The Lapsed Humanist
Periodic releases of excess ruminating
Greetings, from snow-blanketed "Vancouver." After getting suckered into thinking spring was en route, WHAM, winter breaks the spell. It has been cold and gross, but that's good; it has allowed me to focus on my work.
I was on deadline for Vancouver is Awesome this week so, beyond this post and maybe something lighter later on, there will be no blog until next week. This gives me time to sort out the ideas which are battling for attention. My next installment for ViA will be dropping in a few days. You can catch up on last month's piece about food waste here. Two more articles remain in my series about climate change mitigation. Where has the year gone? As I mentioned, I have a few ideas kicking about for the blog next week. Nothing to preview yet. Meanwhile, I will pop in again later this week to offer some reading before you head off into the wilds of the weekend. Maybe a gig review? Afterall, I will be in attendance at the Viagra Boys this week. Maybe I'll see you there? For now, Cheers, Jason
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From time to time, I will share with you some of the books, movies/shows, and music that is consuming my life, in a good way. This will be an easy way for me to add content to this meagre website. It will, I hope, also engender some discussion between reader and author. If nothing else, I hope you will pick up some of the material I list for your own enjoyment. So, to start, here is a taste of what I have been reading, watching and listening to so far this month. Let me know what you think. Books The Darker Nations, Vijay Prashad (Apologies to those waiting for this library book. It will be at least a day late.) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire (See above). Beef, Bibles and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro, Richard Lapper* Dilma's Downfall, Peter Prengaman China is Not Our Enemy, Tai P. Ng* Justice in War Time, Bertrand Russell Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture, Sudhir Hazareesingh Myths of Modern History, Jacques R. Pauwels* (FYI, I am on Goodreads if you're so inclined to follow.) Movies/TV Lupin, Seasons one and two (Netflix)* Occupied, I am up to season two (also Netflix) King of the Hill (Disney+) Amen. (2002)* First Reformed (2017)* Paul Schrader redeems himself for The Canyons The English Game (Netflix) Cunk on Earth (Netflix via BBC)* *highly recommended Music Here is a playlist I made for Black History Month. Best experienced on shuffle. I think this qualifies as chaotic good? Heavy Heavy is the latest release by Young Fathers. I lack the words to describe just how good this crew is. So check out this clip and this one too for a taste. If you're new to Young Fathers, take refreshments with you. It's a thirsty journey. Assorted artists getting more than a few plays this month include Sun Ra, Neneh Cherry, Kimbra, David Byrne and Living Colour. On the podcast front, I stick to current events and news from a variety of sources. Some that stand out for me are: Latin America Review I4C Trouble The Guardian Science Weekly Explaining Brazil FT's News Briefing Weather with Cliff Mass Give the People What they Want Al Jazeera's Essential Middle East All of these are available from Google Podcast, where I gnab them, but no doubt are available wherever you get your pods. Until next time, Cheers. By Jason Motz Whither the peace movement and the doves of yore? Did the Raging Grannies leave no legacy for their grandkids? It wasn’t so long ago that millions of people marched for peace across the Uk, Europe and North America in defiance of the brutal, and illegal, Iraqi war. In a fever pitch, effigies of George W. Bush and Tony Blair, co-authors of that appalling episode, were rightly burned as the greatest peace movement since the Vietnam War stood up to the war machine. Finally free of the post-9/11 jingoism that had kept would-be dissenters schtum, the collective conscience of peace finally found its voice. Now, a year into Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, all one ever hears about is agitation for more war. Countering views are, at best, suppressed. The doves are silent or have been silenced. Meanwhile, the drums of war grow louder by the day, even as this regional conflict threatens to spiral into something more hideous than humanity has ever faced. Surely I do not need to spell out the inherent existential risks of a proxy war between Russia and America? A year on, and Ottawa is no less than an avid cheerleader for doom by supplying tanks to Ukraine, training Nazi-sympathetic Ukrainian battalions, and issuing sovereignty bonds. Ottawa could have chosen to be the arbiter of peace, but instead, chose to play the role of simpering vassal to the nth degree. This is detrimental to Canada’s legacy as a so-called democracy, but also assures a destructive swath through Ukraine is maintained. For all of the jingoism expressed from pockets of the Canadian government and wider society, all of these words are disingenuous for none of these people will ever come under fire in a warzone. They support with their rhetoric what they know they will never endure in their own country. This is not solidarity; this is moral cowardice. Ottawa should be, perhaps even still could be, at the forefront of a movement that desires peace in Ukraine. Admittedly, they would be very much alone in the global north. Nonetheless, Ottawa should be the broker of peace, assuming anyone in this boondoggle actually wants peace. Have we as a nation become so co-opted by arms dealers like Raytheon? Are we so beholden to that tottering empire called the USA that we have forsaken our own rationality, humanism, and good will? Peace, let’s be honest, was never an option. Damn if we didn’t even kick the tires before driving the Leopard tanks off the lot. There are many who believe that Ukraine will win this war, and thus, we owe the country unconditional support, militarily and emotionally. There are those, too, who think the dominance of the Russian military will be too much to overcome. But both of these camps are wearing blinkers. There will be no winner in this war. There will just be meat strewn in the dirt, and a tidy dividend for a small group of war profiteers. The USA is so hellbent on allowing Ukraine to be pulverized by Russia just to drain Russia of its resources that they have taken the eye off their own remit: the American people, whose crumbling infrastructure has recently been symbolized in the eco-tragedy in East Palestine, where the wealth gap grows wider, where Florida is openly soft-shoeing into a wholly fascist foxtrot. But, oh no mind, there’s a war over yonder to be fought. Billions in the pockets for Ukraine, nothing but crumbs for the average American family. “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light.” If the US chooses not to use their brains, then it is up to another nation to pick up the mantle and be the smart one in the room. And since that’s about as likely to be a NATO country as Jimmy Hoffa coming home for dinner tonight, then Canada should take the moral high ground here. As I write, the war horny US government cannot decide whom they would much rather fight - Russia, China, or Iran - it’s trifurcating resources to fight them all. And with China, we even have a timetable set. There must be a voice of peace on the international stage. There must be a chorus, no matter how small, of sane, rational voices that want the warmongering, the profiteering, and the blood shedding to stop. Every day in which calls for peace are muted, is another day closer to oblivion. It is also another drop in the profit margins for those vile men and women who gorge in safety while others die in the cacophony of war. If Ottawa won’t step up to the mic and say “no to war” then the Canadian people must. This week, join others across the globe in rallies near you and say, No to Nato and No to War! The peace movement needs you. -30- |
AuthorAll posts in this (infrequent) blog follow CP style. Facts are checked by me, but I am open to debate their veracity. All media will be credited as correctly as possible. Archives
January 2024
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