What you do to One, you do to All

I've just begun a new blog, The Long View, to indulge my musings on the various books that I read my way through. I figure it gives me some justification to read as much as I do and buy as many books as I do.

One of the books I'm reading right now is Tomorrow's God: Our Greatest Spiritual Challenge by Neale Donald Walsch. I was just blogging about how his challenge to us is to realize that we are all one. That there is no such thing as separation. That every part of this Creation is also the Creator. Y'know, that kind of stuff.

And then this article came across my Twitter stream (Tweet-stream?). Jason Kenney, the Conservative Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, deleted any mention of equal rights for non-hetero citizens. Really? And then, according to the article, he was surprised that it had happened. Really.

It seems to me that this is a perfect example of not doing unto others, and not following any sort of belief that we are all one.

At least to me, if he had these beliefs, he would be unable to ostracize and continually villianise even one person, let alone an entire demographic of the population. And let's be honest, he's been on record against same-sex rights for a long time.

And, to be clear. I care because I believe we are all One. What we do to another, we ultimately do to ourselves.

That is why I care about equal rights for all citizens.

That is why I care about human rights for all people.

That is why I care that 20% of the world's population has 80% of the wealth.

And, that is why I care that we are devastating our natural environment and resources.

We have been terrible stewards of our world. I think it is time to change that.

Harper's Canada is not my Canada. And that's why I'm running for the Greens.

So there.

Back after a long, educational hiatus

It's nice to be back. After leaving the blogosphere in 2008 (very long story) it turns out that this is where I belong and with a new education and critical perspective (yes, I do mean it *that* way) I am ready to re-engage with the farce that is Canadian democracy these days.

Oh. And I'm the new Green Party of Canada candidate for Newmarket-Aurora.

So let's see how much trouble I can get in to before the next election.

Thanks to everyone for showing their faith in nominating me. I'll be doing my best to make it interesting and not let you down.

Canada's Woeful Performance in Bali

Canada has twice been awarded the daily Fossil award by the Climate Action Network this week in Bali.

Understandable. Our government has embarrassed us in front of the world with their false concern about climate change. From one side they speak of Canada's commitments while from the other they work to sabotage the attempts by the rest of the world to actually do something. To do something now. Before 2020. Before the next election cycle. Our national short-sightedness is disheartening, to say the least.

Here is a link to sign a petition specifically for Harper and newspapers across Canada. Please sign and add your name to the (hopefully) huge list of people in Canada who actually care about our global reputation, not to mention the relatively minor issue of the catastrophic damage being caused by climate change.

I am stunned that people still vote conservative.

But I guess what really upsets me most is what the conservative position says about the character of Canadians. Are we really a nation that gives up so easily? My understanding is that when the Harper government took power they were faced with a difficult decision on what to do about Kyoto. After years of neglect by the Liberal governments - who pretended to care while doing basically nothing - it looked almost impossible for Canada to meet its commitments under the Kyoto agreement. I appreciate that.

But instead of saying "Gee, Canada's international reputation is on the line - we had better buckle down and do some pretty amazing things here to do the best we can to meet our national commitments. But it's okay, we know that Canadians are totally amazing and we can come together as a country and do what needs to be done."

They said, "Gee, Canada's international reputation is on the line - we had better back out of a legally binding agreement and postpone taking any action until long after our government's term will be over. That way we won't have to do anything and we'll be able to blame it on the Liberals."

Shame on them. And shame on us for letting them get away with it.

I believe that Canadians can do amazing things and that we can help lead the world - but we certainly won't with the government we have now.

It is time for a different type of politics.

A few more sites of interest:

David Suzuki (the Nature of Things) calls the government's spin on climate change "humiliating" and "ludicrous".

The former editor-in-chief of CBC news discusses the damage done by Canada's climate policy to our international reputation.

This is a report from CTV on Canada's performance (or lack of) at the conference so far.

The Fossil of the Day Award site.

Why do we need a Vision?

GAB got me thinking about the idea of a national vision and how we don't seem to have one, or at least not one that has captured my fancy.

What is a Vision? Here is one answer from Susan Ward at About.com, adapted for politics:

"What you are doing when creating a vision statement is articulating your dreams and hopes for your country. It reminds you of what you are trying to build.

While a vision statement doesn’t tell you how you’re going to get there, it does set the direction for your planning. That’s why it’s important when crafting a vision statement to let your imagination go and dare to dream – and why it’s important that a vision statement captures your passion."

I have a personal Vision Statement and it has created the space for me to go back to school with the aim of heading off to Law School. One year ago, I didn't know what I wanted to do and if I had not sat down and thought very hard, brainstormed very creatively and dreamed a little I would still be slogging away, my life much the same, sinking slowly ever deeper in debt and knowing that something was amiss but not knowing what it was.

My Vision has wrought massive change in my life, I am moving in a month, I've gone back to school, and I've had to re-evaluate my volunteer commitments.

The point is that creating and believing in a Vision creates massive change but it acts as a support and guiding light to inspire you forward. The change becomes empowering instead of frightening.

I too wonder when we will see a politician of great vision in this country. One who can give the rest of us something better to aim for than 'resource whore'.

The Green Party has Vision 2020:

The Green Party holds a positive Vision of Canada, now and into the future.

We will strive to support a society where the pressure to make a living does not crowd out having a life; where having more does not supplant being more.

In our Green Vision, Canadians enjoy a higher quality of life, experiencing health and wellness, education and meaningful work, prosperity and economic success supported by ecological health.

In our vision of Canada, ability or disability, economic, racial, or cultural backgrounds do not preclude individuals from contributing to and benefiting from a prosperous Canada.

Canadian communities – urban and rural – thrive in our Green Vision, including communities dependent on fisheries, forestry and agriculture.

Canada plays a positive role in the world, working cooperatively with governments, North and South, to ensure equity, global security and peace."

While I buy into the Green Part Vision, it seems a little long to me. I'd like to see a one-sentence Vision Statement, something short and snappy. Personally, I vote for Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. :-)