The Gazetteer

WatchWhatTheyDoNotWhatTheirAdsSay
LINOVille


Public Eye guy S.M. Holman has both stories:

During its February 12 throne speech, the Campbell administration announced it would be rewarding British Columbians for making choices that will "save energy, water, fuel, time and money" as part of its LiveSmart BC strategy. But the thrust and even the name of that program - which will include "public education campaigns that will give citizens the tools and information they need to make informed choices" - seems to have been outlined in a report prepared by Decima Research Ltd. for the government.....

{swippety switcheroo-doo-dah}

...Decima Research Ltd.'s report didn't just include clever monikers for the Campbell administration's climate action initiatives. As part of its recommendations on the Campbell administration should sell those initiatives, the polling firm also tested a "series of visual concepts" connected to the environment - with the strongest reaction being to pictures of polar bears and cars in traffic.



You want a side of greened-up coalbed methane with that?


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Image courtesy of Anita Lee's very fine photostream.

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Plot synopsis for the latest episode of British Columbia's never-ending political thriller/soap opera has kindly been provided by the Globe and Mail's Justine Hunter:

VICTORIA -- The RCMP have been asked to investigate whether Premier Gordon Campbell's former deputy minister managed to taint their political corruption case when he vetted confidential documents to be released to investigators.

Ken Dobell, once Mr. Campbell's top political fixer, told The Globe and Mail last week he handled files without signing a court undertaking that would have restricted him from talking to anyone about the documents.

Leonard Krog, a New Democratic Party opposition critic, asked the RCMP yesterday to look into whether Mr. Dobell's involvement compromised the RCMP investigation, calling it a serious breach.

"The government appears to have breached a protocol established by the Supreme Court during the course of this investigation," Mr. Krog told reporters yesterday. "I believe it merits investigation."

The allegations are the latest twist in the long-running political saga that became public after a sensational raid on the legislature in December, 2003.

{snippety doo-dah}

Documents seized in the legislature raid were kept in a secure evidence room, and police weren't allowed to read them until the government determined whether it would waive executive privilege.

Under a court-approved scheme, four government officials were assigned to vet the documents, and each signed an undertaking to maintain confidentiality.

But in November, 2004, one of the four, George Copley, wrote to Mr. Dobell seeking permission to waive cabinet privilege over three specific documents they had discussed, saying police needed the files to question two cabinet ministers and several other government officials.

Mr. Dobell, then the deputy minister to the premier, confirmed that police could have those files.

Yesterday during Question Period, Mr. Krog asked whether Mr. Dobell disclosed anything he had learned because he was not bound by the court oath of secrecy.

"Mr. Dobell has said publicly that he was under no obligation not to disclose the substance of his discussions. Who did he talk with, and when did he talk?"

He asked whether Mr. Dobell spoke to then-finance- minister Gary Collins, Mr. Basi's boss. Mr. Collins resigned his seat on Dec. 14, 2004.

Outside of the legislature, Mr. Krog offered no evidence to suggest Mr. Dobell disclosed anything.

"What I can say is that Mr. Dobell was not a signatory to the agreement that would have prevented him from discussing this."

Current Attorney General Wally Oppal declined to comment given that the matter of Mr. Dobell's involvement is, according to him at least, 'before the courts'.

To which we can only respond that, now that Premier Gordon Campbell et al. have brought craptacularama-lama-ding-dong stuff like this to the public's and the court's attention, it is sure to give the Defence pretty strong grounds to call for a mistrial, especially given the fact that the judge in the case, Elizabeth Bennett, has already ruled that some of the documents that have been kept under wraps due to the government's use of privilege protected by 'The Protocol', solictor/client-based or otherwise, actually get to the matter of 'innocence at stake'.

If you get our drift (on what we think the plotline to the next episode in this sordid saga just might be)......

OK?

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AllTheNewsThatFits
InMyBrainVille

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The Detroit Pistons missed 64 per cent of their shots and had a rookie filling in for an all-star at point guard.

It didn't matter.

Detroit set an NBA playoff record with just three turnovers and made just enough shots and stops to advance to their sixth straight Eastern Conference final with a 91-86 win Tuesday night over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the second-round series.....


I was forced to climb into the Big Cigar Tube that flies through the sky on Sunday just so I could get to the place where I spent the last three days in a bunker with fellow science geeks bashing each other up the side of the head over how to distribute grant funds*.

