'Drop the beer!' No? Zap!' – Tasers a Weapon of Convience

The BC Police Complaint Commissioner agrees with the earlier report of the RCMP Complaints Commissioner that Taser weapons should be reclassified as firearms.

B.C. Commissioner, Dirk Ryneveld, says “Unfortunately, the Taser has become a tool of convenience in some situations. Sort of a come along device. ‘Drop the beer!’ No? Zap!”

My question is how many of reports is it going to take before the Taser is reclassed? And come to think of it - How many people have to die from this so-called non-lethal weapon before something is done?

Police oblivious to pain Tasers inflict: RCMP complaints commissioner

Canada to Deport Its First U.S. War Resister

Canada is about to deport its first U.S. war resister, Corey Glass. All three opposition parties supported a NDP motion that would allow U.S. war resisters to stay in Canada but the Conservative government said no and will be ordering Mr Glass deported.

Lets look at the facts:

• The war in Iraq is an illegal war.
• American soldiers are being forced by the Bush administration to participate in the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq.
• The Canadian people have overwhelmingly voiced their opposition to the war and the U.S. led occupation of Iraq.
• The government of Canada is supposed to represent the interests of the Canadian people.

Questions that come to mind:

• Who comes first the wishes of the Canadian people or the interests outgoing Bush administration?
• Is the Conservative government listening to Canadians?
• What’s next? Canadian troops in Iraq?

Reference: MPs vote to give asylum to U.S. deserters, Tories say no

Food vs. fuel

“We need to feed the stomach before we need to feed our cars,” said Rattan Lal, an Ohio State University soil sciences professor. Seems obvious enough. The use of grains to produce fuel for cars has played a large role in the upward surge in food prices. A World Bank study has estimated that corn prices rose by over 60 per cent from 2005-07, mainly due to the U.S. ethanol program combined with market forces.

Joachim von Braun, who heads the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, D.C estimated if we were stop growing grain crops for vehicle consumption and start growing these grains for people consumption then corn prices would fall 20% and wheat prices would go down 10%.

So considering top international food scientists are making the recommendation to feed people first, logic would follow that the U.S. government would be at least calling for the reduction of crops for cars? Nope… never letting a little thing like logic get in the way George W. Bush is calling for the increase of ethanol production and thereby diverting even more grain from the food supply. All in an effort offset the rising price of gasoline.

"And the truth of the matter is, it's in our national interest that our farmers grow energy” said Bush

Food supply instability continues to be an issue for aproximately 1 billion people worldwide.

Reference: Stop biofuels to fight world hunger, food scientists say