DND removes report on killing of Canadian soldier by Israeli forces

The Defence Department has quietly removed from the Internet a report into the killing of a Canadian military officer by Israeli forces, a move the soldier’s widow says is linked to the Conservative government’s reluctance to criticize Israel for any wrongdoing.

Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener and three other United Nations observers were killed in 2006 when the Israeli military targeted their small outpost with repeated artillery barrages as well as an attack by a fighter aircraft.

Justice at stake: Chief Theresa Spence passes Day 15 of hunger strike

Launched in the shadows of Parliament Hill two weeks ago, the hunger strike by Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence goes on. There is little to be heard from the federal government or Prime Minister Stephen Harper, but a cowardly silence.

Chief Spence said she is willing to die in an attempt to get the federal government and aboriginal leaders to discuss the treaty process and make fundamental changes.

Rising inequality driven by corporate Canada

"So distribution should undo excess, and each man have enough,” wrote Shakespeare in King Lear. Of course, this should be read as an aspiration, rather than as a catalog of our current condition, especially in Canada today.

Between 1980 and 2010, according to Statistics Canada, the pre-tax median income of the bottom 20 per cent of earners dropped by about 20 per cent. During the same period, the top 20 per cent’s median incomes rose. The result was an overall increase of 19.4 per cent in pre-tax inequality, according to a study by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, an Ottawa-based think tank. Even after taxes and the distribution of benefits, the rate of inequality still rose during the period, only at a lower rate of 13.5 per cent. Furthermore, the study ranks British Columbia the most unequal province.

Durham, NC: Cop Shoots Self With His Own Gun In Stop, Then Charges Man With Assault

My 21 year-old cousin, Carlos Riley, Jr, was stopped by a cop in Durham, NC the other night.

During the stop, the cop shouted expletives, physically attacked Carlos, verbally threatened to kill him and attempted to draw his weapon to shoot at my cousin.

While attempting to draw his weapon, the cop shot himself in the leg. This is actually a common occurrence for police while drawing their weapons.

Georgia Abortion Law Blocked Temporarily By State Judge

ATLANTA -- A state judge has suspended a Georgia law banning abortions for women who are more than 20 weeks pregnant.

The law bans doctors from performing abortions five months after an egg is fertilized, except when doctors decide a fetus has a defect so severe it is unlikely to live. The law also makes an exception to protect the life or health of the mother, though that does not apply to a mother's mental health.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia filed a lawsuit on behalf of three obstetricians challenging the law's constitutionality. The organization says the law violates the state's privacy protections as provided for in the state constitution.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Doris Downs suspended the law Friday and it was set to take effect Jan. 1.

Original Article
Source: huffington post
Author: AP

HSBC Sued By Atlanta-Area Counties Over Predatory Lending Claims

ATLANTA -- Three Atlanta-area counties have filed a lawsuit claiming that British bank HSBC cost them hundreds of millions of dollars in extra expenses and damage to their tax bases by aggressively signing minorities to housing loans that were likely to fail.

The Georgia counties' failure or success with the relatively novel strategy could help determine whether other local governments try to hold big banks accountable for losses in tax revenue based on what they claim are discriminatory or predatory lending practices. Similar lawsuits resulted in settlements this year worth millions of dollars for communities in Maryland and Tennessee.

Paul Krugman: Deficit Hawks Are 'Remarkably Foolish'

Paul Krugman is doubling down in his battle with deficit hawks.

The Nobel Prize-winning economist struck back at those who doubted his rationale for not being concerned about the budget deficit in a blog post Monday afternoon. Krugman described in a column in The New York Times that morning how The Wall Street Journal, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and others predicted that fears over rising U.S. government debt would spook investors. In reality, he noted, interest rates on U.S. government debt are at historic lows, indicating that investors aren’t worried about America’s ability to pay off its debt.

Canadian Miner Axmin Camp In Central African Republic Briefly Occupied By Rebels

TORONTO - Axmin Inc. (TSXV:AXM) says its operating camp based near Ndassima Village in the Central African Republic was temporarily occupied by rebels last Friday, but no casualties were reported.

Food, medical supplies and vehicles were taken by the rebels, who were believed en route to the major town of Bambari.

MADD Canada report calls for drug testing at roadside checks

Mothers Against Drunk Driving are calling on police officers to perform saliva tests at roadside checks, in an effort to combat driving under the influence of drugs as well as alcohol.

A recent report by two Western University law professors, prepared for MADD Canada, says drug-impaired driving is catching up to alcohol impairment, and may be even more common than drinking and driving among young people.

We need F-35s because Canada is worth defending

Amid the media and Parliamentary frenzy over the estimated $46-billion cost to replace Canada’s aging CF-18s with F-35 stealth fighters, a fundamental point has been missed entirely. The first and most important obligation of the government is the security of the country, its sovereignty and the safety and well-being of its citizens. Our politicians must do a better job of remembering this, especially since Canada is a particularly challenging country to secure. That means getting the best equipment possible.