Sunday, November 30, 2008
A Quinn-Martin Production!
Fantacy Figure Committed Crime, Says Convicted Killer
By Chris Kitching
November 30, 2008
SUN MEDIA
Twelve years after her husband's death, convicted murderer Monique Turenne returned to a Florida courtroom recently to seek a new trial and once again proclaim her innocence.
At a hearing November 21, the Winnipeg woman claimed her lawyer, Walter Smith, was ineffective and failed to call key witnesses to testify at her jury trial in 2005, which her new lawyer, Jim Husbands, argued is grounds for a new trial.
'Diablo'
A judge will rule on the motion at a later date.
Turenne told the hearing she was framed by Canadian authorities and that Smith should have called witnesses to talk about "Diablo," a man Turenne's lover once claimed was the killer, according to a report in the Panama City News Herald.
"Diablo was just sort of a fantasy," Smith told the hearing.
"This guy Diablo was supposed to be like the one-armed man from 'The Fugitive' who really committed the crime."
Smith said he tried to keep Diablo out of the trial because no one would believe the story, according to the newspaper report.
What really convicted Turenne was a statement she gave Winnipeg police, Smith said.
Lawyers for Turenne and the prosecution did not return calls seeking comment.
Turenne was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 21 years, eight months in prison for the murder of her husband David in Panama City, Fla., in February 1996.
His niece, Mary Oscarson, said there is no basis for a new trial.
"I think in the end this is going to come to nothing," Oscarson said. "The Diablo story, we heard it years after David's death. They've made this up and they're going to run with it."
David Turenne, a major in the Canadian Air Force, was stationed at Tyndall Air Base near Panama City when he was beaten to death with a claw hammer outside the couple's home.
Monique Turenne's lover, retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Ralph Crompton, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Crompton has always maintained his innocence and named Monique Turenne, now 52, as the killer.
At his trial, Crompton said he was on his back while struggling with the 42-year-old victim when David Turenne's body went limp.
Crompton claims he looked up and saw Monique Turenne holding a bloody hammer. The weapon was never found.
Monique Turenne left Panama City before she was charged and returned to Winnipeg.
Fabricated
When she was questioned by Winnipeg police, she told homicide investigators Crompton was only supposed to rough up her husband, not kill him.
At last week's hearing, Turenne claimed the statement was fabricated.
After years of legal wrangling, Monique Turenne was finally extradited in 2004 and put on trial a year later. She is scheduled to be released from prison in 2025.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
You dummie Shane take the time!
One strength-weakness of our legal system is while it's conservative at the same time it limits Justices and Judges in the imaginative sentences they're able to impose. Speaking hypothetically, of course, can you imagine if you'd been convicted of defaming someone and were ordered to pace back and forth for 8 long hours at Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg, Manitobe CANADA wearing a sandwitch board apologizing under the glare of international television cameras? My God rush hour would be horrible - what could be worse?
Portage and Main Canada's Most Famous Intersection
On second sober thought, if the Justice failed to stipulate anything on the other side such as, "Honk if you support me!" ..... well?
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
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Man Chooses To Hold "I Was Stupid" Sign Instead Of Jail Time
Reporter: Mary Rinzel and Mark Povolny
mailto:mary.rinzel@weau.com
A judge gives a man a choice: Spend time in jail or hold a sign saying "I was stupid."
Last Wednesday, he made that choice. He decided he'll hold the sign.
We talked to the judge known for his strange sentences. Judge Paul Lenz says over the years, he's handed out 20 or so similar sentences. But, he says for the most part, the criminals pass and choose to sit out their sentences rather than face public humiliation.
They read "I was stupid," "I’m a thief," and "I stole from the families of the dead."
They're all options to reduce jail time.
"It's something for them to think about," Lenz says. "Even if they don't choose to do it, they have to think about it because they have to think about whether they'll select the option. That means they'll think more about the consequences."
Consequences for cases like Shane McQuillan's. He was found guilty of criminal damage to property after he rammed his car into the closed gate at Eau Claire's Waste Water Treatment Plant in March.
McQuillan told an officer he had been drinking and was quote "just being stupid." Now, the 22 year old will hold a sign telling everyone "I was stupid."
"It's an option for the person. It's not something that's forced on them," Lenz says.
The judge says he's also thinking about money when he assigns a sign. In tough budget times, he says keeping non-violent people out of jail makes sense. Then there's the humiliation.
