Barack Obama won the American election. Pretty much most of the world is happy with this decision and a little over half of the American population. The other half is unimpressed. Very polarized nation the States has become. I feel like we're on our way there ourselves these days. Harper is a negative guy, what with his attack ads all the time, robo-calls, anti-democratic omnibus bills and general careless spending on big ticket items while nickel and diming the important things.
I envy the States Obama. Now, granted, he'd be a Progressive Conservative in this country and I never voted for them. But he's a pretty sincere guy who legitimately gives a damn and doesn't seem ruled by ideology in favour of reason. I never fully understand those who call him a socialist or a communist. I mean, Obamacare still has people paying through the capitalist system for healthcare. I mean, hell, here it's government funded and there's no private option allowed. And we're still not a socialist country, not really.
We went to my buddy's for the election and he and his girlfriend had a little party with scorecards. I don't think I did well. I needed to have mine scored for me. I can name all the states, but I don't necessarily know where on the map they're all located.
I was also pleased to see the Tea Party rape squad was roundly defeated. The most stupid one, Akin, who didn't understand rape can lead to pregnancy? Out. Murdoch, the ass who said rape babies were God's will? Gone. Then there's Mr. Some Girls Rape Easy. No dice. There's a few more and they were all shown the door with a "Don't let your misogyny hit your ass on the way out."
I feel in a way the American people have let politicians know there is a limit to crazy. A line has been drawn somewhere. Some lessons perhaps have been learned from this election.
1. Don't treat hispanic and black people like fringe votes you don't need; they have say as citizens of the country and they'll vote. Deal with it.
2. People generally don't enjoy open rape apologists running for office.
3. Gay people also are voting and they'd like to be treated equally to straight people. Oppose their rights at your own peril.
4. Don't count on more than half the country being anti-healthcare for all.
Perhaps the Republican party with rethink their crazy. They don't need to be this insane. Surely. Historically they haven't been off their rockers. It'd be great if our neighbours to the south had better conservative options. Frankly, we could use that ourselves.
Showing posts with label government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label government. Show all posts
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Womanhood 2012
It's a scary time to be a woman in the United States these days. It's been scary for women for an agonizingly long time in the Congo, Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt and India... many places equal rights are a dream, sexual assault is often justified and almost expected in many instances, and where you're reduced to/exploited for your ability to procreate, and otherwise ordered to close your legs.
But American women, who won their freedom to choose their own reproductive path decades ago have been watching their rights erode over the past few years. How far can Republicans go to restrict women and take them back to a time where their fetuses and embryos had more rights than their mothers? Well, read here. And thankfully this link is the President's reaction, which should offer some semblance of sanity in an insane situation.
In Canada, there are nuts out there who are seeking to re-criminalize abortion by asserting the personhood of fetuses. Now, I do think it's a shame when a pregnancy occurs to an unwilling party. It's sad because no one goes through life hoping that will happen. I mean, "unwanted pregnancy" pretty well outlines this is undesired. And it's undesired because all the options available suck.
Abortion? Well, I know of no woman who dreams of having one of those. But the other options require you to endure a pregnancy, which is no small matter, plus a delivery (Also a massively huge deal) and a recovery process, which can take a long time. And if you're unprepared for parenting, you have to consider whether you'd be capable of going through all of this and then giving your baby away, a baby every hormone in your body is urging you to love and keep. Adoption is not so cut and dry as many would like you to think. All you have to do is empathize and you can see how impossible it would be for most women. Those who can do it, kudos. But most cannot and should not be put down for that.
So, in light of these sensible understandings of human nature, why does anyone wish to mess with a woman's right to choose? Who else but her can understand her mind and body better?
I've been getting deeply upset with the anti-choice commercials I've seen on TV lately, the ones with the missing children on milk cartons, that talk about all the lost children due to abortion in Canada. I see red every single time. I mean, there are women who have had abortions seeing this. Why do they deserve to be shamed for making a decision about their bodies and future that they thought was right? It is a legal entitlement to defer or prevent motherhood if you find yourself unexpectedly pregnant.
Luckily, as ass-backwards as our current political party is, our Prime Minister recognizes that the climate in Canada is in favour of leaving people to make their own medical decisions. As many people who are morally opposed to abortion, they don't want to send doctors or women to jail for private choices. Trudeau said the government had no place in the bedrooms of the nation, and that's become a cultural belief.
But still. I don't feel entirely protected. There's a massive push against abortion right now and I don't know what conclusion will eventually be drawn. I will never understand why this is happening.
But American women, who won their freedom to choose their own reproductive path decades ago have been watching their rights erode over the past few years. How far can Republicans go to restrict women and take them back to a time where their fetuses and embryos had more rights than their mothers? Well, read here. And thankfully this link is the President's reaction, which should offer some semblance of sanity in an insane situation.
In Canada, there are nuts out there who are seeking to re-criminalize abortion by asserting the personhood of fetuses. Now, I do think it's a shame when a pregnancy occurs to an unwilling party. It's sad because no one goes through life hoping that will happen. I mean, "unwanted pregnancy" pretty well outlines this is undesired. And it's undesired because all the options available suck.
Abortion? Well, I know of no woman who dreams of having one of those. But the other options require you to endure a pregnancy, which is no small matter, plus a delivery (Also a massively huge deal) and a recovery process, which can take a long time. And if you're unprepared for parenting, you have to consider whether you'd be capable of going through all of this and then giving your baby away, a baby every hormone in your body is urging you to love and keep. Adoption is not so cut and dry as many would like you to think. All you have to do is empathize and you can see how impossible it would be for most women. Those who can do it, kudos. But most cannot and should not be put down for that.
So, in light of these sensible understandings of human nature, why does anyone wish to mess with a woman's right to choose? Who else but her can understand her mind and body better?
I've been getting deeply upset with the anti-choice commercials I've seen on TV lately, the ones with the missing children on milk cartons, that talk about all the lost children due to abortion in Canada. I see red every single time. I mean, there are women who have had abortions seeing this. Why do they deserve to be shamed for making a decision about their bodies and future that they thought was right? It is a legal entitlement to defer or prevent motherhood if you find yourself unexpectedly pregnant.
Luckily, as ass-backwards as our current political party is, our Prime Minister recognizes that the climate in Canada is in favour of leaving people to make their own medical decisions. As many people who are morally opposed to abortion, they don't want to send doctors or women to jail for private choices. Trudeau said the government had no place in the bedrooms of the nation, and that's become a cultural belief.
But still. I don't feel entirely protected. There's a massive push against abortion right now and I don't know what conclusion will eventually be drawn. I will never understand why this is happening.
Monday, August 6, 2012
The Newsroom
I want to wax poetic about The Newsroom. It's one of the better new shows out right now.
For a time I wanted to be a journalist, and while I didn't actively pursue it after college, my interest remains intact and my belief in the need for quality news is stronger than ever.
And where is this quality news? Where are the reporters and news outlets that value the truth and delivering the facts to the people? I'm frequently disappointed. I feel like our government is not being held to full account. I feel like important stories go cold in favour of fluff.
The CBC, which I think is generally good quality news, fails its audience with their political panel, which only wants to discuss political strategies instead of the real impact of our politicians' decisions. What do I care what Harper should do to secure voter confidence? I want to know more about the ramifications of shutting down the experimental lake and closing Kingston Penitentiary.
Do I give a flying fiddler's fart what McGuinty ought to be thinking about during elections? No. I want in-depth coverage focusing on his past career decisions and policies, all laid out and juxtaposed against his opponents' policies and political histories so that viewers/voters can get quality insight about their choices and make an informed decision. Tell me, who are these people? Not what can they do to get votes.
People get informed through the news and I don't really feel like the news is doing much to inform. All I see are speculations about people playing the game of thrones, basically. That is all.
And where is the coverage on climate change? Dude, it's hot, it's dry and food prices are going to soar. How will people eat? What are our leaders going to do about that? They favour the economy over the environment, even though the economy is dependant entirely on the environment, and in about 15 years we're not going to recognize this planet because the ice caps will have melted even more (If not entirely?), and a couple of countries will have disappeared. Where's that story? Newsflash: people need to eat. People need a habitable planet to live on.
The world as we know it, according to all reliable science, is changing for the worse and if you're younger than 50, you're fucked because you're going to be stuck with a fucking mess. And no news organization is talking about it. I mean, why bother? The Olympics are on.
I suppose what I like about the Newsroom is the fantasy it allows me to live in, that there are news organizations that give a damn about the world we live in and getting the facts to the people. I don't think that's the world we live in. But for an hour a week I can dream.
For a time I wanted to be a journalist, and while I didn't actively pursue it after college, my interest remains intact and my belief in the need for quality news is stronger than ever.
And where is this quality news? Where are the reporters and news outlets that value the truth and delivering the facts to the people? I'm frequently disappointed. I feel like our government is not being held to full account. I feel like important stories go cold in favour of fluff.
The CBC, which I think is generally good quality news, fails its audience with their political panel, which only wants to discuss political strategies instead of the real impact of our politicians' decisions. What do I care what Harper should do to secure voter confidence? I want to know more about the ramifications of shutting down the experimental lake and closing Kingston Penitentiary.
