Alberta’s Human Rights Assault
Ian @ June 3, 2009 # No Comment Yet
Education is supposed to be about broadening one’s horizons, about making the mind look at all sides of issues, then come to a decision. You can’t expect kids to come to any right decision, if you deny them all the facts. The more a kid learns, the more a child knows, the less hate there will be, the less violence there will be, and the more real scientific & social discoveries will be made. Allowing parents to pull kids out of schools, because of their own racism, their own prejudices, does not further education, but puts it several steps back, towards the dark ages. If we want real leaders in our society, in all fields, we need to not deny children the education experience. We cannot, must not, allow one’s personal bias, personal prejudices, to stop children from learning, which is what the Alberta Government is now doing. They are pandering to the special interest groups, risking the future generation, simply for votes.
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Being Canadian
Ian @ April 5, 2009 # No Comment Yet
US Military removes the appointed lawyer for Khadr, claiming a possible conflict of interest, but one has to wonder, if perhaps the military lawyer simply was becoming too much of a thorn in the side of the US Military? Makes you wonder too, about how much we have let our values slip, our morals weaken, all because we have been convinced to be afraid of a fifteen year old kid, and other’s like him. We can apply the rules of law, as it suits us, not whether it is right or wrong, legal or not, because after all, we are a democracy, not a bunch of ignorant goat herders. Least that is how it seems, to them, and to me. Laws aren’t meant to be chosen at random, by a whim, but are to apply to everyone, irrespective of their standing, their intelligence, their wealth, or their religion. Funny how Bush & Harper seem to ignore that, when they choose which laws we should follow, which don’t apply to select citizens, which do. Being a Canadian has changed, not sure for the better.
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Controlling Your Internet Access
Ian @ February 27, 2009 # No Comment Yet
Even Google & Amazon object to the throttling practices of Bell & other ISPs. It is a risk to freedom of expression, to thought, and to sharing of diverse ideas, opinons. It is censorship.
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The Concession Freight Train
Ian @ February 16, 2009 # No Comment Yet
We are quick to blame the worker, or the owner, for the fault of society, or for the failure of a business, but the truth is, we are all to blame for it. We have drawn too many lines, and wind up forgetting that it is a form of partnership. Workers have a vested interest in seeing a business succeed, and management needs competent staff, to insure their goods are properly constructed, that their customes are properly attended to. It isn’t just about how much you make per hour, or how much you earned this quarter, as it is about survival. Mandatory days off aren’t for the elite, for the owner, but for both parties, to have time off, to recharge their batteries. It also insure that there is time to be with your family, no matter your status in the pecking order of life. Mandatory days off, are about protecting workers from unscrupolous employers, and is a way to give decent employers a way to show their appreciation for work done. It isn’t the best solution, but it is a valid one, none the less. Blaming workers for poor sales, is like saying that a car without a motor, is energy effecient. The car may use no gas, but it also goes no where. Without wage earners, there won’t be many consumers to buy the goods. Employees and employers need each other, maybe it is time to accept that, and look for common ways to improve each other’s situation. It is called ‘working together for the common good’. Anyone remember that?
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World Protests Israeli Attacks
Ian @ January 5, 2009 # No Comment Yet
The world is upset, because Israel is attacking the Terrorist Regime of Hamas, who began the latest violence by ending the truce with Israel, by launching rocket attacks against Israeli citizens from within their own bordes. Now the world is mad, because the stiff necked Jews refuse to go quietly in the night. Well tough for them, and may they all have to explain to their maker, why their joy in seeing Jews die is not racism, why their support for oil is more important than their support for life. Maybe one day there will be peace in the region, but that will most likely be after all the Jews are dead, because it seems, that is what it takes for the world to be at peace.
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Failure of Adults
Ian @ November 24, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Parents will blame Facebook, will blame South Park, for the attacks the happened yesterday, all over, against red haired classmates. They will shout for censorship, for stricter controls over television content, over internet content, when the truth is, the true fault lies directly and solely on them. Yes, the parents are the ones responsible, because they fail to monitor what their children do, for whatever reason. They are culpable, because they do not discipline their own kids, and because they, themselves, promote racism, bigotry, and hate. By their acceptance of shows like South Park, by simply watching it, they show that hate is okay, that racism is okay, and kids are not stupid, they pick up on it. Each time they hear a pastor or preacher rail against homosexuals, against Jews, they believe it. When parents complain about illegal immigrants stealing their jobs, when they harangue people who disagree or are different skin colors or ethniticity, they see it and mimic it. When governments join in, to support discrimination, to support bigotry & racism, they mimic it, and it all comes back to the one simple truth. Kids learn from their parents, and so South Park or not, they have learned to hate, to act it out, from their parents.
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What Are We Raising?
Ian @ November 21, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Have we lost our minds, or are we just so self absorbed that we have forgotten what it means to have children? Are we so burdened by our insane drive to have more money, that we have forgotten that we even have children, or were they just an accident, and so not important or worthy of our love, and attention? I wonder, as more parents ignore their kids, to do their own thing, to live in their own social structure, that they only come out to raise hell when they want someone else to babysit their kids. Do they realize how impressionabe children are, or are they so warped by their own prejudices, that they fail to see it being mimiced by their own kids? When did we trade off parental responsibilities to television stations, or to government even? How can we claim some religous morality, some higher ground, when we ignore the needs of the most vulnerable of society, namely our children? Is it any wonder that our society is falling apart, when we fail to take care of our own flesh and blood? Is this the new morality that Stephen Harper and the other evangelicals preach about? If so, I want no part of it, because it is, at best, evil. Maybe it is time that those who rally and pour millions into opposing equal rights, looked in a mirror, and saw the face of evil that has gripped the world, just look into the eyes of their own children, to see how hate fills them, how it is sport to torment, to torture others, because they are different. Look hard, and see what you have created, fostered, and promoted, all because of your own intolerances, your own fear.
