Obfuscated Thoughtlessness Inversed

Sometime ago I noted that Facebook was now the #5 most used website in Canada in terms of Alexa's reach. Incredibly, Facebook has now moved up to #4 ahead of Google.com but still behind Google.ca.

No one would seriously ignore Google in terms of internet presence. These days no one in Canada should ignore Facebook either. If you are implementing any kind of visibility or internet strategy you must now take Facebook into account in your plan.

I have been having some good fun with Facebook Activism. It appears to be an excellent platform for building commonality around issues and lobbying government.

Some of the groups I have started are:

• Oppose the 29% Pay Increase for MLAs
  : http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2322485417
• Against Nuclear Energy: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2315031616
• Miners' Memorial - Cumberland: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2303218290
• NDP - Julian West for Saanich Gulf Islands: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2343496213
• Oil Free Coast!: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2379666338
• Support Canadian Electoral Reform - Make Every Vote Count!: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2247059467

If you aren't on Facebook you should at least know what it is.

PS: Don't forget to find me on Facebook

Labels: alternatives, leftist content creation, online campaign, shilling

Today, at 17:30 EST will be a critical vote for the federal Liberal caucus. Anti-Scab legislation that has existed with much success in British Columbia and Quebec is coming up for a vote. Bill C-257 has passed first and second reading but in a move designed to destroy the Liberal Party's left-wing credibility Dion has ordered his caucus to kill this legislation.

Dion appeared to be extremely happy that the government was going to fall, this bill would die on the order papers and that he would be able to avoid voting on this key motion. Instead, the Bloc has kept the sitting alive and Dion's Liberal caucus can't hide behind another unlikely to be fulfilled future promise to introduce a $10 minimum wage.

I hope you can take a few minutes in the next two hours to send a message to your MP and to Dion to encourage them to rethink this and support the legislation. Anti-Scab legislation saves lives, improves working conditions and is international law.

Take this action now:

Bill C-257 is now back in the House of Commons for debate on the Committee Report and a final vote at Third Reading.

A strong majority of MPs supported the bill last October because they agreed that ending the practice of using replacement workers during labour disputes would provide the balance required to bring better labour relations. They also supported it because so many of their constituents asked them to.

I'm asking you to support C-257 at Third Reading.

The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) heard from many witnesses during its study of C-257 – 13 representing unions, 32 representing employers, and various technical experts. What stood out from those hearings was the many ridiculous things big business put forward to confuse and scare MPs.

A good deal of the big business fear mongering about C-257 focussed on the continuation of “essential services” during labour disputes. No doubt your Ottawa office has received some letters or phone calls about this in recent weeks.

Essential services are already protected by both the Canada Labour Code and other statutes that deal specifically with federal public services. Passing C-257 does nothing to diminish those protections.

While it is unfortunate that the Committee's attempts to make direct reference to those protections (contained in section 87.4 of the Canada Labour Code) were ruled out of order by the Speaker, rest assured that ruling should not be taken to mean these protections are gone. Quite the contrary.

In fact, the one amendment the Speaker did allow (because it has always been part of the legislation) anchors C-257 to the strict safeguards that are already in place to guarantee the essential services upon which Canadians depend are not interrupted by a labour dispute.

The bottom line is that C-257 provides a much-needed balance to labour relations that take place under the Canada Labour Code. A balance that goes much further towards the protection of essential services by eliminating the threat of tactical lockouts by employers or strikes that happen because a few rogue employers refuse to bargain with their workers.

Bring balance to labour relations and reduce the risk of labour disputes that put essential services at risk in the first place. Support C-257 at Third Reading.

Labels: alternatives, cons, democracy, leftist content creation, link, ndp, online campaign, opinion, union

"The previous Liberal government ratified the Kyoto Protocol knowing Canada wasn't ready to take the tough measures needed to address climate change and would likely miss the deadlines for reducing emissions, says a top adviser to former prime minister Jean Chrétien." - from Cullen on Climate Change

Tell our political leaders to stop the rhetoric, take action, and do something real for the environment. It will take you 20 seconds. - from David Suzuki Foundation e-mail

To: Stéphane Dion (Liberal Party), Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Québécois), Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Conservative Party of Canada), Jack Layton (New Democratic Party)
From: Morgan

If I were Prime Minister... I would condemn my predecessors incessantly for their crimes against humanity for failing to act to avert the environmental crisis that is overcoming our world.

