UNLIMITED OBLIGATIONS FOR FOREIGN AID TO HAITI

Written by Paul Fromm

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 10:30

*Unlimited Obligations for Foreign Aid to Haiti* Prime Minister Stephen Harper used to be known as a fiscal conservative. Now,. because of bailouts over the past year Canada is deeplyh in deficit and there are broad hints that federal programmes and spending will have to be restrained. Well, not when it comes to handouts to Haiti. A week ago, Harper announced that, in addition to money ($5-million, plus the previously announced $555-million over five years [2006-2011], plus sending 2,000 Canadian troops to Haiti) already announced, the government would match dollar for dollar private donations from Canadians up to $50-million. Now, in wild exuberance, the feds will sink us deeper into deficit and will match all amounts -- no limits -- that Canadians might raise. Kids are being shaken down in their schools by eager beaver teachers, LCBO check out counter people are trying to prod customers to fork over $2.00 apiece. "Prime Minister Stephen Harper is giving Canadians millions more reasons to donate to Haiti relief efforts. Harper announced Saturday that Ottawa would match all donations from Canadians to recognized charities working in Haiti, removing a previous cap of 50 million. The federal government made the move as donations from generous Canadians have already topped 60 million." (*Toronto Star*, January 23, 2010) *Ottawa lifts cap for Haiti donations* January 23, 2010 Torstar News Services OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper is giving Canadians millions more reasons to donate to Haiti relief efforts. Harper announced Saturday that Ottawa would match all donations from Canadians to recognized charities working in Haiti, removing a previous cap of 50 million. The federal government made the move as donations from generous Canadians have already topped 60 million. Harper said Saturday that "giving has exceeded all expectations." And he said because of that generosity, Ottawa was motivated to remove its cap on its own contributions. The matching program effectively doubles the donations made by Canadians and has been hailed by charities as providing a good incentive for Canadians to give. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said that the number of Canadians killed in the earthquake had risen by one to 17. And he warned that the death toll is likely to rise in the days ahead after Haiti declared that the search and rescue effort was ending. There are 236 Canadians unaccounted for in Haiti and 190 peope are in the compound of the compound of the Canadian embassy compound awaiting evacuation back to Canada, Cannon said. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney also announced the first plane carrying Haitian children to adopted homes in Canada was expected to arrive in Ottawa early Sunday morning. The children on the first flight will be going to homes across the country. The federal immigration department has been working with provincial counterparts to expedite the processing of some 154 adoption applications that were already well-advanced when the earthquake struck almost two weeks ago. Canadians have been donating money to help the earthquake-ravaged country by the thousands. From school bake sales to "text donations" to loonies and toonies dropped in corner store collection boxes, Canadians are donating by the thousands to help Haitians struggling in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. That flood of donations is setting Canadians apart, leading the world in providing aid to Haiti, giving almost $2 per person. And today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to announce the federal government is upping its cap on matching contributions. Ottawa had promised to match donations to the Haitian relief effort to a maximum of $50 million, effectively doubling individual donations to charities. But with donations rapidly approaching that total, the federal government is poised to commit even more funding to earthquake relief efforts. Harper praised Canadians Friday for their "compassion and generosity," and implored everyone to give more. "So widespread is the damage, so severe the destruction that much is needed, much more," Harper said in a message that aired on a nationwide telethon

 

ALBERTANS CAN WAIT LONGER. ALBERTA HOSPITALS OFFER TO TAKE IN HAITIAN INFLUX.

