test blog #10

This is well worth watching. Many thanks to Krystal from the War Resisters Support Campaign for sending!

I decided to take today off, too. Until we see how this outpatient thing is going, I don't feel right going to work and leaving the patient home alone. At the very least, I have an extra day to work on Spinal Network, which I can sure use. I feel too scattered to actually blog anything new, but I do have some items to share, courtesy of both James and Allan . Although the specific topics vary, they are all inextricably related. In Iraq, people are desperate for clean drinking water. Although the United States has spent $2.4 billion on Iraq's water and sanitation sector since 2003, the United Nations "estimates that less than half of Iraqis get drinking water piped into their homes in rural areas. In the capital, people set their alarm clocks to wake them in the middle of the night so they can fill storage tanks when water pressure is under less strain." Additionally, a billion liters of raw sewage is dumped into Baghdad's waterways each day. The World Bank esti...

Thank you all very much for your caring and concern. For those who don't read comments, it was a kidney stone, not his appendix. It's quite a large stone, 5 mm. Apparently, with a stone larger than 6 mm, a laser procedure is used to break it up. So 5 mm is large, but still small enough to pass on its own with the help of some meds and a lot of water. At least that's what we know now. When Allan sees a urologist on Tuesday, we may learn otherwise. My sister, a nurse, said 5 mm is huge . Hmmm. If anyone here besides me reads The Diary of Samuel Pepys online - or if you've read it the old-fashioned way, on paper - you know that Sam had a stone cut out and removed . And this in the days before modern surgical procedure and anaesthesia! Pepys vowed to celebrate the day of his survival every year for the rest of his life. So far he's done that, putting on a feast and gathering his friends around him. He even spent a lot of money having a special box made for the stone it...

Is there something strangely fitting about spending the anniversary of the day we moved to this great country partaking of our publicly financed health care? Allan's in the hospital, in excruciating pain - and a lot of morphine. It seems to be a kidney stone, but we haven't gotten an exact diagnosis yet. It still could be his appendix. This morning he had what he thought were cramps. When it got very severe, and he was sweating and nauseated, I said, come on, we're going to the hospital. Driving 120 km/hour on Hurontario Street - that's a first for me! Allan was hyperventilating the whole way. Now he's got a ton of morphine in him, and it still hurts. The doc said she thinks of kidney stones as the male equivalent of labour pains. Everything is going as well as it possibly could in the hospital. Except for the pain part. I just came home to take care of the dogs and do a few things, then I'm heading back. Hopefully he'll have the CT scan soon, and we'll...

Today is wmtc day: Allan and I have lived in Canada for three years. When I think back to August 30, 2005 - driving through western New York State in the world's fullest minivan, Buster between us, Cody in a cave of boxes - it feels like a lifetime ago. And yet these three years have flown by, as time seems to move alarmingly fast, the older I get. Not a day goes by that I am not happy and grateful that we left the US for Canada. Canada has turned out to be exactly what I thought it was: not a perfect world, just a better place. And now, it is my home. Next up: citizenship! We've got the forms ready to fill out. More on that as it happens.

The War Resisters Canada YouTube Channel, launched a year ago, has reached 20,000 views. My fave so far:

Many thanks to filmmaker Michelle Mason for making this possible! More information here.

Wow. * * * * Some notes. 1. In previous posts and comments on this topic, "CI" refers to the blog and blog community Common Ills, not to the person who posts under the name C.I.. I have had no dealings with C.I. the person except her recent demands that I take down the earlier posts. However, emails from Jess, Dona and Jim all used a Common Ills address, so I referred to them as Jess/CI, Dona/CI, and so forth, or referred to the whole community as CI. 2. Apparently, in her email to me, Dona alluded to - or thinks she did - information that is private within the CI community. Now the community is frantically demanding that I remove the posts. They are also demanding that the Campaign order me to remove the posts. As I am not part of the CI community, Dona should not have disclosed private information about any of their members. The breach was hers, not mine. Had I not posted the email, I could have forwarded it everyone I knew, who could have then forwarded it everyone they kn...

