Earlier this year the people of Kazakhstan went to the streets to protest the authoritarian government, which was met with lethal force from the government. Now, that same government is loosening their grip on their populace and moving towards democracy in a huge win for the democratic movement. The very
Continue readingTag: freedom
Things Are Good: Ontario: Go Vote!
It’s Election Day in Ontario, so if you’re in the province go practice some democratic action. Basically every party is trying to make the province better except for the one in power, so go vote for anybody else. Last election the planet-destroying and inequality increasing Conservatives won with a minority
Continue readingThings Are Good: BC Decriminalizes Hard Drugs
British Columbia has learned that punishing drug users doesn’t stop drug use or the negative impact drugs have on our society. The province decided to shift from a punishment approach to drug control to a health focussed approach, as in they will help people get off of drugs instead of
Continue readingNorthern Currents –: Ottawa Police refer to anti-vax protestors as “freedom supporters”
In what can only be described as positive public relations spin – or just propaganda in this case – the Ontario Police’s official Twitter account referred to anti-vaccine, pro-disease protestors as “Freedom Supporters.” I’m sorry what? Anti-vaccine protestors have shown themselves to be the least supportive of freedom. This shouldn’t
Continue readingScripturient: Debunking Poilievre’s Freedom Myth
If you listen to Pierre Poilievre, the leading — and rightmost — candidate for the Conservative Party’s leadership, Canada is a dictatorship suffering under the thumb of the tyrant, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. To escape from the authoritarian rule of the Liberals, Poilievre (aka Skippy) promises to make us “the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Freedom’s Forgotten Partner
We hear a lot about freedom these days. There was, of course, the infamous freedom convoy that occupied Ottawa for three weeks and disrupted the supply chain at border crossings. There is the incessant cry from Conservative Party leadership hopeful Pierre Poilievre about wanting to make Canada the freest nation
Continue readingThings Are Good: Reminder: Occasionally Pop You Filter Bubble
Figure 1 from Cook, Ellerton, and Kinkead 2018. CC BY 3.0 When Russia recently expanded their invasion into Ukraine they clamped down on what they called “fake news”, meaning that the increased their censorship. Many western-owned media companies were banned from operating within Russia while other companies continued to operate
Continue readingThings Are Good: Fight Book Bans by Reading These Books
Movements in the United States are trying to ban a number of works of fictions which they deem to be problematic. The problem, as they see it, is that certain books can help people question the world around them. Another problem they identify is that some books for children inform
Continue readingScripturient: Freedom or Just Free-Dumb?
It’s a sad statement on modern affairs that the word “freedom” has been reduced to a generally meaningless term, thanks to the constant gaslighting by the right. Every rule, regulation, protocol that the right doesn’t like, doesn’t agree with their ideology or that hurts their feelings is trumped up as
Continue readingThings Are Good: Mexico Targets American Gun Manufactures
The drug cartels in Mexico are backed by American guns and profits from selling drugs to Americans. The Mexican government can’t do anything about the demand side within America, but they can do something about the arms trade. The Mexican government is strategically taking American gun makers and sellers to
Continue readingThings Are Good: The Insurrection Index Exists to Defend American Democracy
The Insurrection Index launches today to defend democracy in the United States from internal attacks on democratic institutions. The focus of the initiative is clearly in response to, and all about, the failed coup and insurrection attempt that happened on this day last year. Multiple organizations joined together to create
Continue readingThings Are Good: How to Avoid Billionaire Trolls
Figure 1 from Cook, Ellerton, and Kinkead 2018. CC BY 3.0 The biggest trolls in the world are also the richest. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp fame and Elon Musk of Tesla fame are trolling us online and we shouldn’t let them get away with it. Zuckerberg trolls us by censoring
Continue readingThings Are Good: Big Box Stores Remove Products Used to Violate Human Rights
Two of the largest retail chains in the United States have stopped the sale of Chinese-made surveillance products used by the Chinese government to violate human rights. This move to ban the sale of particular Chinese surveillance goods is a direct reaction to those companies benefiting from the ongoing Uyghur
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: What side are you on? And are you sure?
I have always been, and always will be, on the side of the anti-fascists and anti-authoritarians. At present, in 2021, that represents about 30% of the people. That may sound like a small minority, until you realize that represents more than 500 million people in the Western world, in North
Continue readingThings Are Good: Refugees Who Helped Snowden Landed in Canada
Edward Snowden did a very brave thing of exposing how the American government spies on its citizens, foreigners, and allied nations. Thanks to his efforts the web is now a safer place from spying by large corporations and governments. When Snowden needed help fleeing from the long spying arm of
Continue readingThings Are Good: Digital Violence Exposes NSO’s Tools Targetting Activists
NSO made the news again due to their tools being used to spy on Bahraini and Hungarian activists, which obviously isn’t good. NSO is a cyber security organization that focuses on offensive rather than defence; they sell hacking tools and exploits to target individuals. Anyone with enough money can buy
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Forced Medical Interventions & The Nuremberg Code: Nuremberg Trials Will Come Again
Read this information from Stand For Health Freedom (below) before you form an opinion set in stone. And remember, as Emerson said, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” Here is my brief letter, sent just now to my local Member of Parliament: Coercing anyone into taking any
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: Know Your Rights, And Exercise Them, Now – Or We Will Lose Them All
Here are some important documents you might want to read, reflect on, save to USB, and share. The Magna Carta – the foundation of Western law and all constitutional rights, signed 800 years ago, and being burned now https://www.bl.uk/magna-carta/articles/magna-carta-english-translation# The US Constitution and Bill of Rights – shredded by the
Continue readingWritings of J. Todd Ring: If You Are Going To Vote, Read This
Things are changing rapidly in the world, but as of this moment, we can say a few things about the major political parties of the Western world, with reasonable certainty. It is now undeniable, that by their actions, the major parties of the Western world, including the Democratic party of
Continue readingThings Are Good: Mental Health Workers are Better than Cops
Sending mental health workers as first responders to mental health issues is way better than sending workers with other specialities. This may sound obvious, but for decades in the USA and Canada we’ve been sending police (armed with guns) to help people in distress. Some cities in the USA have
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