Tag Archives: apartheid

A Better World is Needed, Activism, Class War, Cuba, International Relations, Neoliberal Economics, Racism

Mandela Was More Radical Than Most Know

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Well, I miss Mandela. The post-Mandela world is sadly less colourful. While all sorts of people, including reprobate politicians in Canada laud him for this and that, it’s important to remember that he never seemed to angle for being a darling of right wing, neoliberal libertarian freedom fighters.

Here are some items we should all remember. If any of this is new to you, click the link at the bottom to flesh out the details. You won’t regret it.

1. Mandela blasted the Iraq War and American imperialism.

2. Mandela called freedom from poverty a “fundamental human right.”

3. Mandela criticized the “War on Terror” and the labeling of individuals as terrorists without due process.

4. Mandela called out racism in America.

5. Mandela embraced some of America’s biggest political enemies.

6. Mandela was a die-hard supporter of labor unions.

Six Things Nelson Mandela Believed That Most People Won’t Talk About | ThinkProgress.

A Better World is Needed, Activism, Class War, Colonialism, Democracy, Education, Equality, Identity, Imperialism, International Relations, Justice, Poverty, Psychology, Racism, Society

Day One, Post-Mandela

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Today is the first day of our world after the Nelson Mandela era.

We don’t need to canonize him or consider any messiah characteristics, but we should stop today and reflect on what kind of Mandela legacy we want to carry forward.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

Continue reading Day One, Post-Mandela →

Canada, Equality, Executive Overdrive, Holocaust, Identity, International Relations, Israel, Justice, Morality, Soft Fascism

Criminalizing Criticism of Israel? The Charter Weighs In

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An “informal coalition of MPs (CPCCA) … are working to expand definition of antisemitism to make it illegal to criticize Israel.”

via Criticize Israel-Go to Jail? – Other – Vancouver.

Ok, quite simply this. If Kim Jong Il made it illegal for people to criticize North Korea, we’d laugh him back into one of his 19 private train stations.

This is Canada, folks.

A memory refresher may be in order:

Rights and freedoms in Canada

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

Fundamental Freedoms

Fundamental freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;

(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;

This means we have freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression in the press and other media of communication subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

I think this CPCCA may have skipped over this part of the Charter 28 years ago. It’s worth going back to read.

And if you knew this was wrong, but were looking for a good reason why, it’s the Charter. It’s on our side!