But British Columbia does not have a diversified free press. What we have is a convergence of big newspapers resulting in a very biased, single-purpose media. And in the case of B.C. Rail, Big Media has let the public down.
As a result, British Columbians have been given very little understanding of this important case. Big media has, on the other hand, been unfailingly gentle toward the Gordon Campbell government which, in reality, will go on trial when two of their top aides go on trial. Present and former Ministers of Finance and Ministers of Transportation as well as the premier may be called -- should be called -- to testify.
There's no denying that the Basi, Virk, Basi Trial is important. It's the B.C. government's privatization process on trial. It's the Campbell government's method of doing business, on trial. In many ways, it's British Columbia's future which will be on trial beginning 18 April 2007.
Cameras ought to be in the B.C. Supreme Court room from the moment Madam Justice Elizabeth Bennett begins to hear the sworn testimony of Her Majesty the Queen vs Basi, Virk, Basi, because in one way or another, this B.C. Rail case affects every British Columbia citizen.
We should hear every word of sworn testimony. But very few of us can afford to stay in Vancouver for 6 months to watch this historic trial unfold. Certainly Big Media isn't very interested in shining a light into the corners of possible influence peddling, fraud, bribery as it might allegedly function within government. As so often happens, ordinary citizens have keenly felt the need for public understanding.
And so: Citizen Journalists have come forward to report this news.
Some citizens -- Robin Mathews in particular -- attend the pre-trial hearings and report in depth on what they see and hear. Others have developed the On-Line web-sites where this specific B.C. Rail Trial information is made available to the public. My web-site is:
BC Mary
The Legislature Raids
http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/
There is also: House of Infamy at: http://houseofinfamy.blogspot.com/
and Somena Media at: http://somenamedia/blogspot.com/
For general news and opinion, including B.C. Rail at times: http://billtieleman.blogspot.com/, Vive le Canada, The Tyee, Pacific Gazette.
For a trial expected to last six months, there'll be a continuing need for Citizen Journalists to attend even one or two days and to report on what they see and hear in Supreme Court. Each pair of eyes sees things just a little differently so it's safe to say that all eyewitness reports will be interesting. Just send your comments to any of the addresses above. And many thanks, if you can participate.
Good luck, British Columbia.
- BC Mary.
Note: http://bctrialofbasi-vi...
http://houseofinfamy.bl...
http://somenamedia/blog...
http://billtieleman.blo...
18 April 2007: B.C.'s Future On Trial
Posted on Saturday, April 14 at 14:34 by BC MaryContributed By
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Skolnick coined the phrase Whores of the Press
Mary , herself was not so long ago outraged at the suggestion “journalist” are held in distain.
So it is quite satisfying to see her turn about
anyone with an iota of curiousity could have easily discovered for them selves the same information as I.
Has there been an
Epiphany of sorts ?
---
"And God said: 'Let there be Satan, so people don't blame everything on me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on Satan."
* George Bu
The verdict was on the side of gullibility!
The uneducated and stupid electorate chose exactly who they were set up to choose: the liberals.
What pisses me off more than I can hardly bear is the lag in rational thought friom the 20 or so years it took to engineer the election of the liberals to now
How FN stupid are the citizens in BC an Cana DuH?
You ain't seen nuttin yet!
---
"And God said: 'Let there be Satan, so people don't blame everything on me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on Satan."
* George Bu
Sorry ... I transposed two letters of Meaghan Champion's web-site <br />
address. It should be: <br />
<br />
<a href="http://sonemamedia.blogspot.com/">http://sonemamedia.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
The requested URL was not found on this server. Please visit the Blogger homepage or the Blogger Knowledge Base for further assistance. <br />
<br />
And in 1954, Vera Lynn brought it back at # 29 and her version was used in the final scene of<br />
the 1964 film "Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb"*<br />
<br />
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when<br />
But I'm sure we'll meet again some sunny day<br />
Keep smiling through, just the way you used to do<br />
Till the blue skies chase the dark clouds far away<br />
<br />
Now, won't you please say "Hello" to the folks that I know<br />
Tell 'em it won't be long<br />
'cause they'd be happy to know that when you saw me go<br />
I was singing this song<br />
<br />
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when<br />
But I'm sure we'll meet again some sunny day<br />
<br />
MONOLOGUE: Yes, we'll meet again. Darlin', I don't know where and I don't know when. But<br />
I KNOW we'll meet again one of these good ole sunshiny days. Ya know, darlin', all ya gotta<br />
do is just keep on smilin' through you know just like you ALWAYS do, until the blue skies<br />
chase the dark clouds far, far, far away. I wantcha to do me a favor, please say "Hello" to<br />
all<br />
the folks that I know. Well, just tell 'em it won't be long. They'd be happy to know that when<br />
you saw me go, I was standin' right here, singin' this song.<br />
<br />
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when<br />
But I know we'll meet again some sunny day <br />
<br />
I picture armyguy as Slim Pickens as Air Force Major T. J. "King" Kong: The B-52 Stratofortress bomber captain and a stereotypical "American cowboy". <br />
*<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove</a><br />
<br />
I have no idea why you posted in responce to my post BCM <br />
But hey it opened the door for this
<br />
* George Bu
<br />
That should get it Mary.
<br />
We never know when dyslexia will strike us next, do we? So Meaghan's <br />
web-site address mnemonic is some name media -- right? -- <br />
abbreviated to somenamedia, i.e., <a href="http://somenamedia.blogspot.com/">http://somenamedia.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
Got it. <br />
<br />
Yahoooo! She writes good, that one. You too, G. <br />
that combined with Alzheimer's would go some way in explaining the selective confusion in “interpreting” the writing of at least one other poster,eh, Mary?
