Tax The Bastards

Well, that was fun while it lasted. It seems the older you get, the faster Christmas flies by. But there's only so much family and commercialism on can handle in a week long period anyway, so I suppose it's a good thing.

I went an entire week without reading a single news article, watching a single news cast, and the only real political discussion I had was with my semi-crazy uncle about the coming chaos is the U.S. should the Republicans take the Oval Office in 2012. I'm finally old enough to be asked my opinion on these matters, but I'm not sure I want the distinction.

A cousin of mine is born again. The best analogy I can think of when explaining this to people is to tell them they used to be part of the local Baptist church... but even the Baptists thought they were loons so they started their own congregation. I can handle being told many things in life; I'm wrong on politics, wrong about science, wrong about a T.V. show, but I absolutely can't stand being told the set of bullshit beliefs I had instilled in me as a child are the wrong set of bullshit beliefs. I'm sorry if this offends, but... oh hell, no I'm not.

It really bothers me that by their own clergy tell them they are not to consort with non-believers, whether they may be family, lifelong friends or what have you. Religion, if it has any use at all should be the glue that holds people of all creeds, colours, and backgrounds together. Instead it is being used to tear families, friendship and even geographical regions apart at the seams.

Last Christmas, I received a copy of Marcy McDonald's "Armageddon Factor" and it has sat on my bookshelf since. It's not a matter of lack of interest in the subject, it's the fear of what I know I'm going to find in those pages. I have spent a great deal of time trying to understand the born again mentality over the years, from my ex-wife's family, to my cousin from Michigan and beyond. I know what the end game is, and why Israel is so important to these people and it makes me question their ability to think clearly and responsibly, especially those with the power to end the world with a push of a button. George W. Bush spent 8 years telling people that God spoke to him and guided his decisions. How he could blame God for his cocaine induced hallucinations is beyond me, but if it gets him through the day, then I'm all for it. The problem lies where the foreign policy is dictated by your theology.

And here in Canada we have the HarperCons, some of them with the same born again beliefs supporting Israel not because of the implications for democracy in the middle east, but because they believe that Israel will be the site of the second coming of Christ and they will all be raptured up to heaven to leave us non-believers to burn and suffer during the end of days. Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Hindus, we are all going down together according to their prophecy. You see they want all the Jewish people to be in Israel, not out of concern for their safety, or the prospects of democracy, but because when Jesus returns, they will be given a choice; convert, or die. You couldn't make this shit up if you tried.

Which brings me to my next point. These religious types are more and more involved in politics everyday. Here's my question. Why, in 2011, do we have an entire sector of the economy (organized religion) that has more power then just about any other sector with the exception of Wall St., and big oil, yet they pay no taxes? If governments are serious about balancing budgets and avoiding cuts, shouldn't we start by taxing the shit out of these people who want their faith to be the basis of policy? No guarantees of course, but it's a good start. Organized religion is big business, and there's no shortage of super churches popping up all over the place, lets raise some revenue by taxing these real estate holdings and income. If the religious institutions had to pay their share, they might think twice about calling for war with Iran for Israel's sake. After all, who would Jesus bomb?

Enjoy the last couple of days of 2011, the next is bound to be on hell of a year. May you live in interesting times...

All I Want For Christmas... Is Clean Elections

Yesterday The Globe and Mail picked up a story that originally appeared in the Waterloo Region Record, almost as an addendum to the Irwin Cotler affair, that the CPC was caught calling voters this last election day and directing them to vote at the wrong polling station. Of course like good Conservatives always do, they claim it was an honest mistake. I for one don't believe that for a second. Between this, "In and Out," and the RCMP intervention in the 2006 election we're seeing a pattern of dirty tricks that would make Nixon blush. Imagine if the F.B.I. had announced a criminal investigation of Hubert Humphrey in 1968 during the election campaign.

