Twisted "Corporate Ethics" of Levi Strauss and GAP

This is how Levi and GAP practice "Corporate Ethics" in Lesotho, Africa.

How stupid does reality have to get before it simply becomes farce?

Now Levi Strauss, GAP and Walgreens are boycotting Alberta oil.

Really.

Nice to know they have a corporate conscience.

Problem is - theirs is a good example of do as I say, not as I do.

Barely a year ago, we learn of Levi and GAP poisoning water in Lesotho, Africa.  Yup.. these giants of "Corporate Ethics" were happily making money off of sweat shops in Lesotho, Africa - and in exchange for abusing their labor market - they repaid the country by pumping chemicals and disposing of waste in rivers, killing fish and putting the extremely poor in that country at risk.

From the Sunday Times, which broke the story August 1, 2009:

A factory that makes jeans for Gap and Levi Strauss is illegally dumping chemical waste in a river and two unsecured tips where it poses a hazard to children.


The scandal was uncovered by a Sunday Times investigation into pollution caused by a plant in Lesotho, southern Africa, which supplies denim to the two companies. Dark blue effluent from the factory of Nien Hsing, a Taiwanese firm, was pouring into a river from which people draw water for cooking and bathing.

The firm was also dumping needles, razors and harmful chemicals such as caustic soda at municipal dumps that have attracted child rag-pickers as young as five in search of cloth fragments to sell for fuel.

Many of the children, who work for up to 10 hours a day in the landfills, complain of breathing difficulties, weeping eyes and rashes.

Head office of Levi Strauss?  San Francisco, California.

You recall San Francisco don't you?  The same city which is the home of Corporate Ethics International.  The same city which by diverting water to Southern California has destroyed 98% of wetlands in the San Joaquin delta.  The same state were up to 66 people per day are dying due to complications arising from air pollution in Los Angeles.

Is this actually impacting Alberta?

Not really.  Not yet.  But while we continue to be the largest supplier of oil to the United States, I think the hypocrisy is serious enough that any Albertan, and in fact, any Canadian who detests hypocrisy and small-minded throwing of stones from glass houses should send their own message.

Boycott WalMart, Levi Strauss and GAP.

By shopping in their stores, even as they seek to hurt our economy, it's like watching someone urinate on your shoes, and smiling and handing them money for the pleasure.

Me? I'll pass, thank-you.

Re-Think Gap. Re-Think Levis. Re-Think Walgreens.

Re-Think California.

"Re-Think California" - supported by Corporate Ethics International?

Corporate Ethics.. as taught by Marx.

I had an interesting comment on my "Re-Think California" post the other day.

It seems that an employee of Corporate Ethics International supports my "Re-Think California" Facebook campaign.

Her comment:

this is heather lehman, a frequent commenter on the rethinkAlberta Facebook page and a librarian who works for corporate ethics international. i am a fan of CEI BECAUSE of their lack of hypocrisy. the claim that they are hypocrites is silly and comes from people who have no idea of either campaigning or the issue at hand.


CEI actively works against polluters in the energy sector everywhere. I have asked Dr. Marx about the rethinkCalifornia campaign response to rethinkAlberta - his response was "I very much hope that people campaign against any state, nation, province that engages in greenwashing of the dirty energy corporations and their facilities. CEI would certainly look into endorsing ANY campaign that aimed its sites at the energy sector." So, while I don't have the ins and outs of the whole rethinkAlberta campaign, I think it would be worth your time to drum up support for a rethinkCallifornia Campaign!


Remember, CEI is not California and the whole world is everybody's backyard when it comes to energy infrastructure.

Here's the thing, though, Heather.

Re-Think Alberta is based out of California.  A state which is consuming more gasoline than China.

And the point of your little campaign against Alberta, really, is to penalize each and every Albertan for the exagerrated acts of a few oil companies.

And yet - oddly enough - one of the most egregious consumers of fossil fuel in the world is California.  So, one wonders why they didn't start cleaning their own house first?

Why didn't they ask people to stop coming to California to put more pressure on the State to stop abusing resources and to clean up the cesspools of pollution in their own backyard.  Why aren't they picketing in front of Disneyland and on Fisherman's Wharf telling people to go home?

Why indeed.

Perhaps it's easier to ask other people to do without than to tighten your own belt.

And that's offensive.

And that's Corporate Ethics International.

Does anyone else find it ironic that the CEO of Corporate Ethics International is named "Marx"?

And is it not more than a little more creepy that their mission statement is:

Our mission is to bring corporations back in service to and under the control of the citizenry.

Not that far off, I suppose from:

From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
(Karl Marx, 1875 "Critique of the Gotha Program")

If it looks like Marx, and quacks like Marx..

The Socialism of Family Law

Well.

I've been put in my place.

From my blog Friday - clearly I don't sufficiently "value" domestic responsibilities.

But then I'm not alone, am I?

Next time you ask someone to look after your children, see what happens when they tell you they charge $400.00 per hour.  Will you pay it?  Why not?

I go to a dentist and I pay that or more to get a root canal or a crown..  and so does most of society.

How odd.

Because if he or she is married and gets divorced, the court is going to blithely acknowledge the "equal" contribution of both spouses to the financial rewards of the marriage.

And so did my critics, including Kez.. whose opinions I value - but who, on this point I think, is being a little disingenuous. 

Why don't we pay child care workers $75,000.00 per year like we do police officers?

Why is it that we hire Filipino immigrants to look after our children and tend to our homes for peanuts - but we pay lawyers and dentists hundreds of thousands of dollars per year?

Now - I'll acknowledge one thing.

If you believe in socialism, the idea that all contribution to society is to be valued equally, my opinions are completely off-base.

But.

If you believe in a free market and capitalism - well, you can't honestly say that domestic duties are just as valuable as any other contribution (from a purely financial perspective).

Because, to put it bluntly, the work and obligations of a full-time homemaker in a poor or lower middle-class family are abundantly more difficult than those of a homemaker in a wealthy family.

In the wealthy family, the woman probably has access to "on demand" child care, probably doesn't clip coupons and struggle to make healthy meals for her family, and probably doesn't even clean her own home.

Does anyone want to argue that point?

Ok.

So then, why doesn't the contribution of the women in the first example warrant MORE in a divorce settlement than in the second?

Why indeed?

Because domestic contributions don't create wealth.  They may contribute to wealth - but they don't create wealth - and that is what the courts are dividing.  Because they can't compensate the person working outside of the home for not having the same relationship with their children, they can't compesate the person working outside of the home for feeling the pressure of being the sole financial provider for the family - they can't compensate the person working outside of the home for most likely becoming an "occasional" parent upon a divorce.. they just divide the wealth.

And in family law - the wealth is divided equally because all contribution is valued equally.

Family law.

The last bastion of pure socialism in western society.

And we all have seen what socialism leads to..  and it certainly isn't "empowerment".

Law School? Med School? Forget it.. the real career move is being cute.

Elin Nordegren: "Nine Iron?  **giggle** What's that? **tee hee**"

Talk about a good career move.

Elin Nordegren is sort of attractive, I guess.. if you go for that sort of look - and in so being, catches the eye of Tiger Woods, has a couple of babies, and now, thanks to his lack of fidelity, collects on a $100 million settlement, plus, I'm sure, extremely generous child support.

Which got me to thinking.

As we scramble all over ourselves to recognize the equal value of women in society, it seems somewhat ironic that our judicial system does it's best to put women back where they were in the 50's.

Pregnant and in the kitchen.

Because, apparently, that's where the real value lies in a woman, no?

Rather than spend the tens of thousands of dollars it takes - not to mention the effort - to become a doctor or lawyer or other professional - the better money is on eschewing that sort of effort and just being pretty and making babies.

Rather than spending hundreds and thousands of hours on a golf course honing your skills so that you can be the best golfer on the face of the earth - you just bide your time, make yourself attractive, and marry the best golfer on the face of the earth.

Really.. today it's a sucker play for women to become self-sufficient.

And beyond the message sent to women by awarding them, typically, 50% of what has been amassed from the husband's efforts, a closer examination of the family law process discloses an even more distressing message regarding the attitude of our Courts towards the ability of women to be respected as "equals".

Read the decision of our Supreme Court of Canada in a case called Miglin, or another case called Rick..  the not-so-subtle message is that women are not really able to make their own decisions.  That even with the assistance of legal counsel, they are, really, to be treated as children - and all decisions they make must be subject to approval of their guardians - the Courts.

So often as we seek to "protect" what we really do is weaken.

Providing a woman significant property and support in a divorce may give them "wealth", but does it give them "worth"?

Is it Amateur Day in Ottawa?

Conservative Strategy regarding the Gun Registry

It's like every time the Conservatives make some gains - they feel compelled to shoot themselves in the foot to give otherwise lost Michael Ignatieff and his Liberals a leg up.

Ironically, most recently, they are shooting themselves in the foot over the long gun registry.

They have Canadians, by and large, onside - other than in Quebec (but who would presume sensible responses of any kind from la belle province?)

Those seeking to support the registry have almost nothing to recommend them.

While the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police support the registry - the rank and file, the men and women on the ground - overwhelmingly say it does no good and in fact puts them a risk - 90% of those surveyed, the response of the cop on the street being summed up by this letter to the Ottawa Citizen:

Re: Police chiefs unanimously back gun registry, Aug. 24.

As a long-time Ottawa police officer who recently retired, I just shake my head at the pro-gun registry stance taken by the Canadian Association of Police Chiefs.

The gun registry is cumbersome, expensive and does nothing to enhance the safety for the officers or the general public. It's a slap in the face to law-abiding citizens and a joke to criminal groups who just happen to not register their firearms.

The police chiefs have lost touch with the cop on the street and, sadly, appear to be looking after their own political interests. My father, who was the police chief in Ottawa some years ago and chair of the organization's law amendment committee, must be spinning in his grave.

Steve Flanagan, Ottawa

Canadian criminologists have also confirmed that the millions of dollars used in the gun registry would be better spent elsewhere to reduce crime - as there is no demonstrated evidence that would suggest the criminal use of firearms will be impacted by the registry system.

So - with things going our way, what do we do?

• we build more prisons that we don't need, throwing money away while running a massive deficit, based upon ideological motivations unsupported by any evidence that more prisons will make us safer, based upon Stockwell Day's comments that they are to address "unreported crime"- hence taking away any "high ground" we otherwise have in the argument against spending money on "crime reduction" without evidence to support that crime is reduced
• on the virtual eve of what appears to be a probable successful vote to scrap the registry,we fire the R.C.M.P. head of the registry;
• after receipt of a report on the registry, which is suggested to be positive, we appear to bury the report until after the vote, and when called on this, the response of Vic Toews is “Canadians don’t need another report to know that the long-gun registry is very efficient at harassing law-abiding farmers and outdoors enthusiasts, while wasting billions of taxpayer dollars.”

Really Vic?  How 'bout letting me and other Canadians decide what we "need", pal? 

Because, while I'm no genius, I'm thinking if the report comes out later and is positive, it will give the hapless Michael Ignatieff yet another weapon to use to suggest the Conservatives are secretive and not to be trusted.

How about we get our shit together already and stop with the two card Monte?  Let the report out - and when it points out that gun-related violence has reduced since the registry was brought in (the constant refrain of proponents of the registry) we can point out very clearly that there is no evidence that the registry induced that reduction and that, clearly, violence was dropping before the registry as well.

We can meet the arguments head on and make the clear and obvious case that there is no logical connection, at all, to suggest that when someone is so mentally unbalanced as to decide to use a firearm to threaten or hurt someone else - they will suddenly have an attack of reason in deciding that while they were willing to risk a murder conviction - they wouldn't want to risk a conviction for possession of an unregistered firearm.



How about we practice some of that "transparency" we always talk about?

Re-Think California.. gaining some momentum against the California Hall Monitors

Corporate Ethics International..  "Respect Our Authoritah"

Well.

I started my little facebook page mostly to vent my own frustration with a group of Californians wanting to throw stones from their own glass house.

But I've been pleasantly surprised with the growth - from one (me) to 32 this morning.

Thank-you for all of have joined the group - for those of you who haven't yet joined - you still can join Re-Think California here.

Just a comment though.

The point of Re-Think California isn't to suggest everyone in California should be tarred with the same brush - and it isn't to suggest that we don't have an obligation in Alberta to assure that our environment is kept as clean as reasonably possible.

It is to expose the hypocrisy of "Corporate Ethics International" seeking to make a scapegoat of a Province that in fact has a very strong environmental protection program and a Province which has, in fact, done a good job of protecting it's resources - while California has in many respects failed miserably.

When Los Angeles is named the most polluted city in the United States, and Calgary is named the cleanest city in the world - you know something is wrong.

When Corporate International is spending millions of dollars to slag Alberta, and 25% of children in California are in poverty - you know something is wrong.

