December 2005
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December 26th, 2005
Happy Boxing Day
The bombardment is over. After six weeks of force-fed anticipation, the Feast of Consumption has passed.
The deafening drumbeat of hype has evaporated. The pressure to get out there and buy your family's love has
ceased. There is simply nothing more to get. (A shout-out to those of you who spent today in line outside A&B Sound
in Vancouver and Victoria) I am glad to see Christmas behind us. Now we can get back to trying to enjoy every day. 
Gone for another year is that odd emphasis on that one uber-day. There is a better way. In the spirit of the 
Alice's Mad Hatter, we could choose to celebrate 364 un-Christmases. Why should we require the cultural 
(and financial) pressure of Christmas to be close to those that we love? We can choose to live the 
"meaning of Christmas" every day. That would be so much more honest. That would give us a better world.
Boxing Day marks the first un-Christmas of the year. I hope you all have a good one. Peace. 
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December 22nd, 2005
Dangerous Yukoners
In September of 2004, a group of Yukoners visited Fort Greely in neighbouring Alaska. This group included
students from a Catholic high school and members of an organization called the "Yukon Peace Coalition." 
They went to Fort Greely to protest the planned Ballistic Missile Defence shield, a trillion dollar provocation
of China more commonly known as "Star Wars." At this time, Canada had not yet indicated if it would
participate in a new cold war by stationing "interceptor missiles" (who the hell would launch an unprovoked ICBM
attack on the US anyway?) on Canadian soil. It wasn't until of February of 2005 that Paul Martin announced that
Canada would not participate. Prior to this decision, Yukoners lobbied hard to convince our government that
Canada should stay out of Star Wars. During this time, I worked with the Yukon Peace Coalition in a letter writing
and public awareness campaign. I went to a few meetings and I bought a t-shirt from them as part of a fundraiser.  
Little did I know, I was supporting some truly dangerous individuals. 
 
On Tuesday it was announced that the Yukoners who participated in the Fort Greely protest have been labelled 
a security threat by the US Department of Homeland Security. Mighty America actually fears a group of Catholic
high school students and other assorted peaceniks. (from Whitehorse!) It seems that Washington considers
dissent to be dangerous. Looking back at my experiences with some of the people who are on "the list," I 
have difficulty deciding which of our activities Washington found most troubling. We wrote letters to 
Members of Parliament. We marched peacefully from Main Street to Rotary Park. We watched a video of a
speech by the Dalai Lama, not exactly the king of the jihadis. Rather than putting resources into say,
inspecting cargo containers at US seaports, the Department of Homeland Security is spending its time 
and energy worrying about people like me. Given the recent revelations about how the US National Security
Agency spies on Americans, Uncle Sam may be worrying about you, my dear visitor, as well. Does that
make you feel safer? If you take the Department of Homeland Security rhetoric seriously, there is much
to fear from us. I know for certain that those dangerous Yukoners will continue to write letters and quote 
Ghandhi right to the very end. To my American friends, be afraid if you like, we're not going away.
  

"Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism." -  Thomas Jefferson
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December 13th, 2005
The Anti-Bush Card
             "There is such a thing as a global conscience, now is the time to listen to it." - Paul Martin
Paul Martin knows Canadians. While attending a conference on global warming, (on the campaign trail) 
Martin appealed to Canadians from coast to coast to coast by criticizing the Bush Crime Family. Even better,
Martin bashed Bush one day, only to make an appearance with Bill Clinton the next. The Bush Administration is 
furious with Martin for his comments. Even though I know it was election inspired posturing, I applaud
Martin for calling the Bushies on their refusal to adopt the Kyoto Protocol. The gutless US media doesn't
question him, the rubber-stamp Democratic Party doesn't challenge him; it was about time that someone
other than Hugo Chavez stood up to the Bush on his negligent policies. The US is the world's largest polluter. 
Lofty rhetoric about freedom means nothing when water is too dirty to drink and air is too dirty to breathe.

Most amusing in all of this is how Canadians view the two US presidents. In general, Canadians like Clinton.
His politics make sense to us. Clinton's America is a friendly nation. (The US was not a rogue nation during his
presidency) Clinton's America upheld the values of peace, diplomacy, and a commitment to better the world. 
Clinton's America was a member of good standing in the world community. (he had pledged to sign on to Kyoto) 
Martin knows that Canadians recall this. We fondly remember friendly relations with a friendly neighbour. 
We're disappointed to see that all of this has changed. 

Canadians are a diverse bunch. We have a small population spread over a huge patch of land. We're a country
marked by regional differences. We don't always agree on things. Yet from Vancouver Island stoners to Newfie
fishermen, to civil servants on the MacKenzie Delta, profound disgust with George Bush is a common thread. 
Martin knows this. Conservative leader Stephen Harper knows this too, yesterday he was very clear in telling
people that his Conservatives are not very much like US Conservatives. Harper made a point of saying that 
his Conservatives have "many differences" with the American Taliban that seized power in the 2000 coup. 
To be close to Bush is political poison for any Canadian politician, attacking him is just common sense. 
That said, it is unfortunate that Martin will only stand up to the Washington bullies when he knows it will 
bring him political gain at home. He only talks tough to appeal to the Canadian voter. In confusing times 
such as these, it is important that our leaders speak out and stand up for the values that Canadians hold
dear. If it means making ourselves unpopular with perhaps the most unpopular man in human history, so be it.
This is the price of leadership.
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December 5th, 2005
A Local Link
I've come across another Yukon Blogger! I didn't think I was the only one. I'm not quite sure who runs the page, 
though from the photo on the profile, I'm guessing that its Igor Gouzenko. The page has a lot of good information
about the day to day here in our frozen paradise. Drop in for a visit.
Eye on the Yukon
 
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December 4th, 2005
Seven Weeks To Go
Here we go. Canadians are off to the polls...at the end of January. Last Monday, the opposition parties ganged up on
Paul Martin's Liberals, passing a vote of non-confidence. They may regret their haste to defeat this government; the
timing of this election may bring out the grumpy side of Canadians. Can you imagine how fun it will be to trudge
through the snow in a -45 degree wind-chill only to wait in line...in Moose Jaw? That might piss me off too. 
Here are my thoughts about what will be an excruciatingly ugly, seven week campaign.
What I Want
I think the best outcome of this election would be a Liberal minority with the New Democrats holding the balance
of power. Ideally the Liberals would win 130-150 of the 308 seats nationwide. The NDP would win 30-50. These sort of
numbers give the parties incentive to enter into a formal alliance. This sort of arrangement forces the Liberals to
be, well...Liberal. We can look at the NDP as Paul Martin's conscience. They will keep the agenda focused on the 
issues that matter; the elimination of poverty, environmental protection, education, and healthcare. Jack 
Layton would also prevent Martin from getting too close to George Bush and the Washington War Criminals. 
How Canadians Can Elect the Parliament That I Want
 
If you live in Quebec, vote Liberal. 


If the NDP won your riding last time, re-elect them. 


If you live in Ontario, and your Liberal MP narrowly defeated a Conservative, re-elect them. 


If you live in Ontario, and your Liberal MP narrowly defeated a New Democrat, flip a coin. 

 
If a Conservative won a close race in your riding, vote for whoever came in second.


If a Conservative won your riding by a landslide, re-examine why you choose to live in Alberta.
  
Team Quebec
Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe got everyone's attention by entering into the religious debate. Duceppe said
he'd like Quebec to have its own hockey team at international tournaments. This idea is very unpopular in 
English Canada. (This doesn't bother Duceppe as the Bloc does not run candidates outside of la Belle Provence) 
At the risk of incurring the wrath of Canadians, I have to admit that I think this is a great idea. Team Quebec would
be very competitive. It is in every hockey fan's interest to have another world-class team competing at the Olympics
and at World Cups, it just makes for better hockey. Look at team that Quebec could put on the ice. Mario Lemieux
would be their captain. Though their defence might be a bit thin, Quebec has lots of offensive talent. (a top line of 
Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Simon Gagne?) Then there are the goalies. Maybe Canadians who oppose 
the idea of Team Quebec just don't want to have deal with the goaltending tandem of Martin Brodeur and 
Roberto Luongo. That might mean (no disrespect to the Russians, Czechs, Swedes, Finns, Slovaks, or Americans) that 
Team Canada would have to settle for silver. 
Neo-Conservatives in Liberal Clothes
Belinda Stronach is one. Another is Michael Ignatieff, a real piece of bad news for Canada. The Liberals have 
parachuted this "star candidate" into their Ontario stronghold of Etobicoke-Lakeshore. To the voters there, please
don't let him in. Ignatieff supports George Bush's war crimes in Iraq. He supports the use of torture on detainees.
He aspires to be Prime Minister. He is a potential Tony Blair. Ignatieff represents the growing corporate wing of 
the Liberal party. Neo-Conservatives have realized that being stamped with the Liberal brand is the only way for 
them to gain any credibility in Canada. We've got to stamp this out before it spreads. I'd like the NDP to win 
this riding, but honestly, I'd take anyone but Ignatieff. This is one place where I'd even be happy to see the
Conservatives win. They would at least be honest about what they stand for.
   
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