Harper Government Changing the Face of Canada

Canada is one of the richest countries in the world but under the Harper government Canadians will now have to work 2 years longer to get old age security. Even though spending has increased 22% with Harper government  important social programs are on the steady decline. That means health care cuts, senior cuts, education cuts all the while the government is wasting $83 million dollars to promote their Economic Action Plan, $28 million to commemorate the War of 1812, $10 million to rent pandas, over $1 million to fly Harper’s car to India and these are only a few of the wasteful spending incidents of the Harper regime.  http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3763 

The crime rate has continually decreased in Canada in the last 10 years, yet Harper’s government has built 22 new provincial prisons, and 15 new special handling units (SHU). The Conservatives have  taken austerity measures on most social programs while Correctional Services budget has increased 54%.

Stephen Harper claims there is transparency in government and yet will not allow debate on any of the bills and acts mentioned below that will change Canada’s freedom forever.

 January 31, 2011 Harper passed Bill C-3, which allows individuals, who were previously unable to obtain Indian status due to reasons within the act or were omitted from obtaining status because of marriage, can now be added to the band. They do not have to have had any connection with the band or the land. http://openparliament.ca/bills/40-3/C-3/   http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4340270&Language=E 

December 5, 2011 Harper passed Bill C-10 which is a massive piece of legislation of roughly 100 pages that rolls nine laws from organized and drug crime, to pardons, to child sex offenders, to migrants entering Canada and young offenders into a single omnibus law. Bill C-10 created mandatory minimum sentencing for minor offences such as giving a friend some marijuana.  It amends sections on terrorism and the support or the inciting of terrorism, making simple acts an act of terrorism. http://openparliament.ca/bills/41-1/C-10/  http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5465759 

June 18, 2012 Bill C-38 replaced the current Canadian Environmental Assessment Act with new legislation which decreases the opportunity for First Nations' involvement in Environmental Assessments as well as ending environmental assessments for minor projects, referred to as "screening". Bill C-38 guts environmental legislation and 'streamlines' the environmental review process to pave the way for rapid approval of industrial mega-projects like the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline.  Bill C-38, violates the federal government's obligation to consult with First Nations and accommodate First Nation Treaty and Aboriginal rights. canada.com/courierislander/story.html?id=5cc6ec8a-7d3f-4220-9208-5ac2429c452a  (broken link - I haven't been able to track down this particular source -Lojo)

December 14, 2012 Bill C-45, a massive 450 page document passed into law, taking from our social programs, environmental protection, and research infrastructure and amends over 74 pieces of legislation in a single bill.

The Navigable Waters Protection Act was hidden in C-45 has reduced the protection of 2.5 million protected lakes and rivers in Canada to 159 lakes and rivers protected. These amendments would change the statute’s name to the Navigation Protection Act (NPA), a change that reflects the government’s desire to completely separate navigation from the environmental component that enables it. In other words, the law will no longer protect navigable waters — it will only protect navigation. The NPA would exclude 99.7 per cent of Canada’s lakes and more than 99.9 per cent of Canada’s rivers from federal oversight. Meaning all our fresh water is available for corporate use and pollution. Construction of bridges, dams and other projects will be permitted without prior approval. Pipelines are exempt from this law and will no longer be considered for environmental assessments. This puts us all at great risk. Water is our most vital resource and should be protected. http://www.ecojustice.ca/files/nwpa_legal_backgrounder_october-2012/at_download/file   http://parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5765988    

September 19, 2012 Harper passes Bill C-309 Preventing Persons from Concealing Their Identity during Riots and Unlawful Assemblies Act, which states anyone wearing concealment or mask over their face without any lawful excuse is guilty of an offence and you can be arrested and thrown in jail up to 5 years. http://openparliament.ca/search/?q=bill+309  http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5151861

Now Harper Government is pushing for the Bill S-212 and the First Nations Private Property Act (FNPPA) which will give the government the power to divide all native lands equally between band members and band members will have the power to sell their allotted piece of land to anyone who is wishing to buy the land, including mining, drilling and fracking companies. http://parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&DocId=5809101

This is where Bill C-3 comes into play. These new band members that have never had connection to the band or land will under Bill S-212 and FNPPA will be allotted equal share of band land. These new members will have the power to sell the allotted land to whomever they chose, for mining, for forestry, anything the corporate world wants it for. If the other band members protest against these sales and corporations under a new clause in Bill C-10 they will be inciting terrorism. With the minimum sentencing also in Bill C-10 everyone will receive prison term. In the end this will lead to the sell out of reserve land. How is this in the best interest of Canadians?

