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THINGS THAT GET ME GOING
Neo-Conservatives
Neo-Conservative: A person whose braincells have been co-opted by our
leading corporate "thinkers" who've remembered that at the dawn of the
industrial revolution, when ordinary people had no protection from the
powerful, profits were much higher than today, and who are determined to take
us back there. (For details of life during the early nineteenth century, see
the writings of Charles Dickens). Canada's neo-conservative governments, whether federal or provincial (or
the Republican U.S. government, for that matter), are much like the 1996 Hollywood blockbuster "Independence
Day". You remember "Independence Day", don't you? It's a thoroughly mediocre,
very loud movie with spectacular special effects. The aliens arrive with much
hoopla, wreak havoc in the land, particularly in the big cities, and generally
cause a lot of grief. In the end, though, they get what they deserve.
Naturally! - This is Hollywood, after all! Everybody cheers! What's the difference between this movie and the
above-mentioned governments? After two hours, you can forget the movie - the
damage done by the neo-conservatives will last a long time, long
after they're gone! And then, there's the Conservative Party (formerly the
Canadian Alliance, formerly the Reform Party), our very own right-wing
American Fifth Column!
LET'S CLEAN UP CANADA Religion
"Men
never do evil so completely and cheerfully Especially
fundamentalists of all kinds - christian, jewish, hindu, and muslim.
They're all, without exception, joyless, superstitious, narrow-minded,
hate-filled bigots! Have I missed anything, or anyone? But seriously, folks, ... Actually, I'm being serious, not sarcastic. Religion - well, let's see. The beginnings, 50-100,000 years ago, were
very serious of course. It was primitive man trying to explain things he
didn't understand. It's nothing if not natural, that under those circumstances
supernatural powers should be ascribed to all sorts of things. But that was at
the beginning of the reasoning process. Soon, mankind evolved to the point where scientific investigative
processes outgrew the mystical. But, of course, many, if not most, people were
left behind in the dark, as they always are where progress is concerned. It's
so much more comfortable to cling to the old! And soon, the people who controlled society, whether it was the mediaeval
village or, shamefully, the 21st century state, realized that religion,
superstition, fear of the unknown, was a powerful tool of control.
Control the people's mind, and you control the state! Remember Karl Marx' best-known saying - Religion is the opiate of the
people. (No, I'm not a communist, nor have I ever been one; nor was Karl
Marx, for that matter!) But, it's true, nevertheless - religion is a drug
which keeps people under control, keeps them quiet, easy to manipulate! The
very thing the Conrad Blacks of the world ask for. Have you ever noticed how
close religious potentates always are to the rich and politically powerful?
Almost without exception, the religiously powerful side with the political
right, often ARE the political right. How does that square with the universal message of the god they claim to
speak for?
The U.S. System of
Government Democracy for
the rich and powerful... There's no doubt about it, Americans as individuals, are among the
nicest, most generous people on this planet. We can all take lessons from
them. With that as a starting point, no wonder the U.S. version of "democratic
government" became a strange animal indeed. Americans are told by their
politicians they are the only really democratic country in the world. Yet, if
looked at dispassionately, the U.S. has a system of government where all
decisions are made by a few powerful men, a system that only benefits the rich
and powerful, where corruption is rampant, and no one in power is held
responsible for his/her actions. That's the very definition of oligarchy! And we Canadians, the closest and "best" neighbour, are in danger of being
swallowed up because too many of us can't wait to imitate everything from
"down south". Ah well, ignorance is bliss - until the elephant starts to roll
over. The main problem, as I see it, is that the U.S. is refusing to live up to
its historic ideals (as expressed in the constitution) and to apply these
around the world. As long as American politicians continue to act as though
American money owns the world, the U.S. and, by extension, its allies will
remain potential targets of any dissatisfied group manipulated to see terror
as a solution to real or imagined wrong. Seen on a banner carried by demonstrators during G.W. Bush's May 2002 visit to
Berlin: THE
WORLD NEEDS TREES NOT BUSHES (Who
says Germans have no sense of humour...?)
Brian
Mulroney Even now! Enough said! (Also, Ben!)
What else?
Isn't
that enough? Relax, things are so sad, they're almost funny! To get away from
it all (well, almost), you have to resettle to a South-Pacific Island - more
on that later - not even Vancouver Island is far enough away.
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