All of which means that, despite my relative proximity, I could not have gone to the Detroit Pistons game last night even if I'd wanted to.

But here's the thing.

If I had wanted to go, and if my family had been there with me (which they weren't), all four of us could have gone to the game AND had our fill of an unlimited supply of sodas and hot dogs too.

For just $99.

At least that was the pitch in the ads that ran pretty much non-stop on the TeeVee for the last three days.

Which means that NBA play-off tickets are going for about twelve bucks a pop in Motor City at the moment.

If they can sell them at all.

So forget about all the high-falutin' economic analyses about how bad things are in the Detroit/Windsor area because that number 99 tells you all you need to know.

OK?


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I've written about these science geek group flagellation fests before, here.

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Shillin'ForSammy?
PollVille



From the WikiTubes, here is a pretty good definition of 'push' polling:

A push poll is a political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. In a push poll, large numbers of respondents are contacted, and little or no effort is made to collect and analyze response data. Instead, the push poll is a form of telemarketing-based propaganda and rumor mongering, masquerading as a poll. Push polls are usually the "innuendo" manifestation of knowledge gleaned from opposition research on an opponent. generally viewed as a form of negative campaigning.


So, is the opposite of a negative 'push', particularly if it is a brazen attempt at a positive, a 'pull'?

Not sure, exactly, but it sure looks like the following, which was sent to Vancouver Sun columnist and civic politics blogger extraordinare Frances Bula had, was at its core, an attempt to pull respondents towards everybody's favorite throat stomper, Smilin' Sammy Sullivan:

Thought you might be interested in this tidbit: Justason Market Intelligence is out polling for Mayoral candidates. The questions include..... "Are you happy with life in Vancouver?" ....."Do you know who's running for mayor?" .....and my favorite: " Who would you vote for as mayor : Sam Sullivan, COPE or Vision Vancouver"



Then again, perhaps I'm overreacting.

After all, it's not as if they had SaTan and/or Brian Salmi down as choice #4.

OK?


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GoringAllOxes
ExceptAl'sVille


Apparently, folks who eschew more technologically advanced contraception methods and practice the shimmy-shimmy-shake may actually be destroying embryos.

The ever vigilant JJ has the story:

"...for those concerned about embryo loss, the rhythm method may be a bad idea. He argues that, because couples are having sex on the fringes of the fertile period, they are more likely to conceive embryos that are incapable of surviving."

Which has us wondering if there are dance instructors whose beliefs keep them from teaching the Rumba to couples of a certain disposition.

Or some such thing.

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Why yes, I believe he did:

"But Campbell didn't leave any leeway when he took his principled stand against the NDP legislation (when he was Opposition Leader).

He didn't make the case for fair and balanced limits on third-party advertising. He argued that limits -- any limits -- were wrong, inexcusable, unconstitutional and a violation of freedom of speech.

The Liberals have been called hypocrites for their that-was-then, this-is-now stance.

But the complete reversal, unaccompanied by any acknowledgment of the amazing convenience of the switch, invites stronger language.

Extreme, I'm thinking, and treacherous. Or maybe profoundly false and dishonest."

To which I would also add "profoundly anti-democratic" given that the bill in question, Bill 42, will likely be rammed through with little or no serious debate before the Ledge closes for the season on May 29th.

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TheSeriesThatNeverEnds
SyndicationVille


The title of this week's episode is:



A CABINET secretary that is.

And Les Leyne, drama critic for the Victoria Times Colonist, apparently, loves the plot line:

(After the issue of the handling of RailGate documents was raised in the Legislature) "an official later told reporters that (Mr. Kenneth) Dobell was involved only because the deputy cabinet secretary was on holiday. She was listed on the formal protocol as one of the people allowed to make decisions. But she was out of the country when the specific question arose, so Dobell stepped in.

Lost in the argument is the fact that Dobell released the document. For people worried about transparency, he made the right call.

Also overlooked is the fact that he was secretary to cabinet.

Who else is going to decide on cabinet documents?"

Indeed.

After all, who else but the secretary to the CABINET of Mr. Gordon Campbell, and Mr. Campbell's DEPUTY MINISTER at the time*, was going to decide on whether or not documents involving the 'sale' of B.C. Rail would be released to the courts.

Which, of course, begs the following question.

Doesn't this actually prove that the CABINET of Mr. Gordon Campbell was, indeed, involved in making such decisions?


