Jeremy Maddock on an old ‘Dean Team’ idea of affordable housing in Victoria: ‘politicians only support affordable housing that’s publicly funded and managed.’ Letter published in Times Colonist, October 27, 2011.

City wants a monopoly on affordable housing

BY JEREMY MADDOCK, TIMES COLONIST OCTOBER 27, 2011

Re: “‘It’s not going to cost the city a penny,’ ” Times Colonist, Oct. 22.

I was quite disgusted to read that the City of Victoria is continuing to block a private developer’s efforts to offer affordable housing units in an unused downtown hotel.

Wherever you come from ideologically, it’s difficult to deny that Victoria is in desperate need of more affordable housing.

It’s one of the main talking points in every local election.

But it seems that once they are elected, local politicians only support affordable housing that’s publicly funded and managed.

When a private entrepreneur comes along with a viable business model to turn an empty hotel into cheap housing for struggling Victorians, City Hall opposes it.

Could it be that politicians only believe in helping people when they have a monopoly on doing it?

I was also a little shocked by at least one councillor’s rationale for opposing the private affordable housing plan:

“Coun. Lynn Hunter is worried that the nature of the development could make it a magnet for single men, which could lead to added social costs such as police calls the city will have to pick up in the future.”

Can you imagine if this councillor had said the same thing about blacks, natives, or basically any minority group other than “single men?”

Jeremy Maddock

Victoria

Read more:http://www.timescolonist.com/business/City+wants+monopoly+affordable+housing/5614717/story.html#ixzz1elHb4zPb

Shellie Gudgeon and Lisa Helps, newly-elected Victoria Councillors, stand with people against ‘stupid meters’ at Victoria rally, Thursday, November 24

GUDGEON AND HELPS:

SUPPORT STOPSMARTMETERS.CA PETITIONERS

Shellie Gudgeon and Lisa Helps, two newly elected Victoria City Councillors yet to be formally sworn in, attended a rally at the Legislature this afternoon.

CBC TV cameraman was in attendance, as was Heather Quinn, the indefatiguable Fairfield activist-publisher.

I shook Gudgeon’s hand, congratulating her, and telling her ‘I voted for you anyway.’

Her reaction was frosty, to say the least.

I then went over to chat with Heather Quinn and Lisa Helps.

I congraulated Lisa Helps and admitted to her that I had not voted for her, but nevertheless told her that her attendance at the rally impressed me, and gave me hope, as this a very important issue.

She agreed with me that it was.

Then Heather gave us her latest information on electromagnetic radiation pollution.

Before leaving Lisa Helps, I told her that I thought that her election, and that of Shellie Gudgeon was a signal of disenchantment by the people of Victoria for Dean Fortin’s plans for the Bridge, and I encouraged her to get together with Councillor Geoff Young, Shellie Gudgeon and even Ben Isitt and try to stop the old bridge from being torn down.

Lisa Helps said she wasn’t sure if it wasn’t too late to stop the new bridge.

I encouraged her to look into it, nevertheless, and it is my understanding that she committed to doing that.

I hope I haven’t misunderstood or misreported anything here.

Gregory Paul Michael Hartnell

Even CNN ‘Truth Squad’ contradicts warmongering against Iran: ‘While Ahmadinejad is no fan of Israel or the United States, he did not state in August that he wants to eradicate Israel.’

Truth squad: Has Iran said it wants to attack Israel?

By the CNN Wire Staff

November 23, 2011 — Updated 0810 GMT (1610 HKT)

Editor’s note: Part of the CNN Republican debate fact-checking series

(CNN) — An Israeli strike on Iran was raised as a possibility at Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate in Washington. Candidates were asked if they, as president, would join or support Israel.

Michele Bachmann said the issue of Israeli aggression came up only because of Iran’s possible nuclear capability.

The statement: “…why is it that we’re talking about Israel having to make a strike against Iran? It’s because Iran has announced they plan to strike Israel.

“They’ve stated, as recently as August just before President Ahmadinejad came to — to the U.N. General Assembly. He said that he wanted to eradicate Israel from the face of the Earth.

“He has said that if he has a nuclear weapon he will use it to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. He will use it against the United States of America.”

