I Spoke Too Soon: Why I No Longer Support Theresa Spence

Time does change things, does it not? Since I wrote my last blog post about the plight of Theresa Spence, much has happened, and my opinions have changed dramatically. I no longer feel supportive of hunger striking Chief Theresa Spence as I once had. There are a good number of reasons which I will attempt to lay out.

Although there may have been political motives to the recent releasing a very damning audit report on how money on the Attawapiskat reserve that she is Chief of has been handled, it was still damning. Now, there is a fair amount of issues in the report that predates Spence's time as leader. However, there are still poorly managed funds that most certainly helped in making the housing crisis on her reserve, that she went very public about, considerably worse. In other words, her own people ended up suffering more than they needed to due to financial mismanagement.

It is frustrating to see someone who would go public about what is a serious issue, not take responsibility for at least a portion of the blame, which I believe she has completely avoided. As opposed to saying, "Yes, I screwed up, and I accept the mistakes I made," she has become more defiant, and still has not properly addressed the matter. She did come out of her hiding place in Ottawa just long enough on the morning of the meeting to speak to reporters (accepting no questions) and touched the subject saying that the PM and the media are all lying, and that the money went to taxes and lawyers. Well, yes, but this should be shown on receipts, right? One of the big issues with the audit is the lack of documentation. Just get the frickin' receipts  It would save so much heartache and hassle for everyone involved. And, I must point out that I was disgusted with her hostility and the hostility of her "handlers" who came across as complete assholes at that brief press conference.

There is much criticism from her and supporters that the government has failed her and her reserve. Not being accountable for her expenditures has failed her reserve as well. That means they have been failed on two fronts and she is no better than the Federal Government. So it is no longer Spence vs the Federal Government but Spence and the Federal Government against the people. But she has her diehard supporters who continue to dismiss any and all criticism towards her. Why? I don't get it. Even if I support someone I can admit that there is room for criticism. 

The final straw was when Spence ordered that a Global News reporter who had gone to the reserve to see how the situation may have changed since her very public declaration of a state of emergency at Attawapiskat over housing conditions. As far as I am concerned, this was completely unacceptable and has greatly reduced my trust of her. 

What has bothered me just as much is that so many of her (Spenceites?) supporters applaud her actions. I'm sorry, but after living in the Middle East where media is tightly controlled and freedom of the press is almost non-existent, I have little sympathy for similar actions happening in Canada, whether it be by her OR Stephen Harper. I don't see much difference in her actions or the actions of a dictator who threatens to jail reporters. Would Global do a report that Spence wouldn't like? Possibly! We will never know now.I would like to know what has changed on the reserve. At the same time, I don’t watch Global so in the end I still might have been clued out. 

At the start of her strike there was much anger that her plight wasn't getting enough media attention. It's safe to say that now there is near media saturation. The reality is, when one makes a public splash they are putting themselves out on a limb. There will be support and there will be detractors. Just as much as she deserves her side of the story to be told, she needs to accept criticism and other views as well. There is no reason she should go forth without there being some criticism and analysis. That's what media does. Her actions in trying to control the media and the narrative of the story are unacceptable. Trying to create an atmosphere of fear where reporters can't fully report without getting arrested is unacceptable, childish, counter-productive and hostile. She must be willing to accept that there will be press coverage that she may deem to be negative. If you can't deal with it in an effective matter you shouldn't thrust yourself into the spotlight.

Now, I don't like Stephen Harper. I dislike where he is taking Canada. I do not support many of his policies or how he actually governs. I am disappointed that he won a majority in the last election and how he has seemingly run roughshod over Canada since winning. I wish we could get rid of him. Unfortunately, the Spence story seems to have become a "You are either with Spence or with Harper" issue. Can't we disagree with both or not trust either of them? I believe removing environmental protections (a big catalyst for the beginning of the Idle No More movement which Spence has been associated with) within a giant omnibus budget bill was pretty low. And this came from someone who, until he became PM, was a strong critic of omnibus bills. So, no, I don't trust Harper, for this and many other reasons. But, obviously, as stated, I am having difficulty trusting Spence as well. 

