HOLLER! with northern sun...

"I wept, not for the loneliness which would now be my lot amongst a people I had grown to love, but for the inexpressibly greater loneliness which modern man, having committed himself to becoming the ultimate stranger to his own planet, shall be doomed to carry into the silence of his final hour." -Farley Mowat


"We who are alive today can claim no such exculpation for our biocidal actions and their dire consequences. Modern man now has every opportunity to be aware of the complexity and inter-relationships of the living world. If ignorance is to serve as an excuse, then it can only be wilful, murderous ignorance." -Farley Mowat


"For the issue is greater than our freedom. The issue is our survival. We will, literally, not survive as a species is we do not take control of the reins of power and direct our government to a new path - a path which leads to sane appropriate technologies, to more creative and rewarding forms of employment, to non-polluting systems, to international nuclear disarmament, to the feeding of the world's hungry through the equitable sharing of resources - a path which leads us home." -Elizabeth May, 1982


"We are imprisoned by rational arguments. This is the part that hurts. You hear the most impassioned, eloquent arguments of all reduced down to nature's utility to man. Even the esthetic is a utility, Even the appeal to preserve nature for future generations is a utility. Leave it for future generations to utilize - that's what it boils down to. Somebody has to have the guts to fight for nature simply because we love it and can't live without it!" -John Livingston

The Conservatives Write Back

On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to
acknowledge receipt of your correspondence regarding Canada's commitment to
Afghanistan. Please be assured that your comments have been carefully
reviewed.

Canada's Government strongly supports the United Nations-sanctioned mission
in Afghanistan. We are committed to this multilateral effort to root out the
Taliban, stabilize the country and prevent the spread of terrorism. This is
a mission that the international community must not allow to fail or
Afghanistan may relapse into anarchy and again become a haven for extremists
and terrorists. Canada's efforts in Afghanistan can make our world safer and
uplift the Afghan people as they rebuild their shattered country.

The brave men and women of the Canadian Forces have risen to the many
challenges presented by this dangerous assignment. They have made tremendous
sacrifices in the service of securing a more peaceful world. Our government
believes that we must provide them with the resources necessary to fulfil
their mission. Anything less would dishonour the bravery and determination
that they display on the ground every day in Afghanistan.

Fulfilling our military objectives in Afghanistan is an essential
precondition for reconstruction and development. The tremendous work done by
the Canadian Forces allows us to proceed with this critical humanitarian
work, which is our number one priority. By improving security and providing
military and police training, our soldiers are making a real difference.

As the Taliban are driven out, we are able to make much needed investments
in Afghanistan's future that improve the daily lives of the Afghan people.
Afghanistan receives more Canadian foreign aid than any other country. In
fact, recently we announced a new investment of up to $200 million in
reconstruction, development, good governance and law and order funding. The
continued success of NATO forces and Afghan troops is essential to
successfully implementing these reconstruction and development initiatives.

These efforts have improved the lives of the Afghan people and earned Canada
considerable praise from the government of Afghanistan and our international
partners. As you may know, last fall the President of Afghanistan Hamid
Karzai visited Canada to express his appreciation personally. The vital work
being performed by the Canadian Forces is in the best tradition of Canadian
international leadership. We are restoring our country's reputation as a
responsible leader on the international stage.

Canada does not stand alone in Afghanistan. Throughout this multilateral
mission we have fought side by side with our NATO allies. Unfortunately,
some NATO partners have been reluctant to assume a combat role. The Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Bernier, and the Minister of National Defence,
Peter MacKay, continue to press for enhanced NATO support for the
Afghanistan mission. We have been very encouraged by new troop deployments
on the part of the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Denmark, the
Netherlands, and Romania. Our government will continue to work with our
international partners to enhance support for this critical mission.

There are significant challenges in Afghanistan, but the skill and
determination of Canada's diplomats, development experts, and military
personnel is resulting in hard-earned meaningful progress. Global security
and the future of the Afghan people hinge on our success. Canada's
Government will continue to support the reconstruction mission in
Afghanistan - a mission that serves Canada's national interests and fulfils
our international obligations.

You can learn more about Canada's important diplomatic, defence and
development contributions to the stabilization and reconstruction of
Afghanistan by visiting http://www.canada-afghanistan.gc.ca.

