Running Full-tilt for Fascism

I know how to ruin anything. For now, it's videogames. Now, many people will say, "Oh they're just games," and yeah, they are for most people but they are incredibly influential. Today, I watched live coverage of E3 and the unveiling of Modern Warfare 3 gameplay. One in the long and almost universally recognized Call of Duty war-game franchise, this game takes war to the homefront in an epic urban battles against the Russians. Now, don't get me wrong, I'll play it if I can but I can't help but feel like the Modern Warfare series presents a huge danger to our political future.

By virtue of taking place on American soil fighting a foreign occupant within the near future, by virtue of the game containing modern weaponry and modern enemies by virtue of the games intense realism, it will have an incredible ability to inculcate an obsession with military culture and patriotism in today's youth. In Nazi Germany and fascist Italy similar obsessions were encouraged in an attempt to build support for the military industrial complex and the fascist state. There, participation in organized sports, boy scouts and military rallies were used to create this military obsession in everyone young and old. Here today, we have millions of young men fighting in simulated battles that could theoretically occur. What will the effect be? This will fundamentally change the public's view of the military. This will create less opposition to military action and more of a sense from the public that military action can be just.

When kids play Call of Duty, especially Modern Warfare 3, they will associate glory, patriotism and freedom with their military and yes, maybe those are things that the military should stand for; however, I can't help but feel that anti-war messages will be drowned out and that we will find ourselves incapable of seeing the military in a bad light. Call of Duty is the most politically irresponsible thing ever to happen when you consider the impact it may have on the security of our freedom and democracy in the Western world and to think, it was the people who made it and the people who chose it. Farewell freedom, I feel the Fascist fanfare.

Videogames, ruined. But seriously, I'm going to play that game for sure but let's all keep an open mind and don't let it change us.

march in March...

it's the beginning of what looks to be a month of Revolution...
March madness has hit the streets,
more Protesters,
in more countries,
are Marching in the streets than in recent history,
People are sick AND tired everywhere.
Workers and Voters are awakening from their deep slumber,
they're calling Labour the US's sleeping bear,
and recent Protests the beginning of the "People's Party."

In this corner we have the heavy-weight champion,
the brute with noble origins but broken morals The Tea Party!
Challenging is the up-and-coming underdog,
with no corporate-backing whatsoever,
but a long albeit difficult and fractured history...
(building anticipation)
THE PEOPLE'S PARTY!!!


now that i'm done indulging in some sort of strange Free Verse Poetry, i'd just like to say. I hope to begin blogging more frequently again (i feel ridiculous knowing /literally/ no one reads this anyway). But yeah, seems i'm getting caught up in Revolution Fever, and i need to say things. So this is ONE of my outlets, other than facebook and twitter, and non-interweb-based writing.

today, i'll leave you with a Rebel of the Day!!! A long forgotten and all but abandoned tradition on this blog.

as i was riding into town on the Bus today i saw one lone Woman on the side of the road holding up a Picket Sign that read, "International Woman's Day, Solidarity (female symbol) With African Women." This tiny act of Protest, this individual March filled me with Respect, Happiness and Hope.

also, apparently it's the start of lent. This lent i'll be giving up... nothing. At least, not for the sake of lent. It's a Noble idea, but the tradition has lost meaning.

Reflecting A Possible Future

This flag is not meant to directly offend anyone. It does not necessarily reflect the current or past state of the British or United States governments, but only a single possible, and not necessarily likely, future on the current trajectory.

Recently, I watched the film V for Vendetta, a sci-fi thriller about a near-future fascist Britain. This image, which apparently original to the film, was present in the basement of one of the characters, a relic of a time of unfettered freedom of speech (today). The caption read, "The Coalition of the Willing, To Power." I was instantly attracted to this image, as it is just that perfect level of controversy that has the capability of getting one thinking. It was an interesting political statement, saying that with the War on Terror and the War in Iraq the governments of the United States, Britain, Canada, etc. took on more characteristically fascist measures in the name of national security.

I rooted around and found the image in one place: Raincoaster's Blog. I found it interesting the discussion they had about this image and the comparative state of freedom in the United States and Britain. Presumably from Britain they all agreed that the United States, with its habit of wire-tapping in the post-9/11 era, is less free than Britain.

Personally, I disagree, Britain is equally, if not less free than the United States. To me this is evident by the fact that Britain has the most surveillance cameras per capita in the world with over 4 million Closed Circuit Television cameras installed nationwide, compared to a few thousand systems in the United States. In Britain all major city and town centres have Closed Circuit Television. According to studies there is little indication that these systems actually prevent crime, so really, they just provide a window for the government to look into the lives of citizens. This must be considered at least an equal rights violation to the United States wire-tapping.