Now, on to Idle No More. Here is what I support: CHANGE! We need it desperately in Canada. The issues when it comes to First Nations has been going on far too long. Too many FN folks are living in poverty, are dogged by addiction, violence and abuse. There have been many horrible injustices done! The boarding school crisis, for example...and that's just one tiny example. There are serious issues that need to be overcome and addressed!

As far as I am concerned, the Indian Act has to go, the Treaties which many are demanding to be respected inherently create inequality and lack of empowerment and have to be ripped up, and there must be self-government or at least far more control handed over the First Nations people over their own affairs. These need addressing! Instead, the day that Aboriginal leaders were to meet with Stephen Harper for the meeting that has been pushed for, and was a key demand of Spence's, there was infighting and up to almost the end it seemed that no one would actually be going! Why? The Governor General, who has absolutely no power in this case, wasn't going to be there. Now, all powers over Native Affairs have been handed over to the Federal Government. The Governor General, the (mostly ceremonial at this point in time) representative of the Queen's presence would be problematic for a number of reasons, such as the Queen not wanting to get involved in the affairs of a sovereign nation! So, his NOT attending is best for everyone involved. The British Empire as we once knew it is dead.

Fortunately, Shawn Atleo, the head of the Assembly of First Nations, did go to the meeting, and for that I am so glad. To me, HE is the center now. He is someone I believe can work with the Federal Government to make the changes that are absolutely needed. He is an intelligent, well-spoken, sensible man who impressed me yesterday like you wouldn't believe. Unfortunately, so many of his own people have turned on him! WHY!???!???!?? Is there something I am missing? Time will tell if he will be able to deliver, but at the moment, I like what he has done.

Unless Idle No More can back sensible people like Shawn Atleo, then my support for the movement will die. My support, my hope, my faith is with Atleo at this moment. He is the man who, by attending yesterday's meeting, showed that he does want to get things done. Good! That's what we ALL need as Canadians. You can't say you won't be idle anymore and then stay idle. I don't want to see Idle No More go the way of Occupy. This is an important movement. We need real change that will improve the lives of natives in this country, and to create a better, fairer relationship that includes more trust, respect and understanding. 

So, my support of Theresa Spence has shifted over to Atleo. Unfortunately, I see Spence working against the best interests of her people, and her decision not to go to a meeting she is starving for as undermining the whole movement. Atleo was brave. In the face of the anger of his own people, he made the right decision to meet with the Prime Minister! Good for him! Some of the best leaders take action not because it's popular, but because they know it is the right thing to do. I believe and I hope this is Atleo's inspiration...to do the right thing. I think he has started off doing the right thing. 

Now, what will tomorrow bring? This seems to be an ever changing story. Who knows. 

Theresa Spence and The Canadian "Spring"?

I don't know how she is doing it, but Chief Theresa Spence has been on a hunger strike now for I believe 8 days. She vows to stay on this strike until Prime Minister Stephen Harper meets with her. The issues? Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure. As this is going on, the Idle No More movement has also kicked in, and the demands by this group seem to go a lot farther than Spence's demands. Spence seems to be focused mostly on living conditions for natives, which is a very fair issue. We all know, or at least should know, that often living conditions can be rather sub standard on some reserves. I mean, there are any number of reasons for this beyond just failures of the Canadian Government. But, regardless it is an important issue and Spence has a right to do what she is doing. I also believe that as a leader within her community, a Chief representing people under the watch of the Canadian Government, she deserves to be paid attention to by PM Harper.

So, here we are, in Canada, in (almost) 2013, and a leader in a community in Canada feels so desperate that she feels she must go on a hunger strike to be heard? This is insane. This should not be. This is Canada! This is a land of freedom, where we negotiate, talk and come to understandings, where we try to work together and work out our problems...at least in theory, at least in my mind. But what gets to me is that Harper doesn't seem to interested in meeting with her. Why?? I don't get it.