He he ho ho
---
"And God said: 'Let there be Satan, so people don't blame everything on me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on Satan."
* George Bu
line news service), copied below.
It's interesting how some people will try to tear good things down, while
others put their energies into creating or encouraging something that's
good. I very much appreciate comments like the following ... in fact, they
are the salary I get for working 10 hours a day on The Legislature Raids.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Salt Spring News - Regional News
BCRail trial starts on the 18th: BC Mary has the news that the corporate
media won't touch
BC Mary seems to be almost the only one trying to get out the real story
of the darkness in the soul of BC's governors. Check it out today for her
(and her friends') new posts and keep checking it out during the trail.
This whole affair brings into sharp relief how far citizens have been
removed—deliberately—from what is really going on. Thanks to Mary for
her good efforts to keep us all informed.
Posted at: Monday, April 16, 2007 - 04:14 AM -- Posted by: Jim Scott --
at Salt Spring News, Salt Spring Island, B.C.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
except whe ya get full of your self or decide to graceless
or petty
Now that you have found or renewed , perhaps your voice
I appaude your efforts.
---
"And God said: 'Let there be Satan, so people don't blame everything on me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on Satan."
* George Bu
<br />
<br />
Does B.C. have an embedded media?<br />
<br />
17 April 2007. Today's Supreme Court Criminal List doesn't mention <br />
Basi, Virk, or Basi. But the first entry on the listing is their Case Number <br />
23299-3. The name is given only as HMTQ vs LIMITED ACCESS. But the <br />
"Main Charges / Applications certainly sound familiar. And they cover 6 <br />
pages: Disclosure applications, Special Prosecutor to provide call logs, <br />
disclosure of intercepted transcripts, and so on.<br />
<br />
Special note: Start time is 2:00 PM. (Not the usual 9:00 AM start.)<br />
<br />
Question: how did CanWest know the date in advance? And apart from <br />
one throw-away comment in a 14 April article about the trial beginning <br />
"next Tuesday", how come CanWest said nothing about a change of <br />
venue? Everyone else reported what they had seen and heard direct from <br />
Madam Justice Elizabeth Bennett in court on Monday 10 April: The trial <br />
begins on 18 April 2007 with 120 days booked.<br />
<br />
More later ... but this start-up demonstrates a weird evasiveness on the <br />
part of Big Media. Bring on Bill Tieleman and all the Citizen Journalists. <br />
- BC Mary.<br />
<a href="http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/">http://bctrialofbasi-virk.blogspot.com/</a><br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My fear though is that justice will NOT be done and the courts will only aid in a cover-up.<br />
<br />
The Campbells have a history<br />
My Grand parents would have said "It's in the blood."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/athens/forum/8287/glencoe.html">http://www.geocities.com/athens/forum/8287/glencoe.html</a><br />
<br />
Many people still believe the massacre which took place at Glencoe in 1692 occurred because the Campbells decided to settle old scores by butchering their great rivals the MacDonalds in cold blood. Yet the Campbells, ruthless and bloodthirsty though they were, were only the pawns in a sinister and evil game which was sanctioned by the king himself. <br />
<br />
<p>---<br> Authority has always attracted the lowest elements in the human race. All through history mankind has been bullied by scum. PJ O'Rourke
<br />
I've just posted the following item on The Legislature Raids but I can tell <br />
you privately that CanWest is really becoming annoying, as in: <br />
<br />
<br />
Now just a goldarn minute here ... <br />
<br />
Look, we can't start following the most important political trial in British <br />
Columbia's history with self-serving, manipulative statements like this <br />
one from today's Vancouver Sun ... see it, right at the end:<br />
<br />
Corruption trial of former government aides begins today<br />
Vancouver Sun<br />
Wednesday, April 18, 2007<br />
<br />
VANCOUVER - The criminal corruption trial of two former senior <br />
government aides begins today in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.<br />
<br />
Dave Basi and Bob Virk are accused of accepting bribes, fraud and <br />
breach of trust in connection with their role in the $1-billion sale of BC <br />
Rail operations to Canadian National Railway in November 2003. {Snip}<br />
<br />
At one point, police inadvertently listened to a phone conversation <br />
between the finance minister and Premier Gordon Campbell. [Here it <br />
comes-->>>] The police have repeatedly said no politicians were ever <br />
suspected of wrongdoing.<br />
<br />
Full story:<br />
<a href="http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=f4bfc707-6282">http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=f4bfc707-6282</a>-<br />
4f2b-a869-c49b738665ed&k=68350<br />
<br />
<br />
Now let me ask the reader: how stupid does CanWest think we are? <br />
Sure, it's true that the police from the first 24 hours after the raid, tried <br />
to reassure the public by saying that no elected politicians were under <br />
investigation. <br />
<br />
But obviously -- and quite properly -- there had to be later <br />
investigations which included the Ministers of Finance, the Ministers of <br />
Transportation, possibly the Premier, and others. The police even have <br />
wire taps on former Cabinet Ministers. The public should worry if these <br />
key players hadn't been checked out.<br />
<br />
So what in blue blazes does this CanWest statement mean: The police <br />
have repeatedly said no politicians were ever suspected of wrongdoing? <br />
Not ever? <br />
<br />
Is CanWest saying that the Cabinet was in Tahiti or Katmandu <br />
throughout the entire sale of B.C. Rail and knew nothing -- absolutely <br />
nothing -- about how it got sold? So nobody asked them anything?<br />
<br />
Is CanWest messing with our heads?<br />
<br />
If so, what's next? Tomorrow, the verdict? <br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
<br />