Should This Surprise Anyone (Syria/U.N.)

Again, security council being held hostage by China and Russia.  They are fighting more sanctions on Syria's Assad regime because it would make their own crackdowns on civil rights illegitimate in their eyes and may make the world pressure them more for changes.  This is why the security council needs to be disbanded and a general vote on the floor of the main assembly with 50% + 1 vote wins.  It is the only real democratic way to do things and would put more pressure on the non democratic states to reform or be sanctioned themselves.

Russia, China resist U.N. Syria sanctions push: envoys

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS | Fri Aug 26, 2011 12:48pm EDT

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.S. and European push to impose U.N. Security Council sanctions on Syria for its bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators is meeting fierce resistance from Russia and China, U.N. diplomats said.

The United States, Britain, France, Germany and Portugal circulated a draft resolution that calls for sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, influential members of his family and close associates. They said they wanted to put the draft to a vote as soon as possible.

The measures are not as severe as U.S. sanctions in place and a proposed expansion of European Union steps against Damascus that would forbid the import of Syrian oil.

Diplomats said there are no plans for a vote yet.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin has hinted that Moscow would use its veto power to knock down the draft if it was put to a vote at the present time. Western diplomats said that Russia and China were refusing to discuss the draft.

"The Russians say they have no instructions," a diplomat told Reuters on Friday on condition of anonymity.

As a result, Western diplomats in New York said their capitals would have to get involved to persuade Moscow and Beijing to join negotiations on the draft resolution to reach a consensus among the 15 Security Council members.

"Clearly we need this to be unlocked at the capital level because there is very strong resistance from Russia and China," a diplomat said.

Brazil, India and South Africa have also been reluctant to sanction -- or even condemn -- Syria, whose five-month crackdown on demonstrators has killed at 2,200, according to U.N. figures from earlier this week.

But one diplomat said that the three powerful developing countries, all three of which aspire to one day become permanent members of an expanded Security Council, were now "constructively engaging on the text."

EMPTY CHAIRS

The council had scheduled an informal closed-door meeting of ambassadors on the draft sanctions resolution on Thursday afternoon, but the Chinese and Russian envoys boycotted the meeting, diplomats said.

"You see two permanent members of the Security Council who deliberately leave an empty chair," a diplomat said. "We hope that they will engage constructively."

Earlier this week Russian Ambassador Churkin told reporters that it was not the time to sanction Syria. After months of helping block any council action on Syria, Russia and China had backed an August 3 statement by the Security Council that condemned the government's crackdown and called for it to end.

Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa have repeatedly complained that the NATO intervention in Libya has gone far beyond the U.N. mandate to protect civilians from violence by the government the council approved in March. They say they do not want the same thing to happen in Syria.

Russia has long had close ties to Syria and is one of its main arms suppliers. One of the proposed sanctions is an arms embargo that would make it illegal for Russian firms to sell weapons to Damascus.

The sanctions would impose a travel ban on 22 of Assad's family and associates and an asset freeze on 23 Syrians, including Assad. Envoys said President Assad was excluded from the travel ban in order to give him an escape route.

"We want him to leave the country," a diplomat said.

The United States and EU have urged Assad to step down.

Just What is Going On In The World?

We have riots in the streets of London, Al Shabaab fighting to keep western aid from reaching millions of starving people in Africa, stock markets around the world on a roller coaster ride from hell, mass killing going on in Syria and an American president who has failed his people on the economy, just to name a few.

It is a world in turmoil, the likes we probably have not seen since the second world war and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon.  Which begs the question, what can we do to fix things?  My common sense solutions below.

Our world for the most part has been living life like socialists for far too long. Even the right side of the political spectrum has been giving free hand outs far too often.  We need to get back to our roots, where people were not afraid to put in an honest days work, raise a family, and expect nothing from government unless it is an unforeseen circumstance such as drought, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like.  Far too often we look to government to step in when times are tough, instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting to work like our forefathers did.  If we truly want change we have to look inside ourselves and decide that change has to start from within.  We are the ones who need to change, we need to stop with the handouts, dig deep and get things done!