I might suggest that these clowns be well-advised to spend a little time helping to correct the numerous wrongs in their backyard before they appoint themselves as hall monitors of the world.

Great Day on the Links with Ted Morton

Minister of Finance..  and very consistent off the tee!

Well.

It's back to work today.  Damn.

But I had a great day of golf yesterday in the Southern Alberta Regional PC Golf Tournament, golfing on a team with our Minister of Finance, Ted Morton, along with fellow firm members Cam MacLennan and Jesse Wilde.

I have to say, I have never had the previous opportunity to speak with Mr. Morton - and yesterday was truly an enjoyable afternoon.

I won't repeat any specific conversations we had - what is said on the golf course stays on the golf course - but I can say that he was an engaging, articulate man and I feel quite comfortable knowing that our Finance portfolio is in his hands.

Beyond my impression that he has a very keen mind, clearly having a great depth of understanding of the challenges that our Province has faced and still faces - I was most struck by his curiosity and his approachability.  He clearly has a great affection for our Province and an interest in doing his best to see that we emerge from the recent recession is solidly as we went in - the greatest challenge being to bring our budget back into a balanced position as soon as reasonably possible.

And I feel with Ted Morton at the helm, chances are that will take place sooner than later.

Oh.

And I might note that the tournament and sponsorship was sold out - with a fundraising auction after the tournament being a massive success..  reports of the PC demise in Alberta appearing to be somewhat exaggerated.

No Complaints Today: Gone Golfing with the Premier

Paradise Canyon Golf Resort (Lethbridge, AB)

- another good reason to come visit Alberta

Sorry.

No complaints about the State of Canada today.

I'm off golfing with the Premier at the Southern Alberta Regional PC Golf Tournament today.  Kind of hard to get too cynical when I get to take a day off on a beautiful golf course..

But I did have a chance to post a couple of quick notes in "Re-Think California".

Back tomorrow!

California: The Happiest Place on Earth.. U.K. Visitors - you choose.

Well.

So Corporate Ethics International (San Francisco) is advertising in the U.K. suggesting Alberta is a poor choice for tourism.

I'm sure they would prefer tourists in their own backyard, the "Happiest Place on Earth".. the "Magic Kingdom"..



Surely, a nice leisurely hike through South Central Los Angeles would be much more exhilarating that a boring walk like this:




U.K. tourists..  time to Re-Think California.

Ultimate Irony.. Quebec complaining about Federal Funding.. to ANOTHER Province Obviously

New idea for a sitcom..

It's called, "la Belle Province".. and it stars Jean Charest and Gilles Duceppe as a pair of happy-go-lucky bunglers who can never seem to get their own house in order, yet are constantly blowing their top criticizing the people around them.

Episode 1
In the first episode, we see Jean and Gilles trying to build their own house - but, those silly guys, they first create plans that not only cost way more than all their neighbors, but, the plans are so poorly drawn that they just can every seem to finish a house that will stand up on its own. 

In the final scene of episode one we see both Jean and Gilles trying in vain to hold up a wall made of pasted together language legislation that just keeps falling apart (insert laugh track here.)  Standing away from them,we see Dad (played by Stephen Harper) reaching into his wallet to give them another billion dollars, shaking his head in comedic frustration, calling them the "have not kids."

Episode 2

In the second episode, after receiving billions and billions of dollars from their father to help them build their house, Jean gets all indignant when Dad considers providing financial assistance to two of his siblings, Danny Williams and Rodney McDonald - to help build a cable under the ocean to move power from one of their homes to the other, from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia.

Ironic hilarity ensues, when Jean starts stamping his feat and throwing a tantrum, sending a message to Dad saying:

It would be "unequal treatment" of provinces, he says, if Ottawa funded Newfoundland’s transmission line "when Quebec or others paid by themselves."

At the end of the episode, Dad tells Jean to mind his own business, and then hands him another billion dollars to shut him up. 

The scene closes as we see Jean trying to patch his broken wall with poutine.

Re-Think California.. a few more reasons, and a new Facebook Group

Well.

Now I see our California friends are advertising in the U.K., exorting people not to come to Alberta.

I recall a saying about stones and glass houses..

24,000 California Deaths Linked to Pollution:

A state report says that "as many as 24,000 deaths annually (66 deaths per day) in California are linked to chronic exposure to fine particulate pollution," according to the LA Times. That's more than triple the figures announced by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) when they asked Governor Schwarzenegger and President Bush to declare a state of emergency regarding the 5400 environmental/pollution related deaths a year.
 

Beach Closed due to.. poo.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 28, 2010) – Pollution continues to contaminate the water at America's beaches nationwide, causing 2,904 closing and advisory days in California alone last year.

Using government data, NRDC's report – Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches –confirms that California's beaches continue to suffer from serious contamination – including human and animal waste – that can make people sick.

If this sort of rank hypocrisy irritates you as much as it does me, join the Facebook group, "Re-Think California" and send them a message.

Finally.. Some Responsible Reporting on Tamil Refugees

Sun Reporter Barbara Yaffe..  good job.

Good article in the Vancouver Sun today regarding the Tamil illegal aliens (might as well be accurate in describing them - since the end of the Sri Lanka civil war in 2009, the suggestion of Tamils being de facto "refugees" has been discounted by most nations and, specifically, by the United Nations themselves.)

So often blogs slag the "MSM" (mainstream media) for powder-puff reporting - so, when they do it right, we should probably point that out too.

Some excellent and timely observations reported in the article:

The truth is, Canadians have come to feel powerless with respect to so-called boat people.

That's because of international and domestic law forcing Canada to consider every refugee claim put forward regardless of any associated illegality.

And once a migrant makes it to Canada -- in some cases paying tens of thousands of dollars to a snakehead to "jump the queue" -- he or she is afforded the full protection of the Charter of Rights.

Thank You!

Finally, a report on the fundamental angst that so many Canadians are feeling.. that doing the "right thing", more and more, is seen as the sucker play.  That cutting corners, putting your hand-out for someone else to pick up the tab seems to be encouraged by our government and our judicial system.

The Tamil illegals are just the most compelling recent symptom of a system that needs to be adjusted to discourage abuse of Canadians generosity.

While immigration lawyers (excluding my wife) and the usual suspects from the far left clamor to have us accept, holus bolus, the suggestion that we have an obligation to allow anyone into our country, granting them the protection of our Charter even as they thumb their noses at laws regarding human smuggling - the Canadian public is saying "we've had about enough."

