From Down the
401---Sept. 2005
It was a
very good summer…I was finally working full-time, my health was improving, the
miracle of the Air France crash (300 passengers, no fatalities) picked up the
mood of every Canadian, and the political situation in North America seemed to
be heading in the right direction at last.
Then came the double whammy, plus my own personal crises.
1)
Hurricane
Katrina.
2)
Gas
prices.
3)
My
accident and job problems.
Each of the
above has made me, in turn, sad, sick and angry, as well as casting a pall of
helplessness over me, so much so that both my physical and mental health have
been affected. (Since this article will run dangerously over if I detail
everything, let me sum up #3 by saying I was hit and dragged by a slow-moving
idiot in a van, injuring several body parts, which leaves me unable to do a lot
of everyday activities easily. And my employer has asked me to take what I estimate
to be a 30%, or more, pay cut, to keep my meager earnings, without a solid job alternative.
So you can imagine the toll these events also are taking on my health, physical
and mental.)
I had heard
about Katrina from the internet and news reports, but was still unprepared for
the utter devastation it wreaked on one of America’s greatest cities. What made
it worse was the fact that much of the damage, and many deaths, could have, and
should have, been prevented---would have been, by almost any other
leader---except that the unelected president, whose name I won’t even mention
any more, ignored global warming warnings, environmental reports predicting
this sort of damage, and on top of it all, reduced funding on levee repair in
his budget by over 80%. Add the fact that much of the National Guard, who would
normally be called in on a crisis like this, is over fighting the illegal war
in Iraq, and you have a recipe for disaster that most thinking people would
have foreseen, if they weren’t hell-bent on invasion at all costs.
Of course,
compounding this incompetence was the callousness of avoiding the situation altogether
and instead flying 2000 miles away for a business meeting. How that helped the
people of New Orleans, I am not sure. The “solution” is not to impose martial
law and strike fear into the hearts of innocent Americans by inviting paid
mercenaries to shoot first and ask questions later (details at http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/091005A.shtml)
but if your leader’s goal is suppression of dissent and criticism, muzzling the
“free” press and practicing cowboy diplomacy, it seems a logical step to take.
The rest of the world might hate and resent you for it, but as the president said
when the hurricane first struck, the
Truly their
priorities are in place. For Terri Schiavo, a religious conservative, they drop
everything to interfere in the natural order of things. For the poor blacks in
Of course, one
expects very little when a supposed holy man advocates the assassination of a
duly-elected democratic leader of a peaceful country who actually tries to take
care of his poor and downtrodden? (This is a typical outburst from a supposedly
neutral religious zealot who, in reality, is not only as political as any
elected official, but has the advantage of being tax-exempt as the leader of a
“church”. The Republicans must cater to their rightwing religious nuts but they
should come “out of the closet” and be forced to pay taxes as well, as a small
price for their political bilge.) And the criticism has been low-key, if not
muted, with virtually no one pointing out that calling for assassination is
anti-Christian at its worst. Is it any wonder I lead towards agnosticism? And
is this an example of the right’s rejection of Darwinism, the “intelligent
design” theory? I have seen very little coming from their side for years.
Speaking of
looters, although it does not surprise me, has anyone in power raged that the
biggest looters are the oil companies? (A cartoonist correctly wondered what
the point of looting was, since the TV and CD player you stole will be useless
if New Orleans doesn’t have electricity for months!)
What’s
worse, here in Canada, when gas prices recently topped $6 a gallon, there was
precious little outcry from our politicians, since WE are not dependent on oil
coming from Iraq. How is it that OUR prices shot up at the same time when we
have nothing to do with the war? Stephen Harper is predictably silent since the
CPC has long been thought of as in bed with Big Oil, but what about Prime
Minister Martin? Forget rising oil prices; what about those alternate fuels we
have been clamoring for for decades now? Or are the oil companies sabotaging
those efforts and funds while their greedy CEOs continue to earn obscene
amounts of wealth? Ironically, if the Iraq war was for cheap gas prices, I
don’t see any “mission accomplished” signs around. (I should point out that
with the high gas prices, anyone who is still driving, buying, or riding in, a
gas-guzzling, polluting SUV or the like, deserves to pay higher prices. In
fact, I would advocate that gas prices be directly related to the size of the
car, the pollutants, and the gas mileage. And in case you’re wondering, I have
a 10-year-old Honda which gets 30+MPG, and I usually ride the subway to go
downtown.)
