It's a wise move not only because diplomacy is much less expensive than military spending, but also because many Canadians -- correctly in my view -- see U.S. military spending as dangerous to all of us (including citizens of the U.S.). I believe most of us see better uses for such a vast amount of money -- health care and education and even postal service, for heavan's sake. And for the NDP, it is wise to pick something that truly differentiates us from the Liberals at a time when there are three federal by-elections happening.
Unfortunately, the more relevant and consequential question is whether the NDP was wise to select Avi Lewis as its leader. While I greatly admired his father, I am concerned that many of Avi's ideas appear to be a retreat to the heavy socialist doctrine of the distant past and could lead to the eventual death of the NDP. While there is merit to Avi's anti-war policies, if the NDP continues its downward slide under his leadership, his party's many other progressive positions may become increasingly irrelevant to public discourse. This would, of course, be of great detriment not only to the NDP Party, but to Canadians as a whole.
I can't predict about political tactics. I can hope that good will win, but what I see are the left and right raging at each other while quite oblivious to huge gaps in their own foundations which may collapse as quickly as the Berlin Wall.
The whole economic strategy of the federal and Ontario provincial governments is smashing Canada against the wall faster: -Squeeze everything out of people's energy and the land's resources to feed the growth machine owned by ever fewer humans in the hope of trickle down. -That would be the program. Drawing the line, inquiring about the purpose of spending and the details of the vision is essential for a future with sanity.
It's a wise move not only because diplomacy is much less expensive than military spending, but also because many Canadians -- correctly in my view -- see U.S. military spending as dangerous to all of us (including citizens of the U.S.). I believe most of us see better uses for such a vast amount of money -- health care and education and even postal service, for heavan's sake. And for the NDP, it is wise to pick something that truly differentiates us from the Liberals at a time when there are three federal by-elections happening.
Unfortunately, the more relevant and consequential question is whether the NDP was wise to select Avi Lewis as its leader. While I greatly admired his father, I am concerned that many of Avi's ideas appear to be a retreat to the heavy socialist doctrine of the distant past and could lead to the eventual death of the NDP. While there is merit to Avi's anti-war policies, if the NDP continues its downward slide under his leadership, his party's many other progressive positions may become increasingly irrelevant to public discourse. This would, of course, be of great detriment not only to the NDP Party, but to Canadians as a whole.
I can't predict about political tactics. I can hope that good will win, but what I see are the left and right raging at each other while quite oblivious to huge gaps in their own foundations which may collapse as quickly as the Berlin Wall.
The whole economic strategy of the federal and Ontario provincial governments is smashing Canada against the wall faster: -Squeeze everything out of people's energy and the land's resources to feed the growth machine owned by ever fewer humans in the hope of trickle down. -That would be the program. Drawing the line, inquiring about the purpose of spending and the details of the vision is essential for a future with sanity.