On Whose Side?

I must admit that I was saddened by the NDP's recent move to support the conservatives in parliament. Iggy and his Liberals had finally decided that enough was enough - but Jack moved in and replaced them as lapdog to the Canadian Republicans. I've voted for the NDP several times - all while living in an urban area - but I've had a hard time understanding their politics recently.

My first inkling that something was amiss was when they fought to keep Elizabeth May and the Green party out of the national debates (The Greens typically represent more than 10% of Canadians). I thought this was a strange move for a party that was once on the outside looking in. I also wondered why they were so aggressively anti-liberal when the obvious opponent is Stephen Harper. Now, they are propping up Harper's government. Why? Listen to Jack's reasoning. Apparently he's trying to "make parliament work". If that were true, why doesn't he form an alliance with other left-leaning parties such as the Greens or Liberals to run a single conservative opponent in important ridings? (As Dion did in Elizabeth May's home riding). Then they could run parliament in a more egalitarian fashion that wasn't girded by party lines.

In reality, I think that the NDP has finally become a 'party'. They don't care about the people they represent, or the country they run. They only care about their share of power and maintaining it for the future. It's a sad state of affairs. I'll have to add Jack to the list of leaders who I cannot support for moral reasons. (As opposed to Stephane Dion, who I could not support for political reasons.) These are trying times - but Harper and Layton represent diametrically opposed world-views. I can't understand how Layton can put that aside for the sake of EI benefits.

Fall Election?

It seems that the Liberal government will no longer prop up the ailing Conservative machine. While time will tell if the Bloc or NDP will replace the Liberals as Stephen Harper's running mates, the Liberal Party has released their first ad which seems to indicate they are ready for a fall election. You can find the video here. I'm not sure what I think of Michael Ignatieff. His rhetoric tends to sounds big-government and spend-heavy, but so did Chretien's. After the economic destruction that Harper has wrought in our country, almost any change would be a change for the better. If only the parties could work together to shape a future that all Canadians might enjoy...

4000 U.S. Combat Deaths

And counting...

Of course, nobody ever 'sees' the dead, so it can have no effect on you. It's just a number on a screen. There could be a million deaths - if none of the soldiers fall within your Monkeysphere, then you probably won't care that much. Once you're wrapped your head around that, it should be easy to understand why the U.S. government doesn't want pictures of dead soldiers coming home. Despite this, some pictures survive...

Fiat Currency

During the lead-up to the American election I was really excited by a Republican candidate named Ron Paul. He strictly supports the constitution and opposes the Federal Reserve. If I was American, these would be the pillars of my political beliefs. The constitution represents the rights and freedoms of each citizen, while the Federal Reserve represents the domination and subjugation of the elected government by banks and hyper-rich individuals. While I disagreed with Paul on certain social issues, he seemed to be the candidate who would present America and the world with the most optimistic and realistic leader. Alas, twas not to be. The Republican faithful have long abandoned the small-government, anti-war, true capitalism set of values that were the party's roots for so long.

Today, I'm posting two relevant pieces authored by Ron Paul. The first is a video in which Paul responds to the current 'bailout' of the mortgage industry (and the subsequent reporting of all credit card transactions to the IRS). The second is an article written by Paul about fiat currency. As I've grown older I've become more and more interested in economics. How do governments actually work? How does money actually work?

I'll leave you with a thought experiment I've been working on for a while. Imagine that there is a global, or at least North American economic collapse. Suppose that you live in an area where people still produce something with their labour (ie: food, merchandise, etc). How would you establish a new currency? How would you distribute the first notes? How would you increase or decrease your money supply? Who would control these things?

Impeachment?

Here's a pair of videos from CSPAN:

1. Ohio Democratic lawmaker and former presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich presents articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to Congress. It's not the first time, and it probably won't be the last. Clinton was impeached for lying about his relationship with an intern. Bush lied about Iraq and led the nation to a disastrous war. Which is worse? According to Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly, the price of oil is far more important than an illegal war which has destroyed the international reputation of the U.S.

2. Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate for president outlines the mission of his party. Essentially, he advocates most of the same goals and desires as Ron Paul. Obviously, he has no chance of winning the election - but it is nice to see a third party getting air-time. I haven't heard much from Ralph Nader, which is unfortunate because he is a true American visionary.

