test blog #10

Don't miss this excellent post by Dr Dawg on the next phase of Islamophobia in Europe. This bit from the Times (UK) The 'yes' vote, if confirmed, shows the strength of feeling against a Muslim population which has grown over the past 20 years to 350,000 or four per cent of the population. The majority are not regular practitioners of their faith. Most are from Turkey and the Balkans. Only four modest-sized minarets exist in Switzerland, where there are 150 prayer houses. None are used to call the faithful to prayer. reminded me of something I read long ago, in one of Studs Terkel's oral histories. A police officer in a midwestern US city talks about how "coloureds" are "taking over" the department. Terkel's footnote says that three percent of the department is now non-white. Further back, from a university psychology class, I remember a researcher investigating what percentage of people of colour could be present in a social setting before the...

Less than 1 per cent of a $1.9-billion federal fund for social housing has actually been spent – more than a year after it was announced by the Harper government in the midst of the 2008 election campaign. Another $1.5-billion of social-housing money allotted in February's budget is also only trickling out the door, according to newly released government data. The figures suggest Canadians who are hardest hit by the recession won't benefit from the flood of stimulus cash until the economy is well on its way to recovery. . . . On Sept. 17, 2008, in an unusual use of government business during an election campaign, then-human resources minister Monte Solberg announced the $1.9-billion housing fund with then-environment minister John Baird in Mr. Baird's Ottawa riding. The ministers said it was a government announcement and not an election pledge. It was later confirmed in the February, 2009, budget, along with three other new funds for social housing. But as of Sept. 30, 200...

On this link from Rabble , you can hear Amy Goodman speak at some length about her detention and questioning by Canadian border guards last week - what happened, what it means, why we must continue to speak out at every opportunity. Thanks to MR for sending. As she said, I'm in good company !

Many people have expressed concern about our getting back into our country of choice. So this is to say: we are back. We expected no trouble and had none. On the weekend after US Thanksgiving, there's always a wait at the border as Canadians declare their conspicuous consumption. The guy in the toll booth said, "Here, take this and go," as he handed us our change. It was amusing. It was a long drive and I am still fighting a stupid cold. But we had a great time with family and friends, and both pups are fine. Tala will miss Sora, the Boston Terrier puppy who was camping out here with our dogsitter. I'm home tomorrow, and on Monday Allan will... drumroll... begin moving his stuff back into the basement! Yes, after four long months, the flood repairs and basement reno are finally done. Nothing like an ongoing rent rebate to suddenly concentrate a landlord's time.

I have a cold and some weird laryngitis, no doubt aided by this recent stress at the border. But other than that minor difficulty, everything is great. We got to my mom's house around 10:00 on Monday night, exactly two hours later than usual. My mom made a joke about our delay: "Allan, they wouldn't let you through with your Red Sox cap?" And I said, "Ma, they had me in an interrogation room. I was questioned and harassed for two hours." Her eyes went wide, and we sat down and told her the whole story. She was appalled, and she might have been worried, but she could see I wasn't upset, and we were making light of it, so I think that helped. Tuesday we spent the day in the City. New York City and I have such a beautiful long-distance relationship now. I was sitting on a cross-town bus, going through Central Park, drinking it in, thinking, omigod I love this place. I love being here, and I never have to put up with any of the bad things about New York, it...

In October, I helped a war-resister friend of mine take care of some paperwork. Unable to obtain his birth certificate, he needed a friend with a US passport to attest to certain facts. As I slid my passport under the window at the US Consulate, I thought to myself, I wonder what will happen the next time I use my passport...? I was aware I was taking a slight risk. I didn't think it was a big deal. I still don't. Two days ago, on Monday, November 23, Allan and I drove our usual route down the QEW to the Buffalo border crossing. The female border guard in the booth asked us the usual questions - where we're going, reason for our visit, how long we're planning to stay. Then she swiped our passports, and that's when things changed. We saw her writing - a lot of writing. She asked Allan for the keys and to pop the hatchback (which was already unlocked). A group of guards descended on the car with mirrored devices used to check under the car. I was in the passenger seat...

I am so enjoying the shitstorm swirling around Richard Colvin's courageous revelations, and the predictably cowardly Government smear campaign, the Conservatives as always more interested in protecting themselves politically than any semblance of doing the right thing. As corroborations pour in from various sources, it will be interesting to watch these slimy bastards squirm. As entertaining as the political show can be, let's not forget what we (re)learned about the war in Afghanistan. Last year while we were gone for US Thanksgiving, democracy broke out! RIP Coalition, one year ago. Then came the Demonize Quebec campaign, then the prorogue. What will happen while we're away this year?? I will leave you with one thought. During a speech yesterday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged journalists to "shine light into dark corners" of government affairs. Then he refused to take questions from reporters. Now we're off for our annual 10-hour drive which ends at m...