“It's a difficult thing to do if you think about it for yourself. It's basically a public acknowledgment that what you did was wrong and that's difficult for people to do," Judge Lenz says. "It’s also for others who might think about doing that type of behavior to think about."
The judge says there are some guidelines to follow when it comes to a sentence. He says it has to relate to the offense. But, he says his sign options are voluntary and have never been appealed.
We did leave several messages for Shane McQuillan, but did not hear back from him.
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There were a couple other interesting sentences handed down recently in our area:
--In July, a tutor in Amery who had sex with her daughter's classmate was banished from her hometown for the next 15 years. The Polk County district attorney says it's not a common sentence, but can happen when the victim is threatened.
--In August, a St. Croix County woman was sentenced to take care of a victim's gravesite for 15 years. She pleaded guilty to homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle.
Why is this lady smiling?
Article
Dean Beeby
The Canadian Press
November 27, 2008
Ottawa — Researchers say they have located the world's oldest stash of marijuana, in a tomb in a remote part of China.
Even Judges can have subtle senses of humour!
November 28, 2008
Hell, we like the new!
Do Canada's hate crime laws work?
We've been following the Saskatoon re-trial of Saskatchewan First Nations leader David Ahenakew for allegedly engaging in hate crimes. This, in turn, raised the issue who is paying what must be Mr. Ahenakew's considerable legal fees? Secondly, although aware of some of defense lawyer Doug Christie's past exploits we decided to do a Wikipedia profile which appears below. An interesting fellow to say the least.
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
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Hitler ‘had his reasons,’ says Ahenakew
Betty Ann Adam
Canwest News Service
Published: Friday, November 28, 2008
More On This Story
Ahenakew still blames Jews for world war
Related Topics
Culture and Lifestyle
History
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
David Ahenakew
James Parker
Controversial native leader David Ahenakew
Greg Pender
Canwest News Service
SASKATOON -- Disgraced First Nations leader David Ahenakew tried to explain his controversial comments about Nazism and the Jews during his hate crimes trial Friday, saying Adolf Hitler "had his reasons" for his actions during the Second World War.
"I would say I understand Hitler had his reasons but I still don't support them," Mr. Ahenakew told the court.
Meanwhile, the judge in the case denied Mr. Ahenakew's bid to enter into evidence his tearful, televised apology for the comments which have twice landed him in court.
Judge Wilfred Tucker turned down defence lawyer Doug Christie's request to table the apology, saying the apology was written by Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) staff and approved by a lawyer, so it was not spontaneous.
Mr. Ahenakew was back on the stand Friday in his retrial for inciting hatred in connection with a December 13, 2002 interview with then-StarPhoenix reporter James Parker. After telling an FSIN health conference that Jews started the Second World War, he was quoted in an interview with Mr. Parker saying Hitler was "trying to clean up the world" when he "fried" six million Jews.
Mr. Ahenakew was found guilty in 2005 on a charge of inciting hatred but the conviction was set aside on appeal and a new trial was ordered.
His comments sparked outrage across the country. In July 2005, his membership in the Order of Canada, originally bestowed in 1978, was revoked on the grounds that "his actions have brought disrepute to the order."
Mr. Ahenakew alleged on the stand Friday that Mr. Parker provoked him by starting the interview by asking, ‘What the hell do you mean Jews started the Second World War?'
Mr. Ahenakew also said that Mr. Parker's "arrogant attitude" irritated him.
Crown prosecutor Sandeep Bains suggested that Mr. Parker never swore and that such language was characteristic of Mr. Ahenakew's way of speaking. Mr. Bains demonstrated that Mr. Ahenakew swore repeatedly during his speech and interview, and pointed out Parker never swore during the recorded part of the interview.
Also under cross-examination, he said at one point that his statements could have been considered "hatred," but at other points backed off that acknowledgment. When asked about specific remarks from the interview, Mr. Ahenakew repeatedly avoided answering directly and instead deflected blame on Mr. Parker's reporting.
Also Friday, Mr. Ahenakew said that he was bothered by the fact that non-aboriginals had control in Canada because it had been "wrenched away" from First Nations.
"We were absolutely captive people in our own country," said Mr. Ahenakew.
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
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Douglas Hewson Christie, Jr., known as Doug Christie, (born April 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and far-right political activist based in Victoria, British Columbia.
