April Reign

Speak your mind even if your voice shakes

Debra

Christian Groups to Protect #OccupyLondon At Saint Paul’s Cathedral

by


Normally I agree with this quote from Gandhi, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.” However a number of Christian groups in London have come together to prove that sometimes Christ’s teachings do prevail.

A statement by the groups said: “As Christians, we stand alongside people of all religions who are resisting economic injustice with active nonviolence. The global economic system perpetuates the wealth of the few at the expense of the many. It is based on idolatrous subservience to markets. We cannot worship both God and money.”

Perhaps change can yet come to pass..

Mark
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Blackwater Still Profiting From Death

by

Blackwater (Xe Services) is releasing a video game;

“The video game is a fictional action first-person shooter, without any political agenda, and is being published to let gamers experience the challenging missions Blackwater operatives have experienced.”

Of course it has no political agenda mercenaries don’t care who they fight for or who they kill. Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and producer of the game, belied his tough guy reputation by hiding out with his cool 1 billion from George W. in the United Arab Emirates rather than face the music in the U.S. Not so brave when he can’t hide behind a gun.

A comment on the story sums up my feeling on the game;

Forget about the challenging missions. Do I get to play the missions where I shoot teenage kids off the back of a motorbike? What about the one where I get to machine gun women and kids crammed into the back of a little 2 door economy vehicle? Now that’s the Blackwater we’ve come to know and hate. What about the screams of anguish and horror? Can I hear them in stereo? Come on guys, get real! John Gill

Story source

Lest anyone think first person shooter games have created a role for this – here is a commentary on it by a gamer actually playing a first person shooter game at the same time.

Lies, Lies and Damnable Lies

by

The Star has picked up and ran with the ball of shit containing the lie that Jack Layton and Olivia Chow lived in subsidized housing

From time to time [Jack Layton] has been criticized for saying one thing and doing another, including being caught red-handed in 1985 living in subsidized housing in Toronto when his and Olivia Chow, then a Toronto trustee, were raking in a combined $120,000 year.

Anyone familiar with co-op housing is aware that all economic levels live there with those in the lower brackets sometimes being subsidized. There are a few townhouse complexes throughout Hamilton based on that very structure.

This is an old and tired lie and beneath contempt, certainly beneath the The Star. It is time for a retraction and an apology and for this lie to be given a proper burial.

Read more at Dr Dawg’s

Harper Knows Best

by

Ever wondered if the whole Father Knows Best sweater vest persona Harper puts on is just a show to appeal to his social conservative base? Well wonder no more! Ladies it turns out he really isn’t that into you.

The government of Prime Minister David Cameron believes the succession laws are antiquated and should be modernized, but they need the agreement of Commonwealth countries who maintain the Queen as the head of state, including Canada. New Zealand has agreed to the changes. But our prime minister, Stephen Harper, refuses. What twaddle.

Asked about all this on the campaign trail, Harper made it clear he wants to keep things as they are: leaving the monarchy to the eldest son, even if he has six older sisters. “The successor to the throne is a man,” he said. “The next successor to the throne is a man.” He says he has no intention of reopening debate on the monarchy, or any other part of our constitution.

One wonders if he simply tolerates the Queen, you know her missing that dangly bit and all.

h/t @anndouglas

1 Cat 2 Cat Red Cat Blue Cat

by

As support for the NDP rises there rumblings from some quarters that the NDP is somehow betraying Canada by running a great campaign. Like Harper they have fallen victim to the idea of Canada as a two party system. The concept is that by not supporting the Liberals the NDP is complicit in allowing Harper to win. This presupposes that A) Harper will win and that B) the NDP has no responsibility to its members and contributors to run a proper campaign.

I want to vote for a party that has a commitment to health care and the bona fides to go with it.

I want to vote for a party with a commitment to labour, to protecting pensions and with a vision to bring dignity and hope to the lives of the poor including poor seniors.

I want to vote for a party with a commitment to human rights, women’s rights and respect for the environment.

In short I want to vote for a leftist party, which Ignatieff says the Liberals are not, “I don’t think of the Liberal Party of Canada as a party of the left. I never have,”

I have no problem with Layton and Ignatieff combining their efforts, coalition governments have been wonderful for Canada, however, we have had the Red Cats and the Blue Cats isn’t it time for “little fellow with an idea”?