Disqus - Friends of earlrichards

Re: Russell Brand is discrediting the Left

Lesslie Askin — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:52:53 -0000

Unbelievable ... does anyone actually consider this sort of criticism worthy of thought? It is not the form of dissent that matters, but the substance. I am sure there was similar carping blather early in Gandhi's passive resistance movement. Ditto Martin Luther King. Today these individuals are universally recognized as social iconoclasts.
Obviously the issue of whether someone is intelligible or not has a great deal more to do with one's own personal bias than it has with the actual merit of the ideas being advanced.
Russell Brand has pretty much started the world talking about how democratic institutions have failed the common man. Perhaps Mr. Lazarus should read a little Thoreau before articulating his highly naive viewpoint in this manner.

Re: Russell Brand is discrediting the Left

Lesslie Askin — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:41:30 -0000

I concur totally!

Re: Christy Clark's Forty Bucks a Day Zombie Tactic

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 14:56:07 -0000

You make an excellent point about democracy, but it does not go far enough.

The much lauded principle that supposedly underlies "democratic government" is not functioning for the betterment of mankind and this planet. Wonderful in theory, but it has a fatal flaw, at least as it is implemented in this country (and I believe in most other "first world" countries with the notable exception of those in Scandinavia).

The problem here in North America is that so-called democratitic institutions are "representative" but not "responsible". This is due to the fact that official decisions are made in a vacuum. There is zero accountability.

Even if you could successfully hold that decisions are being made BY the people (and this is in itself a difficult principle to support in a full debate of the relevant issues) there is no evidence whatsoever that the decision makers are acting FOR the people.

That is "for" in the sense of "in the best interest of" the citizens. We see this EVERYWHERE we look ... the BC teachers are only one group who are the unfortunate victims of this situation, in a long line of many.

The sad and scary reality is that decisions are made in this country by people who are big of ego but small of brain, and even more impoverished in terms of both reasonable competence and social conscience.

This is especially true of our Premiers and our Prime Minister, who have absolutely no idea of the damage they are doing due to their blind arrogance, nor do they care, as long as they retain control. It is especially very true of Christy Clark.

Where I disagree with you is that the result will be the ultimate destruction of the middle class (if indeed it still exists as a viable entity) ... not its "enrichment".

This is the fruit of our so-called "social democracy" as institutionalized today in Canada. Our intentions as Canadians are admirable, but we have lost our grasp of reality.

Re: Christy Clark's Forty Bucks a Day Zombie Tactic

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 04 Aug 2014 15:10:36 -0000

Sorry, Al. Have to disagree with that old aphorism ... see my comment above. We deserve decisions made in the best interest of the public welfare, and we are not getting that. This is because only one part of the democratic principle is at work in Canada (and probably not even that much). Representative it may be in form .. perhaps. Responsible in terms of function ... absolutely not.

Re: Christy Clark's Forty Bucks a Day Zombie Tactic

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 13:58:17 -0000

Joe, sadly I have to say that I firmly the problem is much deeper than "how many show up" on election day. That is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to fixing this malaise.
This attack on education is frightening, because without an educated and intellectually capable populace, democracy is not a viable concept. We need the next generation of citizens to be better able to really HEAR what utter bullshit these people now running things are saying. We need future generations to be able to think about real issues constructively. We need to FIGHT BACK without aggression. The mainstream press is totally compromised. Our schools are pivotal in combatting intentional disinformation by public officials who are acting AGAINST the best interest of the public's wellbeing.

Re: Christy Clark's Forty Bucks a Day Zombie Tactic

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 14:00:04 -0000

Errata ..... I firmly *believe* the problem is much deeper than "how many show up" on election day.

Re: Burnaby, company poised for showdown | Vancouver 24 hrs

Lesslie Askin — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 17:44:43 -0000

Pardon?
Prior to this TMEP fiasco, just how often had you actually seen a politician at ANY level of government in this province stand up against mega-corp bullies in order to protect the clearly expressed will of the folks who elected them? Thank heavens we have TWO in Burnaby who have taken a stand against Kinder Morgan ... Derek Corrigan and Kennedy Stewart (MP, Burnaby-Douglas).
Kinder Morgan is an AMERICAN oil giant which only acquired these CANADIAN assets in 2007 from Terasen, (a company which is run by the so-called "survivors" of the infamous Enron debacle), and then sold off the gas interests to Fortis, because all they really wanted was the access to Alberta tar-sands operations.
Corrigan and Stewart are acting on behalf of their constituents to effect the clearly expressed will of the electorate they serve. Apparently you disagree with the fundamental principles of democracy. Or maybe you are simply confused because this is such a novel experience ... watching representative and responsible government WORKING PROPERLY.
You should be extremely impressed by what the Mayor is doing here, not indignant ... even if it would appear you are a member of the substantial minority in this province who want the TMEP project to be simply rubber-stamped by the NEB, with no concern for the consequences.

