test blog #10

This is an excellent letter written by Dick Cotterill, who came to Canada when he deserted the US military during the Vietnam War. Dick wrote the letter in response to this drivel in the Toronto Sun . Peter Worthington characterizes U.S. Iraq War resisters -- soldiers who refuse to engage in a war that most of the world has recognized as illegal and immoral -- as insulting to the work of our Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. As a veteran who voluntarily joined the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War but left in disgust to eventually find a new home and establish a small business in Nova Scotia, I find his argument insulting to the intelligence of most Canadians and to our soldiers. I was born in Ithaca, N.Y., in 1950 and grew up on a dairy farm. In June of 1969, after completing my freshman year at Cornell University, I decided not to return in the fall. Many of my high school classmates were in the military and many were already in Vietnam at that time. I felt a patrio...

Just when you think you know how insane the tea-crazies have gotten, one of them manages to drain a little more water from the pool. (A mixed metaphor, I know, but the Seinfeld line is too good to pass up.) Concerned folks in the state of Missouri are trying to pass a law against the worst excesses of puppy mills, by legislating some minimum standards for breeders. Puppy mills are horribly inhumane places where dogs are kept in disgusting conditions and used as breeding machines, forced to bear litter after litter of puppies until they die of exhaustion. The offspring of those tortured dogs are crammed into tiny cages, never socialized, exercised or attended to, and fed the bare minimum for survival. Then they are cleaned up and sold to retail pet stores, to sit in windows until someone buys them. They often end up abandoned because they are so completely unsocialized, or die an early death caused by the abuse and neglect. So who could oppose legislation against puppy mills? (Except, o...

Do you remember these guys? This was in Jungle Cat World in June, only four months ago. Look at them now! We weren't there, but we sure wish we had been! In the US, despite the court ruling re-listing the gray wolf as an Endangered Species , wolves are still in grave danger. At least four states are attempting to pass laws that make an end-run around the Act and single out the wolf for extermination. Read about it here: "New wolf bills: bad science, bad policy, and bad legislation" .

I haven't done a "welcome to Canada, welcome to the blogosphere" post in a long time. Many years ago, this kind of post was a wmtc staple. Folks who had found this blog and each other during their emigration process would start blogs, and we'd all cheer each other on as the months and years of waiting dragged on . . . then finally we'd welcome each other to Canada. Some of those folks have become mainstays of the progressive blogosphere , but most have moved on. I'm very pleased to introduce a new moving-to-Canada blog, written by friend-of-wmtc Northern Girl. NG and her family escaped the hell of Florida, first for the limbo of Ohio, and now, at last, for the freedom they hope to find in Guelph. That's one more family to help make Canada the country we want it to be. You can welcome Northern Girl and follow her family's progress at Moving to Ontario . Another USian defector introduced himself to me recently. He and his family moved to Canada - also fr...

I'm thinking most wmtc readers have seen this by now, but if even one of you hasn't, it's worth posting. There has been a rash of suicides of of gay teens in the US. All of the young people were bullied in high school, because they were gay. Columnist Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller made this video in response. Nick is the first friend I met through wmtc. He's Canadian now, having left the US for a better life in Toronto. Here's his contribution to "It Gets Better". Sarah Silverman puts the bullying and the suicides in context. This is short; please be sure to watch it. Bullying isn't limited to queer kids, nor is teen suicide. The deaths of those six young people is not a "gay problem". It's our problem - all of us. It's up to each of us to create a safe world where each and every one of us can be ourselves, and can live without fear. We have a long way to go. "When you're sure you've had enough of this life......

On Saturday, October 16, in Fort Erie, Ontario, there will be a very special event in support of US war resisters in Canada. "Refusing Orders, Crossing Borders: A Dialogue with American War Resisters" is co-sponsored by the Buffalo, New York chapter of Veterans for Peace and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Many American veteran peace activists will be there, along with Canadian supporters from the Niagara region. We'll be getting to know some of the war resisters who have come to Canada, hearing about the issues they face, and learning how we can help. If you're in striking distance from Ft. Erie, please consider spending your Saturday with us. There'll be lunch, music, socializing - and undoubtedly some very moving and eye-opening talks. Buses will leave Toronto that morning, 8:00 a.m., and return around dinner time. To book a seat on the bus, call 416.598.1222. There's an event website here , and you can find it here on Facebook .

From the War Resisters Support Campaign : MAJORITY OF MPs DO NOT WANT US IRAQ WAR RESISTERS DEPORTED Send a message to Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff The defeat of Bill C-440 on Wednesday September 29th is a setback for US Iraq War resisters. There is a real danger that Jason Kenney will take the defeat of a bill as a green light to resume deportations. Bill C-440 received significant support, but 7 more votes were needed to pass it at Second Reading. Stephen Harper voted against it, and the leaders of two of the three opposition parties – the Bloc Québécois and the NDP – voted for it. But the leader of the Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff, left the House of Commons before the vote. Last week, Mr. Ignatieff’s office told supporters of Iraq War resisters that “party leaders do not vote on Private Members’ Bills”. This is clearly not true, as the results of the vote demonstrate. What is true, however, is that Mr. Ignatieff could have voted for the bill to allow it to be considere...