test blog #10

While we were listing the many reasons we don't want another Harper Government , we could have cheated by going here: Not My Prime Minister . Worth a look.

Last year around this time, I blogged about Cathy Baskin . Cathy has stage 4 breast cancer. She lives in North Carolina, and she does not have health insurance. Cathy chose to use her personal tragedy to shed light on the US's national, avoidable tragedy, the lack of access to affordable health care. Cathy's husband, Tim Baskin, is a cherished member of our Red Sox community at Joy of Sox . JoS readers know him as SoSock. I bring you this message from Tim and Cathy. My name is Cathy Baskin. I've been married 32 years, have three children, all above the age of 26, and six grandchildren ranging from one year to age 17. In my former life I was an Oncology and Hospice Nurse. In 1996, I was involved in a serious car accident that effectively ended my nursing career. My husband is self-employed, so, as a nurse, I had carried all our health insurance. In 2002, I felt an egg-sized lump in my breast, and went to the doctor. Even though he felt it, too, the mammograms had come back ...

From CBC: Liberals accuse Harper of plagiarizing 2003 speech on Iraq . The progressive Canadian blogosphere is all over this. Go to Progressive Bloggers for many perspectives. Best way to search: go to the Affiliates pages and scroll down through the numbered pages.

A personal note about going to see Naomi Klein last night. First, I heard about the event through a comment on this blog. This is cool. Then, waiting to get in and afterwards, I saw some great people I know through the Toronto activist community. This is very cool, and for me, it's a bit amazing. And afterwards, Allan and I went to a pub, which is something I so love about Toronto: great pubs everywhere. It's very different from New York, in a good way. These are the kinds of things that make me very happy, perhaps out of all proportion to what happened. It's a deep-down happiness of feeling so grounded and at home now.

Allan and I went to hear Naomi Klein speak at Bloor Cinema last night. Thanks to a tip from friend of wmtc Lisa (yay!), I learned about the event before it sold out. The place was packed (850 people) and hundreds more were turned away. Klein is a terrific speaker. She has such a beautifully relaxed, warm presence, she's so articulate, and her knowledge is truly impressive. Not every writer is also a good speaker and organizer, but she is all three. The event was a fundraiser for the native communities of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. Some Toronto activists spoke about that, but Klein addressed our current social shock: the crisis of capitalism that is unfolding in North America right now. Klein began by noting that in this famously ahistorical, even anti-historical society we here in North America live in, the US Congress saying "NO" to the massive transfer of funds means we actually managed to remember something. 95% of the US public o...

"Following" blogs is not working for me. Blogger's "Blogs I'm Following" function shows up on your dashboard page. I go to the dashboard a zillion times a day to check for comments awaiting moderation, for both wmtc and Joy of Sox. Now when I do that, all the things I should or could be reading are staring me in the face. You can't change the default tab to Blogs of Note or Blogger Buzz. It's always the Following feed. Seeing Blogs I'm Following a zillion times a day is contributing to my ever-present feelings of being overwhelmed, and the energy it takes to focus and manage my time. I need to return to my previous method of keeping track of people's blogs, through feeds on my iGoogle page, which I only see when I choose to see them. So, dear everyone whose blog I am following, I am removing myself from your Following list. Not because I am no longer interested in your blog, and not because I will read your blog any less frequently. Trust me...

Two days ago I wrote: Last week, when I started gluing myself to DemocraticSpace, their seat projections had the Conservatives at 150 seats, five shy of a majority. Two days later, that was down to 145. Two days after that, it was 144. Today they have the Conservatives at 142. So everything's moving in the right direction. Now if we can just get the election postponed until December. Today they are showing the Conservatives at 140 seats. Please move faster! Please!

Way back here , I asked for gadget help. Then I postponed buying anything, as I've been so pressed for time, and I know that anything new requires time, especially if it's going to sync with my home computer via new software. So I decided to wait. Now, one week from deadline, I'm anticipating more time on the horizon, so I'm starting to think about the phone again. (It looks like I'll have more writing work related to Spinal Network , but the huge project I've been working on since early July is coming to a close.) And I'm thinking myself in circles about this phone thing. I really want a qwerty keyboard for texting. Although I don't text often, I do find it very useful, and I would text a lot more often if I didn't have to pick through my stupid alpha-numeric keyboard. I know many people like T9 but I find it maddening and useless. As I looked through my qwerty-keyboard options, I saw this phone , a "Rumour" from LG. (Doesn't it seem l...

On September 19, I asked wmtc readers to finish this sentence: "We don't want another Harper Government because..." Here are our answers so far. [I omitted banter, and occasionally edited comments for grammar or sense. And thank you all so much for your contributions.] L-girl: We don't want another Harper government because we want people of conscience who refused to participate in the invasion and occupation of Iraq to be able to stay in Canada. PeterC : The SPP and harmonizing our food inspectors with the rest of North America. Then laughing about it with the rest of his party. James : He's already fixed the date of Federal elections... How long before he takes a page from his pal Dubya's book and starts fixing the elections themselves? Stephanie: No more militarization. PeterC : First deficit in many years. Conservative track record at managing the economy poorly. I think those fit under poor economic management no matter what sweater vest says. Lizt: No...

Last week, when I started gluing myself to DemocraticSpace , their seat projections had the Conservatives at 150 seats, five shy of a majority. Two days later, that was down to 145. Two days after that, it was 144. Today they have the Conservatives at 142. So everything's moving in the right direction. Now if we can just get the election postponed until December.

There's been a lot of dialogue in the Canadian progressive blogosphere about strategic voting, whether it's more important to vote for something (vote your conscience) or to vote against something (vote for the non-Harper candidate most likely to win). For me, Idealistic Pragmatist's post on the subject says it all. She's even saved me the trouble of gathering the top links from the different perspectives. Please go read her excellent post: My two cents on strategic voting .

If work is slow this weekend, I will gather all the comments and links from this thread and promote it to a post. So this is your last chance to finish the sentence, "We don't want another Harper Government because..." . That is, your last chance until the post goes up and people leave comments there.

I've been meaning to post this for ages, and finally a nudge from M Yass , who wants to write Robin Long, got it out of draft. (Thanks!) From an email from James Branum, Robin Long's lawyer, to Robin's supporters. I found out that Robin has moved to Miramar Naval Consolidated Brig near San Diego (the Army is running out of space to put all of their AWOL's and Deserters). He can receive letters at: Robin Long PO Box 452136 San Diego, CA 92145-2136 USA More info on mail, visitation, etc. is here . I also talked to the brig today. Books can only be sent commercially by a publisher or book store. I have about a dozen books sent to Robin that he couldn't take with him to Miramar, so I'm going to sell those on Ebay (I'll let folks know the address) and use the funds to buy him new books that he hasn't read yet. [Ed note: "couldn't take with him" means the Army trashed Robin's books".] Also someone earlier sent Robin an amazon gift card a...

Tonight, September 26, Stephen Harper is in Toronto. Where: Etobicoke Centre campaign office, 317 Burnhamthorpe Road When: People will be gathering around 6:30 for an estimated 7:00 arrival Why: Many reasons , but for now, for me, the message is "Stop The Deportations". By Public Transit from Toronto: Subway westbound to Islington station, then #50 bus on Burnhamthorpe towards Martin Grove. Bus leaves every 15 minutes. Ride will be about 10 minutes. * * * * We won a big victory, with the Federal Court staying the removal of Jeremy Hinzman and his family. But another war resister family waits in the wings, and after that, another and another and another, all potentially facing the threat of deportation if Harper continues to ignore democracy by refusing to implement the June 3rd motion. After my recent post announcing Harper's appearance in Courtenay, BC, a reader wrote: Also, it's interesting that neither of the local newspapers here had any firm info about the Harper...

From Impolitical: Michaelle Jean sought the repatriation of Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay . A report in La Presse today that the Governor General asked Harper to seek the repatriation of Omar Khadr from Guantanamo Bay. Apparently this happened after the videotapes of Khadr being interrogated were released. Further, Jean consulted with legal advisors prior to consulting Harper. In response to her request, Harper, it is reported, stated that his caucus and the base of his party would never accept it. Which, if all this is being reported accurately, would just confirm that such significant decisions made by Mr. Harper are not taken in the interests of the Canadian nation nor having regard to the relevant legal considerations that are involved. What Mr. Harper apparently disclosed to Jean about his decision making calculus were purely partisan considerations that would properly be irrelevant when making a decision about our foreign policy and more importantly, about the fate of a Canadian...