After declaring a state of emergency on her Northern Ontario reserve over the fact that several families were living in poor conditions, in sub par housing, she was attacked as being a bad leader who mismanaged finances. Apparently, based on people looking into things...she didn't. All the money she spent on the reserve was used in a way approved by the Canadian Government. That doesn't mean I think that all decisions made on the reserve were perfect, or that a few things didn't fall through the cracks. What it does mean is that she isn't the evil lady that many on the right in Canada and within the Federal Government portrayed her as. So, to say the least, she has a history with the Canadian government.

So, why on earth would Harper not meet with her to iron out some of the issues they have had and help to solve issues so that we can all move forward?? It makes no sense to me. It's especially difficult to understand seeing as the Federal Government is the one who is dealing directly with Native leaders in this country. There is no Premier to go to. There is no other local government. There is the Canadian government.

She also represents a growing movement of people that are sick of what has been going on. This is a country that, for whatever reason, has never fully been able to deal adequately with issues pertaining to First Nations peoples and things just seem to be getting worse. We have an unfortunately large percentage of Natives in Canadian jails, one of the highest suicide rates in the world, a generation raising children that are still haunted by the boarding school nightmare, and nothing appears on the surface to be getting resolved. Land claims court cases get backlogged for years and years, deals that have been made in the past have been broken, new development for extracting resources is causing major environmental damage and affecting the lives of Natives probably more than many other people in Canada because it impacts their lands that they use for hunting and fishing...and living on in general. So, there are issues that need to be addressed. Our Prime Minister however doesn't seem very interested in it.

So, now what? How long is this hunger strike going to have to go on before Harper actually has dialogue with Theresa Spence, and starts addressing issues that affect Natives all over Canada. Not only that, but issues, that in the end, impact everyone in Canada, not just Natives. It's just beyond my belief that this is happening. I'm saddened that this is the way it is in Canada. I seldom hear of hunger strikes outside of places that aren't run by dictators or very corrupt regimes, unless I am missing something. How can this be happening in Canada???

All I can say is that I wish Theresa Spence all the best and hope that Harper visits her before it's too late. I hope he understands the consequences that he will face if, for some reason, she is allowed to die. I can imagine riots, road blocks, and violence. Before it gets to that, let's have dialogue. Meet with her, Mr. Harper! It's the right thing to do. 

Sandy Hook: The Tip of an Iceberg of Global Pain.

There was no escaping the news today that 27 people, 20 of them young children, were killed today when a gunman entered a school in Newton, Connecticut.

This news has absolutely shocked the US, Canada, and people in many other countries. And it is horrible. It was a disgusting act that has caused needless destruction and pain. It has people talking about gun control again, it has people praying, it has people saddened, it has people shaken.

But....

I do not mean to take away from the seriousness of today's news or undermine the feelings of people. I do not wish to downplay the feelings of anyone. But, I also feel that we should all be aware of something.

Obviously, I'm not the only one who has brought this up. Much focus has been put on these children. However, in many other places in the world that aren't the US, children died today in just as horrific ways. I look at Syria. I look at areas in Africa that are suffering from drought. There was no shortage of children who died today while being abused and mistreated. There was no shortage of children being trafficked, working in jobs they shouldn't be working in, dying of preventable, treatable diseases, being killed in horrific accidents or being caught in a war zone.

How often do we forget these nameless faceless children? Did they not die in a way that attracted a wide enough television audience? Are the lives of these children worth less than the lives of the children in Newton?

Again, this is no way is meant to be an attack on the people suffering greatly in Newton or anywhere where people are affected. This truly was a terrible tragedy. But today I hear words like "innocent children" or that these children have had their innocence taken away. There are children in the world who lost their innocence at a very early age that suffer greatly that we fail to see. Over and over again the question of "How do I tell my children?" came up. Well, how do people in far away places tell children when their parents are killed in war?

The truth is, there is more pain and suffering in this world than we care to imagine. It's sad and unfortunate. It will always be this way. There will always be pain. There will always be death. There will always be a loss of innocence at any age. All children who suffer anywhere are worthy of the same respect, honour, sympathy and empathy as the children in Newton.

