Why Don’t Politicians Like Democratic Participation?
Yesterday I opined on why democratic participation in our country is so muted, and offered two examples of what can be accomplished when people are willing to get involved. One…
Lorne
If This Is The Best They’ve Got…
My daughter just sent me this link. After reading a few of the comments, I couldn’t help but remember Charlton Heston’s famous line from the original Planet of the Apes:…
Two Bright Spots For Democracy
I have to admit that on most days, I am darkly pessimistic about the efficacy of democracy. With a federal government whose members are but drones of a martinet Prime…
Linda McQuaig on Harper’s Anti-Labour Policies
Drawing comparisons between Republican animus toward labour and Harper government policies that permit the kind of outrageous corporate behaviour unfolding at Electro-Motive Canada, Linda McQuaig’s column in today’s Star warns…
Self-Serving Rhetoric From The Toronto Police
As one who strives to be a critical thinker, I am loathe to make absolutist or ill-informed statements and assertions, even as I admit to frequently falling short of the…
A Star Reader’s Perspective On Caterpillar Inc.
I have been offline for the past several days, the reason for which I may write about later. For now, I am taking the liberty of reproducing the excellent lead…
Will The Legendary Harper Vindictiveness Rear Its Head Again?
A report in today’s Globe suggests we could soon be seeing another instance of Harper bullying and intimidation tactics. Well-known for his intolerance of and disdain for dissent, and given…
Bob Rae’s March toward Coronation
In a development that will likely surprise few, it seems that steps are being prepared to permit Bob Rae, the Liberal Party’s interim leader, to run for the permanent leadership.…
Harper To Strike Another Blow Against Democracy To Ease His Frustration
The other day I wrote a post about the dark lord’s frustration over the democratic expression of opposition to the Northern Gateway oilsands pipeline. It seems ‘dear leader’ felt that…
The Star’s Gloomy Assessment of Corporate Depradations
Today’s Star editorial offers a gloomy but apparently realistic assessment of the direction Canada’s manufacturing is headed in. Abetted by the federal and Ontario McGuinty provincial governments’ seeming indifference to…
Sunday Insight From A Star Reader
I’m reproducing another insightful letter from a Star reader, this time from Edward Carson of Toronto, who writes about how ideology reigns supreme over reality in the Harper government: The…
The Sad Case of Lucene Charles
Because she failed to complete the paperwork to achieve permanent residency status when she married a Canadian 15 years ago, St. Vincent native Lucene Charles, the mother of four children,…
Being Stephen Harper Must Be Frustrating At Times
Were I a more compassionate and empathetic man, I suppose I could at times muster a modicum of sympathy for our dark lord, Stephen Harper. Why, you may ask –…
Ottawa Police Chief (Do You Remember Tracy Bonds?) Appointed to Senate
Despite the CBC puff piece interview of Ottawa Police Chief Vern White on his appointment by the Harper government to the Senate, many will remember him as the chief presiding…
Pension Fund Shuns Walmart
Years ago, when Maple Leaf Foods was demanding deep concessions from its workers in Burlington, Ontario, many teachers tried to get the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan to divest itself from…
From a Star Reader: Welcome to Harper’s Harsh New World
A particularly insightful lead letter is found in today’s Toronto Star. Because most letters seem to be available online for but a short time, I am reproducing writer Stephen Douglas’…
Caterpillar, Inc. – A Reprehensible Corporate ‘Citizen’
When I think of caterpillars (which, until recently, I have to admit, has been rarely), I think of a slow-moving yet determined creature on its way to metamorphosis, often into…
More Good News For the Corporate Sector
While corporations continue the arduous task of union-busting and contract-gutting, their efforts are being amply rewarded. Not only has a beneficent and ideologically-driven Harper government cossetted them with a record-low…
American ‘Rocket Scientist’ Pronounces on The Electric Car
and some say this is the best the Republicans have to offer in the next election. Recommend this Post
Our Prime Minister’s Great Economic Plan Seems To Be Working …. For the Corporate Sector
In light of the ongoing dismantling of our industrial base by our corporate ‘masters,’ coupled with the latest reduction in the corporate tax rate engineered by the pseudo-economist Stephen Harper,…