test blog #10

One more paper plus one fundraiser for the Children's Book Bank will equal one more term behind me. Until then, I leave you with this excellent image of cultural imperialism , from The New Internationalist : another kind of D-Day. Today, occupiers all over the US will be honouring Buy Nothing Day by supporting the courageous workers of OUR Walmart, who are demanding a living wage, full-time work for those who want it, and the ability to exercise their right to organize free of harassment and intimidation. You can stop by an OUR Walmart event to support the striking workers: a list of actions is here . And if you are shopping today, please keep those low, low prices - and those even lower labour standards - off your list.

Facing enormous and sustained public opposition, the company behind the Melancthon megaquarry has backed down . This is an enormous victory for the environment and the forces of reason - a victory of the people over profits. And the air strikes on Gaza ends with a brokered ceasefire . I'm amazed and very relieved.

This Friday, on the biggest shopping day of the year (also known as International Buy Nothing Day ), hundreds of courageous Walmart workers will stand up to their bullying employer and demand their right to organize, free of retaliation. The workers of Organization United for Respect at Walmart - OUR Walmart - already have begun striking and demonstrating at Walmarts in 23 states. On Friday, November 23, the day after US Thanksgiving, strikes, pickets, and in-store actions will take place at Walmart stores throughout the United States. Walmart workers have been organizing to fight oppressive conditions in their workplace, and Walmart - the single biggest employer in the US, after the military - has been harassing and intimidating them. Now these workers are exposing Walmart's illgeal retaliatory practices and standing up for their right to organize. You can help! 1. Don't shop at Walmart! And especially don't shop at Walmart on Friday, November 23. 2. Sign the declaration...

This Saturday, across Canada and around the world, people will gather to condemn Israel's massacre of Gaza. The call: Stop Israel's war on Gaza! Stop the killing. End the blockade. Free Palestine. Support BDS. In Toronto: Rally & March Saturday, November 24 at 2:00 p.m. Israeli Consulate, 180 Bloor Street West TTC: St. George or Museum For listings across Canada, see the Canadian Peace Alliance . Facebook event The Canadian government has failed to condemn Israel's latest attack on Gaza. Instead, it provides Israel with the military, economic and diplomatic support necessary to carry out its acts of aggression. We call on all people of conscience to join the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel until it complies with international law. And on Saturday, please join us for a city-wide rally and march in solidarity with Gaza. Tell Stephen Harper and the Canadian government: end your support for Israel's war. Show the people of Gaza a...

Last month, I took a little road trip with a few friends from the War Resisters Support Campaign , to welcome a new baby and meet a new dog. This nice little visit would be unremarkable - if it weren't completely incredible. We visited the Brockway family. Not that long ago, no one from the Campaign had met Jeremy Brockway. An Iraq War veteran, Jeremy suffered from severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD. He was unable to leave his room. He rarely shared a meal with his family or spent any time with his children. (More background: here and here .) After hearing Ashlea Brockway speak in a Port Colborne church, Bruce Beyer, a peace activist and Vietnam-era war resister, connected the Brockways with a therapist. This doctor is himself a veteran who once struggled with PTSD. At no cost, on his own time, the doctor worked with the Brockways via Skype. And so began the gradual return to life of this wounded veteran and his young family. Ashlea read a story about service dogs for people wi...

The Harper Government has spent nearly $30 million promoting The War of 1812, all part of its overall effort to re-brand Canada as a "warrior nation" . History is always worth remembering, but who tells the story? What's emphasized and what's forgotten? Was Canadian identity forged on the battlefields of 1812? Did farmers and other working people support the war, or resist it? Who profited from the war? Come hear a different perspective: "A People's History of the War of 1812," an antidote to Harper's glorification of war, featuring John Bell. Progressive people living in Etobicoke, Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton, and vicinity, I hope you'll attend what promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking event. WHEN: Thursday, December 13, 7:00 p.m. WHERE: Mississauga Central Library, 301 Burnhamthorpe West (at Square One), Room CL-3 This event is free. Parking in the garage under the library is free after 6:00 p.m.

The War Resisters Support Campaign presents "TELLING OUR STORY: A Fundraiser for U.S. Iraq War Resisters" , at Innis College Town Hall in Toronto, Friday, December 7, at 7:00 p.m. This very special evening features author Noah Richler reading from his new book, What We Talk About When We Talk About War . There will also be a sneak preview of the upcoming film " Peace Has No Borders ," about the struggles of US war resisters in Canada, a performance by the Common Thread Choir, and other special guests. Advance tickets are available on a sliding scale, with a suggested donation of $20 or whatever you can afford. As you know, the Harper Government turned a deaf ear to the massive public support for US war resister Kimberly Rivera, and forced her and her family to leave Canada. Kim is now being held at Fort Carson, Colorado, while her husband and four children are in Texas. It's a heartbreaking situation, one that we must lay at the feet of our own government. Many ...

