Canada is far more than a raw economy – GNP, market trends, stock prices, real estate and so forth. We are also a unique society, a culture, a dream, a land mass, a set of resources, relationships, values, AND people.
We are more than natural resources to be sold on the stock market and torn from the ground at any cost. We are more than water to drive the enterprises of foreign and domestic businesses. We are more than money and precious metals and base metals and lumber and manufactured goods and coal and salt and bauxite and electrical generation and wheat and potash and hi-tech ideas.
****************************************************************************
Unique in history and in the world
We are leaders in innovation and science and media and Law and Human Rights and Justice and security and business and Aid and medicine and powerful peaceful nuclear technologies and applications. We are more than buildings and urban sprawl and planning and big box stores and forests for destruction. We are more than the sum of all of these.
We also are a history [many histories combined] and a geology and an Idea and a Dream and a set of Values and Principles that is universally respected. Chief among these Principles is our belief in The Rule of Law and Equality under Law, Constitution, and Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
We are educators and intervenors in places with trouble and we are friends to the whole world from which our people are drawn. We are citizens of the world and people of this hour in history.
We are partners with people everywhere who wish to build a better world and a safer world community. We are Canadians and we love our nation, our children and our place in the hearts of the world's nations and peoples.
We cherish our freedoms and Rights and privileges and duties and responsibilities and our amazing and diverse nation. There has NEVER EVER been a place or society like Canada. We are a miracle.
****************************************************************************
The Economics of Leo Strauss
Our current Prime Minister wants to reduce us down to banks and stocks and bonds and budgets and GNP and strategies to confuse one another and maintain control. He does not see the remarkable and wonderful thing that we have become. So he has no interest in advancing it or preserving it.
How can he possibly see our potential when he does not even see the amazing thing we are now? Our social safety net has made us remarkable and now Mr. Harper [who is well named btw] wants to destroy it and dismantle it for the sake of a few more dollars in profit for those who always profit most.
Mr. Harper thinks these wealthy people are his friends and that they will accept him as their friend once he has helped them to destroy our collective Dream. He is in for a BIG surprise when they throw him aside and find another flunky.
****************************************************************************
How far is too far?
Will we let him get that far? We need to recognize the danger we are in and act together to pull ourselves out of the tailspin into which Mr. Harper's government has thrown us. This man is not our friend.
He is the friend of America's interests and cannot see the wonderful potential in our beautiful nation and people and society and culture. He is blind to our unique qualities, characteristics, strengths, gifts and potential in a world that badly needs our help.
America will benefit most if we act independently and do what no other nation can do...not even our friend America. We can help them in ways that they cannot help themselves at this point. America in under great pressure and we should help them in our own unique way - The Canadian Way.
A national economy includes people and values and jobs and a Vision or direction – a dynamic. It is activities and so much more. Harper only sees dollar signs and misses the human signs of success: health, well-being, happiness, opportunities, freedoms, dignity, choice, Liberty, democracy, and more...much more than just money. All Canadians are wealthy because of our society and culture – that is, because of our complete economy which was built democratically by our people for our people.
Harper believes that our great Canadian experiment must fail and he has set out to prove his theory...even if he must trip and deceive us in order to do so. This is not the kind of leadership we need and want.
****************************************************************************
Quantum Economics 2.5
Mr Harper fancies himself an economist because he studied macro economics in university for a few years. There he was sold on a foreign agenda by foreign operatives in our midst who do not appreciate our hospitality and inclusiveness enough to mind their own business.
As we drift, foreign and corporate powers are moving in to grab and own our heritage – Canada with all of her wonderful qualities and resources. Harper wants them to have what we own collectively as if we had no right to possess wonderful and amazing and lucrative resources that help all Canadians. It verges upon treasonous action. At best it is a betrayal.
A truly competent economist will see the whole picture – lock, stock and barrel. If I can see it with my visual limitations perhaps others can too. Stephen Harper cannot! He lacks the Vision, the Courage, and the Imagination that is required to do good economics and governance in the real world of all Canadians.
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
A Good Prime Minister
Canada has been languishing without clear direction and firm inspired leadership for quite some time. Mr. Harper is not The Good PM we need and hope for.
He is incapable of trusting the Canadian people, of inspiring us and motivating us to do the very best we can for our collective sense of Purpose. He's not on our side nor does he know how to care for and about our children.
