Saturday, September 27, 2008
Harper, Dion & Layton: Canadian Politics
Harper is just doing what the Liberals are not - selling himself and his party. It is amazing, I think, that Harper has not managed to do better, considering the fledgling, ineffectual leadership of the Liberals, and in particular, Dion. I don't think Dion can resurrect his party at this late stage -- the best one can hope for is that the Cons. do not get a majority. Jack Leyton is just filling a vacuum on the left.The Liberals will regroup with a new leader, and return to fight another day.
OBAMA/MCCAIN/PALLIN
I watched the McCain/Obama debate yesterday, and though I respect McCain's honourable record as a POW, I must say I think we are safer with Obama. He certainly is the most eloquent of the two, but he is also, seemingly, the most intelligent and rational.
I also saw clips of the Sarah Pallin interview, and I must say she came across as shallow and naive. Her international/diplomatic experiences seems limited to being the neighbour of Russia and Canada, and if Putin decides to be nasty, oh boy, she would give it to him, I'm sure! Don't mess with Alaska. All of it's 660M citizens carry guns and are loaded for bear.
God help us and America should she end up, by default, as their President.
I also saw clips of the Sarah Pallin interview, and I must say she came across as shallow and naive. Her international/diplomatic experiences seems limited to being the neighbour of Russia and Canada, and if Putin decides to be nasty, oh boy, she would give it to him, I'm sure! Don't mess with Alaska. All of it's 660M citizens carry guns and are loaded for bear.
God help us and America should she end up, by default, as their President.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Lester B. Pearson: Canadian diplomat and Prime Minister
CANADA’S BOY WONDER – Lianne George, Maclean’s Sept.22/08
Your story on Lester B. Pearson brought out several areas of his personal life, of which I was not aware,and serves to make him even more real and human.
I have been a fan of his since the “flag debate” in the sixties, when he pushed through the Flag legislation, against much opposition from the Diefenbaker Conservatives. As a new Canadian citizen at the time, I could not understand why so many Canadians were against having their very own flag, rather that the poor facsimile of the Union Jack we were flying at the time. Not that I had anything against the British; they gave us the culture and liberal democratic freedoms we all enjoy –we owe much to them –but I felt strongly, that the time had come to forge a new Canadian identity which would include everyone, not just people of British or French descent, and that the flag would do much to encourage that kind of identity and pride in our country. That, largely, has come to pass.
In my opinion, the Pearson government’s achievements eclipse any of the other Canadian governments in our time (or at least, in mine), and it set the course for the social activism that brought us not only the Flag, but Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan and, through his protégée, Trudeau, freedom from government intrusion into our private affairs culminating in the Charter of Rights & Freedoms. All this he did, without ever having a majority government.
I don’t think the Liberals walk on water any longer, but Lester Pearson is still my hero!
Your story on Lester B. Pearson brought out several areas of his personal life, of which I was not aware,and serves to make him even more real and human.
I have been a fan of his since the “flag debate” in the sixties, when he pushed through the Flag legislation, against much opposition from the Diefenbaker Conservatives. As a new Canadian citizen at the time, I could not understand why so many Canadians were against having their very own flag, rather that the poor facsimile of the Union Jack we were flying at the time. Not that I had anything against the British; they gave us the culture and liberal democratic freedoms we all enjoy –we owe much to them –but I felt strongly, that the time had come to forge a new Canadian identity which would include everyone, not just people of British or French descent, and that the flag would do much to encourage that kind of identity and pride in our country. That, largely, has come to pass.
In my opinion, the Pearson government’s achievements eclipse any of the other Canadian governments in our time (or at least, in mine), and it set the course for the social activism that brought us not only the Flag, but Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan and, through his protégée, Trudeau, freedom from government intrusion into our private affairs culminating in the Charter of Rights & Freedoms. All this he did, without ever having a majority government.
