Newspeak: A Harper Government Lexicon

"‘When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.'

‘The question is,' said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things."

‘The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master—that's all.'"

- "Through the Looking Glass", Lewis Carrol

Just like Humpty Dumpty, and the Big Brother Government in 1984, Stephen Harper and those who read his PMO talking points attempt to change our understanding and use of language. Stephen Harper is certainly not the first leader in world history to work to change the meaning of language to suit his own ends. But he is the first to do so in Canada so intensively, and backed by such a legion of psychology-based spin doctors and communications specialists, as well as several thousand paid trolls whose role it is to attack, disrupt and change the conversation on social media anywhere criticism of the government might be found. So, as a handy guide, I provide you with a partial glossary of CPC Newspeak, so that you might be prepared to engage your critical thinking when these terms come up.

CLEAR/CLEARLY: This is one of Harper's favourites. "Let me be clear" or "Clearly...." The party ran on a platform of transparency and accountability in 2006.

1. 

However, when Stephen Harper says, "clear" or "clearly", he is not prefacing transparency. It means he is about to either a) say something so convoluted it is impossible to follow, but sounds good, or b) he is going to make up something, such as , "Let me be clear, this government is first among G7 countries in job creation (or environmental responsibility, or whatever). And the use of "clearly" makes it seem to the listener that he is saying something obvious, something that others believe. If one does not see it as obvious then, perhaps, the listener is deluded, not seeing clearly.  This is a classic gaslighting technique, not new with Harper, but he uses it so often as to make gaslighting his standard form of communication.

FAIR (as in "Fair Elections Act" or "Fair Taxation for Families"): When I think of the concept of fairness, I think of something that levels the playing field in some way. Something that makes it possible for those with fewer advantages, to compete with those who have more advantages. The dictionary defines fair as:

By the traditional definition of "fair", a fair elections act should make elections potentially winnable by any party without systemic barriers to any, and should make all potential voters equally able to vote. However, by the CPC definition of "fair", a fair election is one in which they have a marked advantage over any other party and those voters least likely to vote for them may encounter barriers preventing them from exercising their franchise. This is a page straight out of the American Tea Party playbook. In recent years, the far right in the US has appeared to be working hard to devolve their democracy back to an age where only white men with property could vote.

What the CPC have done is change electoral ridings, splitting hard-core CPC support ridings in two to add seats to their side of the house. They have opened the doors to increased campaign spending, knowing full well they are the only party with enough money to take full advantage of this, and they have brought in new ID requirements for voters which may not be accessible to all eligible voters, particularly the young, the poor, First Nations... groups that typically would not vote CPC.

Throw in changes to the powers of Elections Canada, or rather, removal of powers from Elections Canada, which makes it harder to get people out to vote, prohibits the teaching of school children about elections, and makes it impossible for EC to investigate suspected election fraud, and the CPC seem to have stitched up the next and every subsequent election in their favour. This is clearly a new meaning of "fair".

By the same token, a fair taxation program for families should set tax benefits to allow less affluent parents to provide their children with advantages similar to those available to more affluent parents. Sounds good, right? But, under the CPC definition of fair, it means something quite different. Their fair taxation for families plan will only benefit the top 15% of Canadian families who also adhere to the 1950s value set of staying together and having one parent (usually Mom) stay home with the kids. Nothing for single parents. Nothing for two-income families where both parents make a similar amount. Nothing for those who are struggling. The income-splitting plan is a reward to families like Harper's. No one else. Only in the CPC dictionary is that "fair".

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP:

According to Wikipedia:

A Special Interest Group (SIG) is a community within a larger organization with a shared interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to affect or to produce solutions within their particular field, and may communicate, meet, and organize conferences. The term originated on CompuServe, an early online service provider, where SIGs were a section of the service devoted to particular interests.

And yet, in the Harper lexicon and increasingly in common use, a special interest group is an obstructionist entity whose motives are deeply suspect. In the past, corporations or industry associations would send "lobbyists" to Ottawa. These lobbyists would try to get the ear of a Minister and influence government policy-making in ways that would benefit their company or industry. Under Harper, corporate groups are now "partners",  as in, "The Alberta Department of Education is now partnering with the oil and gas industry to develop curricula for K-12 schools in the province". (Yes, it's true). On the other hand, groups of concerned citizens, such as First Nations bands who do not want a pipeline or a mine on their land, or Veterans who want better access to care, are now "Special Interest Groups". They are linked with the spectre of "foreign funding", radicalism, and possibly terrorism. Never mind that much of the oil and gas industry is foreign-owned or funded, Conservative think-tanks like the Fraser Institute receive vast donations from the likes of the Koch brothers from the US... No, according to Harper, the real threat to our country is citizens trying to protect their land and their rights. Something is very wrong with this. Citizens are not "special interest groups", they are people trying to live in the country with the advantages of clean air, water, environment, safe roads, good schools, and good governance.