As I walk my daughter to school I see the consequences of this leadership vacuum. Drivers are in a hurry but with no where to go really...except to another red light ahead. They go round and round and never really get anywhere.There is no clear and shared sense of Purpose in Canada at present and the predictable consequences of that vacuum are obvious everywhere. "Where there is no Vision the people perish/will be in chaos." - The Bible
The Nation is in neutral!
Public employees don't know how to serve as they should - whether in collecting garbage and recycling or in inventing creative solutions to global problems that challenge us all. Budgets at all levels of government are in disarray. Business people are uncertain where to invest. Chaos rules...Harper does not.
Teachers in the school don't know what to teach....or how. Parents aren't sure how to raise their children or what to tell them about the Crisis they will face in their lifetime...no matter what Harper and other global warming deniers say.
The police don't know how to enforce the Law. Judges and lawyers cannot conduct the business of prosecuting and defending - administering the Law - in our courtrooms. Legislators don't know how to make Law and implement changes. The System is faltering and failing because it all depends upon good leadership to give energy and direction to the whole of Canada.
Everyone is flustered by the PM's behaviour, little realizing that THIS is his tactical method of controlling his fellow citizens - to upset and confuse Canadians. This is a pale substitute for what we want and need - real democratic leadership. We don't want to be manipulated and won't stand for it for long.
“Nature hates a vacuum.”
We must look back to the days of Pierre Trudeau and John “The Chief” Diefenbaker or even Brian Mulroney. These people inspired and motivated their fellow citizens and set standards by their personal performances and values and programs. They had visions of various sizes for the Canada they imagined. Their visions were large and asked much of Canadians.
These were all people who believed in our democracy and self-government. They knew how to conduct the business of the nation in Parliament where our representatives debated the pros and cons of ideas and led us forward into an amazing set of opportunities.
Canada was built largely in the debates of The House of Commons and The Senate. A secretive and manipulative PM does not suit Canada and we deserve better. Closing Parliament and preventing debate and discussion and the involvement of our elected representatives will only anger Canadians.
A Good Prime Minister can navigate but also inspire others to follow the route he or she reveals in the Vision. The Vision must show us where we are going and the route by which we can go. It shows us what we will be once we arrive and what we can do en route and after the journey of change is completed.
A good Prime Minister must have Vision above all things. Any old vision will not do in a time of Crisis. We require an appropriate and compelling Vision that can lead us to our collective destiny swiftly and safely.
Without it all that we are and could be will be lost and forfeited forever. This does not need to be the case. We can survive and succeed together and in so doing prove that Canada has what is required to lead the global community into a hopeful future.
A Democratic Heart
Mr. Harper wants to persuade Canadians that basic Administrative maintenance is good enough for Canada and Canadians. Of course this is ALL he has to offer us. He's lost and he's wrong. Because he's lost everything he does is confused and ineffective. He lacks the one key characteristic we desire in A Good Prime Minister - A Democratic Heart.
Like all Canadians Stephen Harper also needs someone to lead him towards a hopeful future for him and his family. He simply doesn't know any better. He wants to believe he's the one that can lead us forward effectively. A majority of Canadians strongly disagree.
"Sight shows us what we are. Vision shows us what we can become."
"Sight shows us where we are. Vision shows us where we can and must go."
.
.
He is incapable of trusting the Canadian people, of inspiring us and motivating us to do the very best we can for our collective sense of Purpose. He's not on our side nor does he know how to care for and about our children.
As I walk my daughter to school I see the consequences of this leadership vacuum. Drivers are in a hurry but with no where to go really...except to another red light ahead. They go round and round and never really get anywhere.There is no clear and shared sense of Purpose in Canada at present and the predictable consequences of that vacuum are obvious everywhere. "Where there is no Vision the people perish/will be in chaos." - The Bible
The Nation is in neutral!
Public employees don't know how to serve as they should - whether in collecting garbage and recycling or in inventing creative solutions to global problems that challenge us all. Budgets at all levels of government are in disarray. Business people are uncertain where to invest. Chaos rules...Harper does not.
Teachers in the school don't know what to teach....or how. Parents aren't sure how to raise their children or what to tell them about the Crisis they will face in their lifetime...no matter what Harper and other global warming deniers say.
The police don't know how to enforce the Law. Judges and lawyers cannot conduct the business of prosecuting and defending - administering the Law - in our courtrooms. Legislators don't know how to make Law and implement changes. The System is faltering and failing because it all depends upon good leadership to give energy and direction to the whole of Canada.
