Jan 16, 2012 - The Right Hon. Stephen Harper now plans to visit China in February. It is expected that, during his visit, he will reassure President Hu Jintao that the construction of Gateway will proceed as planned – the fix is in.
This assurance should lead to more billion dollar acquisitions in the Tar Sands by state-owned PetroChina, and within a short time, give China the type of influence over the exploitation of another country's economic and strategic resource previously only enjoyed by the United States on whose prosperity our economic well-being and security depends.
... and Foreign Interest
“The Prime Minister is threatening to prevent foreign environmental interests from delaying the approval* of [the Gateway] …“ GM, Jan 6, 2012
Since the vast majority of investment in the Tar Sands is foreign, as pointed out by Joe Oliver in a CTV interview, isn’t the Prime Minister representing foreign interests when he pushes for the construction of the Gateway which will carry "liquefied" tar to be processed in China, and which will maximise the return on these foreign investments at the expense of jobs for Canadians?
* Read Fighting the Fix for why the Prime Minister is confident the Gateway will be approved.
... and the Gitxsan
Enbridge's exaggerations about Gitxsan support for the Gateway is bringing out the worst in people.This may be Harper's most damaging legacy in behaving like a shill for the oil Industry, and perhaps unwittingly for Chinese interests, instead of as our Prime Minister and an honest broker.
The incitement to hatred of First Nations who stand in the way of the Prime Minister's wish to get China's pipeline built whatever the social and environmental cost may play into the government's hands.
... and the Haisla
The Haisla Chiefs say they will do whatever it takes to stop the government from bulldozing their land and destroying their way of life to make way for China's pipeline. At about the same time, the government announced that it will change whatever laws stand in the way of building China's pipeline, including laws that forestall the foregone conclusion of the Gateway panel (read Fighting the Fix).
To get China's pipeline built, the government will also have to violate treaties with First Nations. A violent confrontation pitting First Nations, environmentalists and nationalists against the backers of China's plans for its share of the Tar Sands may be inevitable.
On Islam
Make Boreal your goto-site for clear, easy to understand information on the Prophet Muhammad, the Koran and Islamic law. It's not only about content, but completeness and context. Click here to get an appreciation of the breadth and depth of knowledge, 1/4 million words and counting. If you found the effort useful, please consider purchasing a book, or making a donation. Thank you.
Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice
The Complete Layman's Guide to the Koran
Everything you’ve always wanted to know about the Koran, and more, explained in a way we can all understand
Shared Prophets
Biblical Figures in the Koran
Shared Prophets gathers together all the relevant revelations about the biblical heroes, and the odd villain, whom Allah invited to strut their stuff on His stage, the Koran.
Teach Your Children Well
The future as a truism and a cliché
Can two incompatible value systems be accommodated within the public school system and the inevitable clash between reason and unreason avoided?
Books by mail are discounted by a minimum of 15%. Books with a Canadian shipping address are printed in Canada; those with a U.S. destination are printed in the United States; for the European Union, it's the United Kingdom, making for low shipping costs and reduced delivery times.
Unfinished
Going Swimming Fully Clothed
A Brief Introduction to Islamic Law
It’s not easy swimming fully clothed, or so I have read...
For a layman writing about Islamic jurisprudence it is not unlike going swimming fully-clothed, metaphorically-speaking. You are constantly in danger of being dragged beneath the waves of your own logic as you struggle to explain things that on the surface (pun intended) seem to defy common sense...
Remembering Uzzah
A Black Comedy in Three Acts
Remembering Uzzah is meant to make learning about the Koran and the Prophet Muhammad a painless and mostly pleasant experience while not sugar-coating or leaving out the naughty and nasty bits.
And, is there a better place to learn about Islam then in the relaxed atmosphere of a favourite pub in the company of friends and a beautiful, bright, doomed young woman to give you an insider's perspective?
Shooting the Messenger was a distraction from more important things, which is why it is no longer prominent on this page, not because of anything the Prime Minister's Office did or the Dion of A Letter In Anticipation of Nothing. B. P.
Thank you for visiting the Boreal website.
It was Thomas Paine’s plain language Common Sense that touched the hearts and minds of the ordinary people of America; the people who would decide the outcome of the American Revolution. In my postings and my books I try to live up to that tradition of explaining the seemingly complicated in terms we can all understand.