Bill C-30 will also allow the government to access anybody’s computer they wish. Our right to privacy is gone. http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=5380965

 Bill C-11 makes it illegal to copy and download any music or video to your computer, cell phones, IPod, IPad etc. With Bill C-30 they will be able to see that you had download music and movies to your computer, IPod, I Pad or phones and you will be charged and sentenced to up the 5 years in prison. Under Merging Sentencing they could possible sentence you for music and then movies under separate charges so 10 years for downloading some music and a movie. http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/LegislativeSummaries/bills_ls.asp?ls=c11&Parl=41&Ses=1

Nope, cat-man love won't win me over, Emperor

Harper is planning to sign a FIPA agreement with China the worst human rights, animal rights and environmental offender in the world. FIPA gives the ability for corporations to sue foreign governments in private courts, called “investor-state arbitration,” is a controversial practice built into many trade deals like NAFTA that has cost Canada millions and over-ruled democratic decisions, but none impose the level of secrecy  as in the Canada-China FIPA Under this system, Canada has already been sued more than any industrialized country in the world. We are  selling out our companies, resources and public health. The people of Canada should be questioning the integrity of our government. These are not the actions of a government that is concerned about the future generations of Canada. Please share this information with groups, unions, co workers, family and friends to bring awareness everywhere.

The media buzzed as if it were on a three day meth binge. The story was as follows: the bombing suspects, now identified as brothers Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, had shot and killed a MIT campus police officer before battling it out Call of Duty style in a suburban street of Watertown.

This is my "eye witness" rendition of the early morning events as reported by media and officials, which continues to be regurgitated, spliced, and contradicted like a patch work quilt sewn by a fleet of meth heads:

• The brothers killed a MIT police officer.
• The suspects car jacked some guy for his Mercedes car. No, SUV. No, car. No, SUV. No, car. At some point they transported their arsenal of weapons from one vehicle to another.
• They held the guy hostage. No, they didn't hold him hostage.
• The brothers conversed with the carjackee: "Hear about the Boston bombings? NEENER-NEENER-NEENER - we ARE the Boston bombers," they lamented with a chortle before giving each other high-five.

• They stole the guy's ATM card.
• No, they did hold him hostage, but he escaped when they went into a convenient store with his ATM card to get Doritos and Red Bull. I repeat, Doritos and Red Bull. No, they left the convenient store empty handed.
• The suspects robbed the convenient store. No, that's not right. The convenient store had been robbed by other people the same time the suspects were there. No, there was no convenient store robbery.
• Law enforcement tracked down the Mercedes via the owner's cell phone, which he had left in the vehicle, and the suspects and law enforcement shared 100s of rounds of ammunition in the street.
• Suspects threw a grenade. Suspects threw a pressure cooker bomb full of metal shrapnel 20 yards. It detonated. It didn't detonate. No, it did detonate and it shook houses. Suspects threw pipe bombs. Suspects unleashed pet Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

• The suspects stole a police SUV. No, the suspects didn't steal a police SUV.
• A guy (identification unknown - might have been Tamerlan) is photographed spread eagle at gun point but is never acknowledged by big media-- probably some dude taking his dog for a walk at 3 AM in a suburban bullet storm.
• Tamerlan was stripped naked, cuffed, and put in a police car (witnessed, documented, and the suspect's Aunt confirms 100% that it was her nephew).

• Tamerlan had a bomb strapped to his chest - no bomb squad, or any sort of bomb intervention was necessary--phhfftt, it was all good.
• Tamerlan was never arrested and was shot dead. Tamerlan was also run over by his brother.
• Younger brother, Dzhokhar, rammed vehicle through law enforcement - yep, must have been a SUV.
• No, Tamerlan was never run over. An eye witness says police ran over Tamerlan.
• No, Tamerlan is alive. Tamerlan is dead.
• Image of mangled corpse laying on table surfaces online - allegedly Tamerlan. Consensus grows that Tamerlan is dead.
• What about the arrest photo of the naked guy?
• Fuck it, lets just go with the dead guy thing - the Feds would have killed him after arrest, anyway.
• Dzhokhar somehow fled and alluded an army of cops in suburbia because he's mother fucking Jason Bourne, and Boston was put on lock down.

The Feds and the Battle Suits moved in, sweeping the area, and doing door-to-door, household checks.

