God speed, Mother Nature

I don't think any of us really want to say goodbye... (If you don't know the song "Guns, Guns, Guns" by the Guess Who, you might not get my reference. If you don't really care what I'm saying here, please, still listen to the song. Thanks in advance. :) ) 

With the level of political apathy in this country, people are so blissfully unaware of the policy changes happening RIGHT NOW that directly impact our environmental responsibilities, we won't even get a chance to mourn Mother Nature. Too dramatic? Doubt it. 

Let's quickly recap what our current government has done to shit on our environment before I get into the topic at hand, shall we?:

• Rewrote fisheries laws that protect fish and their habitat = green light for off-shore oil exploration and extraction  AND  allowing federally subsidized pipeline projects to go through/under streams and lakes unchecked 
• Erased the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 
• Number of federal environmental assessments before the Omnibus Budget Bill killed the CEAA: anywhere between 4000-6000. AFTER destroying the legislation: between 20-30. Barf. Barf all over you, Kent and Harpie.
• Killing of endangered species or destruction of their habitat is now allowed if the National Energy Board has a project that they deem necessary... this is very open ended. JUST GREAT!
• And that's not all, folks! (I just don't want to make this much longer.)

Soon-to-be problem: Last week, Minister of What's Left of the Environment, Peter Kent, began hinting at his next move. He wants to "streamline" the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The last time he said the word "streamlining", our oceans, lakes and rivers became fair game for oil developers, Parks Canada Agency lost 40% of their staff, and third party committees to oversee our government, to make sure they're upholding environmental laws, were kicked to the curb. See why I'm skeptical?

Photo provided by the SARA website. Thanks, gov't!

Yes, SARA needs reviewing and updating, but that is NOT what this gov't will do. As all of the environmental laws they've changed so far are being specifically tailored in order to reap whatever Mother Nature has to offer, blindly, recklessly, and without monitoring, I can tell you that any changes to the Species at Risk Act from this government will spell disaster for vulnerable species in this country. 

Count your blessings now, people. But please, soon, wake the fuck up. Tell your MP that you are concerned about what Minister Kent may do to the Species at Risk Act. Let's get this ball rolling before they get a chance to mess this one up too much.

"Eagle all gone and no more caribou... God speed, Mother Nature, never really wanted to say goodbye." 

                                                   - The Guess Who

The Joke's On Us

April Fools! 

Oh wait... it's September. *sigh* That means it's true... Click here for the chilling details.

I have finally found something so ludicrous and wrong to the point of hilarity to blog about. (I do believe I have mentioned many times how much I suck at keeping up with things. If you still read these, merci buckets!)

If you were asked to think of a "champion of democracy, freedom, and human rights", and a "world statesman", or even an "award winner", who would you think of?

Disclaimer: This photo does not belong to me nor did I create it. The author is a mystery. 

But if I ever find the person who created it, I will personally nominate them for a world statesman award.

I think of people like Aung San Suu Kyi, Ban Ki-moon, and Vandana Shiva to name only a few highly deserving of such titles. These kind of people dedicate their lives to protecting the basic human rights of their people - and subsequently, the rest of humanity (if it's happening somewhere, it can happen anywhere). They see connections between economics, the environment, our well being as a species - connections that most world leaders don't have the imagination to even begin to comprehend. 

If by chance you thought "I know one!! Stephen Harper!" (I was going to finish this sentence with a string of expletives and insults, but decided it wasn't very dignified), you agree with a group in the U.S. called the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. You are also an idiot and probably can't read. 

Since 2006, when elected as a minority Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has:

1. Been involved with honestly countless scandals, the most crass being the time his party hired auto-dialers to call Canadians en mass days before our last federal election to misdirect and misinform voters (election fraud, in simple terms)
2. In one weekend, smashed to bits Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms by arresting and holding over 1000 people in Toronto during the G8 Summit without charging over 90% of them with any crime (oh yeah, he sure is a champion of democracy, freedom, and human rights!)
3. Prorogued parliament to avoid discussing issues in a public forum - HA! Democracy. Yup.
4. Cut all funding to UNESCO because Palestine was recognized by the organization as a country (I think our  UNESCO World Heritage Sites designations should be revoked for such petty, ethnically provoked, disgusting behaviour)
5. Shifted Canada's trade focus to only free trade agreements, which only promote economic inequality in the world
6. Focused Canada's trade relations to specifically China - the most powerful anti-democratic nation in the world
7. Recently cut substantial funding to northern Aboriginal groups - perpetuating racial disparity in this country
8. Removed most watchdog agencies within the government, and continues to ignore the rest
9. Cut all funding to women's groups within Canada, including daycare programs, shelters for battered women, etc
1. Cut all funding to The Native Women's Association of Canada which helped provide health care to the most unhealthy population of people in Canada: Aboriginal women
10. Removed the most effective and resourceful components of our federal environmental policies 
11. Cut funding to Planned Parenthood - the reasoning? Because the program does not rule out abortions in foreign countries where they are legal. HELLO! It's legal here!! Way to be non-biased and "not bring up the abortion issue." Assholes
12. Ignored pleas for help from the Lubicon Cree - being directly impacted by friends of Harper who are developing the tar sands
13. On the same topic, Attawapiskat... need I say more?
14. Etc, etc...
15. Been honoured with an award from a Jewish-founded organization days after dramatically denouncing a country that is against Israel. I hate to be cynical, but I just don't think this is a coincidence. Especially since even suggesting Harper deserves this award is laughable! Why else would he all of a sudden be on this group's radar?

Harper does not come CLOSE to believing in equality (unless you're rich, run an oil rig, or sell cheap junk made by child slaves), democratic values (unless you can help his campaign by either lying, stealing, or donating over the legal limits), and freedom (unless you completely avoid dissent and never question his motives. Ever.). He believes in himself. And his own version of God. And he now believes he deserves recognition for horse shit.

Yup, give the man an award! It'll be a riot! 

Ugh... I try to laugh, but the joke is totally on us. This robotic overlord represents you and I to the rest of the world. *shudder*

I'm going to have some wine and ride my bike. You know, the regular activities of a Pinko on a near-autumn evening.

No quote again.