I sincerely hope that other commentators on my blog do not think I am playing favourites when I repost another’s comments as a guest post. I sincerely welcome and value all of your comments. My reason for reposting The Salamander here, who offered the following comments in response to my
Continue readingTag: harper contempt for democracy
Politics and its Discontents: An Issue So Many Of Us Grapple With
This letter to the editor reflects an issue I think most of us in the progressive blogosphere struggle with, as do the folks at samara: Voter turnout is the key to federal change Eroding the fabric of the Canada we loveThe only way that we are going to get rid
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Too Good Not To Share
This one’s for you, young Tim. H/t Union Thugs Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Elizabeth May On The Harper Contempt For Democracy Act
If you are like me, you may prefer reading the transcript to viewing the video of Elizabeth May’s eloquent condemnation of the odious ‘Fair’ Elections Act. In any event, both media are effective in conveying her disdain for the gross affronts to democracy contained in what I term The Harper
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Troubled Canadian’s Mind
I have been a little under the weather the last two days, an illness that curiously began shortly after I had an unsettling thought about the federal budget. (I am sure there is no cause-and-effect between the two;)) Watching the numbers listed in the graphic, it occurred to me that
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Ongoing War Against Democracy
I had a very spirited discussion early this afternoon with the constituency assistant working in my Harper M.P.’s office. I called to ask her to convey my disdain for the Fair Elections Act and the plethora of other contempt-for-democracy activities the Conservatives are involved in; warning me about getting my
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More On The Harper Contempt For Democracy Act
If twisted autocracy is not your political cup of tea, please consider signing this petition sponsored by The Council of Canadians in protest of the misnamed Fair Elections Act. As well, please consider making a Call For Democracy to your local M.P. today sometime between 12:30 and 6:30 P.M. You
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Fair Elections (A.K.A. Harper’s Contempt For Democracy) Act: Star Readers and Creekside Weigh In
It is always heartening to awake on a Monday morning, peruse the newspaper, and receive confirmation that concerns over the Harper Fair Elections Act are not the exclusive concern of the blogosphere. That being said, I strongly recommend that you visit Alison at Creekside to read her analysis of this
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: True On Both Sides Of The Border
Substitute parliamentary democracy for republic and Bill Maher’s words are a stinging indictment of apathetic Canadians. Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Another Nail
As I have expressed in this blog previously, it is my sincere belief that the Harper cabal, indeed, the hard right in general, does not want us exercising our democratic rights, especially as they pertain to voting. The less participation there is, the easier it is for the true believers,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Refusing To Become What The Harper Government Wants Us To Be
While Stephen Harper’s trip to Israel is receiving wide domestic media coverage, coverage that I have been studiously avoiding out of deference to my at-times delicate sensibilities and constitution, the following Harper encomium strikes me as both chillingly ironic and hypocritical: Israel is the only country in the Middle East
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Can Loyalty Oaths Be Far Behind?
In yet another development in the dangerous drift toward autocratic rule, the Harper cabal, under the guise of a private member’s bill introduced by Mark Adler, the Conservative MP for York Centre, wants parliamentary watchdogs and their employees to disclose previous political activities. Bill C-520, which has the full backing
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: For What It’s Worth
There’s something happening here What it is ain’t exactly clear There’s a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware Paranoia strikes deep Into your life it will creep It starts when you’re always afraid You step out of line, the man come and take you
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Some Things Never Change
Although the following Rick Mercer rant was made early in 2013, most, I think, would agree that nothing has changed in the interim: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Back To Earth
I had planned this to be my first piece post-holiday, but Nelson Mandela’s passing yesterday prompted my post about that giant who walked among us. I purposely kept it brief, since thousands upon thousands of words will be written about him in the days to come, a testament not only
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Cowardly Stealth
It has been said that at their core, bullies are cowards. Usually they set their sights on weaker targets, and when the time is propitious, unleash their fury. Stealth is often the preferred tactic, given their reluctance to have their deeds exposed for what they are. It is hardly earth-shattering
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Wading Back Into The Fray
Having spent yesterday recovering from the temporal vicissitudes imposed by trans-Atlantic travel, my first post back will be brief and on one of my favorite subjects, The Man Who Would Be King, a.k.a. Dear Leader, the ersatz head of a country whose government, thanks to his contemptuous and heavy-hand ministrations,
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A ‘Sign’ Of Our Debased Democracy
If you are under the impression that our Charter of Rights and Freedoms allows for freedom of expression, please be aware there are apparently severe restrictions on that freedom should you try to express yourself on public property in the vicinity of Prime Minister’s residence; perhaps Mr. Harper invoked the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Not Again!
I just got back into town and heard the news. I have a simple message for our gutless ‘Prime Minister’: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Lessons Learned From Totalitarianism
Reflecting upon a recent visit to Berlin, Toronto Star columnist Edward Greenspon had this to say: I was particularly struck by the lessons to be drawn from 1933 and 1934, when the Nazis were not yet at full swagger. Arguably, as the depths of their hatreds quickly surfaced, they could
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