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Gun Sales Up After Obama Win
Ian @ November 12, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Have we forgotten that news is supposed to be about reporting facts, not trying to scare people, or trying to influence them. Who made the news organizations some judge & jury for how we should think, how we should act? Yet that is how they act, as if they are the ultimate judge & jury and how we all should listen to them, because they know the truth, and we are too stupid to comprehend the complexities of the issues. The Media is so self absorbed, so pompous, that they try to force their will, their view on people by carefully tailoring what is said, how it is said, and how subtle they can be, in creating fear, so people will follow their so called sage advise. Like as if they know? The media has outgrown its purpose, and is no more reliable than money in Leahman Bros. banks.
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American’s Fascination with Guns
Ian @ November 1, 2008 # No Comment Yet
It really is amazing, at how so many kids are killed by automatic weapons in the United States. What is more amazing that the majority believe it is their right to own such weapons, because they fear the bogey man. Like as if some foreign power is going to invade America, or there will be a revolution in the USA. So they thing that some elected officials will stage a coup, or their military will, and so they need guns to protect their freedoms, yet look at the government today? Bush is a dictator and a tyrant, and their military can’t even defeat a bunch of Iraqi insurgents or Taliban fighters. So what are they worried about? Maybe the truth is they love violence, otherwise why aren’t they outraged when 12 year old kids are killed by these guns? Oh I know, it isn’t the gun that killed him, it was the guy who pulled the trigger, which really is semantics. If there was no gun in his hand, there wouldn’t be a dead 12 year old in South Carolina. Think about that, next time the NRA runs an ad.
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Lack of Regulation Means Higher Prices
Ian @ September 22, 2008 # No Comment Yet
While the BC Ferries provide a key link for Vancouver Island and other communities, because it is now privatized, it is more concerned with profits, than its obligation to provide a link. The latest example being how it will keep the fuel surcharge it imposed, to offset higher fuel costs, in order to recoup its profits. This is what self regulation is, as Stephen Harper likes to promote. This is exactly why Campbell and his party here, and Stephen Harper and his federal party, need to be reminded that this is Canada, not the United States. This is a country were the rights of people take precedence, where the need for all is more important than corporate profits, or greed. Self regulation by the very crooks whose only concern is profits, is not how to lead, but how to achieve big fat campaign contributions. Just ask George Bush about that, and Stephen Harper has been a good student of Bush Economics.
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Activism
Ian @ August 4, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Over the last few years, we have seen a constant erosion of our basic rights, of how our nations react to stress, to attack even. We have gone from being open minded, to being a closed society, where our best interests are being decided behind closed doors. Worse, they are being dictated to by who is paid by whom. This isn’t democracy, when elected officials fail to listen to us, but listen to the needs of Corporations. It is our fault though, because we willingly give them that ability, because it is easier to stay home than get out and vote, and easier to not contact them.
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Internet Bullying A Crime?
Ian @ July 12, 2008 # No Comment Yet
While there is no doubt that bullying is on the rise, that the Internet is a great way for these cowards to hide behind, the solution being proposed by the Teacher Federation is counter productive. Their job should be to TEACH tolerance, to teach that there is nothing to fear from those who are different. That is their obligation as teachers, and the role of government to insure they do that. To make criminals out of them is just wrong in itself. It re-enforces the hatred, the feeling of being under attack. While there is a need to protect the weak from the bullies, the answer lies in Education, not in Incarceration. It lies in being examples of tolerances, not like today’s leaders who practice bullying in all forms. From the attack ads, to the threats in Parliament, Stephen Harper Tories only show that bullying is acceptable. He learned well from his hero George Bush, another great practitioner of the fine art of Being a Bully. Just ask any Iraqi.
More on page 1176
Best Interests of the Child? Or Not?
Ian @ July 11, 2008 # No Comment Yet
I am not sure that we truly are protecting children, when we are willing to take kids away from parents, simply because they support hatred. I don’t know how we should even determine such actions, but I do know that we can’t suppress different opinions. As much as I hate the Swastika, and what it stands for, I also believe that these people need to have the right to express their different views. I don’t agree, but then, isn’t that what Democracy is about? The ability to speak one’s mind, free of repression? Is taking a child away from a Mother who supports Hatred, justified, or is it simply a suppression of free speech? I am Jewish, but I don’t think I want my rights of speech to be based on the political climate of the moment, which it seems is the case here. And that is perhaps far more dangerous than simply painting a swastika on a kid’s arm.
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Mistakes Happen, but Should They?
Ian @ July 9, 2008 # No Comment Yet
What is it today, where people from across the spectrum, seem to just put in their time on the job, and not care if they are doing it well, or right even? I mean how can any Nurse or Doctor not triple check before giving dosages to people, let alone premature babies? Are we that callous today or is it about the money? Do we simply not care, because we feel the pay isn’t enough? What ever happened to taking pride in one’s work?
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Deserving the Death Penalty
Ian @ June 26, 2008 # One Comment
Let the punishment fit the crime is an old adage. For some, that means to apply the death penalty to those who rape a child. The US Supreme Court says NO, and yet many seem vehemently determined to insist on just that type of punishment. Question is, is it their emotions talking, or their lust for vengeance? Is State Sanctioned Murder really a solution for abhorrent crimes, or is it just satisfaction by those who suffered the crime?
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