Now, a new report confirms what many already knew – during the G20 summit police violated civil rights, detained people illegally, and used excessive force.

The 300-page report finds that “Numerous police officers used excessive force when arresting individuals and seemed to send a message that violence would be met with violence,” continuing on to state “The reaction created a cycle of escalating responses from both sides.”

The report also lambasted the unprecedented use of ‘kettling’, where protesters are corralled by riot squads into closed off areas to be detained and arrested. It is during kettling, where protesters are backed into a corner, where clashes can reach a boiling point and fatalities can occur.

So police were overbearing and essentially silenced attempts at peaceful protest. But what else is there to expect when the government spends 664 million on security? Had nothing happened, the price tag might have seem unjustified.

Still, what is most damning about this entire report is the utter lack of accountability. The authors of the report seem appeased to know their recommendations might be considered by police departments in the future.

But this does little to protect Canadian free speech. How about some firings or fines or something to teach the police a lesson? If anything, the lack of repercussions will just encourage more of the same in the future.

What would be nice to see is a clear message sent to police departments across the nation: do not stifle dissent, do not crush protests, do not silence free speech, do not impede peaceful assembly. Otherwise you will face stiff consequences.

Until that happens, ham-handed security will be free to trample our rights the next time we unite against the injustices of the system.

Update – May 17, 2012 Senior Toronto police commanders are expected to be charged in coming weeks for a variety of misconduct offences over their leadership at the G20 summit in June 2010, according to reports from the CBC.

Awesome! This is more than just a slap on the wrist, or at least it could be.

As detailed by the report:

Evaluations of Israel’s influence in the world—already largely unfavourable in 2011 — have worsened in 2012. On average, in the 22 tracking countries surveyed both in 2011 and 2012, 50 per cent of respondents have negative views of Israel’s influence in the world, an increase of three points from 2011.

The news will come as a blow to the perpetrators of Israel’s multimillion dollar propaganda campaign. It seems they’ve failed to downplay Israel’s breaches of international law while extolling their own exceptionalism and reiterating their nation’s status as a victim.

The world, it seems, tends to frown upon the imprisonment of an entire population and the systematic starvation of said people. And now that Israel’s atrocities are coming into the light for more and more, no amount of song and dance will keep us from seeing the truth.

And, were the United States a functioning democracy, the budget would actually change to reflect the will of the American people.

But it won’t. Not until after the revolution. Obama and the 2-party dictatorship is ensuring that defense spending either holds under Democrats or increases under Republicans. Just like it has for the past 60 years.

Fortunately, as more Americans face hardships, they’ll wonder why they’re spending so much on war. And, as the world keeps coming together like never before, more Americans will wonder who the hell they are supposed to be fighting anyways.

Both of these thoughts ought to shine more light on the entities responsible for manufacturing war. Yes, it’s true! Businesses are stirring up the pot just to keep us fighting each other, because they can make more money that way.

So this means the US people, alongside the world’s people, will rise against the war industry and oust any government which enables it.

Right now, consensus has been built. Now, the process of systematically dismantling the war machine can begin. Soon, after a notable head-to-head, a well deserved peace will reign over our planet.

And, because you just read this on the Internet, you can be assured that it’s true.

“Mothers throughout history have come forward for the sake of their children. We’re coming forth saying that the drug war has been more damaging to our families than the drugs themselves.” – Gretchen Burns Bergman, executive director of PATH

Moms United is a growing movement to stop the violence, mass incarceration and overdose deaths that are the result of deeply flawed, punitive and discriminatory drug policies. The group is advocating for therapeutic drug policies, opting to treat drug use and abuse as a health issue rather than a criminal issue.

For far too long special interests, like big pharma and private prisons, have been forcing senseless drug policies upon much of the world. It’s only a matter of time until the anti-prohibition movement gains the momentum needed to finally bring some common sense back into our policy making decisions.

And when that happens, a grave injustice will be cleansed from our burgeoning global society.

Bug splat. Have you heard this term before? Bug splat.

It doesn’t have to do with driving on the highway in the summer. Nor does it refer to some quaint touchscreen app, although those involved do use what amounts to a glorified computer game.

No, bug splat is nothing less than the military slang for any human assassinated by drone strikes. Talk about dehumanizing one’s enemies. In the sociopathic minds of those who rely on long distance murder, their victims aren’t even people – they are insects.

Were Americans to do this to other Americans, it would be entirely illegal. But because these people reside in a foreign nation, somehow the pretense of war gives them all the legitimization required.

For how much longer? That depends. How long until the world’s citizens awaken to see that we are really just one people sharing one planet? In my mind, this day is fast arriving, and could be upon us within the decade.