Re: What's Jamming Teacher Bargaining?

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 18:02:21 -0000

@Szin and @G West (and other well-meaning individuals) ... Despite your laudable intentions I don't quite understand why you waste your breath engaging in an unwinnable dialogue with folks like Eric. It is quite apparent people such as he are here to discredit the writer of the original article, and not much else. Eric's allegiance cannot be shaken by any form of rational discourse, let alone the courtesy of staying on point. It's an utter waste of time arguing in this kind of discussion forum with these types, because there is just no way of ascertaining the nature and extent of their obvious bias against the NDP, nor what sort of "quid pro quo" they may have accepted for beating the Liberal drum "ad nauseam". But I do nonetheless admire your spirit.

Re: What's Jamming Teacher Bargaining?

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 19:42:07 -0000

Agreed ... and I stand corrected. Indeed your point was very well articulated. Being able to engage in the logical exploration of a suitably justified viewpoint is a valuable skill, and well worth practicing. Such is the case even if it happens that your efforts fall on deaf ears (or encounter severe blindness of vision, as in this instance).
:)

Re: What's Jamming Teacher Bargaining?

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 11:24:01 -0000

Nice to know you are familiar with the law and legal processes. You should also then know that what you wrote above makes assumptions about ME and my "background" (as you so loosely term it). I was not being rigourous in my observations (what you term "suppositions")... I could do so, but I won't waste the space here.
You will be familiar with the term "pulling rank" ... wherein someone introduces into the argument/discussion various irrelevancies designed solely to enhance his/her own prestige in the eye of the reader, but carries nothing of any weight or value in furthering the reader's understanding of the issues. This is not the proper venue to elaborate, but trust me, Eric, I also have a so-called "legal background" ... one I daresay is likely equivalent to yours in scope and depth of understanding (unless you are a professional lawyer of significant experience and/or are engaged professionally in some aspect of administrative/public law. My comments about your comments (and those of others who adopt similarly irrelevant positions on a topic, thereby distracting from the core issues) stand as written.

Re: What's Jamming Teacher Bargaining?

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 11:55:39 -0000

Just one afterword, in the interests of full disclosure, and also to make myself perfectly clear. I am not a lawyer; I am a systems analyst, one who also happens to know a fair bit about "legal processes" for various reasons. But if I were you I would be cautious, because if you are not a lawyer, then I should mention that representing yourself as one (even by implication or inference) may be quite dangerous to more than your credibility...that act being illegal in its own right.

Re: Three Reasons Teachers Must Keep Picketing to Keep Pressure on BC Gov't

Lesslie Askin — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 21:03:28 -0000

Another so-called "contributor" with nothing relevant to say, and moreover one who attacks the writer of the article with zero justification for his position. This post would be merely tiresome if it was not so utterly mean-spirited and contemptible in terms of its real intent, which is to put folks off topic on a subject that MUST be discussed and resolved.

Re: On Burnaby Mountain, Confronting the Gorilla

Lesslie Askin — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 16:03:16 -0000

This article absolutely deserves national attention. It is TOTALLY on the money! How can we best make sure this piece gets into the mainstream media?

Re: On Burnaby Mountain, Confronting the Gorilla

Lesslie Askin — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 16:18:36 -0000

Ummm ... freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression is integral to our constitutional rights, as also are freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

Check section.2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982) ... it reads as follows:

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:
(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression,
including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.

Just exactly where does the disrespect come in, when folks are trying to collectively communicate to our federal government that we cannot just be ignored at a local level, simply because of an Act of Parliament (the 2012 NEB Act) which is very arguably 'prima facie' unconstitutional?

Re: On Burnaby Mountain, Confronting the Gorilla

Lesslie Askin — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 17:13:15 -0000

I responded to another person's post below that those who are attending the protests on the Mountain are simply exercising their constitutional rights under s. 2 of the Charter, which guarantees freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, as well as freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association.

It seems to me quite important to note that (as I currently understand the situation) anyone who is considering going up there to voice personal opposition to Kinder Morgan carving a TUNNEL through Burnaby Mountain will risk only a 'contempt of court' charge, and not a criminal charge. Please verify this for yourself first, however, if you have concerns about some sort of potential backlash that might result from attending.

Re: On Burnaby Mountain, Confronting the Gorilla

Lesslie Askin — Sat, 22 Nov 2014 17:56:28 -0000

Please do so, daylily ... I do not "tweet" myself ... much too interactive for my taste.

Re: On Burnaby Mountain, Confronting the Gorilla

Lesslie Askin — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 00:40:15 -0000

I absolutely agree. All things considered however, I still think its less intimidating than the prospect of a criminal record.

