I reproduce the following story without comment, except to state the obvious. It is a testament to the courage and integrity of those described therein, who will likely face all manner of vitriol at home for their principled decision: Forty-three reservists from Israel’s elite army intelligence unit have announced their
Continue readingTag: israeli invasion of gaza
Politics and its Discontents: Joan Rivers
I was never a fan of Joan Rivers, though I take no pleasure in the fact that she has died. However, you can call me churlish and insensitve, but I doubt that the celebrity hagiography likely to ensue will include this outburst from last month: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Cowardly Leadership: We All Pay A Price
As I have written in the past, poor leadership costs all of us dearly. Whether looking at local provincial, federal or international politics, the price we pay for leadership that has too high a regard for itself and too little for the people is moral, social, economic and military disarray.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Praising Stephen Harper
Now that I have your attention, let me assure that I am not the source of that praise. No, a site called Breaking Israel News is. Drawing heavily upon a piece written by the Ottawa Citizen’s Mark Kennedy, it offers the following effusive approval of Stephen Harper: The support he
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Justin Trudeau Speaks
But, unfortunately, says nothing. As I have noted elsewhere in this blog and in comments on others’, I have grave misgivings about the Liberal Party under the leadership of Justin Trudeau. Despite the latest EKOS poll showing the party with a commanding lead while the Conservatives continue to sink under
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Chris Hedges, Gaza Rally in NYC: God’s Covenant in the Promised Land
Here is the note written by Leigha Cohen as an introduction to the following video on You Tube featuring Chris Hedges: On August 9th, 2014 a rally supporting the people in Gaza took place at Columbus Circle in NYC. The rally lasted for 2 hours which was followed by a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Thomas Mulcair Speaks
Noted recently is the widespread criticism that both Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair have earned by either their silence or their very timid comments about the slaughter in Gaza. While most Canadians have probably come to expect the reflexive uncritical endorsement of all things Israeli by the Harper regime, many
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Scotian Responds To A Post
The other day I posted a video showing an Irish Senator and internationally recognized human rights activist, David Norris, speaking impassionately about the Israeli-Gazan situation, sparing no criticism of Israel’s disproportionate response to Hamas’s aggression that has cost so many lives. I wondered what things would be like if we
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Our Politicians Serve Nothing But Their Own Ambitions
Given the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, many in Canada have been dismayed, not by the predictable and uncritical enthusiasm for all things Israeli from the Harper regime, but by the relative silence or complicity demonstrated by the two major opposition leaders, Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair; both have amply
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Imagine If Our Politicians Had This Kind Of Honesty And Integrity
The Irish Senator and internationally recognized human rights activist, David Norris, delivered an eminently powerful speech concerning Gaza in the Irish Parliament on, July, 31st. In his speech Norris criticizes human rights violations of Israel carried out with the support of the United States and complacency of the international community.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: John Oakley Hosts Harper Clone
Many thanks to The Salamander, who, in his response to a post from last evening, sent along this link to the John Oakley Show. On the show, the Reverend Charles McVetey, as unhinged and extreme an evangelical you are ever likely to encounter, explains the evangelical Christian validation for Stephen
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Part 2- "They Didn’t Get Back To Me"
Yesterday I wrote about the plight of Salma Abuelaish, the eight-year-old girl whose family moved to Canada from Gaza and became Canadian citizens five years ago. Having accompanied her father, a physician, back to Gaza this summer so he could render medical assistance and she could visit with her cousins
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Obscenity Called Gaza
The New York Times’ columnist, Richard Cohen, offers some brilliant insights into the Gaza conundrum, a place he calls, “an open-air prison for 1.8-million people.” “…more than 300 children are dead, killed in a month-long Israeli bombardment. Each of those children has a name, a family. Several were killed in
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How Not To Answer A Question
Texas Governor Rick Perry provides an expert technique lesson in the following video: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Canada’s Searing Moment of Clarity
I hope you didn’t miss it. The events of the past month in that distant corner of the world, the mid-east, shone a light of fierce brilliance on our own Canada that exposed an ugly side of our country for all to see who would not look the other way.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Truth No Amount of Propaganda Can Hide
The following pictures of the devastation in Gaza wrought by the Israeli onslaught are all from Al Jazeera: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Is the Washington Post Even Trying Anymore?
My brother sent me a link to a photo-essay in The Washington Post said to depict an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. It’s a nice story as these things go. The homeowner receives a friendly call from Israelis telling him to get out of the building immediately as it’s about to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Policy On Gaza: The Canadian Toll
While the cost of the Israeli invasion of Gaza is almost incalculable in turns of human suffering and loss of life, there is another casualty in all of this, one that is far less obvious and, in the eternal scheme of things, I suppose, of lesser consequence: Canada’s psyche and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper, Trudeau and Mulcair – Soft on Terrorism
Let’s begin with the definition of “terrorism.” Merriam-Webster offers up a fairly standard definition: “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political goal.” That sounds exactly like what is going on in Gaza right now. That is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Dahiyeh – It’s How Israel Wages "Peace"
“We will wield disproportionate power against every village from which shots are fired on Israel, and cause immense damage and destruction. This isn’t a suggestion. This is a plan that has already been authorized.” – Major-General Gadi Eisenkot, IDF. That was Israeli strategy in the 2006 invasion of southern Lebanon.
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