As the story was posted across the country on the internet, more and more voters were claiming on message boards across the country that they had in fact received the same types of calls on election day. What we seem to have here is anecdotal evidence of a concerted effort on the part of the Cons to disenfranchise potential voters, or at the very least, cause enough confusion that the voter would just give up and not vote. It happened in ridings that were considered very close as of election day, and it appears the calls, at least the one to Carolyn Siopiolosz in Waterloo originated from my back yard in Lambton County.

We now appear to have our own Nixonian government, hell bent on destroying perceived enemies of the party. One of Nixon's downfalls was that he actually believed he was above the law, and in the end was taken down with an unflattering thud from high atop the political mountain. History has a tenancy to repeat itself, lets hope for our sake this proves correct in this case. 

The Thoughts and Words of Dead Men

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. ... Is there no other way the world may live?"-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, from his speech "The Chance for Peace"- 1953

It's been a few days since I've been able to muster enough energy to bring myself to post, the reason being not out of lack of material, but rather the too much material to sort it all out and put it together into one post.


The other day I came across the above quote on a website I can't recall and I really hit home with me. Here we are almost 50 years on and the words that Eisenhower spoke that April day have yet to be heeded by those who are in power both now and also for the past 50 years. Stealth fighters instead of schools, attack helicopters instead of hospitals, call it what you will, but every government around the world without exception is guilty of putting their war powers ahead of the welfare and health of their people. It sickens me to no end to think that in 50 years since this speech by a very influential American President was delivered, we have instead taken a course that directly contradicts what the great general was trying to tell us.

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."-- Eisenhower, in a letter written to his brother, Edgar in 1954

It's sad that not only has the small group of stupid people grown to a hallelujah chorus of mostly poor Americans (aren't most of us?), but the wealthy "Hunt" types have actually convinced some of the public that it's in their best interests. I'm guessing that most of the 39% of the 60% of Canadians who voted to give Harper a majority are in the same boat; cheering on policies that will inevitably come back to bite them in the ass.

I wonder now, the day after Jim Flaherty dropped the new health accord on the Provincial ministers, just how many percentage points could we boost the Federal transfers for the cost of one F-35? Or how many unemployed we could help get through the holidays if only we had kept the staff at Service Canada and did away with tax cuts for the rich, so they can sit on their money, not invest it in jobs and thumb their noses at the working class? Yet some of the working class seems to believe that if they just work a little harder, or put in some more time at the office, one day they'll be an H.L. Hunt, or a Paul Demerais. It's possible, but very unlikely. Am I saying people shouldn't dream? No, but I'm a realist.

The great George Carlin once said;

"The middle class does all of the work and pays all of the taxes, the upper class does none of the work and pays none of the taxes, and the poor... well the poor are there as a reminder to keep the middle class showing up at those jobs!"

I have seen the term "class war" thrown around a lot lately by talking heads on both sides of the border, but they aren't referring to the gutting of social programs, they're protecting their bosses and shareholders right to a fourth home in the Hampton's. The upper class declared war on us a long time ago, but they have the resources to fight it. It's an unfair fight that will take all of us not in the "club" being on the same page, not fighting each other or the invented boogie men our leaders set out for us. Iran is not a threat to Toronto, Hugo Chavez isn't looking to blitzkrieg the southern U.S., and communism died 20 years ago. But here we are arguing about who's team is right, and who's is wrong.

We need to look within our own borders (what will be left of them after Harper's border deals) to fix the ills of our own making. I fear that 4 years from now when we are on the cusp of possibly turfing these Reform Party rejects, it may be too late. We may be so far gone into this agenda of Harper's that it could take generations to fix the damage done by these fools. I hope I'm wrong, but with the neck break speed these cons are pushing their Republican agenda, who knows what Canada will look like 4 years from now.

But alas, for now, enjoy some Carlin at his finest talking class war and fascism. Laughter is the best medicine...