1 Career
2 Canadian Free Speech League
3 Professional conduct
3.1 Law Society of Upper Canada
3.2 The Law Society of British Columbia
4 References
5 External links
Career
Christie was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and graduated from the law school of the University of Bitish Columbia in 1970. He is the founder and general counsel of the Canadian Free Speech League and is best known for defending individuals accused of Naze war crimes of racist or anti-Semitic or neo-Nazi activity. He is also the founder and leader of the Western Canada Concept, a separatist party of British Columbia and The Western Block Party, a right-wing political party advocating the separation of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba from the Canadian Confederation. He was the founding leader of the national Western Canada Concept, but was removed from the leadership in 1981. He was subsequently denied membership in the party's Alberta branch.
He first came to national attention as a lawyer in 1983 when he became James Keegstra's attorney after the school teacher was fired from his job and criminally charged with willfully promoting hatred by teaching his students that there was a Jewish conspiracy, along with spreading other antisemitic ideas. His defence of Keegstra brought him to the attention of Ernst Zündel who retained Christie in September 1984 to defend him against criminal charges related to Holocaust denial with co-counsel Barbara Kulaszka. Christie would act as Zündel's attorney in several cases over the subsequent two decades up to his deportation from Canada in 2005.
Christie's advocacy on behalf of Keegstra and Zündel has led to him acting as legal counsel in a number of notable cases involving far-right figures including:
Ernst Zundel
Terry Long, former leader of the Aryan Nations in Canada
Malcolm Ross of New Brunswick who, like Keegstra, was a teacher fired for anti-Semitic activity
Three alleged leaders of the Ku Klux Klan in Manitoba
Rudy Stanko of the World Church of the Creator
Tony McAleer after he was charged with broadcasting hate speech over the phone and online
John Ross Taylor of the Western Guard Party and Aryan Nations
Imre Finta who was alleged to be a Nazi war criminal and collaborator (see R. v. Finta)
Doug Collins, a late newspaper columnist brought before the British Columbia Human Rights Commission for antisemitic and racist comments
Paul Fromm, head of the far-right "Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform" and "Canadians for Freedom of Expression", and participant in neo-Nazi and racist gatherings, who was fired from his job as a teacher for his political activity
Lady Jane Birdwood, a British follower of Oswald Mosley and distributor of hate propaganda;
Wolfgang Droege of the Heritage Front
David Ahenakew, who has acknowledged making anti-semitic comments in a 2002 interview with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix
He later became leader of British Columbia's provincial WCC, and led it through provincial elections in that province through the 1980s and 1990s. Christie never won a seat at the provincial or federal level, nor did the British Columbua WCC ever win any seats in the provincial elections it contested. Christie continues to run an organization with the "Western Canada Concept" name, but it is no longer a registered political party except at the provincial level in British Columbia, which has relatively lax party registration laws.
In 2005, Christie announced his intention to form a new federal political party to be called the Western Block Party which would be a Western Canadian version of the Bloc Québécois in that its role in the Canadian House of Commons would be to act as a regional separatist party.
The WCC and WBP are not affiliated with the Separation Party of Alberta or the Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan. Officials in these parties have distanced themselves from Christie - for example, they do not include links to the WCC or WBP on their websites even though the SPA and WIPS do link to one another.
The WBP was officially registered with Elections Canada prior to the 2006 election. Christie ran in the riding of Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca in British Columbia, finishing fifth in a field of six.
Canadian Free Speech League
Christie is general counsel for an organization called the Canadian Free Speech League (CFSL), which has presented its "George Orwell Award" to controversial figures including British Columbia columnist Doug Collins, who authored an article titled Swindler's List attacking Steven Spielberg's Holocaust film Schindler's List.
Professional conduct - The Law Society of Upper Canada
The Law Society of Upper Canada looked into disciplining Christie for his conduct during the Imre Finta trial. The Society's discipline chair, Harvey Strosberg, declined to issue a complaint against Christie but stressed that Christie's remarks during the trial "clearly disclose that he has crossed the line separating counsel from client: he has made common cause with a small, lunatic, anti-Semitic fringe element in our society. We know who Mr. Christie is. Suffering Mr. Christie's words and opinions is part of the price one pays for upholding and cherishing freedom of speech in a free and democratic society. And society must be willing to accept this price. Mr. Christie's anti-Semitic comments were not akin to the cry of fire in a crowded theatre. His theatre was mostly empty."
