Parker Donham today put out an important piece on his Contrarian blog which thoroughly eviscerates Christie Blatchford's low-grade attack on Richard Colvin in her column in Saturday's Globe and Mail. Read it now.

I would hope Parker's analysis gets widely forwarded and linked, and that more than a few letters are dispatched to the editor (letters@globeandmail.com - keep them under 150 words) today.

In the process of releasing classified documents government operatives are breaking the very law they claim prevents them from releasing these documents to our elected parliamentarians.

The Harper government is clearly fighting for its life here, playing hard ball with the opposition and loose with the facts presented to the Canadian public. Someone at very senior levels in the Harper government is breaking the law, and they are all breaking the trust of the Canadian people.

Defence and Foreign Affairs ministers MacKay and Cannon ought to be compelled to resign until the circumstances of these illegal document releases, and allegations of direct or indirect Canadian complicity in torture in Afghanistan, are fully and completely explored by a public inquiry or criminal investigation which must as a matter of course include a complete examination of the actions of the Prime Minister's Office and Stephen Harper himself.

Our Departments of Foreign Affairs and Defence appear to be scandal-magnets of the first order. Yesterday defence minister Peter MacKay had a "Bernier" moment which may eventually lead to his resignation if the issue is rightfully and thoroughly followed up.

Globe and Mail: Generals dismiss diplomat

The issue: It has been made clear that civilians testifying before the Special Committee on the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan (AFGH) on Thursday had in their possession classified documents which the committee itself has asked for but not been granted access to in even a redacted form.

The civilians in question? Retired general Rick Hiller and retired Lieutenant-general Michel Gauthier.

These documents should no more be in their hands than yours or mine or even in the possession of Mme. Julie Couillard.

Couillard you'll remember as the gal-pal of the former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier who was forced to resign over his having left reams of secret documents in Coulliard's apartment over a period of many weeks.

Globe and Mail: Warnings emailed to MacKay's Office

Now it's MacKay's turn, it seems, to hand out documents to his boy-buddies. MacKay is the former boss of these generals and both he and the generals, as well as the government of the day, have a vested interest in shutting down the line of inquiry currently taking place in AFGH. How did these civilians get access to the documents? It seems only logical that they would have come straight from MacKay's office, and one CBC journalist tried to get a straight answer from the Minister on just that question.

Watch the video (CBC: 01:05 minutes long)

The question: Why were two retired generals able to access secret-classified documents, ostensibly in preparation for their testimony at the Afghanistan hearings on Thursday? Documents which the AFGH committee has asked for repeatedly but been denied?

MacKay's answer: I don't know. Smirk. I don't tamper with witnesses. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh. Walk away.

Is this a big deal? Yes, on two fronts. Giving out classified documents to civilians is a probable breach of the Security of Information Act. But of greater to concern to us all we expect our government to deal with matters in a fair and principled manner. If the government subverts the efforts of its own committees, how can Canadians have any confidence that matters of any sort are being dealt with in a fair and just manner?

Doling out classified documents only to witnesses friendly to the government's position, but not affording the same access to the government's own committee searching for the truth behind these very serious allegations, is quite clearly a breach of the public trust. Canadians want and deserve nothing less than the truth but the Conservative government often looks at truth as its adversary. That is something we should all be concerned about.

Over the past nine months I've been leasing a FreeBSD VPS (Virtual Private Server) to supplement my own hardware and I've just realized that the virtual machine hasn't caused me any (more) grey hair or other anguish in all that time. In my books vendors that save hair and brain cells deserve at least a passing mention.

At present I'm using one FreeBSD VPS for staging Python web apps and hosting a couple of pro bono sites. I quite frequently refer people to more full-service shared hosting firms such as WebFaction (even my brother has an account there) but personally I prefer managing the entire box - virtual or not - myself.

As I'd like to turn off some aging servers of my own, I'm hoping that virtualization from firms like ARP Networks, or on grander scale like Google or Amazon's cloud services, will save me spending some funds on equipment leases. I've tried a few "virtual" server providers over the years but I do believe this is the first time I've passed on a recommendation here in these pages.

What I like:

• OS support: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and most Linux distributions
• Decent multi-homed bandwidth with redundancy and plenty of peering agreements turned up; data center is in LA; quite good network access to Asia, Australia
• IPv6 support
• IP accessible / out-of-band console access
• Configure, build and install your own world and kernel if you like
• Great performance, terrific even if you measure performance per dollar. I can churn out > 1000 requests per second with a trivial test page with a single DB lookup, which is a darn sight better than some of my own ageing hardware is able to do.

What I wish they offered:

• a Canadian datacenter too!

