Tag Archives: Politics

May 30 2013
Activism, Community, Consumption, Culture, Environment, Food, Health, Human Rights, International, Knowledge, Local, Photography, Politics, Social Change, Sustainability

March Against Monsanto – Photos of a Movement

by Deanna C.

On Saturday May 25th I, along with hundreds of other Vancouverites, participated in the global ‘March Against Monsanto and GMO.’ What’s GMO?  And who and what is Monsanto? And why do we care? These seemed to be recurring questions I was asked from a number of friends when I spoke of my upcoming participation in the march.

by Deanna C.

I’ll plead a bit of ignorance here – In all honesty I wasn’t well positioned to effectively answer these questions.  As a health conscious person I knew that GMO (genetically modified organic) was “bad” for me and I also knew a little bit about Monsanto, but I really didn’t know enough about either of the above to be able to articulate well enough what the movement was about and why it was so important. So I did a bit of research and read up on the issues (see the suggested links and resources below to learn more about GMO and Monsanto), but the most valuable resource was the march itself.  It gave me the opportunity to learn more, connect with others, ask questions and be around passionate people who all felt strongly about our basic rights and health.  It was a great vibe and a positive environment. I met a number of people during the march who, like me, were relatively new to the movement but were equally concerned about GMO and the unethical practices of corporations like Monsanto, and who wanted to be a part of this powerful force of citizens mobilizing for a change worldwide. That people and families from all walks of life with various levels of awareness and different interests turned up to this event speaks not only to the organizers’ ability to rally people together and get their message out, but also to the fact that more and more concerned citizens want to take action.  I am certain that at the very least this global march against Monsanto attracted more attention  and gained more support and momentum for the movement.

by Deanna C.

by Deanna C.

So, why should we care about Monsanto and GMO? That’s for you as an individual to decide and I encourage you to read up on both and learn more (from all sides of the debate).  But I’ll tell you why I care.  I care because it matters to me what goes into my body.  It also matters to me what impact any engineered process may have on the environment.  While we don’t know for sure what impact GMOs have on our bodies, cells and DNA there is a growing body of research that connects GMO foods with health problems and environmental damage.  I also expect (in fact demand) the right to know what is in my food, especially if it could potentially harm me.  As for Monsanto, I don’t know about you but there seems to be something fundamentally wrong (and frightening) with giant corporations dominating and controlling our food chain (and engaging in unethical, intimidating, socially unjust practices, to say the very least). I am not okay with that.  These reasons among many others are why I care and why I participated in the March against Monsanto.  It was an empowering and inspiring experience for me to be a part of this global movement.  I was reminded that the value of people mobilizing in solidarity like this should not be minimized, if only to create a level of awareness among others.  I am a strong believer that knowledge is power and I believe the first step to any real change is raising awareness. People will not act on something if they don’t know about it (or enough about it) to make informed decisions.  I was also left with the encouraging impression that the movement will continue on and grow even larger and stronger, and this reaffirms my belief that conscious and concerned citizens collectively coming together can absolutely make change happen.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
― Leonardo da Vinci

by Deanna C.

by Deanna C.

Resources:

(there are many other articles and sites about GMO and Monsanto a google search will provide you with a lot of reading material!)

Information about the March and movement –
http://www.march-against-monsanto.com/

Understanding GMO –
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/queen-of-green/faqs/food/understanding-gmo/

A documentary about Monsanto
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsanto/

See more of Deanna’s work at www.to-live-inspired.com

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Mar 08 2013
Activism, Community, Crime, Culture, Equality, Family, Feminism, Health, Housing, Politics, Poverty, Social Change, Violence Against Women, Women

Happy International Women’s Day! Less talk, more action to end violence against women

by Sarah Allan

Happy International Women’s Day!