It would later be reported that the Battle Suits shoved guns in peoples faces, went through people's belongings, and confiscated some firearms and drugs. Upsetting? Yes. Getting used to living in a police-state will require an adjustment period. But still not as upsetting as this Fed unnecessarily bruising his vagina:

• CNN reported that the Battle Suits were prepping for a controlled explosion in a house to ensure the safety of law enforcement - is that protocol? Blow shit up to see if shit will blow up? Oops, I forgot, don't ask questions.
• No, forget the controlled explosion. What controlled explosion?
• CNN reported that law enforcement was using tear gas. Tear gas? What tear gas?

Live media reporting fell into a lull.

Media had done an okay job demonizing the now decidedly deceased older brother, Tamerlan as swaying towards Islamic radicalism and "not having many American friends." The brothers' Uncle, an oil executive who is now reported to have been on the CIA's payroll, and seems to be involved in a slew of shady activity, was quick to shit-talk his nephews, particularly Tamerlan, stating he was a "loser," consequently giving the media some solid material to beat off to. But attention had gravitated towards little brother as the man hunt continued, and media began devising a character sketch of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Fuck it. I'm going to refer to him as Dzhokhar Bourne from here on.

According to friends, peers, professors, etc., Dzhokhar Bourne was: friendly, nice, funny, liked wrestling, worked as a life guard, easy going, had a lot of friends from diverse ethnicities, was well liked, was well assimilated into American culture, was studying medicine, enjoyed socializing and attending parties. No one who knew him could wrap their head around his supposed ninja-terrorist alter-identity. It was almost as if the CIA had done a shitty job of choosing a patsy.

The media got in touch with the brothers' Aunt and she cried "set up." The media got in touch with the father and mother of the brothers, and they, too, cried "set up." Then their mom spilled the beans that the FBI had been harassing Tamerlan for years, and had not only had past contacts with her, as well, but had also contacted Tamerlan after the bombing. The FBI later verified that yes, Tamerlan had been on their watch list and they had engaged with him. Later on, evidence mounts that the brothers may have been 'FBI assets', although by the time I publish this, I'm sure there will be a dozen new, mind numbing rabbit holes to contradict this information.

So the FBI released photos of their suspects and requested the public's help in identifying them (thus tipping the suspects off and enabling them to hide, flee, or prep for violence), when they were already known to them and flagged on their radar. Low-level police investigations don't roll this way, let alone intelligence-out-the-wazoo, FBI watch operations.

The lull continued and the lockdown was lifted. Shortly after, a neighborhood resident noticed part of his boat's tarp had become unhinged, and when he looked inside the boat he saw a figure. A helicopter rockin' infrared imaging confirmed that a warm body was, indeed, laying in the boat.

Apparently utilization of the infrared imaging during the 12 hours prior, when Battle Suits were rummaging through people's houses, was outside of their budget.

Before those details were released, CNN reported:

• Hearing gun shots and seeing hoards of law enforcement personnel rushing towards Franklin Street.
• Dzhokhar Bourne was cornered.
• Time passed. The sun set. Eventually they had him. Bostonian onlookers cheered. Yes, we're safe now! All hail the State!

When Manhunt Friday 2013 came to an end, Dzhokhar Bourne was hospitalized and shackled. There was talk he may be designated 'enemy combatant' status', but instead he was ultimately charged with 'weapon of mass destruction conspiracy', and was read his Miranda rights.

I was floored they took Dhokhar Bourne alive, but not so floored when they reported he couldn't talk due to his injuries. The dodgy opaqueness of the information offered from American officials (and their media puppets) amplified with reports surrounding his capture and current state of being.

• Dzhokhar Bourne had been shot in the head, neck, leg, and hand - some injuries had been acquired during early morning shoot out 12 hours earlier, and he had lost a lot of blood.
• He had not acquired his injuries during the early morning shoot out with police.
• The injury he acquired to his neck was the result of a botched suicide attempt.
• Dzhokhar Bourne had engaged in further gun fire with law the Battle Suits from inside the boat.
• No weapon was found in the boat - Dzhokhar had not been armed.

The image below shows Dzhokhar Bourne hoisting himself out of the boat.

I'm not implying it's an impossibility for Dzhokhar Bourne to walk and/ or hoist himself out of a boat after enduring four gun shot wounds, two above the neck, and possibly bleeding out for half a day-- what the hell do I know?-- I'm just saying I'm impressed. In my eyes, the rendition of events upgraded Dzhokhar from Jason Bourne, to 50 Cent, to fucking Terminator.

But his Termintor status was quickly awash, as seen in the photo below. Not only do you realize this truly is a 120 lbs, 19 year old college kid who was supposedly attending parties and smoking weed on his stoop a few days before Manhunt Friday, but we now see him officially fucked (and allegedly having his throat cut n' tubed as a result of his suicide attempt with an invisible gun).