I don’t think the Liberals walk on water any longer, but Lester Pearson is still my hero!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
OBAMA
Obama’s straight talk on fatherhood –Post Editorial, June 18/08.
While Robert Kennedy and Barack Obama came from very different social and racial backgrounds, there seems to be more than a superficial similarity in both their idealism and their diction. It is a difficult field to hoe –appealing to the great unwashed masses without uttering the odd expression of vacuous bombast.
In taking aim at the real problem of black ghettos, without sugar-coating it with the common apologetics, he has shown himself capable, even in politics, of taking the road less travelled. Kudos to him. He is actually echoing another well known African-American, Bill Cosby:"It is time, ladies and gentlemen, to look at the numbers. Fifty percent of our children are dropping out of high school. Sixty percent of the incarcerated male happens to be illiterate…Seventy percent of the teenagers pregnant happen to be black. There's a correlation." The same can be said for some of our own, especially here in the GTA. Much of the violence, the drug dealing, the gun-play and murders emanate from a similar social group of young people who have nothing to loose; identify only with their own clan or tribe, and aspire only to recognition from their own peers. They are hyper-sensitive to disrespect (or “dissing” in their own jargon), and “respect” in their argot is synonymous with fear. Most come from a single parent home, often with a number of siblings with different fathers -or sperm-donors –that take no responsibility for their offspring at all. This, it seems, has now become a generational thing, and little can be done by throwing money at the problem, or making superficial changes in their environment. It is not just a problem of education or income in itself –many low income groups have managed to get by, even in poverty, and bring up a family of honest and industrious citizens. A feeling of entitlement will not substitute for a set of values and mores that conforms to society’s needs. This has become a generational problem –a vicious circle of matriarchal families with no male support, no higher goals or educational aspirations, finding convenient excuses by blaming discrimination and bigotry. While, at least historically, discrimination might have been part of the problem, it’s not the whole story. Not by far.
There is no ready-made solution or short-term band-aid that will heal this social sore. Only sea-change; a major and radical surgery will do the job –and a long-term and expensive rehabilitation.
While Robert Kennedy and Barack Obama came from very different social and racial backgrounds, there seems to be more than a superficial similarity in both their idealism and their diction. It is a difficult field to hoe –appealing to the great unwashed masses without uttering the odd expression of vacuous bombast.
In taking aim at the real problem of black ghettos, without sugar-coating it with the common apologetics, he has shown himself capable, even in politics, of taking the road less travelled. Kudos to him. He is actually echoing another well known African-American, Bill Cosby:"It is time, ladies and gentlemen, to look at the numbers. Fifty percent of our children are dropping out of high school. Sixty percent of the incarcerated male happens to be illiterate…Seventy percent of the teenagers pregnant happen to be black. There's a correlation." The same can be said for some of our own, especially here in the GTA. Much of the violence, the drug dealing, the gun-play and murders emanate from a similar social group of young people who have nothing to loose; identify only with their own clan or tribe, and aspire only to recognition from their own peers. They are hyper-sensitive to disrespect (or “dissing” in their own jargon), and “respect” in their argot is synonymous with fear. Most come from a single parent home, often with a number of siblings with different fathers -or sperm-donors –that take no responsibility for their offspring at all. This, it seems, has now become a generational thing, and little can be done by throwing money at the problem, or making superficial changes in their environment. It is not just a problem of education or income in itself –many low income groups have managed to get by, even in poverty, and bring up a family of honest and industrious citizens. A feeling of entitlement will not substitute for a set of values and mores that conforms to society’s needs. This has become a generational problem –a vicious circle of matriarchal families with no male support, no higher goals or educational aspirations, finding convenient excuses by blaming discrimination and bigotry. While, at least historically, discrimination might have been part of the problem, it’s not the whole story. Not by far.
There is no ready-made solution or short-term band-aid that will heal this social sore. Only sea-change; a major and radical surgery will do the job –and a long-term and expensive rehabilitation.
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