The facts:

In 2005, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during a meeting with protesting students at Iran’s Interior Ministry, quoted a remark from Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of Iran’s Islamic revolution, that Israel “must be wiped out from the map of the world.”

Ahmadinejad then said: “And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism,” according to a quote published by Iran’s state news outlet, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

This year, Ahmadinejad spoke to the U.N. General Assembly in September. He criticized Zionism and the United States, but did not threaten a military attack on either country.

Ahmadinejad has maintained Iran seeks only nuclear energy capability, not nuclear weapons. On November 9, he denied once again that his country is pursuing nukes.

“The Americans have fabricated a stack of papers and he keeps speaking about them,” he said on state-run Press TV. “Why don’t you do a report on the U.S. nuclear program and its allies? Present a report on the thousands of U.S. military bases where Washington has nuclear arms that threaten global security.”

The verdict: False. While Ahmadinejad is no fan of Israel or the United States, he did not state in August that he wants to eradicate Israel. Because he does not acknowledge pursuit of nuclear weapons, he could not have threatened to use them against Israel or the United States.

CNN’s Amy Roberts contributed to this report.

William Perry: ‘Victoria Police Chief Constable Jamie Graham’s targets have ‘more to do with compensating Victoria and its out-of-control spending habits, which has Victoria spending more than any other B.C. municipality for policing’

City of Victoria spending motivates Police Chief Graham’s plan

to amalgamate police, says former police officer William Perry

Re: VicPD launches bold vision for policing (Victoria News, Nov. 16)

It’s ironic that Victoria police Chief Constable Jamie Graham targets 2020.

A 20/20 vision must be a community-driven initiative to plan and implement strategies that enhance a community.

Graham’s plan shows a lack of community participation and again, another attempt to manipulate a desired outcome, that has little to do with benefit to the area and more to do with compensating Victoria and its out-of-control spending habits, which has Victoria spending more than any other B.C. municipality for policing on both a per capita and GOP basis.

The province is not interested and neither are the surrounding municipalities.

‘Spending motivates police amalgamation’

Victoria News, Page A11

Wednesday, November 23, 2010

William Perry

Victoria

Causton’s last bad idea rejected by Hazel Braithwaite, Nils Jensen and Tara Ney

Oak Bay Lodge project rejected

Heather Heine and her friends Oak Bay residents Patricia Walter and Jim Piercey, along with Sandra Bose take a look at a model of the proposed Oak Bay Lodge redevelopment.

Laura Lavin/News staff

• Oak Bay Lodge vote happens Monday
• Oak Bay Lodge vote postponed
• Special council meeting tonight to vote on Oak Bay Lodge
• Oak Bay Lodge project moving forward
• Oak Bay Lodge lands changing hands
• HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS: Oak Bay at provincial basketball championships

By Laura Lavin – Oak Bay News
Published: November 22, 2011 10:00 AM
Updated: November 22, 2011 2:51 PM

Community outrage over a potential six-storey development sparked a five-hour debate in Oak Bay.

Council heard from dozens against the plan to rebuild Oak Bay Lodge into a 320-bed complex care facility for seniors with dementia before denying a variance request in a three to two vote just after midnight.

Councillors Tara Ney, Hazel Braithwaite and Nils Jensen voted against the variance. “This has not been an open and transparent process,” said Jensen.

Councillor John Herbert and mayor Christopher Causton voted in favour. “I can’t take the risk for this community that this facility is going to go somewhere else,” said Causton.

Baptist Housing CEO Howard Johnson told council they arranged financing for the project that would be lost if not used before Dec. 31.

“Baptist Housing will be meeting with our partners, Vancouver Island Health Authority and Capital Regional Hospital District, to determine what our options and next steps are,” Johnson said. “Baptist Housing remains committed to providing resident-centred complex care and licensed dementia housing for the seniors of Greater Victoria.”

Residents complained a lack of communication left them feeling confused, manipulated and defensive.

“Any problem the developer has is not sufficient to curtail adequate discussion of the project,” said resident Norman Wale.

editor@oakbaynews.com

Stop ‘Smart Meters’ Rally at Hydro presentation Thurs. Nov.24, 140 Oswego St. ETA 5:30 pm. Let’s meet in front. Hydro’s ‘smart meter’ presentation begins at 6:30pm… plus Nov. 21 update

Smart Meter update Nov. 21

Monday, November 21, 2011 11:27:57 PM

1)  WE ARE SO CLOSE TO 10,000 SIGNATURES ON OUR PETITION . WE CAN DO IT!! FAX YOUR PETITIONS DIRECTLY TO JOHN HORGAN’S OFFICE, BEST IF BEFORE BUT IF NECESSARY KEEP THEM COMING RIGHT UP TO NOON ON THURSDAY, NOV. 24. HIS FAX NO. IS . Fax number 250-387-4680 for Horgan’s office.

THIS IS A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT. HORGAN HIMSELF SAID FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS COMPLAINED, THERE ARE AT LEAST 20-30 WHO HAVEN’T. THAT MEANS OUR 10,000 SIGNATURES EQUATES TO 200,000-300,000 BRITISH COLUMBIANS. CALL YOUR MLA, CALL HORGAN’S OFFICE, CONSTITUENCY 250-391-2801AND THE LEGISLATIVE OFFICE 250-387-3655. TELL HIM WE WANT A PRESS CONFERENCE, WE WANT THE PREMIER AND ENERGY MINISTER TO HEAR US.

CONGRATULATIONS FOR AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT.

2) A great letter from Quesnel. http://quesnelcariboosentinel.com/bc-hydro%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98smart%E2%80%99-meters-confronting-corix

3) And a great article by Will Thomas  http://www.willthomasonline.net/the%20new%20plague.htm

4) Rally at Hydro presentation Thurs. Nov.24, 140 Oswego St. ETA 5:30 pm. Let’s meet in front. Presentation begins at 6:30pm.

Hydro presentation at the James Bay Centre. We will need bodies, signage, info and petition forms. We will also make up more non-consent forms and meter signage.

Bring lots of questions. The “Separating Fact and Fiction” found at www.stopsmartmetersbc.ca under “printables” is a great starting point. We need lots of questions for the Hydro people to have to answer.

.

Jeremy Maddock on ‘harm reduction’ and prohibition: “Both ideologies are immoral.”

Jeremy Maddock says:

November 22, 2011 at 6:32 am (Edit)

Hello Gregory,

Glad to hear that you’re still one of the few people speaking rationally in Greater Victoria politics.

Prohibition of drugs is vindictive, imposing unnecessary pain on those who have not necessarily done harm to others. “Harm reduction” shields people from the natural consequences of their own negative behaviour. Both ideologies are immoral.

Drug abuse can be devastating. The results of this devastation might spur certain individuals into change and onto the right path. Shielding them from their own behaviour (i.e. harm reduction) will lull them into complacency, while the creation of additional punitive consequences (i.e. prohibition) will inevitably force them further into misery.

The only (potential) solution is principled Christian compassion, which differs from either punitive destruction or passive enabling. If (and only if) people want to change, they have to make a choice to change. Principled compassion *might* help them in this regard.

Food banks and low-cost housing can be a part of this, but as you correctly state, government should not be at the forefront. Government screws up most projects (and people) it touches. The only solution is to lower the tax burden on all of us and trust good people to show some compassion and guidance to those in need who genuinely want a better life.

 Jeremy Maddock

Kevin Barrett: Big lies told about the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“My Dad Helped the CIA Kill JFK!”

Saint John Hunt, recipient and custodian of father E. Howard Hunt’s confession to participating in the LBJ-approved, CIA-orchestrated murder of JFK

[Don’t miss James Fetzer’s talk Who Killed JFK? this Tuesday, November 22nd at the University of Wisconsin-Madison!

Details here.]

Of all the big lies told about the JFK assassination, perhaps the biggest is:

“I guess we’ll never really know what happened.”

Kevin Barrett

• Occupation: author, radio host
• Location: Lone Rock : Wisconsin : United States
• Audio Clip

I’m the author of Questioning the War on Terror: A Primer for Obama Voters; Truth Jihad; A Guide to Mysterious San Francisco; and editor of 9/11 and American Empire v.2, and have taught Arabic, Islamic Studies, French, American Civilization and others subjects. Widely regarded as the world’s leading Muslim 9/11 truth activist (for what that’s worth) I spent 2006-2008 as the only talk show host featured on all three leading patriot radio networks (GCN, RBN, and WTPRN). I ran for Congress in Wisconsin’s 3rd District in 2008: http://www.barrettforcongress.us Currently I’m working on a couple of book projects…

[Read the rest by clicking on the link found in the comments.]

