Farewell Mandela

Though he had spent much of the year ill and in hospital, it still comes as something of a gut check that Nelson Mandela passed away yesterday at the age of 95. The man who became both the face and a symbol of the South African struggle against apartheid, would later become the driving force for peace and reconciliation, walking a very fine line between fulfilling the ambitions of the black population and not scaring off the white elites to create the new "Rainbow Nation" of South Africa.

Twitter Breakdown

Donald Trump got a lot of press - and let's face it, that's what we likes best - about his now deleted, explosive and borderline treasonous reaction to Barack Obama's re-election on Tuesday. "He [President Obama] lost the popular vote by a lot and won the election. We should have a revolution in the country," Trump Tweeted as the vote was still being counted before adding, "Lets fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice! The world is laughing at us."

But would you believe that Trump wasn't alone as high profile conservatives tweeting crazy things on election night?

The Trumped Card

He said it was going to a "bombshell" and he said that news organizations like Fox News would want to cover it "big time," but what Donald Trump delivered was yet another instance of his seemingly bottomless capacity for idiocy and self-promotion.

On Monday, Trump called in to "Fox & Friends" and told them that he had a "bombshell" about Barack Obama that he was going to announce on Wednesday. As we all know, Trump is an avowed "birther" that has squandered precious time, money and air on the subject of the President's alleged (and untrue) status as a non-American. So when he went on air Monday morning, even the most Trump-skeptical, Obama-loving, left-crazy liberal were wondering what the real estate mogul and reality TV host might have on the President. 

It turns out he's got nothing. Or rather, he'd like to bribe Obama into self-incriminating. 

What's Wrong With This Picture...?

 

If you said that, for a Christmas card, it doesn't highlight traditions like "family, faith and freedom," then you just might be Sarah Palin.

 The former Alaskan Governor and Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, apparently in desperate need of some attention this holiday season, decided to pick on the First Family's choice of Christmas card cover art. Talking on Fox News radio, which seems to be the last place still open to Palin and her thoughtless meanderings, the polarizing politician said that everyday Americans prefer "American foundational values illustrated and displayed on Christmas cards and on a Christmas tree." This card though, she added, "It's just a different way of thinking coming out of the White House."

Good thing then that this tradition of the simple, secular Christmas card is a new phenomenon. Just look at all these cards. Of course, the Governor didn't outline what would constitute a proper representation of "family, faith and freedom" on a Christmas card, not that you really expect her to because this incident, like so many others, are about Barack Obama being black trying to find any little, ridiculous excuse to hide his opponents' overt racism behind. 

So whether you're ultra-religious or super-secular, Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for the New Year.

Garvie Plays the Race Card on Burke

Sadly, I've been spending so much time chasing down Marty Burke, I haven't had energy left to pursue the other candidates. Which is why I wanted to share this, a press release from the campaign for Communist candidate Drew Garvie. If Burke doesn't care to use this platform to reach the voters of the Guelph, I gladly yield the space to those that do. 

Communist Party candidate Drew Garvie condemns Marty Burke’s racist comments towards Aboriginal peoples

“I am appalled by Marty Burke blaming Aboriginal peoples in their struggle against forced impoverishment and Canada’s colonial legacy,” Drew Garvie said today. “The Conservative candidate let his true colour show when he clearly implied that Aboriginal communities are misspending funding and that if there is anyone to blame it is the people themselves. In fact, the opposite is true,” Garvie said.

At an all-candidates debate yesterday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School Burke stated that funding was “flooding” into aboriginal communities, and then followed up with “I just wish it was a little better spent when it got there.”

“The Harper Conservatives have done nothing to alleviate poverty in general and Aboriginal poverty specifically,” Garvie said. The Communist Party of Canada is calling upon Marty Burke to formally apologize to Aboriginal communities in Canada and for other Parties to speak out about Burke's comments until they are retracted.

“The federal government must take emergency action to improve living conditions, employment, health and housing of Aboriginal communities.” Garvie said. The government must also recognize and respect Aboriginal nations’ right to sovereignty and self-determination.” The Communist Party of Canada demands the Canadian state and corporations 'pay the rent' for stolen lands and justice denied, including:

• remove all vestiges of colonialism from federal legislation;
• fast and just settlement of all land claims, including natural resource-sharing agreements without extinguishment of inherent Aboriginal title;
• immediately end the discriminatory cap on education and health funding for treaty First Nations

“We’ve come to expect this thinly veiled bigotry from Mr. Burke and the Party he represents,” Garvie said, noting that Marty Burke came under fire for similar racist comments before being declared the Guelph Conservative candidate. In a letter to the editor in 2005, Mr Burke criticized the appointment of Governor Generals Adrienne Clarkson and Michaelle Jean by saying that Canada is running out of “visible minority, immigrant, former CBC commentators with odd husbands,” Burke said.

U of G Wants to Drop the Hate

So the school year's not even a week old, and University of Guelph President Alastair Summerlee was so aghast by an incident of vandalism on campus that his office forwarded this letter to, what I assume, is anyone with a uoguelph e-mail address. (Which I have as a U of G alumnus.) I decided to share it here for many reasons, not the least of which is to add my voice to the condemnation of such stupidity on, what's supposed to be, an institute for higher learning. But I guess some of us have more learning to do then we think, as well as some growing up.

Here's Summerlee's letter:

I am deeply saddened to report to our community that we have experienced two instances of hate graffiti of a racist nature in our student residences.

The University of Guelph takes all acts of hate very seriously and refers all incidents to the City of Guelph police.

