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Is Your Government Playing Games with CoronaVirus and Covid-19 Names?

March 31, 2020 by · Comments Off on Is Your Government Playing Games with CoronaVirus and Covid-19 Names? 

In times of great fear and anxiety, uncertainty and confusion does not help. It is particularly unhelpful when the confusion is deliberate. I am referring to the widespread practice – particularly by governments and some in the mainstream media – of referring to the CoronaVirus, and to CoronaVirus testing, as “Covid-19” or “Covid-19 testing”. Read more

How Each Party Leader Shone in Canada’s 2019 Leaders’ Debate (English)

October 7, 2019 by · Comments Off on How Each Party Leader Shone in Canada’s 2019 Leaders’ Debate (English) 

Here is how the leaders of the six largest political parties in Canada distinguished themselves during the only English-language leaders’ debate in Canada’s 2019 federal election. In alphabetical order: Read more

Voting in the 2019 Canadian federal election: A guide for freedom-seeking individualists

September 9, 2019 by · Comments Off on Voting in the 2019 Canadian federal election: A guide for freedom-seeking individualists 

You’re going to vote in the 2019 federal election. You want a Canada in which you can be you, peacefully, choosing for yourself what to buy, what to like, who to love etc.. You want a Canada in which, if other people want something different than you do: all the power to them. But you want others, likewise, to let you be you. You want the freedom to pursue your own happiness without being punished for achieving it. You want a Canadian government that defends your freedom instead of restricting it. This article is for you. Read more

The Lexicon of Government

January 15, 2019 by · Comments Off on The Lexicon of Government 

{The following are my notes, drafted in preparation for my January 14, 2019 video, The Lexicon of Government, available on my youtube channel, and embedded at the bottom of these notes.}

The other day, I was watching an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A session by Dave Rubin on his youtube channel, The Rubin Report. One of his viewers asked him what he thought about minarchism?  Not having pronounced the word correctly, it seems pretty clear that this was the first time he had come across the concept of minarchism.  Now, if you’ve seen the Rubin Report, you will know that Dave Rubin has been on journey of political development, and that he only recently discovered himself not to be the leftist he used to think himself to be.  In fact the whole purpose of Dave’s show is to challenge one’s beliefs and to improve oneself in the process.  So it’s not all that surprising that he hadn’t heard of minarchy before.

However, the term minarchy is – at the very least – problematic, and the incident on Dave’s show reminded me of a topic that I’ve been meaning to write about for almost two decades.  That topic is: The Forms of Government, and How to Name them.  And that is my topic today. Read more

An Open Letter to Ontario’s MPPs, from Paul McKeever

September 12, 2018 by · Comments Off on An Open Letter to Ontario’s MPPs, from Paul McKeever 

Dear Honourable Member:

Re: Notwithstanding Clause and Bill 5 (Better Local Government Act, 2018)

Today, you will face howls of protest from a Toronto Establishment that has suddenly found it convenient to cast you in the role of enemy of justice and democracy. Specifically, they seek to demonize anyone who votes in favour of a bill that would use the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms‘ notwithstanding clause to immunize it from potential mis-application of the Charter. As the leader of the Freedom Party of Ontario, and as a practising lawyer of some 21 years, I am writing to explain to you why the demonizers are in the wrong, and why voting in favour of the legislation actually will render you the better defender of individual freedom and democracy, as well as a defender of the reputation of the administration of justice. I will enumerate my arguments for easy reference. Read more

Doug Ford flip flops on private pot: wants government monopoly, would favour prohibition

March 16, 2018 by · Comments Off on Doug Ford flip flops on private pot: wants government monopoly, would favour prohibition 

If you thought Doug Ford was promising a free market for cannabis sales, Doug has some disappointing news for you: that dream is now officially up in smoke. Yesterday, Ford told Alan Carter, the host of Focus Ontario that, for the foreseeable future, he is in favour of the Wynne government’s planned government monopoly on cannabis distribution and sales. Ford even says that, if he had it his way, cannabis would not be legalized at all. Read more

Government, freedom, and a “progressive” politician’s anti-freedom religious outreach

June 12, 2017 by · Comments Off on Government, freedom, and a “progressive” politician’s anti-freedom religious outreach 

2017-06-11-patrick-brown-ramadanThose who value their individual freedom must be wary about politicians who do what Ontario MPP Patrick Brown is doing.

