I Didn’t Blog in December
I was distracted by things more awesome than blogging. What could that be? I’ll tell you some day. For now, I’m back, complaining about litter. Everyone is focusing on a…
politics
War is a Terrible Back-Up Plan
Noam Chomsky is certain that the only two things we should be worried about right now are climate change and nuclear war. Adam Ellick and Jonah Kessel’s article in the…
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
I finally got to this pocket-sized book, which is full of lessons passed down from my folks that I’ve been saying for decades, and many others that I’m hearing over…
Nellie McClung and the challenge of history
Up until a few weeks ago, if I was asked my impression of Nellie McClung I probably would have said “oh, she was that suffragette, right? The one people say…
Boomers Destroyed the Planet & Economy, Millennials Trying to Save Both
For the first time in a very long time an entire generation will be worse of than their parents. The wheels are in motion for that truth to be a…
On Fildebrandt: I nominate Fildebrandt for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation 2018 Teddy Awards
For over two decades, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has described what their vision of good public policy should be. One of the best symbols, descriptors, of their view has been…
Parliamentary Debate on Bill C-51
Murray Rankin, Member of Parliament for Victoria, B.C., referenced Omar Ha-Redeye in Parliament on December 11, 2017 during the debate on Bill C-51, which amends the Criminal Code, I want…
Free Speech, When The “Debate” is You (and You’re Not Invited)
Shout: “Help, I’m being silenced!” There’s a duplicitous game of sleight-of-hand that is taking place in discussions about freedom of speech in academia and the public square. Here’s how it…
Who will pay the cost for Digital Security? On the regulation of Uber and large digital companies
In 2006, when I came to Calgary, Identity Thief was something that we all heard about. While, I did not have RFID sleeves for my credit cards yet, I was…
Of flawed men and dangerous ones
For the CBC on November 30, 2017 In early November, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston weighed in on the stunning allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Hollywood icon Kevin Spacey…
Confronting prejudice and changing minds
For Maclean’s on August 31, 2017 One year ago on C-SPAN, Heather McGhee—an African-American woman and the president of Demos, an equality-focused public policy organization—was the featured guest of a…
Flash North Korea for Freedom
Flash Drives For Freedom from Doug Burnett on Vimeo. The reclusive state of North Korea doesn’t like it when information leaks in or out. The government is propped up by…
The death of community newspapers
In 1857 – a year before Collingwood was incorporated as a town – John Hogg launched the Enterprise. The first local newspaper started its presses. In 1870, David Robson launched…
David Suzuki: Corporate influence inflames political cynicism
Even though elected politicians, especially those who end up holding cabinet positions, often prioritize corporate interests over those of their electors, David Suzuki still encourages us to overcome political cynicism…
Policy over Partisanship
Two decades ago, I was involved with a student newspaper. It was called the Calumetro and it was published by the Calumet College Student Government. It was one of many…
Earthgauge News – Nov. 12, 2017
Edition #6 of the Earthgauge News podcast for the week of Nov. 12, 2017. A weekly Canadian environmental news podcast featuring stories from across Canada and around the world. Join…
A Political Shakespeare?
Looking back at the pleasure I always took in teaching Shakespeare’s tragedies, I realize my attraction to The Bard had a great deal to do with his eerily penetrating insights…
Evidence says that a merger makes sense: The reasons why together the Alberta Party and the Alberta Liberal Party have the capacity to change Alberta.
“He won because he went to the people. I myself knocked on ~30,000 doors for that election. The team raised $424k, had a volunteer team of ~500 people, and on…
The despotism of First-Past-the-Post?
One of our favourite political bloggers wrote a desperate ‘cri de Coeur’ the other day against what he perceives as the despotism of first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting. He lives on Canada’s…
Why Is CBC Opinions So Bad?
I’m kinda surprised they haven’t asked me to write for them. We need CBC, but we don’t need CBC to promote the status-quo, we need it to tell stories from…