T The Harper vendetta against Omar Khadr has suffered another defeat: The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that Omar Khadr, the former teenage al-Qaeda member freed on bail last week in Alberta, should be treated as if he were sentenced as a juvenile. The federal government had argued that
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Politics and its Discontents: A Very Good Week
H/t The Toronto Star For progressives, it has been a very good week. For Stephen Harper and his adherents, not so much. First, there was the resounding and iconic defeat of the Progressive Conservative dynasty in Alberta. The message to the broader population: change is possible, a message not likely
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: The Sweet Taste Of Freedom
Watching Omar Khadr’s media scrum last night, it became obvious why the Harper regime fought so hard, first, to deny media access to him while he was in prison, and second, why it so vigorously opposed his release on bail: when you control the narrative, you have free rein, as
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Seeing Above The Clouds
One of the consequences of being a longtime follower of politics is the development of a cynical perspective on life, one that recognizes the avarice, self-interest and self-promotion that all too frequently masquerade as service for the greater good. It seems that those we elect regularly abandon any semblance of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Jihad Part 3
Dear Leader’s jihad against Muslims continues apace. As you probably know, his regime is going to court today to request an “emergency” stay of Omar Khadr’s release on bail, their arguments appearing increasingly desperate. Previous claims that his release would do irreparable harm to Canada’s relationship with the U.S. have
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Jihad – Part Two
As I have written elsewhere on this blog, I am convinced that humans (along with other primates) have an innate sense of fairness, one that is regularly violated in so many ways by the Harper regime. Yesterday I wrote a post about the bald and unsavoury political motivations behind Dear
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Harper’s Jihad
The closer we come to an election, the more strident and McCarthyesque the Harper regime is becoming over ‘radical Islam.’ There is, of course, the political opportunism of Bill C-51, a piece of legislation designed not only to keep us in a constant state of suspicion but also to quash
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Why Do I Mock Pat Robertson And His Kindred Brethren?
This is why. I have to say, I’ve never seen the old fella go on such a protracted tear before: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Fear In The Streets? It’s What He Wants
Those of us who have been following the machinations of our Machiavellian prime minster know that he seems intent on remaking Canada in his own malevolent image – a land where fear, suspicion, and division prevail, a land where only he and his party deserve the people’s electoral trust to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Fox Apologizes?
Surely the end is nigh. In case you have the interest and the stomach, this is what the apologies were all about: Recommend this Post
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Reassuring Legislation For Xenophobes and Bigots, A.K.A. The Harper Base
I don’t know who composes the names for government bills these days, but they are blatantly selective in their intended audiences. The latest proposed piece of Harper legislation leaves little doubt that its target audience is the red meat supporters of our current regime: the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural
Continue readingdrive-by planet: Some Islamophobic new atheists as bad as Fox News on steroids
Atheist “fundamentalists” whose very existence seems predicated on their non-belief in God can be as extremist and narrow minded as the worst religious prig. They’re fixated, the way many extremists are, targeting any trace of faith with the blade of their remorseless skepticism. It’s one thing to have doubts about
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canadian activist says Harper is wrong about Iran, gets CSIS visit
By Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive, Feb. 22, 2013: In January, 2012, outspoken labour and anti-racism activist, Ken Stone argued that “Harper is Wrong in Demonizing Iran” in an editorial piece published by the Hamilton Spectator. On January 15, 2013, two Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agents showed up on his door and
Continue readingbastard.logic: U.S. Muslim Terrorism in 2012: Almost Nil
Sorry, Mark Levin — American Muslims = worst Fifth Column ever (h/t): Since 9/11, Kurzman and his team tallies, 33 Americans have died as a result of terrorism launched by their Muslim neighbors. During that period, 180,000 Americans were murdered for reasons unrelated to terrorism. In just the past year, the mass
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: From Chick-fil-A to Muslim World protests
By the time Chick-fil-A quietly announced that it was no longer donating to political groups with anti-gay agendas, the cacophony of attention given to the back and forth over the Chick-fil-A controversy has been dwarfed by protests in the Muslim world sparked by a previously unknown Islamophobic amateur film produced
Continue readingFive of Five: Mixed Message. Selective Listening
Likewise, we condemn any type of extremism. Of course, what took place was ugly. Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly. This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom, and in many places it
Continue readingFive of Five: Mixed Message. Selective Listening
Likewise, we condemn any type of extremism. Of course, what took place was ugly. Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly. This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom, and …
Continue readingDrive-by Planet: ‘The Innocence of Muslims’: Bacile film all about insult and provocation
Sam Bacile, an alleged California property developer is reportedly behind the film The Innocence of Muslims that sparked recent attacks on US missions in Libya and Egypt. Bacile – a self-described Israeli Jew – claims the movie cost $5 million to make. It was allegedly financed by 100 mysterious donors.
Continue readingwRanter.com: Slicing through ignorant anti-circumcision rhetoric
Share this: Every once in a while, the subject of circumcising male newborns and boys rears its ugly head – no pun intended – and the discussion rarely takes long to veer into ethnocentrism, if not outright intolerance. With the best of intentions, and without realizing it, many people who
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Quebec election 2012: Hoping for a minority
In a parliamentary system, we usually hope for a majority for our preferred party because this gives them the power to implement their policies. However, there are several situations where a minority government is actually preferred such as I argued ought to be the case for the 2011 Ontario election
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