Solution for anarchy in London and everywhere else.  Make the people pay for their actions!  Too long have we allowed this kind of stuff to go on without serious consequences.  Sure, have your peaceful demonstrations but if you get out of line you are going to jail, it is that simple.  How many of these people would be out doing what they do if they knew that they would get much, much more than a slap on the wrist?  If the justice system actually enforced the law these people would be looking at years in jail.  It is time to make the justice system work the way it is supposed too and stop pandering to the far left.  This will bring people back down to earth and make them accountable for their actions.  The use of rubber bullets, tear gas, and other methods should be allowed as soon as the police see actions like this ongoing.  These anarchists will soon fall in line, or at least learn how to have a peaceful demonstration.

Starvation in Africa.  This can be called a man made disaster, yes the drought is out of our hands but the price of food has also played a very large roll in this.  The price of food is being driven by the countries such as China and India as well as others.  But also adding to this is the use of food products being used to produce fuels.  This action, especially in the U.S. and Canada has made grains much more expensive which in turn boosts costs of feeding livestock and other meats.  What needs to be done, especially in the States is a move to a more efficient product such as switchgrass.  This stuff can be grown anywhere and does not consume as much energy to produce biofuels.  The energy needs of the U.S. can also be alleviated by drilling for fuels at home.  There has been too much of this "not in my backyard" B.S. and for generations the U.S. has not allowed energy companies to drill some very large economical areas that would dramatically decrease the country's dependence on Middle Eastern oil.  This would mean jobs, taxes and much much more for the U.S. economy, something they dearly need.  But first the left need to get the hell out of the way and let the people who actually want to help the country do their job!  There is enough natural gas in the U.S. to last generations, which will buy them enough time to develop other means of energy that are currently under development.  It is a band aid on the problem but one that could tie them over until these new energy strategies come to fruition.

The U.S. economy and it's affect on the world as a whole.  The powers that be in Washington need to start working for the people and not for their own political agendas.  There needs to be serious cuts to spending, not this piece of junk that they tabled last week which does nothing to cut their debt.  It in fact allows the debt to grow to 20 trillion dollars by the year 2020.  20 Trillion Bucks!!!  You think things are bad now, just think what their debt rating will be like by 2020!  Everything needs to be cut, the people just need to wake up and realize that they will have to do with less.  Less government handouts, less entitlement spending, less government employment opportunities and yes, less unions and their constant drag on a nations ability to compete on the international stage.  But this goes back to the change we need to find within ourselves, it starts at home and then you can hold your politicians accountable.  The Nancy Pelosi's of the world need to be run out of politics and vote in someone who will make the tough decisions, not the easy ones that will garner a lot of votes.  It is this way of thinking that has gotten us into this mess and it needs to change or the mess will just keep piling up.  The people in the U.S. need to also get over the "I don't pay tax" way of thinking.  In order to get this debt paid down a national tax on consumption is a must.  Everyone pays it on goods and services, not just the rich, and middle class.  The nice thing about a consumption tax is that it is a fair system that will tax the rich way more because they obviously would consume much more than the lower classes.  The national consumption tax would bring in un-foretold amounts of income to the federal government and help them get their great country back on track.  Tea Party, GOP, DEMS, it doesn't matter who you are, get your act together and do what is right for the country!

The Middle East uprising has been a missed opportunity for the west to show that we are behind our fellow brothers and sisters.  Our politicians are too slow to react and typically the reaction is not strong enough to prove solidarity.  We need actions, not just words.  Add in the U.N. which is being run like a kangaroo court and needs to make wholesale changes in order for it to be legit once again.  The security council laws need to change to make it majority rule instead of giving the permanent members the ability to quash anything that they disagree with.  It is either that or do away with the security council and let the vote happen between all member nations of the U.N. where 50% plus one means action.  This ability by Russia and China to hand tie the security council from recommending action is ridiculous and has made the U.N. the laughing stock of the world.  It no longer is legitimate and unless changes happen it will remain this way.  For far too long the U.S. and it's allies have had to police the world at it's expense.  If any action is needed in the world it should be international law that all expenses are shared by those who are part of the U.N. and then all money recouped by the country that has needed the help.  Then the trillions of dollars the U.S. spends in taking action would come back the the U.S. people, sounds fair doesn't it?  It has cost the U.S. a trillion dollars or more going into Iraq and Iran to liberate them, should this money not be paid back over time?