On June 10, 2017, Brown, who is the leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the Ontario Legislature – “tweeted” on the website Twitter.com, the following:

“Proud to host my annual Ramadan Ifthar with friends & family in Mississauga. We set a new record for turnout with 1100 in attendance! #onpoli”

Wikipedia explains the nature of an Ifthar thusly:

“Ifthar (or Fatoor) (Arabic: إفطار‎‎ ʾifṭār ‘breakfast’) is the evening meal when Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset.

Muslims break their fast at the time of the call to prayer for the evening prayer.”

Brown is not a Muslim, so you might wonder what a Christian fellow such a Brown is doing hosting an Ifthar. The answer is simple: he is clearly attempting to win supporters for his political party, with a view to the next provincial election.

On Twitter.com, I re-tweeted Brown’s tweet, with the following commentary: Read more

Fine Dining: U.S. Presidential Election Bickering 101

May 7, 2016 by · Comments Off on Fine Dining: U.S. Presidential Election Bickering 101 

2016-05-07.celeryWaiter: “Our menu is quite limited. As usual, we have a lovely bowl of celery. However, for the first time ever, we’re offering boldly different poached egg whites as an alternative.”

Guest #1: “People who eat poached egg whites are evil, because poached egg whites are sugarless. I’m no fan of celery – god knows I’ve lost so much weight eating celery that I’m almost a skeleton – but I’ll die of starvation before I eat sugarless food. I’ll take the celery”.

Guest #2: “It’s not as though celery is sugary. I think we both could use some protein in our diets. I mean: look at us. We’re shadows of our former selves. People who choose celery over poached egg whites are stupid. I’ll take the poached egg whites”.

Guest #3: “Seeing as I’m the only one of us three who brought any money to this joint, just gimme the usual: the bill.”

Michael Chong's Assault on Democracy: a "Reform Act" for Disloyal MPs

December 12, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

Michael Chong’s proposed Reform Act, 2013 has been praised as a bill that would shift each party leaders’ power to their respective caucus members, thereby revitalizing an allegedly withered role of Parliament’s confidence in government, and facilitating a broader diversity of party policies and philosophies in Parliament. Whatever the merits of such arguments, they miss the essential nature and function of Mr. Chong’s would-be law, and the threat that it poses to democracy itself. The bill should be rejected by all MPs worthy of re-election. Read more

Tim Hudak's PCs: The Hammerhead Strategy (and why it fails)

November 7, 2013 by · Leave a Comment 

The headline aroused my suspicions right away: “Tim Hudak Seeks Andrea Horwath Support“. The story that followed it was comprised mostly of an open letter that the Progressive Conservative party leader, Tim Hudak, had written to New Democratic Party leader Andrea Horwath (and shared with everyone who would bother to read it). The letter started with a host of insults and attacks: Horwath and her party “don’t grasp” that the governing Liberal Party of Kathleen Wynne is not serving the public; are shockingly “not troubled” by Liberal corruption and moral bankruptcy; are “enabling” the Liberals; have priorities that are “in sync” with the Liberals; have chosen not to “put the needs of Ontario first”, etc.. It concluded with “So let’s sit down and talk about it, sooner rather than later.” In other words, it was a punch in the nose followed by a feigned invitation to kiss and work together. “Bush league”, I thought, “Hudak wants everyone to believe the falsehood that he wants to work with Horwath, and wants everyone to believe that Horwath refuses”. Read more

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