A tireless voice for Canada and all of its iconic values, Maude Barlow urges us not to lose heart. Her reminders of the terrible things the Harper regime has done to undermine civil society through funding cuts and tax audit witch hunts is truly sobering, and we should all be
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Politics and its Discontents: They’ll Be Watching You
Every breath you takeEvery move you makeEvery bond you breakEvery step you takeI’ll be watching you. -The Police – Every Breath You Take Recent revelations, some of which I have written about, should make us all acutely aware that in the surveillance state, which now describes much of the world,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More Thoughts On Muzzled Scientists
Last week I wrote a post on David Schindler, the retired scientist who wrote about the pernicious effects of the Harper regime’s muzzling of government scientists. These letters from today’s Star offer readers’ thoughts on the issue: Re: Remove the muzzle from government scientists, Opinion Sept. 20 In this incisive
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Sporadic Blogging And Willful Ignorance
We are hosting our dear friends from Cuba for about the next week, so depending on our sight-seeing schedule, my blogging may not be quite as regular as usual. But then again, I am an early riser, so perhaps nothing will change. Here is something I prepared the other day
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: I Believe This With My Whole Heart
“Either you taste, feel and smell the intoxication of freedom and revolt or sink into the miasma of despair and apathy. Either you are a rebel or a slave.” -Chris Hedges H/t Occupy Canada Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Is Our Freedom More Illusion Than Reality?
That is a question you may be prompted to ask yourself after reading this piece by Kevin Logan and watching the video below. Described therein are the measures and efforts designed to realize what I suspect is Mr. Harper’s fondest dream: a compliant, unquestioning, ‘disciplined’ and very passive populace, not
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Christ Hedges On The Failure of Churches
As a member of the United Church of Canada, my wife receives The United Church Observer, a monthly publication offering an array of interesting pieces and interviews. This month’s issue has an interview with renowned journalist and activist Chris Hedges, a man whose deep social convictions and activism I deeply
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Update on Tim DeChristopher
About a year ago I wrote a post on Tim DeChristopher, a brave young activist who was sentenced to two years in prison for disrupting an oil and gas auction. In an act of civil disobedience, he submitted winning bids on land in Utah with no intention of paying for
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Just Another Day’s Work At The Star
Yesterday I wrote a post expressing real pleasure that The Toronto Star is enjoying such a wide readership and profitability, given the important work that it does on a number of levels. Although evidence of that work is found in pretty much every edition of the paper, today’s seems particularly
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Michael Moore: The Evolution of An Activist
Having suffered one of my fairly frequent bouts of insomnia last night, the blog post I had hoped to make is not yet complete, so just a quick entry here. I recently completed reading Here Comes Trouble, Michael Moore’s memoir that takes us from his childhood to the world premier
Continue readingFusing and Musing: And the point is?
After a few years practicing being a social commenter I have come to one certain conclusion. I should probably have my fucking head examined! Grief, that’s what you mostly get. Yet we all plug away, each of us for our own reasons from that unique perspective each of us can
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