Someone prescient once said, “Those who would sacrifice a little freedom for a little security, deserve neither, and will lose both.” We would do well to remember those words now. And we are most definitely in the process of losing both, as we speak. But maybe we aspire to be
Continue readingTag: feudalism
Writings of J. Todd Ring: Fantasy and Indoctrination: Rough notes on a few fantasy novels: part two
Here are two more fantasy books that I could not get through. That makes three in a row. And to think, I had a love affair with Terry Brookes’ Shannara series! (I read something like 20 Shannara novels in a row, and loved all of them, other than the last
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Fantasy and Indoctrination: Rough notes on a few fantasy novels: part one
New Spring, The Novel: The Wheel Of Time: In The Beginning – Robert Jordan (so the cover says) (Lord of the Rings films and Terry Brookes Shannara novels got me hooked on epic, high fantasy – and no, I have no slight embarrassment about that. I think too much. Sometimes,
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: NAFTA, “Free Trade” and the TPP: Fast-Track To Full Corporate Rule
“Twenty years ago, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law. At the time, advocates painted a rosy picture of booming U.S. exports creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, and economic development in Mexico, which would bring the struggling country in line with its wealthier northern
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Living in Automated Times
We are steadily, inexorably it seems, leaving the world of manual labour. Even the Chinese are beginning to turn to robotics to replace low-wage workers. So, how do entire societies live when machines have taken their work? An interesting problem that invites interesting solutions. During the Industrial Revolution, working hours
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Face of Corporate Feudalism
Democracy is reeling. Corporatist authoritarianism is quietly ascendant. Rights and freedoms are now being issued with price tags and, if you can’t afford them, you don’t get them. Zoe Williams, writing in The Guardian asks, “When did being lowly become a criminal offence?“ It’s a new world order that you
Continue readingEclectic Lip: Douglas, Deng and Diocletian
(originally written May 21, 2012. Part of Great Upload of 2013.) Tommy Douglas I read a bio of Tommy Douglas recently, figuring as a guy with sinister leanings (sinister in the original Latin sense of “left”, that is 🙂 ) I might as well brush up on the father of
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Go Back To Sleep America, At Your Own Peril
I never reprint other people’s writings, no matter how good – but I will make an exception for this. This article is a true must-read. Please, take the time to read it. Then act. Good morning America. It’s time for a new day. Kudos and warm thanks to Jill Dalton
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Canada’s Imperial Premiership
You don’t have to convince many British Columbians that Ottawa no longer functions as a democracy. Consent, in the twisted mind of Stephen Harper, is something that is extracted at the ballot box and ceases to have any relevance during the actual term of government. Because Harper deems our consent
Continue reading