on whether or not we’d be better off on our own. I know I’ve already made up my mind.

Every morning around 9:30 I go to the Subway by my work - located in 'little Iraq'. I get either the Western Eggwhich sandwich or I get the Chicken with bacon sub. It's relatively healthy food and it's within walking distance. The guy that worked there who's name I couldn't pronounce (for some reason I started calling him Sanjoy) was always friendly, knew what I wanted without having to ask me, always gave me fresh bread, and on a couple occasions when I was short of money would let me pay the next time I came in. Life was good...

Then one day he was gone. His replacement is some hag who's as dumb as a sack of shit. No wait, a sack of shit is probably smarter. She must be the owner's daughter. Now suddenly what was once a pleasant diversion from work has turned into a daily exercise in frustration.

• I tell her I'd like a 'Western' and she looks at me in a dazed state of incomprehension. Her coworker then has to translate in Iraqi for her to understand what I'm asking for.
• Then when she's mixing in the veggies she'll put in one tomato, a couple green pepper slivers, and a heaping pile of onions. I'll then have to ask her to take some onions off and she'll glare at me like I'm some kind of asshole.
• Once the microwave went off with my egg mixture inside and I waited for almost two minutes while she stood there with her back to me, humming to herself, spreading cheese on the unbaked bread. Finally I asked her if I could get my meal - and again, got the I'm an asshole glare!
• You'll show up sometimes as late as 10am and she still doesn't have any fresh bread made (3 hours after opening).
• Despite me going there every single day, she still doesn't know what I want. No, I don't want the shredded cheese, I want the slices. No I don't want it baked. Can you please cook the bacon for at least a minute in the microwave. No I don't want a drink with that. When asked for veggies I'll ask for 'tomatoes, pickles and olives' and she'll proceed to dump a bunch of lettuce on - at which point I'll have to ask her to take it off - again the I'm an asshole glare.
• The kicker is I'll go to pay with debit, but have to wait because her coworker is yakking on the phone. Apparently it would literally break the bank if Subway had shell out $20 a month for another phone line!

Why is murder a crime again? There's the 'reality' you see in commercials, with pretty, smiling, competent, English speaking employees and then there's my daily reality - and they are miles apart.

So the body count in Iraq continues to climb. The sad total now exceeds 1800, with 43 troops having been killed in the past 10 days alone.

Oberführer-Bush speaking from his sprawling Texas ranch (where he’s enjoying a 5 week vacation while these men and women are being slaughtered) vows as always to ‘stay the course’.

Staying the course also means continuing to ban (under threat of arrest) photographs of the soldiers coming home in coffins, arresting journalists who refuse to give up their sources when embarrassing stories are published, and extending the Patriot act indefinitely.

No freedom of information, no freedom of the press, and no freedom from Big Brother... 

Which is odd, considering that it’s ‘freedom’ that we’re supposedly bringing to Iraq. This being the latest spin as all other rationales for illegally invading a sovereign nation that posed no threat have long been disproven as lies. Even the dim-witted American public is finally realizing the truth.                   

So after the disaster that is Iraq, what does Bush do for an encore and lasting legacy? Why invade and bomb the hell out of another country of course!

In the Aug 1^st edition of the American Conservative CIA insiders dropped the bombshell that Vice President Cheney has ordered the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) to draw up plans to attack Iran in response to another terrorist attack on the United States. Plans that would include the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

But even more shocking is that the attack would go ahead whether or not Iran was even involved with the terrorist attack.

It’s already been reported that special-ops teams are on the ground in Iran compiling a list of target sites, Air Force drones regularly (and illegally) are sent into Iranian airspace to probe their air defenses, and that the US is actively supporting the Mujahedin e-Khalq (MEK), a known terrorist group trying to overthrow the Iranian government with a campaign of terror bombing civilians.

I guess when terrorists bomb London they’re ‘bad’, but when terrorists bomb Tehran they’re ‘good’…and I thought murder was murder.

So where is the outrage? Where is the media coverage? When one lone reporter broached the subject of the American Conservative report White House spokesliar Scott Mclellan gave a terse ‘no comment’.

Really, why would news that the US was planning to use the next terrorist attack as an excuse to do Israel's bidding and bomb Iran out of existence be worthy of comment? It's simply the American Way.

On February 22, 2005 Prime Minister Paul Martin made Canada’s position on participating in Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) clear after years of mixed signals and foot dragging.

His answer was “Canada will continue to work with the U.S. for the common defence of North America, but our efforts won't be concentrated on missile defence”.

Prior to that announcement our new ambassador to the States, Frank McKenna stated that we had already signed on to BMD by agreeing to alter Norad’s role. Within minutes Defence Minister Bill Graham was issuing denials.

Confusion reigned supreme.

On November 30th, George Bush visited Canada for what was supposed to be a good will gesture and to discuss the continuing inaction over trade issues such as softwood lumber and mad cow.

However, Bush refused to commit to resolving the trade disputes, waved off attempts to explain to him that BMD was a touchy political issue, threatened to withhold future US military support of Canada, and demanded that we make up our minds.

So due to dissension within his party, an upcoming liberal convention to contend with, unpopularity amongst the public, and with his minority government barely clinging to power he gave George Bush his answer. In diplomatic terms he told him to shove it.

In reality they weren’t asking us for funding, territory, or technical expertise. All they were asking for was moral support on the worldwide stage.

