An open letter to the Defence Minister

February 24, 2008

The Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay
Minister of National Defence
National Defence Headquarters
Major-General George R. Pearkes Building
101 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
K1A 0K2

Dear Sir:

I was alarmed to learn via the National Post that Canada is currently
negotiating an agreement with the United States to allow American
troops on Canadian soil and vice versa for the purposes of mutual
assistance during civil emergencies.

There is no question that the US and Canada as part of NATO must
rehearse and communicate coordinated military maneuvres and strategy.
American troops on Canadian soil, even in the event of an emergency,
is an entirely different — and to me, horrifying – prospect and unless
the locality affected by the disaster (ie province, municipality)
specifically asked for the assistance and expertise of the US military
and coordinated the request with the federal government, not to be
borne.

Why do we want US troops on Canadian soil when they mismanaged the
Katrina response so badly that the US became the shame of the
developed world?  Civilian Canadian responders were on the ground in
the lower lying parishes faster than the US military anyway.

As a citizen of Canada and resident of BC, the first thing I thought
when I read that is that we’re going to have US troops walking up and
down the streets of Whistler in full combat gear during the Olympics
in 2010.  I can think of other, equally gloomy and distasteful
scenarios.

Unless the full text of the agreement is publicized prior to
government approval (I am assuming that this will be passed by an
order in council rather than being exposed to the harsh light of
parliamentary democracy) this proposed coziness with the American
military is a looming disaster for Canadian civil rights and
sovereignty.

Please publicize the details of the agreement.  Perhaps I’m upset over
nothing — but at this point I can hardly be sure.

Yours very truly,

Allegra Sloman

Coughiness.

I mailed my “I am so annoyed with you, you great Canadian” letter to Mr. Peter Gordon MacKay and cc’d Bill Siksay, who’s only going to be my MP for another 4 weeks. I don’t think that Canadian troops belong on American soil either, by the way, not that there’s a snowball’s chance in hell the US will ask for them.  See previous post about sending off a letter.

It was lovely havng both the kids here.

I lost my bloodwork requisition.  I’ve now looked everyplace logical and I think – I mean it’s possible – that I threw the damned thing out while cleaning my apartment.  Annoyance and irritation.

and it’s 3:01 in the morning and I can’t sleep for coughing and I am officially out of cough syrup and won’t have any until after singing class tonight, the earliest I can get some.

The only thing wrong with this video… and other random posts all sfw

Is that it isn’t mashed up with Thomas Dolby’s Wind Power.

(spectacular failure under load of a commercial wind turbine in Denmark).

An old post from boingboing, reminiscent in many ways of a Monty Python sketch.

A copyright picture of an F-16 intake vortex. Hath coolness!

Buffy’s going to Paleyfest???? ho lee chow!

wOOt, real time satellite tracking!

Ooh, slashfic. Where was I again? Actually, this is fanfic, but you get the point. For those of us who love SF and don’t understand slash, it’s where you rewrite the stories so all the right, or all the wrong, people actually have sex. Throw in some Buffy, Pirates of the Caribbean and Terminator, and … well, it’s a bad idea, but everybody’s doing it, including me (Jayne and Zoe??????). The difference between me and all the other slashficcers is that I DON’T PUBLISH IT, and you thank his noodly appendage for that. Ooh, an all cast photo….

Physics continues to operate for this unfortunate pole vaulter.

I’m up, might as well drink coffee.

Is it the world’s cutest lizard? It’s plenty cute!

Some guy did a cartoon of this, and next thing you know, the power of the internet made it so.

If you got this far, go look at some Mitch Hedberg on youtube. I just want you to understand that I think he is one of the sexiest men who ever lived. Yes, I am sick. That haircut! All the guys in my high school had that haircut! Heart Heart.
Look what I found on a contemporary feminism site!

Happy Valentines Day, Canada – Harper rams one past us YET AGAIN.

Now I’m really mad. I have to write a letter to somebody.

Sundry & Various

Obama vs Clinton…. detailed legislative lists. I was more interested in the emotional content, but that’s just me.
Best sellers in Canada this week. John Grisham continues his stranglehold on the reading public.

I think this stuffed bear thing has gone TOO FAR Not safe for prudes

I’m doing my best to work this pic into a story, but I’m drawing a blank so far. All ages pic.

Funny story about what dogs will do to get attention… and food. Language.

Took me a second to figure out what was going on here. Then I burst out laughing. All ages pic.

The Old Testament in Lego. Not safe for prudes.

Ho lee crap. All ages.

Father’s Day is coming! language.

Probably fake, but still very funny. Passport application letter. Language.

It’s raining. A crow just flew past my window. I have to buy printer ink today. I’d like to call Keith but it’s too early still. And my thoughts are just bouncing around gently.

I think I’ll make a big list of things to do this weekend… I have no commitments, and that feels good.

A small but appreciative audience.

I read my story-so-far to the Luddite, who is now encouraging me to finish it, and making suggestions, including less talk and more action.  ‘Twas ever thus!  About some things men are quite consistent.

Dragged my surly self into the office an hour early to learn about setting up queues for the VOIP lines.  My head  buzzed like a thwacked beehive and I was insufficiently slept and caffeinated to actually take on anything resembling information.  Fortunately the day got better although I felt like I could have used toothpicks to keep my eyes open.

“Scarred for life”

The Luddite sent me this…. in the comments somebody remarked that they will be scarred for life for having seen it.  Personally I’m not, but a music video of Tiny Tim performing a cover of “Do ya think I’m sexy?” is one of the more powerfully strange things I’ve seen in some time.  Al Jolson’s effect on American culture ain’t dead yet, let’s just say that.

Sick still

Oh, my, Lord, I am SO tired of coughing.  Woke up at 3 and worked another thousand words on my new softcore epic.  I made the mistake of thinking about what would happen if all of my current fave people ended up in the same room.  Zow!!!! No, Johnny Depp isn’t in there.  I’m thinking real life, as we laughingly refer to it.