drapeau rouge



 
  politics

When I think about my relationship with America, I feel like a battered wife: Yeah, he knocks me around a lot, but boy, he sure can dance!


There comes a time halfway through any halfway decent liberal arts major's college career when she no longer has any idea what she believes. She flies violently through air polluted by conflicting ideas and theories, never stopping at one system of thought long enough to feel at home. All those books, all that talk, and, oh, the self-reflection.

--Sarah Vowell, Take the Cannoli

I tell people I'm a socialist, just like I tell people I'm an atheist, as opposed to a wishy washy liberal and 'spiritual' agnostic. It's more bad ass. My political philosophy? I basically root for the underdogs, the disadvantaged, the people who are hurting most, the ones who are oppressed, and the voiceless who deserved to be heard, including the planet earth. I believe in class warfare. Being politically conscientious came early to me, as I've been a socialist since I was 11, and figures such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Tony Benn, and now Jeremy Corbyn, have always been beacons of hope for me in a sea of darkness. Firstly, indulge me with some scattershot drivel...

As an American, my relationship with the Democratic Party remains complicated and troubling, even though I still vote for its candidates and platforms most of the time (unless there's a viable local Green candidate), and I give them money whenever I'm able. It's the practical, responsible option. Considering the first-past-the-post electoral system that we have in place, I do not want to split the progressive vote. However, the party's centrist establishment leaves many, like myself, perennially frustrated. Ultimately, at the risk of oversimplification, most Democratic politicians act like pussies who don't stand for anything substantive, except for not being Republicans. However, I really want them to take the war head-on to the enemies-- the Republicans. As the evil and often ignorant bullies, they do not understand human decency or reason, nor science. But the Democrats, being earnest, decent-minded folks, always want to be cooperative and 'bipartisan', which in the end just allow Republicans to fuck us over again and again. They don't believe in fair play (cf. gerrymadering and systematically disenfranchising voters who are people of colour). So yes, I'm speaking to you, President Obama. You were always being so nice and polite to the Republicans, and look where that got you. When you try to be conciliatory, and try to make them happy, you don't ever succeed. You just get screwed. No matter what, they are still going to attack you viciously and mercilessly, because they hate you. They're just bigots, and they hate blacks. Look at the voters who vote Republican. They'll never like you. Stop trying. In the process, you alienate the base, and you make nobody happy. Play to the base for a change. You may as well make some people happy-- progressives like me-- instead of making everyone unhappy.

As a matter of fact, my favourite past American presidents, for all their countless faults, are the traditional and often vilified, and also unjustifiably and inaccurately called 'tax-and-spend liberals'-- like LBJ and FDR. If being a socialist sounds too flippant to some, I reckon I maybe can concede that I'm just an old school Democrat. Granted, disasters like Vietnam, Bay of Pigs, the Dominican Republic, and all the other countless now-forgotten but unfathomably tragic foreign policy shenanigans with millions of Third World collateral victims, were often instigated by Cold War Democratic presidents. The internment of Japanese Americans during WWII by FDR was even more troubling. On the other hand, these administrations truly wanted to uplift the underclass of America. I tend to remember these classic Democratic presidents for the Great Society, the New Deal, respectively, and their contributions to the advancement of civil and voting rights, as well as to the building of extensive public infrastructure and social safety net in America.

Things start to get complicated with president Carter, a figure we can admire, but he also set the centrist, Southern-oriented paradigm that took over the party from thereafter. 'New Democrats' of 80s and 90s and their ilk just make me nauseous, perhaps even more than the overtly fascist Republicans at times. At least they don't hide the fact that they're just plain evil. I resent the Clintons and the Tony Blairs of the developed world for co-opting the left, and basically taking voters like us for granted. Sometimes it feels like they don't stand for anything other than doing whatever they can to get elected and stay elected, and they never move the centre of political debate. They still play on their terms, still set by Republican ideologues. They don't challenge how 'liberal' became a dirty word. They still speak on the turf of the enemies, and use their terminologies, and allow them to set the agendas and define the parametres. On some days when one feels especially cynical, it may seem that Democratic politicians, particularly those in positions of power and in Congress, are no less worse than the Republicans.