I wish that this day could be spent celebrating the successes and achievements of women around the world, but sadly, though its 2013 and we have come a long way, locally and globally the focus is still on the very real and seemingly ever-present issue of violence against women. While it is variously referred to as ‘domestic violence’ (by the B.C. government), ‘family violence’ (by B.C.’s Family Law Act), ‘violence against women in relationships’ (also by the B.C. government) , and other other vague names, it all boils down to, and should accurately be called, violence against women. When talking about an issue as important as this, it’s important to choose our words carefully and with intention, as the language we use to frame a discussion sets parameters for coming up with solutions, whether we mean it to or not. I among others take issue with the misleading labels commonly used to describe physical, sexual, emotional and psychological violence towards women, as ‘domestic violence’ infers privacy and violence that takes place in the home; as ‘family violence’ and ‘domestic violence’ both obscure the gendered nature of what it is most often describing, violence by a man against a women; and as ‘violence against women in relationships’ glosses over the fact that women’s risk of violence increases once a relationship is over. Call it what you will, but i doesn’t erase the reality of violence against women in this country. It is still true that more than half of all Canadian women have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence since the age of 16 and that women are more likely to be assaulted by someone that they know, than by a stranger.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 14 2013
Activism, Civil LIberties, Communication, Crime, Human Rights, Internet, Knowledge, Media, Police and Security, Politics, Social Change, Youth

Aaron Swartz and the Fight for Freedom of Information

by Tracy Giesz-Ramsay

I had the brief chance to meet Aaron Swartz two years ago while in New York, and was instantly drawn to his charismatic outspokenness and passion when talking about the freedom of the internet and it’s powerful capability to inspire revolution and organize youth activism around the world. The room was full of fellow advocates and friends who when Aaron spoke, listened with awe and intensity to his every word. It was a swift encounter but a truly inspiring one. The following is a collection of statements from his close friends, family, and acquaintances that I find summarize the tragic situation far better than I could hope to myself:

AaronSwartz

“Since his arresting the early morning of January 11, 2011 — two years to the day before Aaron Swartz ended his life — I have known more about the events that began this spiral than I have wanted to know. Aaron consulted me as a friend and lawyer that morning. He shared with me what went down and why, and I worked with him to get help. When my obligations to Harvard created a conflict that made it impossible for me to continue as a lawyer, I continued as a friend. Not a good enough friend, no doubt, but nothing was going to draw that friendship into doubt.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Jan 11 2013
Activism, Children, Colonialism, Colonization, Communication, Community, Culture, Democracy, Education, Environment, First Nations, Health, Human Rights, Knowledge, Politics, Poverty, Social Change, Sustainability, Water, Youth

Idle No More – Snowflakes, Drums and Thunder

by Sarah Spence

I’ll be honest, I have never been a very political person and I have struggled with finding my identity as a member of the First Nations. I can confidently say that both of these have been because of the barrier that separates the ‘Indian’ world from the ‘White-Man’s’ world. It’s sad to say that this barrier still exists and continues to shackle my identity in a state of limbo, as I assume it has done to many before me and will do to many after me. However, this is a reality that many Indigenous people throughout the world are faced with when going through the integration process into the non-Indigenous society. There are stereotypes and ignorance regarding these separated societies that get picked up, and the fact that individuals do not follow these stereotypical concepts about being of Indigenous descent can often make them feel fraudulent, ambivalent and confused.

When I first started hearing about Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger strike and the Idle No More movement regarding Bill C-45, I was slightly hesitant and skeptical of what my involvement should be. Then I watched a Youtube video of Chief Theresa Spence explaining the cycles of pain of the people in her community who are living in third-world conditions. One thing she mentioned in the video struck a chord with me: that children can’t even take a shower without the possibility of getting a rash because the water isn’t clean. It wasn’t until I heard those words come out of her mouth that I realized the ignorance that I had been carrying around throughout most of my life.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Dec 31 2012
2 Comments
Activism, Colonialism, Colonization, Commons, Communication, Community, Culture, Democracy, Environment, First Nations, Internet, Knowledge, Local, Photography, Politics, Social Change, Sustainability, Water

Idle No More – #idlenomore

by Matea Kulic (italicized verses by Joy Harjo) with photographs by Shelby Tay

photograph by Shelby Tay

photograph by Shelby Tay

It was almost a year ago now I watched those words sear through the air of the auditorium. It was the red of her I noticed first: Red leather coat and boots, bright red lips.