Who is more valuable, a living woman or a dying fetus? The Catholic Church has given its answer, and Savita Halapannavar is dead. If this was Islam, we’d never hear the end of it. Follow developments, including notifications about protests and demonstrations, at #savita. Help Irish women now: Every year thousands of Irish women travel to the UK for abortion care. Between travel, accommodations, lost wages and childcare, the expense can be prohibitive. The Abortion Support Network offers help with funding, information, and a place to stay. Honor Savita’s memory by donating what you can. Read the column here. The Abortion Support Network is the brainchild of my friend Mara Clarke , my former partner with the Haven Coalition.

This is what no access to safe and legal abortion looks like. Two investigations are under way into the death of a woman who was 17 weeks pregnant, at University Hospital Galway last month. Savita Halappanavar (31), a dentist, presented with back pain at the hospital on October 21st, was found to be miscarrying, and died of septicaemia a week later. Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar (34), an engineer at Boston Scientific in Galway, says she asked several times over a three-day period that the pregnancy be terminated. He says that, having been told she was miscarrying, and after one day in severe pain, Ms Halappanavar asked for a medical termination. This was refused, he says, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told, “this is a Catholic country”. She spent a further 2½ days “in agony” until the foetal heartbeat stopped. The dead foetus was removed and Savita was taken to the high dependency unit and then the intensive care unit, where she died of septicaemia on...

Please watch this 45-second video, then sign a letter a to Ken Salazar, US Secretary of the Interior. Your click may or may not save the lives of wolves. But not clicking will surely allow the killing to continue. Sign here.

In case you haven't seen this yet, it's 9-year-old football sensation Sam Gordon, the only girl on her Utah football team. Dave Zirin raises the question: why do we assume gender segregation in sports is necessary? The historical perspective, plus the more recent rethinking of the binary nature of gender, opens new vistas. Few 9-year-old girls are described as a “young—very young—Walter Payton.” But that’s what people are calling Sam Gordon of South Jordan, Utah. Gordon has become an Internet sensation after the spread of viral videos showing her shredding Pee Wee football defenses with a series of dynamic touchdown runs. The footage of Gordon has been passed around breathlessly but almost as a YouTube curio, like she’s the 2012 version of the “dramatic chipmunk” or “sneezing panda”. Her rather overwhelming awesomeness, however, raises far more interesting questions: Why do we still segregate so much of youth sports based on gender? Does the practice of doing so actually stunt...

Four European workers explain why their union is participating in the general strike: "Why we are striking against austerity in Europe" in The Guardian . In many sectors, union "leadership", content to settle for crumbs, were dragged along by the organized rank and file. Even among unionized employees, there is no substitute for self-organization, no shortcuts to liberation.

In a few hours, people all over Europe will wake up and begin their days. Many will find it difficult to get anywhere or do anything. Many more will not report to work or school, and will instead take to the streets. November 14, 2012 will mark a historic European-wide general strike against austerity and economic insecurity. What makes Wednesday’s strike even more threatening to Europe’s managerial elite is the strong support it is receiving from traditional labor groups that rarely send their members into the streets — foremost, among them, the European Trade Union Confederation, representing 85 labor organizations from 36 countries, and totaling some 60 million members. “We have never seen an international strike with unions across borders fighting for the same thing—it’s not just Spain, not just Portugal, it’s many countries demanding that we change our structure,” says Alberto Garzón, a Spanish congressman with the United Left party which holds 7% of seats in the Spanish Congres...

Canadian Senator Mac Harb has been fighting for many years to end the commercial seal hunt in Canada. I admire him and his struggle, which must be lonely at times, and at the moment has little to no official support. The Canadian commercial seal hunt is a shameful waste of life that contributes very little (if at all) to the economy of Atlantic Canada. It is a vestige of a bygone era, and it should be retired along with the specious arguments propping it up. Despite claims to the contrary, abolishing the seal hunt will not harm aboriginal sustenance hunters, as their native status exempts them from laws governing commercial fishing and sealing. Evidence against the commercial seal hunt continues to pile up. Most recently, a landmark study concluded that the seal hunt is "inherently inhumane", and cannot be altered to conform with acceptable animal-welfare standards. "Canada’s commercial seal hunt does not occur in a controlled environment. Rather, it happens far offsho...

