An Open Letter to Elizabeth May on Bill C-38

Dear Elizabeth May,

I have followed the progress of the draconian bill C-38 with it's attacks on First Nations, the environment, national parks and Canada's most vulnerable with interest and horror over these past months. You have done a tremendous service in bringing this bill and it's contents to the attention of the Canadian public and I want to send you my most sincere appreciation for your incredible efforts.

I have been appalled to observe the way that PM Harper and Finance Minister Flaherty have used deception and manipulation to push this brutal agenda onto the Canadian people. As I watched their performance in the house of Commons and in media interviews over the past few days, I am hopeful that even the 40% of Canadian voters who supported them will now realize the true nature of these sad and power hungry men.

While this Conservatives have clearly won a victory in passing this bill, I believe they have fundamentally damaged Canada, which has been a nation built on a great compromise. They will have their legacy and you will have yours.

Thanks again Elizabeth for all your have done in your efforts to preserve this once great nation.

Sincerely,

Keith Hirsche

1161 Chapman Road,

Cobble Hill, BC

V0R 1L7

PS. I heard Mr. Flaherty comment to the media that he has not received a single letter from a Canadian citizen who opposes bill C-38. I have copied him on this email so he can have one more letter from a Canadian citizen to deny and ignore.

cc: PM Stephen Harper
Finance Minister Joe Flaherty
MP Jean Crowder

Harper Big Win - and the end of the Canadian illusion

To raucous applause and chest-thumping cheers, PM Harper wins the day and forces his 400+ omnibus "budget" bill through the house without a single amendment. Harper's Conservatives have clearly won a major victory in parliament - Congratulations!

For the 60% of Canadians who voted against Harper in the 2011 election, this arrogant, bullying approach to re-shape Canada in Harper's image shatters the illusion of the polite, gentle country that we used to call our "home and native land".

Finally many of us are beginning to see through all the hypocrisy and we are waking up to the colonization experiment that Canada has always been. People of First Nation's heritage have mostly been free of illusion as they have suffered directly under the abuse of power that our system calls justice. Now hopefully we can stand with them to oppose this failed experiment in Colonial Statehood before Mother Earth tells us that it is too late.



For complete coverage of the day in parliament with all the gritty details., check here.

Elizabeth May leads commendable effort to halt Tory omnibus juggernaut | Full Comment | National Post

 "It has become accepted wisdom that Conservative treatment of the legislative process is often high-handed and abusive, has contributed to public cynicism and borders on a threat to the democratic process itself."

And this article comes from the National Post.....

Elizabeth May leads commendable effort to halt Tory omnibus juggernaut | Full Comment | National Post

Gitxsan Media revealing the Enbridge Spin in the Mainstream media

 Media shapes our perception of reality and events from the local to national scale. A great example comes from my friends in the Gitxsan Unity Movement. After six months of legal battles, a blockade and incredible personal sacrifice, the Gitxsan people forced an audit of the Gitxsan Treaty Society and the resignation of its' leaders who had made an illegal agreement with Enbridge. Now as the news gets out, Enbridge has done everything possible to spin the story in their favour. Please read the real story here:

Hazelton Daily: Articles

Enbridge Northern Gateway: Seen the ad? Want the truth?

Enbridge is spending millions of dollars on an ad campaign to make their pipeline look appealing to Canadians by concealing the truth about ther project.

Here is a different take that uses their same format to tell the side of the story that they would rather you didn't hear about. 



http://youtu.be/tGrgxaewsiQ

Too bad Enbridge has all the big money to buy airtime on TV.

The Hope and Fear of our transitional times - an analysis by Chris Hedges

 I have become a big fan of Chris Hedges lately. He is a powerful writer who has called our society and the Christian churches to account on several occasions. He has also witnessed the disintegration of civil society in countries that disintegrated into violent civil war and this column brings an important message for our time.

Chris Hedges: Northern Light - Chris Hedges' Columns - Truthdig

Mulcair, Oilsands, Dutch disease - Politics and the Media

This has been an interesting week in the propaganda war surrounding the development of Alberta's tarsands. The latest round began with Thomas Mulcair, the new NDP leader, pointing out that the high value of Canada's dollar - primarily due to oil exports - is highly damaging to the manufacturing industry and he compared this to "Dutch disease" (the economic impact of Holland's gas exports on the rest of it's economy in the 1970s). His comments were immediately condemned by Alberta Premier Alison Redford who stated that Mulcair was engaging in divisive politics and suggested that he was ill informed about the oilsands. She went further to indicate that he should not be allowed to comment until he took the time to visit Alberta and see the development for himself.

In the wake of this war of words, Alberta's Pembina institute released a report containing economic analysis which largely supported Mulcair's claims. In turn, Ethical Oil launched an attack on Mulcair which condemned him for not seeing the difference between Canada and Nigeria. This was met with a response by Christoper Majka which analyzed the economics and politics of the various positions.

Alberta's oilsands development has obviously become a very heated topic and there are billions of dollars and thousands of jobs in the balance - not to mention the environmental impacts. No matter what your current position on this issue, I would ask that you look at these links and ask yourself the following questions.

Does the story contain factual analysis or simply opinion?

Are the statements designed to convey information or trigger emotional response?

What are the motives behind the statements? Who wins and who loses?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/05/30/pol-dutch-disease-pembina-institute-report.html

http://www.ethicaloil.org/news/thomas-mulcair-cant-see-the-difference-between-canada-and-nigeria/

http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/christophermajka/2012/05/dutch-disease-denial-inflation-politics-and-tar

Also consider that Mr. Mulcair has followed through and made a visit to Fort MacMurray. Unfortunately, Premier Redford was not there to meet him - as she was committed to attend a meeting of the Bilderberg group instead.

And finally, it might be worth mentioning that the Alberta Government's 2012 budget documents confirm that the manufacturing sector has been seriously challenged by the high value of the Canadian dollar - which clearly confirms Mulcair's earlier statements.

Since everyone clearly agrees, what is all the fighting about?

'Oilsands fever' seen as Canada's Dutch Disease - Politics - CBC News

'Oilsands fever' seen as Canada's Dutch Disease - Politics - CBC News

Enbridge plans reversal of oil pipeline to supply central Canada - Canada - CBC News

Enbridge plans reversal of oil pipeline to supply central Canada - Canada - CBC News

Gitxsan Crisis Update May 14th - Afternoon - Please share!!

The GTS (Gitxsan Treaty Society) - and a small minority of Gitxsan chiefs (3/30) are siding with Enbridge and using the Canadian courts to overturn the will of the majority of the Gitxsan nation. Warrants were issued today to arrest key leaders of the Gitxsan Unity movement and the results are recorded here in this inspiring example of non-violent peaceful resistance. 

It is clear that the Gitxsan people - who have never ceded their territory to the Canadian government- are resisting this pipeline development. Unfortunately, the media is not covering this story because it goes against the corporate interests that are so clearly backed by the Harper Government. The best defense that the Gitxsan have is a well-informed public because if/when the government resorts to violence to achieve Enbridge's agenda their actions will be clearly exposed.

Please share this widely.

Gitxsan Crisis Update May 14th - Afternoon - YouTube

The Enbridge Pipeline increasingly represents a clash of conflicting Realities

 The conflict over the Enbridge Pipeline proposal to ship Alberta's bitumen across BC and First Nation territory  is quickly becoming a clash over opposing world views. For Stephen Harper and many privileged Canadians- the earth simply represents resources that can be taken and sold to the highest bidder. Their experience is that their water comes from a tap (or plastic bottle) and their food comes from a grocery store and they will defend to the death this economic system because they (mistakenly) believe their lives depend on it. 

First Nations people - and an increasingly wide range of informed Canadians- realize our food comes from the land and our water comes from the streams - and we must fight to our death to defend the Earth's natural living systems because they truly give life to us all.

Canada News: Walkom: Northern Gateway pipeline faces ‘unbreakable’ wall - thestar.com

(Thanks to Derrick Jensen for this powerful insight) 

Original Quote:
"If your experience is that your food comes from the grocery store and your water comes from the tap, then you are going to defend to the death the system that brings those to you because your life depends on them.  If your experience, however, is that your food comes from a land base and that your water comes from a stream, well, then you will defend to the death that land base and that stream."

