I've moved to WordPress.
As of the final period of this post, this blog will be defunct, quiet, and even somewhat lonely.
Anyway, for those who read (and even possibly enjoy) my blog, please update your bookmarks, links, RSS readers, and whatever else to my new abode: Troy's Journal: http://trthomas.wordpress.com/. If you're so inclined, anyway.
Thanks for the support, everyone, and let's all keep up the fight against inequality and injustice.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Caledonia militia?
Toronto Star: Caledonia militia a 'dumb idea,' minister says
Couldn’t agree more.
First a militia starts up, and then before long, there’s strange fruit.
The chill that ran down my spine when I first heard of this…. My god.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Who's surprised? I mean, really. Who's actually surprised?
Libs and Cons agree to postpone an election caused by an actual disagreement.
Or rather, Libs agree to delay any actual opposition to Con policy by nicely asking Harper to remove from his agenda anything that the Libs might actually ever disagree with. Smooth, Professor, smooth.
Or rather, Libs agree to delay any actual opposition to Con policy by nicely asking Harper to remove from his agenda anything that the Libs might actually ever disagree with. Smooth, Professor, smooth.
More creeping industrial prison complex
The Cons are seeking to remove a bit more impartiality from the justice system.
At the rate we're proceeding, it isn't unlikely to see the Canadian prison population balloon within the next ten years. The Libs are being goaded into helping to create a Canadian prison state. It's a rather frightening image.
With the Libs having just guaranteed no election until the Fall, it's likely we'll see no opposition on this from our Loyal Opposition Party.Among the changes, the proposed legislation would enshrine in law the right of a victim of crime to participate in parole board hearings.
At the rate we're proceeding, it isn't unlikely to see the Canadian prison population balloon within the next ten years. The Libs are being goaded into helping to create a Canadian prison state. It's a rather frightening image.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Lifting First Nations from poverty
I walk on the reserve everyday. I feel dirt and dust under foot, and from the earth comes the understanding that to lift the reserve out of poverty would take any government the sort of policy they would never dare even contemplate. They would have to 'throw money at the problem'.
Effort, patience, and investment. That's what we First Nations need from the government to help get us out of this debilitating poverty. All three, however, are in short supply from provincial and federal governments, all of which would rather ignore the social problems and personal difficulties that have beset and dominated First Nations over the past centuries since first contact.
Addiction, alcoholism, violence, gangs, and such and such, all which are symptoms of dire poverty and social injustice do of course need to be addressed directly, but the commitment has to be coordinated and on a scale which would put to shame what is currently available as services for many First Nations, many of whom lack for even basic necessities such as food, clean drink, clothing, and shelter, which in the past had been made purposely unavailable, and remain inaccessible today because of complete indifference.
Effort, patience, investment.
My own reserve is poor. Oh, the band itself has some money, but it is never enough to keep at bay the creeping chaos of the immediate future. Oh, if the band had the money to hire its workers full-time, we could much more quickly and efficiently respond to the small problems that transform into larger problems over time. Oh, if we had capital, we could open stores so that we could save ourselves time we must spend travelling to cities (and also insulate our micro-economy from excessive capital leakage). If we had the funds, we could create warehouses or lumber-mills or factories, or even find a niche industry that can support the community from generation to generation. However, we only have the money to patch up our community's torn social fabric, and only with materials that are discarded from the larger community that is Canada.
I know I'm not alone in these thoughts about the reserve. I see it in the eyes of my relatives and friends. We are each searching in our own way for a path, for a solution, for what might be described as salvation. As the days pass, we each perhaps gain a bit more courage as we each on our own come to a conclusion. With this little courage, it is inevitable we shall not merely ask for more, but to seek more with our own means, using whatever little is available to us.
Effort, patience, and investment. That's what we First Nations need from the government to help get us out of this debilitating poverty. All three, however, are in short supply from provincial and federal governments, all of which would rather ignore the social problems and personal difficulties that have beset and dominated First Nations over the past centuries since first contact.
Addiction, alcoholism, violence, gangs, and such and such, all which are symptoms of dire poverty and social injustice do of course need to be addressed directly, but the commitment has to be coordinated and on a scale which would put to shame what is currently available as services for many First Nations, many of whom lack for even basic necessities such as food, clean drink, clothing, and shelter, which in the past had been made purposely unavailable, and remain inaccessible today because of complete indifference.
Effort, patience, investment.
