This and that for your Thursday reading. – Ezra Klein discusses the socialist ethic behind Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign. And Umair Haque writes that the antidote to Donald Trump’s authoritarianism is a far stronger recognition of the need for collective action. – Meanwhile, Shree Paradkar notes that the vilification of
Continue readingTag: donald trump
Babel-on-the-Bay: Bridging the American Divide.
The democratic party achieved a breakthrough of sorts last weekend in Las Vegas. It was a win for leftist Bernie Sanders and was the first clear indication of why Sanders is the answer to Trump. It also looks like the first proof that the old-time democrats need to draw up
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Major moments in life.
No doubt each of us has had one or more major moments in life that help to define us. I was wondering about that during the recent State of the Union address by Donald Trump. It seems to be one of his many excesses that define his presidency. I thought
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Carson Hammond and Rob Rousseau each make the case that Canada needs a left movement for change comparable to the wave of U.S. activism propelling Bernie Sanders toward a presidential nomination. – Brigid Delaney argues that we need to stop settling for
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – Robert Reich comments that Democrats who failed to recognize and respond to a rigged economic system share in the blame for the rise of Donald Trump’s toxic populism. And George Monbiot notes that Trump is just one of many strongmen-in-the-making daring anybody to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Can an atheist claim ‘divine right?
This might not be a theological question. How can a well-known American lawyer stand in front of the senate and the nation and tell us a man elected by the self-serving rabble of America, is really the choice of God? When Alan Dershowitz defended Donald Trump in his senate trial
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The newest ‘persecuted class.’
It has always been amusing that the news media make a point of having reporters on hand who represent this persecuted class or that one. They are always at the ready to claim that the racial group or demographic they represent is being persecuted by the presumed powers who are
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Will John Bolton Be The One Who Finally Blows Up Trump?
I must admit that when the "stable genius" Donald Trump made the unstable warmonger John Bolton his national security adviser, I thought our goose was cooked.And that Bolton would be the one who would push Trump over the edge, and get us all blown up.So imagine how happy I am to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Trump’s guilt is not the question.
What kind of trial is this in the U.S. senate chamber, where the rules are controlled by the jurors? Does a trial matter if people have already made up their minds? Can ordinary citizens be satisfied with a moral victory? Can the voters be satisfied with a sham? Maybe it
Continue readingAlberta Politics: RCMP investigation of ‘Kamikaze Campaign’ moves into new phase; what it means remains to be seen
“Soon, we will find out if breaking the law is illegal.” The line is Stephen Colbert’s and, no, he wasn’t talking about Alberta. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney (Photo: David J. Climenhaga). The well-known American comedian and TV personality, of course, was referring to U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Joseph Stiglitz points out that a few gross numbers based on top-end wealth can’t change the reality that Donald Trump’s economy has only squeezed the working class. Jim Stanford highlights Australia’s “retail apocalypse” resulting in massive job losses and disruption, while Josh
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Alberta’s UCP deploys the red tape weapon: an example from the War on Education
Never let it be said Alberta’s United Conservative Party Government hates red tape. On the contrary, Premier Jason Kenney’s Government loves the stuff – at least if you define red tape as most dictionaries do, to wit, excessive bureaucratic rules that make it more difficult to get stuff done. Advanced
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Justin Trudeau, Iran, and the Trumpling Cons
For days after the shooting down of that Ukrainian airliner Justin Trudeau spent most of his time demanding answers from the Iranians, and mourning our dead.He didn't have time to play cheap politics as our bestial Cons were demanding.But after the Iranian military admitted it had shot down the plane,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The grief of greed.
Many people share the blame for the shooting down of Ukraine International Airline Flight 752 over Iran. It is not the first time a civilian airliner has been brought down while carrying out its business. But what business, other than greed, takes a civilian airliner into a threatening war zone.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Politics of Oligarchs.
In an interesting opinion piece, recently, the Toronto Star’s Susan Delacourt said that both Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau had to reinvent their respective parties to win election. Neither liked the parties they were taking over in their search for power. Similar to Donald Trump in the United States, they
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Is Donald Trump High On Drugs Or Just Insane?
For a moment last night the situation looked bleak. With Iranian missiles raining down on two American bases.And the crazed Donald Trump huddled with his generals, no doubt threatening to do what he has been promising to do for days;But when he addressed the American people and the rest of the
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Did Trump’s God Squad Inspire The Strike on Iran?
As you may remember, I thought the sight of Donald Trump praying with thousands of evangelicals one day after ordering the killing of Qassim Suleimani absolutely disgusting.Especially his claim that God is "on our side." But what makes that even more disturbing is that the inspiration to assassinate Suleimani may indeed have come from
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Rick Smith offers some reasons for hope in 2020 even in the face of a grim start to a new year. And Cory Doctorow writes about the need to start dreaming up, and giving effect to, alternatives to a corporate-driven economy and society
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The terrors of Trump’s testosterone.
You never know what you will read in the Economist. Just the other day I was reading about the lower levels of testosterone in modern American males. Despite the changes in diet and the higher levels of male obesity, this is probably good news for the Me-too movement. Let’s face
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