Hey Stephen & Stéphane its time for action!

Get your butts in gear and stop holding up effective solutions in committee.

After you send a note; sign this petition.

Labels: cons, democracy, environment, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, leftist content creation, ndp, online campaign

The NDP is being incredibly effective in the balance of power position. Movement is happening on NDP priorities without capitulation.

This all happened today:

Layton's announcement yesterday that there is a "Prosperity gap continue[ing] to grow for new Canadians" and that the NDP has a plan to help, saw headlines across the country, today. Montreal Gazette, The Star, Toronto Sun, The Globe and Mail, CTV and many more headlines headlines abounded.

It met with some incomprehensible, yet hilarious criticism from the likes of these guys. That's right weirdos, Layton wants to help immigrants use their skills ipso facto he is having an affair, has a love child and ... ... ... you guessed it: Thai food in Alberta. Everyone else seemed to like the ideas presented including these conservatives who claim it coincides nicely with the Ontario Conservatives plan.. whatever..

Then Catherine Bell, had the opportunity to introduce and speak to the importance of Bill M-262. Correspondingly, you have the opportunity to sign a petition supporting this excellent motion for electoral reform in Canada. Back in 2005 Ed Broadbent pushed a motion through that was adopted unanimously calling for electoral reform. Today's motion picks up where that motion left off. It's necessary because the other parties aren't moving on this critical priority at all.

A motion calling for a $10 minimum federal wage was also moved in the house today by the NDP:

Today one in six Canadians live in poverty and nearly 1.2 million of these are children. Many adults living in poverty work for rock-bottom wages. One quarter of poor families now have someone working full time and two million families are unable to find shelter they can afford. The federal minimum wage was abolished by the Liberal government in 1996.

And finally, as South of the border, folks come up with a surefire way to get argue for troops to come home from Iraq. North of the border superstar MP, Dawn Black, uncovers military plans that have not been approved by parliament despite what O'Connor's department says. Check out this magic exchange from Question Period:

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP) : Mr. Speaker, the government needs to come clean on this. Will the Royal Canadian Regiment be returned in February 2010? Will the PPCLI be returning in August 2009 for their third or fourth rotation? And will the Van Doos return for their third rotation in August 2010 as General Hillier's planning documents indicate? It is hard to see where civilian oversight is taking place at DND. How can the military plan rotations that Parliament has not approved?

Hon. Gordon O'Connor (Minister of National Defence, CPC) : Mr. Speaker, the government has said that we are committed to the end of February 2009. No further decision has been made. The government, when it finds it appropriate, will make the decision on what happens if and when the events occur after 2009.

Has the NDP uncovered the military reporting to someone other than the executive? Maybe it is like that time, the RCMP deported Arar to be tortured in Syria because they gave information to US Authorities but not their own political leadership. Nope, no convenient fall guy (can you spell Z-a-c-c-a-r-d-e-l-l-i) will be available this time (H-i-l-l-i-e-r), Dawn Black received these documents through a Freedom of Information request.

Here's the entire exchange:

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP) :
Mr. Speaker, the Minister of National Defence has refused the NDP request to set a time for debate and a vote on whether or not to extend the mission in Afghanistan beyond 2009. Documents I have obtained through access to information show that the Chief of the Defence Staff is already way ahead of the government. The CDS has detailed plans going until 2011 for deployments.

Will the minister tell the members of the Canadian Forces and their families what General Hillier has planned for them?

* * *

Hon. Gordon O'Connor (Minister of National Defence, CPC) :
Mr. Speaker, I have answered this question a number of times. The member is confusing the military internal plan which is based upon the Afghanistan compact and government direction. If she reads the plan in detail, she will notice that the military acknowledge that they are committed to the end of February 2009, however, they plan beyond those dates because the Afghan compact goes until 2011.

