Saturday, July 17, 2010

 

New plan of action for BCRail trial

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Skookum1, whose work in music, stage, and screen has taken him to Halifax, Nova Scotia, continues to take a keen interest in the province of his birth: British Columbia. He knows B.C. history as few others know it; and he writes in that context.


His offering today is of particular interest. He is responding to Barry Reuger's comment calling for "action".  Skookum1 points to possible courses of action which could release to Canadians  more information about the BCRail-CN deal. Skookum1's suggestion is not without risk, and is cross-posted here from the Comments section:


Barry, you are a bit like the chickenhawks Bush/Cheney, Pat Buchanan, Rush Limbaugh, et al. They wouldn't risk their own toes in combat but were more than willing to send others into battle.

What we need is a "BC Rail Cult" version of Bill Good or Limbaugh, a hot-line show (and obviously a station owner with lots of dough) ready to whip up the public mindset about the BC Rail rip-off and all the illegality that has gone with it. Maybe that could be, um, broadcast from Whatcom County, if only for effect. Radio Free British Columbia or whatever....

Laila interviewing Paul Nettleton, for example, discussing issues hear[d] in trial and relayed to them, but doing so on American soil. Or a cable talkshow with a PBS host interviewing Robin and Krog etc.

PBS might be [t]he first US major media to take an interest in this. I continue to maintain that the involvement of a US-owned company in overtaking a public asset owned by a foreign government through underhanded and manipulated means is exactly what the Democratic view of US foreign policy is against; if the story was told without placenames or ethnic identifiers on the players, most Americans would assume it was Honduras or Peru or PRI-era Mexico (well, probably PAN-era Mexico too).

US Democrats (including the President) should also take into account the influence of the Republic[an] Party not just on political iedology of the Tories and other right-wing parties and factions, but also in direct corporate involvement in helping buy elections, with major capital returns the actual reason for the political support.
 
The Democrats labour under the notion that Canada is "the Nice Country" and have rather unfortunately limited understanding of our political structure, much less of its manifold problems. And its entrenched, century-old-and-more corruption, "the way of doing things", "business as usual", "the way things are done".

Californians at least have rejected IPPs as "clean power", but they remain unaware of the nepotistic and corrupt origins of the projects; they rejected them only because of their self-evident environmental liability, denial of which is part of the Liberals' political marketing of why they're a good thing.

But unwrapping Kiewit's, Gates', Buffet's, Maximus' and other US companies' incestuous relationship with a Canadian government and its ruling party should be of interest to US foreign trade committees and panels, and examined for violations of US laws. I keep on wondering if the citizens of BC can sue the stockholders of CN for that companies' apparent collusion with the wrongfully-elected (by dint of overt lying) government of British Columbia in defrauding the people of British Columbia of owner[ship] of a major public asset; a major strategic asset no less.

cont.

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Longer, higher, faster, crazier ... watch 
http://videos.wittysparks.com/id/19181943

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Comments:
That is exactly what we need, I've often wished that BC had a cross between John Stewart and Rick Mercer (but more willing to expose the truth) who could tell it like it is. Skookum1, do you know of anyone like that?
 
Mary Walsh, if she'd lose the stupid outfits - which IMO take away from the seriousness of her political message - and take some time to learn about BC politics/courts/politicians.....

Maybe we could get Dan Aykroyd (sp?) interested in the idea that Campbell et al. are really space aliens with snakes in their heads...but spoofery isn't what's needed here, it's John Stewart-esque "real comedy", and "moments of zen"....

Laila Yuile came to mind because of her "Talk Show Idol" success and her ability to hold her own in front of a mic.

The regional PBS station gets a disproportionate share of its fundraising dollars from BC viewers....while the McNeil/Lehrer News Hour is national in scope and needn't reflect that, it would seem to me that some overtures towards the local PBS bunch about coming up with a Canadian public affairs program for American viewers could open up new avenues....and if put together properly would have a viewership outside of BC and Seattle...

KVOS-TV 12 covers plainjane BC news and weather but they're a possible place for a BC politics talkshow that could not be censured or interdicted by BC's corrupt court system....

Independent media in the US portion of the Pacific Northwest include The Rocket, Seattle's version of the Georgia Straight. Like the P-I blogs, they might prove a useful outlet if the energies and interests of their writers - and readers - were engaged properly.

I think Robin getting some time talking to the editors of the Washington Post, though, could yield some interesting results....

And if there are any panels on democracy in the Americas at U.W. or elsewhere, Robin, Sean Holman, Kevin Potvin, Laila and others would be useful to put on public view in the US.

Breaking the back of the "Canada is boring/safe/more democratic" mythology is what's really needed, though.....
 
Rick Mercer is useless, despite his high-moral-ground posturing; last time he and Campbell were on camera together you could virtually hear the sucking sound.....same with George Strombolopoulos, whose cool fluffery is only exceeded by the velvety texture of the softball questions he fields....

Might be interesting if Russell Peters were to start taking on the "brown guys v. white guys" aspect of the case, though.....

But tell me - and I never did go out to Vancouver's comedy clubs - are there any comedians on the Vancouver scene who even do political comedy? Other than jokes about pepper spray I mean....
 
I am a country mouse, so I don't see much that's current. I agree Rick Mercer has gone over to the right, and George S. is fauning...I can't think of anyone cutting edge enough offhand.

It's a great idea to use the talents we have, Laila, Sean Holman, Ross K., the reverend paperboy. It would be easier to sell if we had a recognizable name. You would think there would be a dozen hungry comedic talents out there.
 
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