Archive for Non-violence

The United Nations’ International Day of Peace is a global holiday when individuals, communities, nations and governments highlight efforts to end conflict and promote peace.  Green Party candidates celebrated this event at C’est What in Toronto.

Green Party candidates from all over Toronto and the GTA spoke out on peace at this event.     Read more »

In a recent post, George Monbiot suggests diverting military spending to addressing the much more serious threats facing the world.  One area in which we could redirect the energy of our armed forces could be to retrofit existing housing stock which is incapable of keeping us warm without fossil fuels from which we should be weaning ourselves.     Read more »

Here’s today’s press release from the Green Party of Canada regarding the coup in Honduras:     Read more »

In late March 1964, my parents went to visit the newly unveiled Brazilian capital of Brasilia.  My mom, pregnant with me, returned to Uberlândia, where my father’s family lived, to their great relief.  Brazil had just suffered the military overthrow of their elected government, and my mom and dad, seeing the sights in the capital city, hadn’t even noticed.

Like the recent military coup in Honduras, Brazil’s coup was bloodless.  But it ushered in twenty years of political repression, journalistic censorship, disappearances, a pattern of torture, and even amid a time of burgeoning economic growth known as the “Brazilian miracle”, a rise in infant mortality, the collapse of the education system and the polarization of society into a small group of ultra-rich and a huge class of desperately poor.  The Brazil that I came to know as a teenager was a Brazil teeming with urban poor clustered in shantytowns of unimaginable squalor.     Read more »

Explaining my introductory postcard: “Ban handguns and help youth avoid being drawn into crime”     Read more »

As a young woman, I heard the story of the Danish people wearing armbands marking them as Jews in solidarity with the Jewish people when their country was occupied by Nazis.  It turns out this detail is false.  Danish Jews were saved through the courage of their countrymen, primarily because a transport to neutral Sweden was arranged, not because Danish non-Jews also wore yellow stars.  But I find it inspiring to think of facing injustice by insisting on imposing the same limitations on yourself as those suffered by the people you are fighting for.  It is a powerful image.     Read more »

The Ralph Thornton Community Centre, Ryerson University and the South Riverdale Community Health Centre are presenting a community safety forum for South Riverdale residents.

Safety in Riverdale Community Forum
Thursday, 2009 May 28 6:30-9pm
Ralph Thornton Centre
765 Queen Street East (east of Broadview)

RSVP Joanne Fisher at 416-392-6810 ext. 231

Yesterday, the Sri Lankan government celebrated the defeat of the rebel Tamil Tiger group.  Today, it is showing how hollow any hopes for a lasting peace are.     Read more »

Amnesty International Group 164 annual auction
Wednesday 2009 May 6, 5:30 pm
Granite Brewery
245 Eglinton Ave East at Mount Pleasant
416 322-0723
$10, free beer, all proceeds to Amnesty International’s human rights work

My Amnesty International group, which meets on the first Tuesday evening of every month right on the Danforth in St. Barnabas’s Church, is holding its annual auction.  I invite everyone to come.     Read more »

The six fundamental principles of the Green Party of Canada, in Serbian:     Read more »

Tonight!  (Shoulda blogged this sooner, but I forgot).  An opportunity to see representatives of the NDP, Liberals, Green Party of Canada and a Progressive Conservative senator talk about Peace and Justice together.

Public Forum: The Human Right to Peace: Full Time Work
Friday, 2008 April 4, 7:30-9:30 pm
Church of the Holy Trinity
10 Trinity Square
(behind the Toronto Eaton Centre at Bay south of Dundas)
$10? (I can’t remember the cost)     Read more »

Lifted directly from the Green Party of Ontario website, an issue that’s really important to me:

On 15 February 2008, former chief Robert Lovelace began serving 6 months in jail for refusing to comply with a court injunction, while following Algonquin law to protect the land.

Robert Lovelace is a Political Prisoner

    Read more »

While Canada has a low incidence of gun crime, Toronto has had recent problems with gun fatalities, including some affecting uninvolved bystanders. It’s time to tackle this issue. Toronto Greens recommend a three-prong approach of strong gun control, strong enforcement and strong prevention measures.     Read more »

Prime Minister Harper is intervening on behalf of Canadian Mohamed Kohail, sentenced to beheading in Saudi Arabia.  Obviously, this is a good thing.  We don’t support capital punishment in Canada, and there are questions about the way trials are conducted in Saudi Arabia.

What’s upsetting is that Harper is not intervening in other cases.  Three months ago, he announced that Canada would not intervene in death penalty cases in democratic countries.  He thus overturned decades of precedent in Canadian diplomacy and incurred the wrath of many human rights organizations and the Anglican Church of Canada.  As a result, at least one Canadian, Ronald Smith, is likely to be executed in the United States.

The gun registry is supported by police associations and most Canadians.  The Conservatives, who have made a point of saying they’re tough on crime, don’t want to put a vote on the gun registry to the House of Commons.  They certainly don’t want their government to fall on this issue.

So they’re killing the registry by funding cuts and amnesties.  According to CTV:

The Liberals say the Conservatives are unwilling to debate the issue in the Commons and have instead submitted the latest proposed regulations in the Canada Gazette, the official newspaper of the Canadian government.

“Instead of putting the future of gun control to an honest vote in the House of Commons, they are achieving the same ends through back door tactics like sweeping amnesties and funding cuts.”

The measure would push back an amnesty originally issued in 2006. An extension set to end later this spring could now be in effect until May 16, 2009.

Well, we’re back to sending detainees into Afghan custody.  But this time, we’re convinced they won’t be torturing anyone.  Of course, we were convinced of that before.  When human rights organizations think there’s a problem, we should be concerned.

Concert in memory of John O’Keefe
Sunday, 2008 March 2
Doors open 7 pm, showtime 8 pm
The Mod Club, 722 College Street
PWYC, all proceeds to the aid and education of Iain O’Keefe-Kaufman, John O’Keefe’s son     Read more »

I’ve been relentlessly negative about the Harper Conservative government.  So I feel a responsibility, when they get something right, to offer some praise.  Today, the Harper government announced $80 million in funding for de-mining Afghanistan.      Read more »

Donna Dillman is moving her hunger strike to Queen’s Park.  Please join her in her call for a moratorium on uranium mining.

Rally for a moratorium on uranium mining
Tuesday, 2007 November 27, 10:30 am
Princess Margaret Hospital
(University Avenue, just south of Queen’s Park, at Orde St.)

Donna Dillman is a Green Party member who is active in the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium (CCAMU)

She has been on a hunger strike since October 8, asking Premier McGuinty for a moratorium on uranium mining.  The mining company has now evicted her from their gates.  Because her quarrel is with Premier McGuinty anyway, she’s moving to Queen’s Park.  She’s asking people to rally with her at Princess Margaret hospital, and to march the short distance to Queen’s Park at 11 am tomorrow.

Donna is still walking so she will join us for the march.  She has also been asking people to put up homemade signs that say “Bring Grandma Home”.  She would like to spend Christmas with her grandchildren, but won’t give up until she gets her moratorium.

Her mind is clear as a bell.  She accepts juices.  I’m planning on bringing some warm cider.  Please join me.