I blog a lot about imperialism, but readers should be aware that the conquest of foreign nations, by military might, for the purpose of economic gain, happens at home too.


Lacrosse players against the state - First Nations protestors draw the line against developers

Trying to stop a suburban development on unceded land, First Nations aboriginals in Caledonia, Ontario have incurred the wrath of the Ontario Provincial Police. The OPP aren't known for their sympathies, having previously murdered unarmed protestor Dudley George in a similar standoff in 1995. This time the cops gassed, tazered and beat hundreds of assembled protestors. But in a signal display of bravery, hundreds protestors have returned. There are solidarity calls going out to First Nations and allies across the Canadian state.


The OPP is cracking heads on behalf of soulless suburban sprawl. It seems appropriate, somehow.

Premier Dalton McGuinty has said he didn't order the police crackdown, which in my mind makes it even more frightening. Do the police have a free hand to beat people up on behalf of private property? Either McGuinty is lying, or the police have descended from being the state's 'bodies of armed men' to being their own. For more info on what goes down, check out Sketchy Thoughts. (Sketchy - a word I never used till I lived in Montreal.)

First Nations people are the only ones taking on the Canadian state - and winning some small victories. They're not afraid to take direct action as a community. This roadblock was initiated by the Clan Mothers, the matriarchs of the community - despite all their privations, the First Nations have a better functioning democracy than capitalist states.


Other nations' flags

So, my hearty congrats to the Six Nations reserve - I hope they win. Since I rarely blog about the First Nations, I'll use this as an opportunity to quote an excellent article by New Socialist Group (NSG):

Aboriginal lands are again a critical stumbling ground in the drive to capital accumulation. And Aboriginal life ways can be thought of, not as sentimental holdovers of an outdated premodernism, but as the advance guard for the values we will all have to come to appreciate as human beings if we are to imagine a sustainable future; values, coincidentally, that line up far better with socialist ideals than many a more commonly referred to example of 'real world' socialism.

If you'd like to learn more on the relation between Marxism and native struggles, check out the excellent Socialist Ideas In Action, also put out by the NSG.

Some ground rules

I've replaced my blogger comments with Haloscan. I'm sorry to do so, because it meant erasing a number of very interesting conversations, not to mention positive feedback I like to dwell on in my narcissistic moments. But after some not-so-welcome comment box activity, I figured it was time. Haloscan allows me to monitor comments more closely, including blocking the IPs of trolls if I have to.


Arrrrr...

This is what a troll is.

And here are my ground rules:

1) Please respond to the blog topic. I want people to write about what they read - for the simple reason that I spend a fair time composing posts, and I do so because I think the topics are important to discuss. So, discuss! If conversations develop in the comment box, that's fine, but if you have other things you want to write about, please get your own blog.

2) No oppressive comments. Racism, sexism and homophobia will not be tolerated in any form. That includes name-calling, allegations and creepy porn links. I will delete any posts of the material and ban offending IPs.

This blog is about learning and discussion. Radical left politics provokes more questions than answers, as they should. The aggressive windups typical of the internet do more than annoy me; they turn off other readers who may have genuine questions but are afraid to ask them.

3) Disagreements are welcome, as long as they're done
a) in a comradely fashion (see #2)
b) in a genuine spirit of questioning. I.e. no ad hominem attacks, straw person arguments, etc.
c) on/from the left. You don't have to be a Marxist to post feedback (though it helps): liberals, social democrats and pomos are fine. But pro-capitalist, pro-war types are not welcome.

"I will only see it three more times! Today!"

For everyone still with me, we only have a year to go till The Simpsons movie. This could be a crushing disappointment, given the recent calibre of episodes. But if they get new writers, there's hope. Yes, there's been a steady decline since the early 00s. This year has seen a reversion to earlier trends: sight gags, extended plays on quirky traits and a complete abandonment of narrative or character development. They've touched on political themes for a few seconds and moved on. The writers seem desperate, flailing about for every possible funny moment, which guarantees they won't have any.



But last year, Season 16, showed some dramatic improvement: we had Lisa's eating disorder, Bart's addiction to junk food, the Simpsons becoming American political prisoners. This kind of topical narrative would be essential for a screenplay, which has to be 4 times as long as an episode and thus can't rely on tired devices. At least, I hope so.