FACT

 Now we all think we know what facts are, right? Just to be sure we are starting at the same point, facts are defined as:

 

So a fact is something real, true, indisputable. Facts are used to justify or validate a position. Increasingly, however, we see Harper and his party spokespeople professing "facts" that are completely disputable. Many are difficult for the average citizen to check. "The fact is, Canada has the most stringent rail safety regulations in the world." Unless you are a rail safety expert or have a great deal of time and fluency in many languages, you are not going to be able to verify this. Other "facts" are less obscure. One can google reports from outside Canada to see where Canada stands in comparison with other G7 or OECD countries on many criteria. And when one does this, one finds that the "facts" so assertively stated by the CPC are simply not accurate. Does Canada have the strongest post-recession jobs recovery in the G7? No. Check the story here: Fact-Checking Jobs Numbers   Is Canada the best-performing economy and the envy of the world? No, not really. See an analysis here.

To cut to the chase, here is Canada's ranking adjusted for the essential factor of population growth (often ignored in Harper government calculations):

So, what does "fact" mean to the Conservative Party of Canada? A clue might be found in this 2011 ad from Craigslist seeking professional CPC-oriented trolls to disrupt progressive discussions in social media:

 

"Ideally you can find or make up facts and statistics to stir controversy." 

"Make up facts and statistics" Let that sink in for a moment. 

If a "fact" is made up, how can it be a "fact"? 

If you follow this line of thinking through to it's logical conclusion... If our government feels facts are whatever plausible statement that is advantageous to say at the moment, then what are they basing their policy decisions on? If facts are irrelevant (evidenced by the elimination of the long-form census, the suppression of scientists and the refusal to accept expert testimony and empirical evidence), then is our country being governed based on whatever Harper wants to do? Whatever whim pops into his head?

ACADEMICS/INTELLECTUALS

Closely related to facts, evidence, and empirical knowledge, is the concept of academic or intellectual expertise. At one time, people respected those who had worked hard to learn all they could about a subject, conducted research, experimentation, engaged in debate with other experts in order to further a field of study. There is both a vilifying of academics (used by Harper to discredit Michael Ignatieff, for example), and a perceived leveling of  the knowledge base. The attitude that "My ignorance is as good as your expertise" may make the average person feel comfortable talking about issues like climate change and the economy, and it is important that we all have those discussions, but it becomes dangerous when it has real world implications. For example, the In-Site Safe Injection Program in Vancouver has been shown in longitudinal studies to reduce harm, save lives and help otherwise hopeless people access services that lead to improvement in their lives. The CPC have been trying very hard to shut them down because they don't agree with the program. It offends them to help people with addictions, rather than punishing them by throwing them in jail. So, on the one hand we have evidence-based facts, and on the other hand, we have dogma and opinion. The right-wing view does not believe in harm-reduction, or, generally, science. Fortunately, the Supreme Court still does. The uninformed gut response of Harper and his right-wing base is to shut down In-Site because it offends their personal sensibilities, and that would almost certainly result in deaths, which is demonstrated by the scientific evidence. 

To put it another, maybe more accessible, way: you wouldn't ask some random person you met on the bus to take your appendix out, would you? Why not? If everyone's ignorance is as good as those academic elites' knowledge, then certainly that guy that works at Wendy's is just as qualified to perform surgery as a surgeon. Right? 

No? So maybe, those who have studied specific fields intensively for many years maybe, just maybe, might have an edge on your gut feeling.

But those who know things, because they have studied and conducted experiments and gathered evidence, often disagree with the Harper Way. So, it is useful for him, if not for Canadians, to influence the common perception of academics, scientists, and intellectuals to make sure people see these individuals in a negative light, and their advice, statements, and studies as discredited and irrelevant. 

BIG UNIONS/BIG UNION BOSSES

Unions are one of the favourite bogeymen for the CPC, especially when fundraising. "You should send us money...because UNIONS!!!!!" 

There are several large unions in Canada that have negotiated good wages, good benefits and good retirement packages for their members. It's a strange thing that some people resent them for this. It is similar to saying, "It's not fair, my car wouldn't start this morning but my neighbour's car did. To make things fair, my neighbour's car should not start either." To put it another way, if you and another employee at the same company have identical credentials and experience, have been in your identical jobs the same amount of time and you find out the other person makes more money than you do, do you demand that their pay be reduced to match yours? Or do you demand that your pay be increased to match theirs? Does it not make more sense, and result in a better situation for everyone, if people work to gain better working terms for themselves and their co-workers, rather than spending time resenting others who have already managed to improve their circumstances? 

A second issue that makes it easy for governments to vilify unions is that union actions are disruptive. They are inconvenient. This is the power behind the labour movement. They can leverage good wages, benefits and retirement plans because workers united can exert pressure on employers in ways that individual workers cannot. In a capitalist system, the owners of the means of production hold all the cards, unless the workers organize to require that owners share the fruits of the workers' labour. So, yes, strikes are annoying. They make everyone's life difficult. And people, in general,  have lost sight of the higher purpose of these actions.