Now Dzhokhar Bourne is in hospital, presumably drugged. Media is reporting he is unable to speak, and that may never speak again, but they are also reporting that Dzhokhar has been ratting himself out. Well no - he's gone silent since receiving his Miranda rights. Except he was always silent because he can't talk. No, that's wrong, he is ratting himself out - American officials said so.

We may never know what truths lie behind this event or the involvement of the Tsarnaev brothers. While mulling over the details of this Alice in Wonderland-esque mind-fuck may be inconsequential to the bigger picture - a bigger picture which will undoubtedly include government enforced implications, both globally and on American soil (see 9/11 for reference) - I think there is value in dragging out these inconsistencies like an 8 minute long Meatloaf song. Why? Because Western culture has been conditioned to believe Government is God: truth, justice, protection, the creator of our democracy, the creator of our freedom. The disengagement and passivity this blind faith has bred, even as our so-called democracy transcends into balls-out corporatocracy is, in itself, murderous to democracy. We are the creators of democracy. We are democracy's life line. If we fail to think about incidents like the Boston Bombing critically, or ask questions, or demand a standard of transparency; if we repeatedly turn our attention away from opportunities of knowledge to distract ourselves with shiny things, as if justice will rise if we ignore injustices; if we complacently adhere to whatever new laws, practices, or wars are triggered as a result of such an event, both in the U.S. and globally, then we are castrated - we are doomed.

Critical gears churned across the internet following news of the Boston Marathon Bombing. In the air of government distrust, independents gathered and conducted their own research, an effort largely motivated by eye witness reports of bomb squad agents and bomb sniffing dogs prior to the detonations, as well as announcements informing the public they were conducting a training exercise and to "not be alarmed." Mentions of pre-attack 'drills' have become an immediate red flag for those who analyze these events and their after-effects. The 2005 London Bombings, 9/11, the Aurora shooting, and the Sandy Hook shooting all coincided with pre-attack drills. It is theorized that if these incidents were, indeed, orchestrated false flags, or there were prior knowledge or allowance of them, the conduction of a drill would enable agents to dodge interference by legitimate, low-level law enforcement/ security, and would pose as a cover if those involved were to be busted in the act.

Side note: Does the notion of a false flag sound radical? Tinfoil hat-ish? Something devised by a paranoid, basement dweller? Or an internet-forum cult leader? Or someone like me who engages in conversation with her cats?

Not so much. Hitler was cool with false flags, and it's been declassified that the American government cozies up with them, as well. Interested? Research. Here is a one-stop mash-up highlighting a historical overview of some of the U.S. government's shady dealings. The only reason the possibility of false flags remains stigmatized as some delusional, conspiracy theory is because governments want it that way. For obvious reasons.

Corporate media pointed its finger at 'right wing extremists'. Another terminology that arose was 'home grown terrorists' and 'domestic terrorists' (language is key to black propaganda and the intentional shift of social mentality and socio-political atmosphere). This profile was predicted by some resistors and alternative media due to its synchronicity with the seemingly incremental, socio-political agenda of the elite, which has been demonstrating an intensifying focus on power and control over the American people: demonizing and dividing, criminalizing non-compliance, stripping civil liberties under the guise of safety and security, and seemingly prepping for war conditions on their own soil. The stereotype of the right wing extremist is commonly defined by pro gun rights and sits in juxtaposition to the American government's current goal to bureaucratize, if not completely erode civilian gun ownership. It's those who are resisting gun control and questioning the elite's intentions who have become the raging hemorrhoids on the government's ass.

Side note: An example of how the government can manipulate the concept of terrorism and choke out resistance to their agenda can be seen in the U.S.'s build-up of pro-gun libertarians as terrorists among a climate of heated gun debate, meanwhile, Canada's terrorism finger has shifted towards activists and environmentalists who are resisting the government's  environmental sell out.

Individuals and alternative media outlets began posting, sharing, and analyzing photos from civilians who attended the marathon and images surfaced of what appeared to be contracted, black operatives wearing black backpacks and geared with communicative devices.The FBI offered no information regarding these figures.

It later surfaced through media commentary that these characters were most likely members of the National Guard Civil Support Team (CST) who are "specially trained and equipped to detect and respond to chemical, biological, or radiological incidents."

