Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

This City Came Up With a Simple Solution to Homelessness: Housing

Kilee Lowe was sitting in a park when cops picked her up and booked her into jail overnight.
After she got out the next morning, she returned to the park. The same officer who had thrown her into a cell not twenty-four hours before booked her again. It was back to jail for Kilee.
Kilee has been cycling in and out of the criminal justice system for years. After three and a half years in prison, she’s been homeless for a little over a year now.

40,000 Voter Registrations Have Mysteriously Vanished, Could Determine Control Of The Senate

ATLANTA, GEORGIA—A court could decide any day now whether tens of thousands of Georgia voters can cast a ballot this November, a choice that could sway the outcome of the state’s neck-and-neck races for Governor and Senator.
Earlier this year, organizers fanned out across nearly every one of Georgia’s 159 counties and registered nearly 90 thousand people who have never voted in their lives, most of them people of color, many of them under 25 years old. But when the groups checked back in late August, comparing their registration database to the state’s public one, they noticed about 50,000 of the registrations had vanished, nearly all of them belonging to people of color in the Democratic-leaning regions around Atlanta, Savannah and Columbus.

Why Do Banks Want Our Deposits? Hint: It’s Not to Make Loans

Many authorities have said it: banks do not lend their deposits. They create the money they lend on their books.

Robert B. Anderson, Treasury Secretary under Eisenhower, said it in 1959:

When a bank makes a loan, it simply adds to the borrower’s deposit account in the bank by the amount of the loan. The money is not taken from anyone else’s deposits; it was not previously paid in to the bank by anyone. It’s new money, created by the bank for the use of the borrower.

Climate Change May Cause 'Serious, Pervasive And Irreversible' Damage: Report

OSLO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Climate change may have "serious, pervasive and irreversible" impacts on human society and nature, according to a draft U.N. report due for approval this week that says governments still have time to avert the worst.

Delegates from more than 100 governments and top scientists meet in Copenhagen on Oct 27-31 to edit the report, meant as the main guide for nations working on a U.N. deal to fight climate change at a summit in Paris in late 2015.

They will publish the study on Nov. 2.

News World news Ebola White House warns Cuomo and Christie over Ebola quarantine rules

White House officials warned the governors of New York and New Jersey of the “unintended consequences” of quarantining all medical workers returning from west Africa, as a political crisis deepened on Sunday over how to counter public fears about the spread of Ebola in the US.

Amid a barrage of criticism from aid organisations, medical experts and the mayor of New York, the governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, and his New York counterpart, Andrew Cuomo, have defended their plans, which provide for the mandatory 21-day quarantine of anyone returning from west Africa after direct contact with people suffering from Ebola.

Heightened security only increases our fears -- Why the best response to the Ottawa shootings is to open Parliament to all Canadians

You could hear the adrenalin in his voice. A journalist, who had been locked down in Parliament all day, was being interviewed about the tragic events in Ottawa. The gun fire, the shouts, the sirens, the hours of waiting, the rumours, the fear: all of this had understandably rattled him.

He spoke rapidly and demanded to know “What went wrong?” How could a terrorist walk into the very heart of our democracy with a gun? How did the police not stop this? How did our spies not predict this? Just last week Michel Coulombe, the director for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had testified to a House of Commons committee that there were 80 Canadians who had travelled overseas to join banned terrorist organizations, and returned, and were now being watched as potential threats. “Why,” demanded the journalist, his voice rising, “are we not rounding them up right now?”

IRS Seizes Money From Guiltless Americans on Mere Suspicion

A controversial area of law known as civil asset forfeiture empowers the IRS to confiscate significant sums of money from “run-of-the-mill business owners and wage earners without so much as an allegation” and “without ever filing a criminal complaint,” leaving the owners “to prove they are innocent,” The New York Times reports.

The law’s stated purpose is to catch drug traffickers, racketeers and terrorists by tracking their finances, the paper explains. But enforcement officers have instead “swept up dairy farmers in Maryland, an Army sergeant in Virginia saving for his children’s college education,” and other guiltless Americans of modest incomes.

25 European Banks Fail Stress Test

FRANKFURT, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Twenty five of the euro zone's 130 biggest banks have failed a landmark health check and ended last year with a collective capital shortfall of 25 billion euros, the European Central Banks said on Sunday.

