Societal Smoke-screen


I was at a local mall this evening with my wife and daughter, shopping for a pair of shoes for our wee lass. En route to a bank machine, I passed a tobacco shop. Based on the latest Alberta legislation, shops are prohibited to display tobacco products, and therefore must keep them under cover. The premise is if people can't see power walls of cigarettes, that younger people will be less inclined to take up smoking. So, when you look into a shop such as the one I passed this evening, you'll see a counter, then cabinets and curtains concealing all of the nasty cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco. This particular shop had large black curtains, resembling pictures of Muslim women wearing burkhas, or perhaps a modern art depiction of Death –apropos of smoking I suppose…

…but here's the kicker: this particular shop had a few glass display cases. In these cases, for all to see, were a plethora of hash pipes, bongs and other drug related paraphernalia.

In my opinion, this shop is a metaphor for our society here in Canada. It is a society of bandwagon causes and turning blind eyes to inconvenient truths. The fact is Canadian society is riddled with such contradictions and hypocrisy.

So, let's begin with smoking. We've banned it everywhere and taxed it death in hopes of pressuring people to quit. The goal, which I applaud, is for better health. The thing is, in my opinion, smoking is the only valiant vice out there. Some smokers die earlier, thus easing the cost of pensions, etc., pay extra taxes to cover some of the health care costs and are now forced to do their thing away from those who don't partake, eliminating the effects of second-hand smoke.

Can we say the same of fast food? How much will super sized meal deals and 99¢ value menus cost our healthcare system in the forms of heart disease and cancers? We don't allow people to purchase cigarettes if they are under 18 years of age, yet we allow this crap food to be marketed and consumed by children who (a) don't know any better and (b) are in the formative years of their life in terms of physiology and habits.

The big argument against various societal ills lie in their propensity to cause heart disease and cancer, or the potential to cause harm to others. The thing is, we make our case with validity against smoking, while simultaneously genetically modifying and chemically treating pretty much every bit of food that we consume. If we are ingesting toxicity with every morsel and mouthful, why is it that we only attack a select few things? The answer is simple convenience. If we were sincere about health concerns, then governments and courts would ensure that corporations stopped putting chemicals in our food. The fact is our society is toxic – period. Cancer is such a prevalent disease because our environment is poisoning us. People are reeling against lead paint in toys fabricated in China. Honestly, if you are living in a city full of cars, factories and whatnot, will a bit of paint with lead really make that much of an impact on the life of you and/or your loved ones?

Our way of thinking is both limited and skewed. Hash pipes and bongs on display, while cigarettes are hidden away. We have free needle exchange centres for drug addicts, yet make diabetics pay for their own needles so that they can inject life saving insulin. Religion is banned from our Public Schools, yet we allow celebrations of First Nation's spirituality. Jay-walkers receive $250 fines from Police, while stores rarely prosecute shoplifters due to court time and expense. Convicted pedophiles, rapists and murderers are placed in institutions where they are given three square meals per day, have satellite TV, conjugal visits and access to a gym while honest people working for minimum wage are ending up homeless or living in dwellings not fit for the cockroaches that share the home – the list goes on. Talk about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions! Compassion is important, but so is sensibility!

Our whole healthcare system is misdirected as well. The basis of the system is reactive as opposed to being proactive (smoking being the exception), with astronomical wait times. As well, we seem, as a society, to be very caught up in the quantity of life as opposed to the quality of life. I don't want to live to be 80 if my mind is mush, I'm half blind and shitting myself on a regular basis (sadly, the state will force me to continue living in such condition as euthanasia is out of the question). As well, based on my personal experiences, I know that living "healthy" does not guarantee that you will live both a qualitative and quantitative existence. I want to live a life where I enjoy myself, and to do this not at the expense of others. Life is full of risks and pitfalls, and we must accept that.

I suppose that I don't really have a point here. I just get frustrated when I see stuff like this, and it really is indicative of our present social perceptions. There are so many agendas out there right now and the air is rife with contradictions and hypocrisy. Many would argue that we need to start somewhere, and I suppose that this is true. I guess what frustrates me is seeing things which, in my opinion, are greater social evils being overlooked while we go after the lesser issues. The whole affair stinks.

Retro World Where Cold War Meets Global Warming


Given the popularity of post punk/grunge bands such as Sum 41, Blink 182, Green Day, etc., I've often considered contacting my old band mates and suggesting that we get together and perhaps make a CD. In our day, Ick On Fish, my old band, was a tight and talented old school punk band in the spirit of Black Flag, D.O.A. and the likes. In all honesty, re-uniting the band could actually be a profitable endeavour, though profit isn't why I would want to pursue this.