Do I give a flying fiddler's fart what McGuinty ought to be thinking about during elections? No. I want in-depth coverage focusing on his past career decisions and policies, all laid out and juxtaposed against his opponents' policies and political histories so that viewers/voters can get quality insight about their choices and make an informed decision. Tell me, who are these people? Not what can they do to get votes.
People get informed through the news and I don't really feel like the news is doing much to inform. All I see are speculations about people playing the game of thrones, basically. That is all.
And where is the coverage on climate change? Dude, it's hot, it's dry and food prices are going to soar. How will people eat? What are our leaders going to do about that? They favour the economy over the environment, even though the economy is dependant entirely on the environment, and in about 15 years we're not going to recognize this planet because the ice caps will have melted even more (If not entirely?), and a couple of countries will have disappeared. Where's that story? Newsflash: people need to eat. People need a habitable planet to live on.
The world as we know it, according to all reliable science, is changing for the worse and if you're younger than 50, you're fucked because you're going to be stuck with a fucking mess. And no news organization is talking about it. I mean, why bother? The Olympics are on.
I suppose what I like about the Newsroom is the fantasy it allows me to live in, that there are news organizations that give a damn about the world we live in and getting the facts to the people. I don't think that's the world we live in. But for an hour a week I can dream.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Oh, Canada...
Oh, Canada Day weekend. You came, you saw, you left. And I've managed to go a week without updating.
I made no overt patriotic displays this year. For the first time I feel a lack of pride in my country. I loathe our government. I mean, frankly, most Canadians do. Conservative support has fallen below 30%. They are allowed to do whatever they want. They had just under 40% of the vote and got all the marbles and they've been systematically tearing down my home ever since.
Our country is being plagued with unnecessary expenses such as, for example, a temporary crystal roof for the House of Commons, even though they're cutting down on meat inspection. I mean, who cares what Parliament looks like for a few years during renovations in light of the fact shoddy inspection of our food could kill us. A building, a symbol, a thing is being given more priority than people.
Speaking of shafting people, they want to double-bunk prisoners. Worst idea ever. Never mind the fact that'll only harden these people further before they're released in society due to the more violent living conditions, and the drug dealers going off house arrest and going into prison instead will get their free education in, well, drug dealing. Ideology over good sense, logic and evidence.
And this whole pipeline crap? Seriously? Beyond the lurking environmental disaster that is pretty much guaranteed, who would profit from this? Well, the simple answer is not the Canadian people. And since the answer is not us, why is this even a thing, especially since it has the power to destroy our land?
Don't even get me started on those bloody jets.
And the omni-bus budget bill. AND the omni-bus crime bill, both of which were total sideswipes at Canadian values and proper procedure. And this from the man who prorogued government twice to avoid accountability after campaigning on being accountable. He is the most sinister prime minister we've ever had. I have no doubt he'll go down in history as the most polarizing and destructive.
I can't count all the lies this party has told, I weep when I think what poor hands we're in for the next few years, I am afraid of what will happen to my country, a place I no longer feel all that proud of. We're not number one in anything. Real quality of life is lowering. Opportunities are few. Life is more expensive.
I wish we were a more passionate people. One of the worst things is the fact so few people even seem to care.
I made no overt patriotic displays this year. For the first time I feel a lack of pride in my country. I loathe our government. I mean, frankly, most Canadians do. Conservative support has fallen below 30%. They are allowed to do whatever they want. They had just under 40% of the vote and got all the marbles and they've been systematically tearing down my home ever since.
Our country is being plagued with unnecessary expenses such as, for example, a temporary crystal roof for the House of Commons, even though they're cutting down on meat inspection. I mean, who cares what Parliament looks like for a few years during renovations in light of the fact shoddy inspection of our food could kill us. A building, a symbol, a thing is being given more priority than people.
Speaking of shafting people, they want to double-bunk prisoners. Worst idea ever. Never mind the fact that'll only harden these people further before they're released in society due to the more violent living conditions, and the drug dealers going off house arrest and going into prison instead will get their free education in, well, drug dealing. Ideology over good sense, logic and evidence.
And this whole pipeline crap? Seriously? Beyond the lurking environmental disaster that is pretty much guaranteed, who would profit from this? Well, the simple answer is not the Canadian people. And since the answer is not us, why is this even a thing, especially since it has the power to destroy our land?
Don't even get me started on those bloody jets.
And the omni-bus budget bill. AND the omni-bus crime bill, both of which were total sideswipes at Canadian values and proper procedure. And this from the man who prorogued government twice to avoid accountability after campaigning on being accountable. He is the most sinister prime minister we've ever had. I have no doubt he'll go down in history as the most polarizing and destructive.
I can't count all the lies this party has told, I weep when I think what poor hands we're in for the next few years, I am afraid of what will happen to my country, a place I no longer feel all that proud of. We're not number one in anything. Real quality of life is lowering. Opportunities are few. Life is more expensive.
I wish we were a more passionate people. One of the worst things is the fact so few people even seem to care.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
A Moustache To Believe In
I am watching a second viewing of Layton's funeral on TV. I don't have a lot to say about the service other than I'm sad and I'm wondering where Canada's going to go without him in charge of the NDP. I'm unfamiliar with state funerals. I've only been to private ones and I prefer them for their intimacy.
However, I'm glad for the large-scale ceremony. Despite the lack of intimacy, it's only fitting. He wasn't a private person. He was very public. He took great joy in being out there creating change. There's a clip of him speaking for women, the LGBT community, the homeless, and more. Privacy at this time would be unpardonable, not when there could be more focus to his favourite causes in his name.
I went to the memorial at Roy Thompson and left my own message. I wasn't sure how to word my feelings, so I left this:
God, I'll miss that guy. It's hard to really like politicians, and somehow Jack made it easy. I was just going to write something about love just now, and Jack's words just came to mind. Love is stronger than hate. Politicians take note. People want someone to believe in, someone who will speak for everyone. They want a decent human being to speak for them. He was a rare guy.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Bon Jack
I can't believe Canada lost Jack Layton. He was passionate, he was the sort of man who you really could believe in. I think he was the best chance we had for the sort of Canada I wanted to live in. I voted for his party. I'm a Green at heart, but I was won over to NDP because of Jack.
I mean, this man really cared about social justice. He wanted fairness for people at all levels of the spectrum. He was tireless. I mean, the guy campaigned through cancer and only a month ago said he needed to take a break. How far gone he must have been for it to have taken him so quickly after that announcement.
The man was a politician, but unlike so very many I've seen, he didn't seem like he was in it just for personal glory and prestige. With all the causes he championed, the sort of issues ordinary people needed leaders to care about, I was able to have some faith that Canadian politics would rise to the levels I dreamt of, where people and not corporations, the environment and not special interest groups, evidence and not ideology, progression and not stagnation would have a chance to thrive.
Who will speak for us now? I don't know. Elizabeth May perhaps, who now is considered as unimportant and irrelevant as Jack used to be less than 10 years ago. Like Jack said, optimism is better than despair. I'll choose faith. This country is capable of beautiful things; not glory, but true humanity and thus greatness. We'll get by, and someone will rise to speak on behalf of those who can't buy political leverage and need a voice in parliament.
But today, I grieve. I had no idea how much I was emotionally relying on Jack Layton to weather what I've been seeing as a dark blot in our political history. Today I mourn.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Majority bull
The fucking election.
You know, my stance on the Tories is pretty much a given. My stance on our electoral system is just as poor. A government in this antiqued system can be given total power with 40% of the vote. That minority of support grants over half the seats and delivers a majority government. Or in this case, less than 40%.
That's right, folks. 39.62% of the country elected a disproportionate number of MPs who now speak for 100% of Canada. The rest of the MPs have little voice now. Their policies and ideas and questions can be ignored.
When a system grants over 50% of seats for a 40% showing in support, the system makes no sense. The Green party focused on getting their first MP elected, and they succeeded. But due to a lack of campaign efforts across the country in order to do so, they lost half their support. But with half the support, they have a seat with around 500,000 votes total for their party, whereas with nearly 1 million they had zero seats.
Toronto is thoroughly undersupported. We have 2.5 million people in Toronto. Prince Edward Island has 140,000. We have 22 ridings and they have 4. Doing the rough math, PE Islanders have about 1 MP for every 35,000 people and Torontonians have 1 MP per 113,000 people.
Saskatchewan has about 1,050,000 people and 14 seats. That's 1 MP per 75,000 people BUT! Let's take a look at Rural Alberta ridings, shall we? 590,000 people, 12 seats. That's one MP for every 49,000 people.
The more rural you are, the more sparsely populated your area, the more your vote counts and the more you get heard in the House of Commons. But then again, we have a first past the post system and not proportional representation. So who the hell even needs to bother counting up these numbers. Roughly 60% of Canadians cast votes which elect nobody.
We live in a broken electoral system and that's a fact. Who's going to fix it? The party that just rode a majority off of the existing system? Probably not.
You know, my stance on the Tories is pretty much a given. My stance on our electoral system is just as poor. A government in this antiqued system can be given total power with 40% of the vote. That minority of support grants over half the seats and delivers a majority government. Or in this case, less than 40%.