And thankfully, at least one newspaper, the Vancouver Sun, and one reporter,
Barbara Yaffe, is reporting on the thoughts and concerns of the typically unheard great middle of Canadian politics.

The article doesn't present as some harsh conservative rant, but nor does it water down the fundamental problem with allowing this sort of thing to continue:

"..once a migrant makes it to Canada -- in some cases paying tens of thousands of dollars to a snakehead to "jump the queue" -- he or she is afforded the full protection of the Charter of Rights.

Migrants also have access to emergency medical care and can pursue employment, and children have access to educational services.

Those contributing comments on the Web during the past week cite the expense involved in processing and caring for 490 migrants when Canada cannot care properly for its own homeless citizens and Canadians confront waiting lists for health services.

Writers are frustrated by stories about refugee claimants never leaving Canada, even when their claims get rejected by authorities after a hearing and review process that can take years.

In the case of the Tamils who arrived last week, people are questioning why the migrants came to Canada. Were they country-shopping? Sri Lanka is on the other side of the world; surely the ship stopped to refuel en route.

They want to know where the migrants got the cash for their journey. If they had a spare $50,000, why not fly over and claim refugee status upon landing at YVR?

And, given the migrants' perception of danger in their homeland, why did the ship carry so many men and so few women and children?

Some are aware the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, in a July 5 report, stated that while refugee status for Tamils should continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis, refugee protection no longer should be deemed automatically necessary for Sri Lankan Tamils.

Sri Lanka's civil war ended in May of 2009.

"In light of the improved human rights and security situation in Sri Lanka," says the report, "there is no longer a need for group-based protection mechanisms or for a presumption of eligibility for Sri Lankans of Tamil ethnicity originating from the north of the country."

Australia announced on April 9 it no longer would accept refugees from Sri Lanka."

Ironically, the current government in Australia is the Labour Party, under Prime Minister Julia Gillard - a democratic socialist party according to its constitution - essentially sitting somewhere between Canada's Liberals and NDPs.

It will be curious to see if our so-called "neo-conservative" government under Stephen Harper will follow suit to protect Canadians interests.

I'm not betting on it.

Rethink California: Pass It On - A Hypocrite's Travel Guide

"Hey boys and girls, want some crystal meth?"

Excellent article in the Calgary Herald Saturday by Robert Remington:

Rethink California: a Hypocrite's Travel Guide

You see, the California crowd at Corporate Ethics International is suggesting Alberta is so filthy that tourists had best beware.  Oddly enough, it appears that California is throwing a lot of rocks around for someone living in a huge glass house.

While Corporate International is playing fast and loose with the truth in trying to make their point, as discussed here and here, Remington points out some facts regarding anyone considering travel to California, some of which are as follows:

"California has an amazing 172 toxic sites that are listed on a national cleanup priority list maintained by Superfund, a U.S. federal registry of environmentally contaminated sites. Among them are 19 sites where drinking water is contaminated or threatened for more than 100,000 people each, so bring lots of bottled water.. "

"More than a century and a half of mining in California has created an estimated 47,000 abandoned mine land (AML) sites. Historical mining and ore processing at these AML sites have resulted in the generation and disposal of millions of tons of mine wastes to the land and waters of California."

Short translation: California has spent a couple of centuries of making a massive ecological mess, and so now that they have made out like bandits, time for everyone else to tighten their belts to atone for THEIR past rape of the environment.

And the fact that Remington gives a shout-out to Searching For Liberty does nothing to color my opinion - it just confirms his good taste.

Problem is, really, if you are going to make your decisions regarding travel based upon ethical grounds, well, California would seem to be the last place in the world to consider visiting, as Remington comments, we would be hard-pressed to find a jurisdiction which has done more damage to our environment that the Golden State.

But it isn't just the spoil of their environment which should raise ethical questions about the wisdom of considering California as a destination:

 a)  If you are in favor of equal treatment for gays and lesbians, California was the one state that made a loud and clear pronouncement of how they feel about homosexuals when they passed Proposition 8 outlawing gay marriage (which we allow in Alberta, by the way).   While a recent court decision has overturned that proposition, the fact remains that a majority of the voting public in California is clearly hostile to homosexuality;

b) California has created massive income disparity between the very rich and the very poor ranking among the highest states in the U.S.A. for percentage of population in poverty - having the third highest poverty rate in the United States, lagging behind only Washington, D.C. and New York (ironically strong Democratic states during the past four Presidential elections) once cost of living is factored in.  For a state which is known for conspicuous consumption, from Hollywood to Pebble Beach, one in four children live in poverty, and many California children don't have food at home, or even homes to go to. 

c) California courts acquitted both O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson.  However you regard those findings, the alternative explanations are equally as disconcerting, being that either:

i.  California is a good place to live if you want to murder your wife or molest a child; or
ii. California is so rife with racism that a jury refuses to convict a black man due to the inherent mistrust of the judicial system and the police to treat people of color with fairness.

Either way the message is "stay away".

d) Related to the foregoing, California has the second highest violent crime rate in the United States, next to New York, and, with respect to the United States generally, the Global Peace Index ranked the United States the 85th most peaceful nation in the planet, among 149 nations. New Zealand ranks as the most peaceful and Iraq as the most violent. This index puts the United States behind countries like Cuba, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, China, Libya, Brazil and behind most western Europe.  Imagine that.. more violent that Sierra Leone, Libya and Brazil.   Canada, meanwhile, is wedged between Scotland and France.

Messages to travellers - bring along your mace and maybe pick up one of those handguns which are so plentiful down there.

e) Their political leader is Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Seriously.  A man who has admitted to treating women like garbage, and whose resume leading to the Governor's chair includes "Pumping Iron", an homage to roid-abusers everywhere and "Kindergarten Cop".

f) Due to complete fiscal miss-management, while continuing to be one of the highest taxed states in the U.S., they can't afford to keep their prisoners in jail, so have agreed to release thousands of prisoners early to save money.  (See above regarding guns and mace)

g) If the earthquakes don't get you, the fires will.

h) Southern California shares a border with the most lawless and dangerous country on earth.  More dangerous than living in Iraq or Afghanistan - being Mexico.  In Tijuana, footsteps away from San Diego, in the last 1 ½ years, the death toll has exceeded over 1500 and the body count continues to rise. Well over a third of these deaths are police officers and government officials (Forget the mace and handguns, you might need to hire armed guards.)

I'm sure there are lots of other very good reasons to "Re-Think California" - but these few seem good enough for me.

"The Ant and the Grasshopper" - Retold

Recall the old "Ant and the Grasshopper" Fable - where the moral of the story was that working hard today prepares you for your needs tomorrow?

