My disgust at Jason Kenney reached new heights today, and that is really saying something. It’s not enough to destroy the Federal Interim Health Program, leaving thousands of vulnerable people without health insurance in a country that claims to have universal health care. When Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews wrote a
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wmtc: in defense of drugs: anti-depressant medication saves and improves lives
Friends, if this post sounds like a conversation we’ve had, please don’t take it personally. I’ve had the same or similar conversations with many people. This is a subject that seems to arise periodically – here, on Allan’s blog, on Facebook, in any forum I frequent. That’s why I thought
Continue readingwmtc: homophobic much? queer man challenges blood donation law, is arrested
Someone check the calendar. What century is this again? Are queer men still denied the right and responsibility of blood donation in 2012? Do we think a response on a questionnaire is adequate protection against the HIV virus entering the blood supply? Of course not. All the damn blood has
Continue readingwmtc: wmtc poll results: avoidance wins the day
It’s not a huge sample size, but the results are pretty clear. Eighteen of 27 respondants (this includes three from the “other” category) voted for avoidance. Avoidance is definitely the line of least resistance, easiest on both the avoider and the avoideded. I’m assuming the eff-off response was a troll,
Continue readingwmtc: wmtc.ca is back!
I am SO happy! My own domain name, wmtc.ca, is once again working with the Blogger platform. URLs for this blog will now show the wmtc.ca address, as they did many years ago, and I (again) have blogspot out of the blog’s URL. I registered wmtc.ca in 2006, before Blogger
Continue readingwmtc: 59 cents campaign: stand up for health care for refugees
On Facebook: We at the 59 Cents Campaign find the Canadian Government’s decision to cut portions of refugee healthcare by means of the Ministerial Order of Hon. Jason Kenney, published April 25, 2012 to be unacceptable. We believe that if Canadians stop to consider the effect which these changes will
Continue readingwmtc: relax, canadians. voter suppression is "as old as the hills". says a cpc lawyer.
In a recent post, I summarized the Conservatives’ arguments in Federal Court, as they attempted to have the case against their illegal election practices dismissed before any evidence had been heard. I was just paraphrasing, of course. But now I have a real quote, thanks to an email sent today
Continue readingwmtc: national portrait gallery? no, it’s the national harper gallery!
Quick, get a dictionary and look up megalomaniac. See if it shows Stephen Harper’s picture. Then again, maybe Harper had none to spare. I missed it when Kady O’Malley and Elizabeth May broke this story, so I’m glad I saw this in the Ottawa Citizen. Emphasis mine. Harper gallery leaves
Continue readingwmtc: wmtc survey: what would you do?
Survey time! Please choose the answer closest to what you would actually do. More information: 1. The acquaintance does not read this blog. 2. After answering the question, please feel free to discuss in comments. Thanks!
Continue readingwmtc: fundraising continues for ptsd service dog for war resister
Help a war resister adopt a service dog! So far we have raised $3,030 of the $8,000 needed. (The ChipIn page shows the amount donated online, but does not include cheques mailed in.) Every donation brings us closer to our goal. If you can spare only $10, it will be
Continue readingwmtc: prominent progressive usians call on ecuador to grant asylum to assange
Daniel Ellsberg, Noam Chomsky, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Wolf, Bill Maher, Michael Moore, and Oliver Stone were among the prominent USians who signed a letter urging Ecuador to grant asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Guardian story here. If you’re confused about this situation – and if you’ve been reading about
Continue readingwmtc: conservative party vs council of canadians, round two
In Federal Court:* Council of Canadians: There was vote supression in the 2011 election. Conservative Party of Canada: Maude Barlow hates us. Council of Canadians: There was vote supression in the 2011 election. Conservative Party of Canada: Maude Barlow is a radical. Council of Canadians: There was vote supression in
Continue readingwmtc: coyne: the conflict is between conservatives and their souls
Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page’s quest to force the Harper GovernmentTM to release details of its budget cuts escalated over the weekend, when Page said that the government’s secrecy could lay the groundwork for a future economic crisis. Page, of course, has laid the groundwork for a court battle that
Continue readingwmtc: truth to power and pride in truth
Seen at San Francisco Pride Parade, June 24, 2012
Continue readingwmtc: boston mini-vacation, days 1 through 4
This must be a huge Skip It! for most readers, but I write this blog for myself as much as anyone else, and I must have a record of all my travels. And so… This trip had a dual purpose – friends and baseball – and both came off brilliantly.
Continue readingwmtc: greetings from boston
Astute baseball fans might recognize this as Fenway Park, seen from behind the outfield. This would be totally unremarkable… if I hadn’t taken it five minutes ago from my hotel room. We are in Boston for a quick – although highly anticipated – mini-vacation. We drove down yesterday, driving back
Continue readingwmtc: stop schedule 28: the mass privatization of ontario’s public services
As usual, the mainstream media foams at the mouth about a possible snap election in Ontario, but barely reports on what’s in the budget itself. If it weren’t for the Council of Canadians and the Ontario Health Coalition, I wouldn’t have known that Dalton McGuinty’s budget contains a stealth attempt
Continue readingwmtc: the limits of empathy: eyes wide open, but not all the time
In light of the horror show taking place in Ottawa, this would be the perfect time to post notes from “Can We Stop the Harper Agenda,” the big panel discussion at Marxism 2012. However, I’m waiting to get an audio file of the talk, which will greatly improve the post.
Continue readingwmtc: happy (belated) birthday to me
A friend noted a certain absence on wmtc and wondered if perhaps I’m not thrilled about turning 51. I do usually announce my birthday here! I didn’t this year because (a) it seemed inappropriate to put up a celebratory post on the very day the Harper Government codified its Ruin
Continue readingwmtc: canadian citizen faces imminent execution in iran
In case you haven’t done so already, please read and sign this petition from Amnesty International, about Canadian Hamid Ghassemi-Shall. It’s a terrible story, and we may not be able to save Ghassemi-Shall’s life, but we can try. Please read and sign.
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