The suspicion of these characters being "covert" could have been minimized by the fact they were dressed in an identifiable uniform, and at least one seemed to be wearing some sort of security identification tag. However, this exploration by Minority of One that was published on the forum Minority Report states, "their presence does lend credence to the idea that authorities may have had prior intelligence of a possible bombing, or were in fact holding a drill that day." It's also worthy to note that despite the presence of Guardsmen who were specially trained in the detection of terrorist attacks that go 'boom', it's alleged that a couple dudes still managed to blow shit up via unsophisticated means and methods. It's hard to say whether that's shady, or just embarrassing. It did, however 'out' the notion that selling civil liberties in exchange for police-state surveillance and security truly is nothing more than a circle-jerk facade.

While scrolling through comment feeds on alternative media, I noticed this comment from an anonymous poster:

WARNING: Laws being written to screw you.

I work on a security commission and I’ve just received word to start campaigning on a campaign we’ve been working on for the last two months and now it all makes sense.

I’ll keep it as short as i can.

They’re going to pin this event on a male late teens to early 20s and say he did it because he’s unstable. They are going to find firearms and a NRA book in his home. They are going to say he used reloading powder for the explosion and that reloading powder shouldn’t be for sale to the public. They are then going to say that because the powder in ammunition can be used for explosions that the number of rounds you buy should be limited and taxed to help pay for these events.

I can’t do anything or I’ll lose my job and possibly face criminal charges. Please don’t let them get away with it. They wont find the suspect till later this week and the raid is issued to occour on Friday. This was a staged event. The people hurt are real but the event was planned. Don’t let them hurt our rights.

Two years ago I couldn't imagine myself copying the text from a comment and saving it to a word document, but now that I realized I was existing within a Lynchian dream sequence, it seemed like a good idea to take note of everything. And apparently I wasn't the only one. A day or so later the news reported the following:

Senator to Propose Bill Regulating Black Powder in Wake of Boston Massacre

Then came the Saudi Suspect, later identified as Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi, who had been at the site of one of the detonations and hospitalized. He had his home aggressively searched before being upgraded from suspect status, to witness, to victim, and was visited by Michelle Obaminator at the hospital.

Phhfftt, not like she's Oprah.

Meanwhile, the Obaminator was having a convenient 'chance meeting' with the Saudi Foreign Minister and Saudi Ambassador to talk about Syria. It was later verified that the Saudi suspect had been flagged on the FBI's terrorist watch list, and it was reported he would be deported out of the U.S. on "national security grounds." On April 22, 2013, Glenn Beck did a whored-up with anticipation show outing the U.S. government for running a disinformation campaign (what would give him that idea?!) and being in bed with Saudi Arabia and terrorist organizations - which seemed very stating the obvious. He also claimed there is documented evidence that Alharbi was actually charged with a '3B', and then on Wednesday that charge was retracted. Later on it would also be reported there is documentation that Alharbi had past visits to the White House.

 

Side note: Like they say, it's who your father knows and who your mother blows.

 

April 17, 2013 (Day 3)

I was at work when I saw a report on CNN that an arrest had been made. At this point the internet was swelling with skepticism. Big media took shots at Alex Jones of Infowars, the most prominent figure in what the mainstream blankets 'right-wing conspiracy theory'. More sluff-offs would come as the days passed, like Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano publicly dismissing Drudge Reports, or big media labeling and patronizing resistors as 'conspiracy theorists'.

Side note: The mere fact that politicians and big media are publicly acknowledging resistant voices, who they're insinuating to be, if not outwardly labeling as delusional and intellectually void conspiracy theorists, demonstrates that the super powers perceive this kind of speculation and critical analysis as a threat. I assume with time these mockerous sluff-offs will descend into aggressive demonization.

I sent a text message stating, "an arrest has been made," and a few minutes later I received the reply, "they're saying no arrest has been made," in which I replied, "WTF?" I went back online, and sure enough, CNN and other popular news sources had retracted their statement.

Meanwhile at the freak show, the Boston Courthouse was evacuated due to a bomb threat. THURPRISE! An anchor reporting live stated:

"Homeland Security and armed U.S. Marshals were patrolling the court house before the bomb threat, then the Boston bomb squad, fire engines, and more police descended on the federal court house, all playing out before hundreds of media waiting to see if the Boston bomber would be brought here, and then this: a silver van with a U.S, Marshals' emblem arrived going directly to the back entrance of the court house. Word that a court room was being prepared added to speculation that the bombing suspect would be arraigned, but no official confirmation ever came. As the crowd grew restless, the sound of Amazing Grace wafted through the air. A bag piper appeared serenading the wary crowd. "

It's official: we're living in a David Lynch movie.

Side note: Did CNN fumble the ball within the game of reality-TV style, live coverage and drop false reports? Did decision makers relinquish their original game plan and move on to another 'script'? Was CNN insider information old, and no longer relevant by the time they plastered headlines that there had been an arrest?

April 18, 2013 (Day 4)

I woke up to the news that the FBI had released photos of two suspects who were sorta-kinda-dark-skinned and of Russian decent. Then I was taunted by the comment, "thought you had it all figured out-- thought it was going to be a right-wing extremist, hmmm?" It seemed that the common voice of resistors had been discredited. At this point I was pretty solid in my belief that this incident, and the aftermath that was playing out before the public, had originated from a smoldering pile of bullshit, but this threw me off-- not in the sense that my tin foil hat had failed me, but in the these fuckers are good sense.

The FBI released photos and Big Brother footage of the two suspects and asked for the public's assistance in identifying them.

The clip above is interesting. In the footage of the suspects there is a dude with a blurred face tucked into the building's door frame, fidgeting with an ear piece while the suspects pass. Second, the FBI special agent states, "for clarity, these images should be the only ones the public should view to assist - other photos should not be deemed credible."

Welcome to the anti-thesis of a legitimate investigation.

Lets say the FBI did have footage of Suspect 2 dropping a bag at one of the bombs sites, and lets say Suspect 2's back pack was the same color as the backpacks that housed the exploding pressure cooker bombs (which it wasn't), what would be the chance that these two men worked alone? How, at this point in the investigation, could they conclude that they did work alone when they hadn't even ID'ed them yet? Wouldn't they want to gather further intelligence, regardless of whether they thought they had their guys?

 

Side note: *faux vomiting sound*

 

Reddit users began speculating that Suspect 2 could be a Brown University student named Sunil Tripathi who went missing on March 16th. Today (April 25, 2013) news broke that Tripathi's body has been found in waters off India Point Park in Providence Rhode Island.

 

Side note: I have no idea.

 

Late that night, new reports began to flood my feed about shots being fired on MIT campus. I didn't think much of it in regards to the bombing and figured it was another outside of the ghetto gun incident that would be used to add momentum to the gun control agenda. I went to bed.

 

Side note: The mind-fuck had only just begun.

Video uploaded by "Civil Information Activist", Doug Brinkman.

"There's definitely a change in attitude, for the first time at any pot rally that I can think of in the past 5 years they've actually been taking bongs and confiscating marijuana." - 420 activist, Ryjin Vander Hoek

sister wife [sis-ter wahyf]

noun

1. In a polygamous marriage, a woman who is simultaneously the sister and co-wife of another. [Wiktionary]
2. A Mormon co-wife, originating from the Mormon concept of 'sisterhood'.
3. A female employee working for 'the man' within a team of female co-workers; involuntarily co-existing among a smoldering cauldron of estrogen and diverse personalities while striving towards a common goal of gettin' er dun; sometimes experiencing syncing menstrual cycles and pre-menstrual melt downs.

I rode shotgun as Tinker drove aimlessly, just two girls with no direction (except temporarily away from work). Her voice was casual when she asked, "do you like thrift stores?"

Adrenalin pumped through my arteries like the bass drop of a dub-step song, the same rush I experience when watching youtube videos of Persian kittens being bathed, surfing through feminist ryan gosling dot com, or hearing the intro to Return of the Mack and knowing that the next 3 minutes and 43 seconds of my auditory experience will be fucking bliss.

"I have a raging boner for thrift stores, Tinker."

It was then that the interior of Tinker's jeep exploded with hyper-feminine "oh my gods" and the birth of a new comradery based on mutual, thrift-inspired lady-boners. As the decibel of our chipmunk squeals hit brain bleed, we lost traction on a patch of ice and slid towards the intersection ahead. While the slide wasn't dramatic enough to require the holy-shit handle, it was worrying enough for me to chant in my native tongue of Fucklish.

This is it, I thought. Whether we make the stop, or rear end the Honda in front of us, this moment-- right here, right now-- will be the climax to my excitement for the day.

We made the stop.

As we exhaled in sync, like the fate of our menstrual cycles, Tinker turned to me with a smile and said, "you lost your stiffy, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I'm a little flacid right now."

We continued on our way to a neighborhood thrift store, a thrift store I had once entered and immediately exited due to their merchandising style which, sans piles of used adult diapers, was inspired by hoarders. But this time was different: spatially spread out, sectioned off, and not managed by someone with a severe mental illness. Tinker and I puttered through the vintage trinkets, verbally analyzing items based on era, colour, texture, purpose, possible refurbishment, how that item made us feel at that exact moment, all the while preceding the same script of adjectives with the word 'so'.

"So cute."
"So awesome."
"So cute."
"So awesome."

We made our way to the back of the store, which at one time had been a storage room, or possibly the hoarder's dungeon that housed the squished, mummified animal carcasses, when something in the shadows caught my eye.

AN ANTIQUE, RED VELVET HEADBOARD.

Elaborate replica formerly for sale via Etsy shop, Painted Cottages.

Suddenly shit got real.

I knew from the get-go that this headboard was not meant to be mine. I was infatuated with the colour scheme of my bedroom, and red was not welcome. When we saw the $40 price tag, and at closer inspection, confirmed the velvet was not saturated with fifty year old bodily fluids, it became apparent that Tinker needed to do what was right and buy the headboard. Tinker, however, has a husband.

I understood (and respected) Tinker's hesitation. She was being conscientious of her husband's boundaries, a courtesy that I was rarely given by my past man-wives who would stock pile dizzying numbers of man-dolls, sports paraphernalia, edged weapons; who would add their decorative touches by creating feng shui murder scenes with electrical chords webbing across the floor, or hanging a corner store calendar featuring Canadian landscapes in the middle of a massive, feature wall. I understood the sensitivity of bringing another 'show' item into the household, particularly since Tinker told me she has an affinity for spending evenings in her garage with a bottle of wine, spray painting the shit out of second-hand, home accessories. Tinker texted her husband her sales pitch, cell phone picture in tow. After a short period of text tennis, husband gave the thumbs up: "as long as it doesn't collect dust in the garage."

As we carried it outside and loaded it into the back of Tinker's jeep, the sunshine hit the red velvet, proving that the brilliancy of the color had defied the test of time. Grandma had obviously kept that shit swaddled beneath plastic in her guest room for fifty years with a sign reading, "touch it n' imma cut a bitch." When we saw the red velvet illuminate, we screamed, we cheered, we hollered, and I may have thrusted my groin through the air repeatedly while grunting, "fuck yeah."

I then realized I had been wrong. Drifting on that patch of ice would not be the climax to my excitement for the day. Tinker and I had found a pristine, antique, red velvet headboard for $40. In the world of vintage, that shit doesn't happen every day. We didn't just go thrifting, we had a thrift. WE HAD A DAMN GOOD THRIFT.

"I feel like I just snorted some PCP."

"Followed by a rail of cocaine," Tinker replied, and we knuckle-bumped our fists together like the O.G.'s of thrift.

"I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got twenty dollars in my pocket
I - I - I'm hunting, looking for a come-up
THIS - IS - FUCKING - AWESOME"

Last Monday, to be exact.

Justin Bieber was being put in his car seat . . .

 . . . Avril Lavinge was snorting a line of blow from the strip of man-curlies ascending from Chad Kroeger's ass crack . . .

 . . . the residents of South Central Saskatchewan were breaking trail through 16 feet of snow . . .

 . . . and a group of Cree youth, AKA the Nishiyuu Walkers, reached their destination at Parliament Hill after walking 1600 kilometers in support of Idle No More.

In an article titled, Journey of Nishiyuu walkers' names now etched into history of this country, Jorge Barrera of APTN wrote,

The idea for the journey was spawned by a vision walker David Kawapit experienced during the protest fast by Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence who pitched a teepee on an island in the Ottawa River to demanding a meeting between First Nations leaders, the prime minister and the governor general.

Kawapit, 18, said part of the vision involved a wolf and a bear. He said the wolf symbolized First Nations people in Canada and the bear symbolized the government.

“A wolf alone can be easily killed by it, but with its brothers and sisters everywhere, it can call upon them and it can take down the bear with ease,” said Kawapit. “That is what became the unity part of this. We all need to stand together.”

As it should have been, the Nishiyuu Walkers were greeted by an estimated 4000 - 5000 supporters, and they also met with some political figures.

All in all, a triumphant demonstration of giving a shit; of dedicating oneself to a conviction based on ground root, communal goodness, and consequently inspiring further discourse.

But wait. 

Where was Prime Minister Harper; aka our Fuehrer; aka Emperor Herper, the symbolic, open sore on the genitals of the Canadian people?!

Oh, it's all good. He was just greeting a couple pandas on loan from China.

While I'm generally supportive of men petting animals, especially when it's documented and uploaded to the internet, this seemed very 'FUCK YOU, PEASANTS!', and this 'FUCK YOU, PEASANTS!' attitude seems to be Harper's permanent approach to the people he 'serves'.

While sifting through the comment feeds of mainstream reports on the panda visit, I came across the typical dichotomy of defiant rage VS apathetic statism. It was only a few years ago when I maintained the assumption that big government at least intended to serve in the best interests of the people. But as the world continued to slide into some sci-fi infused carnival show, and critical, independent news became fluidly accessible, I began to read more and more, and then I realized, ohhhhh. Oh s-h-i-t.