Well, I received a 21st century version - which was just too amusing not to share.

MODERN VERSION - Ant and the Grasshoper

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.


The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
America is stunned by the sharp contrast.
How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green...'

ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, We shall overcome.

Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray for thegrasshopper's sake.

President Obama condems the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper's plight.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of
the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government GreenCzar and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his friends finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around them because thegrasshopper doesn't maintain it.

The ant left the country, and is going very well in an area where he shares a reasonable amount of his food with others - and those who have difficulty getting their own food are very greatful.
The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.


MORAL OF THE STORY:


Be careful how you vote in 2010.

 


I've sent this to you because I believe that you are an ant
not a grasshopper! 

Make sure that you pass this on to other ants.

Don't bother sending it on to any grasshoppers because they wouldn't understand it, anyway.

To Accurately Fill Out the Census - Crayola "Multi-cultural Crayons"

Need Help Filling Out the Census?

(No Kidding!)

Well.

My pal at Big City Liberal is taking on George Jonas,  for daring to suggest that the same argument that a voluntary census will be skewed, can be made regarding a mandatory census - that the coercion inherent may also skew results.

Maybe so, maybe not.

But BCL suggests, one might suggest naively, that the only true "TRUTH" will be arrived at with the mandatory census.

Really.

So, there are 20,000 individuals practicing Jedi religion in Canada?

Must be, those were the stats according to the 2001 census, and that has to be the TRUTH, doesn't it, BCL?

Further - because they were embarrassed by the answer, initially, Statistics Canada refused to provide the results, saying they were "media driven".

Guess they get to pick and choose what answers they like and what they don't.

But either way, the reality is that people (like me for example) who find the census offensive will do one of three things:

a) Risk prosecution and refuse to fill it out;

b) Avoid the risk and just fill it out - giving in to "the man";

c) Avoid the risk, and fill it out with stupid gobbledygook.

 

Might I suggest a fourth alternative?

Filling it out so accurately that it accomplishes BOTH choice (b) and (c).

How so? Well, to begin with , I would recommend a reading of a numerous scientific studies disclosing widespread agreement now that all human beings trace their heritage back to Africa some 150,000 years ago.

 

So, then, when you get to the census, if you want to be brutally accurate AND screw with the census people, when you get to the following question:

17. What were the ethnic or cultural origins of this person’s ancestors?

I suggest you say, "African".

 

And, following up on that, you will shortly come to the following question:

19. Is this person:

�� White

�� South Asian (e.g., East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, etc.)

�� Chinese

�� Black

�� Filipino

�� Latin American

�� Arab

�� Southeast Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Laotian, etc.)

�� West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghan, etc.)

�� Korean

�� Japanese

Other — Specify _____________________

Personally, I've never met anyone who is "white", though I've never actually met an albino, and I suppose they are almost white, but really, even an Albino is more pink than white.. and oddly enough, most albino people are not even caucasian.. ironic, no?

Me? My skin tone tends to vacillate between Crayola #34 Desert Sand and my current hue of Crayola #118, "Tumbleweed".

Of course, on the other hand, I've also never met a truly black person.  I've met people who are light brown and dark brown.. but I've noticed there is no check box for either of those - so, I guess, they are asking for "color" as a category of ethnic origin.. so, again, to be safe, all of us should strictly speaking, answer "Black", having originally come from Africa and developed a reduction of pigment simply because of adaptation to our environment.

If you thought that the foregoing is silly, it gets better.

22. What is this person’s religion?

Indicate a specific denomination or religion even if this person is not currently a practising member of that group.

What religion are you if you don't practice it?  Well, I've never been to a Mosque, but I've heard they have some pretty good ideas, so maybe Muslim?  I mean, I don't have to actually practice it to "be it".

Personally, I'm probably somewhat of a polytheist, I believe that there is a power throughout the Universe that unites us all.

Hmm.

I guess I really am a Jedi after all.

Arrr.. avast matey.. hand over the keys to your ship 'afore we keel-haul ye"

MV Sun Sea - Human Smuggling Barge

- soon to be Canadian government property?

So.

We have, literally, a boatload of Tamil's seeking refugee status coming into Vancouver today.

A few thoughts on this subject.

Firstly, as a result of the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, we can't just turn the boat around.  We did that once with Jewish refugees coming from Germany, and it didn't turn out so well.

However, that doesn't mean we should be complacent about refugees who are unlikely to give honest answers to questions regardng their circumstances, who are apparently bringing tuberculosis with them, and who may include LTTE terrorists in their midst.

Firstly, we need to secure them for sufficient time to allow for identification of potential criminals in their midst - which it appears is, in fact happening.  Keeping in mind, of course, that the chances of getting honest answers is marginal - in 1986, when refugees were found in life boats off our shores, they told stories of not knowing how they got here, and alleged their crew was oriental. In fact, further examination determined they had arrived from Germany and many of them were carrying German money, wearing German clothing - clearly being aware where they came from and how they got here.

Secondly, we should immediately incarcerate the captain and crew of the ship, and have them charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act with organizing, inducing, aiding or abetting the entry into Canada of people without proper documentation. The maximum penalty for the offence is 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine - or, better yet, deport tham back to Sri Lanka for prosecution in their own country.

Thirdly, we impound, seize, and sell the ship as being an asset used in the commission of an offense under the B.C. Civil Forfeiture Act.

Beyond that - thanks to our myopic Supreme Court of Canada who has ruled the Charter applies to refugee claimants, we are likely to just "open the door" to these people, and, in all liklihood, will bring in many former LTTE terrorists who will seek to plot their revenge for their defeat by the Sri Lankan government in May of 2009.

Maybe they can create a support group with the Khadr family - they can call it, "TACS".. Taking Advantage of Canadian Suckers.  Apparently there are 8,000 Tamil members in Canada already.

Liberal Director of Communication Mario Lague Killed in Motorcycle Accident

Mario Lague

Time for a moment of reflection.

As reported by the Toronto Sun today, the Liberal Director of Communications, Mario Lague, was killed earlier this morning in a motorcycle accident, a few blocks from his home in Ottawa.

Mr. Lague, 52,  had a long career of public service. He was a director of communications to former Prime Minister Paul Martin, Canada’s ambassador to Costa Rica, and was Quebec’s delegate in Venezuela and in Mexico. He also served, for a time, in the Privy Council Office - and was serving as the Liberal Director of Communications at the date of his death.

He leaves to survive him his wife and two children.

It should perhaps be mentioned by this conservative that all of those who sit in office or who volunteer their time and effort to politics deserve a country's respect.  For while we may strongly disagree with them - their willingness to sacrifice their own time and effort to espouse their own views in the political arena makes Canada what it is - an example of a place where strong differences may be expressed openly and honestly - a beacon for those the world over who must live in areas where political views are exchanged at the point of a gun or with the detonation of a bomb.

Politics matters to all of us - and those of us who blog, I think, know that intently - but sometimes, in our zeal to espouse our opinions, loudly and strongly, we dehumanize our fellow Canadians with whom we disagree - and I think it is necessary, from time to time, for all of us to acknowledge that political involvement is motivated, almost always, by a desire to make our homes and our communities a better place for our children and our children's children.

We disagree because we care.

I would like to say thank-you for Mario Lague's work on behalf of his country and my condolences to his family, his friends, and his fellow Liberal supporters.

Canada's "Bizarro-world"

LTTE (Tamil Tiger) "Soldiers" - The Logical Result of the Direction of our Supreme Court and our institituionalized protection of Terrorists

A Quick Google Search this morning for Canadian News:

Canada a choice target for Tamil migrants: Diplomat

Khadr trial begins at Guantanamo Bay

Tories make language concession on census

I fear my dreams are coming true quicker than I thought.
 
Here we have a microcosm of everything wrong with the evolution of Canadian Society.
 
Starting at the Census.
 
Liberals are DEMANDING that the government coerce otherwise peaceful citizens to answer detailed questions from the State, failing which they will be jailed or fined or both.
 
So, the liberty of otherwise peaceful and law-abiding Canadians is being taken away unless they capitulate to an inquisition from the information police.
 
Nice.
 
However.
 
Going on to the other stories, we see the ongoing wringing of hands and shedding of tears for Omar Khadr and his terrorist family.  Unfortunately for Omar, he's being held in a country where the rights of law abiding citizens take priority to criminals and terrorists.  Were he in Canada, like his brother, Abdulla Kahdr, a terrorist arms dealer, he would be free to walk the streets today.
 
Most disturbing is the story on the boat carrying Tamils into Canada.  Why do they do this?  Because it works. And it works not only to allow people to run by the cues of hundreds of thousands of other legitimate immigration applicants, but it also works to allow Tamil terrorists into our country to raise money and support the killing of innocents abroad.
 
We have Al Quaeda establishing strong footholds in Canada such as the Khadr family and now, we seek to add to the ranks of the thousands of Tamil Tigers already here.
 
As reported in the CTV article:

Tamil migrants are making the choice to come to Canada because it is seen as "the easiest mark in the world" for prospective refugees of any background, says Ottawa's former High Commissioner to Sri Lanka.

 ..and:

"We accept about 50 per cent of people who manage to reach our soil and make refugee claims. The average for other countries is around 15 per cent..

..and:

"And even if you're turned down, the chances are we won't be able to remove you. We remove a few, but we've had people who have been turned down 20 years ago, but are still appealing."


Refugees are given state-funded lawyers, welfare and health care, which leaves the Canadian system as "the Rolls Royce of claiming refugee status," Collacott said.

..and best of all?

There have been reports suggesting that the MV Sun Sea could be carrying some members of the Tamil Tigers -- a banned terrorist organization in Canada -- who could be travelling alongside legitimate refugees.


Collacott said the Tamil Tigers have made "particular use of the refugee system to get in their supporters, they have operated a lot of the people-smuggling that got people in over the last 20 years."

"And at one point, the Toronto Police task force estimated there were 8,000 trained Tamil terrorists in Toronto alone, so, it's been used both for just getting people in who wouldn't qualify normally by international standards, but also for getting terrorists into Canada. And it's expected, it's believed that there are quite a few Tamil Tigers, or their supporters, on this ship."

So then.

The logical and inescapable result of the directives of the Supreme Court of Canada and the "come one, come all" immigration policy demanded by Liberal Canadians will be greater acceptance of terrorists and, in particular, increasing use of minors to carry out terrorism - like Omar Khadr.

It is now common knowledge that the Khadr family was a family of Al Quaeda terrorists, using Canada as a safe base - by the admission of one of the Khadr adult children, Abdurahman Khadr.

It appears to be common knowledge that Tamil terrorists are taking advantage of a weak-kneed Canadian refugee and judicial system to use Canada as a safe base.

Welcome to Canada's "bizarro-world", where the peaceful suffer government coersion and the evil walk free.  Where each day the great middle of society suffers more and more restriction on their basic freedoms, and each day, the fringes of society, are granted more.

Where the "skills" being welcomed into our country are obvious:

A Dream of Canada's Future

Welcome to Canada.. 

I had a dream last night.  A dream of Canada's future.

In my dream, Canada was a country where political expression was a permitted excuse for vandalism and violence - where the police are required to stand idly by and watch protesters destroy other people's property - as long as they are protesting in favor of an "approved cause".

"Hate Speech" and offenses under Human Rights Commission guidelines prohibited using the term "Terrorist" as pejorative to Islamic extremists - and for anyone accused of murdering innocents to induce acceptance of their views, recent changes to Canadian parliamentary procedure now provided that any quasi-political group would be entitled to enact legislative change by simply proving that they have murdered not less than 1000 innocent persons.  The official term for these new "legislators" was "Well-intentioned Activists".

To facilitate these changes, the use of armed forces to protect Canadians or other world citizens will be prohibited as well.

In my dream we made our communities safe by assuring that any activity which puts anyone at risk is prohibited by the state.  Bicycles, skateboards, skis, snowboards, playground equipment, motorcycles and dancing have all been outlawed - and as a result, we saved hundreds of lives and reduced costs to our medical system.

Following up on the success of anti-smoking efforts, laws were passed that, initially, prohibited McDonald's and Burger King from advertising and outlawed the sale of french fries to persons under 18.  Eventually, the "Prohibited Foods Ministry" was created to assure that harmful foods could not be sold at all, including:

Deep fried food of any type;
All Meats;
Donuts, cakes and cookies;
Chocolate;
Salt; and
Pop-Tarts.

The "Takes a Village" Act was put into force, requiring that all children would be taken from their parents within 7 days of their birth.  While initially many Canadians opposed this, and pointed to the residential school experience as support for their opposition, newly elected Canadian Prime-Minister Hillary Clinton assured that no religion would be permitted to be taught to the children, they would never be disciplined in any manner and their parents would be permitted "Liberal" visitation every other weekend - conditional, of course, on the parents allowing for the placement of numerous "teddy-bear" cameras throughout their home to assure that the children were not "wrong-taught" by the parents.

The Income Tax Act was amended significantly - such that no tax was payable for anyone earning below $40,000.00 per year, and for all persons above that level, a flat tax was imposed of an onerous, but fair, 76%.

Due to an unexplained failure of the Canadian economy following shortly after the amendments to the Income Tax Act, the Government saved our economy by publickizing all business, expropriating all private business operations and putting them under the control of the Ministry of Publickization.

Immigration policy was changed as well, under the new "Come-one, Come all Immigration Act" which allowed for all persons to be admitted and granted citizenship immediately upon entry into Canada, with no inquiry being permitted regarding their ability to earn an income or their prior criminal history, such inquiry being ruled by our Supreme Court as contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Of course, due to the massive influx of new Canadians, and the failure of business, the cost of labor dropped dramatically to $.40 per hour, helping to balance a massive federal deficit.

The Canadian Health Care System continued to be universal, although due to the higher tax obligation, the only available doctors were graduates of the Hollywood Upstairs Medical College, and even at that, there were only 179 doctors available for 433,268,145 Canadians.  To pick up the slack, taking a cue from the great success of self-help litigant facilities in the Judicial system, the government opened thousands of "Self-Help Medical Facilities", including surgical facilities - supported by online "Surgery for Dummies" manuals. 

Sadly, it was just a dream..  

Is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?

You know what?  If you told me "yes", I think I just might believe you.

The Growing Face of Evil in a Liberal Society

Ashley Kirilow - Giving "Scum" a Bad Name

A society of entitlement.

Where the ends (taking care of ME) always justifies the means (taking away from YOU).

Take a good look at these pictures of Ashley Kirilow. 

This is the human parasite who lied about having Cancer to solicit donations from people with a heart, who care for the neighbors around them that they've never met and never knew.

Isolated incident?

More and more, it seems, not so much.

Witness another piece of human excrement, Melodi Dushane, who wanted McNuggets.. and when the cashier at McDonalds explained that they didn't have any, well, see her reaction..



Here is the thing..  more and more, in our society we see there are two groups.  The first group gets entirely too much attention and use of society's limited resources. The "Black Bloc" losers.  The detritus on the streets of East Hastings in Vancouver.  The Khadr family.  Ashley and Melodi.

The second group are the vast majority - the rest of us.  The lady working for minimum wage at the drive through window, the grandmother donating money to a charity.  The firemen who have to pick up the trash who has overdosed.  The soldiers who lose their limbs and lives to religious zealots, who do their best to destroy our society but then hide behind the freedom that our society provides them when they get caught.

The people who go to work each day, do the right things, and ask nothing in return but for their pay cheque - which THEY earn.

Time to declare war on the parasites and the shit-rats like Ashley Kirilow and Melodi Dushane and say, "enough".

The Manhattan Mosque: Words of Wisdom.. (clearly not my own)

A friend of mine sent me a link to an article in the Calgary Herald written by two members of the Muslim Canadian Congress, Raheel Raza and Tarek Fatah regarding their take on the Mosque being proposed at the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.

I myself have struggled to find my own voice, not having been exposed directly to the horror of what happened, and, likewise, not being a Muslim, not fully understanding why there, and why now.

So.

Best to say nothing.

Best to leave it to those who can say it so much better - and so, rather than offer my own thoughts, I simply provide the article published in the Herald today.  The only comment I would add is that too often, Conservatives highlight the mischief that comes from Islamic extremists and do not take time to reflect on the great numbers of Muslims who serve our country well.

I would suggest that Rhaza and Fatah have, in their article, served our country well.

Last week, a journalist who writes for the North Country Times, a small newspaper in Southern California, sent us an e-mail titled "Help." He couldn't understand why an Islamic Centre in an area where Adam Gadahn, Osama bin Laden's American spokesman came from, and that was home to three of the 911 terrorists, was looking to expand.

The man has a very valid point, which leads to the ongoing debate about building a Mosque at Ground Zero in New York. When we try to understand the reasoning behind building a mosque at the epicentre of the worst-ever attack on the U.S., we wonder why its proponents don't build a monument to those who died in the attack?

New York currently boasts at least 30 mosques so it's not as if there is pressing need to find space for worshippers. The fact we Muslims know the idea behind the Ground Zero mosque is meant to be a deliberate provocation to thumb our noses at the infidel. The proposal has been made in bad faith and in Islamic parlance, such an act is referred to as "Fitna," meaning "mischief-making" that is clearly forbidden in the Koran.

The Koran commands Muslims to, "Be considerate when you debate with the People of the Book" -- i.e., Jews and Christians. Building an exclusive place of worship for Muslims at the place where Muslims killed thousands of New Yorkers is not being considerate or sensitive, it is undoubtedly an act of "fitna"

So what gives Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf of the "Cordoba Initiative" and his cohorts the misplaced idea that they will increase tolerance for Muslims by brazenly displaying their own intolerance in this case?

Do they not understand that building a mosque at Ground Zero is equivalent to permitting a Serbian Orthodox church near the killing fields of Srebrenica where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered?

There are many questions that we would like to ask. Questions about where the funding is coming from? If this mosque is being funded by Saudi sources, then it is an even bigger slap in the face of Americans, as nine of the jihadis in the Twin Tower calamity were Saudis.

If Rauf is serious about building bridges, then he could have dedicated space in this so-called community centre to a church and synagogue, but he did not. We passed on this message to him through a mutual Saudi friend, but received no answer. He could have proposed a memorial to the 9/11 dead with a denouncement of the doctrine of armed jihad, but he chose not to.

It's a repugnant thought that $100 million would be brought into the United States rather than be directed at dying and needy Muslims in Darfur or Pakistan.

Let's not forget that a mosque is an exclusive place of worship for Muslims and not an inviting community centre. Most Americans are wary of mosques due to the hard core rhetoric that is used in pulpits. And rightly so. As Muslims we are dismayed that our co-religionists have such little consideration for their fellow citizens and wish to rub salt in their wounds and pretend they are applying a balm to sooth the pain.

The Koran implores Muslims to speak the truth, even if it hurts the one who utters the truth. Today we speak the truth, knowing very well Muslims have forgotten this crucial injunction from Allah.

If this mosque does get built, it will forever be a lightning rod for those who have little room for Muslims or Islam in the U.S. We simply cannot understand why on Earth the traditional leadership of America's Muslims would not realize their folly and back out in an act of goodwill.