Chris Hedges: Welcome to the Asylum - Chris Hedges' Columns - Truthdig

Chris Hedges: Welcome to the Asylum - Chris Hedges' Columns - Truthdig

6 People You Need to Start a Revolution | | AlterNet

6 People You Need to Start a Revolution | | AlterNet

Conservatives, NDP statistically tied in new poll - and Canadian's discover Harper's shadow

 Following politics in Canada is an interesting hobby. Unlike the USA where political polariaztion along ideological lines is almost a bloodsport, Canada has had the reputation of being a more polite and gentle nation. Unfortunately, things have changed over the past few years, since Stephen Harper has brought Republican tactics and NeoCon ideology to the Canadian political scene.

  Since the 2011 election, where Harper succeeded in winning a slim majority of seats through a skillful combination of organized voter suppression and Republican wedge politics, Stephen has worked relentlessly to shape Canada into his own image. From undermining First Nations and weakening environmental protection to legislative attacks on union rights and re-sphaping the justice system, he has managed to frustrate and alienate large sectors of the Canadian public. Through all of this, while his Conservative party has dropped in the polls, surprizingly his personal support remained almost unchanged - at least until recently.

Perhaps it is the F35 scandal, the voter suppression scandal,  ongoing attacks on First Nations and environmentalists over piplelines and tankers or growing dissention in his own ranks over issues like abortion. Whatever the cause - or causes- it seems that Harper's public popularity is finally taking a big hit. Recently voted the least trustworthy Canadian by a Reader's Digest poll, the latest Nanos poll also suggests that the Stephen Harper's honeymoon with the Canadian public may finally be over.

Conservatives, NDP statistically tied in new poll - Politics - CBC News

Why Canada just pumps out cheap oil - Business - CBC News

Why Canada just pumps out cheap oil - Business - CBC News

Money shapes our media -media shapes our reality- our reality shapes our politics

For the vast majortity of North Americans, media shapes of reality. And when it comes of media - it is shaped by the big money that flows from multinational corporations - especially from oil and gas companies.

This problem can be clearly seen in terms of the massive sums of money that the Fossil Fuel industry is willing to spend on everything from denying climate science to shaping national energy policy and buying elections. In BC, you might wonder why the Provincial Liberals are backing the idea of Supertankers in our Coastal waters - especially in view of the fact that the tankers will threaten tens of thousands of jobs in the fisheries and tourism sectors while offering only a few hundred jobs in return. Alberta gets all the reward and BC takes all the risk - what government would support that?

The answer become more clear when you learn that the Enbridge groups have contributed a total of $156,940 ($91,840 under the name of Enbridge and $65,100 under the name of Northern Gateway) and Kinder Morgan has contributed $16388 to the Liberal campaign coffers. In total, pipeline companies contributed more than $334,000 to the Liberals. On the other side of the political aisle, the NDP received less than $1,000.

So who really owns our politicians and by extension, our political process? In the USA, Oil companies are outspending Obama by a factor of 10:1 in pushing their agenda to maintain our total reliance on obsolete energy systems.

In this way, Money - an imaginary concept which has no objective reality in the physical world- takes total control of our conceptual world in a way that unleashes unlimited destruction on the natural world that gives us Life. It's a delusion that fosters a slow-motion suicide.

With odds like this, how can we move to a more sustainable future?

Charts: Dirty Energy's Election Ad Spending Spree | Mother Jones

Charts: Dirty Energy's Election Ad Spending Spree | Mother Jones

Charts: Dirty Energy's Election Ad Spending Spree | Mother Jones

Chris Hedges: Where Were You When They Crucified My Lord? - Chris Hedges' Columns - Truthdig

Chris Hedges: Where Were You When They Crucified My Lord? - Chris Hedges' Columns - Truthdig

Most Trusted Canadians - 2012 Trust Poll Results | Stephen Harper is the Least Trusted Canadian

 Okay, well you can't say that Stephen Harper hasn't won anything. In a recent Reader Digest poll, he won the distinction of being the Least Trusted Canadian - beating out Rob Ford,  Toronto's unpopular mayor, by a margin of 47% to 44%.

Most Trusted Canadians - 2012 Trust Poll Results | Reader's Digest

What is more aggravating than this - is the fact the Harper spends more tax-payer money on his PR department and information officers  whose job it is to make him appear positive to Canadians. Looks like these characters are incompetent should all be fired.

