We seem to be in the constant throes of anti-union sentiment during a time they are most needed. The right wing, including Ontario Conservative leader young Tim Hudak, seems to be especially enamored of the phrases “union bosses” and “workplace democracy,” both thinly-disguised anti-union euphemisms. And now that teachers are
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Politics and its Discontents: Registering My Disgust
Just a note for anyone looking to express their disgust at the award being given to Stephen Harper as World Statesman of the Year. I sent the following very brief note to Appeal of Conscience Foundation: I just want to register my disgust with your decision to bestow on Stephen
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Why Harper’s Award as World Statesman of the Year Is An Insult to All of Us
I cannot help but think that it is the Harper regime’s unqualified and uncritical support for Israel that accounts for his being named World Statesman of the Year by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, founded by an American rabbi in 1965. The state of Israel, which trumpets itself as some
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Do What I Say, Not What I Do
For a country that seems to have a messianic zeal for exporting its freedom and democracy to other countries, the United States doesn’t seem to care too much for those values domestically. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: When Parents Get The Upper Hand in Education
Yesterday I wrote a post about the Hamilton parent suing the school board for its refusal to notify him when a range of topics objectionable to his beliefs was being covered in the classrooom. His intention was to withdraw his children each time topics such as marriage, environmentalism, evolution, gay
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More helpful Advice From the World’s Richest Woman
She may be the world’s richest woman, but she still has time for ‘the little people’ with this sterling advice for job creation and increased productivity. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Limits of Growth
I remember within the past year opining to my wife that the long-term fate of humanity is grim. With an ever-expanding population, growing demand for limited resources, and an economic model that is predicated on relentless expansion and consumption, there will be no utopian solution to the intractable mess we
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Price of Plualism
There is a price for the privilege of living in a pluralistic society, and that cost, which the majority of people willing pay, is tolerance for the views and beliefs of others. Tolerance, while not requiring the embrace and adoption of the values held by others, does entail respecting those
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Pat Robertson Pines For Simpler Times
Every time he speaks, TV evangelist Pat Robertson demonstrates how cruel dementia is: H/t Antonia Zerbisias Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Q&A With Allan Gregg
Many thanks to Accidental Deliberations for providing information on this Q&A with Allan Gregg, a good companion piece for his Assault On Reason article/speech. This Hill Times article on Gregg’s thesis is also worth perusal. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: If You Say It Enough Times …
Recently I have been writing about the vital role critical thinking plays in a healthy democracy; this morning, after reading the letters section of The Star, I couldn’t help but think about one of the oldest and most frequently-used techniques to inhibit that process: repetition. Repetition , a strategy frequently
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Assault on Reason
Yesterday I wrote a post on the important role education plays in the development of critical thinking skills, skills that are crucial for anyone who aspires to being something more than a puppet of government and corporate propaganda. Unfortunately, as I noted, current education reforms under consideration in Ontario will
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Such An Expressive Face
This is young Tim Hudak’s mad face. Damn those union bosses! Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Embargo On Ideas In The Offing?
One of the pleasures of my retired life is getting together for coffee on a regular basis with my friend Ray, a retired vice-principal and one of the rare ‘good-guys’ of administration that I encountered in my life as a teacher. When we meet, we discuss a range of topics,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Apt Contrast
There is the Energizer rabbit, brought to you by Everready: Then there is the Never-ready rabbit, brought to you by Ontario’s Conservative Party: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Political Contempt For The Electorate Continues
Reiterating one of his favorite themes of late, Tim Hudak, the never-ready-for-prime-time-politcal leader of the Ontario Tories, blamed the ‘union-bosses’ for denying him victory in last night’s Kitchener-Waterloo by-election. Blaming a “tsunami” of public sector union bosses who bought votes in a riding held by his party for two decades,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Uncommon Wisdom From The ‘Common’ People
That is the best way to assess the fact that last night, despite all of his gerrymandering, Dalton NcGuinty was decisively thwarted in his ruthless drive for the majority government he had been denied in the last general provincial election. Thanks to the people of Kitchener-Waterloo, both he and the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: McGuinty’s Gambit Fails
At least I can sleep well tonight. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Latest on Lucene Charles
While I have written about her a couple of time in the past, the ordeal of Lucene Charles is not yet over. Because she failed to complete the paperwork to achieve permanent residency status when she married a Canadian 15 years ago, the St. Vincent native, the mother of four
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Advice From the World’s Richest Woman
Wow! Sounds like this Australian lady really made it ‘the hard way’. Recommend this Post
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