Del Martin , a pioneer of equality and freedom, has died at the age of 87. In 1955, Martin and her partner, Phyllis Lyon, founded the Daughters of Bilitis, the first social and political organization for lesbians in the US. Fifty-three years later, they would become the first same-sex couple to marry legally in California. In between, Martin and Lyon never stopped fighting for equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. You can read about Martin's life and work here at Equality California ; the New York Times obit is here .

Typically unethical and hypocritical. Typically Tory. The Conservatives have booked airtime to run pre-campaign TV ads before Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls an election, taking advantage of their big edge in money before spending limits kick in, sources say. The TV ads will be the first the Tories have aired in more than eight months, although the party has almost continuously run radio ads attacking Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion - and even those spots have been stepped up in recent weeks. Once a campaign begins officially, spending limits set the major parties on a more level playing field, as the cash-poor Liberals can borrow to spend the maximum of about $19-million. But some of Mr. Harper's opponents complain that the fixed-date election law that his government passed was supposed to limit a prime minister's ability to set the timing of a national vote for political advantage - and Mr. Harper is now doing just that. Meanwhile, their Minister of Health hangs out in Denv...

Last night's War Resister Support Campaign meeting was somewhat stressed. We are up to our eyeballs in work. The prospect of an election - while potentially great news for us - also creates another massive layer of work. We're calling a separate meeting just to organize and distribute tasks! If you're in Toronto and you want to help, naturally we welcome your presence. But there are important ways you can help, from anywhere in Canada. Once the election is called, we need the issue of allowing US war resisters to stay in Canada raised at every all-candidates meeting , all across the country. A simple Google search can tell you when and where a meeting will be held in your town. Attend. Get on the list of questions. Ask: do you support allowing US war resisters to remain in Canada, and what will you do about it? If your party forms the Government, will you implement a program to allow them to stay, as Parliament called for on June 3, 2008? If you do this, email the Campaign...

I'm sure you'll see this in many places, but here it is again. The World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health has issued its final report, called "Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health". The report makes it clear why massive numbers of people are dying of completely preventable and treatable diseases, around the planet and in our own backyard. Two words: social injustice. Although the report tells us what we already know, quantifying the problem and identifying potential solutions are necessary steps on the road to progress. People are dying early not only because of health gaps between rich and poor countries but also because of a lack of housing and clean water in wealthy countries like Canada , policy makers said in a report to the World Health Organization on Thursday. The 256-page report, titled "Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the s...

This morning I received this email from Common Ills. There are 2531 e-mails in the inbox. We do not have time for pen pals. Jess responded to your e-mail yesterday. You didn't grasp that when Jess mentioned Mike and Rebecca he did so for a reason. This community that C.I. created has many online sites including: The Third Estate Sunday Review 's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, and Ava, Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude , Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man , C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review , Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills) , Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix , Mike of Mikey Likes It! , Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz , Ruth of Ruth's Report , Wally of The Daily Jot , and Marcia SICKOFITRDLZ . The mistake you made is in assuming that we do not all share. As Jess was pointing out to you, he knows (as do I, as does everyone) about your e-mails to Mike and Rebecca. He had no reason to be nice to you. As you did with Rebecca and...

Answering an anonymous email: yes, I am very glad Bill C-484 is dead . I didn't blog about it because a quick glance at Progressive Bloggers assured me it was well covered elsewhere. Dave at Galloping Beaver reminds us that they're still trying to get that fetus-loving foot in the door. Sean in Saskatchewan reminds us that C-537 still lurks. Also, wmtc is not a news service. Also, I'm busy. But always happy and relieved to see the anti-choicers concede a defeat.

