When I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s Remembrance Day was a very solemn occasion. There were still a lot of World War II veterans participating and even some from World War I, as well as veterans from the Korean War (sometimes referred to as a “police action)”.
Continue readingTag: veterans
Scripturient: Remembrance Day thoughts
An article on the Global News site titled “Fewer Canadians plan to wear poppies this Remembrance Day, poll finds” made me think again about what Remembrance Day is for. The article opens: Fewer people plan to participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies or wear poppies this year, according to a poll
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On implausible impersonators
Other commentators have taken note of Erin O’Toole’s attempt to co-opt the language of labour unions in an effort to portray himself as less hostile than his predecessors. There’s certainly reason to be concerned about this being yet another area where right-wing leaders pretend to be sympathetic on fundamental issues
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: Durham, We Need To Have A Talk About Erin
Dear people of Durham, we need to talk about Erin O’Toole. Your Minister of Parliament is becoming a national joke when it comes to Twitter. Times Erin O’Toole has directly tweeted about GM since the closure announcement? 16. A majority of those tweets were criticizing Justin Trudeau, 3 were criticizing
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: Conservative Memory Lane Is A Nightmare On Elm Street
The best part of being a conservative it seems is not remembering the recent past. Why is that conservative rhetoric never seems to pass the historical smell test, and the mythology of strong fiscal conservative is exactly that, mythology. “Is Kelowna Courier still interested in moderating a debate on defence
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Leadership 2017 Candidate Profile: Pat Stogran
The latest putative entrant in the leadership race is Pat Stogran – well-known for challenging the Harper Cons’ callous treatment of veterans in his role as veterans’ ombudsman. So how does Stogran fit into a field of current MPs and longtime activists, particularly when his own goal is largely to
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.
– Jim Hightower argues that there’s no reason the U.S. can’t develop an economic model which leads to shared prosperity – and the ideas are no less relevant in Canada:
Take On Wall Street is both the name and the feisty attitude of a nationwide campaign that a coalition of grassroots groups has launched to do just that: take on Wall Street. The coalition, spearheaded by the Communication Workers of America, points out there is nothing natural or sacred about today’s money-grabbing financial complex. Far from sacrosanct, the system of finance that now rules over us has been designed by and for Wall Street speculators, money managers and big bank flimflammers. So, big surprise, rather than serving our common good, the system is corrupt, routinely serving their uncommon greed at everyone else’s expense.
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The coalition’s structural reforms include:
1. Getting the corrupting cash of corporations and the superrich out of politics with an overturning of Citizens United v. FEC and providing a public system for financing America’s elections.2. Stopping “too big to fail” banks from subsidizing their high-risk speculative gambling with the deposits of ordinary customers. Make them choose to be a consumer bank or a casino, but not both.
3. Institute a tiny “Robin Hood tax” on Wall Street speculators to discourage their computerized gaming of the system, while also generating hundreds of billions of tax dollars to invest in America’s real economy.
4. Restore low-cost, convenient “postal banking” in our post offices to serve millions of Americans who’re now at the mercy of predatory payday lenders and check-cashing chains.
– Juliette Garside reports on the EU’s efforts to get the U.S. to agree to basic reporting to rein in offshore tax evasion. And Heather Long points out Joseph Stiglitz’ criticisms of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as enriching corporations at the expense of citizens.
– Amy Maxmen notes that a non-profit system can develop new drugs far more affordably than the current corporate model – and without creating the expectation of windfall profits that currently underlies the pharmaceutical industry.
– Jordan Press offers a preview of a federal strategy for homeless veterans featuring rental subsidies and the building of targeted housing units – which leads only to the question of why the same plan wouldn’t be applied to address homelessness generally.
– Alan Shanoff comments on the many holes in Ontario’s employment standards (which are generally matched elsewhere as well).
– Finally, Dougald Lamont highlights the many ways in which the Fraser Institute’s anti-tax spin misleads the media about how citizens relate to Canadian governments.
[Edit: fixed wording.]
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week.- Jim Hightower argues that there’s no reason the U.S. can’t develop an economic model which leads to shared prosperity – and the ideas are no less relevant in Canada:Take On Wall Street is both the name and th…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Cenotaphs and Veterans #nlpoli
The Town of Placentia has a new cenotaph.Here’s how the Southern Gazette writer described the new monument: “The Cenotaph is a tribute to those from all the current and former communities of Placentia Bay who served in the First World War, S…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Cenotaphs and Veterans #nlpoli
The Town of Placentia has a new cenotaph.Here’s how the Southern Gazette writer described the new monument: “The Cenotaph is a tribute to those from all the current and former communities of Placentia Bay who served in the First World War, S…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Andrew Jackson discusses a few of the choices the Trudeau Libs need to get right in order to actually set Canada on a more progressive fiscal path: Progressives who worry about growing income inequality will note two key features of the new government’s
Continue readingLeft Over: Justin Case You Forgot the Seniors…
Justin Trudeau answers B.C. voter’s widely shared Facebook letter Casandra Effe wrote to Trudeau with top 10 things she hopes he’ll do as future PM CBC News Posted: Oct 24, 2015 10:50 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 24, 2015 11:17 AM ET http://www.liberal.ca/realchange/ I went to the site, very
Continue readingLeft Over: Justin Case You Forgot the Seniors…
Justin Trudeau answers B.C. voter’s widely shared Facebook letter Casandra Effe wrote to Trudeau with top 10 things she hopes he’ll do as future PM CBC News Posted: Oct 24, 2015 10:50 AM ET Last Updated: Oct 24, 2015 11:17 AM ET http://www.liberal.ca/realchange/ I went to the site, very
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Thomas Walkom discusses how Canadian workers are feeling the pain of decades of policy designed to suppress wages – and notes there’s plenty more all parties should be doing to change that reality. And Doug Saunders points out what we should want our
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Michael Hurley and Sam Gindin discuss the need for workers to organize to reverse the trend of precarious work, while the Star recognizes that the work is already well underway. PressProgress highlights the benefits of joining a union, while Tom Sandborn offers
Continue readingAlberta Politics: ‘Event logisticians’? Give us a break! They’re bouncers! What’s that tell you about the Tories?
PHOTOS: Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets a group of foreign event logistics consultants while travelling abroad (Government of Canada photo). Below: Pierre Trudeau does suppressed fury the right way; Mr. Harper does it with considerably less appeal. Clearly, the continuing uproar about Stephen Harper’s “event logistics team members” tells us
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: The Most Powerful Symbol You Will See This Election
I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: Terrorism suspects ‘probably’ on RCMP’s list, public safety minister says
Satire inspired by this headline: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-blaney-says-arrests-of-terrorism-suspects-reinforce-how-secure-we-can-feel-1.2900419
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: Terrorism suspects ‘probably’ on RCMP’s list, public safety minister says
Satire inspired by this headline: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-blaney-says-arrests-of-terrorism-suspects-reinforce-how-secure-we-can-feel-1.2900419
Continue readingParliamANT Hill: Terrorism suspects ‘probably’ on RCMP’s list, public safety minister says
Satire inspired by this headline: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-blaney-says-arrests-of-terrorism-suspects-reinforce-how-secure-we-can-feel-1.2900419
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