The virtualization technology involves KVM (not Xen or OpenVZ) and I find that the resource allocation is very fair indeed. 768MB RAM / 20GB disk / 100GB bandwidth - all this and I get stability too for $20 USD a month.

There are plenty of really cheap virtual server offerings out there, but not very many stable yet inexpensive operations. ARP Networks is certainly one of the latter.

FreeBSDvps.com / OpenBSDvps.net will both lead you to ARP Networks which is the love child of Garry Dolley. Garry not only knows what he is doing, he actually appears to enjoy managing server and network hardware.

Everyone appreciates reliable hardware and networks, but I think the service offering will appeal most to those who can competently manage a server from the command line. ARP Networks' target market appears to be people who know what they are doing, which is good company to keep.

After pointing to evidence that corroborated Richard Colvin's explosive testimony last week, I concluded My Canada does not condone torture with the question:

Why would they deny such allegations and attempt to hide the truth all these years, rather than take the bull by the horns and actually address the problem?

As these allegations were brought to the surface in 2006 by Colvin and others, the Harper government -- brand new to governing at that point -- could have puffed out its chest and directly faced the allegations and put a stop to either the torture, or bring to an end Canada's involvement in Afghanistan. Taking on such an explosive issue in a very public way would elevate the newly minted minority government in the eyes of Canadians and delivered much needed political capital for use in the next election.

I was told this was the titanic issue for Prime Minister Harper and that every single statement that went out needed to be cleared by him personally

But Harper didn't walk that path. Instead he personally took charge of the propaganda campaign to hide these inconvenient truths - that Canada was complicit in the torture of thousands of people in Afghanistan - from the public. Why?

There were very clear instructions for a blanket denial.

Cold political calculation is the only logical answer. Whatever the eventual outcome in Afghanistan - win, lose or draw - remaining heavily involved in the Afghanistan war is far too attractive a political tool for our cold-blooded political animal of a Prime Minister to pass up and thus we shall continue to learn that Stephen Harper was willing to become an accomplice in war crimes in order to further his long term political objectives back at home.

... it was made clear to us that this was coming from the Prime Minister's Office

What does a dusty, arguably un-winnable, foreign war offer of value to Stephen Harper? The answer is: war is a weapon Harper aims at the folks back home. The objective: none other than the permanent realignment of so-called Canadian values towards a set of mores which are more conservative friendly in nature. Stephen Joseph Harper is willing to aid and abet war criminals and in doing so become their accomplice in war crimes, all in the name of long term domestic political considerations. Stephen Joseph Harper is willing to spend our treasury and the blood of our citizens, and of many others, to further his mission to re-engineer the social and ideological fabric of our country.

Torture in Afghanistan is routine. It is matter-of-fact... To pretend otherwise is a fantasy narrative.

In a recent article, A record of conservative achievement, Adam Daifallah (National Post) also asserts that Harper has been working to re-engineer the Canadian psyche since he first formed government in 2006. Among the so-called grand strategist's primary objectives he would list no less than the rebirth (some may rightly argue a birth, not a renaissance) of a militaristic culture in Canada. A country with this blue blood coursing through its veins is fertile land on which arch-conservatives may enjoy planting electoral seeds.

It is medieval, horrific. It is what they do to exercise power and control.

A country at war is also by definition running a high-stakes marketing campaign, and rather like election or "action plan" advertising, we see evidence of this everywhere in our country, from televised recruiting spots to rallies of the faithful to the increasing visibility of our military in every area of Canadian life from hockey arenas to summer and fall fairs and exhibitions across the land.

We are terrified to speak about it openly because it leaves our Afghan staff completely exposed and vulnerable to reprisals.

A senior NATO official of the time lays the case for Stephen Joseph Harper's complicity and future indictment:

"It was highly unusual. I was told this was the titanic issue for Prime Minister Harper and that every single statement that went out needed to be cleared by him personally," said the former official, who is not Canadian.

"The lines were, 'We have no evidence' of coercive treatment being used against detainees handed over to the Afghans. There were very clear instructions for a blanket denial. The pressure to hold to that line was channelled via Canadian military and diplomatic personnel in Kabul. But it was made clear to us that this was coming from the Prime Minister's Office, which was running the public affairs aspect of Canadian engagement in Afghanistan with a 6,000-mile screwdriver." a circa 2006 NATO public affairs officer (Toronto Star)

Harper's direct involvement confirms the stakes were high for him indeed, as does the behaviour of Harper's attack dogs last week as they relentlessly mauled the reputation of Richard Colvin whose blunt testimony has finally brought the crimes of this government and this prime minister under the spotlight.