That's right, folks. 39.62% of the country elected a disproportionate number of MPs who now speak for 100% of Canada. The rest of the MPs have little voice now. Their policies and ideas and questions can be ignored.
When a system grants over 50% of seats for a 40% showing in support, the system makes no sense. The Green party focused on getting their first MP elected, and they succeeded. But due to a lack of campaign efforts across the country in order to do so, they lost half their support. But with half the support, they have a seat with around 500,000 votes total for their party, whereas with nearly 1 million they had zero seats.
Toronto is thoroughly undersupported. We have 2.5 million people in Toronto. Prince Edward Island has 140,000. We have 22 ridings and they have 4. Doing the rough math, PE Islanders have about 1 MP for every 35,000 people and Torontonians have 1 MP per 113,000 people.
Saskatchewan has about 1,050,000 people and 14 seats. That's 1 MP per 75,000 people BUT! Let's take a look at Rural Alberta ridings, shall we? 590,000 people, 12 seats. That's one MP for every 49,000 people.
The more rural you are, the more sparsely populated your area, the more your vote counts and the more you get heard in the House of Commons. But then again, we have a first past the post system and not proportional representation. So who the hell even needs to bother counting up these numbers. Roughly 60% of Canadians cast votes which elect nobody.
We live in a broken electoral system and that's a fact. Who's going to fix it? The party that just rode a majority off of the existing system? Probably not.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Why Harper is a Problem
I'm up late again and I'm finding it hard to sleep, though I am in bed, my kitties are at my feet snuggling in their adorable fashion, and it's 3:00 a.m.
I've been thinking about low voter turnout in youth. I know when I first could, I was out there and I voted. I've voted NDP, Liberal and Green in federal and provincial elections. I see things I like in all of those parties. Sometimes I have a hard time deciding which I prefer. I love Green in an all-around way, especially on the environment and sustainability. NDP is best for my social values, and helping families. Liberals tend to strike me as the most fiscally responsible and I prefer them for the economy. It was their regulations in place that saved us from the economic downfall the Americans experienced, plus they developed a budget with a surplus.
And who is in power? The craziest, worst party in the whole damn country. I can't intellectually respect anyone who votes for them. The other parties, particularly the Liberals, have their skeletons in the closet, but none so frighteningly as bad as the Tories AKA the Reform Party.
And the people who support Harper won't hear a word against him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItqs4HO6hc
They just blindly follow him and savour buzz words like "Tough on crime". Harper's mega prisons are a USA model and the States has some of the worst incarceration rates in the world with alarmingly high crime. Why emulate this? It's nonsensical. Crime is down in Canada. If he gave a shit about victims of crime he wouldn't want to dismantle the gun registry, a tool officers across the country use over 9,000 times every day.
These same uninformed voters look at the relative stability of Canada's economy after the recession and think Harper did it, even though he fought to deregulate the banks to be more like the US. He said regulations were hampering business. Well, they saved us and now he's crediting himself.
He's also renamed the Government Of Canada after himself and has been quoted as PM saying, "I make the rules." Steve Hubris Harper.
He's against gay rights. He fought against them. He's against universal healthcare. He supports privatization and is allowing it to leak into our system. He's certainly not supporting hospitals. We're crumbling and he's investing in the military instead.
He's frozen foreign aid. He claims our economy is awesome, while at the same time claiming it's too fragile to help others, while then blowing over a billion dollars for the G20 on frivolous nonsense in the worst location for a summit in the country, leading to the largest mass arrest in the nation's history. Harper the Hypocrite.
He's severed funding to women's groups across the board, evening internationally acclaimed groups. Didn't matter. Women are not a priority for him.
He is a megalomaniac. He has no business being in charge of anybody. I implore any Canadian reading this, please, for the love of your god, vote. And make it count. He's going to erode everything that we are. It's already begun.
And it's 3:30 now and I can link no more. But feel free to Google this stuff. It's out there, and from credible sources.
I've been thinking about low voter turnout in youth. I know when I first could, I was out there and I voted. I've voted NDP, Liberal and Green in federal and provincial elections. I see things I like in all of those parties. Sometimes I have a hard time deciding which I prefer. I love Green in an all-around way, especially on the environment and sustainability. NDP is best for my social values, and helping families. Liberals tend to strike me as the most fiscally responsible and I prefer them for the economy. It was their regulations in place that saved us from the economic downfall the Americans experienced, plus they developed a budget with a surplus.
And who is in power? The craziest, worst party in the whole damn country. I can't intellectually respect anyone who votes for them. The other parties, particularly the Liberals, have their skeletons in the closet, but none so frighteningly as bad as the Tories AKA the Reform Party.
And the people who support Harper won't hear a word against him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItqs4HO6hc
They just blindly follow him and savour buzz words like "Tough on crime". Harper's mega prisons are a USA model and the States has some of the worst incarceration rates in the world with alarmingly high crime. Why emulate this? It's nonsensical. Crime is down in Canada. If he gave a shit about victims of crime he wouldn't want to dismantle the gun registry, a tool officers across the country use over 9,000 times every day.
These same uninformed voters look at the relative stability of Canada's economy after the recession and think Harper did it, even though he fought to deregulate the banks to be more like the US. He said regulations were hampering business. Well, they saved us and now he's crediting himself.
He's also renamed the Government Of Canada after himself and has been quoted as PM saying, "I make the rules." Steve Hubris Harper.
He's against gay rights. He fought against them. He's against universal healthcare. He supports privatization and is allowing it to leak into our system. He's certainly not supporting hospitals. We're crumbling and he's investing in the military instead.
He's frozen foreign aid. He claims our economy is awesome, while at the same time claiming it's too fragile to help others, while then blowing over a billion dollars for the G20 on frivolous nonsense in the worst location for a summit in the country, leading to the largest mass arrest in the nation's history. Harper the Hypocrite.
He's severed funding to women's groups across the board, evening internationally acclaimed groups. Didn't matter. Women are not a priority for him.
He is a megalomaniac. He has no business being in charge of anybody. I implore any Canadian reading this, please, for the love of your god, vote. And make it count. He's going to erode everything that we are. It's already begun.
And it's 3:30 now and I can link no more. But feel free to Google this stuff. It's out there, and from credible sources.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Another election
Another election. Jesus Murphy. Now, on the one hand, a side of me welcomes an opportunity to rid ourselves of Stephen Harper. On the other hand, I'm aware we live in a country with an antiqued electoral system that will allow politicians bulldoze voters, and keep parties like Green out, even with nearly a million votes to their credit.
http://vimeo.com/21072501
Watch the video about to get a better idea what we're dealing with here. I vote for no other reason than because I'm militant about exercising my rights. But I'd by lying if I said I wasn't trying to fight off a growing apathy to the whole system. The only thing that prevents me from not caring is apathy is what Stephen Harper is banking on. God, how I hate that man.
He recently went on a tirade about the Liberals plotting a coalition with the Bloc, even though he himself tried to do the exact thing when it suited his party's needs. Newsflash: It's legal and above board to form coalitions if the House believes the acting government is not acting in the best interest of Canada, or is ignoring the will of parliament. Some (many) people in this country are ignorant of parliamentary law and see coalitions as sneaky. What's sneaky is the Conservative leader doing it on the sly and then blasting other parties for doing it against him.
He's prorogued Parliament twice: once to avoid a vote of non confidence and again to avoid answering to the Afghan detainee torture issue. Proroguing is a commonplace procedure-- when all business is concluded. When there are still bills on the table and issues at hand, proroguing is a miscarriage of democracy.
He wasted over a billion dollars on the G20 & G8, namely because he held it in Toronto, against the pleas of the mayor, resulting in the largest mass arrest of civilians in the country's history. He could have paid a fraction of the cost and hosted it in Nunavut or Newfoundland or Saskatchewan, places with small populations and less security risks. They could have built infrastructure and secured it for less than the cost of security in Canada's largest and most easily accessed metropolis.
He's a religious zealot. He's anti-choice for women, and make no mistake that if he thinks he can, he'll tread on women's rights. He's already axed women's programs and services.
Prior to becoming PM, he campaigned for privatization of health care. He's not invested in our healthcare system at all. Boomers are aging and need nursing facilities and spaces. We need more beds in our emergency rooms. We need more doctors and nurses on staff. All those things require more money. He goes and cuts the GST, which does little for most regular people, but those pennies we save each day accumulates into massive monetary loss for the government to spend on services we require. So going to Tim Horton's will be a few cents cheaper but going to the hospital will be gruelling. What an excellent trade off.
He rebranded the Canadian government, that is The Government of Canada, as the Harper Government. Hubris, thy name is Harper. I cannot even properly explain just how offensive I find that. Do you think Americans would tolerate The United States Government being rebranded as The Obama Government? or The Bush Government? There'd be rallies in the street.
He spends tax payers money on Conservative party propaganda! $26 million! Those "Your country is in good hands with Stephen Harper" commercials? Paid for by you and me. He's advertising his own party with our tax dollars. He's not putting that money into healthcare. He's not putting it into education. He's not funding anything of value to us, the people. He's funding a love letter to himself for all of us to watch.
He's managed all of this and more in a handful of years with a minority government. Frankly, I'm terrified. What has my Canada come to? Everything we are, everything we value: women's right to chose, homosexual rights, parental leave, Canada pension plan, healthcare, quality public education...
Does anyone honestly think he supports or believes in any of those things? He doesn't even believe in banking regulations, the ones that saved us from a massive recession. He was for opening the market up like the Americans, and look what happened to them! And now he's riding off the good choices of previous leaders and taking the credit, though he would have lead us down the same road as our neighbours.
Any Canuck out there, with a brain and a heart, look at this guy. Seriously. Look at him. Look at his record. He's failed us, he's failed us so hard and so miserably. He can't be given more power. Open your eyes.
http://vimeo.com/21072501
Watch the video about to get a better idea what we're dealing with here. I vote for no other reason than because I'm militant about exercising my rights. But I'd by lying if I said I wasn't trying to fight off a growing apathy to the whole system. The only thing that prevents me from not caring is apathy is what Stephen Harper is banking on. God, how I hate that man.
He recently went on a tirade about the Liberals plotting a coalition with the Bloc, even though he himself tried to do the exact thing when it suited his party's needs. Newsflash: It's legal and above board to form coalitions if the House believes the acting government is not acting in the best interest of Canada, or is ignoring the will of parliament. Some (many) people in this country are ignorant of parliamentary law and see coalitions as sneaky. What's sneaky is the Conservative leader doing it on the sly and then blasting other parties for doing it against him.
He's prorogued Parliament twice: once to avoid a vote of non confidence and again to avoid answering to the Afghan detainee torture issue. Proroguing is a commonplace procedure-- when all business is concluded. When there are still bills on the table and issues at hand, proroguing is a miscarriage of democracy.
He wasted over a billion dollars on the G20 & G8, namely because he held it in Toronto, against the pleas of the mayor, resulting in the largest mass arrest of civilians in the country's history. He could have paid a fraction of the cost and hosted it in Nunavut or Newfoundland or Saskatchewan, places with small populations and less security risks. They could have built infrastructure and secured it for less than the cost of security in Canada's largest and most easily accessed metropolis.
He's a religious zealot. He's anti-choice for women, and make no mistake that if he thinks he can, he'll tread on women's rights. He's already axed women's programs and services.
Prior to becoming PM, he campaigned for privatization of health care. He's not invested in our healthcare system at all. Boomers are aging and need nursing facilities and spaces. We need more beds in our emergency rooms. We need more doctors and nurses on staff. All those things require more money. He goes and cuts the GST, which does little for most regular people, but those pennies we save each day accumulates into massive monetary loss for the government to spend on services we require. So going to Tim Horton's will be a few cents cheaper but going to the hospital will be gruelling. What an excellent trade off.
He rebranded the Canadian government, that is The Government of Canada, as the Harper Government. Hubris, thy name is Harper. I cannot even properly explain just how offensive I find that. Do you think Americans would tolerate The United States Government being rebranded as The Obama Government? or The Bush Government? There'd be rallies in the street.
He spends tax payers money on Conservative party propaganda! $26 million! Those "Your country is in good hands with Stephen Harper" commercials? Paid for by you and me. He's advertising his own party with our tax dollars. He's not putting that money into healthcare. He's not putting it into education. He's not funding anything of value to us, the people. He's funding a love letter to himself for all of us to watch.
He's managed all of this and more in a handful of years with a minority government. Frankly, I'm terrified. What has my Canada come to? Everything we are, everything we value: women's right to chose, homosexual rights, parental leave, Canada pension plan, healthcare, quality public education...
Does anyone honestly think he supports or believes in any of those things? He doesn't even believe in banking regulations, the ones that saved us from a massive recession. He was for opening the market up like the Americans, and look what happened to them! And now he's riding off the good choices of previous leaders and taking the credit, though he would have lead us down the same road as our neighbours.
Any Canuck out there, with a brain and a heart, look at this guy. Seriously. Look at him. Look at his record. He's failed us, he's failed us so hard and so miserably. He can't be given more power. Open your eyes.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Oil, Energy and Collapse
I tried to fall asleep last night by watching a documentary. I like documentaries, but if I'm not wide awake for them, I can sometimes fall asleep. Processing information while lying down in cozy bed can make for sleepiness. So the Dude and I threw on Collapse. He fell asleep. Lord knows how, because I found the information too riveting and horrible to fall asleep for many hours.
Okay, so this guy named Michael Ruppert is this former cop with a glowing record, who blew the whistle on the CIA selling cocaine back in the late '70s. He resigned and became an investigative journalist. The documentary is about him and his life and what he knows, but mostly about what he knows and how it's pretty much ruined his health and life.
So here's a rundown that should scare the crap out of anyone who's reasonable: We run entirely on fossil fuels (no surprise there) and we hit peak oil already, some time ago. So that means more than half of it is gone (Saudi Arabia has resorted to offshore drilling. That being the hardest, most expensive route to drilling oil, and since the country won't release how much they have in their reserves, it's safe to assume their main wells are dry). The world's population has spiked and consumption has increased. That means that the demand is now and will forever be higher than the supply... until it runs out. Which is going to be in my generation's lifetime.
There is no replacement energy source. Everything to generate every other energy source requires oil, to either build, produce or maintain. So if there is no oil to use for energy and there is no energy to build, produce or maintain other energy, then what? No, seriously, then what?
Also consider that all fields in industrial farms are ploughed with oil-consuming vehicles, are fertilized with oil byproduct chemicals (because by only growing the same crops each year-- corn-- you drain the soil of its nutrients, and chemicals are the easiest way to keep the soil fertile), and most are for corn fields to produce ethanol, and that it takes more oil energy to make ethanol than how much ethanol it actually produces... yeah.
So where does our food come from when the oil runs out? Think about that.
Also, no more plastics. No more maintenance for modern day technology that we rely on, like cell phone towers. No more oil to make materials required for more computers, cars of any kind, phones. No more oil products to build, say, nuclear power plants as a source of alternative energy.
All money used to be based on gold. How much gold was there? Well, money represented the amount of gold there was. Then money started to represent other resources, like oil. Well, as the world's supply gets used up, money stops being worth as much, doesn't it? Because it won't represent anything anymore. Money is just paper without something tangible to back it up and make it worth something. And one could get into how interest and banking further dilutes the worth of money, but let me get to my point.
The world is going to change. It doesn't look anything like it did 30 years ago, and it's going to look completely different 30 years from now in the opposite direction. We've been on an upward incline for decades, and now that the money-maker is drying up, we've begun our downward decline, and with a huge population that still needs to eat. Remember what I said about food?
Michael Ruppert predicted the 2008 crash, and has been speaking and trying to warn the government for years. No one's listened because there was still money to be made for men who will be dead by the time we run out of the black stuff.
We need a renewable energy source, and we need it yesterday. We need clean materials to build and create what we've grown to depend on. We need them soon. To be honest, I can see why this man has dedicated his life to this cause, to the detriment of his health.
Take a moment and consider what you'll do (note, not what you would do, but what you will do, because it's imminent in our future) without oil. Consider that it's responsible for your computer, cell phone, electricity, clothes, and most of what's in the grocery store. If that doesn't instill a sense of fear in your heart, I want to know what you're taking so I can have some too.
Okay, so this guy named Michael Ruppert is this former cop with a glowing record, who blew the whistle on the CIA selling cocaine back in the late '70s. He resigned and became an investigative journalist. The documentary is about him and his life and what he knows, but mostly about what he knows and how it's pretty much ruined his health and life.
So here's a rundown that should scare the crap out of anyone who's reasonable: We run entirely on fossil fuels (no surprise there) and we hit peak oil already, some time ago. So that means more than half of it is gone (Saudi Arabia has resorted to offshore drilling. That being the hardest, most expensive route to drilling oil, and since the country won't release how much they have in their reserves, it's safe to assume their main wells are dry). The world's population has spiked and consumption has increased. That means that the demand is now and will forever be higher than the supply... until it runs out. Which is going to be in my generation's lifetime.
There is no replacement energy source. Everything to generate every other energy source requires oil, to either build, produce or maintain. So if there is no oil to use for energy and there is no energy to build, produce or maintain other energy, then what? No, seriously, then what?
Also consider that all fields in industrial farms are ploughed with oil-consuming vehicles, are fertilized with oil byproduct chemicals (because by only growing the same crops each year-- corn-- you drain the soil of its nutrients, and chemicals are the easiest way to keep the soil fertile), and most are for corn fields to produce ethanol, and that it takes more oil energy to make ethanol than how much ethanol it actually produces... yeah.
So where does our food come from when the oil runs out? Think about that.
Also, no more plastics. No more maintenance for modern day technology that we rely on, like cell phone towers. No more oil to make materials required for more computers, cars of any kind, phones. No more oil products to build, say, nuclear power plants as a source of alternative energy.
All money used to be based on gold. How much gold was there? Well, money represented the amount of gold there was. Then money started to represent other resources, like oil. Well, as the world's supply gets used up, money stops being worth as much, doesn't it? Because it won't represent anything anymore. Money is just paper without something tangible to back it up and make it worth something. And one could get into how interest and banking further dilutes the worth of money, but let me get to my point.