As for those teary-eyed, bleeding-heart liberals such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and much of the media, who are blind to the Islamist agenda in North America, we understand their goodwill.

Unfortunately for us, their stand is based on ignorance and guilt, and they will never in their lives have to face the tyranny of Islamism that targets, kills and maims Muslims worldwide, and is using liberalism itself to destroy liberal secular democratic societies from within.

Raheel Raza is author of Their Jihad ... Not my Jihad, and Tarek Fatah is author of The Jew is Not My Enemy (McClelland & Stewart), to be launched in October. Both sit on the board of the Muslim Canadian Congress.

American Tourists Beware.. of your own backyard.

Crypt Lake - about 45 minutes (and a 3 hour hike) from my back door. 

Tourists stay away.  You Won't Like It.  Trust Me.

Do you ever get the feeling that the hypocrisy around you is so thick, you can cut it with a knife?

As we watch millions and millions of gallons of oil having spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, putting fishermen and whole communities out of work, leaving tar balls on beaches, what do we hear about in the News?

Alberta is no place to go visit.

Really?

Where should American tourists visit?

Hmm.. 

How about that hotbed of U.S. liberalism and environmental stewardship, California?  Maybe Colorado.. or, our neighbor to the immediate south, Montana?

Here are a few "tourist traps" you might want to visit now that Alberta is not to your standards:

1. Sulfer Bank Mercury Mine, Clearlake Oaks, California

Great place to take the whole family!  The mine currently consists of mine tailings, waste rock and a flooded open pit mine (known as the Herman Impoundment or Herman Pit). Approximately two million cubic yards of mine wastes and tailings remain on the site. The Herman pit, which is filled with acidic water, covers 23 acres to a depth of 90 feet and is located 750 feet upslope of Clear Lake. The Elem Tribal Colony of Pomo Indians is located directly adjacent to the mine property. A freshwater wetland is located to the north of the mine, and critical habitat for three endangered species of wildlife, the Peregrine Falcon, Southern Bald Eagle, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo, is less than a quarter-mile from the site.


The mine site has been implicated by the EPA in mercury pollution of Clear Lake.

2.  Davis, California (Frontier Fertilizer Site)

How about Davis, California, near Sacramento - maybe think about attending their "Whole Earth Festival" put on by UC Davis in May of each year - "This years theme “From the Ground UP” is all about rethinking our world from the ground up--not just adding on to what already doesn’t serve us. We must consider the next 7 generations in all our endeavors. Sustainability is key, and at Whole Earth Festival, we do everything we can to represent sustainability----from sorting through all of the festival’s “waste” to screenprinting all of our volunteer t-shirts ourselves on 100% organic cotton."

What?  "Frontier Fertilizer"?  Yes, you may want to stop by there as well to see the Frontier Fertilizer site - The 18-acre site, currently zoned for light industrial use, was first developed in the 1950s as an area to store agricultural equipment. Several companies from the early 1970s used a 4,000-cubic-foot unlined basin in the northern portion of the site to dispose of unused pesticides and fertilizers resulting in soil and ground water contamination. The contaminants of concern (COCs) in soil are primarily pesticides while the COCs in the ground water are pesticides and carbon tetrachloride. The contaminated ground water plume extends approximately 600 feet north from the site beneath a residential housing area.

3.  Iron Mountain, Colorado

Alright.  Maybe California, really, is a pretty disgusting place to visit.  But you can't tar a whole country because of the bad behaviour of one state, can you?  (Sorry Florida, no "tar ball" pun intended).

So, let us leave California's contaminated ground water and get back to nature in Colorado, taking a page from John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High". 

No place captures Colorado's pristine purity like a camping trip on Iron Mountain.  With water samples reaching a pH level of negative three – the most acidic ever found – it is understandable why some scientists call Iron Mountain Mine an anomaly, as well as one of the most contaminated sites in the world.

An anomaly? Not exactly..   a few hours' drive from Iron Mountain gets you to Summitvile, Colorado.  At an elevation of 11,500 feet above sea level, the site is situated south of Wightman Fork, a tributary of the Alamosa River, about two miles east of the Continental Divide. The historic town of Summitville is to the site’s north on the other side of Wightman Fork. The chemicals of concern are heavy metals (copper, cadmium, manganese, zinc, lead, nickel, aluminum, iron). Human exposure to these contaminants is limited, since no one lives within two miles of the site, and the site’s ground water is not used for drinking. However, ecological impacts from site contaminants have had a considerable impact on the Alamosa River system below Summitville, which cannot currently support aquatic life.

3.  Butte, Montana - "Big Sky Country"
 
Closer to home, if you don't want to sample the waters in California (pesky mercury puts a damper on a fish fry), and wish to get away from the filth of Colorado, well, take a drive to Montana.  The heart of "Glacier Country" beckons visitors, to the last remnant of pure, untouched wild lands in the United States.
 
Maybe stop in at quaint and historical Butte, Montana during your trip - the Berkeley Basin is a delight for all!
 
 

 
The Berkeley Pit is a former open pit copper mine located in Butte, Montana, USA. It is one mile long by half a mile wide with an approximate depth of 1,780 feet (540 m). It is filled to a depth of about 900 feet (270 m) with water that is heavily acidic (2.5 pH level), about the acidity of cola or lemon juice.  As a result, the pit is laden with heavy metals and dangerous chemicals that leech from the rock, including arsenic, cadmium, zinc, and sulfuric acid.


The mine was opened in 1955 and operated by Anaconda Copper and later by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), until its closure in 1982. When the pit was closed, the water pumps in the nearby Kelly shaft, at a depth of 3,800 feet, were turned off, and groundwater from the surrounding aquifers began to slowly fill the pit, rising at about the rate of one foot a month. Since the pit closure in 1982, the level has risen to within 150 feet of the natural groundwater level.

The pit and its water present a serious environmental problem because the water, with dissolved oxygen, allows pyrite and sulfide minerals in the ore and wall rocks to decay, releasing acid. When the pit water level eventually reaches the natural water table, estimated to occur by around 2020, the pit water will reverse flow back into surrounding groundwater, polluting into Silver Bow Creek which is the headwaters of Clark Fork River.[1] The acidic water in the pit carry a heavy load of dissolved heavy metals. In fact, the water contains so much dissolved metal (up to 187 ppm Cu) that some material is mined directly from the water.

Yes, American Tourists..  Alberta is no place for you.  Much better to stay home and sample your own pristine wilderness, methinks.

Maybe a nice lazy afternoon on a Florida Beach.