About two weeks ago, I blogged about Anthony Davis, a man on death row in Georgia (US). Davis has been on death row for 15 years, and is almost certainly innocent. At the very least, there are huge questions surrounding his conviction. He was scheduled to be executed in three days when the ACLU began a huge public-outreach campaign, in addition to petitioning the US Supreme Court in his defense. For more details about Davis's case, please go back and read this post . Here's the latest from the ACLU. Rarely have the actions of ACLU supporters like you made such a powerful and tangible difference as they have in the life of death row prisoner Troy Davis. Over the past two weeks, tens of thousands of ACLU activists have demanded justice for Troy. Without that outcry, a man who is most likely innocent may well have been killed by the State of Georgia without any court ever hearing the compelling evidence of his innocence. Yesterday, in a dramatic turn of events, the United States...

Naomi Wolf asks, "Has Sarah Palin Been Picked as the Titular Head of the Coming Police State?". A lengthy excerpt follows. This is easily dismissed, but should not be. And in Canada, we have to make sure our country stands as a free nation, an altnerative to the fear nation to our south. . . . You have to understand how things work in a closing society in order to understand "Palin Power." A gang or cabal seizes power, usually with an affable, weak figurehead at the fore. Then they will hold elections -- but they will make sure that the election will be corrupted and that the next affable, weak figurehead is entirely in their control. Remember, Russia has Presidents; Russia holds elections. Dictators and gangs of thugs all over the world hold elections. It means nothing. When a cabal has seized power you can have elections and even presidents, but you don't have freedom. I realized early on with horror what I was seeing in Governor Palin: the continuation of th...

First, read Margaret Atwood's beautifully strong and clear defense of "ordinary people" and the arts in today's Globe and Mail . To be creative is, in fact, Canadian Mr. Harper is wrong: There's more to the arts than a bunch of rich people at galas whining about their grants by Margaret Atwood What sort of country do we want to live in? What sort of country do we already live in? What do we like? Who are we? At present, we are a very creative country. For decades, we've been punching above our weight on the world stage - in writing, in popular music and in many other fields. Canada was once a cultural void on the world map, now it's a force. In addition, the arts are a large segment of our economy: The Conference Board estimates Canada's cultural sector generated $46-billion, or 3.8 per cent of Canada's GDP, in 2007. And, according to the Canada Council, in 2003-2004, the sector accounted for an "estimated 600,000 jobs (roughly the same as agr...

On October 1 and 2, the leaders of five Canadian political parties will participate in a televised debate. You can submit questions for any of the leaders by sending an email to question@electiondebate08.ca . My question for Mr Stephen Harper: Mr. Harper, on June 3, the House of Commons passed a motion calling on the Government to stop all deportation proceedings against US war resisters and implement a motion allowing them to stay in Canada. All three opposition parties united to pass this motion. In 2005, referring to the Paul Martin Government, you said, "The Prime Minister has the moral responsibility to respect the will of the House." As head of a minority government, don't you have that same moral responsibility? How can the head of a minority government not follow the clearly stated will of the majority?

Courtesy of James, Jillian at Sadly, No! has figured out the solution to both the US and Canada's problems: Buy A Progressive . We're clearly unwanted in the US and badly needed here in Canada. There were many amusing schemes like this on the internet in 2004, including a movement to make Vermont Canada's 11th province . I especially love Sadly, No!'s reference to the monorail, one of The Simpsons' finer moments.

You may remember I've blogged about the plight of wolves in the US: they were going to lose protected status , then the US did "de-list" the wolf from the Endangered Species Act. The slaughter began immediately , and got worse . 110 wolves were killed outright, and others surely starved to death when the animals they depended upon for food were exterminated. In July, a US judge restored the wolf's protected status : a major victory. And now, an even bigger victory. The Cheney Administration has announced that it is withdrawing its plan to strip gray wolves of their endangered species protection in the Northern Rockies. This from Natural Resources Defense Council : Last March, the Bush Administration declared the Northern Rockies' wolf population "fully recovered," then it handed off responsibility for the wolves to Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Just as we predicted, a bloodbath ensued, with 110 wolves slaughtered by state agents and hunters in as many day...