One cool ten-year-old.

How the US supports its troops. Marines treated at Camp Lejeune for post-traumatic stress had to undergo therapy for months in temporary trailers where they could hear bomb blasts, machine-gun fire and war cries through the thin walls, according to servicemen and their former psychiatrist. The eight trailers were used for nearly two years, until a permanent clinic was completed in September in another location on the base, said a Camp Lejeune medical spokesman, Navy Lt. Mark Jean-Pierre. The noise from training exercises "shook me up real bad. I couldn't take it. I almost ran out of there a couple of times," said a Marine patient who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media. "My mind couldn't focus on the treatment. I couldn't tell the difference between the combat zone and the non-combat zone." The allegations became public after the dismissal of Dr. Kernan Manion, a civilian psychiatrist who says he was fired f...

Someone else who chooses not to wear a poppy: Impudent Strumpet on Remembrance Day . A great personal-is-political post.

We've finally got our photos from New Mexico up, a small selection of the gazillion photos we took of the desert, petroglyphs and crazy rock formations. Flickr collection here. For anyone interested, these posts are now linked to the corresponding Flickr sets: Santa Fe Farmington part 1 Farmington part 2 Farmington to Chaco to Grant part 1 Farmington to Chaco to Grants part 2 Grants to Acoma Pueblo to Albuquerque part 1 Grants to Acoma Pueblo to Albuquerque part 2

Bravo Rick Salutin! Our own little Abu Ghraib? The nauseating component in current claims and reactions about Canada's role in turning Afghan detainees over for torture does not lie in the betrayal of some mythic Canadian role as an idealistic actor on the world stage – as opposition questions implied in the House of Commons yesterday. We have always played an ambiguous, often duplicitous, role in international conflict. It began with our original peacekeeping foray at Suez in Lester Pearson's days, and continued in Vietnam, Haiti and now Afghanistan. Foreign policy equals deceit. It doesn't lie in the Conservative refusal to call an inquiry. They simply learned from Jean Chrétien, who shut one down (on Somalia) and stonewalled others. Nor does it lie in the odd absence from the debate of Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff, Mr. Human Rights. It's true his own writing on torture led to charges he was ready to accept versions of it, and he might like to avoid the predictabl...

Initial thoughts here. Part one here. Joya speaks with great strength and forcefulness. And she talks fast . Allan said when she spoke in Pashto, you could practically see the words tumbling out of her mouth, and you were half-expecting the words to start tripping and falling on each other, but they never did. I'm a great notetaker, but this time my notebook is a bunch of crazy fragments. Here are some of them. * * * * First Joya explained why she wrote the book. She became famous, she said, for standing up to the warlords and drug lords, who are just a copy of the Taliban, wearing the mask of democracy. "And sometimes through your own life, you can write about other lives." She noted that in a war, the first casualty is truth, and she wrote the book to tear the mask off the warlords who are deceiving people with propaganda, and to shine a light on the tragedy of Afghanistan's 30 years of war. She is part of the pro-democracy, anti-misogynist, anti-fascist movement in...

I've been putting off writing about Malalai Joya's talk in Toronto. You can read my initial impressions here , but anything further is eluding me. Hearing Joya was such an intense experience that I am struggling to articulate it, knowing whatever I write will not even come close to portraying it for you. But knowing it's better to try than to do nothing, I will use my scribbled notes to at least get something down. * * * * A few other speakers, all women, preceded Joya*. A huge banner served as a backdrop: BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW - CANADA OUT OF AFGHANISTAN. First Vicki Obedkoff, a minister from Trinity St Paul's , welcomed us to the church and briefly mentioned the church's strong history of multifaith work for peace. Although I am an atheist, I always feel honoured to be among those who view working for peace and justice as inextricable with their faith. Next, Neela Zamani, an Afghan-Canadian activist, helped us welcome Joya in Farsi. Zamani spoke of the terribl...