The Law Society of British Columbia
On 2007-09-11, The Law Society of British Columbia issued a hearing report finding that Christie had committed professional misconduct in his civil litigation practice. Christie had been cited for his role in preparing and signing certain improper documents headed ‘Subpoena for Documents’ and having them served on parties uninvolved in the litigation. Christie was seeking, from a hospital, a bank, and a traveller cheque company, private health and financial records. In British Columbia, according to expert testimony heard by the Law Society’s hearing panel, “litigants are not entitled to compel testimony from a third party prior to trial without a court order nor to compel the production of documents from a third party prior to trial or from a third party not called on a trial without a court order.”
The Law Society hearing panel found that some of Christie’s testimony in his own defence was not believable. The panel found that Christie’s conduct was dishonourable, and that in his zeal to pursue the case on behalf of his clients, Christie had overlooked his professional responsibilities.
On 2007-12-17, the Law Society’s panel gave its decision on the penalty to be imposed on Christie. The panel noted that prior to this incident, Christie’s professional conduct record had been unblemished for over 30 years. The panel accepted that Christie’s professional misconduct arose out of stress and an excessive zeal to help his client, rather than a desire for personal gain. The panel. therefore, imposed a fine on Christie of $2,500. The panel ordinarily would have ordered Christie to pay the Law Society’s costs and expenses of the hearing, which in this case amounted to approximately $50,000. However, the panel had evidence that Christie’s annual income over the past five years had averaged slightly over $50,000 net before tax. Therefore the panel required Christie to pay $20,000 in respect of costs, rather than the full amount
Friday, November 28, 2008
Ladies and Gentleman: The Prime Minister of Canada!
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Harper:
Recently CNN carried a disturbing report President Bush and Lady Bush had hosted a White House Dinner for a gathering of G-20 world leaders in Washington to discuss worsening global economic conditions. Apparently, Finance Minister Flaherty and you attended representing Canada.
Some of the courses sounded out of this world - Fruitwood-smoked Quai, Thyme-roasted Rack of Lamb and ..... We also noted $500 a bottle Shafer Cabernet "Hillside Select 2003" had been selected by your hosts.
This gave cause for some of our readers to wonder, does 24 Sussex Drive have a wine cellar to entertain guests? If so:
(1) How many bottles?
(2) Total retail value?
(3) Who paid for it?
Respectfully,
Clare L. Pieuk
Wonder what his lawyer thinks?
Betty Ann Adam
Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, November 27, 2008
Related Topics
Culture and Lifestyle
History
Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
Adolf Hitler
David Ahenakew
Greg Pender
Canwest News Service
Controversial Native Leader David Ahenakew
SASKATOON -- Former First Nations leader David Ahenakew insists he's not an anti-Semite, telling his hate crime trial on Thursday he doesn't "hate the Jews but I hate what they do" -- and he still believes Jews started the Second World War.
But although he testified he "never" would have used the words he did had he planned out a 2002 speech in which he blames the Jews for the Second World War, he hasn't changed his mind.
I didn't mean to bring the Jews into this thing. It just happened," he testified about the speech.
Ahenakew, testifying Thursday in his retrial on a charge of inciting hatred, attempted to explain that, while making a speech at a Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Health Conference on December 13, 2002, he was trying to express his outrage about the erosion of health-treaty rights and wanted to emphasize the point with an example.
In a wide-ranging, profanity-laced, speech at the conference, Mr. Ahenakew expressed anger at the federal government for off-loading treaty issues to the provincial government. He also deviated briefly from his main topic to talk about how, when he was in the army as a young man, he was stationed in Germany.
"Germans used to tell me . . . ‘You guys are blessed. From what we know about the Indians in Canada, they are blessed. But your blessing is being destroyed by your immigrants, especially the Jews,' they say. The Second World War was created by the Jews."
Mr. Ahenakew said Thursday he didn't think before using the Germans and Jews as an example in the speech.
Mr. Ahenakew is charged in connection with a December 13, 2002, interview with former Saskatoon StarPhoenix reporter James Parker, in which Mr. Ahenakew said Hitler was "trying to clean up the world" when he "fried" six million Jews.
While making his speech at the conference, Mr. Ahenakew told the assembled crowd that Jews started the Second World War. Mr. Parker subsequently interviewed Mr. Ahenakew, at which point Mr. Ahenakew made the other controversial comments.
Mr. Ahenakew was found guilty in 2005, but the conviction was set aside on appeal and a new trial was ordered.
