There’s Reality and then there’s cliche,”eh”

Can somebody please  tell me where I can find all those supposedly typical Canadians ,that end their sentence’s with “eh” ?

Because frankly having been born and raised in Canada I rarely hear anyone saying “eh”.  And this despite the widely held  perception that the use of “eh” is so wide spread as to be synonymous with Canada/Canadians,eh.

Is it just me or are there others that can’t help but roll their  eye’s when ever someone flogs this tiresome cliche,eh  ?

Not only that  it’s  contagious ,eh.

Now don’t get me wrong in the grand scheme of things this is a non-issue,eh. That said it still bugs me,indeed  I can’t help but roll my eyes,eh.

Truth be told Americans use  “eh” much more frequently,at least that’s been  my experience,eh.  If you doubt me just watch American news programs etc ,particularly those segment in which ordinary young people are interviewed,eh.

In fact I believe “eh”  to be more a youth thing, rather than a Canadian thing,eh.

A salute to Metis & Cree freedom fighters

Yesterday day ,April 24, marked the 125 anniversary of the battle of Fish Creek Saskatchewan (formerly part of the Northwest Territories).

1885, the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan was involved in an armed conflict with the Dominion of Canada. The urge to freedom prevailed  that day,but sadly in the end the rebellion was put down.

Some of the militiamen questioned the message sent by the government about the rebel Métis and aboriginals. There was a feeling among some of them that the Metis and aboriginals had been wronged, the government had been criminally negligent. Other militia had no compunction about looting and burning Métis homes, and driving off their livestock…@

The last surviving veteran, Honor’e Jackson ,one of the leader’s of the  Provisional Government,  died Jan 10 1952.

Read more on the Northwest Rebellion here

H/T Buckdog

In most places ones birth right is decided by birth ,in others it’s Legislated

There are many varieties of “Indians” as per the Indian Act…

There are status Indians ,sub-section 6(1) status Indians ,sub-section 6(2) status Indians, non-status Indians,Metis,halfbreeds,mixed race & urban Indians.

There are even belated Indians & temporary Indian.

And alas the definition of who is and who is not  Indian is about to change again. It should be said some of the changes in Bill C-3 are for the better. But that’s  not saying much,lol, when the very thing being changed (in response to the decades of activism by indigenous peoples & supporters) should never have happened in the first place. Never mind  having been allowed to continue till 2000 motherf@#king 10 !

Indeed the very idea ,that in this day and age &  in Canada of all places,that others namely the settler government/whites get to second guess indeed define  who is and who is not an Indian is just incomprehensible. Were talking birth-rights & people here,not inanimate commodities.

Indeed they the government/white people even have the nerve to call the “changes” a “New Entitlement“. Excuse me,”new entitlement” !

Hummm… if it walks like a duck ,quacks like a duck,self identifies as a duck, in all probability it is a duck , and always has been a duck, now there’s a “radical” concept for ya.

Has Canada no shame,no sense of fair play ! This type of shit never fails to blow my mind,my gawd the arrogance & racism  involved here , is truly astounding !

Jonathan Kay & the infinite monkey theorem…

Has hell frozen over,is Johnathan Kay actually rational ?

Nope and definitly not …

That said,considering the fact that Jonathan Kay writes submits content on a near daily basis I suppose eventually  even he will get something right…

It’s time for the folks at B’nai Brith Canada to close up shop and go home: Their phobic mission to convince us that Canadian society is suffused with Nazi-like hatred has launched into the realm of outright farce.

Every year, B’nai Brith puts out an “audit” of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada. And every year, the document is reported on by the mass media, which uncritically parrots the group’s absurd contention that anti-Semitism is a growing epidemic in this tolerant country. Reporters politely overlook the fact that B’nai Brith’s definition of “incident” is dumbed down: Any web posting, stray comment, or scrap of graffitti fits the bill. This allows B’nai Brith to reel off thousands of examples. @

Thus validating the hypothesis of  the ‘ infinite monkey theorem‘ , i.e …”a million chimps pounding away on a million type-writers eventually producing some meaningful text”.

Dogs are good…

Particularly those of the breed, watch-dog…

Although spurned by some ,i.e horse-men also known as the queen’s-cowboys , the breed is  immensely useful. Having  a long history of honorable and righteous service. Unfortunately, not always in places where the need for their services are most apparent & obvious.

Blah,blah, yea I know they’re hero’s…

Don’t mean to be cynic, “a blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be” but…

If you really want to help the suffering and the down-trodden, do not join the fucking military, particularly not the infantry. Armies do one thing kill ,soldiers care about two things, interchangeably,the guy(s) next to them & surviving.

Armies are not made up of a bunch of gun toting Mother Teresa’s in search of a group hug, nor are they looking to build schools .

Thing is when you talk to some of the older ex-soldiers who have survived war and have had a bit of time to digest and reflect . Many have similar things to say e.g, war  is  not a solution it foretells nothing but  misery,for both the soldiers and  civilians. Although the burden placed on the civilian population,mostly women & children, is by far the greatest

So who’s fault is it that we as peoples and nations never seem to learn the lessons ?

