Friday, December 14, 2007
Idea for the next post
I'm thinking Why Jim Flaherty is a terrible choice for Minister of Finance? The problem is there is simply too much material for posts like this.
Why John Baird is a Terrible Choice for Minister of Environment
I had written a post that I vetted through some trusted friends, and though they agree with what I wrote, several recommended against posting it. I'm generally level headed, but I am happy to have some friends to tell me when I need to tone it down. So instead I have written a point by point explanation of why I think Steven Harper made a very poor choice in appointing John Baird as the Conservative Minister of Environment.
John Baird lacks experience and knowledge of the subject matter.
Baird's undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Baird has been a politico all his professional life. Prior to being appointed by Steven Harper as Minister for the Environment, he had never worked in an industry that has to manage environmental affairs, nor had he ever been part of an environmental NGO, nor had he ever worked in an environmental regulatory capacity. Link.
John Baird's history of statements and actions show he does not take environmental issues seriously.
From Environmental Defense - "For far too long they have found themselves on the receiving end of promises that packaged a whole lot of punch but delivered little more than a pinch - what you call empty promises. Unlike our predecessors we are doing more than just talking, we're taking real action." But environmentalists were not impressed. "I'm actually shocked at how little it is," said John Bennett of Climate for Change. "What is industry's target? How many megatonnes will industry do? "
John Baird is implicated in a scandal regarding the past Ottawa Municipal Elections
There are no charges against Minister Baird yet, but there is a public investigation by the OPP into allegations that the current Ottawa Mayor tried to bribe one of the opponents into dropping out by offering him an appointment. The appointment would be made by Minister Baird. It may be nothing but a smear, but give it a bit of time. The truth will out. Link.
I could go on for days. John Baird, like so many of the Conservative Ministers, is simply ill equipped, inexperienced, and way over his head.
Jake
John Baird lacks experience and knowledge of the subject matter.
Baird's undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Baird has been a politico all his professional life. Prior to being appointed by Steven Harper as Minister for the Environment, he had never worked in an industry that has to manage environmental affairs, nor had he ever been part of an environmental NGO, nor had he ever worked in an environmental regulatory capacity. Link.
John Baird's history of statements and actions show he does not take environmental issues seriously.
"We have already seen the impacts of climate change in the north with meltingA quote from the Financial Post, a typically conservative supporting paper, "Meanwhile, in an apparent effort to fend off international attacks over its climate change policies, the Harper government began a series of multimillion-dollar environmental announcements. Mr. Baird insisted the funds are proof that the government is taking real action to stop global warming. But he was unable to say whether his main announcement of the day, a pledge to spend $85.9 million over four years on climate change adaptation and research, is any different from a Natural Resources Canada climate change adaptation program that his government shut down last summer. The now-defunct federal climate research network conducted studies to help various communities and economic sectors cope with the impacts of a changing climate, such as severe weather, the pine beetle infestations in western Canada, and crumbling infrastructure."
permafrost, schools shifting off foundations, and the spread of the pine beetle."
This from the man that as President of the Treasury board cut Federal spending
to beetle kill programs in BC at a time when the federal surplus was a record
13 billion dollars.
John Baird is regarded as having killed (for political vendetta reasons) an
already approved light rail plan for the City of Ottawa. Link.
"We've had unusually warm weather in parts of the country and
unusually harsh weather in other parts of the country and I wanted to
come out first hand and see it," he said. "It's demonstrably worse than
anything you can see on television and it's a wake-up call." So the decades
of science won't convince you, but trees blown over in Stanley Park will?
Interaction of John Baird and Dr. David Suzuki at the Green Living Consumer show,
April 27th, 2007
"It's a disappointment, John," Suzuki said.
Baird countered: "This is more action than any government in Canadian history has
ever taken."
Suzuki was unmoved by the minister's words and replied, "It's not enough John,
you know there's a lot of opportunity. Please come and see us."
Baird replied, "we're very happy to," before walking away.
He hasn't been to see Suzuki yet.
From Environmental Defense - "For far too long they have found themselves on the receiving end of promises that packaged a whole lot of punch but delivered little more than a pinch - what you call empty promises. Unlike our predecessors we are doing more than just talking, we're taking real action." But environmentalists were not impressed. "I'm actually shocked at how little it is," said John Bennett of Climate for Change. "What is industry's target? How many megatonnes will industry do? "
John Baird is implicated in a scandal regarding the past Ottawa Municipal Elections
There are no charges against Minister Baird yet, but there is a public investigation by the OPP into allegations that the current Ottawa Mayor tried to bribe one of the opponents into dropping out by offering him an appointment. The appointment would be made by Minister Baird. It may be nothing but a smear, but give it a bit of time. The truth will out. Link.