From the War Resisters Support Campaign: Victory! Federal Court rules in favour of lesbian US war resister Bethany Smith (a.k.a Skyler James) welcomes positive news in her effort to avoid deportation to the US military OTTAWA — Today a Federal Court in Ottawa ruled that the Refugee Board must re-assess the case from lesbian US war resister Bethany Smith (a.k.a "Skyler James"). Her story was first captured in a feature article by Capital Xtra soon after her arrival in Ottawa over two years ago. James came to Canada to escape what she describes as "daily humiliations" and "constant threats of physical violence" in the US military. Her lawyer has made a persuasive case against deporting her back to a situation where her very life could be at risk. As of today a Federal Court in Ottawa has compelled the Refugee Board to re-assess James's case based on new criteria. The decision is seen by supporters as major breakthrough in James's efforts to avoid dep...

This excellent story about war resister Rodney Watson , living in sanctuary in Vancouver, was on the front page of the Vancouver Courier . Letters in response to it - the majority supportive - are here .

Please read this powerful op-ed from the Vancouver Sun - from the city where war resister Rodney Watson lives in sanctuary, trying to find peace, where Malalai Joya spoke a few days before she appeared in Toronto. This is not about Remembrance Day, this is about the day after, and the week after. This is an invocation to memorialize all those who have suffered and died due to human and corporate greed, military wars and occupations, man-made poverty and environmental devastation. A remembrance to the horrors of the world to jar us from our collective amnesia that seems to set in on certain days. Scholars such as Reinhart Koselleck and Gilbert Achcar describe war commemorations as sites of political and national mobilization. They conceptualize past memories of warfare and the fallen as powerful tools directed primarily toward building support for current and future military operations. Within this context, it is revealing that the institutions that most vehemently uphold the symbolis...

...but don't worry, it was just a wee little shock. Plus her mom said it was ok, and moms always know best. Arkansas cops taser 10-year-old girl. Thanks to James for sending and to M Yass for posting on FB.

Please read Antonia Zerbisias on Cheri DiNovo's private member's bill that would remove the breed-specific language from Ontario dog law. If you live in Ontario and you value justice, please write to your MPP and urge her or him to support Bill 222, An Act to amend the Dog Owners' Liability Act and the Animals for Research Act . To find your MPP, go here or here . In case you missed it, the story of my run-in with Ontario anti-pitbull law is here . Even when it comes to the non-human members of our families, the personal is political.

Hearing Malalai Joya speak last night was electrifying, inspiring, humbling, maddening and profoundly moving. Electrifying because she fairly crackles with the energy and life-force of the people united, changing the world. Inspiring because she is a consummate leader, and doer, and organizer. Humbling because I was, frankly, in awe of her. She has struggled against unfathomable odds (four assassination attempts?!) and has only gotten stronger. She says, "I am not afraid of death, I am only afraid of silence." She lives for The Struggle, and she is an example to each of us whose hearts live there, too. Maddening because Canada - Canadians! - our tax dollars! - are supporting an repressive, corrupt, misogynist, brutal, fascist regime in Afghanistan. And deeply moving to hear and learn from such a teacher. I want to write about her talk more fully, but I need a little time to let things percolate, and I have a few things already on the agenda today. Unfortunately, I won't...

Tomorrow night in Toronto, come hear Afghan MP Malalai Joya . Many people have told me that Joya's book, A Woman Among Warlords , is everything you need to effectively argue against Canada's involvement in Afghanistan - kind of like Josh Key's A Deserter's Tale is for the war resisters movement. I'm going to read Joya's book during a school break. WHEN: Wednesday, November 18, 7:00 pm WHERE: Trinity-St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto (Bloor & Spadina) ADMISSION: $5 - $10 donation

This Wednesday, November 18, Member of Provincial Parliament Cheri DiNovo (Parkdale-High Park) will introduce a private member's bill calling on Ontario to remove the breed specific wording of the Ontario Dog Owner's Liability Act . There is no doubt that dog owners must be held accountable for the actions of their dogs. But the same laws must apply to all owners of all dogs. No law should single out specific dogs based on myth, fear, unfair publicity - and bigotry. I'm talking about pit bulls, of course, a group of breeds and crosses who, along with their owners, have been made to suffer because of public ignorance and prejudice. I won't try to tell you all I know about bully boys, what incredible animals they are, and how profoundly so many of them have suffered, first from the cruelty of sadists and profiteers, then again as they are punished - killed - because of bad human laws. All you need to know about these amazing dogs can be found here at BAD RAP , which st...

I understand that many people question the idea that the Nidal Hasan, who opened fire at Fort Hood last week, could have had PTSD, since he was never deployed. These aren't people who are freaked out over the man's name or his ethnic background. These are good people on the side of justice, who feel we're using the expression "post-traumatic" too lightly. When I heard this, I immediately thought of my friend Dean, a former marine now living in Canada, one of the many war resisters at risk for deportation by the Harper government. I've written about Dean a few times, most recently here . Dean deployed to Iraq twice. In between those two tours, he was stationed at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a US military hospital in Stuttgart, Germany. The rate of severe depression and suicide at the hospital was so high that military brass became concerned. Soldiers were assigned to act as go-betweens for patients and visiting families, and Dean was one of them. He had ...