Everyone is flustered by the PM's behaviour, little realizing that THIS is his tactical method of controlling his fellow citizens - to upset and confuse Canadians. This is a pale substitute for what we want and need - real democratic leadership. We don't want to be manipulated and won't stand for it for long.
“Nature hates a vacuum.”
We must look back to the days of Pierre Trudeau and John “The Chief” Diefenbaker or even Brian Mulroney. These people inspired and motivated their fellow citizens and set standards by their personal performances and values and programs. They had visions of various sizes for the Canada they imagined. Their visions were large and asked much of Canadians.
These were all people who believed in our democracy and self-government. They knew how to conduct the business of the nation in Parliament where our representatives debated the pros and cons of ideas and led us forward into an amazing set of opportunities.
Canada was built largely in the debates of The House of Commons and The Senate. A secretive and manipulative PM does not suit Canada and we deserve better. Closing Parliament and preventing debate and discussion and the involvement of our elected representatives will only anger Canadians.
A Good Prime Minister can navigate but also inspire others to follow the route he or she reveals in the Vision. The Vision must show us where we are going and the route by which we can go. It shows us what we will be once we arrive and what we can do en route and after the journey of change is completed.
A good Prime Minister must have Vision above all things. Any old vision will not do in a time of Crisis. We require an appropriate and compelling Vision that can lead us to our collective destiny swiftly and safely.
Without it all that we are and could be will be lost and forfeited forever. This does not need to be the case. We can survive and succeed together and in so doing prove that Canada has what is required to lead the global community into a hopeful future.
A Democratic Heart
Mr. Harper wants to persuade Canadians that basic Administrative maintenance is good enough for Canada and Canadians. Of course this is ALL he has to offer us. He's lost and he's wrong. Because he's lost everything he does is confused and ineffective. He lacks the one key characteristic we desire in A Good Prime Minister - A Democratic Heart.
Like all Canadians Stephen Harper also needs someone to lead him towards a hopeful future for him and his family. He simply doesn't know any better. He wants to believe he's the one that can lead us forward effectively. A majority of Canadians strongly disagree.
"Sight shows us what we are. Vision shows us what we can become."
"Sight shows us where we are. Vision shows us where we can and must go."
.
.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Prime Minister or Foreign Operative?
“You ARE your intentions!” - Carlos Santana
Stephen Harper likes power and has done what is necessary to acquire some. He can't get authentic power which we call 'authority'. He would need that elusive majority government in order to be truly authorized to act in behalf of the Canadian people. So he deceives his fellow citizens in order to control them, mislead them, startle and confuse them and betray them.
Here is another example of his dishonest methods spelled out in his own words. This is a speech he gave to his American Republican neo-conservative friends in Montreal a few years ago. Check his record against his rhetoric. It's laughable at some level and disturbing at another. These are the people who helped him “consolidate the right” and become the government.
Ironically this 'expose' article was published by CTV- News which has been his most ardent supporter among public broadcasters, generally turning a blind ideological eye to his unscrupulous antics. Even they have begun to see through his intentions and question his loyalty to Canada.
Last week it was The Calgary Herald criticizing Mr. Harper for proroguing Parliament. No one would have believed this possible a couple months ago when Harper had his Teflon hairpiece and sweater vest firmly in place. This week it's CTV calling his disloyal and dishonest bluff as the house of hidden cards falls around Harper's seditious ears. Even 'conservative' Canadian media are worried about this man and his loyalty to the Nation and People and the Idea of Canada.
In this speech Mr. Harper is addressing a group of Americans who met in Montreal, apparently to plot the destruction of Canada. Harper wanted to help them. Since becoming Prime Minister he has kept his word to them, but not to us Canadians.
He has worked to undermine all that most Canadians cherish – our freedoms, independence, values, political system, judicial system, social safety net and so much more that is beautiful to us. We used to call this kind of behaviour sedition and treason. What do we call it now?
Stephen Harper rejects The Canadian Dream of peace, Justice, compassion and goodwill in favour of The American Dream of American military, cultural, political and economic world dominance.
What's most embarrassing is that he did it with really poor grammar and syntax. The man seems barely literate and far from eloquent. LOL Stephen Harper is becoming a laughing stock among those who believe in Canadian democracy - even among those on the so-called right.
This is a betrayal and we must act together to stop this erosion of our sovereignty and independence. Mr. Harper wants to give it all away. In the past Canadians demanded that foreign enemies try to pry our liberty and land from our clenched fists. I propose that we return to those former days and values.
Full text of Stephen Harper's 1997 speech
Canadian Press
Date: Wednesday Dec. 14, 2005 9:20 PM ET
OTTAWA — The text from a speech made by Stephen Harper, then vice-president of the National Citizens Coalition, to a June 1997 Montreal meeting of the Council for National Policy, a right-wing U.S. think tank, and taken from the council's website:
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Sunday, January 3, 2010
"Eternal vigilance is the price of democracy." - Thomas Paine
I saw the brief interview on CBC News today [Dec. 30/09] in which Ms. Carol McNeil and Hon. Marc Garneau discussed Mr. Harper's outrageous behaviour - that is behaviour designed to outrage the sensibilities of rational civil people. LOL Please consider these few thoughts below. :)
Consider the possibility that these people [Conservative Government] are seeking to cause confusion and chaos as a strategy as recommended by economics theorist Leo Strauss [University of Chicago and University of Calgary].
The Man Behind Stephen Harper
Consider the possibility that there are foreign powers seeking to undermine the stability of Canadian society and government as The Walrus article implies. I have a friend who tells me he witnessed the undermining of a certain Canadian tele-com company recently by foreign operatives resulting in the division and sale of this job provider!
Consider this also...that perhaps our liberties and parliamentary system of self-government are in jeopardy. If any of that means anything to you, then please proceed to my blog for more ideas about how to stop this insidious activity. Also please feel free to contact me.
Canada seems to be for sale or rent or wide open to be stolen piece by piece as with recent foreign acquisitions.
There IS a simple and legal/democratic way to stop this degrading of our beloved nation and values.
"Where there is no vision the people perish." - The Bible
Peace
John
Read Building The Canadian Dream HERE -
www.thecanadiandream.blogspot.com
www.blindmansees.com
"Don't keep the peace...pass it on."
John Williams
Community Organizer and Children's Rights Advocate
Guelph - Ontario
********************************************************************************
Steven Harper has shut down parliament because he
does not agree with it. Some say this is unprecedented.
In fact, Harper is following a parliamentary tradition.
Consider the following precedents:
1629 King Charles I in England
1799 Napoleon in France
1913: Victoriano Huerta in Mexico
1933: Adolf Hitler in Germany
1936 Fransisco Franco in Spain
1939: Benito Mussolini in Italy
1973: Augusto Pinochet in Chile
2008: Steven Harper in Canada
***********************************************************************************
The Man Behind Stephen Harper
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/the-man-behind-stephen-harper-tom-flanagan/
China acquires Canadian resource holdings
http://money.ca.msn.com/investing/news/breaking-news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23161543
Stephen Harper is a disciple of Leo Strauss
*******************************************
P.S. Note for Mr Garneau - Here's a link to a song I wrote about you on the day you made your second trip into space. It's a song about Canadians. God bless you sir.
Walkin' Steady
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Saturday, January 2, 2010
John G. Diefenbaker former Prime Minister of Canada - On Being Conservative
The Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker
former Prime Minister of Canada
Excerpts from
One Canada – Memoirs of the RH John G. Diefenbaker [1962-67]
From the Foreword by John A. Monro
On being a conservative
“The Right Honourable John Diefenbaker, like Britain's former Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Arthur Balfour, is a conservative because he is “absolutely certain that no community in this world has ever flourished, or could ever flourish, if it was faithless to its own past.” - p. xi
On perpetuating the democratic principles, values, practices, methods, processes and institutions...
“Mr. Diefenbaker, throughout his three volumes, shows concern with what Canadians have built, and how further to build upon this. Indeed his second volume ends with [Edmund] Burke's admonition that 'it is with infinite caution that any man [sic] ought to venture upon pulling down an edifice, which has answered in any tolerable degree for ages the common purposes of society.' ” - p. xi
*************************************************************************************
Fellow Canadians,
Mr. Harper has called himself a 'conservative'. I take exception to that because as a conservative myself I see him destroying the legacies, institutions and proven methods of Canadian democracy.
He's offended by and opposes The Senate, the Parliament and our parliamentary legislative processes, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
He's also offended by and opposed to Canadian values of peace, goodwill, tolerance, inclusiveness and by so much of what we understand to be Canada and Canadian. Mr. Harper hates what I love - Canada and Canadians. This is not 'conservativism'.
Rather this is the opposite of conservatism and is called 'neo-conservatism'. It is in no way related to the traditional political philosophy of Edmund Burke, George Washington, Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, John A. MacDonald, John G. Diefenbaker, Sir Winston Churchill, Joe Clark, and others.
This is a kind of betrayal of Canadian conservatism and a misappropriation of a well established political brand name. I intend to strip him of that name and claim it for myself and for The Liberal Party of Canada.
Peace begins with you.
Happy New Year!
.
.
former Prime Minister of Canada
Excerpts from
One Canada – Memoirs of the RH John G. Diefenbaker [1962-67]
From the Foreword by John A. Monro
On being a conservative
“The Right Honourable John Diefenbaker, like Britain's former Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Arthur Balfour, is a conservative because he is “absolutely certain that no community in this world has ever flourished, or could ever flourish, if it was faithless to its own past.” - p. xi
On perpetuating the democratic principles, values, practices, methods, processes and institutions...
“Mr. Diefenbaker, throughout his three volumes, shows concern with what Canadians have built, and how further to build upon this. Indeed his second volume ends with [Edmund] Burke's admonition that 'it is with infinite caution that any man [sic] ought to venture upon pulling down an edifice, which has answered in any tolerable degree for ages the common purposes of society.' ” - p. xi
*************************************************************************************
Fellow Canadians,
Mr. Harper has called himself a 'conservative'. I take exception to that because as a conservative myself I see him destroying the legacies, institutions and proven methods of Canadian democracy.
He's offended by and opposes The Senate, the Parliament and our parliamentary legislative processes, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
He's also offended by and opposed to Canadian values of peace, goodwill, tolerance, inclusiveness and by so much of what we understand to be Canada and Canadian. Mr. Harper hates what I love - Canada and Canadians. This is not 'conservativism'.
Rather this is the opposite of conservatism and is called 'neo-conservatism'. It is in no way related to the traditional political philosophy of Edmund Burke, George Washington, Thomas Paine, Abraham Lincoln, John A. MacDonald, John G. Diefenbaker, Sir Winston Churchill, Joe Clark, and others.
This is a kind of betrayal of Canadian conservatism and a misappropriation of a well established political brand name. I intend to strip him of that name and claim it for myself and for The Liberal Party of Canada.
Peace begins with you.
Happy New Year!
.
.
Monday, December 28, 2009
A Hopeful Future for Canada - in Five Parts
Copenhagen and The Culture of Entitlement – Part 1 of 5
The last Liberal government was defeated under the shadow of them believing that they were entitled to some things. They were perceived as believing that they had an historic 'right' to govern; that they are “the natural governing party of Canada.”
They were caught up in the Sponsorship Scandal and after the subsequent inquiry the public came to the conclusion that a culture of entitlement had eroded the Liberal Party and the Liberal Government of Paul Martin.
Sadly on this day when the environmental treaty discussions in Copenhagen sought and failed to arrive at a global environmental and emissions agreement, the truth about the Canadian culture of entitlement has been laid bare. It was not Paul Martin's Liberals who invented this misapprehension of democracy. It is not only Stephen Harper's Conservative Government that now exercises the assumed 'rights' of the entitled.
The entire nation is being put under the spotlight of international media scrutiny and under an indictment of selfishness, self-indulgence, greed, carelessness, irresponsibility and waste that is rapidly eroding hope for the more vulnerable nations of the world.
But we will soon join them in their suffering and despair if we cannot abruptly abandon this misconception about our own worth and importance in the world context.
Environmental Criminals - Part 2
This week the world has branded Canada and Canadians as “environmental criminals” and sadly I fear they are right. I have tried to do my part to alert Canadians about this looming crisis, only to discover that the “culture of entitlement” does not begin with our governments.
Rather governments are a reflection of a population and we get governments like our selves. We are getting the kind of government we want and like. We are getting government that expresses who we really are - environmental criminals selfishly consuming the world's resources at an extraordinary rate while feeling jolly about ourselves.
This destructive culture is seen in the lifestyles of people who live frivolously in the fast lane, indulge themselves in the distractions of our culture, enter into business ventures that have little or no place in the real world...like Christmas tree farms! These people are out of touch with the Crisis that is threatening to destroy them, their families and all that they know about in their entitled place in the world. They are out of touch with Reality!
Canadians must change if we are going to get the kind of government we want going forward. For democracy is government of the people, for the people, by the people.
Canada has slid fast and hard into the gutter of history and into the bad books of our international neighbours. We have gone from first to worst in the environmental area after a few short years of Mr. Harper's Conservative government.
We are wasting away the hope of the world while we play video games, watch movies, acquire TOYS, grow fat on fast foods that give no nutrition and tell ourselves how wonderful [and deserving] we are.
The Roots of Entitlement - Part 3
Stephen Harper's Government did not create this problem, They simply represent Canadians in the way Canadians want and believe they deserve at this point. “They” are not the problem. “We” are the problem.
But we can also change and solve this historic problem. Canadians can rise up and confront this challenge. We can become part of the Solution rather than the poison tip of the arrow that kills millions without consciousness or conscience.
Almost all Canadians share this attitude of entitlement. Perhaps there are a few [like David Suzuki] who understand how the rest of the world must live in distress in order to support and sustain our greedy lifestyle and sense of entitlement. We must all reflect carefully or live with the dire consequences that will come from inaction.
This Culture of Entitlement is widespread in Canada and it blinds Canadians to the suffering of others...in spite of our compassion and reputation for generosity. We are an oil ghetto and we think we can afford to be generous. But we are causing some of the big problems that we so generously try to help relieve after we have done the damage.
Democratic Representation - Part 4
The tar sands of Alberta is one example of the blight we are creating that touches all people everywhere. Canadians have an environmental foot print that is twenty times bigger than most people who live on the planet.
We are using more than our fair share because we believe we are entitled to it. What exactly makes it so and what makes us believe this nonsense? Is it the Invisible Hand of the Market? LOL No it's irresponsible choices!
Also, Stephen Harper IS representing his constituents. Calgary Center is the home of some of the big oil companies' head offices. He seems to think that since THEY elected him he should do as they please. It actually makes democratic sense at some twisted primitive level.
Here is a comment from the Polaris Institute about that. "Mark Rudolph, a 20-year veteran lobbyist who represents Suncor Energy Inc. and Shell Canada Ltd. in Ottawa, said that lobbying the province of Alberta is virtually unnecessary since, he said, the government is entirely on the industry's side. Alberta, in effect, represents the single most powerful lobby in Ottawa, according to Rudolph." from Big oil's relentless lobby
I believe that much of this attitude about entitlement derives from our colonial history. In large part we have attempted to transcend this sad backdrop to our present prosperity. Our First Nations peoples have felt the hot whip of European and others peoples' sense of entitlement and often still do.
Repentance and Change – Part 5
We need to quickly embark in a different direction. In my Christian faith we call this kind of directional/behavioural/ethical change of direction Repentance. Canada, which sometimes fancies itself a “Christian nation”, should stop, look, and repent. We must change direction 180 degrees for the sake of our brothers and sisters and our human family of today and tomorrow.
I hope you will join me in building The Canadian Dream of sustainability in all things, coupled with freedom, justice, compassion and prosperity in the new emerging economy of environmental responsibility. We can do this but we can only do it together. Once we begin the world will line up to help us.
We obviously need a change of direction and this will require a change of government. Canada and Canadians need new leadership that is appropriate for the realities of the 21st Century. See my other blog posts linked below about the kind of Leadership I believe we need in this dark and desperate hour in history.
This is Urgent stuff that shapes our actions and reputation in the world.
Peace Pays!
"Don't keep the peace...pass it on."
Building The Canadian Dream blog - three Leadership post links
http://thecanadiandream.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-survive-leadership-2.html
.
.
The last Liberal government was defeated under the shadow of them believing that they were entitled to some things. They were perceived as believing that they had an historic 'right' to govern; that they are “the natural governing party of Canada.”
They were caught up in the Sponsorship Scandal and after the subsequent inquiry the public came to the conclusion that a culture of entitlement had eroded the Liberal Party and the Liberal Government of Paul Martin.
Sadly on this day when the environmental treaty discussions in Copenhagen sought and failed to arrive at a global environmental and emissions agreement, the truth about the Canadian culture of entitlement has been laid bare. It was not Paul Martin's Liberals who invented this misapprehension of democracy. It is not only Stephen Harper's Conservative Government that now exercises the assumed 'rights' of the entitled.
The entire nation is being put under the spotlight of international media scrutiny and under an indictment of selfishness, self-indulgence, greed, carelessness, irresponsibility and waste that is rapidly eroding hope for the more vulnerable nations of the world.
But we will soon join them in their suffering and despair if we cannot abruptly abandon this misconception about our own worth and importance in the world context.
Environmental Criminals - Part 2
This week the world has branded Canada and Canadians as “environmental criminals” and sadly I fear they are right. I have tried to do my part to alert Canadians about this looming crisis, only to discover that the “culture of entitlement” does not begin with our governments.
Rather governments are a reflection of a population and we get governments like our selves. We are getting the kind of government we want and like. We are getting government that expresses who we really are - environmental criminals selfishly consuming the world's resources at an extraordinary rate while feeling jolly about ourselves.
This destructive culture is seen in the lifestyles of people who live frivolously in the fast lane, indulge themselves in the distractions of our culture, enter into business ventures that have little or no place in the real world...like Christmas tree farms! These people are out of touch with the Crisis that is threatening to destroy them, their families and all that they know about in their entitled place in the world. They are out of touch with Reality!
Canadians must change if we are going to get the kind of government we want going forward. For democracy is government of the people, for the people, by the people.
Canada has slid fast and hard into the gutter of history and into the bad books of our international neighbours. We have gone from first to worst in the environmental area after a few short years of Mr. Harper's Conservative government.
We are wasting away the hope of the world while we play video games, watch movies, acquire TOYS, grow fat on fast foods that give no nutrition and tell ourselves how wonderful [and deserving] we are.
The Roots of Entitlement - Part 3
Stephen Harper's Government did not create this problem, They simply represent Canadians in the way Canadians want and believe they deserve at this point. “They” are not the problem. “We” are the problem.
But we can also change and solve this historic problem. Canadians can rise up and confront this challenge. We can become part of the Solution rather than the poison tip of the arrow that kills millions without consciousness or conscience.
Almost all Canadians share this attitude of entitlement. Perhaps there are a few [like David Suzuki] who understand how the rest of the world must live in distress in order to support and sustain our greedy lifestyle and sense of entitlement. We must all reflect carefully or live with the dire consequences that will come from inaction.
This Culture of Entitlement is widespread in Canada and it blinds Canadians to the suffering of others...in spite of our compassion and reputation for generosity. We are an oil ghetto and we think we can afford to be generous. But we are causing some of the big problems that we so generously try to help relieve after we have done the damage.
Democratic Representation - Part 4
The tar sands of Alberta is one example of the blight we are creating that touches all people everywhere. Canadians have an environmental foot print that is twenty times bigger than most people who live on the planet.
We are using more than our fair share because we believe we are entitled to it. What exactly makes it so and what makes us believe this nonsense? Is it the Invisible Hand of the Market? LOL No it's irresponsible choices!
Also, Stephen Harper IS representing his constituents. Calgary Center is the home of some of the big oil companies' head offices. He seems to think that since THEY elected him he should do as they please. It actually makes democratic sense at some twisted primitive level.
Here is a comment from the Polaris Institute about that. "Mark Rudolph, a 20-year veteran lobbyist who represents Suncor Energy Inc. and Shell Canada Ltd. in Ottawa, said that lobbying the province of Alberta is virtually unnecessary since, he said, the government is entirely on the industry's side. Alberta, in effect, represents the single most powerful lobby in Ottawa, according to Rudolph." from Big oil's relentless lobby
I believe that much of this attitude about entitlement derives from our colonial history. In large part we have attempted to transcend this sad backdrop to our present prosperity. Our First Nations peoples have felt the hot whip of European and others peoples' sense of entitlement and often still do.
Repentance and Change – Part 5
We need to quickly embark in a different direction. In my Christian faith we call this kind of directional/behavioural/ethical change of direction Repentance. Canada, which sometimes fancies itself a “Christian nation”, should stop, look, and repent. We must change direction 180 degrees for the sake of our brothers and sisters and our human family of today and tomorrow.
I hope you will join me in building The Canadian Dream of sustainability in all things, coupled with freedom, justice, compassion and prosperity in the new emerging economy of environmental responsibility. We can do this but we can only do it together. Once we begin the world will line up to help us.
We obviously need a change of direction and this will require a change of government. Canada and Canadians need new leadership that is appropriate for the realities of the 21st Century. See my other blog posts linked below about the kind of Leadership I believe we need in this dark and desperate hour in history.
This is Urgent stuff that shapes our actions and reputation in the world.
Peace Pays!
"Don't keep the peace...pass it on."
Building The Canadian Dream blog - three Leadership post links
http://thecanadiandream.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-survive-leadership-2.html
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Break! Spend! Use! Consume!
There is a great stampede to accomplish this short list of human consumer activities. We are more intent upon spending and using up than we are about conserving and living sustainable lives.
Whether at home in our cozy Canadian housing, at work, in stores or at school, we want to use everything up as quickly as possible. Why? There is no possible rational explanation. But here is an [irrational] explanation.
First let us remember that this type and rate of consumption is criminal and unjust to those who suffer wont - those who are hungry and homeless and helpless in the face of a harsh economic climate. We are using the resources that are needed for a sustainable global future. If we do not cease then we will perish.
We are already robbing our brothers and sisters in all nations so we can live lavish and self-indulgent lives while they starve along with their children and parents. Their suffering feeds our greed in our “open market system”.
So why do we consume at what is likely the highest rate of any people of any nation in the world or in history? The sad news about that is that we are all caught up in a frenzy of consumerism that is perpetrated by large corporate industry.
This is driven by advertising and marketing that cares only for profit and nothing for the future or for environmental responsibility. [Think about the plots and characters of television's Mad Men.] They need and want us to spend spend spend.
This is what drives corporations – sales. In this way they grow stronger and bigger and richer and more powerful. This happens at the expense of the vulnerable and the Earth. And the rate of consumption is destroying the earth, the water, the air, all creatures great and small, the Earth's atmosphere, our health and any hope for a happy and safe future.
How can we make it stop and change? By simple self control in our lifestyle habits! Be thrifty with money and resources and time. Think about how much water and food you use and how much garbage and compost you produce. Some communities do not produce any garbage and prove that our wastefulness is unnecessary. Always do the math.
We can change the world one small decision at a time. We must always consider our children's future when we break, spend, use and consume everything. We are sentencing them to a very bleak future and they want us to stop.
But we ask ourselves, “What could children possibly know that we adults do not?” The answer is quite simple. They know that they will perish if we do not cease and desist in these destructive and self-destructive behaviours.
Search your conscience and ask yourself whether you really want to destroy the hope and opportunities of every future generations of humanity. I know I don't. So I have been modifying my behaviour with my children and grandchildren in mind, and with their help. I hope you will do the same.
Be economical in everything. Use less and want less. Prudence and economy were considered to be virtues for several thousand years prior to our consumer age. We should redeem and embrace this heritage of sustainability in all things and teach it to our children as a desirable character trait and as a social virtue.
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.
Whether at home in our cozy Canadian housing, at work, in stores or at school, we want to use everything up as quickly as possible. Why? There is no possible rational explanation. But here is an [irrational] explanation.
First let us remember that this type and rate of consumption is criminal and unjust to those who suffer wont - those who are hungry and homeless and helpless in the face of a harsh economic climate. We are using the resources that are needed for a sustainable global future. If we do not cease then we will perish.
We are already robbing our brothers and sisters in all nations so we can live lavish and self-indulgent lives while they starve along with their children and parents. Their suffering feeds our greed in our “open market system”.
So why do we consume at what is likely the highest rate of any people of any nation in the world or in history? The sad news about that is that we are all caught up in a frenzy of consumerism that is perpetrated by large corporate industry.
This is driven by advertising and marketing that cares only for profit and nothing for the future or for environmental responsibility. [Think about the plots and characters of television's Mad Men.] They need and want us to spend spend spend.
This is what drives corporations – sales. In this way they grow stronger and bigger and richer and more powerful. This happens at the expense of the vulnerable and the Earth. And the rate of consumption is destroying the earth, the water, the air, all creatures great and small, the Earth's atmosphere, our health and any hope for a happy and safe future.
How can we make it stop and change? By simple self control in our lifestyle habits! Be thrifty with money and resources and time. Think about how much water and food you use and how much garbage and compost you produce. Some communities do not produce any garbage and prove that our wastefulness is unnecessary. Always do the math.
We can change the world one small decision at a time. We must always consider our children's future when we break, spend, use and consume everything. We are sentencing them to a very bleak future and they want us to stop.
But we ask ourselves, “What could children possibly know that we adults do not?” The answer is quite simple. They know that they will perish if we do not cease and desist in these destructive and self-destructive behaviours.
Search your conscience and ask yourself whether you really want to destroy the hope and opportunities of every future generations of humanity. I know I don't. So I have been modifying my behaviour with my children and grandchildren in mind, and with their help. I hope you will do the same.
Be economical in everything. Use less and want less. Prudence and economy were considered to be virtues for several thousand years prior to our consumer age. We should redeem and embrace this heritage of sustainability in all things and teach it to our children as a desirable character trait and as a social virtue.
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