These are just some common sense solutions to a few of the world's problems, there are many more problems of course but these are the major ones right now and if these changes are made the world's economy would have a chance at stabilizing and the markets would return to normal.  Again, it is time to hold our politicians accountable and right the ship before it gets consumed by the wave of socialism.

My Fix For Big Labour!

O.K., I may have said this before but for anyone new to reading this blog I just want to explain my theory on how to fix the problem with big labour.

First thing is we need to figure out that there is a problem to begin with, if our politicians can't figure this out then they need to be ousted.  Once we have decided we need to do something about the contracts signed with big labour then we need to make the changes to fix the problem.

$200 billion dollars, that is how much the federal government has in Unfunded Pension Liabilities going forward. That means there is no money set aside to pay for the pensions that are on the horizon.  This needs to be addressed now and not later.

First thing that needs to be looked at is something called "right to work legislation"  This simply implies that if you have a job in any sector be it private or public that you have the right to join the union or not.  This is being done in a lot of States right now and is proving out to be very successful, in fact it has made it possible for many states to show budget surpluses this year all the while the federal government is drowning in debt and on the verge of defaulting.

When you get a job, is it not a basic human right to decide whether you want to be represented by a labour group or not?  I mean this is a democratic country is it not?  If I were to go and get a job tomorrow as a welder at a local steel plant, why should I be forced to join a union?  Can I not keep my union dues and just go and do my job, that is all I want.  I do not feel my money should go to pay for a bunch of bureaucrats in the union so that they can get paid 24/7/365, even though the contract only expires every 3-4 years.  I want to be able to spend my $1000/year how I see fit, be it on my family, a vacation, whatever but I will have the right to do what I want with my own money.  I should not be forced to pay for something I do not believe in, that in my mind, is not democratic.

Now some will say without unions the labour pool will be taken advantage of by corporations, and to that I say we already have labour standard board that for on intents and purpose do the same thing that the unions do.  And if the worker feels something is wrong, the labour board is there to step in and represent the worker.

But what about negotiations?  You can't expect every person to negotiate their own contract?  No, I don't, but what I do think is very possible, is for the worker to vote for hiring a law firm to represent the group as a whole.  This is democratic and the law firm would only get paid during negotiations(other than a small yearly retainer).  The cost to the worker would be far less than what they pay in dues on a yearly basis meaning more take home pay.

The next step would to be to change pensions.  The worker needs to fund more of their own pensions, it is done this way by the private sector and is proven to be sustainable. Especially when it comes to the public sector, the taxpayers should not be on the hook for large pensions that you would not get in the private sector.  The public and private sector need to be more aligned on the pension and benefit front, what you get should not vary that much between the two.  With employees paying more into their pension it would alleviate the future liability that the country has and make sure that the pension is there for you when you do go to retire.

As you can see the worker is still represented, and more than likely represented better by a law firm than say some Joe who rose up through the ranks and does not know law at all.  This is a common sense approach to one of the problems facing our country.  I know that a final version of this would need some polish but I feel it is a great starting point and is a large step in the right direction.  If you agree, talk to your MP, MLA, council members, we need to make these changes for the whole of our country.

U.S. Finally Acknowledges Libyan Rebels!

U.S. recognizes Libya rebels with eye on funds

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By Andrew Quinn

ISTANBUL | Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:08am EDT

(Reuters) - The United States Friday recognized Libya's rebel National Transitional Council (TNC) as a legitimate government, a diplomatic boost which could unlock billions of dollars in frozen assets.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington would extend formal recognition to the Benghazi-based TNC until a fully representational interim government can be established.