Before the labour movement began, there were no limits to how long people were required to work each day. There were no requirements of giving employees days off - the weekend did not exist in any meaningful way. There was no minimum wage. There were no workplace health and safety regulations. No pension plans. No prohibition on child labour. Employees could be fired for anything, or nothing at all. There were no rules about sexual harassment. Labour unions did not only improve things in their own shops, they also pressured governments into legislating fair working conditions for all workers, unionized or not. 

Some people say, well, we have all that now. There is no need for unions anymore. But this is simply not true. There are still those who would like to see minimum wages reduced or eliminated. Companies come up with clever ways to get around workplace standards, to the detriment of workers. One of the Conservative think-tanks (the Frontier Centre on Public Policy) has just begun advocating a return to child labour and a reduction of wages to compensate employers for taking on workers with no experience, i.e. children. Read about it here

Attacks on the gains made by the labour movement are all around us. Temporary Foreign Workers, governments legislating unions back to work (thus removing their power to negotiate for their members), the loss of full-time jobs with benefits in our economy (replaced by cheaper, part-time jobs without benefits).... The gap between the rich and the poor is expanding. Jobs are harder to find, especially for young people. Vast multi-national corporations are controlling more and more of the economy. We need unions as much now as ever, because people as individual workers are becoming even more powerless. 

The Harper Government is certainly not the first government to find unions troublesome, but it is arguably the most viscerally opposed to unionization. Unions give power to the common people. Harper does not like to share power with anyone. Unionism and all that comes with it - minimum wages, health and safety standards, etc. - cut into corporate profits, and that is anathema to Harper. It is not true that paying people decently and providing benefits makes consumer goods more expensive. At least it doesn't have to be true. Corporations already making obscene profits should not, in good conscience, make the argument that increases in wages will have to be passed on to the consumer. But among such groups it is a form of extreme sacrilege to suggest that the cost of treating employees decently should maybe be offset by a slight reduction in the profit line.

COALITION

Canadians do not understand their own system of government. Harper is exploiting this. He can say anything he likes about how government is meant to work and so few people actually know the reality of how it is suppose to work, that he is rarely challenged. This is evidenced by a poll conducted by the Dominion Institute here.  Francis Russell does an excellent job of explaining the issue and I encourage you to read her article here. The long and short of it is, coalitions are a perfectly valid form of government in a parliamentary democracy, but Harper made it sound like an evil, illegal plot. This is yet another example of how Harper will exploit the imperfect information available to Canadians to achieve his own goals.

In Conclusion...
 
The main point I am attempting to get across in all this, Dear Reader, is that not only is Harper trying to change our economy, our justice system, our health care, and our social programs. He is trying to change how we THINK. And he is doing this by carefully manipulating the meaning of words. Language is key to the tools we have to examine issues and reach conclusions about them. The CPC have a huge team of advisors from the US who are especially skilled in manipulating meaning. Nothing that comes out of the mouths of the Harper team, either read directly from the script, or recited, is accidental. Just as in war reporting, terms like "assets" and "collateral damage" are used to sanitize the information, making living breathing soldiers who are someone's sons and daughters into an inventory item (assets), and similarly make living, breathing people who are injured or killed by our soldiers into  a vague term (collateral damage) that expresses nothing of blood and pain and loss, so too are the words used by our government meant to make certain unpalatable ideas easier to accept, and make other, previously accepted and valued ideas into negatives. CPC spokespeople are taught key words and how to use them. When they speak, pay attention. Think critically. Look for independent confirmation of their assertions. Don't take them at their word, because it probably doesn't mean what you think it means.

Musings on Remembrance Day 2014

As a child, Remembrance Day ceremonies were a strange thing. My Dad was a WWII vet who seldom talked about his service overseas, except for tales of things he did on leave in the UK. We had relatives he visited, and I have a little cat statue he bought in a curiousity shop in London during the blitz. We never went to the public Remembrance Day ceremonies, he never went to reunions or to the legion. He always called these things "a bunch of old guys who want to relive their so-called glory days". But on November 11, at 11 am, whatever we were doing, everything stopped. I recall practicing piano with him sitting beside me as he often did, and he suddenly put his hands over mine to stop me playing. I looked up at him, wondering what was wrong. His eyes were closed and there was a tear on his cheek. I was only maybe 7 years old and felt very confused. After a few moments, he opened his eyes, brushed the moisture from his face and simply said, "Just remembering". And we went on with the piano practice.

(There is no doubt in my mind, looking back, that my Dad was profoundly affected by his experiences. Not just by the pins in his hip or his inner ear damage that affected his balance, but also in his mind. When he was dying and all doped up on painkillers, he was convinced he had crashed behind enemy lines. The nursing home had to put an ankle bracelet on him because he was intent on escaping and getting home. I had many odd conversations with him during that time that made it clear he felt we were both prisoners of war, and the nurses and staff were German soldiers. That was a very hard time, because he was so very anxious and distressed. It was almost a blessing when his illness progressed to where he was beyond those almost lucid kinds of thoughts.)

