Hey America, Wake up and Smell the Methane
This week, I watched the premiere of Josh Fox’s documentary film, Gasland II. Very troubling. The story line confirms that America has lost its moorings and has veered off in…
brian gibb
In America, the Rules of Empire Trump the Principles of Democracy
Once again the US procedural republic adds another padlock to the door that would lead the nation onward on the road to democracy. As has been the case over the…
Brian Gibb (313-500? ppm)
We live by numbers and some more important than others. Some don’t change often so we keep them in our head: age, date of birth, height, weight, phone number, address,…
The New Empire Is American as Apple Inc.
In his influential blog post, Empires Then and Now, the former associate editor of the Wall Street Journal, Paul Craig Roberts, muses about the nature of the New Empire. According…
Oh Canada, How Long Will You Remain an English Settler State?
The latest statistics from the National Household Survey indicate that one out of five Canadians was born outside of the country. The report states that “Canada is a nation with…
My Democratic Dreams Were Shattered by Those Who Pilfer the Public Purse in Quebec
Apparently, what I want, I can’t have. I would like to live in a democratic state where I could participate meaningfully in the political decisions to be made. Living in…
It Ain’t About the Economy; It’s About Politics
At the outset, when I first began this blog, I wanted to bring to the reader’s attention some of the cultural myths arising from our political economy that we usually…
Like Lobsters Caught in a Trap, Americans Are Held Prisoners By Their Procedural Republic
The news coming out of the USA last week was pretty bleak: another senseless act of indiscriminate violence at the Boston Marathon, where two home-made bombs were detonated amongst the…
As Public Virtue Collapses Around Me, All I Can Do Is Watch and Write
I live in Quebec, Canada’s only French speaking province. Here, the socio-economic system was crafted to be extremely resistant to institutional change. It is what it is. Most of the…
The Triumph of The American Matrix
The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games. … Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts.…
The Economics of Empire
More than four years have passed since the collapse of the world’s financial system. A crippling economic recession lingers as economic growth continues to be anemic as the economy fluctuates…
While the American Empire Prospers, the Nation Becomes a War Zone
There are two Americas: the imagined community called the nation otherwise known as the United States of America to which the vast majority believes to include all American citizens and…
Democracy in America: How the Big Lie Rolls On and On
I get democracy. It is a set of political institutions that allows the demos, otherwise known as the multitudes, otherwise known as the people, to self-rule. By its very nature…
Calling Out the Tellers of the Hell-monger’s Tale
Enthralled by Mammon, the tellers of the Hell-monger’s Tale seek to turn the planet from an earthly paradise into a living hell. In fact, burning up the world’s stock of…
America Is in the Thrall of Future Shock
Observing what’s happening in the US as Americans are only six weeks from electing their president, I am struck by a society in complete disarray. A stalled economy, more than…
Notwithstanding the One Whacko, Quebec’s Collective Intelligence Prevails
Calling a general election during the summer months in order to avoid the anticipated turmoil of a government commission mandated to investigate corruption in the construction industry and dragging out…
WTF Even My Strategic Vote Won’t Count
Before I start my rant, it should be known that I have been a candidate for political parties that wanted to change the voting system on four occasions. I have…
A Three Ring Circus, a Horse Race, and a Pussy Riot
It’s a funny thing living in the second decade of the twenty-first century. There’s such a wide gap between our technological reach and our social institutions. On the same day,…
The Economic Freedom of the Few Limits the Political Freedom of the Many
Politics is all about who decides on whose behalf. Inevitably, political decisions entail winners and losers. In an ideal world, political decisions would be made by inclusive institutions that allow…
Democracy’s Last Conquest: The Anglo-American Empire
Slowly but surely democracy is spreading and finding roots around the world. The latest countries to begin their path towards democratic governance are Tunisia and Libya. In both countries, democratic…