Covid Journal, June 4, 2020
Donald Trump continues to stir the melting pot; couch sitters wait for the green light; World Economic Forum calls for a ‘great reset’.
2020
No need to lose much sleep over yesterday’s firearms ownership announcement by the UCP
If you’re worried by the announcement Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is seeking ways of “respecting law-abiding Albertans’ long history of responsible firearms ownership,” there’s no need to lose much sleep…
kareem abdul-jabbar: you start to wonder if it should be all black people who wear body cams, not the cops
One of the best things I’ve read about the protests rocking in the US and elsewhere is an op-ed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in the Los Angeles Times. In case you…
The Mad Dog Goes for Trump’s Jugular
We are witnessing the consequence of three years without mature leadership. Trump’s original defence secretary, legendary Marine general, James Mattis, has excoriated Donald Trump over his handling of the George…
A FREE CAREGIVER WEBINAR SERIES JUST FOR YOU
If you are a regular or even occasional reader of my blog, you know that Dr. Zachary White and I co-wrote a book called The Unexpected Journey of Caring: The…
John Hopkins epidemiologist: “…best estimates for the infection fatality risk are between 0.5% and 1%…”
Another credible source telling the world that the “deadly” coronavirus is nowhere near as deadly as first thought when a 5% figure was used as justification for locking down large…
All Four Cops Now Charged in George Floyd Killing
That’s not to say an American jury will convict them but all four Minneapolis police officers present at the killing of George Floyd will stand trial. Derek Chauvin, the cop…
Is This Terminal-Stage Neoliberalism?
If there was an anthem for the times at hand it might be Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” There’s something happening hereWhat it is ain’t exactly clearThere’s a man…
Why the Neoliberal Agenda Is a Failure at Fighting Coronavirus
A mural celebrating essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Nathaniel St. Clair. The utter failure of private capitalism to prepare for the coronavirus should have surprised no one.…
Covid Journal, June 3, 2020
The leaders of two companies show … leadership by supporting #BlackLivesMatter.
Andrew Coyne’s Pre-Mortem of Donald Trump
Coyne unloads on the man he calls “the least suitable candidate for high office in the United States.” …a petulant, insecure man-child, so wholly lacking in intelligence, competence, integrity or…
Brace Yourself for a Wetter, Deeper Future
There won’t be any Nobel Prizes for this but a report from Environment Canada says that a warmer, more humid atmosphere and increasingly heavy rains and flooding are – wait…
The Dilemma of Police Unions
If 2020 has constantly delivered anything, it has been situations that have forced us all to face issues that we have put off for far too long. This year and…
Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – George Monbiot opines that the UK has ceased to be a functioning democracy as unelected people exercise unchecked power. And Bruce Livesey wonders…
‘Carceral systems won’t solve crime’: An interview on theft, policing, and disability justice
A cyclist talks to a Winnipeg Police Service officer. Photo by Dave Shaver/Flickr. Allen Mankewich is a disabled resident of downtown Winnipeg. His handcycle was stolen in May. Although he…
A Modern-Day Prophet
If you know anything about Old Testament traditions (and I confess to knowing only a little about them), you may be aware of the role played by the prophets. Contrary…
With The People In the Streets
We mourn the death of democracy in the United States. George Monbiot writes that the same thing is happening in the United Kingdom: Established power in this country is surrounded…
It’s Time to Defund the Police
For extra visual impact. pic.twitter.com/t4CMLHDzbN — Péter — BLM • austerity never works (@96fps) May 31, 2020 Militarization of police forces isn’t just an American problem, it’s a global problem,…
Yes, Canada Has a Racism Crisis and It’s Killing Black and Indigenous Peoples
Police at the scene of protests against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project in Burnaby, BC, November 22, 2014. Photo by Mark Klotz/Flickr. We used to be able to say…