The residence community responded quickly. In addition to meeting with the houses impacted, Student Housing Services will be developing a poster campaign and Student Life will be rolling out Diversity-in-Action Poster campaign in September. The Central Student Association will also be introducing some educational campaigns. They will be advertised over the next few weeks.

I have posted a video on You-Tube that conveys the University's values. I encourage you to view it and share it with others.



I am asking members of the community to join me in condemning such acts of hatred.

The University of Guelph is a community committed to civility and mutual respect and, as such, will not tolerate such hurtful actions.

We ask anyone with information about this incident to please come forward and call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or our campus police at Ext. 52245.

This is a community that respects the rights of all its members. I encourage you to join me in working to ensure that the University's core beliefs and ideals prevail over closed-minded acts of
intolerance.

Alastair Summerlee

Temple of Doom? Why is the Sikh Temple Causing so much Controversy?

Yeesh. What's the deal with all this controversy around the Sikh temple? The Guelph Mercury made it front cover and centre in the weekend edition, just in time for the matter to be discussed at a Council planning committee meeting tomorrow night.

The proposal is whether or not a four-acre piece of land in the southend of the city along Claire Rd between Victoria Rd and Tolton Dr will be re-zoned to allow the construction of a Sikh temple on the site. Currently, Guelph Sikhs meet weekly at an old beer store on Stevenson, so a 18,000 sq. foot temple for 400 worshippers would be, if you'll pardon the expression, a Godsend.

But then there's the other part of the story. A grassroots campaign made up of area residents has pushed back at the re-zoning proposal and list a myriad of reasons why that particular area is no good for a Sikh temple. Now that's perfectly fair and within their right at citizens, but a chilling prospect quickly arose in regards their desire to stop the construction of the temple: charges of racism.

A website called Stop the Temple went online earlier this month as a way for people to organize and stay informed. But a couple of weeks later, on the same day, two posts were put up on the site that changed the whole frame of the debate:

"First its a Sikh Temple. Next it will be a Mosque. Both are violent cults and next it will be a memorial to martyrs aka terrorists. We must stop this eastern influence."

"So any middle eastern minority wants something, They'd better get it! If we oppose..we are all racist, and discriminating! God forbid we offend these people. Last I checked, they are suicide bombers, child molesters, they kill their kids because they go out after dark, rapists, Con artists, Scammers. Sorry no offence I dont want to take the risk of hundreds more moving to this community, and opening hundreds of corner stores, pizza pizza's and subways. Enough is enough. You have Brampton. Move there, stay there, and leave our city alone."

A third post two days later spelled Sikh as "Sheik" but I'll chalk that one up to spelling difficulties, a malady that I can relate too. However, those first posts remain paradoxically disturbing. Who would say this? Where is this ignorance evident in what many of us consider as Guelph the tolerant, Guelph the open-minded?

The Mercury's Scott Tracy wrote an editorial which has received some pretty enthusiastic feedback, with people against the temple asserting they're not racist and everybody else asking what's the problem then. There's no reason to doubt the sincerity of the people against the temple when they say they are not racist, nor do I doubt that the two comments from above represent an extremist view only. Still, I'm forced to wonder: why so vehemently against the temple? Let's look at the arguments against:

1. Traffic: Yeah, I guess when you have 400 Sikhs coming in to worship every Sunday the road's going to get pretty busy. But I've seen churches in Guelph here on far tighter roads than Claire and they somehow manage with a minimum of nuisance. So why is this particular area so susceptible to cataclysmic traffic breakdown thanks to one temple? Aren't the banks and shopping centres a couple of blocks over going to do more to increase traffic?
2. Lighting: Along with the temple, there'll be a 169 space parking lot, and naturally, in today's world, you're not going to let you parishioners walk to their cars in the dark. But the way you hear opponents talk you'd think that developers were looking at giant plane spotters. Bottom line is, if done right, you'll never notice the difference. I literally live beside the Hanlon, where it's constantly lighted, and it doesn't bother me.
3. 24/7: Apparently, a comment was made that the temple would be open 24 hours a day/7 days a week. If you think this means that scores of Sikhs will be visiting their temple for services at 3 am on Tuesday, then nothing anybody says in defense of the temple will be able to persuade you.
4. Usage: Another argument I've heard is that placing a temple on the site does nothing for the larger community, ie: the ones who aren't members of the Sikh faith. Well, they'll probably get as much out of it as a Sikh would with his or her local Anglican church. Which is why temple reps have said that the temple will be available to be used as a community centre when religious services aren't in session. Just like your local church.
5. Aesthetic: Basically saying that the design of a Sikh temple wouldn't blend well in the cookie-cutter inspired developments that populate much of the south end. Heaven forefend we see something other than the same three houses and uninspired strip malls over and over again. I agree that next to all that, a Sikh temple is a little ostentatious, but next to those giant Loblawses, which are basically designed like big, empty concrete boxes, even U of G's south res looks like it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Those were more or less the main issues I've heard brought up, and when I look over that list the whole notion of racism (or at the very least discrimination) on the part of opponents seems even more stark. If this is the best of the dissenting arguments, then it's no wonder that people think that racism is the real underline cause.

But as I said, I do believe that people are sincere in saying that these are the problems they have with the development of the Sikh temple, I'm just having trouble believing it. I'm also not sure what's coming up at council tomorrow night, but I have a feeling that it's not going to stem the negativity, or appease those against the project. The tricky thing about racism is that people can be racist and not even know it, not even realize. But we have to ask, why is it that of all the construction projects in the south end, these 400 acres represent the biggest threat to neighbourhood stability?