Thank you for your writing to the Prime Minister.





M. Bredeson
Executive Correspondence Officer
for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondance
de la haute direction pour le Cabinet du Premier ministre

UMMM......CAN WE SAY LIES?!....THE WAR TO BE FIGHTING IS RIGHT HERE IN CANADA, NOT IN AFGHANISTAN, WHERE WE ACTUALLY HAVE MADE NO PROGRESS AT ALL IN PEACEKEEPING, WE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING GENERAL FLY BY BOMBINGS IN CIVILIAN AREAS OF UNREST, IF THAT IS CALLED PROGRESS, THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO DOWN TO EAST HASTINGS IN VANCOUVER AND BLOW THE PLACE UP MAYBE THAT WILL STOP POVERTY, DRUGS, AND BOOST UP TOURISM....IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE CONSERVATIVES HAVE THE SAME CORRESPONDENT AS THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION, WHERE THEY HAVE WON THE WAR IN IRAQ NUMEROUS TIMES, AND YET ARE STILL THERE KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE, WHEREAS TERRORISM IS ON THE RISE, AND ACTUALLY MORE ORGANIZED THAN BEFORE THE WAR...SO LETS START LOOKING WITHIN IN OUR OWN COUNTRY WHERE MOTHER NATURE IS FIGHTING HER OWN WAR, AND LETS FIGHT FOR HER BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE...PUTTING OUR TAX MONEY INTO MILITARY OPERATIONS FOR OTHER COUNTRIES IS BECOMING REALLY OLD, AND CLEARLY WE HAVE NOT LEARNT FROM ITS DISASTEROUS CONSEQUENCES...NOW WE NEED TO FOCUS ON PUTTING MONEY WHERE IT CAN ACTUALLY HELP US CANADIANS, AND THE WORLD IN A MORE REAL WAY; TOWARDS HELPING MOTHER EARTH RECOVER BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE WHICH IS PROJECTED TO BE IN 34 YEARS IF WE KEEP IGNORING HER....VOTE WITH YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS, IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP, AND SEE THAT CANADIAN POLITICS IS DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO AMERICAN TOTALITARIANISM, THE GREEN PARTY IS NO LONGER A JOKE, IT IS OUR WAY OF SAYING NO TO WAR AND YES TO LIFE...AND IF THEY DON'T DO IT, LOOK FOR ME IN RUNNING FOR PRIME MINISTER....WELL, I WOULD STILL PREFER ELIZABETH MAY, OR MAYBE A YOUNGER DAVID SUZUKI....
PEACE, SUMMER OF CHANGE 2009

HOW TO BE AN ACTIVIST by Elizabeth May

This pamphlet was written by Canadian Green Party's leader, Elizabeth May...She also has recently written How to Save the World in Your Spare Time...I think it is time that we have an activist as our new Canadian Leader, let us hug some trees instead of killing innocent people for once!
Check out the pamphlet and let's start hearing some Canadian voices. Don't forget, summer of change 2009, now let's get active...
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/activist-how-to/index.html

The Liberal Party emails me back...

I emailed the Liberal party with my concerns over Canada's frightful leadership, and its disgusting stand with America to cause an environmental disaster, this is what they replied back with:

Thank you for taking the time to write to the Liberal Party of Canada.
As you know, we face an historic moment in the life of our planet.
Climate change - the biggest ecological threat facing humanity - has
become an issue of health, security, prosperity and survival for our
world.

At this crucial moment in time, Canada can not afford to be a laggard.

The sense of urgency in trying to undo this damage, and the leadership
void created by the Conservative government, is what prompted Mr. Dion
to attend the conference in Bali - despite the Conservative government's
unprecedented decision to exclude representatives from the three
opposition parties from Canada's official delegation.

The Liberal Party of Canada wants to see Canada lead the world toward a
sustainable, low-carbon economy by reaching for the top - not racing to
the bottom.

Come the next election, Canadians will have a clear choice between a
Liberal plan for Canada and a Conservative plan for Canada. We are
confident that our plan for a richer, greener, fairer Canada will be
well received by Canadians.

Greenpeace cries out to Canadians to Wake up!

