Ooooo goodie ... a spy game for geek bloggers!

I turned on CBC about 90 minutes ago, and I think they have spent about 10 minutes of that NOT showing or talking about their interview with CSIS head Richard Fadden. They are pretty damn proud of this interview where Fadden is coyly suggesting that certain Canadian politicians are under the thumb of foreign governments ... without naming names of course. This is a juicy little story about espionage and power and devious communist governments that are using our treasured elected leaders to aid their plans for world domination. Damn it Pinky, we need to stop them!

So now it's up to the bloggers and pundits to figure out who Fadden was talking about. There are municipal politicians and at least two provincial cabinet ministers. He made it very clear that China was one of those countries that's exerting it's influence through our leaders, and suggested that these ties are nurtured in early years through university clubs and alike with people who have natural ties to those countries. Ok ... so we're looking for politicians with Chinese heritage. Olivia Chow? No .. she's federal.

BC is a logical place to start: Ida Chong, Jenny Kwan ... What about Ontario? Mike Chan ... um ... John O'Toole? Hmm.. There aren't that many to pick from here. This should be pretty easy.

What about Manitoba? A quick scan of our MLAs doesn't turn up any obvious Chinese communist sympathizers, although I suspect that Dave Chomiak may be an alien. However, some might suggest that if there is anything resembling a communist hot bed in Canada, it would be here in Winnipeg -- where we once briefly had a mural of Karl Marx. Plus there's that whole thing with the general strike and all that.

Unfortunately it's getting close to my bed time, and I know I'm not going to have the time or motivation to look into this any further. But have no fear. I'm sure that by the time I hit "publish" in my blogger screen, there will be a hundred other blog posts out there speculating about who the traitors are. I think it's that O'Toole guy. He's got that look in his eye.

Interesting stuff. Well done, Mansbridge. Well done.

It's all attitude, Baby.

What is Birdtail Sioux First Nation Chief Ken Chalmers doing differently than the other four Dakota chiefs?

Just as Enbridge Inc. moves to improve and formalize relations with aboriginal populations across Western Canada, the oil and gas pipeline giant has given $100,000 to each of Manitoba’s five Dakota First Nations as a goodwill gesture. -fp-

Chief Chalmers took the $100k and built a new general store and gas bar for his people. “A lot of people are on social assistance,” Chalmers said. “This way, they can stretch their meagre dollars.”

"I know (our people) were frustrated in the past ... We don’t want the future to be full of blockades. We want to move ahead here. My people are tired of this.”

Seems (from the article) to be a reasonable and intelligent guy who is making the best of the situation and is approaching the partnership in a positive manner. The other Chiefs, maybe not so much:

Canupawakpa Chief Frank Brown says Enbridge has not come through as they promised. “The other Dakota are standing behind me too. We’re all in the dark. We all got fooled the same. We all got lied to the same.” If he does pull out of negotiations with Enbridge, Brown says his band will keep Enbridge’s money

That's the spirit, Brown. You tell 'em.

By they way, Chief Nelson, has Chavez gotten back to you yet?

Oh that nutty Chavez

Getting bored with things back home ... let's see what my favourite mad man is up to:

Chavez calls for anti-US alliance

The vehemently anti-US leader says Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba and Dominica should create one united force ... Mr Chavez has urged them to draw up a joint defence policy and create a united military force against US imperialism. "If the US threatens one of us, it threatens all of us," he said, "we will respond as one."

Whatever. Even Hillary isn't scared.

It might be the coca paste that he's admitted chewing on a daily basis, but it seems that he's also trying to pick a fight with Columbia over, um, who the hell knows? Even his own people are telling Columbians to ignore the rantings of their increasingly erratic leader:

While Chavez continued saber rattling Colombia, his former Minister of Defense Raul Baduel sent a message to that country not to pay attention to what Hugo Chavez may say ... to not pay attention to their own Commander in Chief's attempt to distract the attention of the people form the mess Chavez has created.

And one hears daily the rumblings not only from the people, but more and more from his own collaborators and remarkably, from Hugo Chavez himself. In the middle of his threats agaisnt Colombia, Chavez now regularly sprinkles his speeches with rants and loud statements about his Governments inability to accomplish anything, as if he were not the Chief of State but some sort of outside comptroller checking things out. -link-

I suspect the end is near for old Chavismo. We can only hope.