The health of democracy, indeed government generally, often rests more with the quality of a country’s civil servants than with the quality of its politicians and their associates. Rarely have we seen as graphic a contrast between the two as we are seeing at the Trump impeachment hearings. On the
Continue readingTag: Trump (Donald)
Evangelicals and Their Populist Prophets
Christian evangelicals are having good innings in the political sphere these days. First, their man Donald Trump becomes president of the U.S.; then another of their populist heroes, Jair Bolsonaro, becomes president of Brazil; and now Bible-toting evangelical Jeanine Anez has assumed the presidency of Bolivia. Hallelujahs all around. Curiously,
Continue readingTrump and Israel—So Much for Separation of Church and State
The Trump administration has taken yet another step in its radical support of Israel. Having recognized Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, cut off aid to the Palestinians, and abandoned the Iran agreement, it has now declared that Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: The Climate Case for Impeachment
Will they or won’t they? Impeach the Donald, I mean. As the U.S. Congress moves glacially along the impeachment path, I propose impeaching him not on the grounds of his political and legal sins but on the grounds of his unfitness to lead a major nation at a time of
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Perfidious America
Early in 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, a deal largely negotiated by and signed off on by his own country. Iran had been keeping its side of the bargain and the other five partners were happy with the results. Nonetheless,
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Waeza Shamsia Afzal, U.S. Evangelicals, and the corruption of dogma
Reading about the courageous young Canadian woman Waeza Shamsia Afzal carried my thoughts to American evangelical Christians and their worship of Donald Trump. The connection is religion. Ms. Afzal is an observant Muslim who has decided to boycott the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. Her reason: “The hajj is governed by
Continue readingTrump is no Substitute for Unions
The major reason Donald Trump was elected to the job he is manifestly unfit for was his appeal to electors in the Rust Belt states. These states had seen a collapse of manufacturing jobs, i.e. union jobs, and millions of people were thrown from the middle class into the precariat.
Continue readingWell-being as National Security
When the term “national security” crops up, our thoughts usually turn to things military. Indeed the dictionary on my Mac defines national security as “the safety of a nation against threats such as terrorism, war, or espionage.” But the security of a people is often threatened by things other than
Continue readingDo People Really Want to Hear the Truth?
One of the most common myths about politics and politicians is that people just want to be told the truth. Unfortunately, that isn’t the truth. Donald Trump was elected president of the United States and it certainly wasn’t because he tells the truth. On the contrary, he is a compulsive
Continue readingThe Democrats Reinvigorate Their Party and American Democracy
While there is much to despair about American democracy these days, there are also rays of hope, at least in the Democratic Party. If I had been an American during the 2016 election, I would have been an unhappy voter. Obviously, I couldn’t vote for the buffoon, but Hillary Clinton
Continue readingPutin Fails Liberal Democracy 101
Vladimir Putin is perhaps first among the anti-democratic strongmen that have emerged to soil the world. At the recent G20 summit he couldn’t resist taking a shot at liberal democracy, suggesting that it is becoming obsolete. The fact is that while the system he so loved, and faithfully served—Soviet Communism—lies
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Alberta should learn from the Trump tax cuts
The new Alberta government has promised to reduce the corporate tax rate from twelve to eight per cent over four years. This may seem arbitrary considering the conservatives have complained loudly about the province’s debt. Nonetheless, the UCP insists the cut is necessary to promote investment and create jobs. This
Continue readingIs Anglosphere Democracy Becoming an International Joke?
Not long ago, if one were asked to name the world’s two leading democracies, the answer would probably have been the United States and the United Kingdom—the United States largely due to its power and the UK because of its long democratic traditions. Today, both of those countries are becoming
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Behold! Emperor Trump
What to make of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. A $54-billion hike in spending on weapons balanced with cuts in foreign aid, environmental programs and domestic agencies. It is if nothing else a major shift toward a military state, furthering a trend the country has been on for some
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Behold! Emperor Trump
What to make of U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget. A $54-billion hike in spending on weapons balanced with cuts in foreign aid, environmental programs and domestic agencies. It is if nothing else a major shift toward a military state, furthering a trend the country has been on for some
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: America’s "flawed" democracy or The Revenge of the Deplorables
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), The Economist magazine’s research division, annually publishes an analysis of the state of democracy in the world. Its report for 2016, entitled Revenge of the”deplorables,” focuses on the popular revolt against the “political elites who are perceived by many to be out of touch and
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: America’s "flawed" democracy or The Revenge of the Deplorables
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), The Economist magazine’s research division, annually publishes an analysis of the state of democracy in the world. Its report for 2016, entitled Revenge of the”deplorables,” focuses on the popular revolt against the “political elites who are perceived by many to be out of touch and
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Guess which country dodged Trump’s travel ban
President Donald Trump has manifested his regime’s Islamophobia with a ban on the nationals of seven majority-Muslim countries entering the U.S. for at least 90 days. The choice of countries is odd. Not a single citizen from any of these countries has ever committed a terrorist act in the United
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Guess which country dodged Trump’s travel ban
President Donald Trump has manifested his regime’s Islamophobia with a ban on the nationals of seven majority-Muslim countries entering the U.S. for at least 90 days. The choice of countries is odd. Not a single citizen from any of these countries has ever committed a terrorist act in the United
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Lies, alternative facts and the Trump universe
Describing somewhat exaggerated claims about the inauguration by Donald Trump’s press secretary, Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway came up with the delightful phrase “alternative facts.” It has so much more of a lilt to it than “lies.” Trump came up with a few alternative facts himself, claiming that the sun shone
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