Tailor: A Capitalist’s Defense of #OccupyWallSt

Failed businesses should be the ones punched into a grainy sand-like texture by the merciless fist of the invisible hand of the free market; not the public.

I’ve been following Occupy Wall St since its inception, and I’m generally in support of it. Although a brunt of pundits in America claim that it has no core message, whereas the right-winged pundits generally mock it (a la Don Cherry) as a movement of pinkos, it is hardly the truth. This is a movement bound together by a core emotion, more so than a core message. It’s premised on common, collective anger against banks which gave out loans to those they knew who couldn’t afford it, at interest rates which would fluctuate based on the central bank interest rate. They packaged those bad loans into “collateralized debt obligations”, got their cronies at a couple credit ratings agencies to stamp them AAA, and then sold them to unsuspecting investors, such as teachers unions and small towns halfway around the globe. To top it off, these very banks bet against those loans in derivatives markets, so that even if those loans didn’t get paid off, they’d still make some money out of it.

Fowler: The Left Awakens

To liberals, Barack Obama was going to be their Reagan. A fiercely partisan warrior who would pin the blame for the country’s ills on the other party and, in doing so, make liberalism the dominant ideology of American politics for the next generation. Nevermind the fact that Obama ran his campaign specifically against this model; that, while advocating center-left positions, the strength of his appeal came from his civility and refusal to demonize his opponents. Liberals had decided what he was supposed to be and when his presidency reflected his campaign rhetoric instead of their hopes, disappointment grew. It didn’t matter that he passed the most progressive and ambitious legislative agenda in half a century, including the century old Democratic goal of universal health care. His record, instead of energizing his base, provoked revulsion amongst conservatives, with the right-wing Tea Party taking hold of the narrative in Washington and making George Bush’s presidency look relatively progressive. For a while it seemed as though the Great Recession, thought to be the starting point of a new liberal order the way the Great Depression enabled the New Deal era, had instead re-invigorated right-wing extremism. Obama’s constant appeasement of Republicans, despite continuous rejection, frustrated Democrats as they saw their champion bruised and broken after offering to meet Republicans more than half way on a debt deal, only to be turned down. However, if current trends stand, House Republicans’ rejection of Obama’s “Grand Bargain” may have proved the turning point in his presidency and in American politics. Not only Obama, but Democrats across the country have suddenly woken up from disillusionment and begun making their case for liberalism in the 21st century.

Zimmerman: Servile Masses Arise, Arise

One spark in Tunisia was all it took.   The shot that will be the one heard around the world.  Is anyone else ready for what’s coming?

Let me start with some personal experiences.  I just spent five year at University taking International Development Studies basically learning why the world is so messed up.  I always knew (since 9/11) that the wider world was a backward, unjust place and that humanity was going down a cynical self-defeating road.  Every week, it seemed, we learned about another problem until it came to a nearly overwhelming state where one just sat and lamented about all that one’s learned.  People seemed complacent too, especially once you walk off the campus grounds.  On Universities the debates are vigorous and issues of all types are routinely discussed, but once you were out of that academic bubble things just seemed to continue on like nothing was happening.

Clements: Ten Years at War and a Thanksgiving Dinner!

Justification for armed conflict takes many different, yet equally interesting names. Some of my favourite include ‘national security’ and ‘strategic resources’. These are interesting foreign policy terms which are thrown around to justify many, many things. We get to learn about how invading another country can secure our ‘interests’. However, the danger is not the fact that we had entered a war or that we have been there for 10 years. The danger is using fear to justify killing. The danger, is fear over reason.

So while we sit here comforted by the newest Iphone 4S(a disappointment!) Awaiting the newest Jersey Shore, bitching about long line-ups for trains on the way home, the rest of the world trembles. We are a well kept bunch. We have music to listen to, alcohol to drink, bars to attend. This means were doing well. Doesn’t it? We take these luxuries for granted. Today in Afghanistan marks the 10 years since the U.S-led invasion.

Nabi: Tough on Crime? Not by a Long Shot

Stephen Harper’s government has been beating the “Tough on Crime” drum for years. Policies like tougher minimum sentences and draconian copyright reforms have formed the backbone of the strong, crime fighting Conservative brand. And now, with a majority mandate, they’re in a position to make good on those promises.

