Paging George Orwell: a new US anti-abortion bill is named Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. Good story plus mostly good comments at the link, too. Thanks to James.
Continue readingAuthor: laura k
wmtc: "you must fearlessly accept the challenge and aggressively spread the idea of war resistance."
Those who think that the danger of war is past are living in a fool’s paradise. We are faced today with militarism more powerful and more dangerous than that which brought on the World War. That is what the governments have accomplished! But among the peoples of the world the
Continue readingwmtc: report from bradley manning hearing, day one
From NCF, at Bradley Manning’s hearing: And what the day it was! Manning’s lawyer David Coombs (whose very nice wife is from TO) is a force to be reckoned with! After a half hour of grilling the Investigating Officer (not a judge) about his civilian job as a prosecutor with
Continue readingwmtc: the daily show, all-american muslim and lowe’s: watch, laugh, and write
The episode of The Daily Show that I mentioned here can be seen here. The part I found hilarious begins at about 6:00. Many thanks to David H for the link! After you enjoy that laugh, please write to Lowe’s. Lowe’s contact form here Email: WeCare@lowes.com Robert A. Niblock, Chairman
Continue readingwmtc: from out of nowhere, beautiful music transforms my night
Tonight on my way home from work, I had no music with me, and was forced to listen to the radio. To think I was once a radio addict; now I find it an annoying wasteland. In my button-pushing frustration, I stumbled on this. I was utterly mesmerized. It wasn’t
Continue readingwmtc: stand against islamophobia: boycott lowe’s… and more
By now you’ve probably heard about the “All-American Muslim” TV show vs. Lowe’s Home Improvement vs. Florida Family Association craziness. I know “The Daily Show” has been tracking the story (of course the video is not available in Canada). But in case you haven’t heard about this particular bit of
Continue readingwmtc: there can be no justice for bradley manning
Today begins the “Article 32” hearing for accused whistleblower Bradley Manning, the first time in 18 months of incarceration that Manning will face a judge. Tonight there’s a vigil outside Ft. Meade, Maryland, and tomorrow – Manning’s 24th birthday – there will be a big rally in support. The Article
Continue readingwmtc: citizenship ceremonies now include islamophobia
Last week I learned citizenship ceremonies now include militarism. This week I learn they also include Islamophobia. I’m grateful I became a citizen before this hateful bullshit started. Face veils banned for citizenship oaths The government is placing a ban on face coverings such as niqabs for people swearing their
Continue readingwmtc: we like lists: list # 12: ten best of anything
Lists are back! I was a little disappointed in the turnout for our last list, awesome art. Statcounter and Google Reader tell me that a few hundred people read this blog; I wish more of them would jump in the comment pool. But even if only from the core group
Continue readingwmtc: worlds collide: the high line meets the information
This photo is used in James Gleick’s The Information, in which I am currently engrossed. The building is Bell Labs, the hottest of hot spots for engineering and technology for decades, in one of its most famous locations, on the west side of lower Manhattan. (The building is now Westbeth.)
Continue readingwmtc: write for rights: spotlight on reggie clemons
Black man. White murder victims. No physical evidence. Sentenced to death despite very compelling doubts about guilt. If this sounds like Troy Davis 2.0, that’s because Troy Davis was not an anomaly. His death was business-as-usual in the US’s sorry excuse for a justice system. Meet Reggie Clemons. Like Troy
Continue readingwmtc: write for rights: celebrate human rights day with amnesty
Are you participating in Write for Rights? This annual event is a simple, hands-on way you can stand up for global human rights at least once a year. Be a part of the world’s largest human rights event: Write for Rights.
Continue readingwmtc: international human rights day: mohamed harkat and indefinite detention
Today is International Human Rights Day, a day to work for and affirm human rights at home and abroad. Today also marks 9 years since Mohamed Harkat, a Canadian citizen, was arrested under a so-called security certificate. Harkat spend 43 months in jail and was eventually released under the harshest
Continue readingwmtc: tell the senate: don’t rubber-stamp the harper crime bill
From Leadnow.ca: On Monday, Prime Minister Harper’s Conservative MPs voted for the cruel Crime Bill. That night, the NDP, Liberal, Bloc and Green MPs stood together against the bill, and many of them were wearing “Safer, not meaner” buttons in solidarity with our campaign. Now, the struggle for Canadian justice
Continue readingwmtc: how can we live without polar bears? bbc’s planet earth gets political
In October, I blogged about my impressions of the BBC nature series “Planet Earth”. I loved the show, but criticized the producers for making it completely apolitical. There was not a single mention of habitat conservation, climate change or any human-caused environmental disruption, which struck me as a terrible missed
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: the information, by james gleick
I’ve started reading a book that I cannot put down: James Gleick’s The Information. The book’s full title is The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood, and it is indeed a book of many intentions: a history of communication and information technology, a history of information theory, a historical
Continue readingwmtc: income inequality in canada sinks to 30-year high
The rich grow richer, the poor grow more numerous. The income gap widens – and our entire society is poorer because of it. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released a study yesterday demonstrating that income inequality is increasing around the globe, and Canada is among the worst offenders.
Continue readingwmtc: the militarization of canadian life continues: citizenship ceremonies now include soldiers
I mentioned this yesterday in my post about the Canadian Peace Alliance’s Peace & Prosperity not War & Austerity campaign, but it deserves special emphasis. In April 2010, I wrote about the Conservative government’s new citizenship guide. This is a booklet sent to all residents of Canada who have applied
Continue readingwmtc: rivers of suggestion
Allan has revived his non-baseball blog. He is writing about writing, music and the world out there. Formerly known as In Cold Blog and In Other News and maybe some other names, the blog is now called Rivers of Suggestion, and it is found here.
Continue readingwmtc: peace & prosperity, not war & austerity: help the canadian peace alliance fight the harper military agenda
Amid the deluge of fundraising appeals that arrive via email and paper mail this time of year, the letter from the Canadian Peace Alliance stood out for me. Under the “Canada First Defence Strategy,” Harper plans to spend $480 billion on the military, open up eight new Canadian military bases,
Continue reading