One of the bees in my bonnet has long been the misuse of the term civilian to describe people who are not sworn police officers. I wrote the post below almost a decade ago — as the startling appearance of the then-sitting prime minister in the text as if he
Continue readingTag: rosie dimanno
Politics and its Discontents: Fidel’s Legacy
Although the Toronto Star is my newspaper of choice, there are times when I strongly disagree with its content. Recently, its most prolific writer, Rosie Di Manno, wrote a series of articles in which she was withering, to say the least, in her assessment of Fidel Castro. As one who
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Police – Reluctant Learners In Our Midst
In many ways it is regrettable that the police apparently are not Spiderman fans. If they were, perhaps they would understand an early and painful lesson learned by Peter Parker, his alter ego: With great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately…
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: CAMH asks staff to mail patients’ cigarettes back home
Ah, Rosie. Toronto Star columnist Rosie DiManno recently used her shotgun style prose to take the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to school. While addiction is part of CAMH’s mandate, not everyone who seeks help there has arrived … Continue reading →
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Little Did They Know
My son alerted me to this video from 1981. After watching it, be sure to read Rosie DiManno’s observations about workplace leave-taking, the second part of which deals specifically with the newspaper industry. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How Does The Progressive World Respond To This?
I sometimes wonder about whether the term progressive calls up some kind of a stereotype. When people think of progressives, do they have a picture which I would consider reasonably accurate – people who believe in the ardent pursuit of justice, fairness and equity in society, and the breaking down
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Lion In Winter
Like a bloated, aging and wounded lion who realizes his hold over his pride is at an end, Conrad Black is lashing out. Still licking his wounds from lacerations received at the hands of the CBC’s Carol Off, Black used his column in Saturday’s National Post (which as a rule
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Virtues Of Restraint
I suspect if teachers were to be completely completely honest, almost all would admit that at some point in their careers they felt like lashing out, either verbally or physically, at a student or two. That was certainly my experience a few times during my 30 years in the classroom,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Not surprisingly, this week’s revelations about Pamela Wallin have set off plenty more discussion about what’s wrong with the Senate and its current beneficiaries. Andrew Coyne recognizes that the problem lies in the design of an institution based on patronage and unaccountability
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Pondering Pam Et Al.
It was a comment yesterday that The Mound of Sound (a.k.a. The Disaffected Lib) made in response to a cartoon I posted depicting the much beleaguered Senator Wallin that made me think. He reminded me of an earlier time when there was honour associated with public service, and expressed the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Joseph Stiglitz comments on the wider lessons we should take from Detroit’s bankruptcy: Detroit’s travails arise in part from a distinctive aspect of America’s divided economy and society. As the sociologists Sean F. Reardon and Kendra Bischoff have pointed out, our country is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Police Power
While the title of this post may seem a bit of a tautology, since the power of police on the streets is obvious, there are other arenas where they wield their influence in ways that may not be consistent with an open and democratic society. For example, police are known
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Rosie DiManno and the War on Marijuana
Oh no. How much more can I stand? Not the Great War on Marijuana. Again.First the Harper Cons come out sounding like something out of Reefer Madness. Now here comes Rosie DiManno to open up a whole new front in the War on Weed. By declaring that marijuana shouldn't be
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Legalization Of Marijuana – The Need For A Vigorous Debate
I believe the sterotype is that as we get older, our views become more entrenched and conservative. In my own life, I have found the opposite to be true. When I was young, I was certainly to the right of centre in my social views. I was a supporter of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Sammy Yatim: One More Word
While I can’t promise this will be my last post on Sammy Yatim, I do want to direct you to Rosie DiManno’s column and a few comments from The Star’s readers that remind us of the real nature of this tragedy. Writes DiManno: I am sickened by the content of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Murder By Police?
Rarely at a loss for words, I find myself in that state as I think about Sammy Yatim, the 18-year-old killed just after midnight Saturday night aboard a TTC streetccar. As the video posted last evening shows, police, under no apparent threat, opened fire on the teen a few seconds
Continue readingRedBedHead: The Fall Of The House Of Ford
Taking a moment to pray for peace
You gotta admit that it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Rob Ford is a bully and a hypocrite – quick to condemn the perceived weakness of others, to pounce on the supposed privileges of unionized workers or the effet…
Continue readingRedBedHead: The Fall Of The House Of Ford
Taking a moment to pray for peace You gotta admit that it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Rob Ford is a bully and a hypocrite – quick to condemn the perceived weakness of others, to pounce on the supposed privileges of unionized workers or the effete absurdity of riding
Continue readingRedBedHead: The Fall Of The House Of Ford
Taking a moment to pray for peace You gotta admit that it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Rob Ford is a bully and a hypocrite – quick to condemn the perceived weakness of others, to pounce on the supposed privileges of unionized workers or the effete absurdity of riding
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Justin Ling writes that the Cons’ aversion to accountability isn’t limited to their own government, as they’re one of the few holdouts against transparency in resource-sector reporting of payments to governments abroad. – Meanwhile, Stuart Trew discusses an international citizens’ initiative to
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