However, when I'm in a better mood and not blinded by anger, I'll concede that the bottom line is that these Democratic leaders are, for the most part, on the same sides of issues with frustrated progressives like me. We have more in common than not. Like them, I believe that the American government must take an active role in fighting all forms of inequity and injustice at home and abroad (with the consent and support of the international community, of course). I believe the government should help the working class, and not work against them by perennially favouring the financial services and corporate sectors. I believe in fair wages, decent working conditions, and sensible trade policies. I believe in real choice in reproductive rights, defending the environment, investment in infrasturcture, support for transit, smart growth, density and sustainable development (YIMBY!), for green energy, a strong commitment to public education and to science, and universal healthcare. I really believe that 'it takes a village' to build a just society. I believe in the possibilities and opportunities that a fact-and-science-based government (as opposed to one based on religious superstition or whims of Fox News pundits) can foster, because no one else even close can. Trickle down, supply-side, voodoo economics and the free market system have had their chance. It's time for real change. An unregulated and rampant market system is just prolonging malicious chaos and misery for most people on the planet. I'll stop my stump speech now and let you check out my links.




This page contains mostly pinko, commie leftist links, as well as some obvious governmental entities. I'm such a politics junkie that I even follow the political landscapes in Canada and the UK on a daily basis. I enjoy observing and studying the game of politics, similar to how other people obsess about sports. I love following the horse races, the jostling, the hustling, and making informed or fun predictions. I love spotting the potential rising stars, or unlikely coalitions. It feels like playing fantasy hockey or baseball. Like some sports fanatics, I also love following politics in distant jurisdictions, where I don't have any stake in. Perhaps that's why these can sometimes feel more fun, when considering that it does really hurt when you're on the losing side, and when people's lives-- yours and your neighbours, and especially those of the oppressed and disadvantaged in your community-- are at stake.

If you are interested in progressive publications and other media resources, consult my media page (this is also where I vent against mainstream American media and its biases). Links to various transit and planning agencies and issues reside in the travel and transportation page.




governments

  • Alameda County, California.
  • Belastingdienst. The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration. This is another sumptuous feast for the eyes, and it's coming from the bloody tax authorities!
  • City of Berkeley, California. I guess I'm always a bit of an apologist for the city of Berkeley. However, many American cities, even municipalities which would like to consider themselves as progressive, can learn a lot from it in terms of how to run a community that strives to achieve egality and social responsibilty whenever possible. I'd like to refer to passages from David Kirp's column in the July/ August 2003 issue of the American Prospect:

    Berkeley originated many ideas that were initially dismissed as oddball but are now seen as hallmarks of progressive policy: divestiture from apartheid-era South Africa and voluntary public-school desegregation, as well as bans on Styrofoam "to go" cups and smoking in public places. It was also one of the first cities to implement curbside recycling. And at a time when many cities and local governments are facing budget shortfalls, Berkeley is actually running a small surplus; it's a model of how government ought to work.

    Berkeley elected the country's first socialist mayor, in 1911, and its public services would gladden any social democrat's heart. It has long been the epicenter of the disability-rights movement, and more than 30 years ago it pioneered curb cuts. More than a thousand children attend city-run summer camps, which are subsidized for poor families. A mini-grant program run by the parks department funds neighborhood initiatives. About 18 percent of the population takes public transportation to work -- four times the national and state averages -- which is one reason the American Federation for the Blind recently named Berkeley one of the best places in the country to live. Libraries stay open weekends and most nights (people use them, too!). There's even a tool-lending library -- another Berkeley innovation -- for do-it-yourselfers. The city's architectural preservation, meanwhile, has won international awards, and no place in the world has done as good a job on earthquake preparedness. Almost every public building has been retrofitted and is being supplied with emergency caches of food. And mainly because of sizeable city tax incentives, nearly 60 percent of all homes have been retrofitted as well.

    Five years ago, when a health survey turned up alarmingly high rates of low-birth-weight babies, especially among African Americans, Berkeley did more than fret. Health officials, together with the University of California's School of Public Health and a local hospital, targeted help for the poorest neighborhoods -- everything from delivering more prenatal care to providing breast-feeding peer counselors. Meanwhile, a door-to-door canvass brought the message into the community. Since 1999 there has been a 40 percent decrease in low-birth-weight babies, and the disparity between black and white infants has been reduced from 4-to-1 to 3-to-1. Though Berkeley officials rightly say that's not good enough, it's still a stunning accomplishment...

    What's most surprising, the city has done all this while keeping the books in balance. It raises more money per capita than its neighbors, with a hefty real-estate parcel tax that's exempt from the tax-limiting Proposition 13, and it manages its revenue intelligently. During the current fiscal crisis, Oakland and San Francisco have had to lay off a number of workers. But because of smart planning, including a hiring freeze and substantial reductions in capital expenditures, Berkeley will turn a small surplus this year -- money that will prudently be added to the city's contingency fund, 6 percent of the general fund.

    As might be imagined, the level of civic engagement is high, and so is the decibel level. Hundreds of people turn out to debate how a traffic light is timed... But such steroidal democracy doesn't keep the city from being run effectively. From the news accounts, who'd imagine that Moody's, the bond-rating company, has given Berkeley one of the top ratings in California?