A dozen of those banks have already addressed the gap by raising 15 billion euros over the course of this year.

Italy's financial sector faces the biggest challenge with nine of its banks failing the test, according to watchdog the European Banking Authority, which coordinated the fourth EU stress test with the ECB.

Top U.S. Health Official: Ebola Quarantines May Have Unintended Consequences

NEW YORK (AP) — The gulf between politicians and scientists over Ebola widened on Sunday as the nation's top infectious-disease expert warned that the mandatory, 21-day quarantining of medical workers returning from West Africa is unnecessary and could discourage volunteers from traveling to the danger zone.

Late Sunday night, the governors of New York and New Jersey stressed separately that the policies allowed for home confinement for medical workers who have had contact with Ebola patients if the workers show no symptoms. They will receive twice-daily monitoring from health officials.

Brutal Crimes Don't Justify Bad Laws

A true tragedy, driven by a media frenzy, often provokes a misguided need to do something as quickly as possible and leads to bad public policy - like California's Three Strikes sentencing law.

Massachusetts Juvenile Judge Jay D. Blitzman got it right when he explained in 2008 why brutal crimes so often lead to bad laws. In an article for the Barry Law Review he wrote: "As the public and media react to the crime du jour, there is an unfortunate tendency to legislate by anecdote." Stories gain momentum, get fueled in the press, and can be used for political advantage by the powers that be, and before we know it, the need for change, and in some cases, vengeance, turns too quickly into ill-conceived laws.

Sarnia, Ontario Industrial Plant Explosion Sends 5 To Hospital

SARNIA, Ont. - An explosion that tore through an industrial facility in this southwestern Ontario city sent five people to hospital, with one airlifted to a health centre in critical condition, officials said Saturday.

The explosion occurred in the afternoon at the Veolia ES Canada Industrial Services Inc. plant, which is located in an industrial stretch of the municipality and not near any homes.

Egypt Jails 23 Young Activists For Protesting

CAIRO, Oct 26 (Reuters) - An Egyptian court sentenced 23 young activists to three years in jail on Sunday for violating a law that forbids protesting without a permit, judicial sources said.

The activists, among them a 28-year-old lawyer with a prominent local rights organization, were arrested in June after protesting against a law passed last year that bans demonstrations held without the approval of the police.

They were also found guilty of blocking off a road during the protest, among other charges. The court fined those sentenced 10,000 Egyptian pounds($1,400). (1 US dollar = 7.1500 Egyptian pound)

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: Reuters

Bill C-42, 'Common Sense' Gun Law, Shelved In Wake Of Ottawa Shootings

OTTAWA — The Conservative government appears to be quietly shelving its controversial “Common Sense” gun bill in light of Wednesday’s shooting.

Government House Leader Peter Van Loan’s office was silent Friday about the future of Bill C-42. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney’s office refused to comment, directing inquiries to Van Loan. The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act was scheduled to be debated for the first time on the day of the shootings, with three days set aside for discussion. It no longer figures on the government’s stated agenda.

The Line Between Terrorism and Mental Illness

When Corporal Nathan Cirillo stood guard on Wednesday morning at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, which stands kitty-corner from Canada’s Parliament, he carried a rifle that was unloaded. Although the sentries at the monument are real soldiers, their presence is more about preserving the dignity of the monument than defending against violent attacks. The position of memorial guard was created after a 2006 episode in which three hooligans urinated on the tomb commemorating the war dead.

As an unarmed soldier carrying out a civic responsibility, Cirillo, who was in his mid-twenties, existed in a kind of liminal state between military and civilian status when he was shot early in the day, by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a thirty-two-year-old Canadian-born convert to Islam. Zehaf-Bibeau then tried to storm Canada’s Parliament, where he was killed during an exchange of fire inside the building, by the parliamentary sergeant at arms, Kevin Vickers. In a sombre speech that night, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper described Zehaf-Bibeau as a “terrorist” and linked his acts to an “ISIL-inspired” attack two days earlier in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, in which two Canadian soldiers were hit by a car driven by Martin Couture-Rouleau, a twenty-five-year-old who was also a convert to Islam. One of the soldiers, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, died from his injuries.

