For your Monday discernment, I offer this volley of wise observations about that unrepentant felon, Dean Del Mastro, from the usual suspects – Toronto Star readers: Re: Ex-Tory MP Del Mastro sentenced to month in jail, June 26 Finally a crooked Conservative gets a jail sentence, proclaiming his innocence all
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Politics and its Discontents: On The Dyspeptic Rona Ambrose
In a post last week, I explained the basis for my outrage over Health Minister Rona Ambrose’s manufactured rant at the Supreme Court’s decision permitting medical marijuana users to ingest their medicine in any form they wish. Reading this morning’s Star letters to the editor, I was pleased to see
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More On The Precariat
In yesterday’s post, I wrote about Angel Reyes, the 61-year-old member of the precariat terminated from his five-year ‘temp’ job at a recycling company one week after speaking to The Star about his inability to secure a full-time designation for the work he was doing, which meant that he was
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: For Your Sunday Reading Pleasure
While progressives in general, and bloggers in particular, are largely aware of the grave threat that the Harper regime poses to traditional democracy, I am always pleased when that message is conveyed to a larger audience, in this case readers of The Star. In the lead letter, Edward Carson of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Connecting The Dots?
Here in Ontario, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s decision to sell off 60% of Hydro One, the very profitable public utility that generated a pre-tax income of $803 million in 2013, is causing quite a storm of outrage. Despite her promise to put all profits from the sale toward transportation structure, the
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Precarious Existence
The Toronto Star last week concluded an excellent series on the plight of the precariously employed. If you haven’t read it, I strongly recommend it for the insights and possible solutions offered into what is becoming far too common an employment situation for far too many: irregular hours, absence of
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: An Empty Podium
Given the firm rejection by Mr. Harper to join in the leaders’ debates being arranged by a consortium of broadcasters, it would seem only fitting to have an empty podium onstage with his name attached, in case he changes his mind at the last minute, and to serve as a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Oh, And Another Thing
Without doubt, some readers will be wearying of my seeming obsession with Omar Khadr. A good part of my interest in him over the past few years stems from the injustice with which he has been treated, given the flouting by both Canada and the U.S. of International human rights
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: "Is There A Poltician In Canada Who Will Simply Speak The Truth?"
That is the question Don Graves asks in his hard-hitting lead letter printed in this morning’s Star. Enjoy. I look out my window and see sunshine and vibrant signs of approaching spring. There’s even a Toronto sports franchise winning games. But when I turn to the news media I read
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Peek Behind the Curtain
As usual, Star readers get it: Re: Doubling is troubling, April 11 Eleven million people with TFSAs seems like a lot of lost tax revenue. It is simply another way to avoid taxes and should be stopped, not increased. Of course under Harper it will only increase and continue to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Some Inspiration From A Clear-Thinking Citizen
That’s what I derive from Donald Crump’s Star letter. It is a shame more of our fellow citizens are not possessed of such critical faculties: Increasing risk of terror in Canada When a government starts making decisions based primarily on getting re-elected, with little regard for what is best for
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Penetrating The Fog Of War
Today I turn, once again, to Star letter-writers to inspire both sanity and hope in our troubled land: No ‘middle’ in Mideast war debate, March 25 Prime Minister Stephen Harper bet Canada’s future on oil prices remaining abnormally high. Some economist! Now he is about to order our Armed Forces
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Solution Lacking Political Will
While reading the following, I found myself pining for the kind of scenario Jerry Ginsburg adumbrates. Then I had my second cup of coffee and reawoke to the prime motivation enveloping our current crop of ‘leaders (excepting Elizabeth May): the bald and venal pursuit of power. Stephen Harper’s Canada is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Full Of Sound And Fury, Signifying Nothing But An Unfitness To Govern
Like one of my favourite Shakespearean creations, Macbeth, the story of a corrupted Scottish king, Stephen Harper’s tale unfolds on a landscape that has become increasingly blighted thanks to his diseased leadership. Harper’s demagoguery, his total disregard for the moral, social and ethical well-being of Canada, all powerful attestations to
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: About That Gun Thing, Mr. Harper
Yesterday, I wrote about Prime Minister Harper hitting upon yet another red-meat issue, this one potentially quite dangerous, over which his base can salivate. He suggested that guns are an important part of personal safety, especially in rural areas. Two letters in today’s Globe suggest not everyone with rural experience
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: About The "Harper Gestapo Act" And Other Prime Ministerial Fear Mongering
I would feel much more hopeful about October’s election if I believed this kind of critical thinking were common among our fellow citizens: Re: Tory rhetoric defies belief, Editorial March 12Re: Terror a diversionary tactic, Letter March 12 As a Canadian-born Jew I am offended at Public Safety Minister Steven
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Philip Junop Has An Important Message
If we truly love our country, it is one we all should heed: Life in Canada has been good to me as I approach my 60th birthday. A loving and carefree childhood in scenic, small town Ontario, a good education that led to a steady, decent paying job and a
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On The Politics Of Fear
Regular readers of this blog will have noticed the relative frequency with which I provide links to and samples of Star readers’ letters. One of the obvious reasons is that they tend to have the same political sensibilities as all progressive bloggers, i.e., they are acutely aware of the ongoing
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More Warnings About Bill C-51
H/t The Globe and Mail Increasingly disenchanted Globe readers weigh in with their thoughts: Re Kenney Spurns Calls To Increase Security Oversight (Feb. 23): The Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC) only reviews security-agency operations after the fact. Defence Minister Jason Kenney and the Prime Minister maintain that we don’t need
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