With these cameras potential for Britain to become an autocratic state is clear. We must ask ourselves, before allowing a government to put in place measures to watch us and "protect" us from ourselves, do they have good intentions. No one wants to believe that their government will hurt them we'd much rather believe that our fellow citizens will hurt us, but at the expense of national security and the prosperity of the masses, they will take away our rights. It is not enough to simply know of past evil, history WILL repeat itself if we don't understand it and if don't act to prevent it.

Happy New Years I Hope

Its a New Year, and a New Decade, time for reception, reflection and resolution. And in some places in the world its time for rioting for reform. In Canadian government its time for a temporary recess. Okay, I'll stop with the R-litteration. It's simply my way of making fun of more serious situations, I mean, its the new year right, I shouldn't be fuming about world issues and governments and shit, I should be making statements of hope at least. But when the Stephen Harper prorogues government to avoid scandal surrounding torture in Afghanistan and backlash over the Copenhagen talks its ridiculous, especially when you consider he did so just before New Years when no one would pay attention, and parliament resumes after the Olympics when we'll all be too proud of our athletes to care. So his little act of dishonesty will strategically put Afghan detainees and climate off the table for the months ahead and prolong his inevitable fall from grace. Aside from that, we have rioting in Iran again. Some people claim the reformers are going to take power. I just think that the reformers are going to get their lights knocked out. Sorry, that's my New Years soapbox. Amongst all the holiday celebration we can easily lose sight of reality. While we should be happy and hopeful we have to remember what the reason to be hopeful for is. We can't just hope things will get better without knowing what is wrong in the first place. The holidays aren't a time to ignore our problems they are a time to remedy them. Let us hope for the new year, and the new decade, that the Copenhagen Accord, is followed up with an actual legally binding treaty come next December in Mexico City. Let us hope that violence in Iran and other countries stricken by authoritarian government is relieved and freedoms encouraged. And let us hope that governments world-wide will be held accountable for their corruption and dishonesty towards the public. Let us just hope to live in a happier, but not falsely so, world come 2020.

Movement Musician of the Week:
I'm going to continue with Rise Against, as I only got one, mediocre post in about them last week, unfortunately I was busy, and lazy, and ignoring the important things in life. I couldn't do them justice in just one shit-tastic post. So here it is, possibly their most well known songs. A soft one, but it packs a punch. Those who don't know the story, pay attention to the flag. "Hero of War"

Canada, Climate, Copenhagen, Commonwealth

This December the world will meet in Copenhagen to forge a new climate alliance to succeed the Kyoto protocol which is now 12 years old and set to expire in 2012. While people all over the world rally for a new treaty and leaders have high hopes for carbon-cap policies some people are still shit-disturbers on the issue. The PM of Canada Stephen Harper has stated that there will be no binding treaty reached in Copenhagen next month, reflecting once again his "can't do won't try" attitude on climate change.

His statements coincide with a nation-wide radio campaign by Calgary-based climate change skeptics friendsofscience.org. This organization makes outrageous claims like, climate change is not man-made its caused by the sun, the world has been cooling for the past 10 years and atmospheric levels of CO2 do not correlate to higher worldwide temperatures. The immediate thought is that this organization must be funded by the oil industry unfortunately Canadian law does not require organizations to reveal their sources of funding. When asked about their funding the organization claims that they are a small grass-roots organization supported by small individual donations, but a simple look at the ad campaign reveals the absurdity of that claim.

One source claimed that the 30-second radio spot which runs on 15 stations nation-wide 20-30 times a day for the past month would cost upwards of $65000, an obscenely high value for any grassroots organizations' budget. Other sources claim the organization is funded by big oil companies in Canada and supported by Stephen Harper's fishing buddies, making the PM guilty by association. Whether or not Stephen Harper directly funds or supports the campaign of doubt by friendsofscience.org is not the question however. The question is, does national doubt on the climate change issue help Stephen Harper leading up to Copenhagen on December 7, 2009? He has already stated there will be no climate treaty next month. When Harper finally comes out and says he doesn't believe in climate change and finally confesses his romantic affair with oil interests, will anyone truly be surprised?

World leaders have started to question Canadian leadership on the issue of climate change. Specifically, at a Commonwealth summit it was proposed that Canada be suspended from the Commonwealth because of inaction on climate change. That would put Canada in league with nation's such as Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Pakistan who have been suspended for their human rights record at different times throughout history. This is a welcome move to other Commonwealth nations more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as Bangladesh, who condemn Canada's deliberate inaction and interference on climate change policy.