Written by Paul Fromm

Friday, 22 January 2010 09:45

*Albertans can wait longer. Alberta hospitals offer to take in Haitian influx.* "Alberta hospitals are ready to deal with an influx of patients from earthquake-ravaged Haiti, says the CEO of Alberta Health Services. Stephen Duckett said so far there have been no requests for either hospital beds or health workers to deal ...with fallout from the hard-hit island nation, but he said Alberta will do whatever it can to help survivors of the catastrophe." (*EDMONTON SUN*, January 18, 2010) *A good frind of mine from Alberta sent me this. What a betrayal by the Alberta Government. -- Paul Fromm* "Ugh. It breaks my heart to see my proud province slobbering like a mental defective. Oil or no, I say Alberta is bankrupt in 20 years if this nonsense is typical. This is unrecognizable from the province I knew. Notice that now that she finally has the province she always wanted, one of my trendy liberal friends is moving out. I was particularly disappointed to see that nowhere in this sickeningly juvenile delusional fantasy, is there room for any assurance that, should Alberta health workers be (ahem!) called upon, Albertans need not worry - health services at home will be maintained to the same high standard. Maybe they really don't care about the boring old idiots who actually pay for tender mercies. I was listening to NPR the other day and some of the aid specialists were - guardedly - talking about this phenomenon. There is even an acronym for it -- SUV -- spontaneous uninvited volunteer. As I say, they were circumspect, but evidently thousands of these do gooders creep out of the woodwork after every disaster. It's no wonder really, with an increasingly infantalized, uncritical social order marinated in guilt and subject to constant images of fly blown, distended bellied children -- that when an entirely new catastrophe occurs -- well of course a certain percentage will conclude, "I who have so much -- surely there is something I can do?? Can I not make, if not a difference, a penance? Gee, imagine someone like me falling in love with someone from doctors without borders -- or a local!!" I remember reading about some totally Trotskyite woman in London who lived, breathed, dreamed communism and in some small way, spied for the CCCP. Somehow or other, some crisis in her life prompted her to defect. She flew to Moscow and gratefully, tearfully, professed her undying devotion to the people's republic to an offical at the airport. It was a homecoming, an orgasmic moment of pure, ideological fulfillment to be "home" at last! The Russians drugged her and put her on the return flight. Anyway, all of this should be anticipated -- when the church held sway in people's lives, well intentioned idiots signed on for missionary duty in fever swamps. Driven by all consuming zeal for the cause, thousands died horrible deaths, went slowly mad, served as cannibal king's breakfasts -- no difference here really -- just a different religion in play.

 

CLINTON: U.S. GOV'T WILL PUSH HARDER AGAINST WEB CENSORSHIP

Written by Paul Fromm

Friday, 22 January 2010 09:44

Clinton: U.S. gov't will push harder against Web censorship *[Canada, with its notorious Sec. 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, and, of course, France and poor, pathetic free speech hating Germany should take a cue from the U.S. Government and abolish and fight Internet censorship. -- Paul Fromm, Director, Canadian Association for Free Expression.]* By Grant Gross January 21, 2010 11:47 AM ET *IDG News Service* - The U.S. Department of State will launch several new initiatives focused on fighting Internet censorship, including working with businesses and other groups to develop mobile applications that help residents of countries with repressive governments report problems, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday. The State Department will also sponsor an innovation competition looking for new ways to connect residents of other nations to Internet services, and it will support new circumvention technologies for dissidents whose connections to the open Internet are blocked, Clinton said during a speech at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. "Both the American people and nations that censor the Internet should understand that our government is committed to helping promote Internet freedom," Clinton said. "We want to put these tools in the hands of people who will use them to advance democracy and human rights, to fight climate change and epidemics." Clinton's speech came nine days after Google announced that it may exit China because of cyberattacks originating from the country<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9144221/Google_attack_part_of_widespread_spying_effort>that appeared to be an attempt to silence or spy on human-rights activists there. State Department officials have said Clinton's speech was not a reaction to Google's announcement<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9146659/Clinton_to_challenge_Internet_censorship_in_policy_address>, but Clinton referenced Chinese censorship several times in her speech. The State Department wants the Chinese government to conduct a comprehensive and "transparent" investigation of the Google complaints, Clinton said. China and other countries that censor the Internet run the risk of being left behind in the world's economy, Clinton said. Businesses operating within repressive governments are at a disadvantage because they don't have the same access to information as competitors from other countries, she said. "Countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of Internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century," Clinton added. Nations that censor the Internet also foster instability, and violent dissent in many nations is driven by anger that residents can't express their frustrations, she said. "Historically, asymmetrical access to information is one of the leading causes of interstate conflict," she said. Clinton also called on U.S. businesses, particularly media providers, to fight censorship in the countries where they operate. Customers need to trust that media and search companies are providing the best information available, not censored results, Clinton said. "Censorship should not be in any way accepted by any company anywhere," she said. "American companies need to make a principled stand. This needs to be part of our national brand." The new State Department Internet freedom push, part of the agency's 21st Century Statecraft <http://www.state.gov/statecraft/> initiative, will ask businesses, educational institutions, nonprofit groups and others to develop new Internet and mobile applications to aid freedom of expression, Clinton said. Although she didn't provide a lot of details about the initiative, Clinton gave examples of applications that would help users rate government agencies for response and efficiency or report corruption.