The Timidity Of The Ontario NDP

I wrote earlier this month about the growing call from certain monied sectors for an increase in their personal taxation rates, arguing that they are not paying their fair share to support the country in which they grew and prospered. That plea, as noted earlier, is being egregiously ignored by all political parties, including Ontario's NDP, led by Andrea Horwath, a politician who is becoming increasing difficult to distinguish from the leaders of the other parties.

My observation, and I don't think it is a particularly startling or perceptive one, is that slowly and inevitably, the party, both at the federal and provincial levels, is becoming very 'mainstream' as the prospects for increasing their electoral success improve.

Take, for example, Ms. Horwath's position on corporate taxation. As reported last May in The Toronto Star, the NDP would raise corporate taxes by a mere 2%, to 14% from the current 12%. As well, as reported in today's Star, the party would cancel the entertainment tax breaks enjoyed by corporations, such as being able to write off some of the costs of a corporate box at the Air Canada Centre.

While I do not dispute that these would be useful measures that would hardly send corporations fleeing to other jurisdictions, they also strike me as extraordinarily timid, a kind of nipping around the edges of fiscal policy. I do realize there is an argument to be made for proceeding slowly in a compromised economy, but I worry that the stated policy direction suggests that should they ever regain power, the NDP would once again make the same kinds of mistakes that were made during the disastrous Bob Rae years, when the now interim federal Liberal Leader bent over backwards to placate business at the expense of party policy and principles.

Until I hear someone talk about raising the personal income tax rate on the ultra-wealthy, I shall remain dubious of the integrity of NDP principles.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Chris Hedges on the Aftermath of 9/11

I refused to watch any of yesterday's ceremonies honouring those who were killed 10 years ago in New York. I refused, not out of disrespect for those who lost their lives and for all who still suffer tremendously as a result of that horrible attack. I did not watch because of how those senseless deaths and that tremendous suffering have been used over the years as an excuse to kill hundreds of thousands of others, sacrifice some of our best young people, and impose unspeakable suffering on untold others.

Things could have been so much different. To get a sense of how different, I encourage you to read an essay by one of my favorite critical thinkers, the iconoclastic Chris Hedges. The piece, entitled A Decade After 9/11: We Are What We Loathe, offers some insights that rarely make their way into the mainstream press.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Another Way to Remember 9/11

While the loss of lives in the 9/11 attacks was tragic and, for me, profoundly shocking at the time, let's not forget the countless lives, not just North American but also Iraqi and Afghani, that have been subsequently lost in two totally unnecessary on-going wars. And, at the risk of sounding crass, there are also the financial costs of this perpetual war on terrorism that I was reminded of in an email from Ceasefire.ca.

A Tip of the Hat to Two Bloggers

Since joining the Progressive Bloggers' website, the daily listings of progressive posts have enhanced the depth and breadth of my understanding of social and political issues. Through their commentary and links, I have learned of things that would have eluded me entirely had I relied only on newspapers and television news.

In my humble view, there is an array of bloggers well-worth reading on a regular basis. Two of my favorites are individuals whose passionate sense of justice and outrage, whose refusal to "go gently into that good night" confirm for me that the human spirit is alive and well, as are critical thinking and the willingness to challenge authority.

If you haven't already done so, be sure to check out the latest offerings from Dawg's Blog and Orwell's Bastard.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Things Go Better With Coke (Except Taxes)

People of a certain age will remember the old ad slogan, "Things Go Better With Coke." Apparently France disagrees, as it seeks to impose a minuscule tax on the sale of sugary sodas.

In an unusually bald and public attempt to pervert government policy, the Coca-Cola corporation is suspending plans for a $24 million dollar investment in France, pending the outcome of the proposed legislation. As well, it is embarking on a propaganda campaign questioning the relationship between the consumption of high-calorie sugar-laden sodas and obesity.

Perhaps we can only infer that by targeting France in this way, the mighty cola corporation is sending a message to all countries who might have the temerity to in any way compromise Coke's unquenchable thirst for profit.

My New Anti-Asbestos T-Shirt

Obsessed and outraged as I am over the Harper government's ongoing sowing of death and disease through the export of asbestos to countries such as India, and inspired by the example of Michaela Keyserlingk in her efforts to promote a ban, despite the Conservative threat of a lawsuit against her, the other day I looked into how I could get a t-shirt sporting the anti-asbestos banners incorporating the Conservative Party logo that have sprung up in the blogosphere.

I found a company that allows you to design your own t-shirt by simply uploading the desired imagery, placing it virtually as you want it to appear on the shirt, and then ordering the end result. I am pleased with how mine turned out, as the photos below demonstrate:

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.

Sometimes The Tools Of Police Intimidation Are Not Physical

I have written twice before about the ordeal suffered by Po La Hay, the Burmese immigrant living in Hamilton who was both the emotional and physical victim of police after they forcefully entered his apartment in search of a drug dealer. Unfortunately, they had the wrong address.

The officer who was alleged to have inflicted the most serious injuries on Hay, Ryan Tocher, was charged with his assault but later had those charges dismissed, despite the fact that the presiding judge believed police had engaged in a coverup.

As reported in today's Spectator, Hay initiated a lawsuit against "more than 20 Hamilton police officers, Chief Glenn De Caire and the police board in August. His statement of claim alleges he was falsely arrested, imprisoned and hurt by police using excessive force. The short, slender man claims he still suffers from “debilitating” injuries sustained during the raid."

The Hamilton Police Force is asking the court to dismiss the suit, claiming that "Hay “provoked the application of force” by police during the raid." As I recall, Po's 'provocation' was to try to resist an unwarranted arrest, a resistance no doubt quite limited by his slight 59-year-old frame. This attempt to blame the victim for his injuries is especially odious, given how it harkens back to a time when women were often said to have been 'asking for it' when they were brutally raped.

However, the Hamilton Police are attempting to cover all of their bases. Should this request to have the suit tossed fail, they are also asking "the court to order the [currently unemployed] 59-year-old to pay legal costs for the defendants."

Not all tools of intimidation are physical.

Please sign this petition urging Prime Minister Harper to stop threatening Michaela Keyserlingk and to stop exporting asbestos.