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Yesterday marked 20 years since the start of the incident known in most of Canada as the "Oka Crisis" . Before coming to this country, I had never heard of Oka. At the the Marxism conference in late May, I attended a talk called "20 years since Oka: the fight for indigenous sovereignty," given by Ellen Gabriel. Clicking around various stories online yesterday, I saw so many ugly, racist comments about Oka - praising the heroic Canadian soldiers for not simply exterminating the Mohawk resistance, trashing Mohawks as terrorists and cowards, and using the date as an excuse to malign all Native peoples. I'm going to use this occasion to write about what I heard from a woman who was behind the barricades herself. My notes and my memory can't convey the passion and eloquence of Gabriel's talk, but perhaps I can honour her with this small gesture. Ellen Gabriel is the President of the Quebec Native Women's Association and holds many other titles and disti...

This excellent Op-Ed is in today's Toronto Star , written by Conservative MPP Randy Hillier. Every time I run into a Progressive Conservative, I am impressed. Long ago, a (pre-Harper) Conservative wmtc reader, explaining it meant to be a Canadian Conservatives, said, "Bill Clinton could be the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada." Ah, for those days. How can we get them back? Thank you, Randy Hillier. We need more people like you in every party. Update: Montreal Simon , in an inexplicably rude comment, tells me that Randy Hillier is not who I supposed him to be based on this piece. I still thank Hillier for this essay, and still wonder why more progressive people can't be a little more polite. It has been said that in war, truth is the first casualty. Yet in the wake of the Toronto G20 summit, it is clear that truth is an unwelcome intruder within the realm of politics as well. Call it my inherent cynicism about politics or maybe put it down to my observation...

I've posted this link before, but I want to highlight and recommend it again. In the June issue of the New Yorker magazine, there was a long, fascinating profile of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. WikiLeaks is the organization that released the "Collateral Murder," video , which showed US soldiers in Iraq firing on and killing civilians, including two Reuters journalists. It's quite an amazing story, also the kind of meaty profile that makes me salivate as a writer, an assignment I could only dream of. But I'm glad somebody is getting paid for this kind of work. No Secrets - Julian Assange's mission for total transparency, by Raffi Khatchadourian

I happened to notice this story in the arts section of the New York Times , which touches on an interest of mine. Abortion in the Eyes of a Girl From Dillon By Gina Bellafante Seated at Tami Taylor’s kitchen table, Becky Sproles wrenchingly lays out her dilemma: The only child of an embittered single bartender who gave birth to her when she was a teenager, Becky is faced with the prospect of recycling her mother’s past and she doesn’t know what to do. Initially resolved to end her pregnancy, Becky — played with a bracingly naïve righteousness by Madison Burge on “Friday Night Lights” on NBC — begins to doubt her choice. Is she seeking an abortion simply to counter her mother’s example? What if she were capable, caring and present as a parent? What if, as an emotionally wounded 10th grader without resources living in Dillon, Tex., with its pageant of grim futures, she could defy sociological prediction? The tortured expression on Becky’s face tells us how profoundly she would like this ...

We're seeing disaster capitalism all around us, and it scares the hell out of me. The tiny minority that autocratically makes decisions for the rest of us is using the banking and credit crisis that they created as a vehicle to carry in their right-wing agenda. History shows this will only further weaken the economies they claim to be assisting. That has been proven over and over again. But no matter, because these changes will further their real goals: a crippled public sector, smaller government helping fewer people, and an increase in wealth for the already rich. I find this "austerity" - the wholesale slashing of public budgets - deeply frightening. People are being told that half their pensions have vanished into thin air. Being told they must survive on half their income. Social welfare benefits like child care and decent pensions, hard won over decades, are decimated in moments. This is what the G8/G20 summit was about. Little wonder it was accompanied by the big...

Thank you, Michael Moore, for featuring US Iraq war resisters in Canada on your home page! In case it's gone by the time you get there, the caption reads: Canada's Federal Court of Appeal stops government, at least for now, from deporting former Spc. Jeremy Hinzman to U.S. to face court martial for refusing to go to Iraq 'Win for War Resisters'; "A new private member’s bill put forward by Liberal MP Gerard Kennedy comes up for a vote in September. It would allow foreign military deserters to stay ... The bill deserves support." – Toronto Star With these links: * DO SOMETHING: Stop Being a Part of the War Machine | Let's All Sing 'O Canada' Story here.

Thousands of people marched in Toronto today, denouncing the shameful government and policing decisions that led to mass arrests and inhumane treatment of peaceful protesters, while allowing destruction to continue unchecked. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Amnesty International Canada, the Ontario Federation of Labour and CUPE Ontario were present and joined the call for a public inquiry. There were also marches planned in Halifax, Montreal and Windsor, although I haven't seen reports from those yet. This story in the Globe and Mail is surprisingly good, as most of their coverage has been. For one-stop shopping for G20 video, photos and first-hand reports, go to Rabble's G8/G20 News . Canadians Demanding a Public Inquiry into Toronto G20 on Facebook. The Toronto Call, an ad hoc group that is circulating a petition calling for a public inquiry, recently sent this email (slightly edited). To sign on to The Toronto Call, email thetorontocall@gmail.com . + + + + + Dea...