"The TNC has offered important assurances today, including the promise to pursue a process of democratic reform that is inclusive both geographically and politically," Clinton said in prepared remarks.

"Until an interim authority is in place, the United States will recognize the TNC as the legitimate governing authority for Libya, and we will deal with it on that basis."

Clinton's announcement came as the Libya Contact Group, meeting in Istanbul, formally recognized the opposition as the representative of the Libyan people -- sealing its diplomatic status as the successor government to embattled leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The contact group, made up of more than 30 governments and international and regional organizations, also authorized U.N. special envoy Abdul Elah Al-Khatib to present terms for Gaddafi to leave power in a political package that will include a ceasefire to halt fighting in the civil war.

Clinton said any deal "must involve Gaddafi's departure" from power and a halt to violence.

"Increasingly the people of Libya are looking past Gaddafi. They know, as we all know, that it is no longer a question of whether Gaddafi will leave power, but when," she said.

U.S. officials said the decision to extend formal diplomatic recognition marked an important step toward unblocking more than $34 billion in Libyan assets in the United States but cautioned it could still take time to get cash flowing.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on February 25 freezing the assets of Gaddafi, his family and top officials, as well as the Libyan government, the country's central bank and sovereign wealth funds.

Most of the frozen assets are liquid in the form of cash and securities.

U.S. officials have pledged to find ways to free up some of the money for the TNC, which has run dangerously short of cash to pay for salaries and basic services even as it takes on more of the responsibilities of government.

NO CASH YET -- BUT SOON?

Discussions with Congress on mechanisms to free up the money run into complicated legalities -- some of which could be swept away by U.S. recognition of the TNC as Libya's legitimate government.

"Our hope is that in a relatively short time frame we will be able to make progress (on funds) but there's a lot of moving pieces here," one senior State Department official said.

The United States could direct banks to transfer frozen funds directly to the TNC, but this might run afoul of U.N. financial sanctions still in place on Libya.

A second option would be for the United States to establish a line of credit backed by the frozen assets as several other countries have done.

Clinton's announcement formally recognizing the TNC marked the end of a process which began in February when Obama declared that Gaddafi had lost his legitimacy as Libya's leader because of his brutal response to anti-government protesters.

"We wanted to send a very clear signal to Gaddafi and the people around him that we are looking past Gaddafi to a future without him," the senior U.S. official said.

"We felt that taking this step today sends that message loud and clear."

The United States closed its embassy in Tripoli in February and withdrew its diplomatic staff, but maintains embassy staff working in Washington to develop ties with the TNC.

The United States and Gaddafi's government have been estranged for most of the past four decades, and only resumed contacts in 2003 when Tripoli gave up its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and took responsibility for its role in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.

(reporting by Andrew Quinn; editing by Simon Cameron-Moore))

Just What is Going on at the United Nations?

CaMPBELL CLARK

OTTAWA— Globe and Mail Update

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 2:49PM EDT

Boycotting North Korean Term, John Baird Vows To Seek Reform Of UN Arms Panel

CAMPBELL CLARK

OTTAWA— Globe and Mail Update

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2011 2:49PM EDT

Canada will push for reforms to the UN’s disarmament agency, believing its problems go deeper than a rotating presidency that allows international pariah North Korea to serve as its chair, John Baird says.

The Harper government has decided to boycott the United Nations Conference on Disarmament for a month because it’s North Korea’s turn to take the helm.

But in a conference call with reporters Monday, the Foreign Affairs Minister said the UN agency – the forum for negotiating international arms-control treaties – has been so bogged down by efforts to reach unanimous consensus that it’s struggling to move forward.

“This group, in the past, has done a lot,” he said. “They have been successful on a number of important treaties. The CoD and its predecessors have negotiated major multi-multi-lateral arms limitations.”

The body did have a good work programme in 2009, but failed to implement it, he added.

“I think recently, they’ve struggled with the notion of requiring a consensus,” Mr. Baird said. “That means one country can prevent consensus on even the establishment of a work plan, let alone it being implemented.”

With its boycott, Canada is “seeking to try to reform the group so that it can be more successful in fulfilling its main mandate.”