* * *

Ms. Dawn Black (New Westminster—Coquitlam, NDP) :
Mr. Speaker, the government needs to come clean on this. Will the Royal Canadian Regiment be returned in February 2010? Will the PPCLI be returning in August 2009 for their third or fourth rotation? And will the Van Doos return for their third rotation in August 2010 as General Hillier's planning documents indicate?

It is hard to see where civilian oversight is taking place at DND. How can the military plan rotations that Parliament has not approved?

* * *

Hon. Gordon O'Connor (Minister of National Defence, CPC) :
Mr. Speaker, the government has said that we are committed to the end of February 2009. No further decision has been made. The government, when it finds it appropriate, will make the decision on what happens if and when the events occur after 2009.

Labels: alternatives, blogosphere, leftist content creation, link, online campaign, opinion, personal story, spy-watch

The news that anti-whaling heroes Karl Neilsen and John Gravois were found safe after 7 hours adrift in Antarctic waters is exhilarating and relieving.

The Sea Shepherd's two anti-whaling ships (and as a result Greenpeace too) have finally caught up to the Japanese Whaling fleet after searching since early December in the Antarctic, will hopefully mean significant interruption to the slaughter of whales.

"Japan plans to harpoon up to 935 minke whales and 10 fin whales under what it calls a scientific research program this year. However, it admits that whale meat from the hunt ends up on restaurant tables." - Lost whaling activists 'lasso iceberg' from Melbourne's The Age

That is Japan is up to, but what of Iceland you ask? After ceasing whaling in 1986 as a result of Paul Watson's critically important direct action sinking of Iceland's entire factory whaling fleet has returned to commercial whaling. Iceland killed 36 whales again for the first time since 1986 under scientific auspices in 2003.

Send the following note, today:

Prime Minister of Iceland Mr. Geir H. Haarde
Prime Minister's Office
Stjornarradshusinu vid Laekjartorg
150 Reykjavik
Iceland
Tel: +354-545-8400
Fax: +354-562-4014
E-Mail postur@for.stjr.is

Dear Prime Minister Haarde,

I write to express my disappointment at Iceland's recent decision to resume commercial whaling and international trade in whale meat.

Iceland now joins Norway and Japan as the world's three rogue whaling nations. Your country has become the North Korea of whalers displaying complete contempt for international conservation law and total disrespect for conservation and world opinion.

Iceland's announcement to kill 30 Minke and nine fin whales defies the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling - a decision accepted by your government in 1982. It was Sea Shepherd Conservation Society that convinced you, in 1986, to finally stop your illegal whaling.

Twenty years ago, on November 16, 1986, Sea Shepherd crew sank half the Icelandic whaling fleet and destroyed the whale meat processing plant in Reykjavik. That action was taken in response to Iceland violating the global moratorium the first year it was imposed.

Icelandic authorities refused to charge the Sea Shepherd crew despite Captain Watson turning himself in to the authorities in Iceland to demand that they lay charges. Your country refused to charge Sea Shepherd because Iceland knew it was in violation of international law and it knew Sea Shepherd were put on trial it would be putting Iceland's whale killing on trial in front of the watchful eyes of the world.

Sea Shepherd is making plans to return to Iceland next year to confront these ruthless Icelandic pirate whalers once again and I fully support this. Whaling has no place in the 21st century. It is cruel, unnecessary, and immoral.

I reiterate my opposition to the Government of Iceland's plans to resume commercial whaling and meat trade. I urge Iceland to focus on developing its far more lucrative and sustainable whale watching industry.

Please, make sure that your country doesn't need to stand trial to the world's opinion again.

Sincerely,


Your name here

Labels: alternatives, environment, go veggie, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, historical, leftist content creation, link, online campaign, opinion, whale rights abuse

"Since 2001, the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act has exacerbated the systematic racism, discriminatory criteria and arbitrary decision-making of Immigration Canada, creating more obstacles for people to qualify as refugees and permanent residents. Additionally, the asylum procedure for refugees lacks an appeal process, and bureaucracy has created an enormous backlog. Yet, day by day, this growing underclass of exploited clandestine workers, deprived of all rights, fuels the Canadian economy." - The four demands of Solidarity Across Borders

The on-going genocidal and xenophobic practices of the Canadian government must change now.

