military « Progressive Bloggers // Blogues progressistes

The Canadian Progressive: Harper’s Defence Minister Peter MacKay Dreams Of An “NDP Government” (VIDEO)

By Obert Madondo, on April 29, 2013, at 1:51 pm

By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: During Question Period in the House of Commons last week, NDP House Leader Nathan Cullen questioned Defence Minister Peter MacKay’s voting record on defence spending when the Conservatives…

The post Harper’s Defence Minister Peter MacKay Dreams Of An “NDP Government” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.

Montreal Simon: Stephen Harper and Our New and Armed Forces

By Simon, on March 14, 2013, at 2:38 am

Ever since he came to power Stephen Harper has tried to use the military for crass political purposes.First he tried to use it to change his image from a nerdy policy wonk, to a Great Warrior Leader.And when that failed miserably, for obvious reasons, he set out to change the military's image.

He swapped his helmet for a crown, and declared that our boys and girls in uniform must be ROYAL !!! And that they must be ARMED !!!! Read more »

Montreal Simon: Stephen Harper’s Great Arctic Betrayal

By Simon, on March 4, 2013, at 4:39 am

From the moment he came to power, he announced that he would like to be known as Great Arctic Leader and Lord Protector of the North.He decreed that henceforth everything from government stationery, to the nose of his plane, should be embossed with the words "The True North Strong and Free."He warned us the Russians were coming. But that his warrior government would stop them if we bought those fancy jets. His propaganda machine hummed heroically. But that was then, and this is now.Read more »

The Canadian Progressive: ‘Why I Did It’: Whistleblower Bradley Manning Tells US Military Court

By Guest Blog, on February 28, 2013, at 3:10 pm

Whistleblower reads prepared statement of explanation after pleading guilty to some, but not all, charges By: Common Dreams | Feb. 28, 2013: US Army Private Bradley Manning read a prepared statement on Thursday, revealing before a packed military courtroom exactly what government and military information he leaked to the whistleblower media outlet Wikileaks, and why he chose to do READ MORE

Dead Wild Roses: The US Military – Fumbling Toward Accountablitly

By The Arbourist, on February 6, 2013, at 8:04 am

The military, like any defined group in society, has a distinct set of extrinsic and intrinsic operational guidelines. Misogyny is still rather prevalent in the system as an article from wired.com points out:

“The Pentagon has talked a lot about putting a stop to sexual abuse and harassment in the military, including abuse carried out by general officers. Yet a new report from the investigative arm of Congress finds it’s mostly that — talk. It catalogs how the military still hasn’t fixed a host of systemic obstacles that contribute to sexual assault and make it less

Montreal Simon: When the Cons Try to Cover Up Murder

By Simon, on December 26, 2012, at 4:49 am

His name was Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener. He was a Canadian peacekeeper who was killed murdered by the Israeli military in 2006.Now the Canadian military, and the Harper government, are trying to cover-up how he died.The Defence Department has quietly removed from the Internet a report into the killing of a Canadian military officer by Israeli forces, a move the soldier’s widow says is linked to the Conservative government’s reluctance to criticize Israel for any wrongdoing.Read more »

The Canadian Progressive: The Ugly Canadian in the Canada-Israel relationship (VIDEO)

By Obert Madondo, on December 14, 2012, at 9:54 pm

Canadian writer and commentator Yves Engler discusses the Harper Conservative government’s pro-Israel policy with The Real News. Yves’ new book, The Ugly Canadian, Stephen Harper’s Foreign Policy, “sets out to provide “a small spark in lighting a fire of interest in Canadian foreign policy.” This video is available on YouTube RELATED: “Israel is demolishing hope” READ MORE

Trashy's World: KPMG reports on fighter jet cost over runs…

By trashee, on December 12, 2012, at 12:30 pm

…are due out as early as today. And they might be embarrassing for the CPC government as the real costs may come in as much as three times higher than the Harperites have claimed and vigourously defended. All to which I say “BAH”! EVERYONE knows that KPMG is part of the left-wing conspiracy that, along [...]