And in the
“Missing the Point” category, with all the torture and abuse permeating the
military at home and abroad, a U.S. general is fired….for having an
AFFAIR?!?!!? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/09/AR2005080900515.html
I guess it
shows where the right wing draws the line: torture and physical abuse good,
consensual sex, BAD. Have we learned nothing from the Clinton witch-hunt….I
mean impeachment?
But at
least, with 60 journalists killed in Iraq so far, it is safer from those pesky
truth-seekers and questioners, who only want to stir up trouble by pointing out
the lies of the warmongers, draft-dodgers and cheaters, none of whom are
prepared to send THEIR children to die, although it is perfectly fair to send
the poor and disadvantaged young people out there. Perhaps their dictionary
defines “noble cause” differently from mine. And has anyone noticed that the
Iraqi constitution actually provides FEWER rights for women than they had
before? Is this the Islamic “democracy” envisioned by the warmongers? At least
here in Ontario, Premier McGuinty correctly ruled that Sharia law, well-known
to discriminate against women, will not be used against some of the country’s
weakest citizens in disputes. I have been sorely disappointed with McGuinty as
premier (though, of course, I know the Tories would be worse, and will
therefore support the NDP in the next election) but at least he got this one
right. Not enough for a Laurel, but at least he “stumbled uncontrollably into
the truth”.
All is not
well in the Great White North, I’m afraid. The hype about Michaelle Jean is
somewhat overblown, but the fact is this: she can be born in another country
and still represent us. I obviously have no problem with a female
governor-general or whatever race (if anyone does, and
it seems some of Mr. Harper’s party do, I suggest they be reminded of our
current G-G); what I DO have a problem with is whether or not she has ever been
a separatist. I would be uncomfortable with her husband being one as well but
am not prepared to taint by association. However, someone representing Canada
should be under at least that much scrutiny to make sure they do not carry
views contrary to the vast majority of the population, especially when it comes
to statehood of the very country they choose to represent. And the fact that
she is francophone, a minority and female is more a political sop to Mr.
Martin’s sinking hopes in Quebec, which should give us all pause, since (as
most of us have pointed out) the LAST thing we need to do is beg French Quebec
to please, please support our party and our country! I suspect this ploy will
backfire, but neither assume nor hope that next year’s
Parliament will be a majority in either case. The weird thing is I have heard
little out of the CPC about this. They have almost no chance of winning Quebec
seats so why not point this out?
I have no column room to discuss this in
details, so here are some links to other stories:
We are
holding our own against the most secretive of regimes when it comes to
immigrants! http://www.rabble.ca/columnists_full.shtml?x=40549
Big Brother
could be watching our computers:
Mulroney still as charming as ever :http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?s_id=HqBvlOdkEib%2fcjHj7uqtMml8CONwOTPBY8ka%2f%2ffcU5OtLOkCap%2bsrQ%3d%3d
AND http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?s_id=u%2beWNniqZG5eFloOHxNQq%2bW%2f2aparApZgwyCWYsulqI%2b8ZOmOdXYSw%3d%3d
AND http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/news/story.html?s_id=B9GFRgGoWc0LHPMOKVMAfsWt54mLFbzMsAc3oS59Y4L48zl3Y%2b75bQ%3d%3d&page=2
The
Lou Laurels this month go to:
Peter Jennings, an American newscaster who never lost his
Canadian-ness (he died from smoking but the tobacco industry goes merrily
along, killing millions)
Kanye West (as
mentioned above, for telling the truth, even if not everyone heard it)
And a special Laurel
to Cindy Sheehan, the mother who lost her son in the useless war
and confronted the Coward-In-Chief, showing him to the world as the spineless
dictator-wannabe he is. Would that her protest starts peace
movements all over. She is a hero to us all.
Well, if my
luck takes a turn for the better, and my health improves, I’ll fill you in next
issue. Happy Rosh Hashanah, and enjoy the last days of summer!
Your Fellow
Canadian,
Lou Israel