Audio

Elizabeth May of all things has attempted to campaign on the premise that she has integrity and honesty, and that above all things she will not choose power over principle. I've discussed why I don't think she can claim that she is achieving all too much of those things, but in the light of C-30 being rewritten, it's time to check in once more with the Green ethics, and how the "sunflower power" brand has given them cart-blanch to say and do whatever they want.

This is yet another preview of the Massey Lectures from 2004, with Ronald Wright. I believe it to be one of the most relevant, and eloquent pieces of media in my hands at the moment, and I'd strongly urge you all to get a hold of it. Play it for your friends! It's amazing how passionate he is while remaining balanced and thoughtful.

The other preview I posted a while ago was the track which immediately followed this one, they are together the last two tracks of the whole lecture. I insist that I'm not giving away the strongest part though. Wright is incredible well spoken in his conclusions, but is even more brilliant in his evidence and account for history.

Yet another highlight of the NDP convention for me was also on the topic of "regaining Canada's place in the world", and featured Stephen Lewis. He's such a wonderful speaker, and was so compelling in the way phrased things-- probably the most qualified speaker on the issue of the worlds AIDS crisis. Considering his speech followed Joya's, it was an explosive eye-opener, and I'm grateful. Highlight of the highlight: when Stephen said that he was still a democratic socialist to the core, and that his beliefs were not infinitely flexible as Bob Rae's were.

This particular speech was a highlight for me. A few day preceding the convention, my good friend Andrew and I had discussed Canada's involvement with respect to the NDP. Andrew sighted The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan as an important example of grassroots democratic liberation movements in Afghanistan. After hearing from Malalai Joya, and reading more about RAWA, I've come to understand that have not only been ignored by Canada and NATO's war, but have in fact been suppressed as a direct result of Canada's endorsement of the Northern Aliance. RAWA's website has a similar tone to Joya's citation of Northern Alliance brutality.

I've been listening to the Massey Lectures featuring Ronald Wright; a historian and author.

The complete 4.2 hour recording of his lectures are on my computer and I've managed to listen to all of it. Wright gets at many points, the most prominent is that we are at the crossroads similar to that of the inhabitants of Easter Island, or Sumer. In Easter Island, it's inhabitant's belief in their mythology lead them to consume even more under resource scarcity in the hopes that offerings to the gods would provide them once again with abundance. Within our context, modern society has placed extreme devotion to the mythology of progress, technology, and complexity of lifestyle. To that end, we similarly are committing ourselves to the hope of salvation when the attitude itself is what has created our dilemma.

I've been running myself into a great deal of discussion regarding nuclear technology. By no means to I know as much as I should know, but I do know the eerily menacing singularity and correlation between nuclear weapons and nuclear power. If there is any audio or video of Dr. Caldicott's compelling deconstruction of this myth we have been sold of "clean and green" nuclear, I will be sure to post it.

I've decided to repost a pretty important speech from Tommy Douglas; there will be more to come so stay tuned.