The world is going to change. It doesn't look anything like it did 30 years ago, and it's going to look completely different 30 years from now in the opposite direction. We've been on an upward incline for decades, and now that the money-maker is drying up, we've begun our downward decline, and with a huge population that still needs to eat. Remember what I said about food?
Michael Ruppert predicted the 2008 crash, and has been speaking and trying to warn the government for years. No one's listened because there was still money to be made for men who will be dead by the time we run out of the black stuff.
We need a renewable energy source, and we need it yesterday. We need clean materials to build and create what we've grown to depend on. We need them soon. To be honest, I can see why this man has dedicated his life to this cause, to the detriment of his health.
Take a moment and consider what you'll do (note, not what you would do, but what you will do, because it's imminent in our future) without oil. Consider that it's responsible for your computer, cell phone, electricity, clothes, and most of what's in the grocery store. If that doesn't instill a sense of fear in your heart, I want to know what you're taking so I can have some too.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Vote Bigotry on Prop 8
Not long ago I had a bit of a Facebook showdown with some Californians over Prop 8. I kept my cool, didn't call names or anything, but I was so mad. People who actually believe the majority get to make human rights decisions for minority groups are illogical. And it pains me whenever I see someone I like participate in bigotry, like voting against equal rights for all.
I was reading about the power of language today. How a word like marriage is loaded with connotations, beliefs and rituals that are ingrained in our minds. One of the arguments on the aforementioned showdown was why "the gays" are so hung up on the word marriage.
When marriage is considered to be the very top of all romantic relationships, it's kind of hard not to understand what the fuss is about. I mean, think of all the titles and relationships there are in romance: there's a hook-up, fuck buddies, friends with benefits, someone you're "seeing" or "talking to", a girlfriend or boyfriend, a lover, a fiance/fiancee, a common law spouse, a partner, and finally a husband or wife.
The two most respected titles, while also romantic ones, are fiance/e and husband and wife. Those surround marriage. They conjure images of living together, maybe raising a family, going on vacations, making a home and growing old together, having made vows to do so in front of all their loved ones. Or promising to do that, in the case of being engaged.
And these people want to know why the word is so important and why can't there be another word for it? Because there is no other word for it. Making the legal vows and commitment for a lifetime partnership is marriage. What are they supposed to call it? Rainbow fun life? Penile partnership? Scissoring friends? I mean, really, even domestic spouse or life partners just isn't the same. Anything other than the word marriage just doesn't offer the same level of dignity. It's second class. And here in Canada, gay people getting married hasn't resulted in any negative changes. The birds go on singing and life goes on.
And these same silly worried people forget that marriage has been constantly changing. Men could take more than one wife. 15 years olds used to be allowed to get hitched. Divorce used to be illegal. Interracial marriages were forbidden in various parts of the States till the late '60s. So what tradition is being protected here? Marriage as it was in 1970 should be preserved?
And wanting to prevent homosexuals from marrying because it's not Christian. Don't get me started. Okay, wait, I'm going to get started. It's almost 3:00 a.m. and I've got nowhere to be in the morning and I'm on a roll.
So you've got this huge group of people who choose to believe in this book that has unknown authors, which has been translated and then re-translated and then re-translated again in an era of time where quality control and fact checking and databases of information for proofing your work against errors did not exist. In this book there are talking snakes, men with magic hair, men living inside fish, plenty of incest and murder, and a giant boat that managed to hold all the species of animal in the world for many, many months somehow preventing them all from dying and/or eating each other. Okay, their prerogative if they live by this. Freedom of religion. Go nuts.
But then to use a passage or two out of said book to justify the bigotry, while at the same time ignoring the ban against shellfish working on the sabbath, and the props to slave owning and polygamy, is as mind boggling as a fish trying to ride a unicycle. People who neglect that Jesus spoke against hoarding your wealth, judging others, while remaining silent on homosexuality, are up in arms about something outdated in the old testament. Nothing else in there seems to do it for them, but why not this?
What I'd like to know is how it makes sense to say "I believe in God, so I don't believe in gay marriage." How about, "I believe in gay marriage, so I reject this interpretation of God." Because really, you take religious-based objection out of the equation and what you're faced with is shameful bigotry you can't defend. You evaluate your ideas and beliefs first and then discover if you're like-minded with others second. Choosing discrimination because you think God wants you to is ludicrous. I can't think of anything more arrogant than trying to attribute your personal qualms about things you don't like as God's will, like you had a coffee with the guy (assuming this deity is male. That's another thing. What? You think God's got a shlong? What would a deity need a penis or any genitalia for?) and he laid it all out for you.
I could go on about this, like I go on about a lot of things. There were other arguments that made me quit because I realized logic had no room to breathe and now it's 3:15 a.m.
How about a cartoon before I go to bed?
I was reading about the power of language today. How a word like marriage is loaded with connotations, beliefs and rituals that are ingrained in our minds. One of the arguments on the aforementioned showdown was why "the gays" are so hung up on the word marriage.
When marriage is considered to be the very top of all romantic relationships, it's kind of hard not to understand what the fuss is about. I mean, think of all the titles and relationships there are in romance: there's a hook-up, fuck buddies, friends with benefits, someone you're "seeing" or "talking to", a girlfriend or boyfriend, a lover, a fiance/fiancee, a common law spouse, a partner, and finally a husband or wife.
The two most respected titles, while also romantic ones, are fiance/e and husband and wife. Those surround marriage. They conjure images of living together, maybe raising a family, going on vacations, making a home and growing old together, having made vows to do so in front of all their loved ones. Or promising to do that, in the case of being engaged.
And these people want to know why the word is so important and why can't there be another word for it? Because there is no other word for it. Making the legal vows and commitment for a lifetime partnership is marriage. What are they supposed to call it? Rainbow fun life? Penile partnership? Scissoring friends? I mean, really, even domestic spouse or life partners just isn't the same. Anything other than the word marriage just doesn't offer the same level of dignity. It's second class. And here in Canada, gay people getting married hasn't resulted in any negative changes. The birds go on singing and life goes on.
And these same silly worried people forget that marriage has been constantly changing. Men could take more than one wife. 15 years olds used to be allowed to get hitched. Divorce used to be illegal. Interracial marriages were forbidden in various parts of the States till the late '60s. So what tradition is being protected here? Marriage as it was in 1970 should be preserved?
And wanting to prevent homosexuals from marrying because it's not Christian. Don't get me started. Okay, wait, I'm going to get started. It's almost 3:00 a.m. and I've got nowhere to be in the morning and I'm on a roll.
So you've got this huge group of people who choose to believe in this book that has unknown authors, which has been translated and then re-translated and then re-translated again in an era of time where quality control and fact checking and databases of information for proofing your work against errors did not exist. In this book there are talking snakes, men with magic hair, men living inside fish, plenty of incest and murder, and a giant boat that managed to hold all the species of animal in the world for many, many months somehow preventing them all from dying and/or eating each other. Okay, their prerogative if they live by this. Freedom of religion. Go nuts.
But then to use a passage or two out of said book to justify the bigotry, while at the same time ignoring the ban against shellfish working on the sabbath, and the props to slave owning and polygamy, is as mind boggling as a fish trying to ride a unicycle. People who neglect that Jesus spoke against hoarding your wealth, judging others, while remaining silent on homosexuality, are up in arms about something outdated in the old testament. Nothing else in there seems to do it for them, but why not this?
What I'd like to know is how it makes sense to say "I believe in God, so I don't believe in gay marriage." How about, "I believe in gay marriage, so I reject this interpretation of God." Because really, you take religious-based objection out of the equation and what you're faced with is shameful bigotry you can't defend. You evaluate your ideas and beliefs first and then discover if you're like-minded with others second. Choosing discrimination because you think God wants you to is ludicrous. I can't think of anything more arrogant than trying to attribute your personal qualms about things you don't like as God's will, like you had a coffee with the guy (assuming this deity is male. That's another thing. What? You think God's got a shlong? What would a deity need a penis or any genitalia for?) and he laid it all out for you.
I could go on about this, like I go on about a lot of things. There were other arguments that made me quit because I realized logic had no room to breathe and now it's 3:15 a.m.
How about a cartoon before I go to bed?
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Think good thoughts
This really speaks to me. I feel the same way.
Additionally, this makes me love life.And some positive feelings are needed today and a reminder that I genuinely love people. A group of about 100-150 people tore up downtown Toronto yesterday. And police let it happen. They all congregated around this group, mostly protecting that goddanm fence around the G20 summit, and did nothing to protect store owners' property.
Police then broke up peaceful protest in designated protest zones, firing tear gas, rubber bullets and using intimidation tactics.
Toronto is like a police state right now. If you live downtown, leaving your home can cause you trouble. The Dude and I are staying at home, well out of the downtown core. It just doesn't feel safe or reasonable to be out.