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by six per cent below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. However, emissions actually increased 25 per cent by the end of 2005. Canada currently ranks seventh from the bottom amongst 41 industrialized nations in terms of emission changes since 1990.

Rather than take immediate, decisive action to combat global warming, Prime Minister Harper has discouraged support for Kyoto and opposed the extension of binding greenhouse gas emission targets for industrialized nations after the end of the first Kyoto commitment period in 2012.

Harper and Canadian environment minister John Baird have also undermined Kyoto at the G8, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and most recently at the Commonwealth meeting. Harper has tried to supplant Kyoto by joining the United States’ Asia-Pacific Partnership, which promotes the use of coal, and relies only on voluntary measures for control of greenhouse gas emissions.

"Canada is the only Kyoto signatory to openly abandon its commitment to reduce emissions. Contrary to his claim, Stephen Harper is not a leader on global warming. He is a laggard and the last unabashed climate apologist for George Bush among western industrialized nations," said Martin.

Greenpeace is also calling on the Canadian government to take action on the Alberta tar sands, which contain oil reserves second only to those of Saudi Arabia. Because of their dramatic growth, the tar sands are the most serious threat to progress in Canada’s fight against global warming.

Action is also needed to protect the world’s boreal forests, which stores more carbon dioxide than any other land-based ecosystem on Earth. Logging releases greenhouse gases and increases the forest’s vulnerability to fires. If current trends continue, degradation of Canada’s Boreal Forest and rising global temperatures could lead to massive releases of carbon into the atmosphere. Less than 10 per cent of Canada’s Boreal Forest is protected from industrial development.

The United Nations climate conference in Bali is the 13th conference of the 192 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 13), and the third meeting of the 176 countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 3), which entered into force in February 2005.

Greenpeace is calling for completion in 2009 of formal negotiations on binding emission reduction targets for a second five-year phase of the Kyoto Protocol 2013-2017. Countries such as the United States, Australia and Saudi Arabia have opposed the extension of binding emission reduction targets and tried to derail progress on negotiations. However, the recent defeat of the Howard government in Australia has deprived Bush of an important ally. The government of Kevin Rudd has already committed to have Australia join the Kyoto Protocol.

Visit: greenpeace.org/canada, this is a great site to see some of the greatest threats to Canada's landcape, and Canadians themselves

Canada's potential leaders

I am focussing on Elizabeth May of the Green Party and Stephane Dion of the Liberal Party, tell me what you think of the two, and who seems to be the most legitimate in their concerns for Mother Earth...You can also email them to let them know that Canadians have woken up, and are no longer sheep to the whims of american-corporate-power-loving leaders!
Elizabeth May: leader@greenparty.ca
Stephane Dion: Dion.S@parl.gc.ca

SUMMER OF CHANGE 2009

Reading and hearing the events of the Bali Conference on the Kyoto Protocol, has made me more eager than ever, and more passionate than ever, that our Summer of Change Festival 2009 is going to be BIG! It is positioned at a time when we Canadians have to get together, we must unite, and show our government where we want our country to be going, we must "ACT NOW", as al gore said in his nobel peace prize speech.
We must get off our fluffy red couches, and get into ACTION...

David Suzuki on Kyoto Protocol

Canada bows to pressure at Bali's 11th hour

December 15, 2007 Bali, Indonesia -- Nations agreed today on a "Bali roadmap" to launch negotiations for a post-2012 global climate agreement that will be guided by scientific analysis of the emission cuts needed to avoid dangerous climate change.

Key developing countries signalled a willingness to take on new commitments at the two-week-long UN climate conference. However, Canada worked with the United States for most of the meeting to oppose crucial elements of the Bali roadmap. As a result, parts of the deal are too vague to assure a successful outcome of the next round of UN negotiations, due to be completed in 2009.

"The world moved forward in Bali today, but we had the opportunity to do much more," said Steven Guilbeault, Equiterre. "The good news is that the Bali deal recognizes that rich nations need to cut their greenhouse gas pollution by 25 to 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020, and nations will negotiate the next phase of Kyoto on that basis."

Canada initially opposed this emissions reduction range in the final negotiating session, but agreed not to block the consensus position when it found itself virtually isolated.