I have a memory.

      It swims deep in blood

 

My spirit comes here to drink.

My spirit comes here to drink.

Blood is the undercurrent.

Each saxophone note and beat of her drum stained my ears until they echoed in stories of loss, love and life that only Joy Harjo can weave so seamlessly.

Her words lifted out of the room, past the main square of San Miguel, where the Wixarika Indigenous gathered. They flew out over vast bronze hills and colored the cacti as they opened in blossom.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Dec 10 2012
Activism, Commons, Communication, Community, Economy, Homelessness, Housing, Intersectionality, Knowledge, Local, Photography, Politics, Poverty, Social Change

The Gentrification Conundrum

by Sarah Allan with photographs by Tegan MacDonald

Gentrification is a huge source of conflict and debate, particularly in Vancouver B.C., where the city changes faster than anyone can keep up with. As a phenomenon, gentrification is not necessarily a negative or a positive thing for a city. Gentrification was defined in the 1960′s by sociologist Ruth Glass as involving the change of a working-class or vacant area of a city to a middle class residential and/or commercial use area. Despite this seemingly neutral definition, there are definitely winners and losers when gentrification occurs in a city; there are things that are lost forever, and things that are gained. Lately, I have been asking myself, and others, a few questions as we all struggle to find our place in this rapidly changing urban environment: Is it wrong to benefit from gentrification? Is there a way for gentrification to occur, without sacrificing the communities that already exist?

Photo by Tegan MacDonald

Photo by Tegan MacDonald

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Dec 06 2012
Activism, Civil LIberties, Crime, Equality, Human Rights, International, Legal, Politics, Racism

The Case of the Cuban Five

by the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five

A LEGAL UPDATE: THE CASE OF THE CUBAN FIVE

In September 1998, five Cuban men were arrested in Miami by FBI agents. Gerardo Hernandez, Ramón Labañino, Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and René Gonzalez were accused of the crime of conspiracy to commit espionage. The US government never accused them of actual espionage, nor did it affirm that real acts of espionage had been carried out, as no classified document had been confiscated from the Five. Their actual mission in the United States was monitoring the activities of the groups and organizations responsible for terrorist activities against Cuba. After the triumph of the Cuban revolution in 1959, Cuba had been the victim of more terrorist attacks than any other country in the world, killing 3,478 and injuring 2,099. The vastly majority of those attacks originated in southern Florida, by groups tolerated and partly financed by the US government.

After their arrest, the Five were immediately placed in solitary confinement, isolated from all other inmates for the entire 17 months of pretrial custody. For the first five months they were housed in separate cells isolated from each other as well as the other inmates. After those five months, a motion was filed by the defense asserting that their need to work on their defense was being compromised by the isolation. Four were then moved into the same single cell, with one kept housed alone, but they remained in the Special Housing Unit in isolation cells for all 17 months before their case was first brought before a court.

In spite of the vigorous objections raised by the Five’s defense, the case was tried in Miami, Florida, a community with a long history of hostility toward the Cuban government, which prevented them from receiving a fair trial.

Cuban 5

The trial, which lasted over six months, became the longest trial in United States history. More than 119 volumes of testimony and over 20,000 pages of documents were compiled, including the testimony of three retired US Army generals and a retired admiral, who agreed that no evidence of espionage existed.

Near the trial’s conclusion, when the case was about to be handed to the jury for consideration, the US government recognized in writing that it had failed to prove the main charge against Gerardo Hernandez, conspiracy to commit murder, admitting that it was facing an “insurmountable obstacle” in connection with winning the case. This charge had been added seven months after Gerardo’s arrest. However, the jury, under intense pressure brought to bear on them by the local media and Cuban-American community, nonetheless found the Five guilty of all charges.

