Recently in politics Category

After reading about the new Bill C-15 in Canadian Parliment on reddit I decided to write a letter to Bill Siksay, my local MP. I knew his stance on such bills, one that I agreed with, so I just wrote him a reiteration of what this particular member in his riding thought.

What I wrote him:

Dear Honourable Bill Siksay,

I am writing to you to express strong disagreement to Bill C-15, introduced by The Hon. Robert Douglas Nicholson.

This bill introduces mandatory minimum sentencing, a concept proven to not work as shown by overcrowding in United States prisons. Canadians know the drug war has failed, and 62% support the legalization of marijuana. Please take this into consideration when this bill is put to vote.

I am deeply concerned about the impact that such a law would bring to Canada's justice system and feel that any legislative action to this affect would turn otherwise stalwart citizens into imprisoned criminals.

Here's what he wrote back:

In the many posts on Biolyrics I've made over the years and the many political stances I've made on U.S. and world politics, it occurs to me that I've never spoken about my own past. The events in the Gaza Strip and some people I met today have motivated me to share a bit about myself and to propose my own ideas about the issues surrounding the Middle East.

Today is a big beginning for me. I'm moving to Vancouver. Though I do so for school right now, who knows? I may live there if I enjoy the city. I certainly won't be moving back to Utah.
I hope to keep everyone updated on this blog; it will be one of the many ways to keep in touch.
I've been in Montréal for the last week for a family reunion, and even now have been startled by many new, wonderful things.
In moving from the United States to Canada, an outside observer may note little to no difference, but in living it personally I've noticed that there are some significant changes I'm making.
Firstly, I have always been a Canadian citizen, but I only lived in Canada during the gulf war. My dad's work forced us to stay in Utah. Utah has many issues that I may never come to terms with, the least of which being the general ignorance and lack of culture that turns that society into a state full of "white-breaded zombies": lacking personal thought and having to append full utility to all of their actions; i.e. art and philosophy are considered past-times and not pursuits of knowledge.

Some other observations I've noted are in the different societal norms between these two countries. Health care is considered a human right, not a privilege; indeed, humanity is far more respected here. Also, sexual topics are not as taboo in Canadian society. Alcohol is consumed responsibly, and in British Columbia, one only has to be 19 to purchase it (though I still disagree with that age).

Being in Quebec for the last week has made me regret not learning French, though I have resolved to learn it; I've signed up for a beginning French class in Vancouver.

Another difference of note is technology, mainly communications. Internet access is difficult and often expensive, many internet providers do only allocate limited amounts of data; i.e. 20 megabytes a day; 10 gigs a month. I find this ridiculous, but I hope it will be resolved by the time I move out of the dorms. Also, I had to purchase a cellular phone, in the U.S. all calls in the U.S. are considered "local" and do not add extra to the bill, but in Canada, I have to purchase an extra plan just to call Winnipeg from Vancouver with a limited amount of minutes.

In general though, I'm finding I enjoy Canada's environment more and more. I will continue to write more and more about my experiences here.

The military lies

If you're male, live in the United States, and are between the ages of 16-25, you have definitely received a phone-call or some other form of obnoxious solicitation attempting to get you to join the military.

Don't get me wrong, there are cases (though very few) where war is justified -- but the U.S. hasn't met these cases for along time (at least, not in my lifetime). If you're in the lower-classes, then this problem becomes two-fold:

1. Fighting for "freedom" or "your country" is the right thing to do.
2. The military will pay for your school, plus a bonus signing offer.

These are lies.

The fight for "freedom"

Everyone has an inclination to fight for something higher than themselves,everyone wants to fight for a greater good than themselves.
Unfortunately, the military, any military (with the exception of a few extreme scenarios) feeds an idea of defense. In the United States, this is the defense of freedom and liberty.

In Iraq (as is our current dilemma) this defense is of your country and your family's lives. In Iraq, you or someone you know has lost a life, a home, a job, or their dignity to violent "Americans." Though we don't intend this to be the case, sadly it becomes the case: in war people die. The blame of course, will be shifted around, but in the end, it is your fault. As an invading party getting into or supporting the fighting, you hold the blame. Their perception is actually reality.

Iraqi sectarian violence is only the result of  a U.S.presence that creates and catalyzes an uneasiness about those forced into power. It exemplifies the differences and causes war. These people can't go outside without the fear that their head will be separated from their body, that they may never see their children again.

Insurgents do not fight because they fear their own deaths, for why would they commit a suicidal act? No, it isn't the fault of their fear, but a fear of their children and family. They believe that this is the only way to protect their lives and as long as the US remains committed to its war of terror, they are right.