‘President Kennedy opposed Israel’s power over the United States of America’, writes Bob Johnson @ Veterans Today

John F. Kennedy Oppossed Israel’s Power

John F. Kennedy and family.

by Bob Johnson

 

Tomorrow, November 22, 2011 is the 48th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. One part of JFK’s character which will not be covered by the mass media is his courageous opposition to the power Israel enjoys over the United States of America.

In the thought provoking book, They Dare to Speak Out by Paul Findley we read on page 114 that during Kennedy’s campaign for president in 1960 he had a meeting with some prominent Jews.

Kennedy was very insulted when one of the Jews said they knew Kennedy’s campaign was in financial difficulty and that he and his Jewish friends would “help and help significantly” John Kennedy’s campaign if, as president, Kennedy “would allow them to set the course of Middle East policy over the next four years.”

It was this meeting that made JFK want to work for a law that would have the U.S. Treasury pay a set and equal amount for all politicians running for president who secured a to be determined percentage of signatures of people supporting their campaign.

He saw this as the only way to prevent the nightmare of today, which has not only the President, but the overwhelming majority of people in Congress bought and paid for by the very powerful Israeli lobby.

Israel’s lobby is so strong that hardly any politician will disobey their orders regarding U.S. Middle East foreign policy. And that includes starting wars, such as the war in Iraq, which benefit Israel and harm America and the rest of the world.

In Seymour Hersh’s insightful book, The Samson Option, which addresses Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal, Hersh covers John Kennedy’s fight to stop Israel’s nuclear proliferation. He writes that Kennedy was “fixated” on stopping the Jewish state’s nuclear build up.

Another interesting point in Hersh’s book is that the Democrat John Kennedy appointed a Republican, John A. McCone, to lead the C.I.A. because McCone was not afraid to confront Israel about its nuclear weapons work at Dimona. In 1965 McCone resigned because Lyndon Johnson was afraid to confront Israel as Kennedy had done and Johnson was scared he would lose Jewish votes and support if he did try to stop Israel’s nuclear weapons program. In 1965 the Gilpatric report, which has since been declassified, called for the U.S. to pressure other nations, including Israel, to not build nuclear weapons. Johnson ignored and suppressed the report. Every politician after Kennedy toed the line with the Israeli lobby after the assassination of John Kennedy.

 

‘Oak Bay democracy can still be clean, easy and free’, says Gregory Hartnell; ‘Rockland Outsider’ didn’t spend a cent on paperless sign-free Campaign for Oak Bay Liberty

I am pleased to report something that I am sure that all my cousins the Turnbulls, and all my long-dead Glaswegian ancestors on my mother’s side, would certainly appreciate.

I didn’t spend a red cent, not one devalued Canadian penny, not one single unit of the Bankster’s fiat currency in spreading the bulletproof ideas of Liberty to the good people of Oak Bay in last week’s election.

I analysed the basics of Dr. Ron Paul’s erudition and wisdom, integrating the most applicable economic principles into my own non partisan ten point plan for Oak Bay economic recovery, incorporating Austrian School of Economics ideas as I understand them from studying Dr. Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty.

So it is quite possible to come from Victoria with a commendation and a warning, to stand for election in a neighbouring jurisdiction, to spread timeless revolutionary anti-corporatist ideas, to not spend a cent, and to have about 569 souls vote for those sorts of pro-Life, pro-Liberty, pro low tax ideas.

Thanks to all my Pro-Life, Pro-Liberty, Pro-Peace, Pro-Market, Pro-Sound Money Concerned Citizens and other new friends in Oak Bay.

Remember folks, this campaign was essentially a one man operation, run by face to face contact with Oak Bay residents, telephone calls, emails and blogs.

Imagine what you can do with a gang of peaceful Liberty revolutionaries who are more computer savvy than your humble servant, and not hung up on Scottish frugality.

I didn’t use any so-called social media at all.

No facebook ‘friends’, no myspace, no linkedin, no twittering…

NADA de estas cosas estupidas!

MUCHAS GRACIAS, AMIGOS!

Gregory Paul Michael Hartnell

‘Goyo de la Rosa’

CCC