"Germany lost the second world war, but fascism won it my friend...When fascism comes to America it won't be with brown shirts and jackboots, it will be Nike sneakers and smiley face shirts."

Empathy And The "53%"

"When I feed the poor, I am called a saint. When I ask why they are poor I am called a communist."
-- Dom Helder Camara

I can remember a time as a child, being dragged by my Grandmother to church every Saturday night. I also attended Catholic school (against my will) for 14 years, so I consider myself to know a great deal about the teachings of the Catholic Church. By no means do I still practice, in fact I pretty much only attend church for funerals and the odd Baptism out of respect. I eventually reached the "age of reason" as Bill Maher once put it so succinctly, and moved on, much to the chagrin of my devout Grandmother. But what I learned and heard from my time attending mass and in religion class in school have partially shaped the person I have become. I finally reached my breaking point when I began doubting my faith, and inquiring about certain issues I had with the teachings of it. I was too young to realize that questioning authority is not acceptable, especially in religious circles, and soon found my questions dismissed as nothing more then a troublemaker trying to be funny. I genuinely had many concerns, but it was easier for the religion teacher to dismiss the questions rather then possibly question his own beliefs. I realized at that point that my curious mind would never be a good Catholic mind, clearly blind faith was something that wasn't for me. I can appreciate a lot of the teachings in the Bible, but I've never been one to believe something just because I'm told to do so. But one thing that I know Jesus taught about regularly is something that most human beings seem to be lacking in this day and age, empathy.

If you asked conservatives these days, you'd swear Jesus was a war mongering capitalist. Their idea being when Jesus said "blessed are the peacemakers" he was presumably talking about Raytheon, General Dynamics and Blackwater or xE, whatever name they are going by this week. Remember, this is a man who, according to the Bible fed the hungry, healed the sick, threw the money changers out of the temple (doesn't sound like he was very "business friendly") and even prayed for God to forgive the Roman soldiers that put him to death. Most memorable to me is this quote from the gospel of Matthew;

“I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19: 23-24

And just within the past couple of years, we have seen the heavily Christian influenced right demonize Occupy Wall Street, nearly crucify Barack Obama for even mentioning universal healthcare (and being a closeted "Muslim from Kenya"), cry foul at regulatory reforms for the financial sector and now here in the true north, we have Stevie Harper and his merry band of thieves and their "we don't care if crime is at an all time low" crime bill. They claim to be Christian, but something tells me if Jesus were around today, he'd smack the shit out of these people.

Which brings me to this guy.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the 53%, peruse the site if you want a reality check on just how well the wealthy have fooled some people into thinking that working 70 hours a week and still not having anything to show for it is something to be thankful for. Story after story of people who are literally working their lives away just to survive, and think it's just they way things are supposed to be, and those of us trying to change the system through protest and dissent are freeloaders just looking for a hand out. George Carlin once said, "They call it the American dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."

The paper in the picture above reads;

"I am a former Marine
I work 2 jobs
I don't have health insurance
I worked 60-70 hours per week to pay my way through college
I haven't had 4 consecutive days off in over 4 years
But I don't blame Wall Street
Suck it up you whiners 
I am the 53%
God Bless the USA"

I don't know about you, but I empathize with that guy. But these people seem to think of empathy as a weakness, not a quality to be admired in a person. The guy in the picture above for example feels that we should "suck it up" and quit blaming Wall Street. He also doesn't appear to have heard of the G.I. Bill, or the V.A. either because he claims to have worked 70 hours a week to put himself through college and has no health insurance (correct me if I'm wrong). But is this where we are as a society? And is it where we want to be? I don't want to live in a world where a former serviceman has to work 70 hours a week just to survive, while the contractors and politicians that sent him off to war make out like bandits. Not that long ago a majority of households could make it on one income, these people need two jobs just to make ends meet. Something is terribly wrong with the system. Instead of progressing, the human race appears to be moving backwards in our evolution.