I do feel for the families who have lost sons and daughters in Afghanistan. Indeed what could be worse than losing a son or daughter.

But I have to say I distrust the motives of the media ,politicians and blogger’s.  Who  feel they must re-print the last letters & words ,seems to be a trend these days,  of  some of the soldiers killed in this pointless war .

I believe those that  do,  do for reasons having more to do with themselves & their particular opinions than any respect they might have for the dead.

Crocodile tears,come to mind…

Notice they never talk about the soldiers or families who publicly come out as being critical of this stupid pointless war.

No those soldiers and families are ignored or their words are  dismissed as being part of the grieving process,particular to them.

Might muddy up all those simplistic ego stroking narratives  of  supposed good wars and the predictable balderdash about freedom &  bringing democracy etc,etc…

In-fact there is nothing quite as repulsive and pathetic as the predictable crowing of the pro-war crowd. Particularly that which emanates from the living rooms of the well off, living lives of total safety & privilege ,here in the so called developed/civilized West.

Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council claim victory

Well there’s Victory and then there’s “victory”…

In a lengthy written decision, Justice Nicole Garson gave the aboriginal people of the west coast of Vancouver Island the right to harvest and sell fish and other seafood in their territory, although the right is not unrestricted and must be negotiated with B.C. and Canada over the next two years…@

It should be said though that the court’s decision is just one  of  similar past rulings,now sitting on  dusty shelf(s) , that have recognized First Nation rights. Rights, & laws, that are not only obvious & supported by International law & convention ,but also virtually impossible to deny no matter the criteria used,i.e  legally,ethically or morally .

No need to hire an overpriced lawyer(s) to tell you that !

Sure the Tribal Council got a judge to recognize what is in fact quite obvious. Again at least  to those people who understand  the undeniable facts , indigenous peoples are nations with  sovereign rights.

Not “inherent rights” but sovereign rights.

Implementation(when & if it even takes place) that respects the spirit and intent of   these legal rulings,the only thing that will makes these rulings worth more than the paper they are written on, rarely if ever come even close to meeting the raised expectations of First Nations peoples.

The only way Indigenous peoples are going to regain power and control over their lives and territories is by exerting pressure,i.e by practicing their sovereign rights rather than seeking permission through the use of   whitestream courts and laws.

A route that has proven to be  pretty much a dead end.

Brings to mind a statement,aimed at his fellow  Indian Act Chief’s, by former AFN National Chief David Ahenakew …”we lack the guts to implement the things we say we want”.

It should also not be forgotten that  these same  courts & laws are part and parcel of the same system that colonized & subjugated Indigenous peoples in the first place,infact still do. To believe that these same laws [and a native leadership working within & beholding to the Indian Act ] can now be used to liberate Indigenous peoples  is quite naive,an assertion  easily backed up by simply reviewing the historical & practical record.

Indeed ,when push comes to shove the government has and will always interpret such rulings in it’s favor,failing that the government  will just outright ignore ,including it’s own laws, and or play word games.

The courts are often used by the government to stall,frustrate and delay.I believe it was Joe Gosnell (Nisga’a) who once stated, “you grow old at the negotiating table”.

But only time will tell I suppose,although I wouldn’t be holding my breath.

The likelihood of this ruling  resulting in any  meaningful change,again judging by the record to-date,are slim indeed.

One need only look to Delgamuukw ,a battle that consumed many long years and the precious/limited financial resource of Indigenous Peoples,all to finally get the courts to admit(partially) that there is such a thing as aboriginal title,duh really how “generous” of “white folk”,heh.

Despite Delgamuukw not much has changed on the practical side. First Nations are still fighting to this day,many years later,for basic rights that should be a given,given Delgamuukw ?

The soliloquy that is Canadian public policy toward Indigenous peoples

Reads a very good  line from Marie Wadden opinion piece published in the Globe & Mail.

Although I did ditch the inappropriate “aboriginals” for Indigenous peoples(with a capital I),will  these journalist ever get it right,anyway I digress.

Much is being made of arctic sovereignty these days,in fact some are even using at as an excuse to dress up like a dorky Commander guy.  The narrative goes that if Canada does not assert her sovereignty in the arctic some foreign power/bogey-man will.

I always find these arguments informative for what they do not talk about,the Indigenous people that live in the arctic,i.e the Inuit ,the people who’s lands we are talking about. Gawd,will we ever learn ?

As Marie Wadden points out…

There’s a new colonial era unfolding in Canada’s North. The troops stationed in the Arctic will create a social challenge the Inuit are ill-equipped to meet. That’s because they’ve not had time to get over all the other challenges our colonial actions have created….@

Beside isn’t possession nine- tenths of the law ? O yeah I forgot that only applies if you are white Indigenous peoples are shit out of luck. Sure they might have lived on the land and made use of it for thousands of years,but that doesn’t really count. Particularly when some white guy(s) wants their shit.

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