Years went by... I got a clearer idea of what Remembrance Day was. A recalling of the lives lost fighting an evil in Europe. The young men and women who died fighting to stop Hitler from spreading his tyranny and oppression across the world. The young men and women who died in a far less clear-cut war 20 years before that: The War to End All Wars. That war, the First World War, was supposed to be a final victory for peace. And since then, war has been raging in one form or another around the world.

Certain things about the big Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa have always bothered me. I have always felt a profound grief for the Silver Cross Mother. Each year a woman who has lost her child in war is selected to represent all bereaved mothers. It is supposed to be an honour. It is hard to imagine anything more terrible than to bury your children. I feel both sympathy and rage for the Silver Cross Mother. She is selected to bear an honour that probably very few turn down. But she is brought out as a symbol - she is meant to demonstrate to the country that we should be willing to sacrifice our children like this good woman. And that fills me with rage. It is not our children's blood that will make the world peaceful. It is the ability of world leaders to commit to diplomacy and overcome their greed and ideology, to resolve to not go to war.

My Dad used to say, "It's old men that start wars. They should be the ones that have to go and fight them."

War has become an economic proposition. The US and, more recently, Canada, and other countries, have a huge investment in companies whose sole business it is to make weapons of war. Bombs and ammunition have a shelf life. The military industrial complex has a vested interest in keeping wars starting and continuing. Creating a market, if you will. And then there are issues like oil, and land. Some predict fresh water will be the next strategic golden egg that countries will go to war for. Our children are not commodities, or military "assets", to be thrown out as cannon fodder to further a political or commercial agenda. 

Seldom has Canada seen a government as militaristic as the Harper regime. I can't think of one in my lifetime. "Honour the troops" days are becoming a frequent part of our sporting events. Endless commemorations of historic battles suck up millions of tax dollars. The War of 1812? Really? Canada wasn't even a country for another 55 years. Revamping our museums to showcase Canada's military history (while downplaying peacekeeping in favour of active combat), creating a huge monument to "the victims of communism", the CBC and other networks spending the week or more leading up to Remembrance Day wallowing in old footage and tape from WWI and WWII, the government engaging in fiery rhetoric in the House and in press conferences - fear-mongering, trying to instill a militaristic patriotism... The worst offender in the media must be the Sun Network, which is now offering these shirts...

And the most recent undignified emotional orgies over the two servicemen killed in separate incidents on Canadian soil a few weeks ago... We live in a world where our brains have been softened by the endless barrage of Jerry Springers and Oprahs and reality TV... A world where people feel the need to writhe and wail and beat their chests, without looking at the facts and examining the evidence. Both those men were killed by lone assailants. Men who had fallen through the cracks, become disengaged in society, suffered from untreated mental illness, one was a homeless addict. Yet the government was declaring both as terrorist attacks before any information had emerged. They are sticking to the story, too, because it so nicely fits their narrative and lends fuel to the fire of militaristic patriotism they are trying so hard to build.

Harper grabbed a big photo op at the funeral of one of the soldiers.

And all of this against the backdrop of our government fighting veterans' groups in court, seeking benefits and care for battlefield injuries. Harper and co. deny that our country has a sacred trust to those who risk life and limb and mental health at the whim of the government. They cut veterans loose just shy of being eligible for their pensions because they have service-related injuries. They offer lump-sum pay-outs to people who have lifetime injuries. These are young people coming home missing limbs, missing eyes, organs, with psychological injuries. They have years, 50 years, 60 years, or more, to live with these injuries and the government wants to pay them off and send them away. Veterans are killing themselves because they are not receiving the treatment they need. That just isn't right.

Harper is in love with the idea of military. He likes the pomp and ceremony, the uniforms, the medals, the explosions, the Edwardian notion of "glory", and the photo-ops with cool, tough-looking equipment. He does not care about the young men and women he sends off to war, just as he does not care about those who come back. He does not care about their families. He does not care about innocent civilians who may be injured or killed overseas. Remaining in power and remaking Canada in his own image is his primary concern. This, coupled with his absolute control of a majority in the House, makes him an exceptionally dangerous Prime Minister.

This Remembrance Day, we should remember that.

*******
Sorry this has rambled a bit. But for a very in-depth but readable account of the Harper government's relationship with the military and veterans, please read: Delay, Deny and Die: The Harper Government and Veterans

Or maybe just this:   Gananoque
Three weeks ago, hidden amid the national outpouring of support and grief for Canada’s soldiers Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, Canada lost another soldier, Johnny Duffney.
Johnny was my friend. He died in relative obscurity, at the age of 49, in his home above a store on Gananoque’s main street, two doors down from the Royal Canadian Legion and across the street from the cenotaph in our town park. Although he had a loving partner and a circle of friends Johnny died alone by his own hand, a victim of the mental illness that ravages many of our returning soldiers. http://m.thestar.com/…

The treatment of our veterans by this government, and the glee with which they send more young men and women into harm's way, is a national crisis, a national tragedy and a national shame!