My own reserve is poor. Oh, the band itself has some money, but it is never enough to keep at bay the creeping chaos of the immediate future. Oh, if the band had the money to hire its workers full-time, we could much more quickly and efficiently respond to the small problems that transform into larger problems over time. Oh, if we had capital, we could open stores so that we could save ourselves time we must spend travelling to cities (and also insulate our micro-economy from excessive capital leakage). If we had the funds, we could create warehouses or lumber-mills or factories, or even find a niche industry that can support the community from generation to generation. However, we only have the money to patch up our community's torn social fabric, and only with materials that are discarded from the larger community that is Canada.
I know I'm not alone in these thoughts about the reserve. I see it in the eyes of my relatives and friends. We are each searching in our own way for a path, for a solution, for what might be described as salvation. As the days pass, we each perhaps gain a bit more courage as we each on our own come to a conclusion. With this little courage, it is inevitable we shall not merely ask for more, but to seek more with our own means, using whatever little is available to us.
Vox: A Tale of Two Depressions
It might hit me in a day or two, but I'm really rather shocked at the charts in this article. Basically, if you're thinking the worst is over, economically speaking, then you're probably wrong. And governments the world over are acting as if time itself will solve the catastrophic problems we're all facing.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
To lift the First Nations of Canada out of poverty....
Firstly, we shouldn't listen to The National Post. The comment is rancid from its very core, being an openly partisan document in favour of the Conservative Party (whilst at the same time ignoring how the Tories have continued and even innovated the same British-Canadian imperialist assimilation policy that the Liberals have for so long practised), while at the same time ironically demanding that the government force First Nations to adopt 'free market principles' (in other words, open up First Nation owned land for corporate development), and in the end, being a screed dog-whistling for the end of affirmative-action.
No, no, no. While the comment does describe many of the problems faced by First Nations, the solutions ventured are already at the heart of the 'solutions' that the government is using (and the call for ending affirmative action policy would be disastrous for First Nations in the job market). The author has a strange disconnect from what he is describing and what is actually happening on reserves, while at the same time using language that would be confusing and misleading the average, disinterested reader.
No, the author has very little actual input of any value.
I walk on the reserve everyday. I feel dirt and dust under foot, and from the earth comes the understanding that to lift the reserve out of poverty would take any Liberal or Conservative government the sort of policy they would never dare even contemplate. They would have to 'throw money at the problem'.
Effort, patience, and investment. That's what we First Nations need from the government to help get us out of this debilitating poverty. All three, however, are in short supply from the provincial and federal governments, both of which would rather ignore the social problems and personal difficulties that have beset and dominated First Nations over the past centuries since first contact.
No, no, no. While the comment does describe many of the problems faced by First Nations, the solutions ventured are already at the heart of the 'solutions' that the government is using (and the call for ending affirmative action policy would be disastrous for First Nations in the job market). The author has a strange disconnect from what he is describing and what is actually happening on reserves, while at the same time using language that would be confusing and misleading the average, disinterested reader.
No, the author has very little actual input of any value.
I walk on the reserve everyday. I feel dirt and dust under foot, and from the earth comes the understanding that to lift the reserve out of poverty would take any Liberal or Conservative government the sort of policy they would never dare even contemplate. They would have to 'throw money at the problem'.
Effort, patience, and investment. That's what we First Nations need from the government to help get us out of this debilitating poverty. All three, however, are in short supply from the provincial and federal governments, both of which would rather ignore the social problems and personal difficulties that have beset and dominated First Nations over the past centuries since first contact.
N.S. elects NDP government
Congratulations to Nova Scotia voters. Only if we in BC were so fortunate to have a new government.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Where are the INAC funds going?
Cameron highlights the Cons' priorities when it comes to First Nations, or to put it succinctly, they ain't got no priorities when it comes to First Nations. Absolutely none. They've got no list. And they've probably got no care.
Recommend this Post
The quickest and easiest manner to ‘fix’ EI?
CBC: Tories outline EI changes amid Liberals' election threat
Stop treating it like a tax, government! It’s our own paycheques that fund the program, so we should be able to access it at need. It shouldn’t be continually ‘borrowed’ from, either. Keep your mitts out of it. It ain’t your money to be taking from whenever you please.
Also, are we going to see an election because of this issue? I doubt it. We’ve already heard and seen this song and dance countless times. I doubt very much the Libs will set the election date until Ignatieff is backed right into a corner, but he’ll probably try to wriggle out of any trap that’s set up for him by wavering on yet another Liberal principle. Harper’s pretty much set the tone on every issue since his party was elected into power. Even with a new Liberal Party leader, I don’t see that anything’s bound to change. Harper will get his election at this rate, while the Libs will lose out on theirs.
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