“In accommodating Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug’s rights, as one of the First Peoples, it is important to recognize that we have a right to life,” Cutfeet (KI councillor and spokesperson) says. “That includes the ability to exercise our cultural values and beliefs with the land. Land that is eroded or polluted by industrial processes can no longer sustain our lives. For years, First Peoples have been told by governments and industry that their footprints can be erased. Too late, we learn they had insufficient knowledge or failed to act responsibly.”

–Robert Fisk asks the question that should be rhetorical but is sadly responded to by the world elite. I would ask another: What are we going to do to not allow this to go on?

–Lenin’s Tomb goes over what has gone on in Lebanon over the weekend.

Here is the new headline from the BBC:BBC NEWS | Middle East | Israel ‘not ready for truce yet’

–This is real democracy. People in the streets demanding that their government do what the majority have decided. Fair recount and the real winner will emerge.

–The title alone would be funny if they consequences were not so real. NATO is taking over the running (basically) of southern Afghanistan because the US and UK have messed it up so badly that there is no security there at all. There is nothing about this war that is having a positive out-come… who would have predicted that???

–I thought that this might be the same oil spill as below but it is not. Without the government infrastructure in place there is no way that there is going to be enough money or people on the ground to deal with this spill. Lebanon is being destroyed and its people are being killed and now its environment (which might have allowed the people to rebuild one day) is being spoiled. We must not let this continue.

–Wars and natural disasters. The system that we are in is not working out so well.

–Prologue to a new book co-authored by Noam Chomsky. Chomsky outlines some history in the area an the famous analysis of the current state of media in the US that stops people from finding out or even asking what that history is.

–Really, this cannot be a surprise to anyone. We must stand with the unionized workers in Mexico and demand that extradition be rejected.

–Even when workers own nearly 60% of a company they still have to operate under capitalist rules (which means that 60% is not worth anything if the 40% of capitalists say so). These workers under a kind of “worker participation” model are still fighting eviction. Reforms are good but the system always finds a way around them eventually if we stop moving forward.

–The WTO has been defeated but that has not hampered free trade from continuing in aggressive form. Capitalism is nothing if not dynamic and we must oppose the “new” versions of the free trade deals (bi-lateral trade) that continue to undermine civic democracy, the environment, and workers’ rights. We are heading towards the neo-corporatism with things like “Atlantica” here in the Maritimes. We must mobilize the people and let them know what is going on because the corporate heads that own our media sure are not going to.

–Biological weapons facility in the works in the US. This is against international law and needs to be condemned and organized against. One can bet the kitchen sink that the people around this facility do not know what the government is building and plans to do there.

–Our NDP should be criticizing just as loudly our government and companies that are both backing the war and making money off the illegal slaughter of civilians.

–Not that many of the people that read Leftnews can afford Krug Champaign but you might be interested in this story of the company sacking all its workers. Support the right to fair job security.

–As the imperialist nations continue to increase the attacks on civilians in the “hot-spots” crimes and aggression between state powers and the people that oppose them are going on without much notice from the media and people of the world. The Tamil Tigers have called the new attacks against them from the Sri Lankan government a re-newing of the civil war.

–The Israeli army has hit Qana, ten years after the last massacre in this village brought on by the same forces. 60 people dead, 34 of which were children. There is no excuse for these crimes just as there is no excuse for the soft response of Western governments. If our state rulers are not going to stand against this obvious and illegal aggression against a civilian population then the people must do it themselves.

–No one is safe in Lebanon, not even the people that are there for little else but to help people stuck in a war zone. We must all condemn these attacks. We must put pressure on the international community to speak up and be heard.

–The attacks on civilians continues unabated.

Here too: BBC NEWS | Middle East | Dozens killed in Lebanon air raid

Asaf Rashid

July 29, 2006

When does a protest become illegal? Do rights to freedom of expression depend on who you are? These are only two questions amongst many that come to mind in response to the differential treatment by City of Fredericton staff and members of the Fredericton Police force to two different groups in the summer of 2006.

Read the rest of this entry »

“..many of Israel’s most-deadly, US-made weapons systems–now being used in air strikes against Lebanon–would not be able to function without hundreds of crucial, high-tech, electronic components supplied by Canadian war industries, and subsidized unwittingly by Canadian taxpayers.”

–An extremely good article about women and class in the US from the Monthly Review. This is worth a read by anyone interested in class analysis and feminism.

–Lenin’s Tomb has outlined an article from The Guardian (UK) written by Jonathan Steele. The article is, of-course, slanted towards the liberal end but worth a read as it outlines what would happen if an international force was sent to Lebanon during the current crisis. The Israeli military must cease its current actions against the Lebanese civilians not only because it is the only way to move forward and address the crisis but because Israel’s government is in contravention of international law and it committing war crimes.

The Guardian article can be found here: Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Only Hizbullah can defend against an Israeli invasion

A little more analysis of what’s going on in Mexico. There’s a real potential for upheaval if the courts do not act fairly when recounting votes.

–Welcome to the reactionary years. It is mind boggling that this continues to be an issue never mind the fact that there is still people in power that can move this legislation backwards.

–Private water companies continue to try to take control of one of the most important public systems. In Bolivia they are not only failing but are giving many other reasons for people to not trust these un-accountable multi-national corporations. Greed and abuse of power is commonplace.

–A rather clean outline of what the Mercosur trade deal is and why it is important for Latin Americans and why it is important for social struggles around the world to use it as an alternative. There is also ALBA which need to be highlighted as an ideal trade agreement alternative to the neo-liberal ones imposed by the US. Fair trade is the only way to build an international community where the people can actually benefit from trade.

–Rights are under attack at every level in the US. One wonders sometimes how those that fight keep going under such strain. The Left must mobilize in the US and do so at every level of government if it is going actually win some gains for the people. You cannot move forward when the government maintains all the reigns that hold you back.

–Yvon Neptune has been released from prison in Haiti after two years in prison as a political prisoner and without being charged with a crime. Is this the justice that the Canadian government is referring to when it backed the US and France lead coup in Haiti?

–The left is still the focus of attacks around the world. The only way that we can move forward is to stand in solidarity and continue the fight against this kind of reactionary bullying.

–Yes, the US is such a progressive country… Where are the rights activists in the US? Where is the outrage that the US still has this antiquated and bigoted policy? Fairness and job security for military service employees and bring them all home from imperialist wars.

–Go figure that the Conservatives seem to sliding in the polls. I do not think that one thing that Harper has said over the current war in Lebanon resonates with the majority of Canadians. The worry is that if there is not an election then the Conservatives will remain with their slimy grip on power.

–This is outrageous. If they are Canadian citizens then they should be allowed into Canada. If we have such a sophisticated intelligence service then there is no problem letting all Canadians come back home.

–Isn’t it incredible that the CBC is covering this rally in defence of Israeli’s current actions (which include war crimes) and not the rally that happened down the street with as many if not more people that opposed the war?

–Paul Moist of CUPE lays out the reasons that P3’s (Public Private Partnerships -AKA: Privatized Public Programs) are a bad deal for Canadian Taxpayers.

–It is always interesting to hear Robert Fisk’s take on the war. Is Israel losing the war? They sure seem to be acting that way because if you were winning the war then why would you play dirty and kill civilians?