And things in Canada are not much better. Last Monday, the OECD released their report stating that things are actually getting worse, not better when it comes to the disparity of income between the highest and lowest earners. The top 1% saw their share of the pie increase from 8.1% in 1980, to a staggering 13.3% in 2007. Moreover, the top .01%'s share went from 2% to 5.3% (by my rough calculation that's 3000 people, give or take). And in that time, their tax rates were also slashed by 14% and now stands at 29%. But even through all of this, the wealthy cry for more tax breaks and subsidies, using the job creator myth against us every time. But there is just one problem, they never come through on their promises to create said jobs, instead they pocket it, as we see from the figures above. In that same time frame, wages of the working class has grown at less then the rate of inflation, which means in layman's terms, we're more screwed now then we were 30 years ago.

And day after day, heartbreaking stories of the desperate creep into the news cycle buried under stories of record profits for banks and oil companies, all subsidized from the same pool of money that could have gone to stop the following before it happened. Laredo, Texas, a mother of two had been fighting with the state agency responsible for the meager food stamp allowance that is afforded to those down on their luck. The family was denied because the mother failed to furnish enough information for the bloated pig bureaucrats that run the state's ironically named "Human Services" department. When desperation set in, the woman, who allegedly had a history of mental health issues, barricaded herself in a case room with her two kids and held them hostage for nearly 7 hours. When it was all said and done, the mother and her 2 children were dead. Victims of a society that puts corporate profits and tax breaks for millionaires ahead of the well being of the least fortunate among us. God help us all.

Contrast that with this story from Seattle. You see, it wasn't enough for David Silverstein and his wife Lyudmila Shimonova for them to live in a beautiful $1.2 million dollar mansion, drive a Jaguar or vacation in Moscow or Israel or Turkey over the past 8 years. No, on top of running his own successful Chiropractic practise, these two had the nerve and unmitigated balls to collect almost $2000 per month in welfare and food stamps. This is the kind of story you should steer clear of if you want to keep you faith in humanity.

Meanwhile, on our own shores, we have a state of emergency in a Native reserve most Canadians can't pronounce, and the racist and bigoted mentality that has been engrained in the Canadian mind for generations is frothing to the surface in the message boards and coffee shop conversations all around the country as we show our true colours. We like to talk a good talk in Canada about how great we are as a people, but when situations like this arise, most of us are just as soon to blame the victim then try to look for a solution that may validate our grandiose opinion of ourselves. The ignorance and racism that dominates the discussion of Aboriginal issues in this country make me sick.

And as long as we are fighting each other for the scraps they give us instead of empathizing with our fellow human beings that are homeless, unemployed, mentally ill or addicted, the affluent win and will continue laughing all the way to the bank. We have got to overcome the divisive nature of the current debate, and I think that all of us, Christian or not could use to be a little more Christ-like. 'Tis the season, no?

Manifest Destiny- 2011 Edition

Yesterday, as the 70th anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor were commemorated, U.S. President Barack Obama and Stephen Harper (P.M. of the Harper Government) were in Washington to make an announcement regarding the future of trade and security integration between the worlds two largest trading partners. Many on both sides of the border are crying foul, as the deal on the surface appears to cede Canadian sovereignty to U.S. security officials in the name of free (er) trade.

I personally have nothing to hide, but neither did Maher Arar and any number of Guantanamo inmates that had their lives disrupted because of the security hysteria that has swept the U.S. and the world since 9/11. U.S. security officials have been known to act impulsively then ask questions later (if at all). But security is but one facet of this deal that will surely benefit big business (doesn't everything?).

But what most people don't seem to remember, is that this is a process that was started so many years ago by our former P.M.'s Chretien and Martin with their counterparts from Mexico and the U.S. "The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" was a deal that was negotiated during the days of Clinton and Chretien and was the precursor to the deal we now have in front of us. Critics on both sides of the border claimed that the deal at the time would eventually lead to an EU style North America complete with a single currency and trade regulations. And really, can anyone remember the last time a deal like this has been agreed to that benefited the people?