Canadian representatives will return after Aug. 19, when North Korea cedes the chairmanship, with a proposal to change rules that see the chair rotate between each of the 65 members, Mr. Baird said.

North Korea, a repressive dictatorship, has developed nuclear weapons and is persistently cited as one of the world’s worst violators of human rights.

The Harper government has in the past occasionally chosen to make very public statements with boycotts at the UN, like walking out on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech to the General Assembly in 2009 or staying away from the UN-sponsored world conference on racism, which Ottawa called anti-semitic.

Mr. Baird said that in this instance failing to speak up would allow the UN’s credibility to be eroded. And he hinted the same problem might recur later this year when Iran becomes the chair.

Quitting the Conference on Disarmament appears, however, to have been a snap decision to make a show, rather than a planned policy.

Canada’s permanent representative to the UN’s office in Geneva, Marius Grinius, made remarks congratulating the North Koreans when they took over.

Mr. Baird rebuffed repeated questions about the ambassador’s statement, and why Mr. Grinius apparently didn’t know that Canada was about to drop out of the body for a month to protest Pyongyang’s chairmanship.

“Obviously I’m stating very clearly what the Canadian position is in this regard,” he said.

Separately, the Foreign Affairs Minister said it would be meaningless if the UN General Assembly recognized Palestinian statehood this fall.

He dismissed the Palestinian campaign to win recognition at the UN in a September vote as a public-relations move. Canada would be thrilled to welcome a new Palestinian state, Mr. Baird added, but only after peaceful negotiations with Israel.

How Long Do We Sit On The Sidelines While People get Butchered?

Report Says Syrian Security Forces Ordered to Shoot Protesters

VOA News

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Photo: AFP/YOUTUBE

An image taken from footage uploaded on YouTube shows hundreds of thousands of Syrian anti-government protesters flooding the streets of the central city of Hama, July 1, 2011

A U.S.-based rights group says Syrian commanders ordered security forces to shoot anti-government protesters to disperse them.

Human Rights Watch said Saturday that incidents involving the use of live ammunition on demonstrators were described by eight soldiers and four members of security force agencies who have defected since protests erupted in March.

^{Related video - Behind the Wall Syria}

The rights group says the defectors recounted situations in which they were initially told by superiors that they would be fighting militants. They instead encountered unarmed protesters, but commanders still ordered them to open fire. 

Human Rights Watch says in its interviews with defectors, some said that they were told by superiors that they risked being shot if they refused orders to shoot demonstrators.

On Friday, activists said at least 13 people were killed during nationwide protests against President Bashar al-Assad.  They say at least six deaths took place in the Damascus suburb of Dumair after security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

The Syrian government blamed "armed gangs" for some of the deaths.  

Also, the state-run SANA news agency said pro-government rallies took place in several cities on Friday.  The news agency said Saturday that Syrian youths were organizing another pro-government rally that would take place Sunday in the western city of Lattakia. 

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

Western nations Need To Put Pressure On Egypt's Millitary

Egypt: Democracy in danger?

Protesters are taking to the streets in Egypt, demanding faster reforms. Inside Story Last Modified: 09 Jul 2011 11:13 Email Print Share Send Feedback

Tahrir Square in central Cairo hosted the largest protest since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. Protesters are still calling for officials and security forces to be held accountable for previous reforms within the interior ministry; this comes amidst upcoming parliamentary elections and the drafting of a new constitution. The release of several police officers allegedly involved in the killings of protesters in the town of Suez earlier this year; and the fact no one from Mubarak's family has stood in a courtroom yet, adds more fuel to the fire for the Egyptian people rallying in Tahrir Square. So what is really sparking the protests this time around? And is the Egyptian revolution, as well as hopes for a free and fair democracy, in danger? Inside Story, with presenter Sohail Rahman, discusses with Wael Eskandar, a political activist and columnist for Al-Ahram Online; Sharif Abdel Kouddous, a correspondent for Democracy Now!; and Rami Khouri, the director of ISSAM Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.