Let's remember all those who suffered today, and be grateful if we were not one of them. 

Rob Ford's Weight

Look people, we all know that the ridiculously ridiculous Mayor of Toronto (or IS he? Well, at the moment he still is), Mr. Rob Ford is a large man. But COME ON, surely there are other things that people can focus on, like, maybe the fact that he puts his football team before, you know, the well being and inner workings of the largest city in Canada. Making fun of his weight? That's just silly, petty playground "bullying" kind of stuff.

In this day and age when we must fight so hard for body image acceptance, the first thing that people want to pick on when it comes to this incompetent buffoon is his weight. Look, he's a big guy, we all know that. We know that for health reasons it's most likely the best idea to lose some weight, but physically he is who he is. Attacking the guy based on his weight is much akin to attacking someone like Barak Obama for the colour of his skin. How does Ford's weight come into play here?

Please, people, the guy has enough ridiculousness surrounding him that there is no need to go after his weight. If there is one way in which we should accept him, it is as who he is physically, even if we don't accept his politics. I feel for kids who turn on the TV or go to "social media" or whatever they are calling it these days, and see people making fun of Ford for his weight. If they happen to be on the larger side, they read this, look at themselves and....well, I wonder what they think?

Anyway, that's it. That's all. I don't like Rob Ford. I don't like his personality, his politics or his politics and his personality....and definitely his personality....and politics. But I accept him for who he is physically and don't believe that it plays any role in his personality....and politics. Leave him be on the weight issue people! Let's love our bodies for what they are! 

No More Rockets, No More Hamas!

I woke up a few mornings ago to see that prominent Hamas armed wing leader Ahmed Al-Jaabari had been assassinated when an Israeli missile hit his car in the Gaza strip. Blammo. This has come after at least a week of escalation in violence between Israel and Gaza militants that had seen an increase in rockets being fired into Israel and then retaliation by Israel. Hamas has a missile problem. They like to randomly fire these things into Israel with seeming no rhyme or reason and with no particular destination. Sometimes it is in retaliation, sometimes it is for....I have no clue what reason.

Anyway, since then, of course, all hell has broken loose, with rockets being fired wildly into Israel, some reaching Tel Aviv and at least one reaching Jerusalem. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Israel has bombed the snot out of several hundred targets, which they claim are key militant sites which, for the most part, I tend to believe. However, clearly the population of Gaza are getting the brunt of the destruction with at least 16 dead and a hundred injured. Seems not all of the bombs are hitting their mark, and/or the dense population of the strip means that injury and death is unavoidable. If Israel is, for some ridiculously stupid reason, intentionally targeting civilians, then clearly they are idiots. I don't believe however that this is what they are doing. Regardless, people in Gaza are dying and being injured and it is a sad, sad situation. At the same time, the Israeli death toll is at three. Of course it's not as high, but these deaths as well are very sad. The fact that anyone is dying here is unfortunate.

So all of this leads me to ask: Hamas and Islamic Jihad (and whatever other militant groups there are in Gaza), may I ask, how has firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel working out for you and the people of Gaza? At what point will you see that these rockets you insist on shooting off are suicidal? How many times must Gaza be struck by Israel before the point is made that the rockets achieve nothing? How many people must die? For some reason, there are those in Gaza and those who support Palestinians who believe that these rockets are justified and show strength and determination or some crazy thing. They are seen as an act of defense instead of what they really are which is an act of offense that leads to retaliation. And, when Israel does retaliate because rockets are fired at them, the world screams “Israel is attacking Gaza!” Well, no kidding! They are trying desperately to stop these rockets! You can’t fire rockets into Israel and expect no response. Whether you like it or not, Israel can outgun you! Be reasonable!