This deal also has provisions in it that would allow U.S. and Canadian security officials to police both sides of the border in case of an "emergency." This to me is the big issue here.

 As we've seen with the recent Occupy Wall Street protests, U.S. police have shown an evident lack of respect for their own citizens. And although the deal appears to enable "teams" of police from the RCMP and the U.S., the incremental writing is on the wall. If these past deals are of any indication, this will eventually be expanded to allow more police on both sides to enforce laws in a foreign country in times of emergency such as, oh, I don't know... economic collapse and massive civil unrest?

From today's Toronto Star;

Harmonization: Ottawa intends to harmonize commercial regulations with the U.S. that could have significant impact on Canadians. Rules governing agriculture and food products are just one area where there may be changes. For instance, the two countries seem intent on creating a “common meat nomenclature” in the years ahead to end discrepancies in classification of cuts. But there are also likely to be changes across a wide range of products, including vehicle safety standards, boating gear such as life jackets, health products, workplace chemicals, environmental standards and the approval process for new prescription drugs.

 So here's a scenario for you. November of 2012 comes along, and Barack Obama finds himself defeated by Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry or Michelle Bachman, all of which want to rid the country of the E.P.A. We will then be forced to accept their environmental standards? Or their corrupt system of prescription drug approval? No thank you. I try to avoid meat and dairy products from the U.S. already because quite frankly, I don't trust the U.S.D.A. Most bureaucracies in the U.S. function as little more then rubber stamps for the businesses they are charged with regulating (S.E.C. anyone?).

None of this is set in stone, no treaty has been signed,. It's now up to us to figure out a way to stop this deal. The future of this country may depend on it.

Plausible Deniability

"Desperate" Tories fire back at MacKay critics with Rae's 1992 chopper ride

And the continuing saga of our Minister of Search and Rescue takes another strange twist. One I think many are overlooking.

According to the Globe and Mail;

"Department of National Defence resources are now being poured into finding ways of extricating Peter MacKay from the controversy he’s created over his 2010 helicopter adventure."

Just when you thought the Harper boys couldn't sink much lower, now they're using our military to attack a member of the opposition?

You know, I don't think the re-branding of our government is such a bad idea after all. At least 50 years from now, when young Canadians are learning of this period of our history, those of us lucky enough to still be around can say, "It wasn't us, it was the HARPER GOVERNMENT."

Through The Looking Glass...

Is it just me, or does the world seem to be spiraling out of control faster then anyone can fathom? Recent events in the news feel less and less like reality, and more like the strange parallel world that Louis Carroll envisioned in his tale of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland. Black is white, up is down. Our leaders are exposing themselves daily as the incompetent stewards of the public domain that many of us have feared for some time. Nobody's driving the train.

Recently, Russia held their Parliamentary elections that many felt were a test for former KGB strongman Vladimir Putin's United Russia Party ahead of the upcoming Presidential poll in 2012. The elections were fraught with allegations of ballot box stuffing, police intimidation and the nations top independent election monitor was charged by Russian prosecutors just days before. It appears there was a concerted effort on the part of the United Russia Party to pull a fast one on the Russian people and the international community. And why wouldn't they?

I was a 19 years old kid during the U.S. Presidential election of 2000. I had, despite being Canadian through and through, held a keen interest in U.S. politics even as a grade school kid. I'm not totally sure where it stemmed from, but by the time I was in my early 20's I was a full blown political junkie. I recall watching that election on T.V. as the results poured in that night, as the results tightened, I knew I was going to see something I had never witnessed before. I had always gone to bed knowing who the President-Elect was, but here it was 2 and then 3 in the morning and the talking heads were still trying to figure out what had taken place. First Florida was called for Bush, then Gore, then Bush again. Something strange was going on in Florida, beyond the allegations of understaffed polling stations and malfunctioning machines, but none of us could have guessed what would take place next.

I recently watched "Bush Family Fortunes; The Best Democracy Money Can Buy," a BBC piece made by Greg Palast, an investigative reporter who blew the cover on the big fix in Florida. He uncovered documents that proved that African Americans in some (mostly Democrat held) districts had been purged from the voter rolls after a "clerical error" on the part of the election commission after trying to purge convicted felons. The commission was headed by Florida Secretary Of State, Katherine Harris who also happened to be the Florida Co-Chairperson of the Bush for President team. The documents not only detailed the methods used, but also warnings by the company contracted to "verify" the list, Database Technologies (DBT) that the methods they were instructed to use were bound to cause errors, meaning some would be declared ineligible to vote. The emails between DBT and Florida election officials clearly states that the officials wanted a large number of these individuals, among them a preacher to be ineligible to vote, despite the fact the database contained errors such as one man being convicted of a crime 7 years into the future. The solution? Black out the conviction dates. When interviewed for the film, Clayton Roberts, director of the Division of Elections, became very agitated and stormed off camera after being asked about the $4 million contract given to DBT to verify the list.

Something went very wrong in the sunshine state. It is estimated that 12,000 eligible voters, mostly African Americans, were turned away from the polls that fateful November day. In a state that was won by Bush by only 537 votes, those 12,000 votes (not to mention the nearly 175,000 "spoiled" votes) could have made a difference in not only the final results, but also in the course of history. I often wonder what the world would be like had George W. Bush never been given the keys to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Would we have seen a war in Iraq? Would the massive deregulation of Wall Street that started under Bill Clinton have been continued to be allowed to snowball into the 2008 crisis that world leaders all seem clueless to fix? Would there have been a 9/11 or Patriot Act? Of course we'll never know. The recount in Florida turned into a partisan circus, with Republican Congressional aides staging fake protests in order to stop the count. The count was eventually stopped by the Supreme Court ruling that "officially" gave Bush the Presidency. The court ruled 5-4 in favor of Bush despite the fact that two justices, Scallia and Thomas both had conflicts of interest (Scallia's son represented the Bush team in his father's court, Thomas's wife's job was to vet resumes for the Bush transition team).

I'm afraid I have only scratched the surface of this story, but you get the idea. And don't get me wrong, election fraud has been going on since time immemorial. Hell even JFK out "Nixoned" Nixon in the 1960 Presidential Election with allegations of ballot box stuffing in Chicago and other places. Powerful people will always find ways to manipulate the system for their own gain. It's the uglier side of human nature.

I suspect as the demonstrations in Moscow heat up over the next few days, there will be those in power that will condemn the inevitable use of force against demonstrators. It's a world rich with hypocrisy we live in. I can hear Hillary Clinton already telling Putin and Medvedev to respect the rights of those peaceful protesters to address grievances with their government. Where are these calls for sanity when kids at UC Davis or pregnant women in Seattle are pepper sprayed by American cops? And where are these same politicians when voters in their own country are disenfranchised?

One of the great dangers of the unprovoked invasion of Iraq is that it set a dangerous precedent to the rest of the world. One of the dangers of allowing Bush to steal Florida in 2000 is it also sets a precedent, one that plays out in most elections around the world. Putin knows that if Bush can get away with it, so can he. And if cops in Toronto, or New York or London can brutalize and arbitrarily arrest it's citizens, why can't cops in Moscow? I guess that's my point. If we think we can do whatever we need to in the name of "national security" or "protecting the children" then so can the rest of the world. There's a strange "do as I say, not as I do" attitude in the west that didn't work on most of us as children and won't work now. We in the west have lost our "moral high ground" through the events of the past decade plus. It's up to us, not politicians like Clinton to condemn and resist this trend, or one day ten years from now, we'll wake up like I often do wondering, "what the hell happened to us?"