I'm thoroughly disgusted. I'm upset with the anarchists who ran amok in downtown Toronto and destroyed people's business fronts. I'm angry at the police who allowed it to happen. I'm furious with the prime minister who decided against all advice from Toronto MPs to hold the summit in downtown TO, knowing exactly what happens to the cities that host the G20.
Basically, any country that hosts this pointless gathering should have the sense and decency to hold it in a remote location, where citizens lives are not disrupted or put in harm's way, where businesses won't lose money or sustain damage to their property, where so much police won't be required. Hosting the summit in the largest, most densely populated city in the entire country was a massive fail.
Think good thoughts, Toronto, this bullshit will come to an end. Then we'll survey the destruction to our home.
Police then broke up peaceful protest in designated protest zones, firing tear gas, rubber bullets and using intimidation tactics.
Toronto is like a police state right now. If you live downtown, leaving your home can cause you trouble. The Dude and I are staying at home, well out of the downtown core. It just doesn't feel safe or reasonable to be out.
I'm thoroughly disgusted. I'm upset with the anarchists who ran amok in downtown Toronto and destroyed people's business fronts. I'm angry at the police who allowed it to happen. I'm furious with the prime minister who decided against all advice from Toronto MPs to hold the summit in downtown TO, knowing exactly what happens to the cities that host the G20.
Basically, any country that hosts this pointless gathering should have the sense and decency to hold it in a remote location, where citizens lives are not disrupted or put in harm's way, where businesses won't lose money or sustain damage to their property, where so much police won't be required. Hosting the summit in the largest, most densely populated city in the entire country was a massive fail.
Think good thoughts, Toronto, this bullshit will come to an end. Then we'll survey the destruction to our home.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
There but for the grace of God go I
It's nearly 1:00 a.m. The Dude is in our hometown, seeing his mom, his buddy and his dad. Mostly it was a trip to help his dad paint a fence or something. The Dude is handy and helpful like that.
So I'm home enjoying some solitude. I got into this Facebook debate today with people I don't know. About what? Essentially inherent altruism versus looking out for number one. The question was what does social justice mean to you? Good question about an important topic.
I wasn't going to respond but I saw an answer: It's the opposite of personal freedom.
Yeah. I mean, are you kidding me? Ensuring opportunities for all is in contest with personal freedom? How do you even have freedom without opportunities? If you can't get a higher education, for example, or if you don't have access to healthcare, you're not free. You're trapped.
Then this guy pipes in about how hard it is being taxed 30%. This guy's an American and I did a check on American income tax rates. He has to make well over 100k, and possibly even close to 400k. Am I supposed to sympathize about his taxes? If he made 200k, he'd still be bringing home 140k. That's an incredible living.
I guess I just don't understand. I don't make nearly that much. I don't earn a year what he must lose in tax. But that just means what I do get taxed affects me more. And I don't mind. I don't mind doing my share via taxes to pay for roads, schools, hospitals, fire and police services... etc. I'm a reasonable person who understands these important features of modern life, even the ones I don't utilize at present, require money.
And to require that all the subjugated masses have what they need to develop themselves is only sensible. We're not all born to wealthy privilege. Actually, most of us aren't, that's why it's called privilege.
But it goes beyond that. There's all kinds of privilege that gives a person an edge. Being a man, being white, being straight, being attractive, for example. Then there's not being an immigrant, not being disabled, or not being a Muslim or Jew. Anything wrong with being a gay black female Jew? No. In fact, that is pretty cool, actually. But will you encounter more than your fair share of hardship compared to the Christian straight white guy from money? Uh, yeah. And it's not fair and that should be rectified.
So having programs and rules in place to discourage bigotry and to provide services that the public can avail themselves of, if only they have the drive, is compassionate, and moreover, intelligent.
But try telling this to these rich privileged people who are terrified of living in a world that's more fair to others, because all they think of is what they may lose, rather than those who suffer rising from poverty and oppression.
I called it greedy. One guy took umbrage. But what else can you call it when you feel violated at the thought of your tax dollars being spent for the good of the poor? It's a crap shoot in life who gets what. Who gets the looks and intelligence, who gets the talent and wealth, who gets the opportunities and support. It could have been anyone of us born into suffering or prejudice. And even later, anyone could meet disaster and need services in place to help, even you, even me. Like my aunt says, there but for the grace of God, go I. I'm agnostic, but you don't have to be religious to see the wisdom in that way of thinking.
Vote Green.
So I'm home enjoying some solitude. I got into this Facebook debate today with people I don't know. About what? Essentially inherent altruism versus looking out for number one. The question was what does social justice mean to you? Good question about an important topic.
I wasn't going to respond but I saw an answer: It's the opposite of personal freedom.
Yeah. I mean, are you kidding me? Ensuring opportunities for all is in contest with personal freedom? How do you even have freedom without opportunities? If you can't get a higher education, for example, or if you don't have access to healthcare, you're not free. You're trapped.
Then this guy pipes in about how hard it is being taxed 30%. This guy's an American and I did a check on American income tax rates. He has to make well over 100k, and possibly even close to 400k. Am I supposed to sympathize about his taxes? If he made 200k, he'd still be bringing home 140k. That's an incredible living.
I guess I just don't understand. I don't make nearly that much. I don't earn a year what he must lose in tax. But that just means what I do get taxed affects me more. And I don't mind. I don't mind doing my share via taxes to pay for roads, schools, hospitals, fire and police services... etc. I'm a reasonable person who understands these important features of modern life, even the ones I don't utilize at present, require money.
And to require that all the subjugated masses have what they need to develop themselves is only sensible. We're not all born to wealthy privilege. Actually, most of us aren't, that's why it's called privilege.
But it goes beyond that. There's all kinds of privilege that gives a person an edge. Being a man, being white, being straight, being attractive, for example. Then there's not being an immigrant, not being disabled, or not being a Muslim or Jew. Anything wrong with being a gay black female Jew? No. In fact, that is pretty cool, actually. But will you encounter more than your fair share of hardship compared to the Christian straight white guy from money? Uh, yeah. And it's not fair and that should be rectified.
So having programs and rules in place to discourage bigotry and to provide services that the public can avail themselves of, if only they have the drive, is compassionate, and moreover, intelligent.
But try telling this to these rich privileged people who are terrified of living in a world that's more fair to others, because all they think of is what they may lose, rather than those who suffer rising from poverty and oppression.
I called it greedy. One guy took umbrage. But what else can you call it when you feel violated at the thought of your tax dollars being spent for the good of the poor? It's a crap shoot in life who gets what. Who gets the looks and intelligence, who gets the talent and wealth, who gets the opportunities and support. It could have been anyone of us born into suffering or prejudice. And even later, anyone could meet disaster and need services in place to help, even you, even me. Like my aunt says, there but for the grace of God, go I. I'm agnostic, but you don't have to be religious to see the wisdom in that way of thinking.
Vote Green.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Muly
May is ending and thanks to global warming, it's felt like July for awhile. When I was a kid my mom regaled me with tales of jumping off the garage roof into great drifts of snow. I'd look around at about one foot of snow and think, huh. What's the deal?
I'm going to regale my children about how it used to snow on Halloween and how we all used to have to wear snowsuits under our costumes like chumps. I remember this one kid from California was in the neighbourhood one year and was planning to wear just a T-shirt and we all chuckled at him. We knew better. It was just too damn cold.
Now? Well hell, I had bare legs this past Halloween. And it's been like that for a few years now. And March, which used to have snow storms was like May used to be. And May? It's been air conditioner weather. My dentist had to call and cancel my appointment until June because the building doesn't turn on the A/C until then and they've been roasting in dental hell. And in my last place, the heat blasted into my face until June 15th. It was so ass. The bi-laws haven't even caught up to the climate changes.
It's all kind of creepy. I wonder, though, if there has ever been an era of time where people didn't feel as though their world as they knew it was falling apart? Probably not. But then I think this is the first time that rather than social or political change, it's been the global environmental changes that have people worried.
And yet people are still buying Hummers, having tons of children, not recycling, leaving the lights on, running the washing machine for three shirts. Even water is becoming a commodity and we here aren't feeling the effects because we can turn on the tap. Companies like Coke are situated in developing countries and sucking up the water to make a soft drink while surrounding communities go thirsty, as though water didn't rightfully belong to us all.
I wish our government in power now gave a flying shit about the environment. Everything else be damned if we create too much damage in the name of creating wealth that won't matter if Newfoundland and PEI wind up under the sea. But I guess Alberta would be okay and after all, the evangelist PM we've got probably thinks Jesus will be here any day now to whisk him away to Heaven, so why not consume all he can now?
Sigh.
But I suppose there's always hope for the future.
I'm going to regale my children about how it used to snow on Halloween and how we all used to have to wear snowsuits under our costumes like chumps. I remember this one kid from California was in the neighbourhood one year and was planning to wear just a T-shirt and we all chuckled at him. We knew better. It was just too damn cold.
Now? Well hell, I had bare legs this past Halloween. And it's been like that for a few years now. And March, which used to have snow storms was like May used to be. And May? It's been air conditioner weather. My dentist had to call and cancel my appointment until June because the building doesn't turn on the A/C until then and they've been roasting in dental hell. And in my last place, the heat blasted into my face until June 15th. It was so ass. The bi-laws haven't even caught up to the climate changes.