The common argument is that these rockets are just small, crude devices and Israel is showing disproportionate force. The answer is, don’t fire rockets! There seems to be an implication that Israel should just accept rockets being fired into it because, meh, they aren't that big of a deal. That is completely unrealistic. There are those who say that Gaza has been treated like a concentration camp and that their grip on power over the strip is inhumane. Yes, I can see that. However, the grip tightened significantly, and understandably, when Hamas took over power of the strip. Hamas has virtually dedicated itself to the destruction of Israel. Can people not see the connection here? Again, what is Israel to do? At what point will people see that Hamas is not helping Palestinians as a whole in any way shape or form. They are not offering security, that’s for sure. They are not offering a better life for the people of Gaza. They are offering war and destruction. And for all the talk of Israel’s iron grip, there is little mention of the grip Hamas has over its people. Somehow, Hamas gets a free ride in how it treats it's own citizens at times and the way it has dealt with Fatah, it's rival in the fight over control of Palestinians. Their actions against their own citizens, such as a heavy crackdown not long ago against protesters in Gaza that dared to call for peace and reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah makes me scratch my head at how anyone can not see that Hamas are a bunch of dicks!

Am I a firm supporter of Israel? No. I do support its existence. I do see it as an independent country. I see Israel as a move by Jews to have an independent state where they were no longer at the mercy of the rest of the world, including the Muslim world. It seems that as long as Jews were under Muslim control, paid their taxes to their overlords and knew their place everything was cool. But when Jews said "enough is enough" and declared independence, that's wasn't cool. The fact is, many Jews have also been expelled from "Arab" lands, having their property taken and being sent off, generally as refugees to Israel. Over 50 percent of the population of Israel are Jewish refugees pushed out of "Arab" lands. This seems to be forgotten for some bizarre, strange reason.

But at the same time, I believe that Israel has done many wrongs over the years that are intolerable and disgusting. Israel is no angel that is for sure! In the saga of Israel/Palestine, there truly are two sides doing ridiculous, horrible things. But for Gaza, I believe strongly that the answer to progress is to get rid of Hamas, get rid of Islamic Jihad, get rid of rockets and work on becoming a state that Israel can live beside peacefully, like it does with most of its other neighbours. At the same time, Israel has a responsibility to stop expanding beyond its borders and to not be quite as heavy handed as they can sometimes be. It would be nice to see the blockade and sanctions against Gaza lifted, but how can they be as long as Hamas is determined to destroy Israel? At the same time, should all in the strip be forced to live in an intolerable state because of Hamas? Can Israel afford to lift the blockade? Can Israel afford not too as public opinion sways against it?

I have little faith that we will see peace in the Middle East anytime soon. Divisions are so deep, polarized and steeped in a cycle of violence that it is entrenched in the societies and cultures. Both sides in the Israel/Palestine situation are stubborn and hot headed. There are solutions. I believe I have presented a few. There, however, is much more to do beyond that. But, as long as rockets are being shot off into Israel indiscriminately and Hamas is in power, there is little hope of peace, little room for negotiation. It’s time for Gaza and Palestinians to step back and rethink their futile strategy. Then, hopefully, life can improve for Palestinians.

With All Apologies to Kyle Petty

Oh man, social media, you can be a harsh mistress.

So, here's the story. Yesterday, I see a tweet to a driver/broadcaster/charity dude and member of one of the biggest families in motorsports, Kyle Petty. A lady, or a gent, not sure which, asked Mr. Petty what year he started his charity motorcycle ride. Mr. Petty sent a brief answer: "95 or 96". When I saw that, I laughed, and I laughed and I....well, okay, I'm exaggerating. I just had a chuckle. That's a pretty short answer, right? Am I right? I'm not the only one thinking that, right? Please tell me that I'm right on that one? Right?

Anyway, so I sent back a twitter message saying "That's going to be a short story!". Now, Mr. Petty sent a tweet saying "No! its about me, NOT you... that would be short.." Ouch! Okay, you still following me with all of this? So to sum up what we got at this point: Writer asks Petty for info for a story, writer gets short answer which is understandable on twitter, me thinks this is funny, me sends ill thought out tweet, me get reply back, me obviously been misinterpreted.