Thanks to Elizabeth May for pointing out this interesting observation. http://elizabethmaymp.ca/news/blogs/2012/04/19/how-orwellian-traps-are-laid/

When Mormons were socialists - what has happened to the Church of Jesus Christ?

 Growing up as a member of the LDS church, it took me years to understand the message of the Book of Mormon. Believed to be a word of warning  to the American people of our day, the Book of Mormon claims to be a prophetic witness of the fall of two earlier American nations and a warning to the present-day citizens of the land.

In his provocative 1994 essay, "A Latter Day Warning from the Book of Mormon", Richard Draper observed that the Book of Mormon appears to be speaking to our time.  Two main periods of the Nephite history are compared wit hpresent day America. The first outlined the initial destruction of the Nephite nation-state prior to the coming of Christ to the Americas (covered in the books of Helaman and 3rd Nephi) and the second detailed the 2oo year period between the peak of the Nephite society and the total destruction of the people (mostly recorded in 4th Nephi).

In his conclusion, Draper states "For the most part, the Church today finds itself in much the same circumstances as those in the beginning of the book of Helaman. It is wealthy and growing rapidly. Are we in danger? The Book of Mormon suggests that the only real danger to the Church itself is not an outward foe but rather a more powerful and far more devastating enemy within—pride. It grows in the hearts of those who profess to be Saints. It is little wonder that President Benson has warned us against pride.¹⁷ Will we heed the warning or become as the Nephites of old?"

How did the Mormon church change from a Christian socialist Utopian endeavor to the most Republican of religions? Are we living through some inevitable cycle in human nature or do we still have a choice?

On the political side of this equation - this article from Salon may provide some of the answers.

When Mormons were socialists - Salon.com

Hume: Pipeline opposition likely to grow as supertanker risk assessed

 Great story from the Calgary Herald - and it clearly shows the importance of asking the right question on a survey!

Hume: Pipeline opposition likely to grow as supertanker risk assessed

Conservative response to Elizabeth May's question about oil tankers off the BC coast

 Elizabeth May managed to ask a straight-forward question about the Conservative Goverment's willingness to ignore the will of British Columbians regarding oil tankers of the BC Coast. I have provided the link, and I will reproduce the text here.

Elizabeth May: Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister for many years expressed concern as an Albertan about the heavy-handed intrusion of federal policy on the will of Albertans.
Right now, British Columbians oppose supertankers on the coastline, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities opposes the supertankers and today’s polls show, by a margin of three to one, that British Columbians do not want oil tankers on their coastline.
Will the Prime Minister run roughshod over the will of British Columbians for his pet project?

Hon. Denis Lebel: Mr. Speaker, our government is confident that sound regulations are in place to ensure petroleum products are transported safely along the B.C. coast.
In the last five years, close to 500 supertankers have been close to the shores with no accidents. All tankers arriving in Canadian ports are inspected by Transport Canada to ensure that they comply with all Canadian and international regulations.

Notice how Conservative Minister Lebel answered the question "... the Union of British Columbia Municipalities opposes the supertankers and today’s polls show, by a margin of three to one, that British Columbians do not want oil tankers on their coastline. Will the Prime Minister run roughshod over the will of British Columbians for his pet project?" with "our government is confident that sound regulations are in place to ensure petroleum products are transported safely along the B.C. coast.".

A shorter, more straight forward version of the exchange looks like this:
Q. British Columbians clearly don't want oil tankers in our coastal waters.  Does PM Harper intend to run roughshod over the will of the people?
A. Yes - absolutely.

Oral Questions – Transport

B.C. opposition to oil supertankers outweighs support 3:1 — Dogwood Initiative

 Living on Vancouver Island, these polling results are hardly surprizing. What I can't figure out is why the Conservatives are so strongly behind this pipeline when there are much better alternatives -in terms of jobs, economic benefits, etc.-  for Alberta and the rest of Canada.

Just who is Harper working for anyway?

B.C. opposition to oil supertankers outweighs support 3:1 — Dogwood Initiative

Robocalls and the petrostate | Focus Online

Interesting links between Conservative and Republican tactics in the recent election.

Robocalls and the petrostate | Focus Online

Nigeria 1990 - Canada 2012 - back to the future...

