“Canadian Klansman” tapestry by Barbara Heller. O, Canada. You’ve certainly seen more than your share of imports from our neighbors to the south. Some, like the Vietnam-era draft dodgers and conscientious objectors, have been a blessing to our society. Others, like the KKK and this guy, make me understand only too well why our Latin […]
Continue readingTag: Canadian Counterpunch
When lynching passes for “justice”
Last night, the world witnessed a modern-day judicially sanctioned lynching. Troy Davis was executed last night at 11:08 local time, under heavy protest, in the state of Georgia, by a private contracting corporation that specializes in the “care” of prison inmates. (They are said to be currently hiring paramedics and nurses; one wonders for what […]
Continue readingGrope & Flail blames Chinese news agency for Tory zipper problems
Ahem. A little mood music, maestro David: And now, the sordid story: In his short political career, Bob Dechert has risen through the ranks of the Harper government to assume a role in brokering Canada’s relationship with the rest of the world, including China. That’s why it was all the more embarrassing when it was […]
Continue readingIn capitalism, everything is a commodity…
…be it women: …or children: Yes, that’s right…human beings are now objects to be “won” in stupid radio contests. Incidentally, both these contests are being held by Canadian radio stations. Isn’t there some kind of CRTC legislation against this kind of audience-grabbing stunt? Or human-rights legislation? Or, in the case of the Russian male-order bride […]
Continue readingAhem. As I said earlier…
And if you don’t believe me, here ya go. Jack Layton’s untimely death has triggered another orange wave across the country, a new poll suggests. The Harris/Decima survey conducted for The Canadian Press pegs NDP support at 33 per cent – tied with the ruling Conservatives and well ahead of the Liberals at 21 per […]
Continue readingFurther rumblings
Francis Barlow’s illustration to “The Bat, The Birds and the Beasts”, by Aesop. Yesterday I blogged about how there’s talk of a Liberal/NDP merger. Now someone else has weighed in on the same…with a smack-my-forehead silly suggestion as to who should lead this theoretical new party: Curiously, the person best qualified to fill Jack Layton’s […]
Continue readingRumblings
Funny, the sky is clear. So why do I keep hearing the sound of distant thunder? Oh. Wait. It’s coming from Ottawa: Two days after Jack Layton’s state funeral turned into an ode to social democracy and inclusive politics, musings about a merger with the NDP by two former Liberal leaders led to growing calls […]
Continue readingThe People’s Procession
This is what all the right-wingers couldn’t wait even 24 hours to piss on, folks… A state funeral like none before it, and one that we may never see the likes of again. Very little black, and the few long, defeated-looking faces we see in the seats are those of the other team. Like the […]
Continue readingAnd so it begins…
What is “it”? The speculation, naturally. Olivia Chow is just newly widowed, and already there is talk of whether she’ll run for the top job in the NDP. The one incidentally vacated by her late (and much lamented and loved) husband, Jack Layton. It’s not that I wouldn’t support her if she did run. On […]
Continue readingJack Layton on This Hour Has 22 Minutes
Jack gets Marg’d. And other choice moments. Lots of Canadian politicians have been great sports about the merciless satire this CBC fake-news show dishes out on their (usually) all-too-deserving heads, but Jack seems to have had the most fun of all. Certainly he was the least awkward, and the most genuinely tickled. If the true […]
Continue readingA musical tribute to Jack Layton
“Jack’s Dream”, by Ontario NDP candidate James Gordon (Guelph). Jack’s famous last letter gets a country sound.
Continue readingPhoto du jour
Torontonians remember their man Jack. Full size version here.
Continue readingDear Jack…
Dear Jack Layton: I don’t know if you remember me, but I will never forget you. We met in the mid-1990s, briefly, during the city council elections in Toronto. I was a journalism student at Ryerson University then. We were encouraged to take an interest in local politics and report on those issues. And since […]
Continue readingCarmen Quintana: still protesting against neoliberal dictatorship
Chilean high school and university students are currently involved in a mighty struggle against their government’s unfair and inequitable privatized education policies, which date back to the neoliberal “reforms” of the Pinochet era, and their struggle has been going on for a very long time, as this woman’s own struggle makes clear. After all, she […]
Continue readingMusic for a Sunday: I close my eyes to the restless skies
Hiroshima Day was yesterday. This great Canadian song from yesteryear comes to mind:
Watch the video closely and you’ll see some real live World War II vets marching in.
Continue readingWhat’s wrong with “crisis pregnancy” centres?
Well, for starters, there is NO SUCH THING as a “crisis” pregnancy. That word is utterly meaningless. And then there’s the fact that all this weasel-verbiage exists for a reason: to bamboozle unwary women (and girls!) into handing their decision-making powers to someone else…someone who is feeding them complete and utter bullshit: A survey of […]
Continue readingFestive Left Friday Blogging: Ollanta inaugurates, Chavecito celebrates
Yesterday was a busy, festive day in Latin America. In Peru, a progressive finally got himself inaugurated president: Ollanta Humala is in the sash! That’s his wife, Nadine Heredia, applauding behind him. Radio Rebelde has more on what Peru can expect of an Ollanta presidency. Sounds like more international unity is on tap, and that’s […]
Continue readingThe post-Fordist era can’t come soon enough
Oh Toronto. So glad I don’t live in you right now. Not just because of the horrible summer heat, but because you have a troglodyte for mayor… Rob Ford is getting a thumbs-down on social media after a Facebook post described an unexpected encounter with the mayor Friday night at the intersection of Dundas St. […]
Continue readingCourage
Yes, it’s more bad news on the cancer front. Another well-loved leftist has been diagnosed, and today Jack Layton went public with the diagnosis, announcing that he was temporarily stepping down to undergo treatment. Hang in there, Jack…and don’t pay the fucking haters any mind. Decent people all across Canada, from coast to coast to […]
Continue reading“Night Boat to Gaza”
Humberto Da Silva analyzes Israel’s “successes” — and FAILURES — in its ongoing effort to slowly strangle Gaza.
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