"Canada worked against the key elements of this deal for most of the two weeks in Bali, and was singled out by other countries and high-ranking UN officials for its obstructive behaviour," said Dale Marshall, David Suzuki Foundation. "In the end, the government responded to public pressure and allowed this deal to go through."

The first phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012, and today's deal launches a two-year negotiation process for the post-2012 "Kyoto phase 2." In addition to setting a range of emission reduction targets for industrialized countries, the Bali roadmap contains commitments to negotiate actions to control emissions in developing countries; financial agreements for adaptation and the transfer of climate-friendly technology; and an agreement to tackle the problem of deforestation in developing countries.

"Now is when the real work begins," said Matthew Bramley, Pembina Institute. "The government’s current targets and policies fall far short of the standard set in Bali. Nothing less than a massive scale-up of federal efforts on climate change is required for Canada to play a responsible part in the next two years of negotiations."

"Canada came to Bali demanding unfair commitments from developing countries, and was roundly criticized for it," said Emilie Moorhouse, Sierra Club of Canada. "In the end, the only bridge that Canada built in Bali was one that led to the U.S."

"The agreement to develop approaches to reduce deforestation and forest degradation is a key outcome of this meeting," said Chris Henschel, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. "Protecting carbon stored in forests and other ecosystems is an important complement to deep cuts in fossil fuel emissions."