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For those interested in previous Dobrano episode plotlines they can be found here.
*Mr. Dobell was appointed as both Cabinet Secretary AND Deputy Minister to the Premier by Order-In-Council #559 on June 05, 2001.
Mr T, Bill Tieleman, provides us with the official link for OICs #557-566 (check out who was appointed just before Mr. Dobell by OIC #558 - hint they were Ministerial Assistants in Finance and Transportation).

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What the heckfire am I talking about?

Well, awhile ago some folks, folks like Vaughn Palmer, wondered if there might have been a quid pro quo in the RailGate deal.

Essentially, if it did take place, the theory was that perhaps some kind of deal had been struck with OmniTrax that, if it stayed in the bidding for the big mainline deal that was won by CN, it would then win the 'consolation prize' known as the Roberts Bank Spurline.

Why is this significant?

Well, besides the fact that it smacks of back room deals and fake 'competition' that has nothing whatsoever to do with the public good, there's also the fact that if such a 'deal' was in place there would have been no reason for the agents of OmniTrax (ie. their lobbyists) to 'bribe' David Basi and Robert Virk.

Because?

Because the only people that could have made such a deal with OmniTrax in the first place would have been Mess'rs Basi and Virk's bosses at the time.

Got it now?


At this point, unfortunately, many British Columbians likely view this kind of thing as little more than the tinfoil hat-assisted speculation of the RailGate Obsessives Club, of which I am a nominal member.

After all, the piece by Mr. Palmer referred to above was actually published a year-and-a-half-ago.

Thus, just as many British Columbians would probably agree with the anti-obsessives.

Interestingly, however, it appears that the judge in the case, Elizabeth Bennett, may not be one of them.

Bill Tieleman, both in 24 hrs and on his blog has that story:

A review of potential evidence by Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Bennett indicates two government aides facing corruption charges in the B.C. legislature raid case will use cabinet documents to mount a defence that they were only following orders.

Documents released yesterday by the New Democratic Party opposition include a review by Bennett of two boxes of cabinet documents related to the $1-billion sale of BC Rail that shows she deems many of them as relevant to the defence of David Basi and Bob Virk.

And Bennett described one briefing document as not only relevant but wrote "consolation prize" in her notes - referring to defence arguments that Basi and Virk were ordered to deliver a consolation prize to a failed BC Rail bidder for staying in the process.


OK?

EvenSearchEnginesCanBeDumb
AreBooleansBlondesTooVille


Look.

Despite what the Googleplex might be telling you, I know nothing whatsoever about Maxime Bernier's girlfriend.

Nor do I care to.

Nor is it any of my business (or yours?) whatsoever.

Regardless, next time try searching off the news string instead.

OK?

Sheesh.

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WatchWhatTheyDo
AndWhatTheirLawyersSayVille


From the CP:

VANCOUVER — The Charter of Rights and Freedoms doesn't protect the right of drug addicts to shoot up, federal lawyers told a B.C. court Tuesday, arguing that the future of Vancouver's supervised-injection site is a matter of policy, not law.

"The primary activity at this site, which is drug injection for drug users, is not medical treatment, which the charter could protect," John Hunter told B.C. Supreme Court.

"At the end of the day, there is no constitutional right to use heroin or cocaine, even if you are already addicted to them."

Ottawa has until June 30 to decide whether the supervised-injection site in the city's troubled Downtown Eastside, known as Insite, will be allowed to remain open under an exemption from Canada's drug laws.

Now, of course the nattering neighbobs of negativism from the NaPo are going with the prurient angle, 'pushing' (pun intended) the angle that the 'right to shoot upperists ' represent the end of the 1950's as we know it and thus must be stopped at all costs, even if that cost is paid with the lives of the junkies and the sick.

The NaPo is also pushing the 'more data are needed' meme.

Which, as we have pointed out before, is pure, unadulterated codswallop financed, in part, by the pushers at the US Department of Justice.

But forget all that for a moment and instead think about what the HarperCons lawyers are really arguing for.

Which is that Insite does not have a constitutional/legal leg to stand on.

Which, in my books is fair enough.

Why?

Because it means that any decision that they make will be one of policy.

And, the time has come for them to let us know what their policy is, unvarnished and unmasked.

In other words, the time for weasling is over.

Do what you're going to do and let Canadians decide if they want to support a government that chooses prisons over peoples lives.

Or not.

OK?

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