During the debate about whether or not to watch the Olympics and Paralympics, some people decried the "politicizing" of the Olympic games. This reveals an ignorance of history, as the modern Olympics always have been used for political means. Indeed, the IOC choosing Beijing in the first place is a political act. This morning I read: Ottawa is urging the Vancouver Winter Olympics organizing committee to put the Afghanistan war at the heart of the symbolically laden torch relay , saying that the first torch carriers could be veterans of the seven-year-old conflict. The federal government is also pushing to have Canada's French and English "linguistic duality" highlighted by the relay, going so far as to propose a list of 83 communities that could be part of the run -- and provide a chunk of the roster of torch bearers, expected to number 12,000. Both those proposals are put forward in an undated memo from the official languages group of the 2010 Federal Secretari...

I'm accustomed to getting nasty emails from warmongers and wingnuts, but not from progressive people, and not over... well, over what exactly, I'm not sure. I debated whether or not to make this public. Opinion is divided on proper etiquette: when someone sends a gratuitously nasty email, is it your right to make it public? Your opinions are welcome. But here's what happened. I saw this post at The Common Ills . Common Ills frequently blogs about war resisters, and of course I appreciate that, so I like to check in now and again. Like most of my blog reading, my trips there are sporadic, so if there's a running theme, I could easily miss it. So in this post, Common Ills says, about Robin Long, "he was extradited (not deported)" . Common Ills has since changed the sentence; it now links to two earlier references to extradition. These were not here when I first read it. I was surprised by the phrase "he was extradited (not deported)", since the resiste...

These letters ran in today's Toronto Star , under the headline "Irreparable harm, indeed". U.S. Iraq war resister Robin Long, arrested and deported by the Harper government this summer after living in Canada, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison and a dishonourable discharge – a felony conviction that will last his whole life. His only "crime" is that he opposed the Iraq war and came to Canada. Justice MacTavish claimed he would not suffer "irreparable harm" if deported. How is a military jail sentence and a felony conviction not irreparable harm? No soldier should face jail for opposing the illegal and immoral war in Iraq. And Stephen Harper must be held to account for deporting Robin Long when he knew full well the persecution and punishment he faced in Bush's America. - David Fox, Toronto Since it is now clear that deporting war resisters to the U.S. does indeed produce irreparable harm, the Harper government must enact the motion passed i...

Why? For what? For whom? There are answers, but none satisfactory. None worth their lives.

I get a lot of traffic from this page . This is a fairly typical example of what you find at these kinds of sites, although it has a higher percentage of correct information than most. There are the solidly informative answers, the "my hometown is better" plus gratuitous Toronto slams, plus the requisite snarky, non-helpful answer, which often doubles as a Toronto slam. At least one answer must begin with, "Why would anyone want to..." or "I don't understand...". As I've observed before, in these venues, people from Vancouver are particularly insistent that their town is the place to be and Toronto sucks. Unfortunately, this has given me a negative impression of Vancouver as a city of smug self-absorption. I'm sure this is not the case, and I very much look forward to getting out there one day. But come on folks, everyone can't live there. What this page lacks is the usual assortment of scaremongering lies about Canada: Canadians hate USia...

As part of your organizing for the National Day of Action on September 13, consider using Michelle Mason's film about war resisters, "Breaking Ranks" . The film features war resister Jeremy Hinzman and his family, who face deportation back to the US - and Jeremy's court martial, and prison - on September 23. A screening and letter-writing party is not hard to organize. It can be done in someone's living room, or in a community space in a local library. To borrow a public copy of "Breaking Ranks" from the National Film Board , contact Jane Gutteridge at j.gutteridge at nfb dot ca. You can also try the library, or invest in a copy for your organization. It's an excellent film and well worth your money. Parliament reconvenes on September 15, so September 13 or 14 is the perfect time to gather people to watch the movie, then write letters to their MPs, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Citizen and Immigration Minister Diane Finley. If you've never d...