The Five were sentenced to a total of four life sentences plus 77 years and were imprisoned in five separate maximum security prisons spread across the US without the possibility of communication with each other.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Nov 23 2012
Culture, Human Rights, International, Knowledge, Occupation, Politics, War

GAZA: How did we get to this point, anyway?

by A concerned citizen of the world,

There is no shortage of strong opinion on the situation in Israel/Palestine right now. We seem trapped between the rock of Israel’s collective punishment and the hard place of Palestinian rocket attacks. Any debate on the issue turns into a bunch of finger pointing and tiresome ‘whataboutery’. I think if we are going to construct a useful narrative about the state of the conflict, we need to take a step back from the current tit-for-tat escalations and look at how the situation has ended up as it is. The state of affairs today was actually set in motion years ago.

To understand the current context is to acknowledge that Israel has knowingly constructed the contours of the situation to eliminate the possibility of a viable peace process. They have intentionally realigned the narrative to underscore the idea that the conflict with the Palestinians is a zero-sum game, and that Israel is under attack from extremists who cannot be negotiated with.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , ,
Oct 25 2012
Activism, Commons, Community, Culture, Democracy, Environment, First Nations, Health, Human Rights, Knowledge, Local, Politics, Social Change, Sustainability

Defend Our Coast – We were there, were you?

Thoughts and images from Defend Our Coast actions across BC

Sarah Allan – Burnaby-Deer Lake – October 24, 2012 

The ‘Defend Our Coast’ action ouside of Burnaby – Deer Lake MLA Kathy Corrigan’s office was made up of about 15 or 20 people when we first arrived at noon. It was mostly middle-aged and older people, many on on their lunch break, coming out to support the cause despite the rain. Energized by a few great signs, a skilled drummer and a pump up talk by Kathy Corrigan, we all managed to meet, greet and spread some positivity in opposition to tar sands, pipelines and increased tanker traffic on our beautiful BC coast. It was interesting for me to see what an action such as this looks and feels like outside the downtown core, and outside my highly activist Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. It was smaller in scale, and passersby were definitely much less knowledgeable about the issues, giving us confused or curious glances, but not appearing to care too much about the issue. However, the feeling at this action was the same as at any other demonstration. There was a sense of solidarity and a shared concern for the future of our beautiful coast, and of our country, that left me feeling energized by the enthusiasm of others and calmed by the sense that I’m not alone in my beliefs. A small success in a big fight! 

Defend Our Coast Burnaby-Deer Lake                                 with MLA Kathy Corrigan

No Tankers – No Pipelines – No Tar Sands  (No Harper)

Our Coast Is Not For Sale!

Burnaby – Deer Lake Defends Our Coast!

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Oct 02 2012
Activism, Crime, Environment, Human Rights, International, Police and Security, Politics

Holding Shell Accountable: The Catch of ‘Corporate Personhood’

By Tracy Giesz-Ramsay

The question of whether or not multinational corporations should enjoy the same rights as individual citizens has been much in the arena of public debate lately, the focus primarily being on if they should be granted the ability to directly fund political campaigns in the same way that individuals can. Predominant public opinion is opposed to this, but according to the U.S. Supreme Court, in the eyes of the law corporations are free to do so. In 2010, the Citizens United case ruling determined that under the First Amendment, corporations had the same rights as citizens, freeing them to pay for political advertising. This certainly means that corporations can shine the spotlight on politicians who are willing to cater to their interests.

Regardless of how unfair this may seem to so many, ‘corporate personhood’ is, after all, now the law. So considering this, if corporations have been given the ability under law to enjoy the same rights as individuals, then shouldn’t they also share the same responsibilities and face the same punishments as individuals? If a corporation funded a foreign government that tortured, oppressed or even murdered their own citizens, therefore aiding and abetting in these crimes, shouldn’t they be able to be held accountable in U.S. courts for complicity? Well it’s a valid point and is what we’re seeing right now being brought to the Supreme Court in the case of Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum.

Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , ,
← Older posts
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 76 other followers

%d bloggers like this: