The Politics Of Othering
I don’t like Pauline Marois. I never have. Frankly, she reminds me of a teacher I had in grade 6 who ruled the classroom through fear and intimidation … and…
bigotry
march 19, 2003: don’t call it a failure. it was a huge success for so many.
Eleven years ago today, the US invaded Iraq. This unprovoked invasion of another country that had not threatened the United States was justified by the pretense of finding weapons of…
ny times letters on the movement against israeli apartheid
The New York Times recently ran a heavy dose of letters in support of the movement against Israeli apartheid, many of them written by Jewish North Americans. Philip Weiss of…
read dave kopay’s open letter to michael sam
Did I celebrate Michael Sam’s coming out on Facebook and Twitter, and forget to mention it on wmtc?? Ack! Social media run amok! The news that a top NFL prospect…
shirley temple black, breast cancer activist, former child star, 1928-2014
Shirley Temple and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson Growing up watching old movies, I was a big fan of Shirley Temple, whose dimples, singing, and tap-dancing charmed my parents’ generation. Temple danced…
The Day Rob Ford Was Exposed as a Bestial Bigot
When I went past Toronto's City Hall today I was happy to see the beautiful rainbow flag flying, like it is in so many other Canadian cities from St John's…
Jesse Ventura Is On Our Side On Racist Team Names
More support for changing the name of the NFL team in Washington comes from Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Yesterday, I wrote about how incredibly easy it would be to change…
The Quebec Charter and the Religion that Kills
I think I can safely say that in the icy heart of this Harperland winter, just about the last thing I want to think about, talk about, or write about…
Ezra Levant and the Shame of the Canadian University Press
The Canadian University Press is the oldest student newswire service in the world, and the oldest national student organization in North America.And when I was a cub reporter at the…
The Unspeakable Foulness of Ezra Levant
It's the kind of tragedy than can strike many families, particularly at this time of the year. Politicians from all parties and levels of government are paying tribute to Christopher…
what i’m reading: the immortal life of henrietta lacks, by roberta skloot
I’ve just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. I’m sure many of you have read it, but if you have not, please run to your local…
herbert: mandela and king were not warm and fuzzy, they were hard-core revolutionaries
Bob Herbert in Jacobin: I knew that the tributes would be pouring in immediately from around the world, and I also knew that most of them would try to do…
nelson mandela, 1918-2013
“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices – submit or fight. That time has now come to South Africa. We shall not…
thoughts on "the central park five": new york city, the central park jogger, and me
We’ve just seen “The Central Park Five,” the Ken Burns film about five young men of colour who were wrongfully arrested, indicted, and convicted of rape and attempted murder, and…
what i’m watching: ken burns’ "prohibition", an excellent documentary
This week we finished Ken Burns’ excellent documentary “Prohibition,” and I recommend it highly to everyone who enjoys history. Most of us know at least something about Prohibition, especially how…
the harper government’s vision of canada, in our passports and in our wallets
Some years ago, I analyzed the “Discover Canada”, the most recent guide for immigrants studying for the Canadian citizenship exam. I compared the booklet to the previous citizenship guide, “A…
Pauline Marois: Her proposed Charter of Hate-Values
It is already having an impact as a Muslim woman was harassed on a city bus by a bigoted moron. Also a mosque in Saguenay was attacked and disfigured. “A…
My Kind of Way to Fight the Quebec Charter of Values
I really like this photo. And I'm glad some Quebecers took to the streets today to protest against the PQ's exclusionary so-called Charter of Quebec Values. And although I am…
The Bottom Line on the Parti Québécois Proposed Values Charter
I was going to write a long blog post on this but since so much has been written about it I think this captures the spirit and intent of the…
The Bottom Line on the Parti Québécois Proposed Values Charter
I was going to write a long blog post on this but since so much has been written about it I think this captures the spirit and intent of the…