During the 1990s, entire villages -men, women and children- were massacred in the Niger delta to make room for oil and gas development. Twenty years later, the Nigerian oil fields are depleted and the ecosystem is destroyed - in spite of all the promises of environmental reclamation.

Now -in 2012- the Conservative-backed multi-national oil and gas industry is bringing is bringing this same promise of prosperity to a country near you...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/03/30/pol-first-nations-northern-gateway-reaction.html

"Stand With Us to Fight" - an indigenous rally against Enbridge -

 Hundreds of indigenous people gather in Vancouver to oppose Enbridge. And why don't we see this in the news? What's up CBC?

"Stand With Us to Fight" | Vancouver Media Co-op

Understanding Harper's Evangelical Mission - TheTyee.ca - Mobile

 I can't imagine how Jesus could ever imagine Christians like these.

Understanding Harper's Evangelical Mission - TheTyee.ca - Mobile

Federal Tories can't plug every pipeline threat - and what is threatened?

 There are so many things left out of this story - and it is instructive to observe how it is framed. For one thing, Joe Oliver is quoted as saying that thousands of jobs are at stake due to regulatory delays. In actuality, the Enbridge pipeline only promises roughly two hundred permanent jobs and the resulting tanker traffic threatens tens of thousands of jobs that already exist in the fishing and tourism industries. The story also ignores the tens of thousands of jobs that would be created by upgrading the bitumen in Canada and piping it to Eastern Canada to displace the million barrels of imported oil that are being consumed there every day. While the story does mention the impact of the strong petro-dollar on Eastern Canada, it does not approach the magnitude of the 700,000 jobs that have already been lost in the manufacturing sector or even mention the impact the high dollar has on every other aspect of Canada's economy that relies on Export. This includes farming, technology and software development, movie industry, etc.

And the story seems to hint that the First Nations only "think" that they should have a say over their ancestral lands. How would Joe Oliver and Stephen Harper feel if a pipeline appeared in their back yards?

The facts are that Canada would benefit from a policy that reduced our dependent on exporting unrefined bitumen at under-valued prices. More jobs would be created, our future would be more sustainable and Canada would be a better place for everyone if we adopted a more holistic energy policy rather than a short-sighted plan which sells our children's heritage for pennies on the dollar.

Federal Tories can't plug every pipeline threat

Canada's Quiet Genocide - and the price of privilege

Having had the opportunity to travel extensively and to live on 4 continents, I have often reflected on how lucky I am to be born in Canada. Lately, I am beginning to realize some of the true cost of that privilege.

Today I attended the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in Cowichan and heard stories from residential school survivors who had been forcibly taken from their families, prevented from speaking their language, isolated from their culture and often subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Theirs was the latest chapter in the systematic genocide that targeted the original inhabitants of this land. Earlier attempts included violent exterminations; cash bounties for killing indigenous people, eliminating the bison herds which were a primary food source and leaving smallpox-infected people or blankets in villages where people had never encountered the disease.

While not as openly violent, the residential schools were one of the most effective instruments of assimilation. For more than a century, the Canadian government paid the national Christian churches to operate these schools with the intention of assimilating Indigenous children into the dominant culture of mainstream society. For more than 3 generations, these children were forcibly removed from their homes and subjected to a system which aimed at the destruction of their family connections, oral traditions, languages, cultures, knowledge systems, spiritual traditions and Indigenous identity. These schools operated until the early 1990s and more than 80,000 survivors are living today. The impact on the survivors and their descendants is clearly illustrated in the commission's interim report, which should be required reading for every citizen of Canada.

From this history, it seems clear to me that the Government of Canada signed treaties with the Indigenous peoples of this land with the intention of eliminating the cultures and/or the people before they really needed to consider the long-term effects of the treaties.

And yes, in my opinion, this really does qualify as genocide - in every way comparable to Hitler's extermination of the Jews. In the past I often wondered how, at the end of WWII, the vast majority of the German citizens could deny any knowledge of Hitler's Final Solution with it's ghettos, forced evacuations, death camps and crematoriums. Now I think I understand.

It is a privilege to live in Canada - and until we acknowledge the price that the Indigenous peoples of this land have paid for our privilege- Canadian justice is nothing more than an illusion.

