The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Schiavo, Kazemi, and Gomery At first thought the three above major stories would appear to have no connection, but are they? The first, written about previously in "The Corner", caught the world-wide media's attention back in March, after being a local Florida story for 15 years. The second involved an Iranian-Canadian journalist who, in 2003, was murdered in Iran by government interrogators. And the third is the never-ending saga of Liberal corruption in Quebec, headed by judge Gomery, an inquiry predicted to cost at least $74 million. The Schiavo "Right to die" case really heated up when the Florida court ordered her feeding tube removed after 15 years in a "persistent vegetative state" and the Federal government leaped in Ñ supposedly to the rescue Ñ headed by Republican house leader Tom Delay and President Bush, who had a law passed ordering the federal court to judge the affair. The federal judge refused to change anything, to the consternation of the White House and some Conservative Republicans, as did the U.S. Supreme Court. Texas Conservative Delay, a former pest control owner, refused to quit, and called for an investigation of the Courts and judicial system, saying they got it wrong. Delay's critics quipped he has spent too much time gassing termites without a mask, and deplored this display of legislative malpractice. Remember that in the USA, the three branches of government Ñ legislative, executive and judicial Ñ are "separate but equal" with checks and balances. What about Delay, who is under suspicion of illegal electoral activity in Texas? In my opinion, shared by many, he is a prime example of the old maxim: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The disgraceful brutality against Canadian journalist Zahra Kazemi who was beaten, raped and murdered after being arrested for photographing a demonstration in Iran two years ago, is a prime example of out-of-control political power. The doctor who examined her testified about the brutality after escaping to Canada from the country George Bush called: "One of the axis of evil." Canada's weak and ineffective Foreign Affairs Minister, Pierre Pettigrew, is finally trying to come to grips with the issue, and Paul Martin claims Iran must be held to account, and is trying to get international support to pressure Iran. So far, Iran hardly seems frightened by Canada's concern. They claimed the doctor lied to fast-forward his quest to stay in Canada, and said Canada is interfering in their investigation. One is suspicious that Iran's attitude is partially due to Canada's weak and ineffectual presence on the international stage. We are hardly a threat to Iran (or anybody else) under the present government. What would have happened if Kazemi had been an American? With the Bush government in control, would Iran have murdered her and ignored the U.S.? Iran remains a rogue state with a weak legislature, and the courts and country dominated by radical Islamists, none of which are threatened by Canada. The Sponsorship scandal or Adscam, more of which is revealed by The Gomery Inquiry on a daily basis, just won't go away for the Federal Liberals. Testimony by former Liberal party heavyweights reveal the unabashed corruption, particularly in Quebec. Liberal MPs were panicked in Early April by Jean Breault's testimony about political payoffs and illegal contributions to the Liberal Party from 1994 to 2002, with hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on employees working for the party. Breault spoke of kickbacks to the party, how he hired Chretien's brother, paid invoices to companies for work done for the Liberal Party and lots of other juicy stuff including payoffs to the mob. One critic wrote the following: "The reek of corruption goes through all levels of the Liberal Party and explains how they out -campaigned the Conservatives. After all, they've siphoned off hundreds of millions of government dollars to promote their own party and guarantee their monopoly on power. They hijacked the Canadian tax base to fund their own campaign and hide the financial trail." One claim by the government was that last year's election was on this issue Ñ easily refuted by the shocking new testimony that no voters knew about last time, and they would have loved to call a snap election before all the issues came out, but realized they couldn't win with their disastrous standing in Quebec. Instead they did all they could to prevent a defeat, buying off the NDP and Belinda Stronach. There is also speculation based on the claim by the husband and wife Tory MPs from B.C. that they were offered a "buy-out" but not until after the vote of confidence, that B.C. independent Chuck Cadman, who saved the government from defeat, was also bought off by after-the-vote support for his "victims of crime" issues. If this turns out to be factual, it really shows how excellent the Liberals are at devious power politics. How about another example of Liberal corruption and arrogance? On March 1st in Ottawa, the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation held their annual "Teddy Awards" (previously mentioned in this column). The "Lifetime Achievement Award" was given to Andre Oulette, retired head of Canada Post. Oulette, first elected to Parliament in 1967, served in Liberal cabinets, but really achieved when he was appointed head of the Post Office. He spent $2 million on unreceipted expenses, set up $35 million in sponsorship contracts, gave 80 of his friends jobs, had a $400,000 salary (highest in the civil service), and retired with a $116,000 per year pension. He is a worthy recipient of the award given for "The best of the worst in high taxes, waste, and government arrogance." Misuse of power, and government arrogance is similar, whether in democracies like the U.S. or Canada, or in a Theocracy like Iran. The difference is that in the first two countries voters can eliminate the governments, something most likely to happen in Canada this fall or next year. It is unlikely to happen in Iran, without a war or revolution.