It's all kind of creepy. I wonder, though, if there has ever been an era of time where people didn't feel as though their world as they knew it was falling apart? Probably not. But then I think this is the first time that rather than social or political change, it's been the global environmental changes that have people worried.
And yet people are still buying Hummers, having tons of children, not recycling, leaving the lights on, running the washing machine for three shirts. Even water is becoming a commodity and we here aren't feeling the effects because we can turn on the tap. Companies like Coke are situated in developing countries and sucking up the water to make a soft drink while surrounding communities go thirsty, as though water didn't rightfully belong to us all.
I wish our government in power now gave a flying shit about the environment. Everything else be damned if we create too much damage in the name of creating wealth that won't matter if Newfoundland and PEI wind up under the sea. But I guess Alberta would be okay and after all, the evangelist PM we've got probably thinks Jesus will be here any day now to whisk him away to Heaven, so why not consume all he can now?
Sigh.
But I suppose there's always hope for the future.
Friday, May 7, 2010
When the Right isn't right.
I hate Stephen Harper. I really, really do. I cannot understand how anyone would vote for his party, with him at the helm. People think "Conservative Party" and then vote without looking at this man's record in politics or the current state of the Conservatives. These are not the Tories of old. This is the Reform Party. Harper was part of Reform, a far-right fundamentalist Christian group.
They were fringe. They were a (scary) joke in this country because we value things like the CBC, Canada Post, healthcare and women's right to choose. Why would any sane Canadian want a party like Reform to run things? Answer: As a majority group, we don't.
Ah, but then there was the merge of the right in Canada, the name Reform was lost and essentially became the Alliance. Remember the Alliance, anyone? Run by Stockwell Day, the dude who doesn't believe in evolution and the one who wanted a referendum for everything? Then led by Stephen Harper?
Moving forward, There were then the PCs and the Alliance, the Alliance being the joke of conservative politics in Canada. They won 66 seats in their one federal election and then afterward there was the final merge with the Tories. Now who are they run by? A former Reform AND Alliance leader, Stephen Harper. Fantastic.
The new merge of PC and Alliance (Reform) headed by Harper won 124 seats, despite the fact they were now being run by a leader whose former party (which encapsulated all his ideologies*) had only won 66.
(*Please note the Reform party ideology opposed homosexual marriage, abortion, public healthcare, and was intolerant to French Canada and bilingualism.)
Shall we take a look at what this man stands for, as evidenced by his record in office?
1. He campaigned AGAINST healthcare. Oh yes. Click on the link. Read all about it.
2. His party is introducing new legislation on jail that will cost an estimated $11.5 billion over five years. Our healthcare needs attention, and he's relying on unproven legislation to reduce crime, even though it's been on the decline anyway for years. Link. Fiscally conservative my ass.
3. He's anti-choice. His party is not funding abortions to women who receive foreign aid. The G8 maternal and child health initiate for developing countries has a Christian moralist agenda, rather than a reasoned look at impoverished women's needs. His government wasn't even going to fund contraception initially. We have abortion laws in place here, but where he can he's helping to detract women in need from their right to choose.
4. He's flouted the laws of parliament. He's dissolved parliament to avoid A. a vote of non-confidence, and then again to avoid the will of the house in answering for Afghan detainee torture.
5. Draconian copyright laws, infringing on consumers (Basically you and me).
I challenge anyone who votes for this party to take a long look at themselves and their lives and values, and then ask themselves honestly if this man and his party speak for you. Are you comfortable with a man who does not play by the rules of our democracy? Who shows intolerance and a partiality to his own personal religious beliefs over unbiased data?
I've voted Liberal. I've also voted NDP and Green. I alter my votes according to who I think speaks for me, who I think is a sound choice based on their platforms and personal history. I think that is the intellectual duty of everyone who votes.
Every week it seems I read more and more angering political news that keeps me up at night. This has just got to stop. The only way it will is if people see past their comfort zone of voting conservative just because they always have and really look at the party as it is today. It's effed up. Get informed!
PS I'm seeing Iron Man 2 tonight. That'll make me happy.
They were fringe. They were a (scary) joke in this country because we value things like the CBC, Canada Post, healthcare and women's right to choose. Why would any sane Canadian want a party like Reform to run things? Answer: As a majority group, we don't.
Ah, but then there was the merge of the right in Canada, the name Reform was lost and essentially became the Alliance. Remember the Alliance, anyone? Run by Stockwell Day, the dude who doesn't believe in evolution and the one who wanted a referendum for everything? Then led by Stephen Harper?
Moving forward, There were then the PCs and the Alliance, the Alliance being the joke of conservative politics in Canada. They won 66 seats in their one federal election and then afterward there was the final merge with the Tories. Now who are they run by? A former Reform AND Alliance leader, Stephen Harper. Fantastic.
The new merge of PC and Alliance (Reform) headed by Harper won 124 seats, despite the fact they were now being run by a leader whose former party (which encapsulated all his ideologies*) had only won 66.
(*Please note the Reform party ideology opposed homosexual marriage, abortion, public healthcare, and was intolerant to French Canada and bilingualism.)
Shall we take a look at what this man stands for, as evidenced by his record in office?
1. He campaigned AGAINST healthcare. Oh yes. Click on the link. Read all about it.
2. His party is introducing new legislation on jail that will cost an estimated $11.5 billion over five years. Our healthcare needs attention, and he's relying on unproven legislation to reduce crime, even though it's been on the decline anyway for years. Link. Fiscally conservative my ass.
3. He's anti-choice. His party is not funding abortions to women who receive foreign aid. The G8 maternal and child health initiate for developing countries has a Christian moralist agenda, rather than a reasoned look at impoverished women's needs. His government wasn't even going to fund contraception initially. We have abortion laws in place here, but where he can he's helping to detract women in need from their right to choose.
4. He's flouted the laws of parliament. He's dissolved parliament to avoid A. a vote of non-confidence, and then again to avoid the will of the house in answering for Afghan detainee torture.
5. Draconian copyright laws, infringing on consumers (Basically you and me).
I challenge anyone who votes for this party to take a long look at themselves and their lives and values, and then ask themselves honestly if this man and his party speak for you. Are you comfortable with a man who does not play by the rules of our democracy? Who shows intolerance and a partiality to his own personal religious beliefs over unbiased data?
I've voted Liberal. I've also voted NDP and Green. I alter my votes according to who I think speaks for me, who I think is a sound choice based on their platforms and personal history. I think that is the intellectual duty of everyone who votes.
Every week it seems I read more and more angering political news that keeps me up at night. This has just got to stop. The only way it will is if people see past their comfort zone of voting conservative just because they always have and really look at the party as it is today. It's effed up. Get informed!
PS I'm seeing Iron Man 2 tonight. That'll make me happy.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Prorogue photos
Here's the pictures I took at the rally from my cell phone yesterday. I had no idea how to upload them wirelessly until moments ago. I love living with someone who knows how to do this stuff.
Dude: You can do it with bluetooth.
Me: Bluetooth? Do I have to pay for that?
Dude: No, it's a device in your cell.
Me: What's Bluetooth?
Anyway, take a gander at these. McPal and I were really far back in the crowd away from the stage, and here are a few pictures of what was behind us...
...to the side of us...
...and to the front.
Here is a picture from when the march got underway. It looked the same from behind us as well. I can't believe they said only 3,000 people in the papers. 3,000 is a lot, yes, and right at 1:00 pm, there was about 3,000. But when the march commenced, there were considerably more than that, and people joined right off the street. But they were off by 2,000 or 3,000 people.
Again, it was insane. Don't listen to the naysayers. It was a success. People came, they were enthusiastic, and we marched all around the downtown core. Pedestrians stopped and took our picture, people were along the march route with signs of support, and it was a non-partisan event. No politicians, despite NDP provided orange signs saying "Stand up to Harper" and "Democracy Works". I saw most people with those signs hold them up, covering the party logo with their hand.
But 95% of the signs and banners were not politically affiliated in any way. I was so proud of Toronto. Like I said, the numbers were greatly under-reported. Here's a video showing the protest and should give a better idea of how many thousands participated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhqdoTO_T3Y
Anyway, craft club is a little delayed today so I'm still at home in my robe. I'll still make quiche. Just later rather than sooner.
Dude: You can do it with bluetooth.
Me: Bluetooth? Do I have to pay for that?
Dude: No, it's a device in your cell.
Me: What's Bluetooth?
Anyway, take a gander at these. McPal and I were really far back in the crowd away from the stage, and here are a few pictures of what was behind us...
...to the side of us...
...and to the front.Notice the idiot with the sign protesting the other signs. As this was a grassroots effort, it cost individual people a lot of money to organize this whole thing: the stage, renting the square, flyers, signs, buttons. It wasn't financed by businesses or parties, so to recoup they charged money for protest signs, the "No to Proroguing, Yes to Democracy" ones. And people happily paid, as you can see below. It was a mutually convenient for organizers and protesters. But I guess some people, like the idiot above, go to protests to protest a minute aspect of the protest.