In earlier testimony, Mr. Ahenakew said that, on the morning of his 2002 speech, he felt uncharacteristically nervous before he spoke. He said he does not usually use profanity, but used it that day to emphasize his points.
He also touched on a wide array of topics, from his time with the Canadian military to his Order of Canada award to his and his wife's poor health.
Mr. Ahenakew also talked about being stationed as a peacekeeper on the Gaza Strip between Palestine and Israel. He said Israelis repeatedly removed the fences that marked off landmines and people were killed when straying into the area. "It was not only cruel, it was a murderous act," he testified.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Ahenakew's daughter said Mr. Parker did not hold a tape recorder during the 2002 interview, which she observed from a table about 11 metres away.
Shirley Bighead said she never told her father's lawyer at the time of Mr. Ahenakew's previous trial about her observation, because she felt guilty for not having ended the interview between Messrs. Parker and Ahenakew.
Ms. Bighead said she's had nightmares for the last six years because the incident destroyed her father's reputation and ability to make a living, and has overshadowed all the work he did fighting for First Nations rights.
"It's one of the biggest regrets of my life that I did not go up and stop it," Ms. Bighead said.
Ms. Bighead said the conversation wasn't "of great significance" to her at first, because many people have had discussions with her father, Bighead testified. She didn't know the significance of the conversation until the next day, when it was "splashed over the papers."
Neither defence lawyer Doug Christie nor Crown prosecutor Sandeep Bains asked Ms. Bighead on Thursday how a recording of the interview could exist, if Mr. Parker hadn't been holding a recorder.
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Does 24 Sussex Drive have a wine cellar?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
A constitutent writes to their new Member of Parliament!
Member of Parliament, Saint Boniface
Hill Office
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6
Telephone: (613) 995-0379
Facsimile: (613) 996-7571
E-mail: Glover.S@parl.gc.ca
Constituency Office
4 - 231 St. Mary's Road
Winnipeg, Maniotba R2H 1J9
Telephone: (204) 983-3183
Facsimile: (204) 983-4279
Dear Honourable Shelly Glover:
Congratulations on a hard earned, well deserved victory in the last election which was over two years in the making.
Sorry for using a picture of you in a former life but, as you are undoubtedly aware, a recent kinder, more gentler one has yet to be posted on your www.parl.gc.ca site much like there is no e-mail address for your Constituency Office. We assume they'll be provided in due course.
While we were almost swayed by your last minute election day voice mail message - "Clare I need your vote" or "Clare there's a lot I'd like to accomplish but will need your support" or "Clare ....." in the end it didn't work. Here's why.
Many have become increasingly concerned with the Conservative Party's concentration of power and decision making within the Prime Minister's Office and Privy Council institutions not staffed by elected officials. This has manifested itself in many ways such as legitimate requests under the federal government's Access To Information Act being more heavily vetted, scrutinized, taking longer and ultimately less readily available. But in the end it was more than that.
During the last campaign Mr. Harper effectively muzzled his candidates limiting them to talking about national issues and insisting their local rhetoric be consistent with the "Party Line." Even the warm, fuzzy sweater still couldn't get the Prime Minister a majority government.Then there was the question, do we really wish to place our trust in a government that passes legislation calling for mandated elections then promptly ignores it?
While you are no doubt well-intentioned and are the only police officer in Parliament with a solid grasp of youth crime issues, as already publicly stated, your Riding is about a lot more than that - a lot more.
Although it is not our place to provide advice, we only hope you don't become like the second coming of Preston Manning. In 1997 he went to Ottawa vowing to turn Stornaway House, Official Residence of the Opposition Leader, into a Bingo Hall. Instead, upon arriving he proceeded to spend significant taxpayer dollars to have it re-decorated. Of him it was said, "He went to Ottawa to change it but in the end it changed him."
Today there is no Preston Manning or Bingo Hall but Stornaway still stands better than ever!
Should you wish to reply, it will be posted on the internet.
Clare L. Pieuk
You give them back Mr. Paul Martin - now!
Do the right thing Mr. Martin give them back - they belong to all Manitobans!
"I told you so!"
This was posted recently on www.derrylsanderson.blogspot.com:
Indian & Metis Friendship Centre Appoints News Boss?