What Just Happened Here?

In case you missed it, the past several days have seen a huge chunk of the news cycle occupied with the death of one reservist, Cpl Nathan Cirillo, who was unfortunate enough to have been on duty guarding the cenotaph on Wednesday morning. This coverage has risen to a fever-pitch over the past two days. A good chunk of on-air time yesterday was spent watching his hearse travel from Ottawa to his home town of Hamilton, and then interviewing people coming out of the public viewing. Today the CBC covered his funeral procession and funeral - live.  The funeral is over now, but the worship is not. Coming up, they are going to talk to people who knew him, and some who didn't, and find out what they remember most about him.

Excuse me?

Mountains of flowers and teddy bears and stuff has been piled at the war memorial, and also around the front gate of his home in Hamilton. We have been treated to heart-wrenching shots of his dogs peering under the fence with captions like, "Their master will never come home" and "His faithful dogs still wait for him."

Thousands of people lined the overpasses on what has been renamed the Highway of Heroes, one of many similarly named roads across Canada used to transport caskets from Afghanistan to an army base.

Let's grab some perspective, can we?

In World War 1 and World War 2, families got telegrams to notify them of deaths overseas. They cried, of course, in their homes. Some went to church and cried there, or over to the neighbours'... Huge outpourings of grief, weeping loudly and hysterically in public were generally frowned upon. Such outbursts lacked dignity, and even disrespected the courage of the soldiers they had lost. They would have been shocked and confused by what we have witnessed in Canada in the past few days.

Times have changed, certainly. Caskets bearing troops home from Afghanistan arrived at an airbase and were transported, via a ramp ceremony with honour guard, to their home base or a funeral home of the family's choosing. The public was invited to come to the overpasses on whichever "Highway of Heroes" the hearse would travel. But it was quite low-key. It had been the practice to fly the flag at half-mast on federal buildings. when the fallen were returned from Afghanistan. However, according to this entry from Wikipedia, "A controversy surfaced in April, 2006, when the newly appointed Conservative government discontinued the practice, initiated by the previous Liberal government following the Tarnak Farm incident,[6] of flying the flag at half-mast on all government buildings whenever a Canadian soldier was killed in action in Afghanistan. The issue divided veterans' groups and military families, some of whom supported the return to the original tradition of using Remembrance Day to honour all soldiers killed in action, while others felt it was an appropriate way to honour the fallen and to remind the population of the costs of war. In spite of the federal government's policy, local authorities have often decided to fly the flag at half-mast to honour fallen soldiers who were from their jurisdiction, including Toronto and Saskatchewan."

But, in this case Harper has ordered the flags across the country to remain at half-mast until further notice.

Let's recap. 24 year old Cpl Cirillo was a reservist in Hamilton. He loved dogs and had a 5 year old son. He had always wanted to be in the military. He was assigned to guard the cenotaph in Ottawa last week. Apparently it is a duty that gets passed from regiment to regiment. The main responsibilities of this symbolic guard are to let tourists take pictures with them and keep drunk people from peeing on the war memorial. Last Wednesday morning, a 32 year-old homeless man with a drug problem and possible mental illness shot Cirillo before running into the Parliament Building where he would die in a hail of gunfire. Since then the rhetoric about Cirillo's heroism and courage has been unending. His death was tragic. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But he was just standing there, doing his job, when he was shot. He didn't rush across a battlefield under heavy enemy fire to drag a fallen comrade to safety. He did not dive into an icy river to rescue a child who had fallen from a bridge. What, exactly, makes him heroic? Doesn't it cheapen the meaning of the word to use it so gratuitously? What, for that matter, makes him courageous? He may have been brave, in general, but there was no moment of bravery in this instance. He was likely surprised, shocked, distressed when he was shot. But if you throw the word into a sentence describing the actual incident, you get something like, "He lay on the pavement, courageously bleeding..." It makes no sense. Tragic. Yes, it was tragic. A little boy has lost his dad, parents have lost a son, siblings have lost a brother... But it is always tragic when someone dies so young, or so unexpectedly.

So what is the meaning of this spectacle we have been witnessing here?

My mother had a term for such things. She called them "emotional orgies", and she disapproved strongly. She would say, "Politicians, religions, companies, do things to get people all worked up. Everyone competes to show that they are the most emotional, the most eloquent. People saying things to evoke strong emotions in others... It makes people confused when they get that worked up. They forget to think for themselves..." Smart lady, my Mom was.

