Katalusis Readers from Around the World Bring Hope for Peace

photo credits: InternationalDiscussions.com (click to enlarge)

In my Thanksgiving greeting to Katalusis readers last Thursday I mentioned that regular visitors to this web site come from all over the United States and around the world, including Canada, Mexico, the UK, Germany, India, and Australia.

Sitting here at my computer in the Twin Cities, it’s been a joy to check out visits to Katalusis from foreign countries and to welcome aboard those of you who have become regular visitors.

Since Thanksgiving, visitors from several countries not mentioned above have shown up to make my day. These include: Romania, Taiwan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Iran, France, Turkey, Spain, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, and China.

Each of you affirms the miracle of modern day communication and renews my hope that as we get to know one another better, we will some day experience world peace.

I hope you’ll all stop by Katalusis again soon and don’t forget to leave a comment!

Video Spoof: In Case McCain Wins, Canada Welcomes American Liberal Elites

I picked up this video over at Political Intel (Boston Globe) encouraging American elites to move to Canada if the Republicans win the presidency again. According to Political Intel, the video spoof originated at Slate, the online political magazine.

Oops! Canadian Memo Exposes Obama Camp’s “Wink-Wink”

Photo credits: ChicagoTribune

Despite the Obama campaigns earlier denials of contacting the Candadian government about NAFTA in the run-up to the Ohio debate, Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press reports today:

“SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Barack Obama's senior economic policy adviser privately told Canadian officials to view the debate in Ohio over trade as "political positioning," according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press that was rejected by the adviser and held up Monday as evidence of doublespeak by rival Hillary Rodham Clinton.

“The memo is the first documentation to emerge publicly out of the meeting between the adviser, Austan Goolsbee, and officials with the Canadian consulate in Chicago, but Goolsbee said it misinterprets what he told them. The memo was written by Joseph DeMora, who works for the consulate and attended the meeting.”

In her report, Pickler notes:

“NAFTA is widely opposed in economically depressed Ohio, which holds its presidential primary Tuesday and is a key battleground between Obama and Clinton. Both candidates said in a debate in Cleveland last week that they would renegotiate the trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, which is the largest trading partnership in the world, and threaten to pull out if it doesn't include more protections for workers and the environment.”

The Clinton campaign is on top of the latest from Canada: Pikler cites a statement from Hillary Clinton on Monday that Obama's campaign gave the Canadians "the old wink-wink."

Clinton added: "I don't think people should come to Ohio and tell the people of Ohio one thing and then have your campaign tell a foreign government something else behind closed doors. That's the kind of difference between talk and action and that I've been pointing out in this campaign." To read more, go here.

UPDATE:

According to an article in ABC News today, Barak Obama may have a role to play in the Rezko trial:

"Sen. Barack Obama's name could well come up in the trial of his longtime friend and accused Illinois fixer Tony Rezko, according to Chicago lawyers following the case.

"'I think it's realistic that that could happen during the trial,' said Zach Fardon, a former Chicago federal prosecutor who was part of the team that convicted former Illinois Gov. George Ryan on corruption charges.

"Jury selection for Rezko, accused of bribing public officials and taking kickbacks, began this morning in a Chicago federal courtroom."

To read more, go here.