Manitou only knows how we’re struggling to find democratic reform for our ailing electoral system. At the moment some type of proportional representation is the favoured approach. I have another idea, one that may even be superior to proportional rep. How many of us have dutifully dragged ourselves to the
Continue readingAuthor: The Mound of Sound
The Disaffected Lib: Peter MacKay’s Hole in the Ocean
Sailors often complain that a boat is merely a hole in the ocean into which you pour money. This brings us to Harper DefMin, Peter MacKay’s 250-million dollar hole in the ocean. CBC News is reporting a quirky deal surrounding Canada’s Arctic offshore patrol vessel programme. And, yes, it involves
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: What’s the Chance of a Northern Gateway Supertanker Disaster? Try 93-99%
Simon Fraser University has released a study of the likelihood of an environmental catastrophe from the Harper/Enbridge Northern Gateway bitumen pipeline/supertanker scheme. Not surprisingly, their conclusions aren’t quite as carefree and rosy as those put out by Enbridge. The chance of a bitumen supertanker disaster during the operating lifespan of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Some Say, When the Wind is Blowing Right, It Still Does
1,900-million years ago, Ontario smelled like rotten eggs. Some say, if the wind is blowing just right…
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Some Say, When the Wind is Blowing Right, It Still Does
1,900-million years ago, Ontario smelled like rotten eggs. Some say, if the wind is blowing just right…
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A Voice from Guantanamo
When we think of the men held captive by the Americans at Guantanamo we probably conjure up images of men in orange jump suits with long beards but that’s about it. Although most of them have been held for years, the public hasn’t heard their voices or learned much of
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: A Moment to Ponder Time
If you want to beat your intellect to a pulp, ponder time. What is it? Does it exist? Is it really what we perceive it to be or is it something else or many other things? The fact is nobody can prove that time actually exists. I heard that first
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: You’re Not the Chamber of Commerce, You’re the Government.
Canada’s business community has the understandable view that the Harper government is the handmaiden of commerce. And so, when the conservative government was caught out over abuses of the temporary guest worker programme and had to enact modest reforms, that set the business types to howling in indignation. Doesn’t this
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Climate Change News Round-Up
European Union nations have been warned to renew climate change adaptation programmes. The European Environment Agency has released a report that concludes cities around Europe may have to install flood barriers similar to those that protect London. Even Europe’s vineyards may have to switch the types of grapes cultivated or
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Every-Country-For-Itself Face of the Global Food Insecurity Crisis
Consider these two realities. (1) The United Nations World Food Programme toils to keep millions of people alive (2) in the same African nations where affluent grain-importing countries like Saudi Arabia, China and South Korea are busy buying or negotiating long-term leasing rights on key agricultural lands. As of mid-2012,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Amen to That, Babs
From the mouth of former First Lady and Presidential Mom, Barb Bush: Amen to that, Babs
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: That Decision Just Got a Lot Easier
Looks like I’ll be voting NDP in the upcoming British Columbia elections. I had some qualms about backing the NDP or my party of choice, the Greens, especially when it appeared the NDP already have this election in the bag. Problem solved. The Greens aren’t fielding a candidate in my
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: F-35 Cyber-Warplane, Cyber-Vulnerable
One of the big selling points of the F-35 is the warplane’s stealth electronics. The F-35’s systems are so advanced that the maker had to write almost ten-million lines of onboard software code to make them work. That’s about six times more computer code than is needed for an F-18.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Why Mulcair Shouldn’t Be Trusted to Govern Canada.
Any doubts whether T. “Tony” Mulcair is ready to govern Canada are resolved by his actions in the modest controversy over the Supreme Court of Canada’s handling of the 1981 constitutional patriation case. Author Frederic Bastien contends two justices of the SCC, Justice Willard Estey and Chief Justice Bora Laskin,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Time For the Left to Stage a Comeback?
In Paul Krugman’s Friday NYT column, the nobel laureate economist took a broad and deserved swipe at the “Austerians” and what he calls their 1 Percent Solution. At this point, the austerian position has imploded; not only have its predictions about the real world failed completely, but the academic research
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: First He Gagged the Public Service and the Armed Forces. Now It’s the RCMP, the Royal Conservative Mounted Police.
The Harper government seems to have politically captured the RCMP. One of the most astonishing abuses of democracy perpetrated by the Harper conservatives has been the “capture” of Canada’s public service and armed forces and their transformation into partisan political agencies of the PMO. Harper quickly moved to isolate the
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Harper Cons Are "Neanderthals" – James Hansen
Take that, Joe Oliver. Retired NASA Goddard Space Laboratory director James Hansen says Harper and his underlings are lashing out at him because they’re getting very worried. Pipeline Minister A (Oliver) recently attacked Hansen, accusing him of making “exaggerated comments” and “crying wolf.” Oliver said Hansen should be ashamed. “I
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Cut & Paste Leadership, the Modern Political Condition
In his thoroughly insightful book, American Fascists, Chris Hedges details how fundamentalists pervert Christianity by willfully excluding anything that doesn’t suit their various ideologies. That is why, according to Hedges, there are hundreds of versions of Jesus in the United States, each tailored to some particular sect or church’s liking.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Cut & Paste Leadership, the Modern Political Condition
In his thoroughly insightful book, American Fascists, Chris Hedges details how fundamentalists pervert Christianity by willfully excluding anything that doesn’t suit their various ideologies. That is why, according to Hedges, there are hundreds of versions of Jesus in the United States, each tailored to some particular sect or church’s liking.
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Shame On You, Congress, Shame, Shame.
America’s “bought and paid for” Congress is notorious for obstructing any meaningful action to respond to climate change. Now a group, “Organizing for Action”, is preparing a campaign to target climate change denialists on Capital Hill. People like these guys: Until Thursday, the group had focused on gun control, immigration
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