Omar Khadr will receive less justice than a man accused of masterminding 9/11. A U.S. military commission will resume hearing the case against Omar Khadr, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday, the same day the Supreme Court of Canada heard a federal government appeal in his case. It is unclear when or where the 23-year-old inmate will face charges, but he is one of 10 high-profile detainees to be sent to the U.S. to face justice. Five of those inmates, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, will be on trial in a federal civilian court in New York City. So Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen, will be "tried" by a phony military tribunal, for a crime he could not have committed , while he was a child soldier. And this is just fine with the Harper Government. That same Government ">warns the Supreme Court of Canada against declaring that a government has a legal duty to protect its citizens detained abroad. This Gover...

[ redsock guest post ] Chris Floyd, Empire Burlesque (my bold): Our American militarists love war so much that they even bankroll the enemy , just to keep the blood money flowing. This odd but absolutely crucial characteristic of the Never-Ending Terror War was borne out again in a remarkable story in the Guardian (with an expanded version in The Nation ). As Aram Roston reports -- and U.S. military officials openly admit -- American taxpayers are giving Afghan insurgents at least 10-20 percent of the war machine's multibillion-dollar transportation contracts . Hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing into Taliban coffers every year from bribes offered to stop insurgents from attacking supply convoys -- convoys which are increasingly controlled by local warlords and druglords, including convicted drug dealers in the Corleone-like Karzai family. Of course, in Iraq, the Pentagon finally started paying insurgents as well. But in that instance, they were at least paying the enemy ...

More incentive, as if any is needed, to resist all efforts to deport US war resisters from Canada. This is the Army that supposedly will give resisters an administrative slap on the wrist. Army Sends Infant to Protective Services, Mom to Afghanistan By Dahr Jamail VENTURA, California, Nov 13 (IPS) - U.S. Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, a single mother, is being threatened with a military court-martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan, despite having been told she would be granted extra time to find someone to care for her 11-month-old son while she is overseas. Hutchinson, of Oakland, California, is currently being confined at Hunter Army Airfield near Savannah, Georgia, after being arrested. Her son was placed into a county foster care system. Hutchinson has been threatened with a court martial if she does not agree to deploy to Afghanistan on Sunday, Nov. 15. She has been attempting to find someone to take care of her child, Kamani, while she is deployed overseas, bu...

I have a big paper to write, which I must turn in early because of our annual road trip for US Thanksgiving. So wmtc is on brief hiatus while I try to focus.

Many of my friends are wearing a white poppy today. I appreciate that idea, but it doesn't work for me. I wear my peace button every day. Today is no different. I remember the war dead, and the wounded, and the shattered lives, the ruined cities, the orphans, the widows, the tortured, the disappeared. I post the same statement every year on November 11: Honour the dead by working for peace .

From the Globe and Mail , emphasis mine: The Conservative government has re-written the book on what it means to be Canadian. No longer will prospective immigrants learn that Canada is a strictly peaceful nation. Instead there will be a greater emphasis on Canada's military history and on the poppy as a symbol of remembrance and of Canada’s sacrifice in the First World War. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will reveal a major overhaul Thursday of the booklet given to all citizenship applicants. The current booklet, "A Look at Canada", was written under a Liberal government in 1997. In the past Mr. Kenney has said he can't believe the booklet, intended to help applicants study for their citizenship tests, includes a lengthy section on protection of the environment but barely makes mention of the Canadian Forces. The 45-page booklet also includes a two-page discussion of Canada's aboriginal peoples and fails to discuss the history of tensions betwe...

I have two great new videos to share. Neither of these were scripted or rehearsed; both men are just speaking from the heart. Rodney Watson, stop-lossed Iraq War veteran, now in sanctuary in a Vancouver church: And my favourite war-resister video in a long time, Reverend Ric Matthews, who offered Rodney sanctuary: First United in Vancouver is more like a community centre than a conventional church. It's located in the city's infamous Downtown Eastside, where so many people struggle to survive at the margins of society. The church feeds three meals a day to more than 100 people. As you can hear, for Reverend Matthews, offering refuge to Rodney Watson is in keeping with all his work for justice. You can help war resisters in Canada by circulating these videos widely.