As Canadian politician Corky Evans prepares to retire (MLA British Columbia), he shares some thoughts. From Tom Fletcher's "A few thoughts from MLA on the way to retirement" (Peace Arch News):
"It was a less racist society. It was a less violent society. There was a health care program and public schools. I can't begin to tell you how different it was."
"Sure, but it's no big deal. It's way, way less of a deal than what native people feel, or people from India. Anti-American sentiment is endemic in Canada and fairly shallow and has not hurt my life."
Upon being elected, Evans included the following in his speech in the chamber (March 25, 1992):
It is also good in the mountains for people who wish to hide from governments, and so came the Doukhobor people. On October 16, 1912, some 5,000 Russian people came from oppression on the other side of an ocean and ill treatment on the Prairies, looking for a home. There they remain today, to our great gladness. And also to the mountains looking for another chance came the Quaker people, who have taught me to call members of the opposition "friend." The Quaker people were escaping the McCarthy era down south and migrated to the north end of Kootenay Lake in 1952. And other people came, hon. Speaker: the war resisters of the Vietnam era and the urban refugees fleeing overcrowding and a society they found distasteful -- all through history from the time of the remittance people to today.
Col. Wright also provides information about the realities of military enlistment because she wants people to be able to make the most informed decision possible when joining the military.
"It's wonderful to be able to come to a place like Molokai," says Col. Wright. "Small towns and small communities in our country seem to be the places where most of our military enlistees come from. So, it’s important to come to a community like this to acknowledge what’s going on."
Sunday, Matthis Chiroux refused to deploy to Iraq as he stated May 15th he would not. Chiroux was honorably discharged by the military and placed in the IRR. Then he was informed that he had to report July 15th to deploy to Iraq. From Leo Shane III's "Former journalist refuses to report for duty with Army" (Stars & Stripes):
"I don't feel like I'm doing anything illegal at all," he said. "We basically have no cause for military presence in Iraq.
"I'm making this decision because I believe my first loyalty is to the higher ideals of this country, which are being blatantly violated by our leaders."
[. . .]
Chiroux said he is confident that a reasonable court would not find him guilty of any wrongdoing.
"It's not about what job I'd do," he said. "Any order to deploy there is unlawful."
Billie notes Trevor Bothwell ["Heroic Matthis Chiroux" (Examiner)] opinion on the issue: "morality trumps contract law. In a moral society, no one would be legally bound to kill others in a war that was started illegally."
Karen notes this Ralph Nader video featuring Nader and Patti Smith.
We will note the other videos through the next week. We do not do videos on Friday due to community members who are on home computers that are slow (either due to be older or not having broadband).
Until then, here's Team Nader's "Nader Nation:"
You've asked for it.
Now, you've got it.
More videos.
More videos.
More videos.
Here's a brand new one featuring Ralph with Patti Smith singing "Awake from Your Slumber."
Here's one of Ralph shooting hoops.
Here's one of Ralph responding to someone who told him "Don't Run."
Here's one of Ralph in Googleland being interviewed by the staff at Youtube.
And here's one of Ralph outside the Bush compound in Kennebunkport, Maine urging the impeachment of Bush.
As a result of these and other videos, Ralph's probably the hottest politician - along with McCain and Obama - on the Internet.
Check out all of our campaign videos at the Nader/Gonzalez Youtube video page.
Now, we need your help to spread these videos far and wide.
Forward them to your friends and family to strike up that discussion you've been meaning to have.
Rate the videos, add your comments, and give the thumbs-up to other good comments.
Also, we need your help to put together a team of people to help push our Youtube videos, to help build our social networking sites, and to get as many people as possible to learn about the Nader/Gonzalez platform.
So, if you have some experience and are interested in helping do online activism for the campaign, please contact jacob@votenader.org now.
Together, we are making a difference.
iraq
matthis chiroux
leo shane iii
trevor bothwell
ann wright
samantha fex