Richard Colvin behaved as a straight-up-and-down person, completely honest

Stephen Harper made his own personal deal with the devil but sold our country's soul in the process. It isn't too late to pluck Canada from the abyss, but we must act fast and to that end citizens of the country should demand the immediate resignation of Stephen Harper and call for a criminal investigation into his complicity in war crimes.

Furthermore should the government or legal system of this country fail to act, when charges of such a serious nature are levelled at the government and the prime minister himself, now is the time when a minority government should be brought down by Her Majesties Loyal Opposition. That's what they are there for.

Updated with new documents and links to relevant articles from the press and concerned Canadians

Evidence continues to mount that Canada was complicit in hiding the facts of Afghan detainee torture allegations. Implicated are senior officials and politicians in the federal government which include former and current Ministers of Defence Gordon O'Connor and Peter MacKay and Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

... individuals held him to the ground [redacted] while the other [redacted] beating him with electrical wires and rubber hose.

Maybe Harper's Canada condones torture, but mine does not.

Backing up Richard Colvin's testimony that senior Canadian officials were alerted to credible allegations of torture among those detainees originally captured by the Canadian military is this redacted email. I've transcribed the scanned and redacted email to the best of my ability as follows (highlighting is mine):

The detainee indicated that he was never visited by a representative of [redacted]. He indicated that he believes the facility received a visit by representatives of [redacted]. He indicated that he was not provided with any legal representation nor was clearly informed of the charges against him.

When asked about his interrogation the detainee came forward with an allegation of abuse. He indicated that he has been interrogated on [redacted] occasions by a group of # individuals. He could not positively identify the individuals [redacted]. He indicated that he could not recall the [redacted (first?)] interrogation in any details as he was allegedly knocked unconscious early on. He alleged that during the [redacted (second?)] interrogation [redacted] individuals held him to the ground [redacted] while the other [redacted] beating him with electrical wires and rubber hose. He indicated a spot on the ground in the room we were interviewing in as the place where he was held down. He then pointed to a chair and stated the implements he had been struck with were underneath it. Under the chair, we found a large piece of braided electrical wire as well as a well as a rubber hose. He then showed us a bruise (approx. 4 inches long) on his back that could possibly be the result of a blow. [While we did not ask, after the interview was completed and before we left, [redacted] told us that [redacted].

The detainee specifically asked that these allegations be kept confidential (Not shared with NDS officials). Report from Canadian inspection of Afghan prison

The report was compiled by a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) official, one of Richard Colvin's colleagues, following an inspection of an Afghan prison.

Other reports also filed by personnel in theatre also corroborate Colvin's testimony. Attached 4 page report KANDH0138 contains reports of abuse including:

• He alleged that he has been beaten while at NDS and [redacted]
• He claims that he was interrogated on [redacted] occasions while at NDX (approx. [redacted] and that he was beaten on [redacted])
• He alleged that he was beaten several times with a cable and was told that he would be [redacted]. He alleged that [redacted][redacted][redacted]

One can only imagine what sort of threats are being thrown at detainees while they are in the process of being beaten.

The Conservatives have unleashed their complete arsenal of attack dogs on this issue, striving to undermine the credibility of Colvin by painting him as a lone individual whose allegations are backed up by no one else.

But that isn't the case, as the attached documents clearly show. Clearly we've not learned the last of this sordid affair.

Who knew what and when are the key questions and there seems to be plenty of evidence circumstantial and otherwise to suggest that politicians right to the very top of the heap have known of these allegations for some time. If we take Colvin at his word, and increasingly it appears there is no reason not to accept his findings, the Harper government has known of these troubling issues since virtually the start of their tenure in government back in 2006.

Why would they deny such allegations and attempt to hide the truth all these years, rather than take the bull by the horns and actually address the problem? That is a subject for an upcoming post, and the conclusion I come to is almost as troubling as torture itself.

Attached: Redacted documents provided to the CBC this Thursday by University of Ottawa law professor Amir Attaran.

Where a non-partisan but cynical pundit doles out kudos to a politician, making me a what?

When it comes to politics I realize that often there is not much good to say, and I am certainly as guilty as the next person if not more so in this regard. Today I write to praise, not criticize, and I dare say that is definitely the exception rather than the rule around here.

Don Davies, member of parliament for Vancouver--Kingsway, impresses me. No, he hasn't cured the common cold or managed to squeeze blood from a rock but I like the gravitas this fellow exudes.

Recently Mr. Davies introduced Bill C-446, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act, which would effectively ban self-serving or gratuitous party jumping within a parliamentary session. Various MPs have attempted to introduce this type of legislation in the past, and indeed many "conservative" MPs have also endorsed such a prohibition in the past. It is good legislation that deserves to be passed in this session and I would hope that independent thinking Conservatives and Liberals would get in line behind Mr. Davies and support this bill.

