Three Canadians, who were forcibly abducted from the Canadian ship Tahrir by Israel and detained without charge this past fall, are demanding the Conservative government press Israel to return the boat and its contents. And they are taking this message directly to nine communities from coast to coast in an upcoming speaking tour beginning February 15 to address Canada’s role in the blockade of Gaza and give their firsthand account of the capture at sea of the Tahrir.

Dates, locations, and details of the speaking tour: http://www.tahrir.ca/speaking-tour-2012

This morning on Vancouver's W2 Morning show on Coop Radio (102.7FM) I shared some of my reaction to a developing story on this year's edition of Canada Reads. These are, roughly and quickly written up, some of the arguments I made on the radio today. I would like to hear other thoughts. Both the CBC and Canadian literature should be defended, nurtured and debated passionately.

Today's agreement by the European Union to impose an oil embargo on Iran brings the world closer to war. This piece in The Guardian explains the volatile situation, concluding: "Even if Washington and Tehran remain determined to avoid an all-out war, with every passing month there is a rising chance of one breaking out by accident."

The Canadian Peace Alliance has issued this announcement of a brief return visit by Malalai Joya. The tour comes at an important time, with exhortations coming from a number of fronts to extend Canada's role in the military occupation of Afghanistan beyond 2011.

Malalai Joya, described as “the bravest woman in Afghanistan” is on a Canadian speaking tour, which started in Ottawa last night. Joya was recently named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world. She is an outspoken critic of the NATO-led war that she says has not provided democracy and women's rights and has taken a terrible civilian toll in her country.

Stephen Harper is on a charm offensive this week at the United Nations in New York, in advance of an October vote where Canada is hoping to land one of the temporary seats on the Security Council.

Our pan-Canadian committee is moving quickly to make the Canadian Boat to Gaza a reality. 

The international community believes that, at this time, we can achieve the most impact in our goal of breaking the siege by sending flotillas in partnership with the Free Gaza Movement.  We plan to sail with the next international flotilla -- with boats from USA, South America, and Europe -- in late fall of this year. 

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is in Vancouver today, a guest of the Vancouver Board of Trade. To mark the occasion, Haiti Solidarity BC has issued a statement which provides a much needed reminder on Clinton's role -- past and present -- in subjugating Haiti. It also highlights the misallocation of Canadian "aid" promised to Haiti in the wake of January's devastating earthquake.

The Canadian Peace Alliance is organizing a show of opposition to the ongoing war in Afghanistan, one of many protest actions that will greet the G8/G20 meetings in late June. The G8 countries, of course, are among the key players in NATO's occupation. This even includes Japan, a leading funder of the Karzai regime's police force. (Russia, the newest member of this elite club, is the exception, but then maybe the old G7 would be wise to consult the history of that country's invasion of Afghanistan.)

The G8/G20 meetings will occur during what is expected to be a time of heightened fighting in Afghanistan. NATO's long-planned Kandahar offensive, if it goes ahead, should be well underway by then.

Shame on Harper, shame on Obama and shame on us all. The Toronto Star reports today that "this week the first war crimes trial under the Obama administration will feature its only remaining Western prisoner and one who was 15 when captured." 

Yesterday’s Globe and Mail featured one of Ottawa’s worst kept secrets as its front page story: the United States will be officially requesting that hundreds of Canadian troops remain in Afghanistan after the 2011 pull-out from Kandahar. The article implies that such a continued military role would not contradict the 2008 parliamentary motion on the war: