UPDATED: The Endless Cycle

Recently, I finished reading a book called The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, by Robert Levine. The American Civil War and its aftermath are topics I find of great interest, not just because of their long-lasting impact on American society, but also because those echoes of history continue to reverberate today.

As vice-president, Andrew Johnson succeeded to the presidency upon the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Although he showed initial promise in the struggle for Black rights, (indeed, he fancied himself as "the Moses of the Black people") he turned out to be a raging racist who hid his myriad prejudices behind rhetoric that suggested he was concerned about moving too quickly on things like Black citizenship and Black male enfranchisement lest it lead to racial strife and danger for the Black people, 

Johnson revealed his nature in many ways, including how he pandered to Southern fears that enfranchisement of Black males would dilute the voice of white people, making them a 'minority'.

A pity we don't know history better, because if we did, we would know that Johnson's rhetoric was merely an early version of  the Great Replacement Theory, the idea that immigrants are changing the complexion of Western nations, supplanting 'old stock citizens' and thereby disempowering them in pursuit of a political agenda. You may or may not be surprised that it also has some traction in Canada.

If you read David Climenhaga's post, you will know that Alberta premier Danielle Smith recently dined and chatted onstage with Tucker Carlson, the erstwhile Fox 'commentator' who was let go because he criticized his bosses. He found open-arms in Ms. Smith, however, pictured below with a couple of other attendees you might recognize:

It was at this gathering that Carlson, knowing he had a receptive audience, vented his spleen, as discussed by Shree Paradkhar:

"They're taking away your voting power by changing the population of your country, but nobody's talking about that," he said. "Canada has the highest immigration rate in the world per capita. ... If you change the population of the country, you change the country. And you dilute the voting power of the people who are vested in that country who have lived there long term. Who understand the history and culture of the country. All of a sudden, their vote means much less."

There are certainly rational discussions one can have about immigration levels, as Paradkhar points out. However, there will be be those Canadians who see the world only in black and white, absolutist terms. They of untutored minds, limited education and a paucity of critical thinking skills will lend a credulous ear to the likes of Carlson's racist nonsense, and without doubt will feel he is speaking their 'truth'. 

And others are listening as well.

Immigration is emerging as a top issue in the 2024 U.S. elections. Donald Trump, who in 2016 so charmingly called Mexican immigrants rapists and said "they're bringing crime," has now upped his toxicity to say immigrants "are poisoning the blood of our country."

In Germany, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland expanded its base in recent regional elections, riding on the fear sparked in German voters by the sudden burst of asylum-seekers.

 But as Paradkhar points out, theymiss the poimt that immigration is necessary.

If Carlson had only spoken to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, he would have learnt in 2021 that there was a labour shortage and that "We’re in such desperate need of people from around the world."

But rationality is rarely appreciated, and thus the endless cycle of history prevails. 

UPDATE: Michael de Adder captures Tucker rather nicely, don't you think?

 

There Are Solutions

In my previous post, I mused about how much better society could be if we had fair and progressive taxation, taxation that forced those who make a lot to pay a little more. It almost seems as if such talk today is heretical, given the anti-tax mania that is cultivated by the far-right.

But you get what you pay or don't pay for, and today that means multitudes of homeless who cannot afford the usurious rents being demanded, families lacking support or waiting for years on a list while their children grow up without the aid they need, overburdened healthcare systems that one strives to avoid except in extreme circumstances, etc., etc. - a dystopian nightmare that seems to only be getting worse.

In today's Star, a reader offers a sound suggestion that would help ameliorate our current crises:

If huge wage 'earners' paid their fair share, it could make a difference 

Swelling CEO salaries highlight income inequality, Jan. 22

Sadly, your editorial, truthful as it is, is not breaking news. For more than a decade, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has been telling its readers that the growing salary gap between the top one per cent and the rest of us is becoming more and more massive.

It is hard to believe, even for a cynical observer of world news, that in 2024, so many CEOs have earned more than $60,000 by Jan. 2, 2024 — more than the average worker earns in a year.

We’ve known this almost obscene fact for all these years, so we can’t plead ignorance. How fortunate that we have the CCPA to prod the consciences of our politicians and business leaders. These people with power do have some means to create a slightly less unbalanced society, smoothing that gaping wage gap even a little — by taxing the rich a bit more — most would not even notice the difference if they paid another $10,000 more in taxes each year. And if all of these huge wage “earners” actually paid their fair share, it could make a difference for the rest of us. Even billionaire Warren Buffett is famous for saying that his office staff pay more taxes, proportionally, than he does.

In this "Theatre of the Absurd" scenario, who will take the first step and raise the minimum wage to $25 or $30 per hour? This radical move might assure that the everyday worker, many with no sick days or health benefits, can at least avoid food banks and clothe their families for the winter weather.

Della Golland, Toronto

Clearly, there are at least partial solutions to the problems people confront on a daily basis. Unfortunately, those we elect to represent us are listening to only a small part of their constituency as they strive to perpetuate political careers that serve, not the common good, but only their own selfish interests. 

A Monday Thought Experiment

As a matter of course, I allow myself one hour of television news per evening, 30 minutes local and 30 minutes of either American or Canadian national news. It is a practice I highly recommend, not simply as a means of keeping up with events in this tortured world, but also as a window into the lives of others.

One conclusion I have drawn from this habit is that we can never know the lives of others, especially the burdens they must bear on a daily basis. In this, I am not talking solely about the very public problem of the homeless, but they certainly count. I am also talking about windows into the often fraught lives of people caring for special-needs children,  elderly parents, waiting in the ER, or any number of other exigencies that comprise life. The common denominator is insufficient funding for the support they need.

In my more wistful moments I imagine a regime of fair and progressive taxation, where those who are more than comfortable pay a little more for programs directed toward the public good. At the very least, some of the aforementioned problems would be ameliorated. Yet we live in times where we have little control over how our money is spent, as, truth be told, we are not the ones calling the shots, political theatre notwithstanding.

This post was prompted by two letters in today's Star, which I reproduce below:

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Dental program leads to inequity

Federal dental care program will exclude 4.4 million uninsured Canadians: report, Jan. 17

Canada’s proposal for expanding health care coverage to dental and medical drugs is flawed. The law would have handsomely fed politicians arbitrarily sitting in judgment over who beneath them can afford dental care unassisted and who cannot. Further the plan cuts out any Canadian currently paying private insurance premiums, under the facile presumption that anyone — let’s say, a retiree struggling to support a live-in parent with dementia, and put food on the table under roof that is beginning to leak, heated by a furnace nearing the end of it’s projected life — who has private health insurance can comfortably afford it.

We live under the rule of governments that take their policy orders from corporate economists and boardrooms. We are told that fulsome public health care would be too costly, in the same breath that we are told the inflated prices corporations charge us for essentials must only be combatted by using interest rates to make those essentials too expensive, and that modest homes must be taxed yearly on speculated values.

Canada can afford universal dental, vision, medical care but taxing all wealth equitably. Level the field.

Darcy McLenaghen, Toronto

 

Health care crisis

No end to the ER crisis without investments and addressing workers’ concerns, Jan. 17

The conclusion of the authors of this article is that we just need to invest $1.25 billion annually to solve the health-care crisis. Where will the money come from? I would gladly pay a reinstated licence plate renewal fee of $120 per year, as would most people I suspect, if the billion dollars saved by cancelling it would be put toward our health care system. If that will reduce wait times, improve worker incomes and boost staffing levels across the province, I don't see a downside. Politicians are the only thing standing in the way.

Ken Beckim, Oshawa, Ont.

The Noble And The Depraved

Most nights, after watching a half-hour of American news,  my presence at the dinner table is suffused with cynicism and disgust. Tales of violence, savagery and complete disregard for other people depicted nightly will do that to a person. However, occasionally amidst all of the mayhem, a light emerges and I am reminded that despite the myriad failures of our species, there are strong, good, even noble people in our midst. 

Such is evident in the following interview of two of the three Palestinian-American students who were shot last November in Burlington Vermont, presumably for being Palestinian. The depraved gunman has pleaded not guilty.

One of the victims, 20-year-old Hisham Awartani, was paralyzed in the assault. It is he who speaks so eloquently about the experience. Although well-aware that racism was the basis for the attack, he expresses gratitude for the medical treatment he has received and a heartfelt concern for those Palestinians in the homeland who have no access to such care. 

As you will see, he is mature and self-possessed well beyond his years.

I very much doubt I could act with such grace under his circumstances.

Boeing: A Followup

If you read my previous post, you will know that the recent failure of a door plug in an Alaska Air flight was presaged by the air crashes of two 737 Max-8 flights, one in 2018 and one five months later, in 2019. Not only was the company culpable for shoddy, profit-driven practices, but so was the FAA, which had delegated safety inspections to Boeing employees, a clear conflict of interest if there ever was one.

The following deals with the aftermath of the recent near-disaster on Alaskan Air, which should not have been a surprise to those in the know. Belatedly, it would seem the FAA is ready to start enforcing real standards for this corporate behemoth.

Will these changes be enough to avert future catastrophes? A nervous public awaits the answer. 

Downfall: The Case Against Boeing

 I will be the first to admit that my viewing tastes are unusual for a man my age. I enjoy the off-kilter, the unusual, even the bizarre in movie/streaming fare.  And although I never watch television during the day, that still amounts to both wasted, and some well-rewarded, hours. 

Sometimes, my tastes are more down to earth, so to speak, and such was my experience the other night when I watched a riveting documentary recommended by my brother-in-law entitled Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. Although made in 2022 and focussing on the crashes of the 747-Max 8, it sheds incredible light on the current safety issues plaguing Boeing, and in that regard is must-viewing.

Here is a trailer for the film, and I am happy to report the entire documentary can be found for free at Daily Motion. It is also available on Netflix.

How does a company go from one admired worldwide for its sterling safety record to one where two catastrophic crashes occurred within five months of each other? The answer is surprisingly simply: corporate greed. But the real story is how Boeing succumbed to such venality.

It began in 1997, when Boeing and McDonnell Douglas merged. Unfortunately, in that merger, the culture of the latter ultimately supplanted that of the former, whose decisions had been determined largely by engineers, their guiding principles innovation and safety. A comprehensive detailing of the results of this merger can be seen in this Atlantic article.

The film outlines how, in order to wrest sales supremacy from its new rival Airbus, Boeing embarked on an enhancement of its 737s, in operation since the late sixties. Speed, rather than safety, was of the essence. Because the new Max-8 required an alteration in the angle of the engine, the chances of a stall after takeoff, as the craft was ascending, increased. To counteract that possibility, they developed the MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System), a flight stabilizing feature. 

Because things were being done on the cheap by this time, there were two major problems with the system: there was only one sensor (which could be easily disabled by a bird strike, for example) in the nose of the plane to measure its angle of attack as it ascended, and NO ONE was trained in its use. The big selling point for the Max-8, one that allowed it to regain sales supremacy, was the assurance that no flight simulator training was needed for MCAS. Such training is very costly to airlines, given the time needed to allow pilots to become proficient. This turned out to be a fatal false economy, and like a malevolent ghost in the machine, MCAS sent hundreds of people to their deaths.

The two crashes that ensued within five months of each other, killing a total of 346 people, were entirely avoidable. Why was nothing done after the first crash to remedy the situation? False assurances and bureaucratic inertia are part of the answer.

For the rest, you will have to watch the film. I may, in my next post, write about the ongoing fallout of the merger that now has the FAA threatening on-site oversight because of the latest symptom of laxity, the door-plug blowout much in the news these days.

A Failure Of Leadership

No matter where you stand on the Israeli war against Gazans, undeniable is the fact that many, many innocent lives are being lost. One report estimates that 100 children a day are killed, and that 70% of the casualties are women and children. And the war shows no sign of ending.

According to two respected journalists, there is little doubt that the responsibility for this ongoing carnage rests on the shoulders of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister. 

Thie Star's Martin Regg Cohn sees personal self-preservation as the key to understanding Netanyahu's merciless war of retribution for the October Hamas attack on Israel. Speaking of the unseemly coalition of reprobates with which the leader has allied himself, he writes,

That he should consort with so dishonourable a cabal of cabinet ministers — renegades who violated the law, racists who breached human rights, radicals who scorned democratic norms — could only be explained by Netanyahu’s utter desperation. When I interviewed him as prime minister in the late 1990s, he was consumed by fear of losing political power; today, he worries about losing his personal freedom.

Netanyahu stands accused of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three ongoing cases. His best defence was to go on the offence, perpetrating a constitutional coup to perpetuate his grip on power and protect him from the judicial process. 

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? One only need look to the U.S. and Trump's attempt to subvert justice by getting re-elected. Before that eventuality, he is doing everything he can to get all charges against him dismissed. Netanyahu has followed similar tactics.

Emboldened and empowered, Netanyahu attempted to jury-rig the judicial process by directing his coalition of lawbreakers to undermine the legal system at its core. His government spearheaded the gutting of the Supreme Court’s traditional powers, curbing its authority to review the “reasonableness” of any legislation rammed through by his parliamentary majority while protecting him from being unseated by the attorney general.

Well-respected journalist Gwynne Dyer has a similarly withering assessment of the Israeli leader.

The people around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regularly describe the war in Gaza as "existential," but that’s nonsense. The "existence" of Israel is in no danger whatever. The only thing facing an existential risk is Netanyahu’s government, which would immediately collapse if the shooting stops.

The extreme right-wing and religious nationalist parties who made Netanyahu’s coalition possible are hoping that prolonged fighting will drive the Palestinians (22,000 dead so far) out of part or all of the Gaza Strip and/or the West Bank.

As national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir put it, the war presents an “opportunity to concentrate on encouraging the migration of the residents of Gaza.”

They want that land for more Jewish settlements, and if Netanyahu made peace they would instantly abandon him.

Even worse than that, from Netanyahu’s point of view, is the fact that a return to "normal" would allow his trial on corruption charges to resume. That could ultimately send him to jail, and anything is better than that. Even endless war.

Is endless war what Netanyahu is counting on? Given that he has no strategy, Dyer offers this:

Why else would Netanyahu now be preparing for a backup war with Hezbollah in Lebanon? He and his ministers are constantly warning that such a war may be "necessary" — “the situation on the Lebanese front will not be allowed to continue,” one said — even though it is obvious that Hezbollah does not want a war now.

Hezbollah is a formidable organization that fought the Israeli army to a standstill in their last major confrontation in 2006. Deliberately going to war with it when Israel is already fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip makes no sense in terms of the country’s interests — but in terms of Netanyahu’s personal interest, it makes perfectly good sense.

Potentates of old were always willing to sacrifice thousands upon thousands of lives in pursuit of their reprehensible self-interest. In that, it would seem Benjamin Netanyahu has been a very apt student of history. 

 

 

"God Made Trump"

I 'm sorry to report that the American race to the bottom continues. The above is not a satire, but rather a post by Trump on his social media platform and will no doubt find an eager and receptive audience. 

Sadly, the deity does not come off well here. Perhaps a celestial defamation lawsuit is in order? I imagine the punitive damages would be severe.

A Personal Reflection

Regular readers may have noticed that I have not been posting very much in the last month or so. In addition to it having been a busy Christmas season, the other reason stems from my own outlook.

While there may be a measure of seasonal affective disorder influencing that outlook, I think the main cause is that I find it increasingly difficult to get excited, upset, outraged or flummoxed by the world's antics. For me, there is nothing new under the sun, which presents a problem for a blogger who writes about the world. One of the rules I have generally observed in my writing life, both on this platform and in my other communication endeavours, is not to write when I don't feel it. In other words, writing for the sake of writing, without even a modicum of passion, is an empty exercise with generally unsatisfying results.