Reaction in the US government was immediately one of outrage. Outgoing US Ambassador and lap dog Paul Cellucci declared that the US would no longer respect Canadian sovereignty. A planned visit by secretary of state Condoleeza Rice was cancelled. Phone calls to the US president from Paul Martin went unanswered for weeks.

In the end the Liberal government made the correct choice – even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

Instead of deciding Canada’s participation based on political survival, they should have instead decided based on morality and common sense.

Why Canada Really Should Have Rejected BMD


1) It will lead to the militarization of space

Despite claims to the contrary it’s painfully obvious this will happen. In fact US Space Command’s mission statement is “Dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment. Integrating Space Forces into war fighting capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict”.

2) It’s a technical failure

The program has been delayed for years and beset by numerous technical failures. Despite being carefully scripted the majority of tests have failed. In one instance test results were outright forged. Hundreds of millions of dollars later, no one can say with certainty that they could actually shoot down a real missile.

3) It will increase proliferation

By diverting funds away from anti-proliferation efforts in former Soviet republics the chance that a terrorist group will get it’s hands on nuclear material has increased. In addition, nations such as China are modernizing and increasing their nuclear arsenal to offset BMD. As China upgrades their nuclear abilities India will do the same to keep pace. As India upgrades Pakistan will do the same and so on.

4) It won't make us safer

The worst attack on American soil in history was carried out by a bunch of men with box cutters. The idea that a terrorist would lob a missile half way around the world is ludicrous. Were a nuclear device obtained more likely it’d be smuggled in a shipping container, as the nation’s ports are well known to be insecure.

The system also would not protect against an accidental launch by either Russia or China as their missiles carry multiple warheads and include decoys. Nor can it stop cruise missiles, which fly a few meters above the ground.

5) It’s actually an offensive system

And so we come to the real reason why the US is implementing this system....George Bush has stated that BMD is designed to protect against limited missile attacks by ‘rogue nations’. These so-called rogue nations are Iran and North Korea. Who coincidentally are on the vaunted 'Axis of Evil' list and are next in the American crosshairs.

By having this system operational it enables them to invade these countries, somewhat comforted in the knowledge that if in one last act of defiance they manage to fire off a missile that there's at least a chance (albeit slim) of shooting it down.

It was with much sadness that I read about Pope John Paul II's death.

Born Karol Wojtyla in 1920 near Krakow, Poland, he was the longest serving pontiff in modern history and the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. He helped bring about the downfall of communism in his home country and true to his faith he forgave the man who shot him in 1981.

Despite what one might think of his views in particular and of Catholicism in general, there's no denying that he was a man who sacrificed greatly and suffered greatly for his religion.

I personally am glad that I got the chance to see him when he visited Edmonton in 1984. I was standing in the crowd as his motorcade passed by only a few feet away from me. Whoever succeeds him will have monumental shoes to fill.

In the not-so-completely-serious category, it appears that the vision of Satan has appeared on the shell of a slider turtle named Lucky. The aptly named turtle was the only animal to survive a fire at the A-Dora-ble Pet store in Frankfurt, Indiana.

It is speculated that the heat from the fire caused the previously hidden image to appear. As you can see in the picture, a devilish bull/goat type creature is clearly visible.

I'd suggest that owner Bryan Dora can recoup some of his losses by selling the otherwise healthy turtle on eBay. Maybe the casino that bought the Virgin Mary sandwich will make a bid for it.

Now that I think of it, I believe that I saw an uncanny resemblance to the Mona Lisa in our cat's litter box...

Human rights are not some universal entity that transcend borders. A woman's 'right' to vote does not exist in Kuwait for example. In Canada, our rights are defined in the Charter of Rights which protects individuals from discrimination based on "race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability". Nowhere in the charter do the words 'Sexual Orientation' appear.

But Prime Minister Paul Martin feels so strongly about this issue that he is willing to risk his government and if need be force an election. This is the height of hypocrisy as it was the Liberal government in 1999 that voted to support a Reform party motion affirming marriage as "the union of one man and one woman, to the exclusion of all others". Adding to this farce is his rejection of a referendum on the issue. Last time I checked Canada was supposedly a democracy. But no, Canadians don't get a say in the matter and party members are being forced to toe the line even if their constituents are overwhelmingly opposed.

Gay couples already have all the legal benefits associated with marriage via Civil Unions. So what they are really fighting for is for validation in mainstream society of their abhorrent lifestyle. Let me be clear, I personally could care less what people do in the privacy of their own homes - what I am opposed to is rewriting the definition of marriage. I am also opposed to the continual erosion of the principles and ideals that this nation was founded upon. But most of all, I am sickened that the course of our country is increasingly being determined by special interest groups because of spineless politicians and an apathetic public.

If that makes me a 'bigot' then so be it.

Buried in amongst the mundane daily news was a little blurb that should scare the hell out of everyone. Scientists have confirmed the first case of the bird flu being transferred between humans. An 11-year-old Thai girl contracted the disease from infected chickens. Her mother spent two days caring for her before the girl died. The mother then became sick herself and died 3 days later.

With the final barrier of human to human transmission having been broken, it's only a matter of time before the virus combines with the human flu virus. This is a nightmare scenario as the bird flu virus is even more virulent and deadly than Ebola.

Researchers have long been saying that the world is overdue for a Pandemic and hospitals and health care workers have been quietly preparing for it. The last great outbreak was the Spanish Flu in 1918 which infected one fifth of the world and killed approximately 40 million people.

With the world going to hell due to human activity perhaps this will be mother nature's way of restoring the balance of things.