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I remember when we were only talking a paltry 9 billion dollars on new fighter jets (powered by the tears of Canadian children with no access to nationalized day-care). I though wow, this is a real super hyped up plus sell hunk of bullshite being foisted on Canadians. Apparently, Harper and his braintrust of strategists have managed to come up with the cluster-bomb grade version of stupidity things to endorse. Brian Stewart from the CBC illustrates the madness of the CPC:
“The who-knew-what about the real costs of the F-35 fighter jet Canada wants to purchase is worrisome enough. But at the heart of the fiasco is a far more serious concern about what public honesty means to this government.
It’s a sad state that few Canadians appear surprised by the auditor general’s findings that Parliament was kept in the dark over the real costs of this program and what looks to be a $10-billion overrun.
Many seem to assume that misleading and denying whenever it suits is a government’s normal default position. After all, this government seems to have done it for years on Afghanistan and with its other problems in national defence.
In my own attempts to unravel the F-35’s real costs I never once met a single soul outside government and knowledgeable about defence purchases who believed the prime minister’s promise that the planes could be delivered for a bargain-rate $75 million each.
I never met anyone inside the Canadian military who thought so either.”
It’s like watching a child caught in a obvious lie slowly admit guilt –
“But the amount of money that is in the pot is still substantial. The 19 F-35As that the U.S. will acquire in fiscal year 2013 will cost $197 million each. In 2001, the projected cost for these jets was $69 million.
The cost per plane is expected to drop later in the production cycle, assuming the order numbers do not.
Over the course of the U.S. program, the “average” cost of acquiring each F-35 should be about $162 million each, according to Pentagon figures.
The Canadian government has estimated its 65 F-35s will cost just $75 million each to acquire. But the parliamentary budget officer pegs that number at $148 million.”
Err… Almost double of what was told to the Canadian people? Hmm. The ‘open and transparent’ Harper government once again proves its true colours. Oversights of this magnitude are like slapping the Canadian people in the face with a bag full of rotten fish, for about 2 years now and counting.
We need to wake up and demand a responsible government because it seems as of late a lot of crappy things are being done in my name without my knowledge, and I for one, do not like it one bit.
The Conservative government is handling our alleged abuse of Afghan detainees with an sublime air of stupidity that George Bush made (in)famous. It seems that outright lying has not worked. We are now own to indignant posturing and appeals to patriotism. Allow me to illustrate.
Richard Colvin, a senior intelligence officer brought to light Canadian misdeeds:
“According to our information, the likelihood is that all the Afghans we handed over were tortured,” Colvin told a parliamentary committee on Nov. 18.
Canadian Defence Minister War Propagandist Peter Mackay said:
“The member is suggesting by implication that the military did something wrong, that somehow they did not do the right thing. That is what is so despicable,” MacKay said on Dec. 10.”
What? How dare anyone question the character of our troops and our mission in Afghanistan! Especially when their allegations are false…
“The documents reveal that in 2008, military police launched six separate investigations into allegations of abuse involving Canadian troops.”
Errr….whoops! It seems like something is going on over there. However, so far we’re clean according to our military:
“The military police determined that the allegations were unfounded in five of the six cases, and the remaining investigation is ongoing,” said Maj. Paule Poulin, a spokesperson for the Canadian Forces Provost Marshall.
One can always trust the military to police itself.
And now the sour flourish:
“However, MacKay apparently never told the House there were allegations against Canadian troops, at least one of which is still being investigated.”
We can always trust politicians to act unethically. It is nice that Mr.Mackay provides such a clear example (via his briefing notes) of his dedication to the service and maintenance of power, justice be damned.
According to Richard Colvin, since 2006 (and probably earlier) the Canadian Armed Forces have had a hand in facilitating the torture of afghan prisoners. Richard Colvin said:
“According to our information, the likelihood is that all the Afghans we handed over were tortured. For interrogators in Kandahar, it was a standard operating procedure,” Colvin said.
He said the most common forms of torture were beatings, whipping with power cables, the use of electricity, knives, open flames and rape.”
Let me state this right now. Torture does not work. For an in depth analysis of exactly how bad torture is for nation states see Alflred McCoy’s book: A Question of Torture.
So torture is neither viable nor productive in terms of gathering information. Unless of course you are the church and are just trying to save the poor heretic’s souls.
It was only a matter of time as the slaughter and abuse of civilians goes hand in hand with imperial misadventures. We avoided the Iraq fiasco, but now are fully mired in Afghanistan. Colvin expresses his regrets about our foreign policy:
“As I learned more about our detainee practices, I came to a conclusion they were contrary to Canada’s values, contrary to Canada’s interests, contrary to Canada’s official policies and also contrary to international law. That is, they were un-Canadian, counterproductive and probably illegal.”
I agree with Mr. Colvin. But did our government? Of course not, the denials and spin began almost immediately.
“Defence Minister Peter MacKay also questioned the credibility of the allegations earlier this week. Hillier and Conservative officials denied Colvin’s assertion that he reported prisoner abuses as early as 2006.”
To expect a different response from any political party would be silly. That is the sad fact of the realpolitik of our times, we sanction horrible practices, and then when public scrutiny arrives, the government does its utmost to deny, deflect and discredit the bearer of the news of its malfeasance. Witness our feckless Conservatives in action:
“Last week, Colvin was accused by Conservative MPs of being a Taliban “dupe” for believing and broadcasting claims of prisoner abuse — and testifying he’d relayed those concerns to an unreceptive government.”
Mr. Colvin’s assertions were corroborated by a Afghani MP Malalai Joya she said:
“What he has been saying is what I’ve heard from my people,” she said.
Many of the victims are women and children detainees who have been raped, she said. “It’s not new for our people.”
Whoops! A outside confirmation of what is happening in Afghanistan? The Conservatives could not possibly be lying could they?
“The Conservative government was aware of concerns about the state of prisons in Afghanistan in early 2006, prompting it to negotiate a new prisoner transfer agreement, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said Friday.”
Wow, getting caught in a lie misunderstanding (again) sucks does it not Mr.MacKay? The caliber of the verbal casuistry being spewn forth by the Conservative government leaves me gobsmacked.. The party of ‘law and order’ and ‘family values’ and morality in general. I remember with the Conservatives were rallying against the Liberals during the Adscam – debacle, oh how shrill they were. Good thing the Conservatives are above such antics now that they are in power.
It looks like we are at least partially responsible for people being tortured. A government that was actually dedicated upholding human rights and ‘canadian values’ would at least admit to their part in this ugly little affair.
bleatmop
Mystro
The Arbourist
Dead Wild Roses 
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