  • Government of British Columbia.
  • State of California official home page.
  • Canada. It's still a good idea, eh? For all its problems and its moribund economy, American liberals traditionally tend to use Canada as an example to aspire to, especially in terms of healthcare, commitment to multicultural diversity, and social services. We want to believe in the myth that a people who are seemingly like us Americans are able to build a more just and equitable society. Incidentally, if you are a Canadaphile, you should also stop by Canoe, perhaps the best place to start exploring Canadian web content and current news and issues. Lastly, Canada was one of the first nations to implement a comprehensive graphic identity for all government publications. Cool, eh? If your're as interesed in Canadian politics as I am, perhaps you should occasionally stop by CBC Newsworld for the latest headlines, and UBC Library's Net Station for all the relevant links. For more in-depth or exhaustive exploration of various federal political issues, everything from equalization payments to separatism, check out Mapleleafweb.com.
  • Statistics Canada's site and the Teaching and Learning About Canada site should come in handy for Canadaphiles. The latter features a good digest of Canadian history and bios of all prime ministers.
  • East Bay Municipal Utility District.
  • European Union.
  • King County, Washington.
  • Los Angeles County, California.
  • Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors page provides direct access to the extensive sites of each of the five monarchs. I can't believe that after all these fucking years, Mike Antonovich is still my supervisior.
  • Het Parlement of the Netherlands. This is one of the coolest-looking sites around. I don't think any government's site can even come close. Even if you don't know Dutch, cruising through the site can still be an awesome, sumptuous feast for the eyes. Incidentally, Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a good clearinghouse site for information regarding the Netherlands in general as well as living and working there as foreigners.
  • City of Oakland, California. Mayor Jerry Brown has a site here providing explanations of initiatives and archive of speeches.
  • State of Oregon. No [regressive] sales tax here! No self-serve at petrol stations either. What a civilised place! Even though culturally, demographically, geographically, and geologically Oregon is quite similar to Washington, the Beaver State is still, in many ways, a looking glass version of the Evergreen State. However, people living in Seattle are always going, 'Wow, look at all the cool things they're doin' over in Portland.' Alas, people in Portland seem to rarely say the same thing about Seattle.
  • City and County of San Francisco, California. If you wanna bitch about MUNI, come over here.
  • City of Seattle.
  • Supreme Court Decisions. This is a pretty rad site since you can find out about various cases over the years through a comprehensive index.
  • THOMAS. "Legislative Information on the Internet" brought to you by the Library of Congress.
  • Government of Tibet in Exile. This is the official site maintained by the Office of Tibet, the official agency of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in London. More Tibet links can be found below on this page.
  • UK Government. Everything starts here. PA Westminster Web provides updates on the UK Parliament. By the way, you can also visit the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair at home in 10 Downing Street.
  • UK National Statistics Online. You can't believe how much fun and engrossing this site can be. Check out all the maps galore. If you're a geography freak like me, be prepared to stay here for hours, if not days.
  • United Nations. Part of the one-world government conspiracy? ...we should be so lucky.
  • U.S. National Debt Clock is still ticking after all these years on the web.
  • State of Washington. Like Californians in the 1970s and 1980s, the people of Washington are badly in need of some sense of intelligence as well as responsibility. In 1999, in an act of astonishing idiocy similar to the passage of Prop. 13 in 1978, Washingtonians approved Initiative 695, which banned the state's sliding vehicle registration fees in favour of a flat $30.00 fee. When I first visited in Seattle, I was surprised at how intelligent and sensible it was to have high vehicle registration fees considering that the burden rested more on those who can pay more. What resulted after the passage was exactly as predicted. There was a severe evisceration of government services, particularly transportation. Government loss of revenues led to cutbacks in bus and ferry services at a time when they should be increased and improved. In a state badly in need of an upgrade of transit infrastructure, the passage of the initiative senselessly struck down hard on transit agencies and the people who rely on them the most: the elderly, the disabled, the students, and the poor. Traffic congestion and pollution is as severe in Washington as in California, and yet the voters still blatantly disregarded the dire state of the environment in favour of selfish and short term gains. (Some people thought that they were getting a tax break when they voted for the initiative, but yet many later found that their registration fees have actually increased due to the fact that the original sliding scale fee was based on the value of their cars.) The passage of this initiative reflected almost everything that's wrong about Americans. First of all, the voters were badly informed and unable of exercise good judgement. Despite opposition from both large corporations such as Boeing and Microsoft, as well as from likely groups such as environmentalists and labour (which is very telling), the people nevertheless refused to listen, and ultimately, their greediness and ignorance got the best of them. Secondly, their vote hurt the people who are the most downtrodden of society; it's a rejection of a sense of social responsibility and caring for their neighbours and fellow citizens. Rugged individualism is just selfish bullshit. Society can only achieve its highest potential and aspirations through everyone's contribution and cooperation. Government is the ultimate manifestation of societal cooperation and social contract. It's not, as the Republicans have you believe, the other. Ultimately, government is us. Lack of faith in government is lack of faith in us. The passage of measures like 695 and Prop. 13 is indicative of a pathologically severe, debilitating lack of faith in government. Government in America doesn't work because historically, it was hardly ever given a chance to work with adequate funding, initiative, and commitment. (Remember that we have among the lowest tax burdens among modern, developed, post-industrial democracies.) Secondly, protection of the environment always come (if at all) after personal monetary gain, no matter how insignificance. Thirdly, Americans seems to favour Neanderthal legislation like the regressive flat taxes and sales taxes which put the financial burden on those who can least afford to pay them. (The poor generally pay a greater portion of their incomes through sales taxes than through income taxes.) Finally, why should environmentally-conscientious citizen driving a small, light vehicle with good mileage pay the same amount of registration fee as the person who's basically raping the environment by driving a big, heavy (especially taxing on the roads), and gas-guzzling SUV? Americans feel that it's a God-given right to waste as much petrol as possible for as long as possible. In the end, and in the long-run (a concept alien to most Americans), everyone loses. (I actually have more to say about this here.)
  • City of West Covina, California is my old hometown.



ecology

I've been asked to contribute resources by most of the following organisations, but unfortunately, I can't give to all of them. (You know, you join one group, and then everybody else wants you to join their groups.) However, I can give each of them a link, and if you're wealthier than I am (and chances are, you are), throw some money at them since they're all worthy causes. We all know that one man's special interest is another man's advocate. However, as far as I'm concerned, these organisations protect and fight for the earth, where we all live, no matter what our politics are.






progressive links

  • ACLU. American Civil Liberties Union is very cool 'cause Courtney Love once said "they are very liberal, y'know?"
  • The Agenda hosted by the great Steve Paikin is TV Ontario's flagship public affairs and politics programme often with a national scope.
  • Amnesty International. Our high school teacher Mr Ludlum originally got us involved with writing letters on behalf of their campaigns to free political prisoners around the world. On their site, find out about human rights violations around the world, including right here in America (the only industrialised democracy to have the death penalty). By the way, don't you think that all the U.S. congressmen who voted against the ban on waterboarding in 2007 and 2008 are exactly those who deserved to be waterboarded? Yeah, yeah, this is exactly what Amenesty is against, but congressmen are certainly not 'prisoners of conscience.'
  • Andrew Marr Show.
  • Anti-Defamation League. For the most part, this is a great organisation. While I don't stand with them on all issues (particularly with the Palestinian issue), you'll find that (like the case with my feelings toward Democratic Party) you're on the same side with them more often than not. Overall, it's an admirable and necessary cause. Anti-Semitism and racism are still serious problems that must be resolved. Incidentally, I reckon this item would be as good a point as any where I can make a few points about the issue of race in America. As you read these pages, perhaps some of you may feel that I may have a monomaniacal axe to grind with regard to the hegemony of white heterosexual males in America. The fact of the matter is that I don’t. (In fact, most of my friends happen to belong to this ruling class…) However, I do have a problem with racism and injustice, wherever or whomever it may come from. Needless to say, even people who belong to traditionally oppressed classes may sometimes be the perpetrators of racism. (Believe it or not, I first experienced overt racism in liberal Seattle, of all places. A group of rowdy African Americans were loudly and tauntingly talking trash about Asians, even as I sat amongst them in the back of a crowded King County Metro bus. It was scary.) Where am I taking this? Well, I would like to point out America’s policy toward Israel, which is rightly deemed skewed and unfair by the rest of the world, including the European Union. Almost all Americans (including myself at one point) are conditioned to think that any criticism of Israel constitutes a form of anti-Semitism. When we even suggest that Jews have tremendous and disproportionate influence over our corporate media and politics (which they indeed do), we may sound like crazy Nazi conspiracy theorists. Some of us have so internalised this irrational fear of being accused of anti-Semitism that we as Americans would feel guilty for thinking about it, let alone talk about it. However, ultimately, the truth is that Jews in America do hold a disproportionate amount of political, economic, and media power in America, and this is reflect in America’s disastrous foreign policy toward Israel, and the U.S. government’s enormous subsidies to Israel. (For such a tiny country with a relatively small population, Israel is the biggest recipient of U.S. economic aid. In fact, it receives more than three times as much U.S. aid annually than the entire Sub-Saharan Africa, where, among too many other bad things, a Biblical-scale pandemic of AIDS is wiping out populations. Is this fair or just? Ultimately, without U.S. aid, Israel would simply collapse.) Because of our conditioning in America, we as liberals feel especially uncomfortable to question this fact. On the other hand, we cannot conceive of other ethnic minorities (including blacks, Hispanics, Asians, each of which all greatly outnumber Jews) wielding the kind of power Jews enjoy in America. Can you imagine us supporting any African or Latin American country with the amount of economic, military, and diplomatic aid we give to Israel? Can you imagine Americans going out on a limb for any country other than Israel? Does anyone dare to question why we alone continue to support Israel and its policies unconditionally? On a cultural level, does anyone notice how differently Arabs and Jews are depicted in the media and in movies? Does anyone ask who finances movies in America? Anyway, even though it may not always be politically expedient to do so, it’s important to speak the truth (however uncomfortable) and call out racism and injustice, wherever it may be.
  • BBC Parliament.
  • BuyBlue.org is quite a useful site that provides a directory that helps you determine which companies deserve your business. It's also important that whether you're boycotting or supporting a particular business, it's important to also tell your all your friends about it. Word of mouth is important, and eventually, the companies in question would find out about why they're losing business if enough people talk about it.
  • Helen Caldicott, the eloquent peace activist I discovered way back during Pacifica's interminable pledge drives.
  • CALPIRG. California Public Interest Research Group. They are involved in so many critical issues that awhile back, I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't quite know what they were about even as I was joining them after Jerry Brown gave a speech on behalf of the organisation a few years ago on campus. In their own words, "CALPIRG's mission is to deliver persistent, result-oriented public interest activism that protects our environment, encourages a fair, sustainable economy, and fosters responsive, democratic government." Sounds cool to me!
  • Jimmy Carter was probably too much of a saint to be an effective American president.
  • Noam Chomsky has been a source of sober inspiration since I was in high school. Another useful site for Chomsky articles and other resources can be found here courtesy of Global Issues.
  • Citizens for Tax Justice is an organisation that tries to reform America's outrageously regressive tax system. Check out the section Who Pays? for your state's tax structure, and you'll find that the poorest always have the greatest tax burdens in America.
  • Colbert Report. Truth is a liberal ploy! I also think truth has a liberal bias.
  • Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe is part of inimitable Charlie Brooker's -wipe empire that skewers the media landscape.
  • Daily Poiltics and Sunday Politics.
  • The Daily Show is now hosted by Trevor Noah.
  • Democratic Party is not too much different from Republicans these days. They don't stand for much anymore, and sometimes it's hard to tell them apart from the enemies. Anyway, find out what those bastards are up to. However, the party is still definitely the lesser of too many evils out there.
  • Dogwood organises grassroots citizen action in British Columbia, particularly issues concerning the environment and curbing tanker traffic and pipelines in the region.
  • Drug Reform Coordination Network.
  • Eactivism.com. "An Online Community for Activists."
  • Babara Ehrenreich, columnist and writer.
  • Dave Emory, investigative journalist. I used to be a Dave Emory freak in high school since what he had to say really scared the shit out of me. Believing that fascism is alive and well in America, he's still worth checking out though. If you're peckish for conspiracy theories, and have a strong stomach to get through his very long programmes, this is well worth it.
  • FAIR. Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Don't kid yourself. The "liberal" mainstream media doesn't really exist. Find out here.
  • FiveThirtyEight is Nate Silver's site devoted to looking at the numbers and aggregating polls using methodical models. Most importantly, Whiz Kid Harry Enten has a platform here.
  • Global Exchange. Know where your goods are coming from.
  • Global Issues That Affect Everyone is another handy resource with loads of pertinent links.
  • Green parties worldwide and nationwide, take yer pick. I have more in common with Greens than with most Democrats. However, on a practical level, I would do anything I can to prevent Republicans from winning anything. That usually means not voting Green in certain elections.
  • Green Party of Canada. Leader and MP Elizabeth May rocks, and she's willing to get arrested for her beliefs.
  • The House is the longtime CBC programme covering Canadian federal politics.
  • HateWatch is "an educational resource combating online bigotry."
  • Huffington Post. Arianna's the ultimate chic wit of pundits, and glamourous Bianca Jagger (Sciences Po graduate and former Nation contributor) blogs here, so you know it’s worth checking out.
  • Human Rights Web.
  • iPolitics cover Canadian politics because traditional Canadian media increasingly is unable or unwilling to (no doubt rampant consolidation and changing market climate disrupted by digitalisation has something to do with this).
  • Molly Ivins may well become print media's last great columnist. As newspapers faced terminal illness across America, she noted that their corporate owners reacted by making their "product smaller and less helpful and less interesting.”
  • Paul Krugman has an unofficial website with tons of stuff that can keep you entertained for hours. In addition to his columns, Krugman also blogs at the Times website.
  • LA Observed is Kevin Roderick's always relevant blog site about media and politics in the southland.
  • Last Week Tonight with John Oliver is the new Jon Stewart.
  • The Lindesmith Center Drug Policy Foundation. Find out about the government's ongoing war on drugs, one of America's greatest tragedies.
  • Milarepa is a San Francisco-based organisation working to raise awareness of the oppressive and genocidal occupation of Tibet by the Chinese government. Be sure also to check out Tibet Online Resource Gathering since it's an important clearinghouse site on issues concerning that troubled part of the world.
  • Michael Moore can sometimes be a wee bit heavy-handed at times, but that's often why we love him. He throws things to see if they'll stick, but his subjects are always important. I think the writer Ian Buruma once quipped that anybody who wants us to 'wake up' and knock us out of our collective complacency, tend to be boring, or mad, or perhaps even both. However, Moore provides the exception to the rule—he makes me and many others laugh. The guy's funny, but he also knos what's ultimately at stake. Moore was then criticised heavily for speaking out against the Bush administration during his Oscar acceptance speech, but he was doing absolutely the right thing. Even though it was not popular, he was being completely responsible as a human being by speaking out against injustice. People who say that it’s inappropriate to talk politics at the Academy Awards are full of bullshit. They'd be irresponsible if they didn't. If the Awards were somehow held in the 1850s, I would want all of the recipients to speak out against the evils of slavery. If they didn’t, they should be considered accomplices. If I am a historian in the future looking back at the year 2003, I would want to see all decent people of conscience speak out against the evils of American foreign policy. The Oscars has a viewing audience of over a billion people. To not speak out against evil and tyranny with that kind of a platform would be a crime. I applaud people like Matt Damon, Michael Moore, Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Susan Sarandon for their bravery, their integrity, and not turning away their duty as decent human beings.
  • National Organization for Women.
  • New Statesman gives voice to left of centre-ism of varying shades from Britain.
  • Newsnight.
  • One World has useful briefings on virtually all critical global issues, and there are loads of stuff to discover.
  • Pacifica Radio Network. It includes Bay Area's KPFA 94.1 FM in Berkeley. This is a profound and complex subject for me. The Pacifica network was an important aspect of my childhood when I avidly listened to KPFK 90.7FM in L.A., and it deeply affected the way I'm wired-up and put-together today. Like the Nation magazine, their news and public affairs programming requires a strong stomach to digest, but it's important stuff that absolutely needs to be heard. Essentially, like medicine, it's good for you. However, I don't financially contribute to Pacifica anymore since they, particularly KPFK, annoyingly kept referring to the LA riots of 1992 as an "uprising" (while everyone else, including me, called it for what it was, a vicious "riot"). Is that an editorial policy?! Whatever it is, it's just plain stupid, and I don't like it. It's downright insulting to many innocent folks who got hurt. Progressives aren't going to get anywhere in this country if they keep upholding old, anachronistic, dogmatic, divisive, illogically-leftist ideas like that. More often than not, they're essentially preaching to the converted. However, in the end, there are still many worthwhile programmes that do more good than harm. Listen for yourself.
  • Peacefire. Help teens keep the internet free of censorship.
  • Peacewire.
  • Physicians for a National Health Program. Americans, go single-payer, goddamit!
  • Planned Parenthood needs your help now more than ever.
  • PolitiCoast is my favourite podcast examing the political landscape in British Columbia, and sometimes Canada as a whole.
  • PolitiFact is not a periodical, but it carefully fact-checks various political stories that dominate the internet.
  • Power & Politics is CBC TV's prgramme covering politics, federal and sometimes provincial.
  • Press Progress is another online source covering Canadian politics from progressive perspective.
  • Pro Publica produces great, important investigative journalism in America, and as an independent non-profit organisation, it is not beholden to any commercial interests.
  • Question Time.
  • rabble.ca is an online journal of Canadian progressive politics and perspectives.
  • Rock the Vote. Needless to say, you can never underestimate the importance of voting, especially among the under-represented and young people, in a democracy. However, there are some many elements in American society never seem to stop to undermine the rights of others to participate in the democratic process. Recent examples include efforts to scare African Americans and other minorities from voting in Ohio in 2004, and Florida in 2000. Remember the coordinated thugs sent to intimidate the people processing the Florida recount of 2000? This is happening even in the 2008 election campaign in Pennsylvania, as reported in the 08 October 2008 episode of NPR’s Fresh Air. Why is it always the Republicans who use intimidation tactics? Can they be that they as a party are ultimately just mean-spirited and downright evil?
  • Mike Rogers. It seems that the most rabid anti-gay American legislators are also the ones who secretly love cock the most! Mike Rogers makes it his life's goal to out these evil hypocrites.
  • International Campaign for Tibet.
  • truthdig always comes in quite handy and informative with high standards.
  • Vice. Who would have thunk that wonderfully crass and irreverent Vice Media has gone mainstream these days? Remember when you can only pick up a copy in skate shops? It is now a force to be reckon with in the new media landscape, with a presence in all platforms. Political leaders and future prime ministers are obliged to sit and be grilled at length by its staff. Not only has its media empire expanded its scope expotentially, and features important journalistic coverage that no one else is attempting, but Vice has remained subversive and politically incorrect. All the porn and hooker stuff is stronger than ever.
  • We the People. Organisation led by Jerry Brown.
  • Shane Woodford Show is hosted by the great news director of CHNL 610 AM Kamloops Shane Woodford. It may be the best political programme on the radio in British Columbia. It has great guests as well, since BC premiers, government ministers, and opposition party leaders are all regular guests here.
  • ZNet, a big site brought to you by the folks from Z Magazine.


Finally, here are some facts to think about, courtesy of the always persuasive Christian vegan pop star Moby from a few years back. If I want be proselytised, let it be from him. Nonetheless, it's a great round-up of what's wrong with this world.




  • Enough wood and paper is thrown away each year in America to heat one billion houses for a year.
  • One ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees, 7000 gallons of water, and enough energy to heat the average home for 6 months.
  • The amount of money spent on trash disposal in American schools is equal to that spent on new textbooks.
  • Out of every $10 that you spend on food, $1 is for packaging.
  • 65% of garbage in the U.S. is packaging.
  • Americans dump the equivalent of 21 million shopping bags full of food into landfills every year.
  • Over one million trees are used to make disposable diapers every year.
  • Americans throw away 20 billion disposable diapers each year.
  • 10 million cigarette lighters are thrown away every week in America alone.
  • 500,00 people die of cigarette related diseases in the U.S. each year.
  • 74 different kinds of pesticides have been found in drinking water .
  • Americans spend $6 billion on their lawns each year.
  • More money is spent in the U.S. on nuclear weaponry in one year than was spent on housing from 1980-1992.
  • One ton of toxic waste is produced by the U.S. military every minute.
  • In 1989, the U.S. military used 200 billion barrels of oil, enough to keep all American public transit systems running for 22 years.
  • 2 million gallons of motor oil are dumped in American waterways each year.
  • Over 8 million tons of oil are spilled into the world's oceans every year.
  • If the average commuter passenger load in the U.S. were increased by just one person per day, we would save 33 million gallons of gas each day.
  • Americans spend over one billion hours stuck in traffic each year.
  • Air is sold in Mexico City for $1.15 a minute by sidewalk vendors.
  • In the past 20 years, approximately one million species have disappeared from the world's tropical forests.
  • What Greenpeace spends in a year, General Motors spends in just 4 hours.
  • It takes one pound of grain to make one pound of bread, but it takes 20 pounds of grain to make one pound of beef.


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