Harper and the media are playing us here, like the strings on a harp. Never before has Canada so worshiped the military as it has in recent years, since Harper came to power. While at the same time, cutting funding and services for wounded veterans, cutting resources for the Department of National Defence, bungling acquisition of infrastructure and equipment... Harper likes the "concept" of the military. There are so many opportunities to dress up like soldiers, so many cool photo ops with big tough looking weapons... And Canada has always honoured our military. So Harper is endeavouring to inextricably connect himself with the notion of the military in Canadians' minds. So that we will vote for him.

There is no doubt he is reshaping this country. He hardly ever appears now without being flanked by countless huge flags. He likes to get his picture taken in military-esque situations, laying a wreath at the cenotaph, or, at a soldier's funeral...

He keeps repeating that the attack on Wednesday as an act of terror. A brutal attack on the essence of our country. Drum up fear, drive people into an emotional frenzy, glorify the military... See a pattern here? Make us scared, uncertain, looking for protection. Make us emotional so we can't think straight. Make the military into some sort of sacred nobility. Then pass laws to give themselves all kinds of powers to keep an eye on any critics, you know, to protect us...

Please don't get me wrong. I am not anti-military. Both my parents served in the Canadian military, my Dad during WW2. I am not anti-military. I am anti-manipulation.

I am frankly disgusted by the blatant attempt to manipulate the minds of Canadians. If you have watched Russell Brand's deconstruction of Harper's post-Ottawa shooting speech, try to follow his example and think critically about what you are really hearing in all of Harper's speeches. It will open your eyes and free you from the mind-control.

Russell Brand's video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALEaAAU3KAE
Yes, he is annoying, but he nails it here...

We Want Better

Harper's clapping seals were beyond nauseating this morning as he made his "public address" that was not open to any members of the public. Tax cuts! Tax cuts! Money is god. All Canadians want is tax cuts! Never mind that lets out everyone who does not earn enough to pay any taxes (i.e. those who are not making enough to live on). No! I truly believe Canadians are not that shallow or money-grubbing. We want healthcare for everyone. We want excellent education for all our children. We want our environment and water and species at risk preserved. We don't want our kids dying in a desert on the other side of the world. We want honesty, openness, transparency, and accountability in our government. We want everyone to earn a living wage (if you work 30+ hours a week you should be able to live on that, but a lot of folks don't earn enough no matter how long they work). We want programs for our seniors and veterans. We want programs to keep kids out of gangs. We want rehabilitation of convicts, not warehousing. We want sane regulations instead of a war on drugs (aka our kids). We want bridges that are safe and roads that don't wreck our vehicles. We want justice and equality, not hate-mongering and fear. We want to know what the hell is going on with First Nations women and girls that they get disappeared so often. We want better!

What Has Harper Done For Canada?

 Our government, the Government of Canada, The Harper Government (as it is trying to brand itself) is complicit in the destruction of our environment, the pollution of our water, the extinction of endangered species, the suppression of wages paid to Canadian workers, the reduction of assistance to Canadian veterans, the lowered standard of living for Canadian seniors, the rejection of refugees desperately fleeing for their lives, the removal of judicial discretion from our judges, the overcrowding of our prisons, the increase in ineligible EI claimants, the selling off of publicly owned items of historical importance, the suppression of science, the repression of critics, control of mainstream media, spying on Canadians, appointing corrupt individuals to positions of power, inciting racism and xenophobia while at the same time surrendering our natural resources and sovereign right to create our own laws to a foreign power, and destroying libraries and archives. Alienated and abandoned our First Nations. Turned their backs on the sociological, yes, SOCIOLOGICAL! problem of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Discarded co-operation and consultation with the provinces. Extreme cuts to the CBC and arts across Canada. If you are thinking of voting CPC next election, think very carefully about whether you care about your country. A vote for the CPC is a vote against Canada.

Life Off the Grid 41 - July 24, 2012

Life Off the Grid 41 – July 24, 2012

8:30 AM

Pot of millet simmering for breakfast. Very hungry.

9:00 AM

Munching on millet. Thinking about painting.

2:20 PM

I am in an advanced state of Arrrrrgh! My long extendible handle for the paint roller broke, right where the threads screw into the roller handle. I was so close to done the 1^st coat of rolling on paint. I am going to have to find some duct tape. I have about 4 square feet left to do. Not impressed. And too surly to do anymore on this today.

3:15 PM

OK, I have driven the quad. Up our drive to the road. And back again. Reaching heart-pounding speeds of 9 or 10 kms/h. It does not drive like the tractor back in Alberta. The slightest touch on the throttle and it leaps. The only thing responsive on this beast is the accelerator. It steers like a drunken ox. If you missed earlier discussions of the quad, it is a Can-am 2012 Outlander 800X. It's a big machine. It's also a scary machine. Ok. I've done my one terrifying thing for today.

I will have to keep doing it. Driving it again and again, until the fear is all squashed down. But not today.

I'm going to make some split pea soup. Soon.

Maybe I'll just sit and read for awhile. I am very tired.

6:15 PM

1/2 cup split green peas, 1 cup water. Bring to a boil.

