by Teresa Smith | Ottawa Citizen: OTTAWA — Two Ottawa businesses are donating their time and services to help Attawapiskat Chief Theresa Spence as she continues to her hunger strike for aboriginal treaty rights. Lara Purvis, 33, the floor manager at Venus Envy on Lisgar St. near Bank St., says
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The Canadian Progressive: Again, hunger-striking Chief Spence calls on PM Harper, Governor General to meet
For immediate release: January 4, 2013, Victoria Island, traditional territory of the Algonquian Peoples: As Chief Theresa Spence enters into her twenty fifth day of her hunger strike, her message is becoming more crucial. “We are calling on the Prime Minister and the Governor General to meet with us. This
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: On a Trek for Stars
I can’t simply make a fun Star Trek related blog post, I have to tie it into the Canadian political discourse also. So, here we go. Ottawa Citizen reporter, Glen McGregor came up with a manifesto to guide modern journalism. He’s seen journalism fall prey to some ridiculous habits, like
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Elizabeth May shares her 2002 hunger strike experience, begs Harper to meet Chief Spence
During my 85-day hunger strike against Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s New Jim Crow-style crime Bill C-10, the deceptively christened “Safe Streets and Communities Act”, a prominent opposition MP told me hunger protests weren’t part of the process of democratic engagement in Canada. I was shocked and disappointed. First, during our conversation on
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: United Church of Canada implores Harper to meet with hunger striker Chief Spence
by United Church of Canada: December 19, 2012 The Right Hon. Stephen Harper Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario Fax: 613-941-6900 Dear Prime Minister Harper: We write with urgency to implore you to meet with Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence, as soon as possible. We are
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Idle No More at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre today
At the Idle No More event at Ottawa’s Rideau Centre today, I bore witness: I saw friendly activists handing out literature: I saw a poster that said “We Support Chief Spence”. Theresa Spence, the Chief of the Northern Ontario First Nation of Attawapiskat is in Day 20 of her hunger strike. She
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Idle No More dance and speeches on Parliament Hill (VIDEO)
This colorful video of the December 21, 2012, Idle No More protest on Parliament Hill, will always remain one of the highlights of my career as a progressive activist. The video includes speeches by supporters and helpers of hunger striker Chief Theresa Spence. The speakers also repeated Spence’s call for a meeting involving Prime
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: The Grad School Gospels – Part 4: On Grad School Goggles and the Cult-Like Nature of Grad School
The Grad School Gospels is a series of posts inspired by Dirk Hayhurst‘s The Bullpen Gospels. In the Bullpen Gospels, Hayhurst tells stories from his struggle to self-actualize through professional baseball. Inspired by Hayhurst and the many commonalities I noticed between the minor league track to the Majors, as he
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: The Grad School Gospels – Part 3: Academe Can’t Be Your Everything
The Grad School Gospels is a series of posts inspired by Dirk Hayhurst‘s The Bullpen Gospels. In the Bullpen Gospels, Hayhurst tells stories from his struggle to self-actualize through professional baseball. Inspired by Hayhurst and the many commonalities I noticed between the minor league track to the Majors, as he
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: Is belief in God a choice?
The following satirical video, “Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene”, pokes fun at the concept of a “gay gene” and religious opposition to homosexuality. The proportion of people who believe that homosexuality is chosen is decreasing. That’s not to imply that homosexuality is the phenotype expressed by a “gay gene”. Just
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: This New Year’s, Resolve to Stop Chasing Happiness
Many wisdom traditions encourage a path or process orientation rather than a destination or product orientation to living well. Happiness makes for a poor goal. It’s not particularly well-defined. What is happiness? How much happiness is enough to be happy with – to not eventually be let down by? The
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Canadian Labour Congress supports Idle No More and Chief Spence
by Canadian Labour Congress: The Canadian Labour Congress supports Chief Theresa Spence of the Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario, who is on a hunger strike in Ottawa. She is determined not to eat until granted an audience with the Prime Minister to discuss conditions on her reserve and government
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Elizabeth May’s Green Party of Canada supports the #idlenomore movement
by Green Party of Canada: The Green Party of Canada calls on all Canadians to take part in #idlenomore events throughout Canada. Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands, specifically invites citizens to take part in the 21 December 2012 rally in Ottawa. “Harper’s record on Aboriginal Affairs is
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Pressure mounting on PM Harper to meet hunger striker Theresa Spence
by Obert Madondo: Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to tear down his stubborn wall of silence over hunger striker Chief Theresa Spence. First Nations leaders, the opposition, unions, the media, grassroots movements and individuals are urging Harper to meet with the Attawapiskat First Nation chief as her indefinite protest reaches the
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Waiting for Day 666 #RoboCon
The judge in the Council of Canadians’ challenge to 6 Conservative MPs election victories on May 2, 2011, will rule in the coming year he’s indicated. It may be April or later until we have a bilingual ruling on the most important court case in the land. I expect appeals
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Workin’ For The Money
I always find it so interesting to see people making well in excess of $100,000/year. I really have to stretch to find ways to spend it all in my imagination. Feels a bit like Brewster’s Millions. There are some jobs where I think it’s acceptable to make well more than
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Shooting at a Place of Education
The mass shooting in Connecticut was tragic, and it’s amplified by instantaneous news making irresponsible reports, misidentifying accused suspects, and encouraging copy-cats by propelling the shooter to world-wide notoriety instead of leaving them in obscurity where they came from. It doesn’t take a malicious act such as this to harm
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: Timely #RoboCon
Arthur Hamilton is the Conservatives’ Lawyer in Federal Court today. May 2, 2011 was election day, and it was 592 days ago. There was an Elections Canada investigation underway immediately after, despite the agency being aware of complaints 3 days prior to the election. Hamilton is possibly the lawyer who
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: A Proof is a Proof #RoboCon
How do you show that a crime of statistics, like election fraud robocalls, is effective? Several ways. The Conservatives who benefited from the crime want ordinary citizens to come up with protected phone records that show victims were robocalled, play recorded examples of the crime, provide names of people who
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: Gag A Town
A very disturbing bit of news from northern Saskatchewan is getting some press recently. This was sent to me on the weekend about a gag order issued for Canadian citizens in a northern community named Pinehouse. Pinehouse’s political leadership may sign away their citizens’ constitutional rights (which isn’t legal, obviously),
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