Re: 'Dear Cyberstalker' (An Arrested Kinder Morgan Protester Writes)

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 12:28:50 -0000

Outstanding !!!!

Re: 'Dear Cyberstalker' (An Arrested Kinder Morgan Protester Writes)

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 12:30:07 -0000

What on Earth are you talking about? Look in the mirror.

Re: End of Kinder Morgan protest draws hundreds to Burnaby Mountain

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 13:34:35 -0000

Does someone out there know of any other instance where anything this utterly crazy is seriously being proposed?
First of all, this a PRIVATE COMPANY ... and an AMERICAN CORPORATION at that .. wanting to carve a BIG TUNNEL through a SMALL MOUNTAIN ... it will be the height and width of a doorway in your house, at an absolute minimum.

Secondly this is an highly URBANIZED area with an immediately surrounding population of HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of residents. It's tripled in demographic density since the original terminal was built over 60 years ago.

Thirdly, this is an EARTHQUAKE ZONE.

Fourthly, the original NEB application says NOTHING about this as a potential alternative route, and according to the CEA Act in s.19(1)(g) all "technically and economically feasible alternatives" had to be included in the ORIGINAL Application documents (filed in December 2013).

Incidentally, s.19 of the CEA (Factors to be Considered) is worth reading in detail ... it provides a snapshot of the many ways in which the public has been both misled and abused by this whole process.

It's irrelevant what the supposed economic benefits of this project will be (and there is a lot of dispute about that anyway) ... this entire project has gone from irresponsible to downright "loony tunes".

Re: End of Kinder Morgan protest draws hundreds to Burnaby Mountain

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 15:38:38 -0000

Interesting opinions ... not well founded in fact, but interesting (e.g."the whole world is an earthquake zone" is a simply ridiculous statement).
As a matter of fact, I actually have very serious issues with the storage tanks at the Burnaby Terminal (which would be TRIPLED in capacity, and would store diluted bitumen ... environmentally very noxious stuff, as well as considerably more flammable than refined products) being located ANYWHERE within GVA boundaries. The only party that benefits from having utterly ignored the potential for repositioning the Terminal elsewhere is Kinder Morgan ... whose bottom line profit would decrease dramatically if it had to move it somewhere else. If KM had been forced to act responsibly and at least represent feasible alternatives in its Application to the NEB (which it did not do, in defiance of the requirements set out in s. 19 of the CEA Act) then you might have a decent argument. But I notice you did not open that subject up for discussion.

Re: End of Kinder Morgan protest draws hundreds to Burnaby Mountain

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 16:54:50 -0000

Thank you for your additional observations, Oemissions. Agree entirely. Reading the Application documents is insightful. I've reviewed almost all of them (at least the main volumes, as they pertain to those issues important to the City of Burnaby and surrounding urban communities). Dissemination of disinformation (and/or providing selective/limited information) is a very powerful tool for swaying public opinion against the interests of citizens at large, and mega-corporations have learned to use this tool extremely effectively.

Re: End of Kinder Morgan protest draws hundreds to Burnaby Mountain

Lesslie Askin — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 19:58:52 -0000

Umm ... hmmm. So your source of information on how much I happen to know about this subject would be what exactly? Just asking, since you arbitrarily accuse everyone who opposes the TMEP of being "well meaning but uninformed". I would say that comment quite clearly applies to you, and probably a great deal more so than it does to me, since I've reviewed almost all the Application documents in considerable detail. IMHO. :)

Re: Gorilla on Burnaby Mountain, Meet Elephant in Ottawa's Living Room

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 12:39:01 -0000

An excellent article from an outstandingly capable writer !!

Re: End of Kinder Morgan protest draws hundreds to Burnaby Mountain

Lesslie Askin — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 13:32:29 -0000

Megan, my response to your comment was specifically directed to the issue of characterizing others as being uninformed, when in fact you have no real idea concerning what other folks know or don't know. At this point my NEW observation here is that you are unilaterally choosing to restructure what I said to meet your own personal perspective on this topic. In fact I categorically did NOT say, or even imply, that the proposed tunnel through Burnaby Mountain would CAUSE an earthquake. Your version of what I said had never even crossed my mind. I was inferring (and I think rightly so) that an earthquake could potentially result in sufficient seismic upheaval to cause a pipeline-bearing tunnel through the Mountain to collapse, thereby rupturing the pipes, with potentially devastating consequences to the surrounding urban environment and to its substantially increased (since 1953) demographic. Please do think really carefully about how you represent your principal position without re-articulating the ideas which others are trying to convey into terms that suit your own particular agenda, and particularly so before characterizing those with whom you disagree as "well meaning but uninformed". It trivializes the opinions of others without improving the dialogue one iota.