"[Ahmad Jaballah] said he believes security certificates were issued - the first in 1999, from which [Mahmoud] Jaballah was released after seven months and then the second in 2001 - because his father had refused to work for Canada's spy agency.

"CSIS has their own agenda. I believe they're out there to get my dad," Ahmad Jaballah continued." - from Inside Toronto

The on-going hunger strike by security certificate detainees must be stopped by creating a positive resolution to the crisis it highlights. Mahmoud Jaballah is on day 78 of this courageous stand against the injustice of detention without trial and without the opportunity to see the evidence against him.

"Mr. Jaballah, Mr. Almrei, and Mr. Mahjoub have been detained for over five and six years without charge or conviction, under the provision of security certificates." Conservatives vote against Siksay’s motion seeking an end to Kingston hunger strike

Don't forget, if they can do this to "them" they can do this to you and I. Some slopes are much more slippery than others.

"dem come for de rasta and you say nothing
dem come from the muslims you say nothing
dem come for the anti-globalist you say nothing
dem even come for the liberals and you say nothing
dem come for you and will speak for you? who will speak for you, who ?"
- Asian dub foundaton

Labels: alternatives, anti-war, canada, day, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, human rights abuse, ndp, online campaign, spy-watch, yay immigration

The BC Government's on-going conversation on health continues to suck. Only 5,000 people, so far are talking to the provincial government about their plans for privatization of health care. The public appears to be wise enough to realize that anything they say to the Gordon Campbell Liberals will likely be used to justify a pre-determined course of action.

A petition, against health-care privatization, I ran a few years ago received nearly 40,000 responses on a near-zero budget. When you compare this with 5,000 participants on a multi-million dollar public relations fiasco (normally not even a slightly fair comparison but...) it is clear there is a massive credibility gap on the Conversation on Health. Oh yeah, it's true I am finally and publicly admitting that Alfred Young is a pseudonym for me. Take that privatization and no longer being afraid of recriminations!

The BC Health Conversation is another matter. This excellent subvertisement sponsored by the HEU is a great way to impact future health policy. Check it out.

The HEU also had their website voted into the 2007 Top 10 Labour websites as announced today by Labourstart. The LHMU, the union I spent much of last year working for in Melbourne, also made the list. Congratulations to them and the other 2007 winners.

Labels: canada, democracy, health, historical, hospitality, human rights abuse, link, online campaign

"Purely from an environmental perspective, we must look at nuclear energy as a key source of energy in Canada. We know it's clean, it produces zero emissions, [and] it produces no greenhouse gases." - Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources.

Yesterday, our natural resources minister alienated himself from reality.

Apparently, Lunn thinks nuclear energy is an emission free form of energy creation. We know the opposite is true. Over the life-cycle of nuclear waste the long-term consequences to our environment are extremely detrimental. More than that, emissions from construction of plants, storage of waste and decommissioning far outstrip that of other sources of power.

Nuclear is not an option to solve the massive crisis in our world's environment.

Labels: alternatives, anti-war, faith, nuclear waste, online campaign, scary technology

We live in dangerous times, where doing your job as a civilian in the fashion of conscientious objection can lead to personal repercussions for your employer and you.

This scary report on the outcome of answering a request to ship to Iraq with this response:
We would NEVER ship to Iraq. If you were sensible, you and your troops would pull out of Iraq, highlights how the all-consuming American military machine is reaching into civilian lives and with catastrophic consequences.

The scariest part about this story, is not the fact that a person can be fired for conscientiously objecting to military uses of civilian resources and definitely not the fact that this person saw fit to deny a military serviceman access to supplies. It also isn't that the US Military is so badly supplying their troops that those troops are busy trying to set-up their own supply lines. The scary part is that a group of thugs used their blogs to threaten the owner of the store's life, posted photos of his home and have put his on-line portal out of business.