Punk, in my day, was all about the message in the music, the energy and a sense of creating a movement of sorts. Up until a few weeks ago, I used to comment on how most of the themes in our music, written to the backdrop of the Cold War, Ronald Reagan's wrangling with the Soviets and the general threat of nuclear devastation on a global scale, were no longer relevant. The Cold War is over, Reagan is dead and there is no Soviet Union. Generation X's fears seemed to have been survived, while our present world deals with the War On Terror, the fight to retain human rights under the War On Terror, and the inconvenient truth about our environment's plight. Definitely lots to scream about, to be angry about and to encourage mass action.

…Then Russia invaded the Republic of Georgia, and civilisation appears to be spiralling back to the 1980's world of rhetoric. NATO threatens to punish Russia. The ceasefire is continually being violated. Russia threatens to nuke Poland if the U.S. missile shield is built there. The Russians have announce a massive enlargement of their Arctic Fleet, just after planting a Russian flag due south of the North Pole. All this while Canada is asserting Arctic sovereignty, searching for the remains of Franklin up in the Northwest Passage – the U.S. and Denmark also throwing themselves into the mix. Nationalism surging in Serbia. Iran. Palestine/Israel. Africa. Chechnya. Military messes in Afghanistan and Iraq. China, China, China. Plummeting markets and skyrocketing oil…

…many sparks.

But the thing is, all of our songs from the early 1980's have once again become, more or less, current. As I get ready to turn 40, I feel 15 again in that I am outraged at the perpetual degeneration of our world. We are heading toward a recipe of continuing eroding rights, police state mentalities, environmental devastation and possibly even World War Three – the ingredients are all there, coupled with Western complacency and extreme nationalism, with too few moderate voices to make reason and peace victorious.

It's interesting that Tom Clancy's "Endgame" came out last year. I'm not really a fan of that kind of writing, but I did read a review of the book in the paper. From what I recall, the premise is that the Russians seek to assert themselves as a world power again, China is involved too, and the end result is an invasion through Canada where they take over the Alberta Oil sands and occupy the cities of Edmonton (where I live and hence my interest in the novel), Red Deer, etc. The Canadian PM keeps our military at their bases, hoping the world will take pity on us and come to our aid. The U.S. obligingly sends up their military to wage war on Canadian soil. Given the present global backdrop, this could be a prophecy soon fulfilled.

What do we do? In the battle for idealism, be it for nationalism, religion, peace or economics, there will never be a universal conversion. There will always be tyrants, people with guns and explosives, profiteers as well as those who sacrifice themselves in aid of others, create hope and perform great deeds. My anger is as Sisyphus, causing me often to ask "can I really do anything?" I suppose that deep down I believe that I can – that is my idealism – that's why I continue to speak with people, share my ideas and use education as a foundation for action. Live for the day before it's taken away…

Om shanti.

Russian Invasion of Georgia


There is something about Europe and the guns of August. WWI started in August as a result of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and, believe it or not, train schedules (read Barbara Tuchman). WWII began informally in August when Hitler moved into the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Now, in August 2008, Russia has invaded the Republic of Georgia.

Though distracted at present by the Olympics, the media needs to re-focus itself. The Olympics, in fact, serve as an excellent subterfuge for this invasion as it will be a month in before the media truly gives this story the spotlight it deserves.

The simple fact is that Georgia applied to join NATO. If their application had been successful, then we would have employed NATO's purpose of an attack against one member is an attack against all members, and we would be looking at WWIII. That being said, Russia more than likely would not have invaded under such circumstances, but, then again, who really knows what agendas are held by any of the world's superpowers?

Georgia is not a NATO member, but the language being employed by the French and U.S. leaders is very strong in opposition. It is all serving as a flashback to my youth, back in the days of Cold War rhetoric and the threat of nuclear war. Though most perceived here in the West that we defeated the Soviet Union when it collapsed, they failed to acknowledge that those left to run the country were pretty much the same individuals as under the Communist regime, and, though broke, they were and remain armed to the teeth. Inevitably, Russia will want to regain its empire mantle that it has held over the centuries, especially with a man of Putins position pulling the strings of power.

Imperialism is never benevolent. Most of the time, we view an aggressive nation in a negative light, while ignoring our own policies of exploitation. Whether we like to admit it or not, our comforts of the first world are based solely on the oppression of the third world. Russia is as much of a monster as the U.S.; America strives to install democracy and puppet governments to match their needs, just as Russia is in the case of Georgia (natural resources). Democracies that we admire have all founded themselves on exploitation to amass their international influence and power.

Just like we woke up to a new world after 9/11, the events in Georgia may be far reaching for us all. It will be interesting to observe the language used in the case of Russia, in contrast to the War on Terror (better titled The War OF Terror). Again, we move toward war and I shake my head at the destructiveness and ignorance of our species. We are supposed to learn from history, are we not?