Hillary Clinton Assassination Comment Kennedy Obama Shocking

Watch this video of the now famous recent Editorial Board comments of Hillary Clinton and judge for yourself what her motivation and meaning was.

What was behind her referencing the Bobby Kennedy assassination during the nomination process?

Was it an appropriate and worthy reason for her contining to campaign for the Democratic nominiation?

Was she stating that event as a merely historical fact? Or was it in reference to a possibility that she sees as justification for her continuing because tragedies happen? Or is it about something else entirely?

Is this comment being blown out of proportion or is it a measure of the desperation of Clinton's campaign?

STUDENTS: A CHALLENGE FOR YOU

I have been wondering where the heads and heart of youth today is at given everything that is going on.

As a product of the 60's - tame as I was - I can't believe there is so little protest going on in campuses these days...when the times are so similar-ish.

The fellow in this video gives me hope. He makes me think I have been looking for protest in all the wrong places.

Lots to Applaud in the Alberta Land Use Framework

The Alberta Land Use Framework is one of the most important and eagerly anticipated public policy initiatives in Alberta in a long time. OK maybe saying it has been eagerly anticipated is a stretch for most Albertans but it is true for those of us who live in the public policy and political world.

I was involved in the early stages of the process and even had a small hand in some of the process design and participated in some of the stakeholder consultations and workshops and did some briefings for senior officials on the outcomes of the discrete choice modeling values based research we did on forestry stewardship and oil sands development. That involvement adds to my sense of anticipation obviously. I have not had the time to read the document in detail but let me share some initial impressions.

IT IS ALL ABOUT MANAGING GROWTH:

This document is a thoughtful response to growth pressures in Alberta. Don’t be naïve. It will have an impact on the pace of growth and even the purpose and place of growth in some instances. It is going to be an effective “touching of the brakes.” Be careful how you interpret that comment. Touching the brakes tends to slow things down. You have to “hit the brakes” to stop things. This is not about hitting the brakes but it is definitely going to have the effect of touching them. This slowing down of the pace of growth will give us time to get growth right instead of rapid as has been the case so far.

A QUALITY EXAMPLE OF PUBLIC POLICY DEVELOPMENT:

This document has been a long time coming and for good reason. It is the result of a comprehensive and intensive series of explorations and consultations and activist citizen engagement. It is the product of an intelligent policy design process. The last time complex and intricate policy was developed in such a positive way was the Water for Life Strategy. That policy was left unfunded so it has not lived up to its promise – at least not yet but I am hopeful that will change as it integrates with the Land Use Framework policy.

TYING LAND USE TO WATER CAPACITY IS BRILLIANT:

The brilliant move in the Land Use Framework is tying land use to water use as the defining element in regional planning. If the water capacity can’t sustain a land use development – it should not happen. There limits to our ecological capacity for growth that are atmospheric (GHG) water and land use. There is a focus on cumulative impacts now and not each project being looked at on its own “merits.” The integration of land, air and water, with cumulative impacts, consideration of habitat, fragmentation, urban sprawl and a host of other growth pressure elements will all come into play now. This means there will not be a one-size-to-fit-all approach going forward. More design intelligence is obviously at work here in this document.

WE HAVE TO DO BETTER IN CONSERVATOIN AND STEWARDSHIP:

This auger well for us now avoiding turning the entire province in to the same mess we created in Fort McMurray caused by delays and the disasters due to the personal political agendas of incompetent and neglectful former key Ministers who are no longer around.

The other really reassuring strategy in the Land Use Framework is the commitment to develop a conservation and stewardship ethos on public and private lands. This issue, especially around preserving and protecting wildlife habitat has shown up as top of mind for Albertans in our research but had not registered in the political agendas of the province – until now.

Congratulations Dr. Morton for making these policy considerations central to our land use ethic going forward.

There is a lot more meat in this document and policy process that I will have to read and reflect on before I comment further. I see this as a great day for Alberta with the release of this draft. It impacts every one of us and ought to be as catalytic for public engagement as the Hunter Royalty Review Panel document was last fall. Now the real work begins!

Here is the link to the website that every Albertan needs to get into and get serious about helping decide where we all go forward on this transformation policy proposal.

More Provinces Are Pushing For Limits to Free Speech

The political trends towards gag laws in Canada are getting serious as more jurisdictions are getting into the action.

The Globe and Mail editorial today of B.S.(not a typo) Premier Campbell “change of heart” on the issue is worth a read.

Then visit Preston Manning’s Op-Ed on the NDP government getting into the limits on free speech bandwagon.

These are political efforts that are missing the point and trying to make their own “communications” job easier by monopolizing the messaging market. We need good governance and that relies on a diversity of opinions promulgated in a variety of ways to anyone who wants to participate in the deomcratic process.

If these old-school stlye of communications constraints survive and become government policy in Alberta, B.C. and Manitoba the Internet will become even more powerful as a source for political and policy information for people. That is not a bad thing. It will show these promoters of political limits on free speech just how wrong they are when the blogosphere and Web 2.0 takes them on and deals with them in the court of public opinion.

The challenge for modern political parties is not to put limits on the free speech of others but to do a better job of communicating their own policies and platforms to citizens in the first place. The opportnities for politicians to connect and communicate with citizens directly has never been easier or cheaper with the ubiquity and accessibility of the Internet.

Get in the new game guys and compete for attention and for credibility of voters in the open market of ideas instead of using your legislative power to rig the rules of the old game in your favour and stifling the free speech of others in the process.

BC Government Limits Free Speech - Shame!

Looks like the BC government has already legislated limitations on free speech at election time.

There are similar musings in Alberta to do something akin to this limitation on third party advertising at election time. Not good.

People are not stupid. They can make informed judgments. In the Internet age limiting third party advertising in elections is a silly and ineffective “solution” that abuses power and adds to political cynicism.

In a time when everyone is potentially a publisher, limits on traditional advertising for third parties is only going to extend and expand the other more effective media like You Tube, the Blogosphere and social networks. Limits like this will only make the "perceived problem" caused by third-party advertising worse. The networking power of the world wide web is enormously more powerful at informing and influencing public opinion and changing voter behaviours than a billboard or brochure will ever be.

Free speech is not free. It must be protected, promoted and used responsibly. That duty to ensure freedom of speech falls on governments and every freedom loving citizen. Premier Campbell's limitiation on freedom of speech in BC is wrong headed and this law needs to be repealed.