Although I have not gone so far as to participate in the Boycott of the United States, yet, over their anti-democratic military aggression, I highly support people's right to abstain from participating in the war machine. I am opposed to conscription and support the campaigns to allow desertion and conscientious objection amongst those in the military.

We must stand together to protect those who are vulnerable in our society. Today, we can fight the nasty aggressive incitement to violence with words. Tomorrow, we may have to take more drastic actions... like electing a government that opposes illegal war.

Freedom comes at a price. Any other way would not be so nice.

If you are a currently enlisted person who wants to avoid killing people illegally, and is looking for support, we have a history in the anti-war movement of being able to:
a) get you out of the United States safely,
b) rally support for your conscientious objection, and
c) materially support you in Canada and support you in a refugee claim.

Contact the War Resisters Support Campaign. Need some inspiration? Watch this:



If you are not currently enlisted, take action to support resisters today!

Labels: anti-war, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, iraq, leftist content creation, online campaign, opinion, tools

This site is still up. Fuckers. I haven't held office as Chairperson for the UVic Students' Society since 2000, but these anti-choicers are still suggesting you e-mail me and tell me how wrong-headed I am.

To top it all off, you guessed it, they are the ones who are wrong.

They lost a democratic vote of the membership to establish the policy, another in 1999 to protect it and apparently it was revisited for the third time recently and the idiots lost again.

The issue was simple. They thought the student society shouldn't have any control over itself and e-mail the The University President's Council to that effect. They also thought policy set by democratic meetings of over 500 people should exempt them for no reason.

Oh how my e-mail box used to whine under the barrage of their incessant insanity.

Happy Pro-Choice Blogging Day everybody!

May the anti-choicers shrivel and die soon... if not here is some Bill Hick's to live by:

"If you're really pro-life, here's what you do. Don't block med clinics. OK? Lock arms, and block cemeteries. Let's see how fucking committed you are to this premise!
'She can't come in.'
'She was 96, she got hit by a bus, what?'
'There's options.'
'What? stuff her? What're you talking about? She's dead!'
'We're pro-life; get her out of that casket! Get her out! We're pro-life, there will be no death!'
...look, a three-month old baby in a woman's belly is not a human being, OK? It's just a congregate of cells. You're not a human being, 'till you're in my phone book." - Bill Hicks

Yay for Roe v. Wade!

Labels: alternatives, bc blogs, canada, democracy, health, leftist content creation, link, online campaign, opinion, personal story, pro-choice

What the ....?

A 10% increase and they still don't have enough money to perform the basic functions they are instructed, by our government, to carry out. Functions like run the regularly scheduled patrols of our ocean borders?

We need to get out of the Persian Gulf part of the Iraq War mission. We must get out of Afghanistan.

The United States (the world's largest military power and supposedly our largest ally) continues to threaten our human rights. Is our military prepared to defend the environment? Why is it that illegal fishing such as drag-netting is a lower priority than enforcing an oil-embargo against a now deposed Iraqi regime (the reason given when we sent ships to the gulf)?

We may not even have the basic patrols to assert sovereignty over our territory that the United States is fundamentally changing with their intolerable disregard for our Earth. Meanwhile our government re-announces programs cut from the agenda of a prior governments that did nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Check this campaign at ceasefire.ca:

Dear Prime Minister Harper:

I do not agree with Canada's military role in Afghanistan. I urge you to end Canada's combat mission, and work with our allies and the Afghan government to establish a comprehensive peace process for the country.

A 10% increase in military spending is a shameful legacy of your new government. Please do not allow this excessive increase in military spending to threaten other vital programs.

Thank you.

Labels: anti-war, democracy, environment, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, human rights abuse, leftist content creation, online campaign, opinion

Google News has numerous effective uses that enhance a news watchers ability to keep up with what is going on in the world.

I have been using Google News for many years as my own personal clipping services, to track specific stories and to get an international perspective on stories that appear to have an excessively narrow view expressed in the source that brings the piece to my attention. This week, I realized that one of my close friends had never used Google News. This is despite having been given explicit instructions to use it a number of times in the past.

I am guessing it is possible you to have not used Google News or at least that you have not made use of it with the advanced features that make it the powerful tool it is. If you have never used Google News you should go there now, and come back to this article to read about the advanced features later.

If you have been a regular Google News reader spend a moment considering these uses.

Google News - Your own clipping service

Let's say you are working on an election campaign, planning on highlighting a specific issue in a community campaign or you are simply completely envious of that cool kid from junior high school and want to track her every move on her way to another dozen Junos. Google Alerts has for a long time been a part of Google News and has recently expanded to include all web content.

Let's go back to the cool kid from high school scenario. In this completely ridiculous scenario, I would add an alert for the search terms "Nelly Furtado", of the type Comprehensive (this includes blog content, news content and web content). Given that I really don't want to think about her more than once-a-week I would then choose that option as how often I would like to receive an alert by e-mail, summarizing new cool kid from high school content. By the way this alert is fictional and I do not receive weekly e-mails with updates of Nelly Furtado from Google News, but I could...



A more likely use? Let's say you are a not a Nelly Furtado stalker and were thinking of working on an election campaign in the City of Victoria in 2008. You could add Google Alerts for local city electables "Dean Fortin", "Pam Madoff", "Alan Lowe" and "Ben Isitt" with the setting as-it-happens. You would then immediately be notified if any of these folks made the news or were written up in a blog. The alert gives you a brief summary of the article and a link to the full article.

Really need to make it your own clipping service? Set up a 2 GB Gmail account to receive the alerts and keep them in a searchable form there.

Google News - Your own anti-censor

When reading an article that appears to show an extremely narrow point of view, choose a few key words, who, what, where, and type them into Google News.

You will instantly be given a screen of all the articles on that topic.

Today, was the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Guatanamo Bay Gulag - the US Government's illegal torture camp. Let's say you happened across a US Government News Release reproduced in a major news source on how Guatanamo Bay was doing wonderfully and almost complying with the law. Thinking to yourself, wow, this seems a remarkably one-sided story you can then do a search for the term Guatanamo-Bay in the Google News search bar. This gives a whole group of stories about illegal detainment, torture, and the protests against the open illegality of the US Administration's on-going breaches of the Geneva convention.

Additionally, let's say in protest against the on-going illegal detentions you decided to set-up a website supporting further protests. You could use Google News to generate an RSS/Atom feed of all stories with the keywords Guatanamo Bay and add that to your website.

Google News - A tool for democracy

As we change this world for the better, sites like Google News will be a powerful means by which to track an expanding dichotomy of debate and to increase your voices potential to be heard at the right time to impact the world.

A discussion like today's freak announcement that; the main strategy scientists had to keep nuclear waste with a 24,000 year half-life safe for 250,000 years, can actually only keep nuclear waste safe for 1400 years, can be tracked on a single website.

Watch the media for your favourite politicians, issues and writers. Post the RSS on a website where other people can read through the content.

But, most of all read the news, read the blogs and don't forget to read the wind!

Labels: alternatives, anti-war, democracy, leftist content creation, nuclear waste, online campaign, opinion, public power, spy-watch, tools

We briefly interrupt the regularly programmed obfuscated thoughtlessness inversed to rebroadcast a reminder that many of us live on stolen land and Leonard Peltier is still in jail.

FREEDOM VIDEO ~ RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

Directed by Peter Christopherson. The video combines live performance footage with scenes from documentary Incident At Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story and text from Peter Matthiessen's In The Spirit Of Crazy Horse.

:

Labels: copwatch, historical, online campaign

Have the BC CFS and the BC Fed lost their constituency? It seems like a simple demand to me.

Raise the minimum wage to $10. Now!

The petition has been on-line for 22 days and has less than 300 signatures. There are more than 300 staff working for BC Fed (BC Federation of Labour) affiliated unions in British Columbia. Speaking of which one of the staff of the BC Fed itself, John Weir, only just signed the petition yesterday.