Another thing that impresses me is the communications coming out from Mr. Davies back to the people at home. Rather than using his 10-percenters to slag the government or other opposition parties, what I see coming from Davies' office is actually informative.

In one mailing we received a copy of the bill he presented--I've never seen any MP for this riding in the past fifteen years do that. Recently a nicely organized fold-out brochure entitled "An Update from Ottawa" informs us on what our MP is actually doing on our behalf, including how Davies' voted on twenty key issues.

Of course Mr. Davies couldn't hit every ball square on--he did completely miss the mark in one area. Missing was the usual sort of pathetic and formulaic propaganda I've seen come from so many Conservative MPs, and not only a few Liberals too.

Good on you Don for rising above the business-as-usual politics that Canadians have been tortured with for too long.

Via Macleans' Paul Wells, a CPAC hosted debate/discussion on Afghanistan. Participating:

• Chris Alexander, former Canadian ambassador to Afghanistan
• Andrew Coyne, national editor, Macleans
• Mercedes Stephenson, military analyst
• Scott Taylor, editor, Esprit de Corps
• Paul Wells, senior columnist, Macleans

I find more apparent truthiness in what former soldier Scott Taylor has to say about the situation than what Chris Alexander, a hawkish former ambassador to the country, now the Conservative candidate for Ajax-Pickering, has to say.

When Alexander continually presses his point that "overwhelming force" is the only sure way to victory, Taylor pushes back and reminds us that western forces already present an overwhelming force against the insurgency today as measured in any dimension whether it be force numbers, technological superiority, training, equipment, or funding. And it's not working.

We failed Afghanistan early on in our involvement. When we entered the country the Taliban had already fled and there was at that time no real insurgency. We didn't prepare the country to stand on its own, and we didn't leave then when we most easily could. Damningly, we allowed our involvement in what was essentially a police action to track down Bin Laden turn into an a full-fledged war of occupation that will stretch out for many years to come.

Well over an hour, worth listening to even if only to see what policy makers you may disagree with are thinking...

Stephen Harper Is A Terrible Human Resources Chief

In 2007 Stephen Harper punted from caucus MP Bill Casey, a popular, hard-working, constituency-focussed MP of many years. Why? Because Mr. Casey had the temerity to stand up for his constituents. Casey subsequently ran again as an independent while Conservatives vowed to bring him down. Result? Casey won by a landslide and continues to earn the respect of his constituents to this day, his last day as an MP. Bad staff decision, Mr. Harper, Canadians want more MPs like Bill Casey.

Another bad decision? Stephen Harper appoints to the Senate Mike Duffy, one of the most transparently partisan "journalists" ever to grace the small screen in the history of this country. Mr. Duffy knows nothing of propriety or of fair play. Yesterday Canadians got to see a true reflection of Mike Duffy's persona bubble to the surface. As CanWest's Don Martin wrote today:

Congratulations Senator Mike Duffy, you've finally done it.

With his wild rant on a CBC national politics show this week, the television icon has accomplished the difficult feat of offending all those in his parliamentary orbit -- his former journalistic occupation, the Conservative party, senators, MPs and even the prime minister who appointed him. Don Martin, National Post, November 06, 2009

Martin concluded "Mike Duffy's only value has become that of poster boy for why the Senate needs, at very least, major reform if not outright abolition."

Appointing Duffy to the Senate might have seemed like a good idea to Stephen Harper, but to the rest of Canada Duffy represents everything in politics we want to see less of.

Canada's human resources clerk in chief, Stephen Harper, sure makes some back-assward personnel choices, doesn't he?

I can't believe I just heard Minister of Environment Jim Prentice exclaim in Question Period in reference to Copenhagen climate change talks:

We will not be the boy scouts at the table! Jim Prentice

Jim: the fact is most Canadians want Canada to be the boy scouts at that table.

I'm under no illusions that the Conservatives ever plan on being environmentally responsible. To them the only thing than matters is being responsible to business. Big business, increasingly owned by foreigners.

When Prentice says a key climate change report is irresponsible (Globe and Mail, Thursday Oct 29, 2009) he neglects to consider that the federal and Alberta governments have been giving the oil sands industry a free pass for the past thirty years. That of course was the plan all along - allow this incredibly dirty industry to grow unchecked and unsullied by meaningful regulation such that huge economic pain would be the consequence of real action too-late down the road.

Canadians have always wanted to be the boy scouts at the table, but our politicians have largely always stood in the way.