Ya'alon bans Palestinians from Israeli-run bus lines in West Bank, following settler pressure

Following intense pressure from settlers, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon has issued a directive that bans Palestinian workers from traveling on Israeli-run public transportation in the West Bank.

The decision contradicts the stance of the Israel Defense Forces, which does not view the presence of Palestinians on West Bank buses as a security threat.

The new guidelines prohibit Palestinian workers from using buses that run directly from central Israel to the West Bank; instead they will have to arrive at the Eyal Crossing, near Qalqilyah and far from populated settler areas, and continue to their final destination from there.

30 Shocking Domestic Violence Statistics That Remind Us It's An Epidemic

The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 was 6,488. The number of American women who were murdered by current or ex male partners during that time was 11,766. That's nearly double the amount of casualties lost during war.

St. Louis Cop Shot Black Teen 6 Times In Back Of Legs During Fatal Shooting: Family Autopsy

(Reuters) - A white off-duty St. Louis police officer shot a black teenager six times in the back of the legs and once in the side of the head in what was likely a fatal wound, a doctor who performed a private autopsy for the teen's family said on Friday.

The shooting of Vonderrit Myers, 18, in a St. Louis neighborhood earlier in October led to a renewed intensity of demonstrations that have continued in the area since unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead on Aug. 9 by a white police officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson.

How Conservatives Justify Poll Taxes

During the Obama era, the Republican Party has made the modern revival of the poll tax a point of party dogma. Direct poll taxes have been illegal for 50 years, but the GOP has discovered a workaround. They have passed laws requiring photo identification, forcing prospective voters who lack them, who are disproportionately Democratic and nonwhite, to undergo the extra time and inconvenience of acquiring them. They have likewise fought to reduce early voting hours on nights and weekends, thereby making it harder for wage workers and single parents, who have less flexibility at work and in their child care, to cast a ballot.

Nurse Under Ebola Quarantine Criticizes Her Treatment

Kaci Hickox, the first nurse to be quarantined under a strict new policy on her return from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, criticized her treatment in a Dallas Morning News op-ed on Saturday.
Her words echoed concerns voiced by medical professionals that a mandatory 21-day quarantine for doctors and nurses who have treated Ebola patients would deter volunteers from signing on to fight the epidemic.

The Enemy Is Neglect of Mental Illness

Canada and the world were shocked this week by the brazen shooting of a Canadian soldier at our National War Memorial and an armed assault on our seat of government. These tragic events cry out for immediate and drastic action to ensure this never happens again. And based on what we know so far, the most effective intervention would be to invest in support for those dealing with mental illness, addiction and poverty.

The gunman Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was not part of a well-resourced terrorist organization or Islamic sleeper cell. Immediately before the shooting, he was living in an Ottawa homeless shelter. He apparently had a long history of addiction and mental illness. In 2012 he asked a B.C. judge to send him to jail so that he could try and deal with his addiction to crack cocaine.

The Simple Reason Behind Why Europe Can Have Climate Targets and the U.S. Can’t

The European Union climate summit has agreed to cut emissions by 40% by 2030, after hard bargaining by Poland and the UK failed to derail an agreement.

The 28 nations of the EU also agreed to improve energy efficiency by 27% over the next decade and a half, and to ensure a continent-wide proportion of at least 27% renewable energy market share.

In contrast, the production of carbon dioxide in the US increased in 2013, from roughly by 2.5 percent at a time when scientists are frantically signaling the need to significantly reduce that output.  The US produces about 5.5 billion metric tons of CO2 a year.  In 2014, the world crossed the symbolic barrier of 400 parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere, up from 270 in preindustrial times.  Archeological examination of ice cores that show past atmospheric composition demonstrates that such high levels of CO2 in prehistoric times (then caused by volcanic activity rather than human) were correlated with higher sea levels and a third less land area, with megastorms, and with tropical climates throughout the planet.

NYPD Chief Says Hatchet Killing Was "Terror' Attack

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police Commissioner William Bratton says the hatchet attack on four rookie officers was a terrorist act by a homegrown radical.