Three people who contributed so much to American music died recently. First, a man whose influence over popular music cannot be underestimated. Jerry Wexler - pioneer, producer, visionary - died last week at 91. Jerry Wexler, the legendary record man, music producer and ageless hipster , died at 3:45 a.m. today at the age of 91. Wexler was one of the great music business pioneers of the 20th century: as co-head of Atlantic Records from 1953 to '75, he and his partner Ahmet Ertegun grew the small independent R&B label into the major record company that it is today. Wexler was much more than a top executive — he was a national tastemaker and a prophet of roots and rhythm. The impact of his deeds matched his larger-than-life personality. Because of him, we use the term "rhythm and blues" and we hail Ray Charles as "Genius" and Aretha Franklin as "Queen." We came to know of a record label called Stax and a small town called Muscle Shoals, Alabama. We w...

The second of a ten-part series: reasons why US Iraq War Resisters should be allowed to stay in Canada. Reason #9: From The Council of Canadians, the majority of Canadians support Iraq War Resisters.

War resister Robin Long has been sentenced to 15 months in a federal penitentiary, and given a dishonourable discharge. Robin was deported to the US because, according to a federal judge, he failed to prove that he would face "irreparable harm". I consider 15 months in prison plus a life-long felony conviction irreparable harm, especially since Robin's only "crime" to refusing to kill. Robin's punishment lies at Stephen Harper's feet.

Robin Long, a war resister who lived in Canada for several years, will be court martialed today. As I type those words, tears come to my eyes. It's just so wrong. I'm speechless and heartsick. So I'm going to borrow someone else's words. Gerry Condon, a peace activist and organizer of military resistance, wrote this statement in support of Robin. Statement of Gerry Condon, Project Safe Haven on the occasion of the U.S. Army's court martial of Robin Long, August 22, 2008 My name is Gerry Condon. As director of Project Safe Haven, I have been working with U.S. war resisters in Canada for the last 4½ years. During this time, I have met many young men and women who were absent without leave from the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Air Force. I can truthfully testify that none of these young Americans were in Canada due to cowardice or because they were shirking their duty. Quite to the contrary, they uniformly impressed me as thoughtful young Am...

This video clip begins a ten-part series: reasons why US Iraq War Resisters should be allowed to stay in Canada. Reason #10: From Amnesty International, Freedom of Conscience

A little reminder of why I'm not watching the Beijing Olympics. Two elderly Chinese women who applied to hold a protest during the Olympics were ordered to spend a year in a labor camp, a relative said Wednesday. Police later squelched a pro-Tibet demonstration. The women were still at home three days after being officially notified they would have to serve a yearlong term of reeducation through labor, but were under surveillance by a government-backed neighborhood group, said Li Xuehui, the son of one of the women. Li said no cause was given for the order to imprison his 79-year-old mother, Wu Dianyuan, and her neighbor Wang Xiuying, 77. "Wang Xiuying is almost blind and disabled. What sort of re-education through labor can she serve?" Li said in a telephone interview. "But they can also be taken away at any time." Meanwhile, swarms of plainclothes police set upon four foreign activists early Thursday as they tried to stage a protest against Chinese rule over ...

Yesterday the Globe and Mail ran seven letters, all opposing federal Health Minister Tony Clement's wrong-headed stance on safe-injection sites. I expected that today there would be a small flurry of letters from the other side. That's often how it works: news story, followed by letters from one side, followed by a second round of letters in opposition to the first round. Today the G&M ran two more letters on the subject: one in support of Tory policy, which I will not link to, and an additional letter opposing it. In total, eight opposed and one in favour. When you consider that newspapers generally print letters, pro or con, in proportion to those they receive, this is significant. Imagine if Federal Health Minister Tony Clement opposed providing coronary bypass surgery to all obese patients or respiratory medication to all smokers, because of the "moral" message these conditions convey. We are left breathless at Mr. Clement's preposterous comparison of p...