Will this become the norm? Will developed nation's who defy climate action be condemned for the impoverished souls they reap through deliberate inaction? It needs to happen to send a message. If Canada joins the ranks of Pakistan and other countries suspended for their corrupt ways it will send a message to the Canadian people and to developed nations world-wide.

So what can be done? When the government, corporations, and radio-stations in this country can't make the moral and ethical decision to tell the truth. People cite freedom of speech, but this is Canada, the government holds the right to censor messages it finds offensive and yet it deliberately ignores the nation-wide smear campaign which is breeding ignorance and teaching lies. Its easy to believe that climate change isn't happening, because the alternative is terrifying, and who's going to question someone with the name friends of science? Its propaganda in its purist form, but because it supposedly comes from a small organization its off the radar. Keep an open mind.

Let us hope that when December 7th comes along the citizens of Canada will demand a binding climate treaty from the governments of the world, but more importantly from their own government. Let us march on parliament hill if Stephen Harper doesn't cease his bad habit of blocking climate talks. Let us protest our government for creating national humiliation when the Commonwealth suspends us from it's ranks. And most importantly let us next time vote for a government that will pledge long-term, effective action on climate change. It is our moral imperative as Canadian citizens and citizens of the World.

Movement Musician of the Week: The Flobots "Fight With Tools" (Live)


Rebel of the Day (Need a Better Title): Shirin Ebadi "Tehran denies seizing Shirin Ebadi's Nobel medal"
She is a Human Rights lawyer who received the Nobel Peace Prize. She's the first Muslim woman to receive a Nobel Prize. In the wake of the last presidential elections she was expelled from the country and her medal was seized from her husbands safety deposit box by the government.

Québec Nationalism At Its Worst

Oh Québecia! Our home and native land! Oh seperatists, how you never cease to amaze and disgust me. I designed this graphic to put on a t-shirt. It's meant to be ironic because I don't take Québec nationalism seriously in any way shape or form and I just find it funny and ironic to praise Québec nationalism in big block English words.

Well anyway, a little while back, there was this plan to hold a reenactment of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Québec City. For those of you (likely most) who don't know the historical significance of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Well it's basically the defining Battle in which Britain took control of Québec. Its a big moment in Canadian and Québec history and was scheduled to be reenacted in Québec city, like the Civil War reenactments in the United States. Of course unlike the mock Civil War shows, that go off without a hitch, one crazy high-profile separatist decided to threaten violence against the event. You know, they call that terrorism and instead of being put in jail or questioned he's been made a keynote guest at the show.

Needless to say, the whole reenactment has been cancelled and apparently is now being held in New York at some point. Yes, this is very historically accurate. Now, instead of having the Plains of Abraham Reenactment they're putting together this Québec culture event including reading of Québecois literature. Now one of the proposed literary readings is going to be the FLQ Manifesto. That is the Front du Liberation de Québec, (for those who need another history lesson) a Québec terrorist group from the 60s that senselessly bombed English businesses and kidnapped high profile politicians (including Pierre LaPorte who they murdered). Its also noteworthy to mention that the event is being held on the anniversary of the confrontation with the FLQ, which is, disturbing in itself.

Now, I'm all for Québec history, but reading the Manifesto of the FLQ as "great" Québec literature is absolutely inappropriate. So inappropriate that even hard-line separatists from the Parti Québecois are boycotting the event. Anyone who lived through the FLQ crisis will remember how comfortable it was to have bomb threats at their children's schools and to have people in military fatigues patrolling the streets. To look at that particular chapter in Canada's history as "great" is a disrespect to anyone who has ever lived in Québec. My own mother recounts stories of being nine years old and not being allowed to go to school because there was a threat against her English school.

Not only is it inappropriate to praise the only terrorist group ever in the history of Canada, it's just ridiculous to consider the Manifesto "great" Québecois literature. Technically its a meager few pages, hastily written and mostly plagiarized from the works of Karl Marx by a bunch of anarchist hillbilly french baffoons. So I'd just like to say, that these Seperatists, take themselves too seriously, and undermine what little respect they have in the international community through actions like this. At this rate, Québec will never be its own independent country. There is more to Québec history than a struggle against the evil English. Its about time the separatists give in, if they can't have basic respect for "their" own culture, history and people.

Here's a few links: Manifesto of the Front de libération du Québec
More information on the actual event
Decide for yourself.