May | 2012
May 18, 2012
I have been back and forth on this issue for weeks because I support the reason, but not (some of) the tactics being used in the student protests in Quebec.
What is a Liberal to do?
To begin, the actions by some of the students in Quebec are inexcusable (example: throwing smoke bombs on subways and attacking businesses), but our current laws already allow for legal consequences for that sort of behaviour. That is why today's news explaining the Quebec government plans to restrict protests and freedom of speech, in my opinion, is more troubling than any crime the students have committed thus far.
A quick look at sections in the proposed new legislation:
*Section 16, which says that police has to be informed eight hours ahead of the time, duration and route of any demonstration by 10 or more people or more.
* Section 17, which says that organizers, or even a student association taking part in the march without being its organizer, must make sure that the event complies with the parameters handed to police.
To me, this type of intervention is a major concern for Canadians, and it is not just about the province of Quebec, this rigid government involvement is now spreading coast-to-coast-to-coast, nation-wide, in an attempt to crack-down on citizens who speak up and out against their government(s).
Civil disobedience... out right crime... they are not both the same. Functional and thriving democracies successfully straddle the line between both concepts.
Today, if the legislation is passed, Quebec (and Canada) will have failed this test.
At the end of the day, this is not about safety or security, despite what government officials suggest. This is not about our collective return to sanity and calmer times either. This is dangerous territory we are navigating towards and I remain uncomfortable with the chipping away of our rights as citizens to protest and disagree in a public setting. For this reason, and others, I am now firmly in support of the students in Quebec.
The trend in this country, of choosing convenience and social "peace" over principles and basic rights, is perhaps an explanation of why support for the Liberal brand is at such an all-time low. Any candidate remotely interested in genuinely rebuilding Canada's Liberal Party, should be paying attention to and disgusted with what is happening in La Belle Province today.
May 17, 2012
I remember a New Democratic Party in Canada that attempted to unify the country, not divide it.
May 15, 2012
Two of my least favourite things - religion and conservatism - force the cancellation of Lady Gaga's sold-out show in Indonesia.
Weird, how those who preach hatred and intolerance are scared that Lady Gaga will "undermine the country's moral fiber."
May 14, 2012
Toronto Mayor, Rob Ford, doing what he does best: lowest common denominator politics.
May 9, 2012
Update: Obama expected to endorse marriage equality in an ABC interview this afternoon.
Question: Before last night, when was the last time North Carolina amended their constitution to deal with issues of marriage?
Answer: 1875, when they banned interracial marriage.
May 8, 2012
A few days ago I posted the following story on Facebook and said:
"No pro-gay or pro-choice messages in Catholic schools. No pro-religious messages in public schools. Religious fundamentalists. Dogmatic securalists. I dislike them both, a lot."
Today, we learn that the father of the student has decided to pull him out of school whenever conversations on "tolerance" are taking place.
Having read this, I would like to take back my defence of this student's right to wear what he wants in school. In my view, if you are asking and making a public plee for acceptance of your own views, you should at least have the decency to listen and be exposed to other people's views too. That's how it works. It's really quite simple.
The latest article.
Father's quote from story:
“He will not attend this school unless they are having reading, writing and arithmetic — good old fashioned academics,” Mr. Swinimer said, waving a copy of the New Testament.
“When they're having forums, when they're having other extra-curricular activities, he will not attend that school.”
May 7, 2012
Why is the world full of solutions to non-problems and full of problems with no solutions?
1. A ridiculous "solution" to a non-problem.
2. An enduring problem without a solution:
May 2, 2012
"Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak; and that it is doing God's service when [in reality] it is violating all his laws." (John Quincy Adams via C. Hedges' When Atheism Becomes Religion, pg. 37)
The use of the word "God" in this disgusting rant/audio recording by a Pastor in North Carolina, USA is a veil for what is really at play here: immense bigotry, promotion of violence and raw hatred. Sadly, these extremists and "values" exist in all religions.
There is nothing sacred, nothing inspiring or intelligent, nothing religious about this sermon. This is pure absurdity.
May 1, 2012
"…what would it be like if I could, if I were free – not enslaved by my conditioning."
"But, Bernard, you're saying the most awful things."
"Don't you wish you were free, Lenina?"
"I don't know what you mean. I am free. Free to have the most wonderful time. Everybody's happy nowadays."
He laughed, "Yes, 'Everybody's happy nowadays.' We begin giving the children that at five. But wouldn't you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example; not in everybody else's way."
"I don't know what you mean," she repeated. (Huxley, Brave New World, pg. 90)
Happy one-year anniversary America (and world), you sure as hell got the man, and ensured we are all happy and safe.
April | 2012
April 27, 2012
April 27, 2012
April 26, 2012
April 24, 2012
April 19, 2012
April 18, 2012
April 17, 2012
April 16, 2012
April 13, 2012
April 12, 2012
April 11, 2012
April 10, 2012
April 10, 2012
Do any of my left-leaning friends feel like taking a trip to Syria? Perhaps you can try to convince the folks there that the answer to their problems is more toothless diplomacy...?
April 9, 2012
The collision between dogmatic secularists and unbending religiosity in Canada continues.
April 5, 2012
April 3, 2012
Donald Trump: you're a wimp!
April 2, 2012
Father McVeigh: “I don’t know how it happened but I know what happened.” Hmm... sounds familiar.
The Barbarians We Make
She is 76. They, much younger. They are talking, or trying to.
She, speaking. They, staring.
What happens when a generation no longer comprehends the other? Their struggles, their pain, their stories.
What happens when the youth are told how it used to be, or when the time comes where reading about 'it' is the only option, and still, they fail to understand?
Foreign concepts, all of them. So removed from perception, all of them. Stories, all of them, even when yesteryear is willing to teach, patiently.
What happens when crisis becomes permanent?
An earning no longer exists. A better tomorrow, unattainable. Mounting dues become perpetual. The concept of us, lost. Cohesion comes unglued.
She, stuck in a gone fantasy, a better past - one of order, responsibilities, and shared duties. For her, this is awfully different.
They, living in a new reality, a pugnacious present - one of lawlessness, despair, and broken homes. For them, this is strangely normal.
She, a relic of the old society - educated and full of knowledge. Useless. They, all rejects of the affluent society - ignoramus and barbaric. Indispensable.
She continues to speak, guiding, warning. They, still not listening.
The decay continues, albeit slowly. No one is noticing.
So, wait, burqa bans don't work?
If we set aside all the nonsensical academic and political noise, the question with regard to Muslims living in Western countries becomes: do we, in the West, want to continue to build a diverse and pluralistic society? If the answer is no, there are consequences to building such a society, and I contend this direction is counter to the fundamental values and principles of democracy. However, if the answer is yes – which seems to be the general consensus – then there cannot be a set of political, social, and legal requirements for one minority group and not others.
If secularism is going to be a core and unchanging value in our societies, then the link between religion and state needs to be eliminated for all religions, and not just the ones that make us uncomfortable. If we are going to defend any form of secularism then the religions that are constitutionally ingrained in the countries of the West need to be divorced from the public space and purse. If defending women‘s rights is deemed important, then we should be removing all the societal barriers that limit women in the West from contributing equally to business, politics and the general social order.
It is time for a more profound international conversation – one that, when dealing with the question of Islam, promotes genuine commonalities instead of always stressing our differences.