The Canadian Progressive: U.S.: Cutting through the indefinite detention and NDAA controversy

By Guest Blog, on December 10, 2012, at 7:34 pm

by Cora Currier | ProPublica: Last Tuesday, the Senate passed the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, a yearly military spending bill. Last year, the bill affirmed the U.S.’s authority to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely and without charges. The provision had generated plenty of controversy, particularly about whether U.S. citizens could be detained indefinitely. This year, the Senate bill says that citizens can’t be detained in the READ MORE

Canadian Progressive: “Israel is demolishing hope”

By Obert Madondo, on December 4, 2012, at 1:53 pm

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper is one of my favorite global publications. That’s because, on both domestic and global issues, it’s editorial policy is centre-left and refreshingly progressive. Haaretz is the place to go for an Israeli voice that’s against the apartheid-style occupation of Palestinian land and inhuman treatment of Arab citizens. Consider this title for an [...] . . . → Read More: Canadian Progressive: “Israel is demolishing hope”

Trashy's World: I know I’m not big on the current trend to glorify the military…

By trashee, on November 5, 2012, at 11:59 am

… but this is downright insulting! A final slap in the face! A vet has to be under the income threshold of 12K per annum to qualify for financial assistance to offset costs of their final interment? $12,000??? Really? Meanwhile, Harper’s government spends $28 million to glorify the War of 1812! None of whose vets [...]

Canadian ProgressiveCanadian Progressive: How an Accused Guatemalan War Criminal Won U.S., Canadian Citizenship

By Guest Blog, on October 21, 2012, at 9:39 pm

by Sebastian Rotella | ProPublica In May 1985, a Guatemalan Army lieutenant named Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes deserted, flew to San Francisco and requested political asylum, asserting that leftist guerrillas in his war-torn homeland were gunning for him. The 27-year-old officer described his combat exploits in his application for asylum. He said he had served as an instructor [...]

Left Over: Welcome Home, Omar…..or not…

By cityprole, on September 30, 2012, at 10:53 am

Khadr eligible for parole next summer, lawyers say

Let no one say that there be no trolls in this day and age…just read some of the comments at CBC online regarding Khadr’s repatriation…

This man was railroaded at 15 years old..let’s see, how old were Rina Virk’s murderers? And how much time did they spend in jail? And let’s not even talk about Mrs. Bernardo…Karla spent time for participating in many rapes, tortures, and murders and partied her way through jail before being assisted in every way to start over… Where are the cries for her head? The

. . . → Read More: Left Over: Welcome Home, Omar…..or not…

Trashy's World: The Avro Arrow?

By trashee, on September 10, 2012, at 6:07 am

Could it be resurrected? Well, the idea is being talked about. But it’ll never “fly”. LOL! I kill me! So why not? Well, as I never got around to doing a doctorate in aerospace engineering, I cannot speak to the technical side of a 50-year-old concept repackaged for the 21st century. Who knows? Maybe it [...]

Montreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the Con Army

By Simon, on August 25, 2012, at 4:23 am

I see that Stephen Harper's Great Con Clown Tour of the Arctic, has ended with another phony photo-op.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper took in a military training operation in Hudson Bay on the final day of his northern tour Friday, observing a scenario involving Canadian Forces intercepting an ecotourism boat carrying migrants attempting to enter Canada illegally.

And the ridiculous sight of Great Ugly Leader posing as the Lord Protector of the North.Read more »

Canadian Progressive: Conservative MP insults Canadians with confused take on F-35 jet plan

By Obert Madondo, on August 22, 2012, at 7:31 pm

Yesterday we’d a jolly good laugh when Yukon Tory MP Ryan Leef got overjoyed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit and invited those gathered to “join me in welcoming back to the Yukon, the Prime Minister of Cannibal.” Conservative MP, Chris Alexander’s recent take on the F-35 fighter jet controversy is no such laughing matter. It’s an insult to Canadians’ intelligence. During a CBC News’ Power & Politics panel discussion on the Harper Government’s F-53 jet plan, Alexander offered the following statement: “There was a misunderstanding, to some extent, in the Canadian public opinion, to some extent perpetrated by

Montreal Simon: Dieppe and the Lost Myth

By Simon, on August 20, 2012, at 5:42 am

It was good to see that some of the soldiers who took part in the Dieppe Raid were able to make it back to that bloody beach today.

