Neoconservative convergence…by Greg O’Keefe
Krauthammer’s Neoconservative Convergence makes two interesting points that need to be reinforced among some readers. (not you of course) One, The question of alliances with dictators, of deals with the devil, can be approached openly, forthrightly, and without any need for defensiveness. The principle is that we cannot democratize the world overnight and, therefore, if [...]
Early translation of the Iraqi Constitution…by Greg O’Keefe
There’s a gal in one of my classes who insists that Iraqi democracy will fail because it is being made in the image of American democracy. It is Americans, she argues, that are drafting the Iraqi Constitution and not Iraqis. So when I came across an early version of the Iraqi Constitution, translated of course, [...]
Christy Clark’s Purse
It was the middle of the night last night when it hit me. Last Friday’s cover of Vancouver’s 24 Hours headline/tabloid/no-context-or-detail free newspaper [see below] made me think of a piece I read in the Republic a while back. My old boss, Education Minister Christy Clark, was on the cover. I attended SFU when she [...]
When "Contract" No Longer Means Agreement
I thought I had it bad as a public school teacher in BC when the provincial government unilaterally imposed a “contract” on us a few years ago. I always thought a “contract” was something that was agreed to by both parties in a transaction. But the Orwellian ghoulishness of Gordon Campbell’s neoLiberal junta kept beating [...]
Political Integrity: Chuck Cadman Style
While Chuck Cadman’s long time in federal politics ended with him saving the country from an impending perhaps-too-early election, the most important part of his legacy to the country is not that. Nor is it his entry into politics after the inane murder of his son. While Sandra Martin says he’ll always be known for [...]
Aid is only one part of the answer to Africa’s woes…by Greg O’Keefe
I like the idea of Live8. Attention on the eradication of poverty is a good thing. I just wish the promoters and some supporters of it were not so blinded by the poverty trifecta. The people behind Live8 insist that poverty can be eradicated through more aid, debt forgiveness and the reduction of trade barriers. [...]
"The Importance of BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve"…by Ameena Mayer
The Importance of BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve – Ameena Mayer Poor is the man whose pleasures depend upon the permission of another. Indeed, self-sustainability is one of the many roads a country can follow that leads to happiness, and BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve plays an integral role in allowing Canada to take this path. Created [...]
critical (non)thinking 101…by Greg O’Keefe
The Palestine Human Rights Committee is an organization at SFU that wants to focus even more attention on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, as if there wasn’t enough already or other more pressing issues. About a month ago I went to one of there meetings to see what they are about. Here’s what I found out. On [...]
"These Transient Times"…by Ameena Mayer
These Transient Times -Ameena Mayer Today, the human mind is assailed with all sorts of plastic paraphernalia: credit cards, DVD’s, McDonalds, breast implants and Britney Spears to name a few. With such artificiality comes the gradual corrosion of the human spirit, leading to a cold, gray society in which people are as disposable as plastic [...]
Wither Turd Blossom?
The easy joke is that if w.Caesar calls Karl Rove “Turd Blossom” as an affectionate pet nickname, then the president, of course is a turd. I think, however, that the blossom that deserves to wither will not. w.Caesar gave George “Slam Dunk” Tenet the nation’s highest honour for his bad intelligence on Iraq–or more likely [...]
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Vista exists to acknowledge the multi-faceted nature of political opinion. We are economically and social left and right, sometimes mixing in the middle, finding common ground in some places and differing in others. We are opinionated. We feel that the world is symbiotic. We are commentators, editorialists with unique views on what is going on [...]
London Bombings: One View
I think this about sums it up, except that the US/UK imperialists don’t have a monopoly on terrorism: “Terrorist Blair, who assisted The US Empire in raining death down upon the Iraqi populace, though Iraq harboured no weapons of mass destruction and posed no direct military threat to either Britain or the US, and is [...]
The Lie of Non-Partisanship
My previous post has helped me gel some ideas that have been bubbling in my head for years now. Non-partisanship sounds spectacular. In BC, Gordon Campbell’s neoLiberal government has spent its entire time in office–and then some time before that–complaining about special interest groups (SIGs): big labour, teachers, environmentalists…essentially, anyone with a bias, ideology, or [...]
Longing for Ideologically Vacant Politicians?
I was quite shocked by Marshall Norgan’s letter to the editor [Vancouver Courier, see below] regarding Vancouver city council’s decision to not let the vomitous dog Wall-Mart into our city. He is dismayed that Vancouver city councillors Louis and Roberts “don’t seem able to separate their personal ideology and agenda from their public position.” Does [...]
The Futility of the Left-Right Political Spectrum
The left-right spectrum is pretty obsolete, what with right wing w.Caesar running crazy deficits to undermine government’s ability to meddle with individual freedom to become rich and free from social regulation and left wing governments pledging to balance budgets: typically the reverse of the old Cold War Keynesian days. In November of 2002 a friend [...]
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