History is Written by the Winners

Oliver Stone's '91 film JFK was by no means a blockbuster. The media criticized the director's blurring of historical facts. I think to a new generation it made them start looking at the way things happen in history. Hopefully in 'free' nations people of a all generations have started to watch the actions of their government a little more closely as there are many great men warning them about
actions they perceive as a threat to the safety of their nation.

Eisenhower's outgoing presidential speech did that for a generation before, the famous military industrial complex speech. Stone has this as his opening scene. Followed by quite possibly the speech JFK was killed for making. So here it is The Sequel to a great movie.

Black and White

John McCain and Barack Obama have two very different views about the war in the middle east and America's future. Our good friends at TPMtv have set these two perspectives beside each other. Take a quick look and tell me what you think. Whether you are American or not, the upcoming election will have a major impact on the world and your own life.

In a follow-up to an earlier post, I would also like to point fellow teachers towards Wikispaces. If you enjoyed the "Portal to Media Literacy" video you might have wondered how you could set up a wiki in your own classroom. Wikispaces provides free, unlimited wikis for educational purposes. Take advantage of these amazing participatory classroom tools.

A Crown of Olive Leaves

The Olympics are nearly upon us, and this year's host is the rising superpower of our world. Today, I added the new Digg gadget to my IGoogle homepage and was presented with some photos of China's Olympic venues. Since I will be traveling to China within the next 2 weeks, it perked my interest.

I think that the "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube" look awesome. The Olympics are an amazing way for China to propel itself into the global community once again. For years, China has closed itself against a world which exploited and dominated it. Whether it was European powers colonizing individual cities, or America supporting a brutal dictator, outside forces left a lasting impression on the Chinese psyche. Thankfully, the Chinese seem to have forgiven the past, and are looking towards the future. I only hope that the West can take advantage of this gesture to forge a lasting partnership with the East. Otherwise, the Chinese might be justifiably insulted by western hypocrites who decry China's human rights records while they purchase t-shirts at Wal-Mart made in Chinese sweatshops.

To Arms! To Arms!

Following the dismissal of Jacques Necker on July 11, 1789 the people of Paris began to fear for the lives of their representatives in the Third Estate. Having no arms with which to protect themselves, they resolved to storm the Bastille (a prison and arms depository). This is considered the third step of the French Revolution. (First, the nobility refused to pay higher taxes to finance the American War of Independence. Second, the Third Estate were forced out of their chambers and made the Tennis Court Oath.) The storming of the Bastille led to the Third Estate drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man - a pivotal document by any historian's standard.

July 14, now known as Bastille Day or the "Fête Nationale" in France, is a French national holiday which celebrates the uprising of the French people against classes which oppressed them politically and economically. It should be noted that without the arms within the Bastille, the people of Paris, and their uprising, would have been easily squashed by the French military. What if they did not secure these arms? Would the revolution have been successful? More to the point, how will the modern citizen revolt against his or her government if their government follows the pattern of almost every government in world history?

Oppression

In the media, we often hear about how Israeli troops are 'reacting' to Palestinian rockets when they attack and kill civilians in Palestine. The irony if this statement should be obvious.

The laws of these lands are created to push the Palestinians away. The most insidious of these laws is the demolition of Palestinian homes. If you're interested, you can check out the wiki for more information. What would drive you to go to war? To fire rockets? To suicide bomb? What if you were completely oppressed, your home was destroyed, your children were stillborn because their mothers could not pass Israeli checkpoints to get to a hospital, your brothers and fathers were arrested because of alleged ties to 'terrorist' networks?

The video I've posted documents the actions of Jews who are against all of this. The people who resist the occupation, who resist the demolition, and who assist in the rebuilding. Check it out.

With the Future of the World at Stake...

Who will be the next U.S. President?
Are you as interested as me?
Smooth talking Barack or straight-shooting McCain?
Veracifier is my #1 source for American election information. They seem to lean Democrat (after the last 7 years what fool wouldn't?) but strangely enough, they present their information in a relatively unbiased fashion. I found these guys on Youtube. They started out at as TPMmedia (Talking Points Memo). Josh Marshall is their anchor, and all-around guy-in-charge. He's one of the best in the business. Relevant and succinct commentary of important issues. It doesn't get much better.
It's worth checking out, and maybe even subscribing.

The Spirit of the Age

Welcome to a brave new world.
Our first video, Zeitgeist, has some politics, history, and more.
It has served as an awakening to many people, and I felt that it would be a fitting first post.
At the very least, it should provide some light for those still inside the cave.
Drop a comment if you have something to say.