I need a new phone. My Blackberry Curve is dying. I had to replace my original Blackberry Curve when the cursor starting jumping around (a known issue), while it was still under warranty. However, the replacement phone doesn't come with a new warranty! ( That is the trend in these times of planned obsolescence .) So I have to pay off my tab contract and replace the damn thing. It seems that no one is buying Blackberrys these days, because RIM is floundering, and because iPhones and other touch-screen phones are the in thing. But I really like my Blackberry. Here's why. - I strongly prefer using a real keyboard, not an onscreen keyboard. - I like how easily it syncs with my computer. - I have a serious dislike for using touch-screens. - Some new smartphones use a stylus! A return to outdated technology, in my view. - I've already added memory for music, so I could use the same card. - I can get a Blackberry for next to nothing with my Wind account. But maybe I shouldn...

Today's revolutionary thought of the day brought to you by one of the world's more famous revolutionaries. A bayonet is a tool with a worker at both ends. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Many artists and bands have recorded anti-war songs, and they're not always those associated with protest. Here are 11 songs that decry the deceit, corruption, and futility of war. 1. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye 2. Generals and Majors - Andy Partridge (XTC) 3. Welcome to the Occupation - REM 4. The Call Up - Joe Strummer, Mick Jones (The Clash) 5. Wargasm - Donita Sparks, Suzi Gardner (L7) 6. 99 Luftballons (99 Red Balloons) - Fahrenkrog-Petersen / Karges / McAlea (Nena) 7. And the Band Played Waltzin' Matilda - Eric Bogle (The Pogues) 8. The Words that Maketh Murder - P J Harvey 9. Self Evident - Ani DiFranco 10. Rich Man's War - Steve Earle And number 11, one of the most enduring peace and justice songs ever written: Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan Limiting myself to 11, I omitted powerful anti-war songs by Black Sabbath, Jynkz, Phil Ochs, Billy Bragg, Pete Seeger, Green Day, and so many more. Please post yours below.

Richard Jackson: I would wear a red poppy if it was a symbol of remembrance for all the victims of war, and not just the ones who did the killing. By excluding the non-military victims of war from remembrance, the red poppy upholds a moral hierarchy of worthy and unworthy victims: the heroic soldier who is worthy of respect and official commemoration, and the unworthy, unnamed civilians killed or maimed by the heroic soldier who remains unacknowledged and unremembered... I would wear a red poppy if it did not function to hide the truth and obscure reality... I would wear a red poppy if its fund-raising and symbolism had the true interests of the military personnel it purports to support at heart... I would wear a red poppy if... Read this excellent piece here.

David Watts: So despite the popular rallying "for King and country," the outbreak of war in 1914 was not a coming together but a coming apart of a European order . Unlike in 1939 when there was belated admission that a unified effort was needed to stop Nazi aggression, the 1914 road to hostilities had a random pattern of breakdown. And when the war ended in 1918, the breakdown of the old order was complete. The empires of Britain and France were severely crippled. Four other empires were destroyed and the regimes that ultimately replaced them were more menacing than what had existed before. Italy and Germany fell under dictators whose policies led to another world war. Russia came under Bolshevist rule, leading to the Cold War. The Turkish empire was replaced by increased Western involvement in the Middle East with results that include militant Islamism, the Arab-Israeli struggle and the regimes in Libya and Syria. These, and not freedom and democracy, were results of the Gre...

John Bell: When I was a little boy, my brothers and I were rummaging through boxes of old, packed-away stuff in our basement, and came across what we thought was a treasure trove: a sealed package containing shiny silver medals and a pin in the shape of wings, a white silk scarf, a leather flying helmet and photos of my dad in his youth. He looked like a young Clark Gable with his pencil thin mustache, wearing a leather jacket with lamb’s wool collar. The wings pin was on his chest, and the white scarf around his neck. He was standing in front of the propeller of a Spitfire fighter plane. There was one more thing in the box, a record in a plain white paper sleeve discoloured by the years. . . . . Today I will not wear the red poppy. I wear the peace symbol instead. I actively oppose the war in Afghanistan. As long as I breathe I will oppose all war. I owe it to Cpl. Langridge, I owe it to my father and I owe it to myself. Read it here.