Come on folks. How hard is it to sign a petition calling for a livable minimum wage for everyone. Is it because the wage should be higher. Personally, I agree let's go for $20 an hour. At least then when it take another 5 years to raise the minimum wage again it will still be somewhere near livable.

The BC Fed convention is starting on November 27. There will be more than the 300 delegates at the convention. They had better be able to get at least one worker each to sign on to this petition. I want to see those numbers going up.

And what about the CFS (Canadian Federation of Students). They claim to represent 200,000 students in British Columbia. Representation requires being able to mobilize. If you can't mobilize to sign an online petition, it might be time to think about taking some classes again.

Whatev.. maybe I'm just bitter because online petitions are so damn easy to publicize and get people to sign onto. Maybe I'm just bitter because I'm not even making $10 an hour and I want the people who have represented me in the past to keep being able to do it well.

Ok it doesn't really matter why I'm bitter. What matters is that you go here now and sign the damn petition. Have you done it yet? GO!

PS: Don't like minimum wage increases? Feeling like a wanky free market economist? Get off my blog, NOW and go here to have your arguments debunked.

Labels: online campaign

Canada and Spain are the targets of a recent Greenpeace flash animation featuring 4 underwater South Park like creatures. Check it at: weblog.greenpeace.org

As a willing participant in destroying the economies of whatever countries destroy these delicate underwater ecosystems through bottom trawling I fired off the following missive to Stephen Harper:


To: Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Subject: Canada: It’s time to support deep sea habitat protection
(how would you like it if your habitat got scooped?)

Re: Canada joining the majority of the international community in support of a UN moratorium on high seas bottom trawling

To: Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

I am concerned and disappointed that Canada's new government continues to support high seas bottom trawling.

Just for a moment imagine how you would like it if a giant net came down and scooped up all of the Ottawa area (including the toxic mud at the bottom of the Rideau canal). Then dumped you and everything else in the net that wasn't an allowable catch (ie. a Chretien era sponsorship scandal linked Liberal) in a muddy pile. I bet you would be pretty happy to have a ban on these giant nets in place, wouldn't you. I think you would be pretty mad about your civil rights being trampled and your eco-system being destroyed.

Given the analogy I think you can see that destroying entire underwater eco-systems is not the right way to support fisheries in the long term.

This type of fishing is ludicrous. Given the known impacts of bottom trawl gear on the ocean floor, our lack of knowledge about deep-sea habitats and species and the complete lack of regulation on an estimated 75% of the high seas, it is essential that Canada take action.

I urge you to join responsible nations like the United States, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. in their support of a UN resolution establishing a temporary "time out" from destructive bottom trawl fishing. Canada does not have any bottom trawlers fishing on the high seas, thus supporting a moratorium poses no threat to the livelihoods of Canadian fisher. It does, however, have much to gain. A moratorium on high seas bottom trawling would solve the long-standing problem of unregulated bottom trawling on the nose and tail of the Grand Banks.

In June of this year, your Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn said that, "bottom trawling does damage to the stocks, and it does damage to habitat". Having acknowledged this, Canada has a responsibility to take leadership on the international stage and support a moratorium. By joining with nations like Spain (which is responsible for most the high seas bottom trawling) in opposing the moratorium, Canada is allowing the destruction of un-charted habitat in unregulated seas to continue unabated.

Prime Minister, please reconsider your position on high seas bottom trawling. Listen to the scientists, fishermen, Canadians and the global public who are calling for protection of deep sea life. Become a deep-sea defender and support a UN moratorium on high seas bottom trawling.

Damn!


PS: Now it's your turn. Don't worry there is a form letter if you aren't feeling creative.

Labels: green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, leftist content creation, online campaign, opinion

First, my sisters and brothers of the SEIU were attacked and now peaceful protesters outside the State Parliament in Melbourne.

Check out this total bullshit: http://melbourne.indymedia.org/uploads/g20parliament.mov

My one line critique of the G20: G20 leaders should be criticizing not only North Korea for nuclear tests, but also the other nuclear powers of the world for still having them.

Labels: alternatives, democracy, leftist content creation, online campaign, opinion, union

Racist, violent police on horseback attacked a group of peacefully protesting janitors yesterday.

Don't like how I called these cops racist and violent have a look for yourself: Download the podcast or watch it on YouTube.

Today, a thousand janitors held another protest at the same site.

“Houston has to make a decision whether they are going to use their power to grind workers deeper into poverty or use their power to lift workers out of poverty,” said Tom Balanoff, President of SEIU Local 1. “We hope the aggressive tactic employed against the janitors last night was a regrettable mistake on the part of the police and it won’t be repeated.”

Of course this story isn't about police aggression on one day in one city. This story is about the aggressive attack capitalism takes on the lowest paid workers doing the dirtiest crappiest jobs every day. Today, you just get to see how threatened the state becomes when a small number of these workers stand up for their rights.

In the words of NWA:

"To the police I'm sayin fuck you punk
Readin my rights and shit, it's all junk
Pullin out a silly club, so you stand
With a fake assed badge and a gun in your hand
But take off the gun so you can see what's up"

This isn't just the police either, this is also the property owners who had them called out.

Please take a moment to stand with these workers and send a note to the boss's boss.

Take a page from NWA's lyric book and let them know what you really think.

Labels: alternatives, copwatch, democracy, human rights abuse, online campaign, union

The BC Government is examining the possibility of allowing commercial development in BC Parks. I took a moment to express my views on this and here I share them with you (aren't you lucky).

To: Gordon Campbell, Premier premier@gov.bc.ca
Barry Penner, Minister of Environment barry.penner.mla@leg.bc.ca
CC: Carole James, Leader of the Official Opposition carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca
Subject: 13% Commercial Free Please

Dear Gordon & Barry:

I am writing today on the topic of commercial development within BC Parks.

Your current proposal to allow development in the wonderful protected areas of our province is akin to the City of Victoria allowing a McDonald's in Beacon Hill Park. Allegorically, I'm not saying you should shut down the Beacon Hill Drive-in, just that you don't need a McDonald's overtop of the duck pond, or at the top of Beacon Hill.

Having trouble picturing what I am talking about? It is a five minute walk from your office. I know you Gordon and Barry personally aren't likely to be reading this e-mail, but may I suggest to the person who is, that you get up from your desk and take a field trip for the next 15 minutes and walk through to Beacon Hill park to think about this. It might not change your mind or the decision maker you report to, but I guarantee that it will be an enjoyable, quiet walk away from hubbub of commercial development and the office you work in.

An entire generation of British Columbians sacrificed economic growth to set aside the 13% of our land base that makes up the protected areas of British Columbia. This was the right decision and it is incomprehensible that you would allow private development within these parks. If we had wanted to develop these areas we could have. British Columbians made a reasonable choice to set these areas aside as parks free from commercial use. All of them were created with the possibility of building commercial enterprise on their edges. Accessible yet external. Once land claims and sovereignty issues are settled in British Columbia there would be few opponents to commercial interests building a "drive-in."

Sure, my generation could have grown up with a higher level of income in our province if we had allowed the kind of forestry and mining that had been proposed. We all would have benefited from increased spending on textbooks or teacher's salaries. Instead we got the chance to visit beautiful areas like the Carmanah Valley on field trips and the hope to be able to do the same with our grand children.

Please let me remind you of Judge Begbie's decision from 1884 about Beacon Hill Park. "The park alias the pleasure ground, is to be used for recreation and enjoyment; and therefore, I think, in no other manner; not for general purposes of profit, or utility, however great the prospect of these may be. A trustee cannot go beyond his "express trust at least cannot do anything inconsistent with it."

Let the intent of the public good guide you as you think of the future stewardship of our BC Parks.

You both know what Judge Begbie's nickname was! I am certain that the BC electorate's judgment could be equally severe at the next election if you make the wrong choices on such key issues.

-Morgan.


PS: My advice to the faceless reader of this e-mail at the Premier's office could also be given to you (or me for that matter).. it is always time for a fifteen minute walk through Beacon Hill Park.

Labels: alternatives, environment, green isn't just a colour it's an imperative, leftist content creation, online campaign, unfolding