The Problem With the Environment Is Not Too Many People | Truthout

The Problem With the Environment Is Not Too Many People | Truthout

Oil sands, green groups unlikely allies in push for carbon tax - The Globe and Mail

 Here is a solid reference for just how out of touch the Harper Conservatives are in their energy policy. Groups as diverse as Exxon Mobil and the Pembina Institute are calling for some form of Carbon taxation to change the energy policy landscare and "Jack Mintz, who heads the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, said a carbon tax would allow Ottawa to cut subsidies to all forms of energy and allow the market to function."

Oil sands, green groups unlikely allies in push for carbon tax - The Globe and Mail

Joe Oliver may not be legally elected - Who is the Enemy of the State now?

 OK - now it appears that Natural Resources minister and Champion of the Enbridge Pipeline, Joe Oliver may have been "elected" through fraudulent and illegal means. And to think he has labelled me as an "Enemy of the State"... Where do I live? Russia??

Toronto riding allowed voters with bogus addresses - Politics - CBC News

Five Principles For Surviving Community « BRITTIAN BULLOCK

For those who are interested in learning the essence of living in community - this article rings true to me.

Thanks to Servants Vancouver for posting this on facebook.


Five Principles For Surviving Community « BRITTIAN BULLOCK

Oil: In Perpetuity No More | Truthout

Oil: In Perpetuity No More | Truthout

We are all responsible for the plight of Canada’s first nations - The Globe and Mail

We are all responsible for the plight of Canada’s first nations - The Globe and Mail

Oil executive son's testimony at Prince Rupert Northern Gateway pipeline joint review panel | The Vancouver Observer - Page 1

Oil executive son's testimony at Prince Rupert Northern Gateway pipeline joint review panel | The Vancouver Observer - Page 1

War and Peace: Illusions of partnership at Conservative-First Nations gathering | rabble.ca

The recent First Nation gathering in Ottawa is an interesting meeting - especially since it was been triggered by the crisis at Attiwapiskat. News coverage revealed a fascinating spectacle with FN leaders in colorful regalia and interesting speeches given by all. However, there is a darker side to all of the pomp and ceremony.

Dr. Pamela D. Palmater, a Mi'kmaw lawyer and member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in New Brunswick, provides important perspectives about the deeper meaning to this assembly and the threat it carries for First Nations. In her perspective, "All you need to be able to read between the lines is to understand their use of code words like "individual opportunity" (destroy communities), "solution to Canada's labour woes" (we are their labour pool), "unlocking the potential of First Nation lands" (transfer to non-Indians) and "maximizing benefits for all Canadians" (Canada gets rich off our remaining lands and resource). "

If you want to learn more about what's really going on, please read Pamela's entire article.

War and Peace: Illusions of partnership at Conservative-First Nations gathering | rabble.ca

The Tyee – Economist Calls Gateway Pipeline an Inflationary 'Threat'

The Tyee – Economist Calls Gateway Pipeline an Inflationary 'Threat'

Who is the Enemy of the State?

Canada is a constitutional country that is governed by the rule of law - both our own common law tradition and international law. Nevertheless, the Harper government is willing to promote the Enbridge pipeline even when this project clearly violates indigenous rights that are enshrined in the constitution. And somehow, this Harper government, that is so willing to disregard the very constitution that they are meant to uphold, are branding everyone who opposes the pipeline as an enemy of the State.

Just how much money is Enbridge paying Harper for this incredible service?

In the end, it really doesn't matter. There is no amount of money big enough to compensate for the risk to BC's coastal environment and salmon fisheries. People who have made their livelihoods off this land for centuries already know that and they aren't willing to be bought.

No oil pipeline here: Enbridge Northern Gateway Joint Review Panel in Smithers finds 100% opposition | The Vancouver Observer - Page 1

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/-1614516.htm


Liberal leader Bob Rae calls Harper government '"dictatorial" | The Vancouver Observer - Page 1

The Tyee – How First Nations Are Gearing Up for Legal Battle Against Gateway

The Tyee – How First Nations Are Gearing Up for Legal Battle Against Gateway

7 Ways to Survive and Thrive in 2012 and Beyond — The Good Men Project

7 Ways to Survive and Thrive in 2012 and Beyond — The Good Men Project

How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’ | Common Dreams

A fitting history lesson from 2 of my favorite countries.