The Harper Government says that supporting US Iraq War resisters dishonours Canadian veterans. But most war resisters are veterans, and we call on the government to recognize and respect their basic human rights. So how does the Harper Government support veterans? By wearing poppies on their lapels! What, isn't that enough? They also cheer when a family is torn apart and forced out of Canada. Because cruelty to an Iraq War veteran who now supports peace equals support for the Canadian forces. No? These Canadian veterans feel they deserve more. From The National Post , Canada's most conservative newspaper: Disabled veterans, widows slam Harper government ahead of Remembrance Day Disabled veterans and military widows are unleashing a broadside of frustration against the Harper government just before Remembrance Day, saying they’re feeling abandoned and left to fend for themselves. They have gathered on Parliament Hill to paint a stark picture of bureaucratic indifference and re...

My recent post about no longer voting in US elections caused some dismay and upset among some of USian readers. At least one friend interpreted that post as encouraging others not to vote. I was surprised by this - but my friend was surprised that it meant otherwise! It seemed like a clarification was in order. First of all, I would never try to convince anyone not to vote. For most of my life, the idea of not voting was anathema to me. I would have never considered it. And, in the first few presidential elections in which I was eligible to vote, I voted Democrat, and I didn't agree with people I knew who voted third-party. So I understand all the arguments about voting and about voting Democrat. I know where my USian friends are on these issues, because I've been there. What's more, the inaction of not voting is not enough. Boycotting the duopoly without working on building a new system, or educating people about alternatives, would be fairly useless. And I am certainly n...

I spent the summer and fall of 2004 working on a Get Out The Vote campaign for the Democrats, not because they were my party of choice, but because I was angry at the prospect of another stolen election, and I wanted to make a difference in the popular vote numbers. After that election was stolen, too , I stopped voting in the US. Now, in 2012, voter suppression has reached new depths . If I still lived in the US, I don't know if I'd vote Green or not at all. Voting Green can be seen as a protest against the duopoly, and it shows support for a progressive agenda. Voting for any candidate can be seen as an endorsement of the rigged system. I am entitled to vote in the US election by absentee ballot, but I choose not to engage in that pointless bit of theatre . One problem with voting is the widely held assumption, seldom questioned, that voting is engagement with the political system - that it's a form of activism. Voting (when the system is fair and not rigged) is certai...

Via Common Dreams: Pakistan's anti-drone politician and former cricket-star, Imran Khan, was taken off an international flight from Toronto to New York for questioning over his political views, and his critical stance on US foreign policy, immigration officials have confirmed . "I was taken off from plane and interrogated by US Immigration in Canada on my views on drones. My stance is known. Drone attacks must stop," Khan tweeted yesterday after his questioning. Ali Zaidi, an official in Khan's party demanded "a prompt and thorough inquiry into this sordid episode" and "an unconditional apology from the US government". Khan was on his way from a public lecture in Toronto to a fundraising event in New York. He was eventually released and allowed in the US. He added: "Missed flight and sad to miss the fundraising lunch in NY but nothing will change my stance." Khan, leader of the Pakistan Movement for Justice party (PTI), and Prime Ministe...

Revolutionary thought of the day: It is better to vote for what you want and not get it, than to vote for what you don't want and get it. Eugene V. Debs

When making the case for the differences between US Democrats and Republicans, many people's first thought is the Supreme Court. High on their list of the importance of SCOTUS is usually Roe v. Wade , the case that established abortion rights for American women. There was a time when I would have wholeheartedly agreed with both of these assessments - but that time has long since passed. Yet so few USians seem to realize it. The current makeup of SCOTUS is already five Republican appointees who range from moderately conservative (in the US context) to far-right ideologues and four Democrat appointees who range from moderately liberal to liberal (again, within a US context only). Five to four. Done. More significant, though, is the relevancy of Roe . The tremendous focus on whether or not that case will be overturned is about two decades out of date. From the earliest days of the Reagan administration, when the anti-choice movement began to raise money and stock state legislatures in...

Last week, I blogged about the ongoing pattern of harassment and discrimination against people who express solidarity with the Palestinian people. This isn't in the same universe as the oppression endured by Palestine every day; nonetheless, it's a violation of our own civil liberties and rights, and raises a huge obstacle to disseminating accurate information about the situation in Gaza and elsewhere. When powerful institutional forces are heavily invested in repressing information, for much of the public, that information will remain invisible or be seen as suspect and dangerous. In other words, when someone like Immigration Minister Jason Kenney constantly associates Palestine solidarity and humanitarian aid with terrorism, and the compliant media echoes that characterization, large segments of the public will accept that link without question. Currently, the City of Toronto is poised to revise its anti-discrimination policy to reflect this kind of repression. As many of yo...