Add a broth cube (I use Healthy Harvest low sodium vegetable bouillon), cover and reduce heat or shut it off. I turned off the heat because the pot I am using is large and the quantity I am cooking is small.

8:30 PM

Went down to play with the dogs while the peas soften. After a bit I could hear my cell phone in the window of the cabana playing the song that indicates Jeff is sending me a text. So I went and checked. The next couple of hours were spent texting with Jeff and throwing balls for the dogs. It's weird. There are these windows when the signal is good. And then lots of times when I can't find signal anywhere.

This evening I was even able to send him photos of the new paint job.

I had this half a baked potato left over in the fridge, so I chopped it up (took the skin off first).

And put it in the soup.

Put the heat back on. There was a bit of basil pesto still on the potato. More flavour. Nothing wasted. Sadly, I don't have any other interesting leftovers to put in the soup. Except some crumbs from a package of Rhythm Superfoods Bombay Curry Kale chips. It's all natural, organic, no preservatives. You can add this stuff and it's just like adding some kale to your soup. And curry flavour. Yummy.

I added some water because it was beginning to stick. Stir often. Add little bits of water as needed so it doesn't stick. When the peas are really soft, soup's ready!

I am going to prep the other package of prawns, just like I did before (because it tasted so good). And I'm going to soak some more mung beans. Then supper tomorrow will be really easy.

I may wind up dashing to Kenora early tomorrow. Get a new extender and some really fuzzy rollers. Chalet board is brutal to paint. For some reason, someone saw fit to put ridges every so often in the boards. It's all well and good if you are repainting the same colour, but now I have lines where the roller didn't reach that are still dark brown and unless I get a really fuzzy roller, I'm going to have paint them all with a paint brush. And that just isn't going to happen.

Jeff pointed out that it's a $50 trip to Kenora (gas) and I should make it worthwhile. I guess I could also get all the additional electrical things we need (junction boxes, switches, outlets, wire, etc), and samplers of potential paint colours for the deck. That will save me some time in Winnipeg.

9:30 PM

Alright. Prawns marinading, mung beans soaking, split pea/potato/kale soup all set to go tomorrow. Which is good. I think tomorrow will be a heavy day. I will appreciate having easy food that will be ready quick.

I think it must be time to go and lie down and read. And then sleep.

Life Off the Grid 40 - July 23, 2012

Life Off the Grid 40 – July 23, 2012

Noon

The roofers were here! I was beginning to think them mythical. Even better... they say they could build a quad path. I just want it to happen, without Jeff and me spending days and days working brutally hard, sweltering in the heat and getting bitten by bugs and scratched by branches. Is that wrong?

I want to be able to bring propane down by quad. That would be sweet. I am usually very frugal, but sometimes it just makes sense to throw money at a problem to make it go away.

2:40 PM

Been painting. Think I've had a bit too much sun. Again. Drinking lots of water, but it's 32C in the shade. Can't do any more. So, what job to tackle next? Sorting tools? I really have to get some practice on the quad. Tearing up the old boat rails in the boathouse? Sigh. It's hot. I just want to go for a swim. Also, Jeff wants me to go up the tall ladder to roof height and see if I get signal on my phone. One of the roof guys said he had 2 bars of service when he was on the roof. I guess maybe that's something I can do. Terrifying as it is.

3:00 PM

Ok. Did the roof thing. Feel all jangly inside. I didn't used to be afraid of heights. One place we lived when Heather was little, I used to climb up a tree next to the house and sit on the roof and read when she was having a nap. I revelled in being up high, above the world. And I'm not thinking scary things, not consciously. But I get up a ladder like that now and my legs have a mind of their own, shaking violently in spite of my efforts to calm them.

I have had some scary incidents. The leg shaking thing began the very first time I skied downhill at an almost real ski hill. Ok, Holiday Mountain in Manitoba, but before that I had only skied at a sort of deep ditch on the outskirts of Winnipeg. It was early in the day. The trails had not all been groomed and somehow Jeff and I wound up at the top of a black run, which was all ice. Now, I have skied a lot since then, but I am still pretty proud to navigate the blue runs at Lake Louise and Sunshine. I am not a black diamond girl. And this was years ago. I was just starting out. I started down, but quickly lost control and felt myself going much faster than I wanted to. Instinctively, I tucked down, making myself closer to the ground and as small as possible. This, as those of you who ski know, is not the right thing to do. Jeff, standing helplessly at the top of the run watching, was wondering 1) what the hell I was doing and 2) what he would tell the kids when he came home with their mother in a body bag. I was not adept at turning at this point. Fortunately, where the path curved there was brush rather than trees. I crashed and, mercifully, came to a stop. I was unhurt, physically. However, the terror I felt careening out of control seemed to transfer to my legs.