And as that happens, remote controlled death panels like these will no longer be tolerated.

And now, in what seems to be a consistent theme from the Harper government, MacKay has been caught in another lie, yet again. This time, the ‘honorable’ Minister knew the bill for Canada’s intervention in Libya would be over $100 Million, yet he publicly stated the costs should be less than $50 Million.

What the hell, MacKay? Aren’t Conservatives supposed to be fiscally responsible? Isn’t it all about the numbers and the bottom line with you guys? But twice (that we know of) Peter MacKay has blatantly misrepresented the facts to the Canadian people.

Plus, when Mackay isn’t lying about the numbers, he just plain omits the truth. Like with the $105-million contract for armoured vehicles which was quietly awarded this week, leading to accusations of hiding details of military spending.

So much for transparency and accountability. Do we really have to wait several years until election time to hold some Conservative feet to the flame?

When it comes to the Euro zone economic crisis, the mainstream media is quick to highlight the ongoing protests, especially those in Greece, Spain and Italy where riots and clashes with police make for great headlines. And the only solutions they mention bounced between austerity for the people and bailouts for domestic banks by even bigger international banks.

But there is another alternative, one which the media seems to consistently overlook: bailout the people instead of the banks.

This is what Iceland has done, and the results are stupendous. After a short period of recession, Iceland now boasts economic growth close to 3 percent, where as the rest of the Euro zone is limping forward with under 1 percent gains.

Iceland’s solution to the economic crisis is being hailed as one of the world’s best recovery stories. Yet this victory is mostly ignored, many believe, because those who run the media simply don’t want us to know about it.

They’d rather we think our only options are to take on the debt burdens created by the big banks’ poor choices. They’d rather we just enslave ourselves for generations to global loan sharks like the IMF. They don’t want us to be empowered and free from the shackles of a tyrannical economic system.

But that’s just too bad. The world’s people are awakening. We are rising up. Together we will be redistributing wealth and power by preventing big money’s long-standing predatory practices. We are co-creating a far more just global civilization.

Wars happen when two (or more) populations get locked into violent armed conflict. Once armies are in a battle zone, it’s very tricky to get them out. Not only do they see their fellow comrades falling around them, soldiers are also fed a constant supply of myths about their evil, hateful enemies.

This dehumanization is what makes killing possible, especially on such a massive scale. If you start seeing your foes as regular humans, as people just like you, then it can be several orders of magnitude more difficult to murder them.

It is for this very reason that world peace is coming. The Internet is bringing us together faster than ever before, bridging the gaps between the world’s cultures and populations. This great unification is destroying the myth that we are different, and revealing our common humanity.

The more this happens, the more we will see modern warfare for what it truly is – manufactured as a for-profit business endeavor. We’ll learn how the majority of international conflicts exist because certain entities are exploiting our instinctual natures – feeding us lies and milking our fears – to garner enough of a drive for war to erupt.

As awareness grows about the powerful military industry, pressure will mount against it. War-profiting industries will see themselves on the receiving end of class action suits and heavy taxation. Governments will lose all support for major armed conflicts. The forces driving us to war right now will soon meet their match.

An empowered human population is rising together to forever dismantle the war machine.

Global Health Expert and Data Magician Hans Rosling shows us the best stats we’ve ever seen.

Wow! Not only is the presentation amazing and incredible, the message is totally uplifting as well.

Watch in awe as Rosling’s figures come to life, painting a picture that shows how humans everywhere on earth have seen significant improvements to quality of life over the past few decades.

All the more reason to believe extraordinary things, like world peace, are now entirely within our reach.

The original underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, had significant help from the US government. They nixed attempts to have his travel VISA revoked. They ignored pleas from the man’s own father. The US government even helped Umar get past security checks to board the plane with a defective bomb.

This is far from the first time American Intelligence agencies have defeated their own terrorist straw men. In 2010, the FBI masterminded several terrorist attacks which they promptly prevented, claiming victory for the good guys.

Repeating this strategy with underwear bomber 2.0, the CIA had an insider who warned of the impending attack. More than likely this insider was the would-be bomber himself.

Here’s how it plays out: the US plants an operative to convince people he wants to blow up a plane. He then finds someone to build him a bomb, after which he turns it in to US authorities. And voila – the CIA has saved the day once again.

With that, they’ve justified their own existence. As well, the US government solidified the case to continue using illegal drone strikes across foreign lands. Bloated defense budgets and blatant crimes against humanity are sure to be bolstered by this.

Plus, the icing on the cake is that the TSA has one more dubious reason to take their already ludicrous screening procedures even further. Prepare to be violated, wayward travelers!