How Swedes and Norwegians Broke the Power of the ‘1 Percent’ | Common Dreams

Native chiefs overturn deal with Enbridge on Gateway pipeline - The Globe and Mail

Native chiefs overturn deal with Enbridge on Gateway pipeline - The Globe and Mail

China has our forests, now we're sending our oilfields too | Full Comment | National Post

China has our forests, now we're sending our oilfields too | Full Comment | National Post

The Income Gap: Unfair, Or Are We Just Jealous? : NPR

Most people agree - there is nothing wrong with being rich. It's the way government policy and the economy are changing to increase the rate that the rich become richer while blocking the path for everyone else that makes people angry.

The Income Gap: Unfair, Or Are We Just Jealous? : NPR

Should Alberta look east to ship its oil?

Should Alberta look east to ship its oil?

Enbridge reports leak from U.S. pipeline as Northern Gateway hearings begin - The Globe and Mail

Enbridge reports leak from U.S. pipeline as Northern Gateway hearings begin - The Globe and Mail

Radicals working against oilsands, Ottawa says - Politics - CBC News

Why don't we consider upgrading the bitumen in Canada (thereby creating thousands of quality jobs for Canadians), shipping the refined product to the USA (we can use existing pipelines and Canada gets $100/bbl rather than $60/bbl for the refined product) and then we can build a pipeline to Ontario (which removes Canada's reliance on foreign oil imported using supertankers from the Middle East and provides fellow Canadians with a secure source of energy)?

OH NO!! I'm a radical!!

At least according to the current wisdom of Joe Oliver and the Conservative party of Canada.

Radicals working against oilsands, Ottawa says - Politics - CBC News

Enbridge pipeline review - Just who is getting hijacked? - Opinion 250 - News for Northern and Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada

Enbridge pipeline review - Just who is getting hijacked? - Opinion 250 - News for Northern and Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada

An Open Letter to Joe Oliver | Green Party of Canada

An Open Letter to Joe Oliver | Green Party of Canada

Protests, Occupy could lead to full-blown Canadian youth movement: experts - Winnipeg Free Press

Protests, Occupy could lead to full-blown Canadian youth movement: experts - Winnipeg Free Press

An open letter to PM Harper about the Enbridge pipeline

Dear Prime Minister Harper,

I am very discouraged by your unreasonable and poorly informed support for the Enbridge pipeline.

If your government really cared about Canadians, you would support a pipeline from Alberta to Ontario. This would remove Eastern Canada's dependence on imported oil, create Canadian refining jobs in either Alberta or Ontario, retain more economic value from the bitumen and remove the danger of destroying BC's coastal waters.

The Enbridge pipeline is very bad policy for Canadians. It is bad for Canada's energy security, economy and environment and it unfairly benefits Albertans, who get the vast majority of the reward at the expense of BC and First Nation communities who take all the risk.

I have written several letters on this topic in the past which details each of these contentions and you refuse to answer these concerns.

I am deeply disappointed in your lack of concern for the well being of the vast majority of Canadians.

Sincerely,

Keith Hirsche

1161 Chapman Rd.

Cobble Hill, BC

Harper warns pipeline hearings could be 'hijacked' - Business - CBC News

An Invitation to The Great Conversation - Cathleen Falsani | God's Politics Blog - Sojourners

An Invitation to The Great Conversation - Cathleen Falsani | God's Politics Blog - Sojourners

Why do I Occupy: Richest CEOs earn 189 times average Canadian - Business - CBC News

This simple illustration provides an insight into the energy behind the Occupy Movement. Even in Canada, the top 100 CEOs earn the equivalent of the average Canadian salary before the end of January 3rd.

Is there any way to justify this level of compensation? If you take these numbers over the course of an average working lifetime, what is the market saying about the worth of individual human beings?

Richest CEOs earn 189 times average Canadian - Business - CBC News

Northern Gateway: Alberta gets the rewards and BC gets all the risk.

Latest report shows that the Northern Gateway pipeline means $72Billion to Alberta tar sands producers - and BC takes all the risk for free!

With friends like this, who needs enemies?

Oilsands firms would lose without Gateway, study says - Business - CBC News