Don't get me wrong - committing mu thoughts to metaphorical paper has been an integral part of my life since I was a young teenager, when I started submitting letters to the editor. Writing has always helped to focus and refine my thinking, and in these latter days of my life, I hope it helps to keep my cognitive functioning intact. I have no desire to "go gentle into that good night."

Nonetheless, and I hope my inertia will pass, I have no faith in the world anymore. Unlike when I was young, when everything seemed possible (even flying cars!), I now see only the ending of things, and the deep sense that as a species, we have passed our best before date, that we are participating in the long goodbye.

I shall close this mini-confessional with a clip by the late, great George Carlin who, in the latter part of his career, seemed to mirror my dour worldview.

2024 Begins - But Where Will It End?

And Patrick Corrigan offers this apt and incisive cartoon to help us usher in the new year.

While the threats to democracy are world-wide, three former Trump staffers warn the danger is particularly acute in the U.S. if their former boss returns to the White House. You can read all about it here.

That Was The Year That Was

As we move with both hope and trepidation into 2024, here are a few reflections, through a Canadian lens, on what happened this year, as recalled by my favourite editorial cartoonist, Theo Moudakis:

Happy New Year, everyone.

To The American Voter

In the movie, Forrest Gump famously replied when asked if he was stupid, "Stupid is as stupid does."

It is advice American voters should ponder in 2024:

Words, Words, Words

 

It is hardly a revelation to say that words have power. They can delight, inform, edify, inspire and destroy. Unfortunately, it is the the latter effect that we see all too frequently today. One only has to look at the various cesspools to be found on social media to see this in action, and the tragic results of depraved online bullying. No one is immune.

And what is true about the misuse of language by individuals is also true of countries. In her most recent column, Shree Paradkar points out how the Israel's insidious misuse seems designed to obscure its atrocities in Gaza.

Who are Palestinians in Gaza? The Israeli government and its supporters would have us believe they are anything but innocent civilians. 

This is important. Denying the innocence of the thousands killed during Israel’s onslaught allows its leaders to justify civilian deaths or to proffer a rationalization that “they brought it on themselves,” while blaming everything on Hamas. 

Conflating all Palestinians with the evil of Hamas allows for the dehumanization of all Gazans, essentially equating the citizens with terrorism.

Former Mossad chief Rami Igra told CNN's Anderson Cooper last month that “The ‘non-combatant population in the Gaza Strip’ is really a non-existent term. Because all of the Gazans voted for Hamas. And as we have seen on the 7th of October, most of the population on the Gaza Strip are Hamas.” 

Cooper didn’t push back, but this is blatantly untrue. There have been no elections in Gaza since 2006, when Hamas won with 44 per cent of the vote, and in no district did it win a majority. Today, nearly half the population of Gaza is under 18; they were either not born when Hamas came into power or not eligible to cast a ballot then. It means only a fraction of today's Gazans ever voted for Hamas. 

Such a tact means that Israel can justify all manner of war crimes.

It allowed for Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to refer to Palestinians and Hamas militants as “human animals.” And for Israel’s ambassador to Berlin, Ron Prosor, to double down on those comments and say the western world must stand with Israel as it fights the “bloodthirsty animals” of Hamas, who are used interchangeably with Gazans.

Accepting that premise means that we should not care what happens to Gazans, thereby justifying

attacks on targets such as hospitals and schools that are protected by humanitarian law by claiming that they are in fact “military infrastructure.” Israeli evidence of Hamas using hospitals and schools as hideouts and bases has not been independently corroborated and remains contentious. But whatever the truth, Israel and its supporters use these claims to absolve themselves of any responsibility for civilian casualties.

All who accept such premises really become complicit in the ongoing slaughter, and no clever linguistic nuances or semantics can change that fact.

George Orwell many years ago warned us about the political use of language. Sadly, it would seem that whatever lessons he tried to impart are long forgotten today.

 

Something To Think About

A friend sent me the following, Stephen Fry reading a letter from musician Nick Cave about the nature of creativity and how ChatGPT essentially short-circuits that process. Quite thought-provoking.

Pavlovian Dogs

I sometimes think, in my more cynical and dark moments, that our species really has not evolved very much beyond our tribal roots. Examine our collective deportment today, and it is easy to draw the same conclusion that Khan observes in the following clip from the original Star Trek series:

Start at 2;26 of the clip:

Today, we don't have to look far for evidence of our primitive, often Pavlovian natures. The rising incidents of both virulent anti-Semitism and anti-Islamic hatred are ample testament to that fact. It is as if, once triggered, our basest impulses come to the fore, demanding extirpation of "the other." That these hate-fests are also happening regularly at universities and other institutions of 'higher learning' is especially concerning, since those are the places people go to presumably acquire critical-thinking skills, skills that are clearly not standing them in good stead.

Everywhere we look, people behave not as rational beings but as Pavlovian dogs. I saw a story recently on American news that suggests the pace of electric car sales is slowing considerably. The reason? Gas prices have fallen significantly in many states. Because they have, a new embrace of the internal combustion engine seems to be occurring. Consumers' reasoning apparently is  that gas prices are down, and they will always be down. I hope you apprehend the problem with that logic. I do recall that same mentality took hold in Canada not so long ago. Have you noticed how many trucks and huge SUVs that most don't need are currently on our roads?

That our higher faculties are an inconvenience to be navigated around is evident everywhere. That we are plunging headlong into total climate collapse should surprise no one, given our penchant for spewing larger and larger amounts of carbon into the atmosphere via our profligate personal choices in incessant travel and a myriad of other self-indulgences. Indeed, despite its well-known contribution to global heating, people cannot stop themselves from idling in their cars for minutes on end, either to run the air-conditioning in summer or the heat in winter.

I have not bothered to place any links in this post to back up my assertions. Supporting evidence is painfully all too easy to find, if you are so inclined.

Sometimes it feels like the world is going to the dogs, doesn't it? 

End of rant.

1984 Redux: Moms For Liberty

You have perhaps heard of the Orwellian-named group, Moms For Liberty, whose main mission seems to be to ensconce themselves on school boards so they can restrict the books children have access to. But there is apparently another component to their mission, that of 'saving' the white race from extinction.The following video makes all things clear:

Then there is the most recent news about these God-fearing Christians:

Wouldn’t it be ironic if the woman who led an ultra-conservative movement in Florida education that sought to put gays back in the closet was having a long-term, three-way lesbian relationship with a lover she shared with her husband, the state’s GOP chairman? That’s the allegation being made about Bridget Ziegler — co-founder of far-right Moms for Liberty and a Sarasota School Board member — by an unnamed woman accusing Christian Ziegler of rape and sexual battery. Hypocrisy on steroids, if true.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/fabiola-santiago/article282504773.html#storylink=cpy

God save us from 'Christian' zeal.  

Is It Brinkmanship?

 

H/t Moudakis

One has to wonder, given the lack of any real movement on a national pharmacare program, whether Justin Trudeau is gambling on Jagmeet Singh's NDP being more afraid of an early election than are the Liberals. Given that the polls show an almost inexplicable lead by PP's Conservatives, that is quite the roll of the dice.

For whatever reason, the NDP has never, with one real exception, captured the hearts and minds of 'ordinary Canadians'. Perhaps they consider themselves temporarily embarrassed millionaires, or fear that wild-eyed socialists will run amok in their home and native land.

However, one thing that is certain, at least in my mind, is that the Liberals, especially under their current leadership, have never met a corporate entity they didn't like. To bring in a true pharmacare program would 'disenfranchise' health insurance companies and reduce big pharma's profits by bulk purchases of drugs at significantly lower prices. Despite their rhetoric, this is not something Justin and the gang want.

All of which is to say that the rich and their money enjoy special government protection. Consider, for example, Linda McQuaig's latest column about wealth taxes and what they could achieve for an increasingly impoverished citizenry:

Understandably, people feel enraged when they can’t afford food and shelter for themselves and their children -- especially when they’re working full-time, often at several jobs. They know they’re getting the short end of the stick.

But unless they read Statistics Canada releases, they’re probably unaware just how long the other end of the stick has suddenly become.

Of course, it’s conventional wisdom that the rich always get richer.

This has not always been the case, McQuaig points out that we used to have a progressive taxation system that redistributed wealth quite effectively, but that ended in the 1980s, and now the wealthy are profiting more than they ever have.

Just-released Statistics Canada data show that, in 2021, the top 1 per cent of Canadians saw their incomes grow by fully 20 per cent. Farther up, the incomes of the top .01 per cent grew by a stunning 30 per cent -- to an average yearly income of $12.5 million. This prompted Statistics Canada, not known for rabble-rousing, to note that (in inflation-adjusted dollars) this is “much higher” than at any point in the past 40 years.

Meanwhile, that same year, the bottom half of Canadians (some 14 million working people) saw their incomes actually drop.

McQuaig's solution, which will please many and appal some, is a wealth tax. 

A wealth tax would apply exclusively to those with net assets of more than $10 million – just 87,000 families. Under one model, they’d pay 1 percent a year on assets above $10 million, 2% above $50 million and 3% above $100 million. Yet, the tax could raise an estimated $32 billion – about 60 times more than the Liberal income tax charges.

Despite almost no public debate about it, a wealth tax has the support of close to 90 per cent of Canadians.

But the current crop of politicos, both Liberal and Conservative, and their enablers, will likely continue to protect the interests of the few, since

the wealthy have managed to keep it off the agenda. Their phalanx of lawyers, accountants and economists are quick to dismiss all attempts to raise taxes on the rich. And a wealth tax, given the way it can be so effectively targeted, is considered particularly odious.

Jesus is reported to have said that the poor will always be with us. Given the sad caliber of our political overlords, I see no reason to dispute that assertion. 

 

 

The Politics Of School Boards

Having worked as a teacher for 30 years, I am well-aware of the politics that pervades and blights education. The higher one goes up the ladder, the more one is concerned about damage control. Since I was a mere peon, i.e. a classroom teacher, I had little tolerance for such nonsense.

It was therefore with much disgust but little surprise that I read about the Toronto District School Board putting an embargo on principals when unpleasant things happen in their schools. Apparently, the drawing of swastikas in washrooms is something they like to deal with 'in house.'

Parents at a Toronto elementary school vandalized with swastikas were stunned to hear of the incident from their children and not administrators, saying they are “disappointed” by a board procedure that prohibits principals from sharing such information.

The Toronto District School Board says it takes allegations of hate and racism “very seriously” but has moved away from telling parents about these incidents because it’s concerned that students who may have been involved will be vilified and the reports will lead to copycat acts.

Hmm, consequences for the malefactors - what a horrifying prospect.

“As an educational institution, we have a duty to create a school community that is not only safe for students, but one in which they can learn from their mistakes.”

In an interview with the Star, school council co-chairs Rachel Cooper and Livy Jacobs say their children told them the principal made an announcement about washroom graffiti, urging those with information to come forward. It was through the rumour mill that students, and parents, learned two swastikas had been drawn in the washroom.

Cooper and Jacobs, both Jewish, met with the principal and told her that parents should have been informed. They were surprised to learn the board doesn’t notify the school community about incidents of hate, including antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Black racism.

“The principal’s hands are tied, and they’re not allowed to send a communication even if they feel that they should,” said Cooper....

The TDSB, it appears, is more concerned about transgressive students than their victims, and optics over openness, revealing in an email that informing parents of such incidents

“often led to the identification, surveillance, and stigmatization of the specific students who may have been involved — making it difficult for them to reintegrate with their peers.

But never fear, the board is 

developing a “distinct strategy” to combat antisemitism, which had been in the works before the war. It’s also addressing other kinds of hate, such as anti-Black racism, Islamophobia, anti-Indigenous racism, ableism and homophobia.

I have never been a fan of theatre of the absurd, but at least until now I have had the choice not to attend such performances. Give what is going on with the TDSB, that obviously no longer holds true. 

 

 

 

 

A Walk In The Country

One of the pleasures of my retired life is going out for long walks with former colleagues. Having taught at the same school, we have known each other for many years and, dare I say, we are all fairly well-read and attentive to the events that unfold in our world.

Yesterday's two-hour walk in the country covered a number of events, some frivolous, some serious. The topic of the Middle East came up, of course. We all expressed alarm at the incidents of anti-Semitism that are growing rapidly, but at the same time we also felt free to criticize the state of Israel over its killing of so many innocents in Gaza as retaliation for the Hamas attack. 

So one might conclude that educated and intelligent people can hold views that entail a degree of nuance and require the capacity for empathy. 

But that conclusion would be inaccurate, as made very clear by Shree Paradkar in her examination of the treatment of doctors who have spoken out about Palestinian suffering and are now understandably reluctant to go on record with The Toronto Star.

Yipeng Ge, a doctor indefinitely suspended from his University of Ottawa residency after social media posts critical of Israel, did not want to comment, saying, “Out of respect for the University of Ottawa process, I will not be making comments at this time.”

A Toronto physician who is a friend of Ge and describes him as a “outstanding physician” and “consummate professional” does not want to be identified because says he “worries about being punished for supporting Yipeng.”

Having worked with the WHO in the West Bank, Ge is well-versed in the suffering of Palestinians. But that seems to account for nothing.

An associate professor at the university wrote a blog this month calling Ge’s social media posts antisemitic. Among them he took issue with a photo of a protest poster on a pole that equated Zionism with genocide, claimed Ge was indulging in “blood libel” by sharing “conspiracy theories” about Israel bombing hospitals. Another was an image of a poster with the contested protest chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” While protesters say it is a common call for Palestinian liberation, those opposed see it as a call for genocide.

The university confirmed Ge’s suspension and said it was based on complaints of an alleged breach of conduct.

But Ge is hardly alone in his horror over what Israel is doing.

Another high-profile incident involved Ben Thomson, a nephrologist at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, who was suspended from his job, threatened and doxed online after posting in support of Palestine. 

Then there is a coalition

named Health workers Alliance for Palestine [that] released an open letter this month calling on Israel to stop bombing hospitals in Gaza.

“There are no circumstances in which health facilities, patients, and healthcare workers can be viewed as legitimate targets of military operations. Israel’s war crimes must stop immediately,” the Nov. 10 petition reads in part. 

Consequences ensued.

It was signed by more than 3,000 professionals from across the country. Since its release, many the signatories have said they are facing professional repercussions. They’ve been hauled up by higher-ups, told there were complaints lodged against them and accused of making Jewish colleagues feel unsafe.

An Arab-Canadian physician in Quebec signed the letter on Nov. 10. “Less than 48 hours later, the attacks on my email began,” he says. The attacks were from colleagues he thought he was close to, who accused him of antisemitism and “blood libel” and copied in senior management of the hospital. “I thought it was not only a case of intense silencing and harassment, but also, quite frankly, character assassination.”

A senior Egyptian-Canadian physician in a GTA hospital was told by senior administrators that while they received several complaints about his signing of the letter and his tweets, they did not find any evidence of wrongdoing. He now knows he’s being watched closely. 

A medical resident with a prominent university in Ontario who signed that letter said he received intimidating comments from colleagues asking why he’d written the letter. One of them told him anti-Zionism was equal to antisemitism. Another said he was “disgusted” to be his colleague. “Essentially, pro-Palestinian voices or … any advocacy for Palestinian human rights has been essentially vilified and turned into something that it’s not and it’s disheartening.”

We have long bruited our respect for freedom of speech and expression. Unfortunately, in the current environment, it would seem that those rights end as soon as they conflict with someone else's sensibilities. It is sad and perilous when one becomes frightened to speak up for human rights and against cruelty and senseless killing for fear of consequences.

I am reminded yet again of an old peasant saying I have referenced in the past: "Better a bitter truth than a sweet lie." Apparently, that is a sentiment with which increasing numbers take issue. And that cannot be a good thing.