From psema4 at gmail.com Tue Aug 5 17:09:16 2008 From: psema4 at gmail.com (Scott Elcomb) Date: Tue Aug 5 17:09:19 2008 Subject: [discuss] Looking for suggestions; Oakville Townhall Aug 20 Message-ID: <99a6c38f0808051409i5f6e4770ocf8e50ce7df714f2@mail.gmail.com> Sorry for the cross-posting. Sometimes it seems like the only way. Earlier today I received what I suspect to be politcal spam from the Liberal Party and I intend to take them up on their proposition. If anyone has a particular question, let me know. I've a few myself. // The Message // Dear Scott Elcomb, You are invited to join MP Garth Turner and Liberal leader Stephane Dion, for a special evening, as our guest Federal Liberal leader Stephane Dion is coming August 20th, to meet the people. Hosted by MP Garth Turner, Dion will be centre stage at an important Town hall meeting in which citizens can ask him about the big issues facing southern Ontario, and Canada. "Now that Stephen Harper has threatened an election in a few months," Turner says, "it's key that people know where our leaders stand. Stephane Dion is the only one making this effort to get out and ask us all what kind of Canada we want, and how best to cope with the problems which need urgent solutions. I'm encouraging everyone - Liberal supporters or critics - to come and make up their own minds." Turner cites recent job losses in the manufacturing sector as a priority, along with rising energy costs, falling real estate values and mounting family financial stress. He also says Dion will be outlining his Green Shift proposal, which would see personal income taxes slashed, and taxes imposed instead on polluters responsible in part for climate change. "Dion has won the admiration of people across the country for meeting real voters face-to-face," Turner says. "He's not afraid of the tough questions we should all be asking of our politicians, now that the economy's turned sour and the federal government seems to be drifting. This is a chance for everyone in the region to get out and make their voices heard, so policy in Ottawa can better mirror public wishes." The Town Hall meeting takes place Wednesday, August 20th at 7:30 pm. Location: SVCC Hall (St. Volodymyr). 1280 Dundas Street, Oakville (between Trafalgar Rd. and Bronte Rd.). Admission is free, and seating is on a first come-first served basis. Seats may be reserved by calling (905) 693-0166, or emailing garth@garth.ca For more information: Esther Shaye Office of Hon. Garth Turner (905) 693-0166 or esther@garth.ca Garth Turner MP // End Mesage // // My Response // Hi there, I received an invitation from you today about the townhall meeting in Oakville on August 20th. If you would kindly reserve a seat for me, it would be most appreciated. Thanks, - Scott. // End Response // -- Scott Elcomb http://www.psema4.com/ http://www.google.com/reader/shared/14892828400785741937 From psema4 at gmail.com Sun Aug 17 16:04:54 2008 From: psema4 at gmail.com (Scott Elcomb) Date: Sun Aug 17 16:04:29 2008 Subject: [discuss] Fwd: [d@DCC] ACTION Alert: Please support two key govt. ethics lawsuits, and good government campaigns (fwd) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <99a6c38f0808171304t6abe23deq4e702cf35430252e@mail.gmail.com> I apologize in advance for anyone who takes this forwarding wrong. I fully support it however... As attached, - Scott. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Russell McOrmond Date: Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 10:16 AM Subject: [d@DCC] ACTION Alert: Please support two key govt. ethics lawsuits, and good government campaigns (fwd) To: General Copyright Discussions Copyright is often said to be one of the most lobbied areas of public policy, so this should be of interest to this community. -- Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: Please help us tell the Canadian Parliament to protect our property rights as owners of Information Technology. Sign the petition! http://digital-copyright.ca/petition/ict/ http://KillBillC61.ca "The government, lobbied by legacy copyright holders and hardware manufacturers, can pry control over my camcorder, computer, home theatre, or portable media player from my cold dead hands!" ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:16:45 -0400 Subject: ACTION Alert: Please support two key govt. ethics lawsuits, and good government campaigns THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED IN THE PAST YEAR AT: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/support.html PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON to everyone you know in Canada, and if you have any questions about this email, contact Democracy Watch by email at: Dear Friend of Democracy, Your help is needed right now to support the campaigns to close the 90 loopholes in the federal government's accountability system, and also to support two key government ethics lawsuits to stop lobbyists from doing favours for politicians they are lobbying, and to stop politicians and government officials from controlling investigations of themselves and their friends when they face accusations of wrongdoing. PLEASE DONATE NOW to help Democracy Watch pay the more than $10,000 in costs of the two key government ethics lawsuits it has filed against the federal Registrar of Lobbyists, and the federal Ethics Commissioner, and to support Democracy Watch's good government campaigns -- See details about the lawsuits and campaigns below (including a sample letter to send to federal political party leaders) and please donate now at: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/support.html Thank you in advance to all of you who donate and/or send a letter to federal political party leaders in support of Democracy Watch's lawsuits and good government campaigns (and thank you