I 'get' the complacency that some are exuding: the "yes, sir" loyalty to the state that still exists due to our lingering comfortability, and the allowance to continue to fixate on our own personal bubbles because of our belief that we're untouchable. In Harper's defense, panda cuddles were probably scheduled far in advance, and in contradiction to a comment from a Defiant Rager who quipped that the panda cuddles were "pointless," they weren't: The pandas leave a money trail, of course.

- Pandas heading to Toronto, oiling the wheels of Canada-China relations

- How panda diplomacy became bear-knuckle haggling

Whether Harper had been there to meet with the Nishiyuu Walkers or not, their efforts to stand up for their people, and in my belief, all Canadian resistors, should have been formally acknowledged and addressed by our prime minister-- THAT would have demonstrated the workings of a legitimate democracy. And while details surrounding Harper's Nishiyuu absence/ panda cuddles are unknown to us (and Canadians do have 'bigger fish to fry' than Harper's no-show that day), this incident does hold a deeper significance, and it does set a precedent as to where our leader's priorities lay.

- Harper sells out Canadians in approving oil company takeovers

- 5 things to know about Canada - China investment treaty

- Canada - China FIPA: Critics Say 'Flawed' Agreement On Fast Track To Ratification:

"This is exactly what China wants if their aim is to acquire major ownership of Canada's resources ... and move them out and be processed in China."

 Patched, zombie resistance leggings (Cute + Broke)

+

Imma-kick-yer-ass, shin-guard leggings (HoreHead)

=

And . . .

Karen Kain's Kris-Kros leggings (Style Bari)

+

Faux-garter with built in bum-skirt (Herban Devi)

=

. . . knah.

=

Fuck yeah.

A few weeks ago the Alberta Finance Minister revealed that Alberta, Canada's wealthiest province, is facing a $4 billion deficit.

To summarize, I now live in a province where nineteen year old, high school drop outs score $100,000 + a year jobs, yet our basic, social services are being threatened due to government impoverishment. As of friend of mine once eloquently stated, "I've never seen a place with so many poor - rich people," and now that statement reflects the condition of our government, as well.

Via Calgary Herald:

It's a strange government that's broke in the midst of plenty

Personal income is up. New Albertans pour in by the thousands. Calgary’s housing market is suddenly red hot. Overall household spending is buoyant. Real economic growth next year is expected to retreat slightly — to 2.9 per cent. Most other provinces would weep with envy. The provincial treasury benefits from all this growth, collecting more from corporate and personal income taxes, as well as cash from sales of licenses, fees, booze and much more. And yet, Premier Alison Redford’s PCs are about to book a deficit of $3.5 to $4 billion for this year alone.

As expected, talk of implementing a provincial sales tax is in the works. While I don't have enough education to comment on that from a critical perspective, the thought of paying more taxes gets my panties in a knot when 80% of my earnings already go to bills and the government.

Via Bonnyville Nouvelle:

Alberta's problem is too much spending

Introducing a sales tax or health premium will generate revenue, but will penalize the most vulnerable Albertans for the government’s poor fiscal management.

It’s baffling that the government can consider charging low-income families $1,056 per year for a health premium when it spent roughly $114,000 on unused hotel rooms for the London Olympics.

Via Beacon News:

Alberta oil money: Where did it all go again?

According to the linked article above, Alberta is like a popular, discount hooker:

"The transfer of public wealth to private shareholders is blistering, and our own government, rather than fighting like an owner, or even thinking like an owner, is just happy to find investors who want to cash in.” (Those investors, Dr. Taft noted as an aside – well before this became a national scandal – are frequently state-owned companies from such places as China, Abu Dhabi and Korea.)

With that in mind, Occupy Edmonton is encouraging people to write Premier Redford a love letter.

And while on the topic of capitalist exploitation (via Rabble):

Keystone XL pipeline: Bad for the environment and Canadian workers

"The problem is not [personal] consumption, it is our economy and production. Our system is broken on a systemic level. The destruction of our environment is a natural and inevitable result. Without radical change we will be faced with extinction. Resistance in these times is not an option. It is a duty."

In more inspiring news, the Edmonton Public Library recently presented kick-ass, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Chris Hedges as part of their Freedom to Read Week, where he spoke about corporatism and corruption, the assault on civil liberties and the environment, and the vitalness of resistance.

His full presentation can be watched here:

"It seems in America we make every mistake humanly possible, and then ten years later, Canada decides to copy it." - Chris Hedges