The US Government has seized control of the largest, most powerful insurance company in the country, along with the entire mortgage industry and large portions of the financial services industry. The US Army is in training for domestic operations . The Republican candidate for president suspends his campaign . And all this must be seen in context of a Government that has been systematically expanding its powers and operating as an autocracy, a Government that was not elected by popular vote in the first place, then fixed elections to maintain its power. I've been amazed - dismayed, horrified - as progressive people cheer on Obama seemingly without a thought to this context, as if the peaceful transfer of power from one party to another, based on a fair election, is a certainty. When that's not what we've seen for the past two elections, and nothing has been corrected. And those in power have continued to shut down the Constitution. For a long time, I've been wondering ...

There is nothing like walking in the woods to clear my head. Swimming makes me feel much better, too, but this brain-fry was too big for the Mississauga Y. I found this very good resource: Toronto Hiking . It has a list of hikes in and around the Toronto area, and a separate list of waterfalls along the Niagara Escarpment . There are detailed descriptions of each hike, so you can judge in advance the terrain, degree of difficulty, or whatever features are important to you. Every hike is linked to a road map, a trail map, photos and other info. Although all the Ontario parks and conservation areas have good websites, I haven't found a good way to judge the appropriateness of any given area until we're there. We're not into climbing, and we have a senior dog to think about, so if we feel like a nice long walk in the woods - as opposed to just getting out in the country - it's nice to be able to plan. Yesterday we went to Hilton Falls , part of the Conservation Halton s...

On Thursday, September 25, Mr Harper will be in Edmonton. I hear that many people and a few polar bears will be on hand to greet him. If you can join them, here's when and where to go: Between 5:30 and 6:00, Ramada Inn, 11834 Kingsway NW, Edmonton Bring friends, bring signs, bring your voice. Come early, stay late, have fun.

This morning: Vancouver: Remarks and media availability, 9:30 a.m., Oceanview Suite, Pan Pacific Hotel, Suite 300, 999 Canada Place. This evening: Courtenay, BC: Rally, 6 p.m., Westerly Hotel, 1590 Cliffe Avenue. Have fun!

As you may have noticed yesterday, I'm feeling a little fried. I'm taking the day off, and we're heading out with the dogs for some hiking on a glorious autumn day. Some of our hikes have ended up more driving around and exploring towns than hiking, which is fine if it works out that way. Last month (on my once-monthly goal) I was too busy to plan, and we just walked on a local stretch of Waterfront Trail. Today should be a real hike in a new location. But you never really know. And guess what happened last night? The Red Sox clinched the wild card! We're going to the playoffs again.

Further to my last post , James has sent me this, from Democracy Now! . Army Unit to Deploy in October for Domestic Operations Beginning in October, the Army plans to station an active unit inside the United States for the first time to serve as an on-call federal response in times of emergency. The 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent thirty-five of the last sixty months in Iraq, but now the unit is training for domestic operations. The unit will soon be under the day-to-day control of US Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command. The Army Times reports this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. The paper says the Army unit may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control. The soldiers are learning to use so-called nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals and crowds.

It can be very hard to focus on what's happening in the world. There's a lot of it, and it comes at us from all sides and all angles, and we're already trying to focus on our own lives, and if those lives are very busy, the whole thing can turn into an overwhelming noise. My mind has felt overloaded lately. Overloaded with my own work, and my desire to help the war resisters, and the political situation in Canada. Baseball playoffs are about to start, and I'm usually completely obsessed by now, but right now I barely think about baseball unless I'm watching a game. This is not my preferred mode of being. But I focus on issues and events more than most people, as, probably, do you. I don't have children, and I'm a very political person, which compels me to keep up with current events to the extent that I can. How do people whose lives are taken up with work and children, who don't necessarily have political priorities, keep up? How do people who are strug...