Al Gore on Solving the Climate Crisis

Al Gore, in a op-ed in the New York Times, recently wrote about our collective responsibility to solve the climate crisis, a global emergency.
We -- the human species -- have arrived at a moment of decision. It is unprecedented and even laughable for us to imagine that we could actually make a conscious choice as a species, but that is nevertheless the challenge that is before us.
Our home -- Earth -- is in danger. What is at risk of being destroyed is not the planet itself, but the conditions that have made it hospitable for human beings.
Without realizing the consequences of our actions, we have begun to put so much carbon dioxide into the thin shell of air surrounding our world that we have literally changed the heat balance between Earth and the Sun. If we don't stop doing this pretty quickly, the average temperature will increase to levels humans have never known and put an end to the favorable climate balance on which our civilization depends.
In the last 150 years, in an accelerating frenzy, we have been removing increasing quantities of carbon from the ground -- mainly in the form of coal and oil -- and burning it in ways that dump 70 million tons of CO2 every 24 hours into the Earth's atmosphere.
The concentrations of CO2 -- having never risen above 300 parts per million for at least a million years -- have been driven from 280 parts per million at the beginning of the coal boom to 383 parts per million this year.
As a direct result, many scientists are now warning that we are moving closer to several "tipping points" that could -- within 10 years -- make it impossible for us to avoid irretrievable damage to the planet's habitability for human civilization.
Just in the last few months, new studies have shown that the north polar ice cap -- which helps the planet cool itself -- is melting nearly three times faster than the most pessimistic computer models predicted. Unless we take action, summer ice could be completely gone in as little as 35 years. Similarly, at the other end of the planet, near the South Pole, scientists have found new evidence of snow melting in West Antarctica across an area as large as California.
This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue, one that affects the survival of human civilization. It is not a question of left versus right; it is a question of right versus wrong. Put simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and ruin the prospects of every generation that follows ours.
On Sept. 21, 1987, President Ronald Reagan said, "In our obsession with antagonisms of the moment, we often forget how much unites all the members of humanity. Perhaps we need some outside, universal threat to recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world."
We -- all of us -- now face a universal threat. Though it is not from outside this world, it is nevertheless cosmic in scale.
Consider this tale of two planets. Earth and Venus are almost exactly the same size, and have almost exactly the same amount of carbon. The difference is that most of the carbon on Earth is in the ground -- having been deposited there by various forms of life over the last 600 million years -- and most of the carbon on Venus is in the atmosphere.
As a result, while the average temperature on Earth is a pleasant 59 degrees, the average temperature on Venus is 867 degrees. True, Venus is closer to the Sun than we are, but the fault is not in our star; Venus is three times hotter on average than Mercury, which is right next to the Sun. It's the carbon dioxide.
This threat also requires us, in Reagan's phrase, to unite in recognition of our common bond.
Next Saturday, on all seven continents, the Live Earth concert will ask for the attention of humankind to begin a three-year campaign to make everyone on our planet aware of how we can solve the climate crisis in time to avoid catastrophe. Individuals must be a part of the solution. In the words of Buckminster Fuller, "If the success or failure of this planet, and of human beings, depended on how I am and what I do, how would I be? What would I do?"
Live Earth will offer an answer to this question by asking everyone who attends or listens to the concerts to sign a personal pledge to take specific steps to combat climate change. (More details about the pledge are available at algore.com.)
But individual action will also have to shape and drive government action. Here Americans have a special responsibility. Throughout most of our short history, the United States and the American people have provided moral leadership for the world. Establishing the Bill of Rights, framing democracy in the Constitution, defeating fascism in World War II, toppling Communism and landing on the moon -- all were the result of American leadership.
Once again, Americans must come together and direct our government to take on a global challenge. American leadership is a precondition for success.
To this end, we should demand that the United States join an international treaty within the next two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90 percent in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy Earth.
This treaty would mark a new effort. I am proud of my role during the Clinton administration in negotiating the Kyoto protocol. But I believe that the protocol has been so demonized in the United States that it probably cannot be ratified here -- much in the way the Carter administration was prevented from winning ratification of an expanded strategic arms limitation treaty in 1979. Moreover, the negotiations will soon begin on a tougher climate treaty.
Therefore, just as President Reagan renamed and modified the SALT agreement (calling it Start), after belatedly recognizing the need for it, our next president must immediately focus on quickly concluding a new and even tougher climate change pact. We should aim to complete this global treaty by the end of 2009 -- and not wait until 2012 as currently planned.
If by the beginning of 2009, the United States already has in place a domestic regime to reduce global warming pollution, I have no doubt that when we give industry a goal and the tools and flexibility to sharply reduce carbon emissions, we can complete and ratify a new treaty quickly. It is, after all, a planetary emergency.
A new treaty will still have differentiated commitments, of course; countries will be asked to meet different requirements based upon their historical share or contribution to the problem and their relative ability to carry the burden of change. This precedent is well established in international law, and there is no other way to do it.
There are some who will try to pervert this precedent and use xenophobia or nativist arguments to say that every country should be held to the same standard. But should countries with one-fifth our gross domestic product -- countries that contributed almost nothing in the past to the creation of this crisis -- really carry the same load as the United States? Are we so scared of this challenge that we cannot lead?
Our children have a right to hold us to a higher standard when their future -- indeed, the future of all human civilization -- is hanging in the balance. They deserve better than a government that censors the best scientific evidence and harasses honest scientists who try to warn us about looming catastrophe. They deserve better than politicians who sit on their hands and do nothing to confront the greatest challenge that humankind has ever faced -- even as the danger bears down on us.
We should focus instead on the opportunities that are part of this challenge. Certainly, there will be new jobs and new profits as corporations move aggressively to capture the enormous economic opportunities offered by a clean energy future.
But there's something even more precious to be gained if we do the right thing. The climate crisis offers us the chance to experience what few generations in history have had the privilege of experiencing: a generational mission; a compelling moral purpose; a shared cause; and the thrill of being forced by circumstances to put aside the pettiness and conflict of politics and to embrace a genuine moral and spiritual challenge.
Al Gore, vice president from 1993 to 2001, is the chairman of the Alliance for Climate Protection. He is the author, most recently, of "The Assault on Reason."

summer of change 2009

GET READY FOR THE SUMMER OF CHANGE 2009 OUTDOOR FESTIVAL. IT IS CURRENTLY BEING ORGANIZED BY US AT VEGAN MOUNTAIN AND WE ARE HOPING TO SEE A HUGE TURNOUT SO AS TO KICK CANADA INTO GEAR, AND SHOW OUR GOVERNMENT THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS OUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN, AND WE HAVE TO START WAKING UP AND DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. STAY TUNE TO THE LOCATION OF THE FESTIVAL, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A LARGE PIECE OF LAND IN B.C., AND FOR THE SPEAKERS, MUSICIANS, VENDORS AND OTHER FUN EVENTS...LET'S GET UNITED ONCE AND FOR ALL.