I could go on for days. John Baird, like so many of the Conservative Ministers, is simply ill equipped, inexperienced, and way over his head.
Jake
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I wish I better understand the legal ins and outs of libel, or it is my personal opinion that John Baird may be mentally defficient
I wrote a few paragraphs about John Baird, but I'm worried that if I post it, it may be libel. Are there any lawyers I can send this to for a free opinion before I post? I'm happy to preface every sentence with something like "It is my opinion that . . . "
It's so hard to write about what the guy is doing without descending into a complete rant.
I will try and remove the nasty parts this afternoon, and form a cogent, non-malicious explanation of why I think John Baird is a complete turd. Oops, this is hard!
Jake
It's so hard to write about what the guy is doing without descending into a complete rant.
I will try and remove the nasty parts this afternoon, and form a cogent, non-malicious explanation of why I think John Baird is a complete turd. Oops, this is hard!
Jake
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Clarification
I'm not anti-Taser, I'm pro very defined Taser use policy. I'm of the opinion it should be located right before a firearm on the continuum of force. I believe an officer would be warranted in using a Taser in a situation that if they did not have the Taser, they would have used their fire arm.
Unfortunately for the members on the street, the guidelines for Taser use have been hazy at best and absent at worst.
Unfortunately for the members on the street, the guidelines for Taser use have been hazy at best and absent at worst.
Competing Taser Headlines, or Why You Have to Get News From More Than One Place
Here are two different headlines for the same news piece.
National Post: No ban on Tasers needed now, watchdog report says
Globe and Mail: RCMP should restrict taser use immediately: report
Both of these articles refer to the same report, just published by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission. The first headline suggests that all is fine, however if you go through and read both the articles, you will discover that the report does not suggest all is honky dory. I wish the newspapers would provide a link to the actual report, but they don't, so here it is. What it says is that Tasers have not been used correctly, and more disturbingly, the RCMP has not tracked how tasers have been used or what the outcome from their use has been;
"there exists no empirical data generated by the RCMP as to the benefits, or detriments, of using the weapon. The CEW has been deployed in push stun or probe mode over 3,000 times since its introduction in December 2001, yet not one annual report has been produced and the information captured on the Conducted Energy Weapon Usage Form has not been thoroughly examined nor utilized in the development of current CEW policy."
These findings are very close to the discussion at our last Electoral District Association. Usually discussions at these meetings have individuals that have drastically different view points, however on this issue, the discussion was quite unified. We talked about how the RCMP were using the Taser as if it was not harmful to the person being subdued. Interestingly though, nobody argued that the Taser should be banned, just that the guidelines for its use were likely not in line with the potential harm of the device.
When safety figures have been quoted by law enforcement agencies, they are quoting figures from studies funded by the manufacturer of the devices. These studies only look at direct lethal effects, so they only count a death from a Taser if the shock stops a healthy and not on drugs subject's heart. However, there are many other potential sources of harm from a Taser shock. Falling and hitting the head, acidosis of lung muscles from repeated shocks preventing respiration, Cardiac arythmia, and the very strange and scary "post-shock lethal events."
One other thing, I wish the RCMP would not use the term Excited Delerium when talking about Robert Dziekanski. This is a term that has been invented by law enforcement agencies, has no formal medical recognition, and refers to people who are in a state that is usually brought on by the use of PCP or cocaine. In fact, several studies have shown that Taser use on subjects in this state is very dangerous as both PCP and cocaine can cause heart perturbations which can be than be turned fatal by the electrical discharge of the Taser.
National Post: No ban on Tasers needed now, watchdog report says
Globe and Mail: RCMP should restrict taser use immediately: report
Both of these articles refer to the same report, just published by the RCMP Public Complaints Commission. The first headline suggests that all is fine, however if you go through and read both the articles, you will discover that the report does not suggest all is honky dory. I wish the newspapers would provide a link to the actual report, but they don't, so here it is. What it says is that Tasers have not been used correctly, and more disturbingly, the RCMP has not tracked how tasers have been used or what the outcome from their use has been;
"there exists no empirical data generated by the RCMP as to the benefits, or detriments, of using the weapon. The CEW has been deployed in push stun or probe mode over 3,000 times since its introduction in December 2001, yet not one annual report has been produced and the information captured on the Conducted Energy Weapon Usage Form has not been thoroughly examined nor utilized in the development of current CEW policy."
These findings are very close to the discussion at our last Electoral District Association. Usually discussions at these meetings have individuals that have drastically different view points, however on this issue, the discussion was quite unified. We talked about how the RCMP were using the Taser as if it was not harmful to the person being subdued. Interestingly though, nobody argued that the Taser should be banned, just that the guidelines for its use were likely not in line with the potential harm of the device.
When safety figures have been quoted by law enforcement agencies, they are quoting figures from studies funded by the manufacturer of the devices. These studies only look at direct lethal effects, so they only count a death from a Taser if the shock stops a healthy and not on drugs subject's heart. However, there are many other potential sources of harm from a Taser shock. Falling and hitting the head, acidosis of lung muscles from repeated shocks preventing respiration, Cardiac arythmia, and the very strange and scary "post-shock lethal events."
One other thing, I wish the RCMP would not use the term Excited Delerium when talking about Robert Dziekanski. This is a term that has been invented by law enforcement agencies, has no formal medical recognition, and refers to people who are in a state that is usually brought on by the use of PCP or cocaine. In fact, several studies have shown that Taser use on subjects in this state is very dangerous as both PCP and cocaine can cause heart perturbations which can be than be turned fatal by the electrical discharge of the Taser.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Somethings I love about Canada.
Monday, December 10, 2007
What keeps me busy
I've been getting quite a few questions about what I am up to, so I thought I should let you all know what occupies the bulk of my time outside the campaign.
1. I am the regional manager for the Fraser Valley for the Rock Solid Business Development Program. We help small and medium businesses develop core business management skills to build solid, dependable enterprises that form the economic core of healthy communities. Part of what makes Langley a great place to live is it's economic success. Healthy businesses of all sizes are what allows us to afford good health care, child care programs, education systems, infrastructure projects and everything else that goes into making Canada one of the best countries in the world to live.
2. I'm a founding partner of Econic, an online retailer of low carbon impact products. Our mission is to help savvy customers find products that have lower carbon impacts than current alternatives, yet fit with our western lifestyles. There are a lot of products out there claiming to do this, but we are cutting through the chaff to find the products that actually make a difference. Consumers want to make a difference, are willing to pay a little extra to make that difference, but are having a tough time navigating through the marketing. We're trying to be the compass. The government is not taking action to reduce our carbon impact, so we are trying to take things in our own hands.
3. I'm studying to take the Project Management Professional designation exam. It's a bear of a test that barring an election, I will be taking in February. My mom keeps telling me that you can never have enough education, and you can never brush you teeth enough.
4. I'm trying to learn how to swim better. I'm going to enter a triathlon this spring, but my swimming is not good enough. If anyone uses the Walnut Grove Community Center and would like to give me some constructive criticism, let me know when you are free and I'll meet you there.
5. I try to keep up to date on all the going's on in the community, but it is hard. There are so many people doing many great things in Langley, that it becomes impossible to keep up with all of the great work. Go Langley!
6. I post to the intarweb. I'm getting used to the semi regular writing regime, however I have no idea if the people who read this enjoy it. I can tell I am getting hits, but I have yet to generate many comments. Perhaps I should be more controversial?
By the way I am going to start documenting the discussions we have in our Electoral District Association meetings. They can get quite heated and lively, and I humbly think our little group are some of the better informed folks out there. I hope it will generate just as heated discussion on here.
Jake
1. I am the regional manager for the Fraser Valley for the Rock Solid Business Development Program. We help small and medium businesses develop core business management skills to build solid, dependable enterprises that form the economic core of healthy communities. Part of what makes Langley a great place to live is it's economic success. Healthy businesses of all sizes are what allows us to afford good health care, child care programs, education systems, infrastructure projects and everything else that goes into making Canada one of the best countries in the world to live.
2. I'm a founding partner of Econic, an online retailer of low carbon impact products. Our mission is to help savvy customers find products that have lower carbon impacts than current alternatives, yet fit with our western lifestyles. There are a lot of products out there claiming to do this, but we are cutting through the chaff to find the products that actually make a difference. Consumers want to make a difference, are willing to pay a little extra to make that difference, but are having a tough time navigating through the marketing. We're trying to be the compass. The government is not taking action to reduce our carbon impact, so we are trying to take things in our own hands.
3. I'm studying to take the Project Management Professional designation exam. It's a bear of a test that barring an election, I will be taking in February. My mom keeps telling me that you can never have enough education, and you can never brush you teeth enough.
4. I'm trying to learn how to swim better. I'm going to enter a triathlon this spring, but my swimming is not good enough. If anyone uses the Walnut Grove Community Center and would like to give me some constructive criticism, let me know when you are free and I'll meet you there.
5. I try to keep up to date on all the going's on in the community, but it is hard. There are so many people doing many great things in Langley, that it becomes impossible to keep up with all of the great work. Go Langley!
6. I post to the intarweb. I'm getting used to the semi regular writing regime, however I have no idea if the people who read this enjoy it. I can tell I am getting hits, but I have yet to generate many comments. Perhaps I should be more controversial?
By the way I am going to start documenting the discussions we have in our Electoral District Association meetings. They can get quite heated and lively, and I humbly think our little group are some of the better informed folks out there. I hope it will generate just as heated discussion on here.
Jake
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