Jeff guided me down the rest of the way slowly, and I went and had a hot chocolate, confident I would stop shaking soon. And I did. Until the next time I was in line for the chair lift. Then I almost fell down, my legs were shaking so hard. I made myself go up again and again, carefully sticking to the easy runs. And it got better. My confidence was shaken again, later in the day, when the tip of one ski somehow got caught as I was trying to dismount from the chair lift. I face-planted. Which was more embarrassing then anything else.

As I said, I have skied a lot since then. I did have a major melt-down at one point at Lake Louise where the slope just looked too steep for a human being to get down without being on their belly. I can do that run now. I am not as good a skier as my husband and my son, not even close. They spend their ski days looking for the fastest, most challenging runs they can find. I am quite content with the challenge of the green and blue runs. I can now do black runs at Manitoba ski hills, like Assissippi, but they are like an easy blue run in the mountains. If Jeff and I ski “together” it means he is off at Goat's Head or Delirium Dive and I'm doing my thing and we meet for lunch and at the end of the day.

But I fought past the panic and fear to do this and now I can do it. I can ski and not be in a cold trembling sweat. And yet, the panic seems to be manifesting in all kinds of awkward places involving heights. Up a ladder trying to change a light bulb in our house in Alberta (seriously, cathedral ceilings are over-rated, especially when you are the one who has to reach the light fixtures way up there), or painting up a ladder... Very annoying.

3:30 PM

Ok. I have decided. I have done one really scary thing today and that is good enough. No cell signal at roof height, by the way. I will burn my kitchen garbage, because it's a nice, still day. And then I will figure out what to do next.

 



 

5:00 PM

Garbage burned. One bag of burnable garbage in 12 days. And one bag of carry-out garbage. Also, I went and struggled with the rails in the boathouse. I felt like a fly trying to move a building. Glue and long nails. No amount of prying with the pry-bar could shift them even a little. I am not big enough. Frustrating!

I am terribly sweaty now. The dogs have been very patient all day with me working. I suspect some playing in the lake is owed to them. I can't say what a relief it is to know the roof is going to be taken care of without Jeff or me having to go up there. That would be at least 4 days of his stay of 8 days, including travel days (and never mind the days it would take me to carry all those packages of shingles down!). Add in putting the solar panels on the roof and doing wiring, there is precious little time left for him to relax. And that's no good at all. Especially if he is adamant about building that quad path. That's a lot of work. I would rather outsource it. There is pride in building something yourself. But there is also something to be said for just having it and being able to use it. It could be a couple of years before we could get it finished and workable. I say, let the guys who know what they are doing set it up. They will do it much faster and it will probably be better than what we would wind up with.

7:10 PM

The dogs and I have been playing in the water for the past couple of hours. Guinness was more energetic and did more swimming that he has for a long time. Good. I need him tired because his medication (prednisone) has really kicked in and he is drinking a LOT of water. And so he is getting me up in the night so he can pee. I have had awful sleeps for the past week because of standing in mosquito land waiting for him to come back from extensive peeing adventures. And then when I come in I am wide awake, plus a bunch of mosquitoes come in with us so I am battling them for an hour or more before I can go back to sleep. I am feeling like I did with a baby in the house. Just tired. Horribly, deeply tired all the time.

I think I'm hungry. It's tiring, tiring out the dogs. I swam too. A lot. Washed my hair, which is a joy. A clean scalp is a wonderful thing. Living without benefit of hot running water, you really start to appreciate getting to wash your hair.

Fresh food is running very low. It's only Monday, so I have until Friday to cope with living on dried grains. I could drive to Kenora, and I might. But I don't really want to. It seems a dreadful waste of time and gas, since I am going to Winnipeg on Friday. There is no fresh food at Wilson's, but I suppose if I get really sick of what I have I could go there for a can of beans or something. Ugh. If they had yoghurt and fresh veggies I would be set. I realize now, weekly trips to Kenora were centred around getting access to communication with the outside world. Of course, there was always stuff that was needed: groceries, lumber, paint, whatever. But getting news from the family was always really an important part and I would go in once a week even if I wasn't getting desperately low on food. Now I have some sporadic cell access from here... Fewer trips to town I think.

The dogs are sacked out.

In Winnipeg I will stock up again on organic foods. And whatever Katherine and Ty want to eat. Alas, they are not tolerant of my mostly vegan, whole grains and vegetable diet. They will want to eat meat. And Kraft dinner. And chips. And grilled cheese sandwiches and Ramen noodles.

8:45 PM

Quinoa cooking for dinner. Appealing food stocks are growing low. Very hungry now, so this will do.

I hope Guinness will sleep tonight. Just went out and played ball with them for another 20 minutes. Guinness is lying on the deck. Too hot to come in, too bothered by bugs to sleep out there. Ah, maybe he has had enough with the bugs... In he comes.

I'm so tired. And hungry. And tired...

9:00 PM

Dinner is cooked. But too hot to eat. Aaaarrrrgh. HUNGRY!

9:15 Pm

Food finally cooled enough to eat. Hurray!

9:25 PM

Food was so good. Hunger is an amazing seasoning.

Time to go read and text.