My friend Gary, who has developed quite a talent for epistolary irony, sent me an email this morning on the Murdoch appearance yesterday before the British Parliament. With his permission, I am posting it here:Hi Lorne: I was pleased to see and hear t…
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Politics and its Discontents: More Evidence Of Bill Blair’s Failed Leadership
The ‘offer no apologies and accept no responsibility’ head of the Toronto Police Services, Chief Bill Blair, has another facet of failed leadership to answer for. According to a report in The Toronto Star, a U of T student has documented at least eigh…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Once More, The SIU Cannot Fulfill Its Mandate
In what I can only construe as inept or complicit leadership at the top, the Toronto Police Service, thanks to massive obstructionism amongst the rank and file, has once again thwarted the SIU in fulfilling its mandate to properly and effectively inves…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Late Afternoon Thought On The Murdoch Scandal
I just read a post by The Disaffected Lib discussing the mounting number of resignations resulting from the Rupert Murdoch scandal. Both the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan London Police (Scotland Yard) have resigned becaus…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Ethical Dilemma – One Posible Answer
Yesterday I posed a hypothetical ethical dilemma sent to me by my son; briefly, it outlined a situation where a friend would be attacked by a bear, his injuries not known, but they could range from life-threatening to superficial. The only way to save …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Ethical Dilemma
Although the following might seem rather tangential to what I usually discuss on this blog, an email recently sent to me by my son is, I think, highly relevant for a number of reasons, which I will discuss tomorrow.Here is the ethical dilemma:Think of …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Ever-Increasing Importance Of Alternative Media
After reading Rick Salutin’s column yesterday about the very real limitations of Canadian journalism even when juxtaposed against the scandal engulfing Rupert Murdoch’s publishing empire, I had the opportunity to read a story from rabble.ca that confi…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Rick Salutin on Rupert Murdoch
For those exulting in the ongoing misfortunes of Rupert Murdoch (and I readily and enthusiastically admit to being one of them), Rick Salutin has a thoughtful column in today’s Star warning us that we really have little room for self-righteousness when…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tory Lite – McGuinty and Public Sector Cuts
Dalton McGuinty, the Ontario Premier who, as I mentioned in previous posts, will not be receiving my support in the October election over his shameless disavowal of any responsibility for the police abuses during last year’s G20 Summit, has often been …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: How The Harper Government Defines Efficiency At The CBC
While it will likely come as no surprise to many, the Harper Government has within its sights the CBC, the sometimes irksome public broadcaster that the right-wing so often loves to hate. As reported online in today’s Globe, the Heritage Minister, Jam…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Critical Thinking: Do We Get The Kind Of Political Leadership We Deserve?
In many ways, I suspect that we get exactly the kind of political representation that we deserve. A population that is either largely disengaged from the political process or lacking in fundamental critical thinking skills invites our elected represen…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Netweeper Inc. – A Canadian Company That Facilitates Internet Censorship Abroad
In an age when regulation of shoddy business practices seems to be rapidly eroding, the ethos today being that anything that inhibits growth is bad, it may not come as a surprise that both the Federal and the Ontario Provincial Governments are complici…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The State of Journalism
Thanks to Dr. Dawg for posting this link to an essay by Kai Nagata, who writes about why he recently quit his job as a reporter for CTV. His observations about the current state of television journalism are instructive, and will be of interest to anyon…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Unions – Part Two
Thanks to fellow-blogger Orwell for providing this link to the Australian version of the video I wrote about yesterday:Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: What Have Unions Done For Us?
I just came across the following video on You Tube. Although directed toward an American audience, its message is completely applicable to Canada as well. Enjoy!Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Critical Thinking: The Assault On Reason
The following is a review I wrote about four years ago of Al Gore’s book, The Assault on Reason, a work that addresses many of the problems arising when the populace at large lacks the capacity for critical thought. Although geared to an American audi…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Is This A Quest For Justice, Or A Thirst For Revenge?
While I doubt that I will ever be accused of being ‘soft on crime,’ agreeing with the view held by many that the Canadian judicial system tends to be too lenient in too many cases, my belief in the deterrent effect of stern sentencing and less liberal …
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Real News Commentary on G20 Summit Police Crimes
As always, The Real News offers a refreshing perspective rarely found in the mainstream media. Anything that continues to keep the G20 police abuses of Charter Rights in the public forum can be nothing but good for our democracy.Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A New Anti-Hudak Ad
Putting a side for the moment my concern about critical thinking skills, I must confess to deriving considerable pleasure out of the latest ad calling into question Tim Hudak’s plans should he win the October Ontario election. Enjoy!Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Developing Critical Thinking Skills – Travelling A Road That Never Ends
Even though I consider myself reasonably-well-educated and reasonably well-read, one truth I have come to realize is that the journey toward critical thinking never ends – it is always a work in progress, if I may mix my metaphors. I very much doubt…
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