Bratton said Friday the suspect, Zale Thompson, was a Muslim convert who ranted online against America, but had no clear ties to international terrorism. He believes Thompson was self-radicalized.

Thompson was killed by police. One officer is hospitalized with a head wound.

Bratton says investigators are trying to determine whether the attack was planned.

Police are examining Thompson's computer for clues. Bratton says investigators found that Thompson browsed for organized terror groups, as well as beheadings and the shooting in Canada earlier this week.

Authorities also are trying to determine if Thompson had any history of mental illness. But Bratton says he is comfortable calling it a "terrorist attack."

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com/
Author: --

China Vows To Strengthen Judicial System

BEIJING (AP) — China's ruling Communist Party announced steps Thursday to improve judicial independence and check political interference in the courts in hopes to boost legal justice and alleviate social tensions. Yet, observers say it has failed to produce meaningful legal checks on the ruling party itself.

"There is only the rhetoric commitment with no mechanism to make constitutional rulings," said Willy Lam, an expert on Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Obama and the End of Greatness

In March of 1977, several weeks into the Carter Administration, “Saturday Night Live” featured a skit called “Ask President Carter.” The premise was a radio program, hosted by Walter Cronkite (Bill Murray), on which callers brought their problems to President Carter (Dan Aykroyd). After walking a postal worker through a highly technical repair to her letter-sorting machine (“There’s a three-digit setting there, where the post and the armature meet”), the President expertly talks a man down from an acid trip. “You did some orange sunshine, Peter,” Carter tells him. “Just remember you’re a living organism on this planet, and you’re very safe.… Relax, stay inside, and listen to some music, O.K.? Do you have any Allman Brothers?”*

Most Artists Who Make A Living From Their Work Are White, Research Says

A study compiled by data gurus BFAMFAPhD reaffirms what many, many, many critics have postulated -- American artists are facing a diversity problem. As The Washington Post reported, BFAMFAPhD's research reveals that most artists making a living from their work are white. And by most, we mean 77.6%.

A Song For Bruce Rauner, Illinois' Republican Governor Candidate

While Bruce Rauner may not be able to bank on winning the Illinois governor's seat, the multi-millionaire Republican can count on coming out a winner thanks to a lovelynew tune all about him.
Matt Farmer, a Chicago lawyer and musician has composed and recorded "Plutocrat (The Ballad of Bruce Rauner)," a country song that is sure to get Rauner's legs moving, even with his pockets so heavily weighted with cash.

Elizabeth Warren Teams Up With Orrin Hatch To Push Huge Science Research Fund

WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan duo of Senate heavyweights is set to unveil an unusual bill that would give lawmakers an incentive to fund biomedical research and, potentially, add billions to that mission.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) have been quietly working for the past year on the Invest for a Healthy Future Act, a bill that may end up increasing money for government agencies that fund research by more than $21.5 billion over the next dozen years.

New Canadian Anti-Terror Laws Expected To Land Next Week

OTTAWA - The Conservative government is expected to give police and spies new tools to fight terrorism as early as next week.

But some point out that anti-terror laws already on the books aren't being fully used to stem the threat of attacks by homegrown radicals.

Under existing provisions, leaving Canada to take part in terrorism abroad is a criminal offence.

In addition, police have the power to make a preventive arrest of anyone suspected of planning a terrorist attack.

Conservative legislation to focus on preventing terror attacks

The Conservative government is working quickly to draft legislation that would give security agencies and police new powers, in the wake of this week’s attacks in Quebec and Ottawa that left two soldiers dead and plunged Parliament Hill into chaos.

Conscious of public expectations around safety, the government is looking for ways to beef up measures in three areas: surveillance of potential terrorists; pre-emptive detention of people who pose threats; and ultimately, charges.

Anti-terror laws on books not being used

OTTAWA - The Conservative government is expected to give police and spies new tools to fight terrorism as early as next week.

But some point out that anti-terror laws already on the books aren't being fully used to stem the threat of attacks by homegrown radicals.

Under existing provisions, leaving Canada to take part in terrorism abroad is a criminal offence.

In addition, police have the power to make a preventive arrest of anyone suspected of planning a terrorist attack.