Here is a picture from when the march got underway. It looked the same from behind us as well. I can't believe they said only 3,000 people in the papers. 3,000 is a lot, yes, and right at 1:00 pm, there was about 3,000. But when the march commenced, there were considerably more than that, and people joined right off the street. But they were off by 2,000 or 3,000 people.
Again, it was insane. Don't listen to the naysayers. It was a success. People came, they were enthusiastic, and we marched all around the downtown core. Pedestrians stopped and took our picture, people were along the march route with signs of support, and it was a non-partisan event. No politicians, despite NDP provided orange signs saying "Stand up to Harper" and "Democracy Works". I saw most people with those signs hold them up, covering the party logo with their hand.But 95% of the signs and banners were not politically affiliated in any way. I was so proud of Toronto. Like I said, the numbers were greatly under-reported. Here's a video showing the protest and should give a better idea of how many thousands participated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhqdoTO_T3Y
Anyway, craft club is a little delayed today so I'm still at home in my robe. I'll still make quiche. Just later rather than sooner.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Pro-rally, not prorogue
I went to the rally today. It was amazing, through and through. They're claiming we were about 3,000 in number. It had to have been more than that. As far as the eye could see, there were protesters, signs, banners. At the time I felt like I was amidst 10,000 people. It was that crowded and full on. There were likely about 5,000, maybe 6,000.
It was really empowering. To be so pissed off about Harper and to finally have an outlet with like-minded people was a relief.
And of course people who are pro-Harper no matter what, or who are apathetic to our government, or whatever have had a number of seemingly repetitive retorts:
1. Parliament has been prorogued over a hundred times before. The Liberals have done it. What's the big deal this time?
Well, when a minority government PM closes down the house of commons to avoid a vote of confidence he's afraid of losing, he's sidestepping democracy. If your party does not have the majority of seats in the house when you are PM, that means your party has to co-operate with the opposition who are in a position to remove you if you are too partisan. Because, remember, everyone else's elected MPs get a vote too, not just your own party.
When a government prorogues parliament to avoid answering for a scandal, such as Afghan detainee torture, they are avoiding accountability to the house of commons, which is a representation of the Canadian people.
Also, when you prorogue while there are still over 30 bills on the table and those bills are wiped clean and must be brought up anew in a new session, that wastes time and... tax payer's money. Who are the tax payers? Us. We are.
So it's a pretty effing big deal, yes.
2. It's legal. It's standard procedure.
There is nothing standard about avoiding confidence votes, avoiding being held in contempt of parliament, or letting 30-some bills die. Proroguing is reasonable if business has essentially concluded, not if there are still pressing public matters at hand to resolve. They're paid to conduct public business, and business wasn't done yet. Canada does not have a history of prorogation being used to escape the pitfalls of democracy, the pitfalls being having your power revoked if the majority think you suck.
3. Haiti is more important right now. What are you complaining about?
This is a rather new one I've heard, but it bears bringing up for comment. It is possible, of course, to care about more than one thing at a time. I donated money to Haiti. I also went to the rally. See? Easy. And just because our country is in far better shape than one of the poorest and devastated in the world does not mean we should accept whatever we're given from our government.
Food in our stomachs, roofs over our head, clean water to drink and clothes to keep us warm means we don't need to worry about our survival. It also means we're in a position to aid a country who needs us badly. But it doesn't mean our own country's issues suddenly don't matter. They do.
It's like telling a person that being worried about losing his job is stupid because his neighbours all died in a terrible fire. Terrible tragedies deserve attention, and we must respond to the need. But concerns close to home don't go away just because there's something more traumatic occurring elsewhere. Intelligent people can concern themselves with more than one matter at a time. The brain is complex like that.
End rant. For now.
Tomorrow I make quiche.
It was really empowering. To be so pissed off about Harper and to finally have an outlet with like-minded people was a relief.
And of course people who are pro-Harper no matter what, or who are apathetic to our government, or whatever have had a number of seemingly repetitive retorts:
1. Parliament has been prorogued over a hundred times before. The Liberals have done it. What's the big deal this time?
Well, when a minority government PM closes down the house of commons to avoid a vote of confidence he's afraid of losing, he's sidestepping democracy. If your party does not have the majority of seats in the house when you are PM, that means your party has to co-operate with the opposition who are in a position to remove you if you are too partisan. Because, remember, everyone else's elected MPs get a vote too, not just your own party.
When a government prorogues parliament to avoid answering for a scandal, such as Afghan detainee torture, they are avoiding accountability to the house of commons, which is a representation of the Canadian people.
Also, when you prorogue while there are still over 30 bills on the table and those bills are wiped clean and must be brought up anew in a new session, that wastes time and... tax payer's money. Who are the tax payers? Us. We are.
So it's a pretty effing big deal, yes.
2. It's legal. It's standard procedure.
There is nothing standard about avoiding confidence votes, avoiding being held in contempt of parliament, or letting 30-some bills die. Proroguing is reasonable if business has essentially concluded, not if there are still pressing public matters at hand to resolve. They're paid to conduct public business, and business wasn't done yet. Canada does not have a history of prorogation being used to escape the pitfalls of democracy, the pitfalls being having your power revoked if the majority think you suck.
3. Haiti is more important right now. What are you complaining about?
This is a rather new one I've heard, but it bears bringing up for comment. It is possible, of course, to care about more than one thing at a time. I donated money to Haiti. I also went to the rally. See? Easy. And just because our country is in far better shape than one of the poorest and devastated in the world does not mean we should accept whatever we're given from our government.
Food in our stomachs, roofs over our head, clean water to drink and clothes to keep us warm means we don't need to worry about our survival. It also means we're in a position to aid a country who needs us badly. But it doesn't mean our own country's issues suddenly don't matter. They do.
It's like telling a person that being worried about losing his job is stupid because his neighbours all died in a terrible fire. Terrible tragedies deserve attention, and we must respond to the need. But concerns close to home don't go away just because there's something more traumatic occurring elsewhere. Intelligent people can concern themselves with more than one matter at a time. The brain is complex like that.
End rant. For now.
Tomorrow I make quiche.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Frustration
The Chickflickathon continues and it's on day four. It's been a really nice way to end the evening. Each night I settle happily into the couch and look forward to a movie that's going to give me an emotional experience.
I went to a massage school today and got an hour-long massage for $35. I'm pretty much going to make this a part of my life. I mean, $35? Come on. Awesomeness. It undid all the damage I did to myself hovering over my Wii controllers playing Harvest Moon.
Currently what's totally pissing me off is Stephen Harper. The guy prorogued parliament again. Like, come on. The first time was to avoid a vote of no confidence, which was lame of him. If you have a minority government, you are subject to criticisms and challenges of the opposition, who have the power to come together and give you your walking papers. Which is fair. When the majority of the country did not vote for you and your party, you don't deserve free reign to do as you like.
But he does. This time he's prorogued parliament because he doesn't want to answer to the allegations of torture against Afghan detainees. For all his hoopla about government transparency, he's now hiding. He didn't even honour Canada's traditions by going to visit the Governor General to ask permission. He called her on the phone. Anything short of a formal visit may as well be a text message.
There's also over 30 bills on the table. He's taking two months off when there is still business at hand, and worst of it is many bills will be wiped and will have to be brought up anew, which wastes time. And our taxes pay for this, pay for what is not happening.
What really grinds my goat is the fact that over 60% of Canadian voters voted for parties other than the Conservatives and our voices are supposed to be heard in parliament, in the House of Commons, and now they're not for two months while our PM sits back and watches the Olympics. Harper won't allow his party to be held accountable. It's bullshit.
There's protests planned across the country for January 23. I'll be there.
I went to a massage school today and got an hour-long massage for $35. I'm pretty much going to make this a part of my life. I mean, $35? Come on. Awesomeness. It undid all the damage I did to myself hovering over my Wii controllers playing Harvest Moon.
Currently what's totally pissing me off is Stephen Harper. The guy prorogued parliament again. Like, come on. The first time was to avoid a vote of no confidence, which was lame of him. If you have a minority government, you are subject to criticisms and challenges of the opposition, who have the power to come together and give you your walking papers. Which is fair. When the majority of the country did not vote for you and your party, you don't deserve free reign to do as you like.
But he does. This time he's prorogued parliament because he doesn't want to answer to the allegations of torture against Afghan detainees. For all his hoopla about government transparency, he's now hiding. He didn't even honour Canada's traditions by going to visit the Governor General to ask permission. He called her on the phone. Anything short of a formal visit may as well be a text message.
"Hey Michaelle
Want 2 prorogue 4 2 months.
y or n?
TTYL"
Want 2 prorogue 4 2 months.
y or n?
TTYL"
There's also over 30 bills on the table. He's taking two months off when there is still business at hand, and worst of it is many bills will be wiped and will have to be brought up anew, which wastes time. And our taxes pay for this, pay for what is not happening.
What really grinds my goat is the fact that over 60% of Canadian voters voted for parties other than the Conservatives and our voices are supposed to be heard in parliament, in the House of Commons, and now they're not for two months while our PM sits back and watches the Olympics. Harper won't allow his party to be held accountable. It's bullshit.
There's protests planned across the country for January 23. I'll be there.
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