And that so many people in the town turned out to greet them like heroes.

I'm also glad that we may finally know the main reason for the raid.Read more »

Trashy's World: The Snowbirds…

By trashee, on August 17, 2012, at 12:57 pm

… yeah, they’re kinda neat… but $755 million worth of “neat”? I dunno. And we all know that the $755 million really means $1 billion++, right? Isn’t it time to put circuses like these to bed for good… at least those being paid for from the public purse? I know that there are many who [...]

Canadian Progressive: Your Choice For Canada’s Next Top Soldier Is? (POLL)

By Obert Madondo, on August 15, 2012, at 10:09 am

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is reportedly involved in the selection of Canada’s next top soldier, the Chief of Defence Staff.

Montreal Simon: Stephen Harper and the War Olympics

By Simon, on August 13, 2012, at 10:29 pm

Well the Olympic Games are finally over, and I must say I enjoyed the show, from the stunning beginning to the wild and wonderful end.

I thought the Brits did an amazing job, I was proud of all our athletes, whether they won a medal or not.

And the only thing that almost ruined the games for me was having to watch so many Con TV ads. Read more »

Art Threat: Blu mural tackles Italy’s Chernobyl

By Rob Maguire, on August 13, 2012, at 2:23 pm

Italian street artist Blu has created a towering critique of the militarization of Sardinia. His latest mural depicts the devastating impact that industrialization and military bases have had on the Mediterranean island.

In the south-east near Salto di Quirra, a rocket launching site run by the Italian Air Force, electromagnetic pollution, hazardous waste and depleted uranium are blamed for disturbing health conditions.

Lambs are being born with two heads or six limbs, and local residents are suffering from an astonishingly high cancer rate — 65% of those living in the area are reportedly suffering from lukemimia, a

Canadian Progressive World: The day Canada’s white supremacists saluted Stephen Harper

By Obert Madondo, on August 8, 2012, at 2:13 pm

So far, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s ideology-inspired of project of social and political engineering expresses itself most eloquently as the Conservatives’ egregious assault on civil liberties, the metamorphosis of Canada into a petro-state, and militarization of both Canadian society and foreign policy. We’re yet to acknowledge how this project oppresses the “other” while empowering utopian idealists who believe that the eradication of minorities will cleanse their world of some perceived contamination.

In early June, Canada’s white supremacists saluted Harper.

The Conservative majority in the House of Commons had just passed Bill C-304 by 153 votes to 136. As usual, the

Canadian Progressive World: Canadian General Itching For A New Foreign War

By Obert Madondo, on August 5, 2012, at 1:46 pm

In The Twilight War, historian David Crist unravels “the secret history of America’s 30-year conflict with Iran.” A secret conflict that’s looks certain to become a real war soon. Led by Israel. A war Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff General Walter Natynczyk seems to have been itching for since the announcement of the end of our questionable military involvement in Afghanistan.

Natynczyk revealed his warmongering itch to the Canadian Press on July 7. Disturbingly, the general assigns the itch to the ordinary men and women in uniform:

We have some men and women who have had two, three

Canadian Progressive World: What We Missed: OWS Declaration of the Occupation of New York City

By Obert Madondo, on August 2, 2012, at 8:30 am

This document was accepted by the NYC General Assembly on September 29, 2011, with minor updates made on October 1, 2011. It is the first official, collective statement of the protesters in Zuccotti Park.

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its

Akaash Maharaj - Practical Idealism: TVO’s The Agenda: Forgiving the Unforgivable – Akaash Maharaj Videocast

By Akaash Maharaj, on June 14, 2012, at 4:15 pm

Our capacity to do violence to one another is the worst tragedy of the human condition, but it makes our still greater capacity to forgive one another all the more powerful.

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