Tories Reject Call For All-Party National Security Oversight Committee

OTTAWA — The Conservative government gave a clear indication Friday it has no plans to support the creation of a parliamentary national security oversight committee although it plans to introduce new sweeping anti-terrorism measures.

Roxanne James, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of public safety and emergency preparedness, told MPs in the Commons Friday that Canada already has "independent robust oversight that actually includes a former member of provincial Parliament from the NDP."

President Obama’s ‘Dumb’ War

“I don’t oppose all wars,” said Barack Obama, then an Illinois state senator, in 2002. “What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war.”

Few would describe Obama’s use of military force against the Islamic State as rash, given the time he took in deciding to act. But the more we learn about this intervention, the more it appears to violate the “dumb” half of the president’s dictum. The purposes, parameters and prospects of the war are increasingly uncertain. Americans have a right to be concerned about the whole enterprise.

‘World's Poorest President' Explains Why We Should Kick Rich People Out Of Politics

People who like money too much ought to be kicked out of politics, Uruguayan President José Mujica told CNN en Español in an interview posted online Wednesday.

“We invented this thing called representative democracy, where we say the majority is who decides,” Mujica said in the interview. “So it seems to me that we [heads of state] should live like the majority and not like the minority.”

China Says U.N. Call For Full Political Rights No Measure For Hong Kong Reform

BEIJING, Oct 24 (Reuters) - China rebuffed a U.N. call for full political rights for Hong Kong on Friday, saying that an international covenant on such rights was not a "measure for reform" in the Chinese-ruled territory.

The U.N. Human Rights Committee on Thursday said residents in the former British colony, now a "special administrative region" of China with wide-ranging autonomy, should have the right to stand for election as well as the right to vote.

Hong Kong Protesters Will Vote On Whether To Stay In Streets

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong democracy activists will hold a two-day referendum starting Sunday to gauge protesters' response to government proposals to end the monthlong street occupation.

Protest organizers said late Friday they would register public opinion at the main downtown protest site, where thousands remain camped out, and two other satellite protest zones.

Ottawa Shooting: Harper Government Wants To Make Terror Arrests Easier

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney is giving more indications of how the government intends to strengthen Canada's security laws in the wake of Wednesday's attack in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

The minister told Radio-Canada on Friday that the government is eyeing the thresholds established in Canadian law for the preventive arrests of people thought to be contemplating attacks that may be linked to terrorism. Officials are considering how to make it easier to press charges against so-called lone-wolf attackers.

"The challenges are the thresholds — the thresholds that will allow either preventive arrest, or charges that lead to sentences, or more simple operations," Blaney said in French. "So what the prime minister has asked is for us to review in an accelerated manner the different mechanisms that are offered to police to ensure everyone's security."

Andrew Nikiforuk Breaks Down the Global Oil Price Slump

The dramatic slump in global oil prices has, as usual, caught governments, industry and markets off guard. In fact, Brent oil prices, a global standard, have dropped by 25 per cent since last June.

Given the chaos in Iraq, Syria, Libya and the Ukraine -- Russia is a major oil exporter -- some analysts would have predicted rising prices.

But that's not what's happening for a constellation of reasons.

As a consequence, falling prices are telling us something about changing oil markets, the stagnating state of the global economy, and the poor quality of extreme hydrocarbons.

Houston Mayor: Texas Wouldn't Give My Daughter A Driver's License Because She Has 2 Moms

WASHINGTON -- Houston Mayor Annise Parker (D) announced Thursday that the Texas Department of Public Safety had barred her daughter from taking a driving test because the daughter has two moms. Parker, who is the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city, wed her longtime partner in January.

Palestinian Boy Shot Dead By Israeli Forces At West Bank Protest

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Oct 24 (Reuters) - A Palestinian boy was shot dead during clashes between Israeli soldiers and stone-throwing protesters in the occupied West Bank on Friday, medics and residents said.

Orwah Hammad, 14, was shot in the head in the village of Silwad, north of the Palestinian seat of government in Ramallah.

An army spokesman told Reuters Israeli forces "managed to prevent an attack when they encountered a Palestinian man hurling a molotov cocktail at them on the main road next to Silwad. They opened fire and they confirmed a hit."

Oil Boom Prompts U.S. to Push for Crude Exports

OREGON—Oil and coal producers in the US are planning to use mile-long tanker trains to transport vast quantities of fossil fuels to the coast through areas that environmental groups believe should be protected.

The change in world fossil fuel production, consumption and costs caused by tar sands exploitation in Canada and the fracking boom in the US is causing what Bill McKibben—author, environmental activist and co-founder of the international climate campaign group 350.org—calls a “chokepoint” in the unspoiled Northwest of the country.

After Attack In Canada, Congressman Calls For More Surveillance Of Muslims In America

Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican said that the U.S. security agencies should try to thwart attacks like the one that took place in the Canadian Parliament this week by increasing surveillance on Muslims – and not giving in to “political correctness.”
“We have to find out what’s happening on the ground in these Muslim communities — what the NYPD used to do, but those morons at the New York Times Editorial Board and the American Civil Liberties Union went after them,” King said in an interview with NewsMaxTV’s America’s Forum.

Lawmakers Sneak Big Gift To The NRA Into Bill Banning Copper Theft

“Secondary metal” theft, where someone sneaks onto a property that is under construction and steals copper wiring or other valuable metal, is a very real problem that increases the cost of housing and other real estate development. It also has virtually nothing to do with gun rights. And yet, Pennsylvania state Sen. Richard Alloway (R) successfully added a provision that is likely to amount to a financial windfall for pro-gun litigators onto a bill that was intended to protect against metal theft. The bill passed the state legislature and Gov. Tom Corbett (R) is expected to sign it.

Islamic State Used Chlorine Gas During Fighting, Iraqi Officials Say

BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State militants used chlorine gas during fighting with security forces and Shiite militiamen last month north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials said on Friday.

The use of chlorine gas as a weapon adds a new concern to the turmoil in the country. The reports, if confirmed, would be the first time the Sunni extremists attempted to use chlorine since their blitz earlier this year that seized large chunks of territory in northern Iraq and neighboring Syria.

Cold Lake Mosque Vandalized With Words 'Go Home'

Police are investigating after a mosque in Cold Lake, Alta. was vandalized Thursday night.
A photo posted to Twitter shows graffiti of the words "Go Home" and "Canada" spray-painted on the outside of the mosque.
The building's front windows were smashed as well, reports the Edmonton Journal.

Why doesn't the justice system help abused women?

A woman is being abused by her partner. She calls 911 for help. The police arrive and... arrest the woman for defending herself.
Some are under the impression that when a woman is being abused by her male partner, all she has to do is call 911 and the police will arrive like knights in shining armour . The abusive man will be charged with assault and convicted. The rescued woman will be safe from harm.
For many women in Canada who experience domestic abuse and decide to call the police, they often find when the police arrive, they are also arrested because of mandatory charge policies.

Ottawa shooting: Harper government wants to make terror arrests easier

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney is giving more indications of how the government intends to strengthen Canada's security laws in the wake of Wednesday's attack in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

The minister told Radio-Canada on Friday that the government is eyeing the thresholds established in Canadian law for the preventive arrests of people thought to be contemplating attacks that may be linked to terrorism. Officials are considering how to make it easier to press charges against so-called lone-wolf attackers.

Burnaby loses its legal fight against Kinder Morgan for now

In a sea-saw legal conflict over the future of a multi-billion-dollar oil sands pipeline, the National Energy Board said it has ruled against the City of Burnaby in its attempts to block Kinder Morgan from doing its test pipeline drilling on Burnaby Mountain.

City staff have been ordered to no longer get in the way of the Texas-giant's efforts to access Burnaby Mountain's Conservation forest area.

How A South Dakota County Is Suppressing The Native American Vote

FORT THOMPSON, SOUTH DAKOTA — The Crow Creek Indian Reservation lies along the Missouri River in central South Dakota, an area marked by rolling hills of corn fields, a government-constructed dam and a Native American town centered around the tribe’s casino.
While South Dakotans across the state have been voting for weeks — the state offers 46 days of early absentee voting — the Crow Creek Sioux have yet to see their ballots. The closest early voting site is a 50 mile roundtrip away in Gann Valley, a town with a population of 14. The Buffalo County auditor, a white resident of the town, has refused to set aside federal funds to open a satellite office for early voting on the reservation this year.