New Media » canadian politics

A Fetus Is Not A Human Being

jnarvey — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:30:50 +0000

There. I said it.

I’d be standing with the people throwing condoms. And you can put away your crucifixes, “March for Life” dudes. We’re not fucking vampires.

Human Rights and Halftime Shows in America Here’s a human rights condundrum for you: You are reasonably...
Human Rights Watch and Actual Human Rights My latest observations in The Propagandist on how Human Rights...

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Why Bill C-11 Sucks for Canadians

jnarvey — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:03:35 +0000

Something that came up last night. Don’t want to lose access to the Internet? Learn more about Bill C-11, my fellow Canucks.

Losers The Vancouver Canucks lose the Stanley Cup game. Right on...
Canadians must demand Hamas gives up its violence against Israel The following article appeared in the Province newspaper in January...

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Latest Political Satire from an Earnest Canuck

jnarvey — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:08:45 +0000

It warms my heart to see more of the raw, edgy and highly entertaining political satire from earnest Canuck Lyle Neff in The Propagandist. Here’s a quick roundup of some of the latest pieces.

Funny stuff.

Cthulhu Cult Behind Latest Iraq Bombs? Our newest contributing writer for The Propagandist is on the...

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Event. Canadian Sacrifices and Beijing’s Looming Shadow

jnarvey — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 08:48:09 +0000

If you’re a political observer who cares about Canada’s mission in Afghanistan and the role of China in Central Asia – and if you happen to be in Vancouver next week – this is a presentation not to be missed. Be there. I will be.

Canadian sacrifices and Beijing’s looming shadow

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

Fraser Institute Boardroom
4th Floor-1770 Burrard St
Vancouver

A conversation with Terry Glavin, author of Come from the Shadows: The Long and Lonely Struggle for Peace in Afghanistan and co-founder of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee

There can be little argument that Canadian troops have played a critical role in Afghanistan, whether driving the Taliban out of Kandahar or providing training to Afghan security forces and helping rebuild needed infrastructure.

But despite Canada’s ongoing commitment to helping the Afghan people find liberty and self-determination, policy vacillation in Washington is creating an opening the Chinese government is all too willing to exploit, says journalist Terry Glavin, author of the book, Come from the Shadows: The Long and Lonely Struggle for Peace in Afghanistan, and co-founder of the Canada-Afghanistan Solidarity Committee.

After having failed to lift a finger in support on the United Nations action in Afghanistan, Beijing is now rushing in and acquiring vast copper and other mineral leases as well as forming ties with the Pakistani ISI while the United States is prepared to abandon the Afghan people to recurring threats of Islamic violence and oppression. Meanwhile, Canada and other Western nations have failed to stand up to Washington.

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Icelanders Are Loony About Our Dollar

jnarvey — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:50:59 +0000

I believe this is the moment when the present Conservative governmental stewards of the economy get to walk up to the opposition parties – ranting about Canada’s supposed falling standing in the world – and tell them to get stuffed. Via the Toronto Star:

“It’s quite popular with Icelanders,” said David Gunnlaugsson, chairman of the opposition Progressive Party, noting a recent poll found 70 per cent support for the idea of adopting the loonie.

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The State Has No Business in the Hard Drives of the Nation

jnarvey — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:45:47 +0000

Rick Mercer’s forceful and articulate broadside against Conservative MP Vic Toews’ clumsy effort to allow police to spy on Canadians without a warrant.

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Murder, Lies and the Bigotry of Low Expectations

jnarvey — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 08:48:15 +0000

My latest broadside in The Propagandist, The Bigotry of Low Expectations of Muslim Immigrants by an Imam. A note on honour killings, expectations of Canadian citizenship and some very weird comments by a Canadian Imam who the mainstream media loves to quote. The way this guy talks about his fellow co-religionists, you’d almost be tempted to accuse him of… well, Islamophobia.

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Should Politicians Tweet Foul Language?

jnarvey — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:29:36 +0000

NDP MP Pat Martin is getting some flack today for tweeting inappropriately. A big part of me thinks, “What’s the big deal?”

“This is a f—— disgrace…closure again. And on the Budget! There’s not a democracy in the world that would tolerate this jackboot sh–,” Martin tweeted.

He followed up with another comment asking “In these uncertain economic times, don’t you think our parliament should be debating our federal budget? Some due diligence?”

But that wasn’t all. Martin went on to tell off followers who criticized his post, telling one person to “F— off” and directing the Bart Simpson-coined expression “Eat my shorts” at another.

I’ve actually got a fair bit of sympathy for Mr. Martin. I’m a bit of a foul-mouthed guy, myself (particularly if I’ve got a couple of beers in me). I don’t recall if I’ve ever sworn on Twitter before, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to discover that I had.

That said, elected politicians are presumably held to a higher standard of civics than non-elected pundits like me. They’re supposed to set an example about respectful communication, even, or perhaps especially, if pissed off.

Also, contrary to what one might infer from Martin’s overheated rhetoric, the Conservatives were not shutting down debate by some improvised fascist measure. Closure is just part of the parliamentary rules. Majority governments use it all the time to prevent filibustering USA-style. Not exactly “jackboot” stuff.

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Contempt Of Democracy

jnarvey — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:22:42 +0000

A few things to think about in the wake of today’s silliness.

We live in a parliamentary democracy that is the envy of the world. Barring a surprise election victory by the Bloc Quebecois, it’s going to stay that way, no matter which national party gets in.
The majority Conservative government is not going to throw their political opponents into prison camps or turn the country into a contaminated neo-con dystopia.
If you think the Conservatives’ lack of a majority of the population’s vote is a problem for democracy, you might have raised the point when the Liberals were getting voted in by similar margins. Thank the first-past-the-post system. And if you don’t know what that is or don’t care, you’ve got no business being a Senate page.
If you’ve got a beef with the Conservatives, organize. Protest. Tell your opposition MP what you want them to say in the House of Commons.
Don’t make an ass of yourself and our democratic traditions.

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I Will Keep The Gloating To A Minimum

jnarvey — Tue, 03 May 2011 23:49:14 +0000

Canadian Conservatives Win. Lefties Lick Wounds

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