to everyone who has donated or sent a letter in the past year). Sincerely, Duff Conacher, Coordinator Democracy Watch http://www.cleangovernment.ca **************** LAWSUIT #1 - STOP LOBBYISTS FROM DOING FAVOURS FOR CABINET MINISTERS THEY ARE LOBBYING Democracy Watch is challenging the federal Registrar of Lobbyists Michael Nelson in court because he ruled that no ethics rules were broken when a lobbyist organized and held a fundraising event that raised $70,000 for a Cabinet minister at the same time the lobbyist was lobbying the minister's department. If Democracy Watch wins, lobbyists will finally be stopped from doing favours for Cabinet ministers they are lobbying. In an extraordinary ruling, a Federal Court of Appeal Justice has ordered Democracy Watch to pay by August 29th $10,000 in costs in advance of the court hearing or Democracy Watch's appeal will be dismissed!! You can see details about the court case at: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/RelsAug1508.html ******* LAWSUIT #2 - STOP POLITICIANS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM CONTROLLING INVESTIGATIONS OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR FRIENDS Democracy Watch is challenging the federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson in court because she ruled that Prime Minister Harper and his Cabinet ministers can control the investigation into their actions and the actions of former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (even though Mulroney was an advisor to Harper until last November). If Democracy Watch wins, federal politicians and government officials will finally be stopped from controlling investigations about their and their friends' actions. You can see details about the court case at: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/RelsMay2108.html ******* AND PLEASE SEND A LETTER CALLING ON FEDERAL PARTY LEADERS TO CLEAN UP THE SYSTEM, FINALLY Did you know that, because of loopholes in federal laws (even after the passage of the so-called "Federal Accountability Act"), Karlheinz Schreiber and Brian Mulroney could still be corporate lobbyists in secret today, and Schreiber could still give unlimited amounts of money in secret to all federal politicians after they left office, either as a donation or as payment for lobbying? Did you know that, because of more than 90 loopholes in the federal government's accountability system, it is legal: - to be dishonest in politics; - to make secret unlimited donations to all types of political candidates; - for MPs, riding associations and political parties to have secret trust funds; - to lobby in secret; - to do secret polling with the public paying; - for MPs to switch parties in-between elections just to further their career ambitions; - for the Prime Minister to appoint more than 2,000 law enforcement officers without any public review or hearings (including public inquiry commissioners), and; - for federal politicians, their staff and senior government officials to be involved in policy-making processes in which they have a direct financial interest, and to become lobbyists soon after they leave office? Did you know that the Accountability Act doesn't even protect all federal government employees who blow the whistle on government wrongdoing (and doesn't protect any other whistleblowers at all)? With a federal election very likely happening sometime in the next year, now is a key time to push all federal parties to make strong pledges to close all the loopholes, and strengthen the enforcement and penalties, in the federal government's accountability system. Powerful lobbyists are pushing to weaken the accountability system, and politicians are reluctant to increase their own accountability, so the federal political party leaders need to hear from you or they won't do anything to ensure honest, ethical, open, representative and waste-preventing government. PLEASE GO TO the following Democracy Watch webpage and use the sample letter to send a letter to all federal political party leaders telling them to clean up the federal government's accountability system, finally: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/actsystem.htm OR GO TO: http://www.goodgovernment.ca AND click on the "Good Government Action Alert" link. To see background information on 16 situations in the past 15 years of federal politics that have revealed the 90 loopholes in the federal government's accountability system, go to: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/RelsNov0707.html ******* PLEASE ALSO DONATE NOW to help stop dishonest, unethical, secretive, unrepresentative and wasteful politics in Canada at: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/support.html Democracy Watch does not accept money from governments or large corporations -- without your ongoing support Democracy Watch will have to shut down its good government campaigns (the only such campaigns in Canada) ******* THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for sending your letters, and for your ongoing support of Democracy Watch's good government court cases and campaigns. Sincerely, Duff Conacher, Coordinator Democracy Watch P.O. Box 821, Stn. B Ottawa, Canada K1P 5P9 Tel: (613) 241-5179 Fax: (613) 241-4758 Email: dwatch@web.net Internet: http://www.cleangovernment.ca Since 1993, cleaning up and making governments and corporations more responsible and accountable to you, and making Canada the world's leading democracy -- please donate now at: http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/support.html _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@list.digital-copyright.ca http://list.digital-copyright.ca/mailman/listinfo/discuss -- Scott Elcomb http://www.psema4.com/ http://www.google.com/reader/shared/14892828400785741937