Last night's meeting in Toronto was well attended and high spirited. I hope many people left with renewed vigor for the fight facing us in the weeks ahead. Tonight in Vancouver , you can attend a similar meeting, to learn more about what the Campaign is facing, and how you can help. When: Thursday, August 21, 8:00 p.m. Where: Lugz Coffee Lounge, 2525 Main, between Broadway and 10th Ave. Why: To make sure more people of conscience are not deported from Canada Why: Because we want Canada to be Canada Why: Because we want peace, and supporting military resistance is a concrete way you can support peace. * * * * In Toronto last night, we heard from the Hinzman family, NDP MP Peggy Nash , Liberal MP Mario Silva (both strong supporters of war resisters), Canadian Friends Service Committee (Quaker) General Secretary Jane Orion Smith, and other peace activists. When discussion was opened up to the audience, many people asked questions along the lines of, "What is the Campaign going ...

A commenter - who is a friend of wmtc, and who supports peace and justice - disputed the Campaign 's claim that the "bad conduct discharge" will permanently and severely damage war resisters' future. Members of the Campaign have checked out this information with civilian lawyers, military lawyers, and immigration and refugee lawyers, as well as people who have received bad conduct discharges for desertion, missing movement, and other resistance-related military charges. All verify that the bad conduct discharge is the equivalent of a felony offense and extremely damaging to future opportunities. The commenter said that, in his experience, employers have never asked about his military record. However, applications for the kinds of jobs for which most war resisters are eligible - jobs at Wal-Mart, McDonald's, Home Depot - do require disclosure of military and criminal records. These huge employers do not hire people who have bad conduct discharges. What's more, ...

Tonight in Toronto, please attend an emergency public meeting of the War Resisters Support Campaign at the Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil Street. Get involved. Learn how you can help. The meeting will be followed by a fundraiser at Grossman's Tavern, featuring music by Chloe Watkinson and the Crossroads . Music starts at 8:30; all proceeds benefit the War Resisters Support Campaign. The Campaign is facing huge legal bills, and every little bit helps. Admission is $10, or what you can. Grossman's Tavern is at 379 Spadina, corner of Cecil Street, Toronto. * * * * Last week, the Immigration and Refugee Board rejected the final appeal of Jeremy Hinzman, the first US war resister to apply for safe haven in Canada. Jeremy, his spouse Nga Nguyen, their six year old son and infant daughter have been ordered to leave Canada by September 23 . In the US, Jeremy will be court martialled for desertion. He will likely receive a prison sentence - anywhere from one year to life - and a dishon...

The Globe and Mail ran seven letters today in response to Tony Clement's lecture. Here they are, with no editing. As a physician listening to Mr. Clement speak about safe injection sites at the meeting of the Canadian Medical Association, I was embarrassed. It was clear to me that rather than looking at the results of these safe injection sites and determining in an objective, evidence-based fashion whether or not these programs actually achieved the desired results of harm reduction and improved health outcomes, Mr. Clement used this as a platform to launch his party's agenda in case of a fall election. I hope the Conservatives have more to offer in any campaign than this fear-mongering dribble. Suzanne Strasberg, MD, Toronto * Mr. Clement impugns the ethics and morality of physicians who support (or, as I do, work with) supervised injection. His statement introduces an element of rancour into a painful, complex debate already characterized by too much emotion and a lack of...

Tony Clement, federal Health Minister and right-wing ideologue, is lecturing health professionals on ethics and morals, bringing his political judgements where only health decisions belong. Health professionals who support Vancouver's safe injection site are unethical and immoral, federal Health Minister Tony Clement suggested on Monday. "The supervised injection site undercuts the ethic of medical practice and sets a debilitating example for all physicians and nurses, both present and future in Canada," he scolded in an address to the Canadian Medical Association general council meeting in Montreal. He called providing a safe injection site to drug addicts tantamount to offering palliative care to a patient with a treatable form of cancer. "This is a profound moral issue, and when Canadians are fully informed of it, I believe they will reject it on principle," the minister said. His comments come as the Conservatives have bombarded urban ridings in Vancouver an...