Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Jim Stanford highlights the fact that a deficit obsession may have little to do with economic development – and calls out the B.C. Libs for pretending that the former is the same as the latter: I found especially objectionable the article’s uncritical cheerleading
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Montreal Simon: Return to Harperland and the Wonderful Death of Sun TV News
Well as you can imagine it wasn't easy saying goodbye to the balmy breezes of the Caribbean.After my amazing sailing adventure where I once again showed the sea that I am its MASTER !!!And then returning to the grim reality of Harperland and this arctic nightmare. But I have to admit
Continue readingwmtc: solidarity forever
Poor neglected wmtc. In addition to having absolutely zero time and mental space to write, I have some kind of head-cold-thing. So instead of trying to string words together in an order that conveys meaning, I will use this blog as a Tumblr, something formerly known as a photo blog.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Emma Woolley discusses how homelessness developed into a social problem in Canada in large part through public neglect. Judy Haiven is the latest to emphasize that charity is no substitute for a functional society when it comes to meeting people’s basic needs. And
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Ezra Levant’s Absurd and Obscene Salute to Himself
He is without a doubt the most disgusting person on Canadian TV. An ugly bigoted bully if ever there was one.And he couldn't have had a worse year in 2014.But I see Ezra Levant can't handle the inconvenient truth. Or is finally losing his mind.Because not only does he think 2014
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Ezra Levant and Brian Lilley’s Disastrous Freedom Tour
Well it was always going to be a freak show. Ezra Levant and Brian Lilley, the two Con clowns from Sun TV, on a so-called Free Speech Tour.Spewing bigotry out of every orifice, and asking their faithful followers suckers to pay for the privilege of watching them live and in
Continue readingwmtc: athletes in solidarity against unpunished police abuse crimes murder
Derrick Rose Reggie Bush Davin Joseph Eric Garner
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Ezra Levant’s Latest Disgraceful Bigot Eruption
Ezra Levant is without a shadow of a doubt the most disgusting person on Canadian television.A greasy, grubby oil pimp, a far-right demagogue, a bully and a bigot.But even by his low standards, this is absolutely outrageous.Read more »
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Testing the Tolerance of Canadians
It was an interesting idea. Test the tolerance of Canadians at a bus stop in Hamilton, Ontario.By having the guy on the left pose as an anti-Muslim bigot, and insult the guy on the guy on the right while the cameras rolled.And although it was a little crude, and it did end
Continue readingwmtc: kevin vickers, nathan cirillo, and canada’s response to recent acts of violence
I’ve been thinking a lot about Kevin Vickers. By now the world knows Vickers’ name: he is the sergeant-at-arms of the Parliament of Canada, and his quick thinking and courage undoubtedly saved lives. Vickers shot killed Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who had already killed one person and appeared intent on killing others.
Continue readingwmtc: "bogus" refugees and queue-jumping: stephen harper’s campaign against a compassionate canada
Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language,” 1946 Unpacking how this happens,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, on Justin Trudeau’s remarkable demand that Stephen Harper set up a federal shun registry to make life easier for Trudeau politically. For further reading…– Trudeau’s Question Period interview is here, with the key passage starting at about the 3:15 mark. And some Libs went so far as to trumpet
Continue readingwmtc: what i’m reading: indian horse by richard wagamese, a must-read, especially for canadians
Indian Horse, by Richard Wagamese, is a hauntingly beautiful novel about an Ojibway boy’s journey into manhood. It was the Readers’ Choice winner of the 2013 Canada Reads, CBC Radio’s book promotion program. But if you’re like me and don’t listen to the radio, you may have missed it. Don’t miss
Continue readingwmtc: revolutionary thoughts of the day: kareem abdul-jabbar, the new yorker, howard zinn
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has an excellent essay in Time, something only a big-name writer can get away with in the mainstream media. Abdul-Jabbar names the stark truths behind the uprising in Ferguson, Missouri. And the mere fact that this appears on Time.com is reason for hope. This fist-shaking of everyone’s racial
Continue readingwmtc: the courage and compassion of dr. willie parker, the last abortion doctor in mississippi
“The Pink House”, the last abortion clinic in Mississippi.The owner painted it pink so it would stand out, in defiance. I’ve thought a lot about heroes, that tremendously overused word, about who my heroes are and why I love them. Moral courage, as you may know, is my highest value.
Continue readingwmtc: guest post: "rob ford, eid prayer and the silencing of dissent"
Rob Ford, Eid Prayer and the Silencing of Dissentby Fizza Mir July 30, 2014 My Eid started out like most, enjoying a morning coffee after a month of abstinence, rushing to get to the downtown prayers at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and navigating through hoards of playful children and
Continue readingwmtc: israel slaughters palestinians, pays for online propaganda, and north americans gobble up the bait
I’ve been trying to write about Israel’s latest slaughter of Palestinian people ever since the hideous spectacle began, without results. I post little bits of horror and disgust on Facebook, but can’t sustain anything worth posting here. Because… what is there to say? A mighty military power unleashes deadly force
Continue readingwmtc: nadine gordimer, 1923-2014
Nadine Gordimer was a great writer, and a steadfast voice for justice. Gordimer, a white South African, was a member of the African National Congress when the organization itself was illegal. Several of her novels, which explored the affects of apartheid on those who lived it, were similarly banned. Gordimer
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The Bigot Rob Ford and the Homeless Gay Kids
OK. I know that only last night I strongly suggested that the time had come to ignore Rob Ford.That since by now it has been clearly established that he is a crass bully, a vulgar misogynist, a low life thug, and a filthy bigot.All that remained was to defeat him, humiliate
Continue readingwmtc: things i heard at the library: an occasional series: #14
One of our regular Readers’ Den customers approached me with her usual long list of movies. She researches movies online, prints out lists, and comes to the desk to see what we have in our collection. Anything we have, we place on hold for her. She’s a great customer, in
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