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post, "Indian and Metis Friendship Centre-Winnipeg:"
Interesting to note. Nelson Mayer (Ella Mayer's husband) has been hired as interim Executive Director at the Friendship Centre. Anyone want to say "I told you so." (Derryl Sanderson)
If true this would mean Manitoba Metis Federation Board of Director and Plaintiff in the alleged defamation lawsuit against www.CyberSmokeSignals.com (www.jus.gov.mb.ca: CI 05-01-41955) Jack Park has been replaced.
Ms Mayer once publicly stated she and her husband were Manitoba's First Aboriginal Family. Huh? We always assumed it was MMF President David Chartrand and wife Glorian Yakiwchuk.
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Time to lift Facebook ban?
According to my sister, who works for the Manitoba government, they do block access to Facebook. Too bad, for it can be a very useful outreach tool for youth-oriented programs and consultations.
premier@leg.gov.mb.ca
How say you Premier Doer?
The article in today's Globe And Mail (below) about Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty looking for ways to engage young people by using the internet struck a responsive cord.
Had to smile. Not long ago (November 4, 2008) one of our favourite sites, Truth to Power (www.accesstoinfo.blogspot.com) ran an article from Democracy of Hypocrisy hosted by a University of Manitoba distance student living in Windsor, Ontario. No doubt borne of frustration, although they called Mr. McGuinty "Dalton McDork" suggesting he should do something nasty involving the "f" work, the individual was protesting the increasing incursion of the provincial government into citizen lives in particular a $500 fine for driving while preoccupied. We particularly liked their term "driving while intexticated."
We think Manitoba's Premier Doer and his Cabinet should be taking a long, hard look at what their Ontario counterparts are proposing.
Is it realistic in this day and age to expect large turnouts at province-wide public hearings and legislative meetings, especially in the dead of winter, when more and more people are increasingly living in cyberspace? Besides, as poticicians doesn't it ultimately come down to reaching individuals and getting their votes?
And while we're at it, the way our Court system disseminates information in the computer generation is largely antiquated and requires a significant overhaul. Why, for example, subject to certain terms and conditions, of course, are cameras not allowed into courtrooms? In this era of escalating judicial costs and the advent of the unrepresented plaintiff/defendant there isn't a dedicated Manitoba television channel to courtroom proceedures - CPAC does it for the Supreme Court of Canada. Better yet, can't we plug into something that's already there - Shaw's Community Access Channel.
Then there's the issue of greater and better public online access to court records a topic we'll save for another day. So how say you Premier Doer?
Amen,
Clare L. Pieuk
P.S. Like Ontario does the Manitoba government block access to Facebook?
premier@leg.gov.mb.ca/minjus@leg.gov.mb.ca
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McGuinty Seeks Teens' Facebook Feedback
Murray Campbell
November 25, 2008
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he wants to use cyberspace to engage young people who are upset about his government's proposals to put new restrictions on the province's graduated drivers' licence system.
He said he is "really keen on hearing" from the tens of thousands of people who have joined groups on the Facebook website to oppose the government's plans. But he said calls for province-wide public hearings miss the point because he believes young people will not come to legislative meetings.
"I think we need to find a way to get on Facebook," Mr. McGuinty told reporters today. "I think we need to find a way to engage in a dialogue in a social network where they are."
More than 110,000 people have signed on to the main Facebook site opposing the legislation introduced last week that would extend the zero-tolerance rules for alcohol to any driver aged 21 or under and increase the time it would take to obtain a full licence under the new graduated licensing scheme, which has been in effect for 14 years.
There is little controversy about those moves but there has been a groundswell of cyber opposition to a provision that would prohibit G2-licensed (or intermediate) teen-aged drivers from transporting more than one unrelated teenaged passenger for the first year of their licence.
The amendments to the province's Highway Traffic Safety Act were introduced after the Premier was lobbied by a father whose 20-year-old son crashed his speeding car into a lake last summer after an afternoon of drinking, killing himself and two friends.
Mr. McGuinty earlier called the proposal "a modest restriction on their freedoms" but seemed today to be willing to hear from his teenaged opponents. He said he wants to hear what they are prepared to undertake to keep Ontario's roads safe.
"If not this, then what?" he asked. "What responsibilities, what assurances can they provide us that they'll do what they need to do to keep themselves safe?"
The government would face one hurdle in using Facebook to deal with the new bill's opponents – government computers currently block the website.
"We'll have more to say about this," Mr. McGuinty said when he was told about the Facebook prohibition.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
But what about Bill they're an item?
