memories of the way we are.....

My friends visited from England last summer. We did all the tourist things; Whistler, the parks, whale watching, Fraser Valley etc.

But what the one thing they really remembered and talked about when they returned to England?
The bus ride that took them through the Downtown Eastside!

They could not believe what they were seeing. The sights of the Downtown Eastside on that summer afternoon created a lasting image of their visit.

They wondered what kind of place is this? All this wealth and beauty and then the poverty and despair of the Downtown Eastside.

No matter what kind of "show" is put on for the Olympics, any media or visitors who wander few blocks east-will have some Olympic memories that have nothing to do with gold medals.

Parallel Processes...

Are at work, here and in the US Empire heartland. There, as Arianna Huffington points out in her online blog today, the Republican Party is mainstreaming its rightwing lunatic fringe. in which process of mainstreaming the ruling class controlled media is daily and hourly complicit, ie Glenn Beck on CNN. (One measure of which, while what is is actually mugwamp "liberal" by any rational criterion, in the US Empire limited concept of democracy, becomes suddenly "far left".)

But fear not, the same sleight of hand is being performed in Canada, increasingly making the lunatic neoconazi fringe of the Conservative Party (though here in BC it is the so-called "Liberals") are likewise being "mainstreamed" with the assistance of the same ruling class controlled media. (Which increasingly of late, as well has the "public" CBC similarly preoccupied with US Empire "news", and daily sounding more and more like CNN. Which is as much as well a measure of the "colonization" processes at work here, I agree.)

Were that but the end of it. In Europe a similar process, some behind, is but nonetheless proceeding there as well, with Sarkosy in Franc and Merkle in German, as much and as fast as the wingnuts in this latter can, in the context of the official governing alliance they have with the SDP. (Which would be much like an NDP-Conservative governing coalition here in Canada. Reflecting, of course, the fundamental agreement that exists at the core of the relationship between all the "official parties" to the money driven capitalist concept of democracy-; whatever they may disagree upon, they are all nonetheless committed to capitalism, and will do whatever is necessary for its survival.)

So be ye surprised not at the social deterioration going on along a broad socio-economic front within nearly all capitalist societies: They are all reading from the same US Empire wingnut page, committed as they are to the ruling class world vision and sensibilities, and marching increasingly to the same US neoconazi war, and attack upon democracy and the working class drum.

Of course poverty, justice and the well being of ordinary folks is deteriorating. What is important, is that the ruling class is doing better and better, and getting richer and richer, and exercising more arbitrary power, thank you very much for your slavishness.

Discouraging

Yes, it's incredibly discouraging to see the private media drooling in their slavish adherence to the U.S. neo-con model, and it's all the more disgusting to see CBC TV, our tax-paid media (although I must say radio still maintains some semblance of independent thinking), foisting what amounts to one or two producers' powerful but narrow and ignorant vision upon the unsuspecting and duped public.

Although I believe our wishy-washy education system is at fault behind most Canadians' uncritical thinking, at the other end of the scale, I put much of the blame for the public's acceptance of the war on journalists such as Peter Mansbridge and Neil Macdonald. Over paid, and thus full of charismatic ego, Mansbridge has held immense -- and unwarranted -- power at CBC, for far too long. His eloquently expressed, smooth-voiced, neo-con drivel and his near orgasmic reports from war zones (dressed, of course in his nifty flack-jacket) where nary a negative word is uttered about the lives lost and maimed in our little Afghanistan adventure consistently apalls. When does he ever talk about the billion dollar costs of the war, or the raison d'etre behind it (grab for U.S. oil in the Caspian region), when does he brook serious discussion about how that money should be used for alternative and renewable energy supplies, massive rail, and social programs? He doesn't, not to any meaningful degree, because despite the high opinion he holds about himself, he doesn't come close to being an intellectual or a "thinker." Thus, we unfortunate viewers are subjected to his daily assaults, his mindless, repetitive Owellian droning on about the virtues and benefits of the WAR AMERICANA.

I have met and know several journalists personally, and I can tell you that most of them consider themselves good small-l liberals. In truth what they are, are "good" Germans. They'd be stunned and shocked beyond belief if they had an inkling of how they're being played like plastic violins by the powers that be, in, as Canis suggested, the tuneless orchestration of a huge, mindless and Fascist symphonic ditty.

What's the solution? Canadians have to get off their Lazy-boys and write and phone the media and politicians when they hear anything that smacks of propaganda, and confront with intellectual and charistmatic strength politicians during election campaigns. They need to call B.S. for what it is.

The problem is, of course, is most don't know B.S. when they hear it. Also, it can't just be a handful of the same 20 "so-called cranks" phoning or writing letters the editors over and over, but a new group of citizens calling every day. Alas, this will never happen in this society of duped, apathetic, and ignorant propaganda addicted citizens who haven't a clue what's going on -- and only will wake-up when TSHTF in a truly horrific and catastrophic way.

Discouraging

Yes, it's incredibly discouraging to see the private media drool in their slavish adherence to the U.S. neo-con model, and it's all the more disgusting to see CBC TV, our tax-paid media (although I must say radio still maintains some semblance of independent thinking), foisting what undoubtedly amounts to one or two producers' narrow and ignorant vision upon the unsuspecting and duped public.

Although I believe our wishy-washy education system is at fault behind most Canadians' uncritical thinking, at the other end of the scale, I put much of the blame for the public's acceptance of the war on journalists such as Peter Mansbridge and Neil Macdonald. Over paid, and thus full of charismatic ego, Mansbridge has held immense -- and unwarranted -- power at CBC, for far too long. His eloquently expressed, smooth-voiced, neo-con drivel and his near orgasmic reports from war zones (dressed, of course in his nifty flack-jacket) where nary a negative word is uttered about the lives lost and maimed in our little Afghanistan adventure consistently apalls. When does he ever talk about the billion dollar costs of the war, or the raison d'etre behind it (grab for U.S. oil in the Caspian region), when does he brook serious discussion about how that money should be used for alternative and renewable energy supplies, massive rail, and social programs? He doesn't, not to any meaningful degree, because despite the high opinion he holds about himself, he doesn't come close to being an intellectual or a "thinker." Thus, we unfortunate viewers are subjected to his daily assaults, his mindless, repetitive Owellian droning on about the virtues and benefits of the war Americana.

I have met and know several journalists personally, and I can tell you that most of them consider themselves good small-l liberals. In truth what they are, are "good" Germans. They'd be stunned and shocked beyond belief if they had an inkling of how they're being played like plastic violins by the powers that be, in, as Canis suggested, the orchestration of a huge, mindless and Fascist symphony.
What's the solution? Canadians have to get off their Lazy-boys and write and phone into the media and politicians when they hear anything that smacks of propaganda. They need to call B.S. for what it is. The problem is, they don't know B.S. when they hear it. Also, it can't just be a handful of the same 20 "so-called cranks" phoning or writing letters the editors over and over, but a fresh group of citizens calling every day. Alas, this little dream will never happen in this society of duped, apathetic, and ignorant propaganda addicted citizens who haven't a clue in Hades what's going on. And only will when TSHTN in a truly horrific way.

Ashamed we didn't sign it? NOT

I note that in all the above fulminating, no-one is championing the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights as being applicable to Canada, and not thus excoriating the Harper Gov't for rejecting it.

I hope this indicates that at last some common sense re the subject is a-borning in the Left and that perhaps some have actually read it and thus resisted giving it the usual pro-forma endorsation.