On Tuesday, the federal government unveiled the details of a new mammoth crime bill covering everything from stricter controls on house arrest to human trafficking to mandatory minimum sentencing. Fortunately, a law allowing the police to monitor your Internet without a warrant—which they call “Lawful Access,” and I call “The Big Brother Act”—was not included.

Crime is a sexy issue: it gets votes. People want to see wrongdoers behind bars, out of the public eye and away from their children. That’s why Tim Hudak’s proposal for an Ontario sex offender registry is a good political move, despite the practical and ethical concerns of such a system.

Fowler: Last Liberal Standing

The Premier is the last obstacle to complete Conservative domination of government.

In April 2010, Bob Hepburn wrote in the Toronto Star that the McGuinty government was, “the only activist government in Canada today.” As Stephen Harper cemented his control at the federal level and populist conservatives began winning races everywhere from Saskatchewan to Toronto, it seemed only a matter of time until Dalton “Tax Man” McGuinty would fall to the wrath of squeezed voters seeking relief in the form of Tory leader Tim Hudak. With the provincial election less than a week away, McGuinty has become the last true liberal standing in Canada, and Ontario voters will decide whether they want a check on the Prime Minister’s power or monolithic conservative control of government.

Zimmerman: Ontario’s Election – What’s Left?

What is the Left in Canada?  Typically Canadians would respond that the NDP is the Left, but many question the true “Leftness” of social democratic parties in a post-Blair’s New Labour age and with the major upheavels worldwide, not to mention the radical actions such as the unfolding Wall Street Occupations in New York.   We’re in a time where the world is shifting drastically and the spectre of revolution emerges from Egypt to Iceland and from Greece to Wisconsin.  Well, it’s that time of year again, an election, and those of us who consider ourselves to be “of the Left” first and foremost are weighing our options.  On October 6th, 2011, Ontarians will go to the polls to elect their new government.  There are some of the most radical of the Left that oppose participation in any of the three major parties, while there are many budding revolutionaries who vote NDP as it lands closest to their values, and then there are the plenty of Dippers who see the NDP as the best route to positive, real progressive change. 

Clements: Breaking the Speed of Light and How it Relates to Mid-East Politics

Scientists with the OPERA experiment, which observes a neutrino beam from CERN 730 km away at Italy’s INFN Gran Sasso Laboratory, are presenting surprising new results (in a seminar at CERN on Sept. 23, 2011) that appear to show neutrinos traveling faster than light. Physicists are refusing to speculate as to the repercussions of a revelation of this magnitude until the results have been vigorously scrutinized by scientists from both the American and Japanese scientific community. How am I going to relate this to politics? Here’s how. Human’s have continuously held the  belief that the knowledge which we possess currently is the be all and end all of human progress. Keep in mind that we once, quite seriously, believed that the Earth was flat. Now, take a moment to fully grasp that.

Nabi: Towards an Effective Environmental Lobby

In 2009, Greenpeace protestors made national headlines by clambering up on top of the West Block of the Parliament buildings with huge banners, condemning Canada’s inaction on climate change. The protest occurred on the first day of negotiations in Copenhagen, and sought to change the course of Canada’s environmental policy. But aside from making an embarrassment of the RCMP, their actions didn’t have much of a lasting impact. The Greenpeace members were derided as eco-nuts, and business as usual continued.

The following week, activist pranksters The Yes Men set up a fake Environment Canada website, issuing a press release about new aggressive targets for the reduction of carbon emissions. Of course, Canada’s real policy hadn’t changed, and then-Environment Minister Jim Prentice found himself desperate to change the story.

Last week, the environmentalists struck again.

Fowler: The People’s Prime Minister

The trajectory of Jack Layton’s tragic and inspiring story seems almost too poetic to have occurred. The man had neither the aura of greatness nor the fascinating biographical narrative that had powered the rises of Pierre Trudeau and Barack Obama. His rhetoric rarely soared the way it did with those giants, and up until this past May few would have thought of him as anything more than a good-natured public servant. But that was exactly why Jack’s house was covered with flowers, candles, and keepsakes; it’s why the CN Tower shined radiantly orange the weekend of his funeral; and it’s why thousands of teary-eyed Canadians gathered to say goodbye to their friend. At his essence, Jack was nothing more than an easy going guy who seemed to be in politics for the right reasons and whose commitment to his principles made him seem surreally genuine. It says a lot about society that these humble qualities have led to Jack being instantly ingrained into the nation’s history, narrative, and soul.