David Frum is originally from Canada. For years his mother Barbara hosted As It Happens during its early days on CBC's national network.
Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk
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Ex-Bush Speechwriter: Obama Would control Clinton In Cabinet - Story Highlights
- News leaks may have forced Hillary Clinton's hand, ex-Bush speechwriter says
- Barack Obama put pressure on Clinton with leaks, David Frum says
- Frum: Vice-President, National Security Adviser also likely to be powerful
- Frum dismisses idea of Republican serving in Obama Cabinet
(CNN) -- The notion of President-elect Barack Obama creating a team of former rivals to be in his Cabinet has attracted a lot of attention, especially with news that Senator Hillary Clinton reportedly is on track to be secretary of state.
David Frum says Barack Obama would cement his power over Hillary Clinton by putting her in his Cabinet.
CNN's Joe Johns talked with David Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush, on Monday about the possibility of Clinton, as well as, a Republican serving in the new administration's Cabinet.
CNN: And I guess a lot of people are wondering right now about Hillary Clinton. What do you see in this thing? What does it mean to have Hillary Clinton as the secretary of state? How will she end up there?
David Frum: Well, it means that Hillary Clinton has just moved from having an independent power base in the Senate to being, in effect, an employee of Barack Obama. And not just any employee, but one who has had to open her files to Barack Obama.
Just imagine the scene of the Obama people going through the Clinton files and saying, "Wow, this could be embarrassing if anybody ever found out about it. Don't worry, it's safe with us."
He has just cemented his enormous power over her, and the sentimental idea out there that he's reaching for a rival and padding the dust off her and bringing her into a Cabinet to be his rival -- no, he's putting her into his Cabinet in order to control her. It's a pretty impressive display of tough politics. Watch how heavy hitters likely will be on Obama's national security team »
Don't miss:
Obama's economic team takes shape
Huckabee tells Republicans how to recover
Obama will 'do what's necessary' to fix economy
Richardson to get Cabinet job, sources say
CNN: But why would she take the job? Why would she leave the United States Senate and go over to Secretary of State, where she would be the employee of Barack Obama?
Frum: Well, I think part of it, she was trapped. The series of leaks that happened over the past week; they leaked the news of the offer. Barack Obama looks of course very magnanimous, making such an offer.
She probably wanted the job anyway. And although the Senate is powerful, it's also frustrating. So, she may have had reasons for going, but he also put pressure on her by leaking the news of the offer. Could she afford to look less magnanimous? Could she afford to say no and look like she was keeping some kind of grudge? And that might put her on the outs for a lot of Democrats for whom Barack Obama is the leader.
CNN: At the same time, there is a lot of self-interest here on her part. She gets to be on a world stage and push American policy to all these other countries.
Frum: Does she really or does she take orders from the Vice President, Joe Biden, who also has a lot of strong policy ideas, and who may end up having a role not unlike that of Dick Cheney? And maybe not as powerful quite as Dick Cheney, but he's got a big institutional base, a lot of strong foreign policy ideas. There will be some rivalry there.
CNN: A lot has been made of the relationship between these two, particularly because of the primaries. And I suppose the question there is not what is the relationship currently, but what could it be if they work closely together in the administration?
Frum: Well, we'll see. We have had eight years in which the National Security Adviser has been a relatively weak figure compared to first Secretary of State Colin Powell, and then when Steve Hadley moved to the job, even though Condoleezza Rice has been a relatively weak secretary of state. Again, the National Security Adviser was weaker still. The power rested very much in the Vice President's Office. But the norm since 1960 has been for the National Security Adviser to be very powerful and often more powerful than the Secretary of State.
CNN: Do you anticipate, realistically, at the end of the day, friction between the President and the Secretary of State in this new administration?
Frum: I have -- I don't know. But I think what you are -- the question I would have is, does the power of the Secretary of State get eclipsed by the Vice President, by the National Security Adviser?
By the way that's one reason -- your point before putting a Republican in the Cabinet, I don't think it's generally a good idea to reach across the aisle and I say this as a Republican. People vote for a Democratic policies; they should get Democratic policies, good and hard, too, to teach them a lesson.
But we have competitions for a reason and you don't want to negate the power of voter choice by saying, you know, if you vote Democratic, you don't get something pretty different.
Also, it's hard to see what Republican would take the job and any Republican who would take it, he wouldn't give Barack Obama lot of credit with Republicans.
All About David Frum • Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton