Those nasty web comments

This interesting read in Editor and Publisher - "New Tools in Policing Web Comments" - describes a problem familiar to any journalist whose work appears on a media site. It's based on the decision by Tennessee's Knoxville News Sentinel to take action after inflammatory comments - including from white supremecist groups -  forced defence attorneys in a murder case to go to court to request the paper stop allowing comments. They were, argued the defence, tainting the jury pool. The judge ruled against the action, but it was a wakeup call to management (and staff) at the News Sentinel to take action to better monitor its website.

One of the points of the piece is that comments are what really drive people to websites, with one expert arguing the real customers are  people making mean comments. I don't agree that mean comments are in the majority, but I do know monitoring comments at www.thestar.com is a huge task. Hardworking Star moderators try to ensure inflammatory comments don't appear in the first place but, when they slip through, they rely on the "alert a moderator" tool for readers to flag them. (That's one of the solutions undertaken by News Sentinel editors.) The Star takes other measures, such as not allowing comments on cases before the courts or on particularly sensitive issues - a practice that annoys some readers, as every journalist who's written a story with barred comments knows. Our own email boxes fill up fast.

One easy answer would be to have commentors use their real names - as do writers to the letters pages of print media. Since that's not going to happen, other methods are outlined in the News Sentinel piece.  We also come to know, and usually appreciate, regular contributors through their monikers. Moreover, it can fun on political stories (if there's time) to try and figure out which commenters are professionals, ensconced in political war rooms.

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Liberal knickers in a knot over Janine Krieber

I did a little search this morning to see what kind of posts/pages have  been stripped from Facebook and came up with some pretty disgusting  examples, from hate literature to death threats against President Barack Obama. Take them down, fair enough.

But Janine Krieber expresses her opinion about the Liberal party and Liberals swoon faster than southern damsels in whalebone? A little over-the-top, wouldn't you say? Pundits (not all, mind you) mocked with such superiority, letter-writers attacked ("bitter" and "naive" being favorite descriptives) and, behind-the scenes, Liberals spoke of vile betrayal by the wife of former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion. How could she do such a terrible thing? It should be noted it was leader Michael Ignatieff who did the smart thing (teeth gritted or not) by stressing support from Dion, as pointed out this morning by my colleague Susan Delacourt.

Sure, it could be deemed embarrassing for a party to have the wife of its former leader argue said party is in dire straits and risks collapse but, then, is there an intelligent Liberal who is not aware of that fact? Didn't the party just make a major shakeup where it counts - backroom organization and communication in the OLO - with the installation of a new team headed by Peter Donolo? I thought the purpose of that switch was to pull the party back from a dreaded scud into oblivion. Krieber says she's looking for an alternative, and Liberals should be hoping that's not what party supporters are thinking en masse, but polls haven't been kind lately. The latest seepage has been to the NDP on the left. (I maintain, by the way, Krieber was a party supporter and may well still be - to those who darkly suggest she's always held treason in her heart.  Gasp! Is she separatist?) She talks about control by Toronto elites - snooze, was that new even last spring? When the party was at its lowest earlier this fall (Liberals should hope) senior people who felt sliced out of the decision-making process came from the West, the Maritimes and even certain groups in Toronto, as well as Quebec. Again, the reason for Peter Donolo et al. While Liberals may rail against her attack on Ignatieff for his support for the U.S.-led war on Iraq and his writings on torture (Mr. Ignatieff does not approve of torture!), Krieber's argument paled compared to the significance of the leader's own actions last week. He absented himself from the House during, arguably, the most important Question Periods of his tenure, the debate over the testimony of diplomat Richard Colvin on Afghanistan.

The thing is, everybody knows the Liberals are in trouble. It happens to political parties. One needs only to cast back 16 years to a PC party stripped to two members in the House. Steps have been taken to wrestle with problems, Ignatieff was in good form today and there are top Liberals who believe these things too will pass and are working hard to make it so. Wasn't it Bob Rae who said last week he's a "happy camper."

Still, one can only imagine the full-court press on the weekend to get the fiery Ms. Krieber - a terrorism expert who has advised CSIS, among others  - to withdraw her post to Facebook friends. Did she have to beg for the retrieval of separate emailed versions and delete them herself? Has her hard drive been purged? By the Party? Will she be more closely watched? Around-the-clock?

 It falls to Political Decoder to throw out the crazy little notion the real danger here is censorship. That's the kind of permanent damage you don't want. Why, it smacks of that very thing Liberals accuse Stephen Harper and his Conservatives of doing.

Besides, Janine Krieber posted the comments, not Stéphane Dion. She's his wife, not his alter-ego. In 2009, women are still supposed to think like their husbands? Or maybe just some women  - those whose husbands used to be leader of the Liberal party. Were Dion still Liberal leader, I suppose I'd hope she'd keep similar thoughts to herself, had she had them at the time, which it would appear, she did not.

Toronto mayoral battle going to be messy

So far, there are two declared candidates, George Smitherman and Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti for the mayor's chair. But the battle between Smitherman and John Tory has already begun, even though Tory hasn't yet declared his intentions. (Hmmm, wonder what he'll do?) Mischievious anti-Smitherman elves are doing a bit of pre-Christmas scandal-mongering by whispering about how he's being a naughty boy with his consituency office.

According to anonymous gnomes, Smitherman will take advantage of the perks of being an MPP - a constituency office, plus one at Queen's Park - and they've tallied all his covered expenses from Nov. 9 to Mar. 1 at somewhere just over $80,000. However, they admit it's only a guess-timate and there are "intangibles." They did a little playing with Excel sheets and worked up the total to include his salary, office staff, photocopying, mailing and contact with voters over the next three months, et cetera, et cetera.  "This is in no way a definitive spreadsheet," says their email, "but it is a fairly accurate representation of what an MPP would spend in three months if he were to open a mayoralty campaign office. This is not right."

From Smitherman's camp, media relations chief Erika Mozes dismisses the estimates as not credible.

"On the MPP office, the legislative assembly provides MPP's a total of about $80,000 a year to run their constituency offices so to begin with their number is way off.  George Smitherman still has a number of files to complete before he leaves - he has been an MPP for 10 years- not something you should simply drop overnight.  Gerard Kennedy also transitioned in this way when he left cabinet.  I don't see how he would be able to utilize his community office to help him in his future pursuits - and to note he has not yet officially launched any campaign, he has simply signaled his intent to run."

Mozes stressed Smitherman will resign as MPP for Toronto Centre once he's officially in the race early next year.

It's hard to build a story on an anonymous tip about money Smitherman's people say is going for legitimate purposes. But this initial flurry signals a mayoral race that could be far from pretty - very dirty indeed. We don't even know yet whether a well-known name from the left will enter the fray, making a three-way race among three strong contenders with name recognition even nastier.

Should make for interesting coverage.

* * *

Humble apologies for my absence. I was immersed in an investigative project that didn't lend itself to blogging and then right into a profile of George Smitherman. I thought Star photogapher Steve Russell's photos were so fine, I've posted a couple for you today. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/725803--george-smitherman-a-big-bully-the-city-needs.

All to say - Political Decoder is back.

* * *

A subhead caught my eye last week. It comes from the Star, Nov. 16, under the headline, "APEC leaders admit climate deal unlikely."

The subhead: "Copenhagen agreement won't be signed but hope turns to Mexico summit."

There's always next time, right? It is to weep.

The less than classy side of the Vancouver Olympics

Two recent stories suggest the Olympic spirit has been lost somewhere on the road to the Vancouver Games in February.

A choir of young Mi'kmaq singers from Conne River, Newfoundland, found out they won't be singing at the Olympics after all. The group of 15 youths had been practising since apparently being invited by officials in B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell's office two years ago - only to be told recently it's off. Their choir director said she "couldn't look at them" when she told them. The premier's office seens to be checking  into it and Olympic officials say they didn't know anything about it.

Okay, there were crossed wires. But for heaven's sake, just let the kids sing! 

* * *

The organizing committee of the Olympic games should be embarrassed by their decision to neither honour Canadian Olympians nor make tickets available to them. Gold medal pairs figure skater Barbara Wagner (shown in Canadian Press photo with partner Bob Paul in 1960) plans to go to Vancouver - even though a family member has been unable to get tickets for her.

Gee, I wonder how many corporate tickets have been handed out.

* * *

Today's offering comes with an apology to Decoder readers for my failure to advise I wouldn't be posting for a few weeks. I've been on special assignment and will be back Tuesday, November 3.

Hope you'll watch for me then.

Helen Thomas, my hero

She's 89. Unbelievable!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/33190339#33190339

Political Genius: Laureen Harper

By now, it's unlikely there's anybody who hasn't seen the PM's performance of "With a Little Help from My Friends" at a weekend National Arts Centre gala.  For those living in caves, it's kindly provided below.

Conservartive strategists are over the moon today. With a single event, Stephen Harper probably boosted his chances of a majority by a million-fold. Harper even had the right Ringo Starr Liverpudlian inflection, a sure sign he learned the song as a youth while studying piano. His peformance is being described by Conservatives today as one of the smartest political moves in recent Canadian history, a slight exaggeration perhaps.

Who knew? Good question. Who would have known the PM does the Beatles so well? Who might have suggested the performance? Who supports the arts in Ottawa?

Why, Laureen Harper. At least that's my guess for instigator of the PM's surprise hit - and with Yo-Yo Ma. Whoever else weighs in, the smartest politicians always listen to their spouses.

And, just as I'm about to post this, I check and find Reuters has already come to this conclusion: It was Mrs. PM.

No colonialism - only in Canada, you say

The Assembly of First Nations takes umbrage at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's proud affirmation at the G20 in Pittsburgh, Canada has "no history of colonialism."

Based on their own history, the Assembly disagrees and argues the PMO's statement Harper's remark was "taken out of context" is not good enough. Assembly National Chief Shawn Atleo says:

The effects of colonialism remain today.  It is the attitude that fueled the residential schools; the colonial Indian Act that displaces traditional forms of First Nations governance; the theft of Indian lands and forced relocations of First Nations communities; the criminalization and suppression of First Nations languages and cultural practices; the chronic under-funding of First Nations communities and programs; and the denial of Treaty and Aboriginal rights, even though they are recognized in Canada’s Constitution.

Internationally, Canada has been scrutinized and harshly criticized for its treatment of Indigenous peoples and failure to respect Aboriginal and Treaty rights.  Canada is increasingly isolated as one of only three nations in the world that has refused to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, a document that rejects the doctrine of colonialism.

It's tough to see how the PM's remarks were taken out-of-context. But you can judge for yourself.

 

Elections Canada, more detail

Here's a better link to Elections Canada's latest quarterly allowances.

Just released: Where federal parties stand on Elections Canada quarterly allowances

Elections Canada has released the third quarter spending allowances for the federal parties, the sum calculated at $1.99 per valid vote in the 40th general election last October. The Conservative party has a hefty lead over the other parties. Here are the sums:

Bloc Québécois - $689,478

Conservative - $2,602,581

Green - $468,455

Liberal - $1,815,230

New Democratic Party - $1,256,701

Toronto Councillor Sandra Bussin: What was she thinking?

 
 Star editorial cartoonist Patrick Corrigan has his own hilarious take on Toronto Councillor Sandra Bussin's fiasco this week. But there's  another scene the whole thing brings to mind:

Remember elementary school? A bunch of kids fooling around thinking they're so clever for making prank calls and hanging up? "Hey, better check your stockings, they're RUNNING AWAY.  Hahahahahahah." Click. Then more laughter, as someone gets a brainwave about who to call next. In a small town where everybody knows everybody, parents  usually heard what their kids were up to before the phone lines had even stopped buzzing.

Public school pranks. This sort of dumb game amused my friends and me for, oh, say, 20 minutes on a slow night - and the fascination with such calls, maybe a month or two. We were kids. 

Bet Councillor Sandra Bussin - who admitted to calling CFRB's Strong Opinions show this week to praise David Miller without identifying herself as a city politician (rather key information) - played that kind of prank as a child, the operative word being child.

Liberal Division

I know, I know, what's new and we've already heard today about Michael  Ignatieff's problems with Quebec, notably fine coverage by my colleague Susan Delacourt.  Still, I'll add my two cents.

An indication various wings of the federal party aren't talking to each other came for me a few weeks ago in the course of research for a Parliament returning story.  After interviewing House Leader Ralph Goodale, we talked about who else was plugged into what I wanted to know and he quickly said Denis Coderre, who yesterday resigned as Quebec lieutenant. This rarely happens on a story but Goodale said to pass on to Coderre he had suggested I phone, gave me his numbers and said he hoped Coderre would make time. Coderre didn't return several messages, which is surprising when the message comes with a personal note from the house leader. It was quickly apparent within a few days of the Goodale phonecall he (Goodale) wasn't in Ignatieff's loop in terms of plans for an immediate (if possible) non-confidence vote - or even on Iggy's view of the workings of the Employment Insurance committee. I figured Coderre didn't give a fiddler's fart and, since then, we've seen the splintering within caucus goes much deeper. Shades of Turner and Dion.

Which party is it again that wants an election?

Poverty rates in Canada - especially among children - among worst in developed world

Despite the hype on the Conservative government's website framing Canada's performance going into this week's G-20 meetings in Pittsburgh, Prime Minister Stephen Harper isn't arriving with impressive "societal" indicators. The indicators, which show how Canadians are actually living, are not pretty when it comes to levels of poverty among children, seniors and working-age Canadians. The Conference Board of Canada last week issued its ranking of Canada internationally on a number of such indicators. While Canada ranked 9th out of 17 developed countries overall, it receives poor grades on critical indicators -"all troubling for a wealthy society." Canada receives a "D" grade on the poverty-rate for working-age people and "C" grades on child poverty, income inequality and gender equality. Says Anne Golden, Conference Board president and CEO:

"Considering how wealthy this country is, these rates of poverty are unacceptable. Not only are we not making progress; we are losing ground."

She notes poverty rates among chidren and and working-age people are rising and the rate doubled among seniors between 1995 and 2005. Readers will see more indicators and commentary at the linked sites above, but one statistic leaps out: More than one in seven Canadian children lives in poverty.

Worse, this is not a new phenomenon.

Paul Forster, associate philosophy professor at the University of Ottawa, drew these reports to my attention. He also sent along a link for Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada, a campaign to help secure stronger leadership from the federal government in upholding economic and social rights.

As Golden notes for the Conference Board: "Canadians should care about social outcomes. In addition to caring about social justice, a strong social fabric ultimately contributes to sustainable economic prosperity."

Body bags for potential H1N1 victims shipped to, oh say, Thornhill

The fiasco of the federal health ministry shipping body bags for use by Manitoba First Nations communities to deal with potential H1N1 fatalities has made headlines. The bags - about 200 in total - were neither requested, nor accepted by First Nation chiefs. Manitoba NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis called for an investigation, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff demanded an apology and Health Minister Susan Aglukkaq says as health minister and an aboriginal she is appalled. "It's like someone had taken a knife and run it into my heart," she said.

The story is surreal, stranger than fiction. It was bad enough when health department officials delayed shipping hand sanitizers to Manitoba reserves last spring because the product contains alcohol.

Make a substitution in your mind when you hear reports about the body bags for Manitoba reserves. Imagine, they had been shipped to municipal officials in Thornhill or Coquitlam, Red Deer or Wawa. Do you think the public reaction would have been different? A little stronger, perhaps?

Mr. Ignatieff counts his chickens

I've been wracking my brain for almost a week now trying to figure out Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's rationale last week when he said: "I could have been standing here as prime minister of Canada, but I turned it down."

What was it exactly he was turning down? What did I miss?

Ignatieff was responding to Conservative warnings, notably their recent ad campaign, he would support a coalition government. (Oh no, not the dreaded coalition!) Not so, said Ignatieff; he could have supported a coalition to defeat the Conservative budget last January but didn't. If he had, he said, he "could have been standing here as prime minister of Canada. . . "

It's likely the government would have fallen on its budget last January if Ignatieff had continued to support the coalition. But it's a stretch to assume he would have automatically become PM as head of a coalition government. Instead, there might have been another election. Under those circumstances, it's a good bet the Liberals would have formed the government - but not necessarily.

Opinions differ on whether an election would have been the outcome had the government fallen in January. One eminent group of scholars suggests there might not have been. During the bizarre period last January after the House had been prorogued, they  discussed constitutional options for the Governor-General - including Gov.-Gen. Michaëlle Jean - in an opinion piece that ran in the Toronto Star. They said:

"When a minority government loses the confidence of the House, the governor general is no longer bound by the advice of the prime minister. The governor general must then exercise what is known as her "personal prerogatives." She may dissolve Parliament and call for a new election or, if the elections have been held relatively recently (opinions range between six and nine months), she may invite the leader of another party to attempt to form a government that would enjoy the confidence of the House."

Given there'd been an election in October, Jean may well have invited Ignatieff to form a government after the budget's defeat. The Liberal leader certainly thinks so. But that's speculation, and Canadian politics have been more than weird lately.

The much missed Don Newman (CBC Newsworld's Politics with Don Newman) wrote an interesting commentary on changing the rules in a Canada where minority governments have become the norm. So far, however, nothing has been changed.

What Michael Ignatieff should have said last week is: "There's a chance I might have been standing here as prime minister of Canada, but I turned it down."

Doesn't sound as good.

* * *

And another thing: Ignatieff was smart enough as new leader to know a coalition, while a short-term solution, might have meant eventual doom. In truth, he wisely turned down a poison pill.

Re Honduras: The meaning of "seize" in Canadian diplo- speak

Arguably, the most amusing line in Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Peter Kent's recent admonishment on Honduras is his call to action in seizing the moment for mediation. You'll remember Honduran President Roberto Zelaya was ousted in a military coup in the middle of the night in late June, and hustled onto a plane in his pajamas and flown to nearby Costa Rica. Kent praised the mediation efforts (tabled on July 22) by Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica and said he'd asked both the deposed president and coup-installed president Roberto Micheletti to "seize this unique opportunity to arrive at a peaceful solution that is in the best interest of all Hondurans." Seize, of course, but not too fast. In fact, Kent reiterated to Zelaya he should "not return to Honduras until such a settlement has been reached."

This much remains clear: Zelaya will not be returning to Honduras as president.

What's not so clear is Canada's position. It's more on the, ah, murky side. The federal government condemned the coup and doesn't recognize Micheletti's government. At the same time, Canada maintains its embassy in Honduras ( as does Honduras in Ottawa) and aid programs are full-steam ahead, as would appear in the press release above and this one from Foreign Affairs - though the wording is pretty tricky.

Today, Canada sent best wishes to Honduras on the occasion of its 188th anniversary of independence. To use a media term for empty flattery, Zelaya can expect prestige sandwiches from Canada, and not much more.

What 's been surprising about the Liberals

All federal parties offer their share of surprises but our subject today is the federal Liberal caucus and leader Michael Ignatieff's recent pledge in Sudbury he's ready to bring down the government because, among other things, he's so unhappy with Conservative inaction on Employment Insurance. You'll remember a special committee to study EI and come up with solutions over the summer was part of the compromise struck with Prime Minister Stephen Harper during that raucous last week of Parliament before summer break. A few days before Ignatieff threw down the gauntlet in Sudbury, Liberal heavyweights Sen. David Smith, campaign co-chair, and House leader Ralph Goodale told reporters they were unlikely to use their first opportunity in September to introduce a non-confidence motion, with Goodale specifically citing progress on the EI committee. In an interview with Joan Bryden from Canadian Press, Smith called it "irresponsible" to push the election button every time there's an opportunity," adding any election wouldn't be on EI.

In an interview with the Toronto Star, Goodale went further to suggest there was reason for "cautious optimism" at the all-party committee on EI. He  said the Conservatives on the committee were listening to Liberal concepts "instead of dismissing them out of hand." That was, he thought, progress, adding he thought it important to judge the returning government's "demeanour . . . and personality" in the House, as well as their proposals on, among other issues, deficit-reduction and infrastructure spending.

Some 48 hours later, Ignatieff slammed the Conservatives, stressing they had nothing to offer on EI.

"We said we were prepared to work with Stephen Harper to fix Employment Insurance—to make it fair for all Canadians, no matter where they live, for as long as the crisis lasts. Not one single proposal came from the other side—only spin and deceit."

Spin and deceipt are not quite the same as cautious optimism and listening.

EI isn't the only issue for Ignatieff's discontent but it is odd his position would be so different from that of his house leader so soon after Goodale's public comments. It could just mean Messieurs Goodale and Smith were spinning, as politicians are wont to do with the press. Maybe. But it would have been easy for them to tell the media to wait for the Sudbury caucus. What's more likely is Ignatieff was on the high wire in those last few days without a lot of input from party veterans like Goodale and Smith.

For those who like to pore over party innards, that could be significant. Or not.

 

Another anniversary marking Canada's failure on UN Indigenous Rights Declaration

It will be two years ago Sunday (Sept. 13, 2007) the UN endorsed a wide-ranging Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples without Canada - despite critical input from Canadian representatives in the drafting. Canada remains isolated as a non-signatory with the U.S. and New Zealand, and both countries are reviewing their positions. Moreover, a report by Montreal international rights lawyer Paul Joffe, an international rights expert, shows national courts, UN agencies and governments around the world are increasingly turning to the Declaration for guidance in implementing measures to protect Indigenous rights. Alex Neve, secretary general for Amnesty International Canada argues "these major advances highlight the unreasonableness of Canada's position."

* * *

Mark your calendar for another event this weekend: beginning rounds in the National Bible Spelling Bee in the States, with over $200,000 in prize money. There's a bundle of cash that should go to charity! A bible spelling bee is not my idea of a fun weekend, but it looks like a popular (see link) tool for memorizing bible verses among children and youth 7 to 18. In the interest of freedom of religion, Political Decoder searched for news of similar contests on, say, the Koran or Torah, but came up empty. Perhaps the prize money just wasn't there.

Too bad AJ Jacobs is to old to enter.  He's the self-described agnostic Jew who wrote the bestseller, My Year of Living Biblically.  He'd probably ace the contest, at least Old Testament questions. Take a look at the video to see how much fun he had writing the book.

Parliament Hill gathering to draw attention of Inuit youth suicide

Now that was a sad gathering this afternoon on the Hill this afternoon when about 200 people - notably Inuit organizations - met to mark World Suicide Prevention Day. The World Health Organization designated the day in 2003 but this is the third straight year Inuit groups have staged a gathering to publicize the suicide problem in Canada's North.

According to Mary Simon, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (in an interview with the Canadian Press), the suicide rate among Inuit people is 11 times higher than the national figures, with 83 precent of the suicides people under 30. It's a horrible subject for the little boy (in the Canadian Press photo above) to have to beat his drum about on a sunny September afternoon. Simon urged the federal government to develop a national suicide prevention program and pay for an Inuit action plan on mental wellness.  The National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Program is scheduled to end early next year - unfortunate when rates are still so high.  Simon told Canadian Press:

"People don't talk about (mental illness) for fear of being ridiculed. When I'm out there today on the lawn of Parliament Hill, I want to shatter the stigma on mental illness and make sure everybody knows it's OK to talk about it, to get help and to embrace life."

* * *

There's hardly a social problem in Canada that doesn't involve much higher rates among aboriginal peoples. Another example shows the staggeringly high rates of children being taken from reserves to be placed in foster homes, and/or adopted, compared to the population at large.

We're heading into another federal election, it would appear. Wouldn't it be refreshing to have real debate among all parties about ways to work with aboriginal organizations to actually improve the situation - to revamp or even junk the ministry of Indian Affairs and Northern Development - instead of the usual empty rhetoric? This is a bona fide national emergency.

Canadian air war general investigating air war deaths in Afghanistan

Major-General C.S. (Duff) Sullivan has been put in an uneviable position with his apppointment to investigate last week's NATO air strikes in Kunduz in which approximately 70 civilians died, according to human rights groups.  The German commander who ordered the air strikes on two Taliban-hijacked fuel trucks has been criticized for calling in the strike without proper aerial surveillance. A U.S. general who visited the site of the bombing said German commanders watching images from U.S. aircraft could see civilians gathered around the fuel trucks  apparently stuck in  the mud.

Sullivan is air war director and deputy director for the International Security Assistance Force. His team will include a U.S. air force officer, a German air force officer and a legal adviser and will co-ordinate with a team reporting to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. (Here's a description of how NATO is involved in Afghanistan through the ISAF.) Sullivan's C.V. look impeccable.

The problem here - regardless of the integrity of Sullivan, a former fighter pilot - is that you've got the military investigating the military. We're told consistently the mission of NATO forces in Afghanistan is to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, as well as attempt to secure the country from Taliban insurgents.  Justice must be seen to be done. Surely, what appears to be an in-house investigation into civilian deaths isn't the way to do that.

* * *

It's routine for civilian casualities in Afghanistan to be blamed on the Taliban, and there's no doubt the Taliban uses civilians as human shields. However, human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have urged NATO forces to provide more accountability for civilian deaths. A report earlier this noted 2008 was the most violent year for civilians . . . and "Afghans are increasingly resentful about civilian casualties caused by international forces." 

Such critical assessments are nothing new and include a report from Human Rights Watch in 2008. The report talks about the Taliban use of human shields. Nevertheless it insists it's incumbent upon NATO forces to be more vigilent.

Join the board of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. and lose weight

One of the more bizarre items in the pages of expense reports released by the McGuinty government this week in the house-clearing at the OLG had to be a claim by Larry Flynn, senior vice-president, gaming. His 2008 salary was $291,974.26 and the item in question was . . . wait for it . . . $250 for his Weight-watchers membership.

Stories have noted there were no clear guidelines and much confusion over what could be claimed by the now-defunct board and fired CEO Kelly McDougald. I'll say.

* * * 

Liberal Red for the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver?

A Globe story suggested yesterday tensions within caucus over leader Michael Ignatieff's huge leap closer to a fall election might have an interesting origin. Tension apparently exists between caucus members nervous about a fall vote and Ignatieff's inner circle "who would love to see him as prime minister for the 2010 Olympics."

If true (not the reticent caucus part, but the Games theory), that would be some argument to place before the public.

Not!

.