Now, really, in the grand scheme of things, this ain't a big deal, right? And, I'm sure all participants involved except me have forgotten about it, or don't care, which is understandable. But, you know when you get a tweet from a celebrity who has been part of your life, from a distance, but still, part of your life for as long as you can remember, and it's for all the wrong reasons because your tweet was misinterpreted? I'm not the only one, right? I'm sure others have had this terribly agonizing dilemma  no?  It has to happen a million times a day, correct? Work with me here people! Validate my concerns!

So, how does one deal with such an embarrassment? A blog post! Voila, here you have it! Now, with all of this stated, to make this terrible mistake right, I would like to formally, and publicly apologize to Mr. Kyle Petty for this misunderstanding. I don't believe a story about his endeavors would be short. I also believe that it would be quite interesting and worth reading. As the original tweeter pointed out later "[My story is] at nearly a thousand words and I haven't even gotten to his off-track endeavors with charity and music." Aha! There you go! See! Plenty to write about there. I will not deny that! See? See what I'm saying here? Thank you. I appreciate the understanding.

And now my mind is clear. 

Mhamad (Mohamed) Eskandar and HELEM Montreal

Oh MAN, why do people have to be so overwhelmingly horrible at times? I came across a well written letter by HELEM Montreal. I have never heard of HELEM until now. This is what the organization is about, and based on this and everything I read about them, I like them and they have my support:

HELEM Montreal is a Lebanese Canadian LGBT, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization registered in Quebec since 2004. We lead a peaceful advocacy movement for the liberation of the Lebanese and Middle-Eastern LGBT community from all sorts of legal, social and cultural discrimination. 

Now, they have great concerns, for good reason, about one Mhamad Eskandar coming to Montreal and Ottawa to perform. ("... at Place Vertu Center on September 1, 2012, and at restaurant Mazaj in Ottawa on September 2, 2012."). Said Eskandar has a history of writing writing and recording homophobic and sexist songs. One that has, in particular, raised concerns is Dodd Al Ounf. According to this video, helping mom do the dishes when you are a kid and wearing high heels for two minutes turns you gay. According to the letter linked above:

"Mr. Mhamad Eskandar released in 2012 a homophobic song entitled “Dod El 3enf” which translates to “Against Violence”; a slogan commonly used by the LGBT community in its advocacy against discrimination. The title was purposely used to ridicule the LGBT cause and advocacy efforts. The song starts by depicting two parents fighting because of their son’s sexual orientation and blaming the gay son for the disputes and separation of his parents. The song then describes the son as a “lover against violence” who resembles a female. Although he looks like a man, he displays the mannerism of a woman. The song also provides that from the time men stopped enlisting in the army, they became contaminated with a “disease of softness” and lost 50% of their masculinity. It also encourages the physical abuse of boys displaying any femininity."  

Ya, that ain't cool buddy. In fact, that's being a complete asshole. Anyway, this kind of crap pisses me off, as you probably know from previous posts on the subject. Why do assholes like this wish to perpetuate stereotypes, dehumanize gays and put "Machismo" above anything else?? It's bullshit. And, I feel very bad for LGBT folks in the Lebanese community in Canada who want to stay away from this homophobic crap by living in Canada, but have an idiot like this follow them to play near them. I mean, this kind of homophobia is bullshit regardless of the community it is negatively impacting. I'm not calling for him not to come. But, I am pissed off that people actually want to see this idiot perform. I mean, his music is utter and complete crap anyway to start with. But, then when you combine the fact that he has a long history of homophobia and sexism, you can't help but question who would pay to see this guy. And, I hope he is met with protests and I hope that people everywhere are made aware of the content of his lyrics and his views. It's just ridiculously stupid that a grown man is so sadly homophobic and misogynistic. Grow up, dude.

As a Canadian, I am saddened whenever I hear about homophobia in this country (or anywhere for that matter). But, when it's being imported, it pisses me off that much more. Fine, come to Canada, make your money off of your crappy homophobic music, leave with a smug smile thinking your hot shit because you have an "international" following. Whatever. Plain and simple, your a dick and I'm disappointed you will be performing in Canada.