Left Over

Holmes Hydro can proceed without environmental assessment The Canadian Press Posted: May 18, 2013 1:30 PM PT Last Updated: May 18, 2013 2:19 PM PT And this is our BC Supreme Court? Bought and paid for…disgusting display of arrogance and ignorance..the Court must have been stacked with Albertans, because no BC judge in his or her right mind would use an excuse  like convenience and economic ‘hardship’ to  ignore  an environmental assessment..really, tell us, what will it take to get this Province to  stand up for itself?  To protect the beauty we have, to maintain our coastlines and keep our watersheds  clean and non-polluting, and what few fish we have left allowed their dwindling spawning grounds…does everything have to be decided on the basis of dollars?

When this act of abject moral cowardice is placed alongside  our First Nations ‘ admirable and courageous stand against pipelines being built in their traditional territories, it makes our BC Supreme Court seem far less than Supreme….more like the squabbling little capitalist sycophants they so obviously are….the rest of the world must be wondering just what the hell is wrong with BC, that these acts of destruction  can occur with such ease…and that the ignorant voters here just gave the government the mandate to  continue with this destruction…

Well if  Clark can find a riding willing to elect her, and she does end up leading the Province, we  can only hope that she will consider the fact that the difference between her majority and an NDP one was about 5%…and take the strong feelings of BCers into account on these matters of enviromental protection…are you holding your breath, too?

Middle Schools Closed In Cowichan Valley, School Bus Fees Implemented

CP  |  By The Canadian PressPosted: 05/16/2013 10:48 am EDT  |  Updated: 05/16/2013 11:14 am EDT (found  in Huffington Post)

 

And this action was  signed off on instantaneously,  about 2 seconds after the results of the dismal election were announced…viva the People’s Republic of Vancouver Island! If ever we needed to separate and form our own Province, this should make it obvious…. and  watch those  ’environmental impact’ studies get fast-tracked for a pipeline through our Province..let’s get ready for the fight if our lives, folks,for our beautiful interior and  coastline…because nothing else will stop the corporate greedbags now..

And I’d like to wish a fond farewell to those  members of   former Cowichan School Board, democratically elected by the people ( who knew in advance of the election that these progressive school board trustees would  vote against the government imposed budget reductions) and unceremoniously dumped  for doing what they said they would…

‘Cowichan’ comes from the local First Nations word for ‘Warmland’ and I get  the distinct feeling it’s gonna get a lot warmer here, after this announcement…

So much for democracy, and thanks again to all those BCers who didn’t bother to vote (only 48% did) …your pathetic  lack of interest in your own future  leads me to  revisit the idea of  a mandatory  vote, but then, you’d probably just pay the fine rather than get off your butts, or actually think…..

By now the entire country  knows what happened here in BC…the re-election of the Provincial Liberals (or Con-Lites) …to say that  I am depressed is to  state the case in an all-too delicate way.

If I can derive any tiny bit of  satisfaction  from the election, it is that… a) my old home riding, Kitsilano in Vancouver, did not elect Christy Clark  as their MLA – and this is Gordon Campbell’s old riding, where we fought long and hard to unseat him (unsuccessfully, I should add)… and b)   Vancouver Island, my current  home base, stubbornly true to form, went almost all NDP,  and even elected our first Green MLA, leaving only one seat left for the Fiberals  in,  inexplicably, the Comox Valley……

So, here’s my plan for the future..that the Island declare Independence  and break away from the rest of the Mainland, becoming their own  Province…and why not?  We have a very large land base, and grow an increasingly large amount of our own healthy food. We have a thriving  tourist industry, beautiful natural places (that we want to maintain and protect) and we are willing to fight hard to protect, and work with, not destroy, our  well-appreciated  natural resources. We have elected politicians willing to thumb their nose at the status quo and protect children’s health and education, and show some respect for our  seniors…

I have a strange sort of feeling that other  places might actually wish to join us..the Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii, etc….(well, Haida Gwaii as a friendly sovereign nation, then)

It will take me a long time to recover from this  major defeat of principles and social justice..but, of course, the work continues, because I just know that  the Feds will look on this  rightwing triumph as a green light for the pipeline push…and that is something that should be fought with everything we have…it’s the only important fight we have left.

Underground grow-op found under fake horse paddock Fake fire pit, dog house and horse paddock all hid underground operation CBC News Posted: May 7, 2013 2:16 PM PT

Canada’s  Provincial and Federal governments can be said to be implicit partners in this ‘enterprise,’ and so many others around BC and the rest of the country,  since they refuse to acknowledge that legalizing marijuana would make all this infrastructure an expensive waste of time and money….unfortunately, we as taxpayers get stuck with a massive bill for the bust, the so-called clean -up and the legal fees, the incarceration (rare) of the perpetrators…and for what?
We are so pathetic…..