Comments on: A national disaster, made for TV

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:11:48 +0000

During the all candidates debate that was in English, Jack Layton confronted Stephen Harper with the fact that there is a very high percentage of First Nations people in jails, and the natives’living conditions are often abominable - without even clean water to drink. Harper did not respond to those words, instead he spoke of the need for tougher prison sentences. There was a complete disconnect. Do we want to go further in this direction, and become ever meaner and colder as people? In Nanaimo the homeless people are shuffled out of the downtown area, told to move along - to WHERE? Recently the small bundles of belongings that belong to the homeless, hidden away, are being confiscated by the authorities. This trajectory is getting worse. What comes next? Tasering them? Kicking them?

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:02:54 +0000

I watched the debate between the Federal candidates, en francais, on TV tonight. God, what an educated, sophisticated country we live in, where all 5 candidates are speaking fluent French! A country to be proud of, and one worth preserving from American influence. The most telling moment for me was when Stephen Harper was confronted with the fact that he does not reveal to Canadians how much of their money is spent on war. He wriggled out of it like a teflon man. I hope Canadians were watching closely. He showed his true colours, I thought, and his ideology, which is, as I see it “I’m here to govern, not to listen to Canadians.” Jack Layton aquitted himself well, and is the real alternative to Harper. He stated categorically that if elected, the NDP would pull the troops out of Afghanistan immediately and use that money for aid and peacekeeping, which is Canada’s traditional, and much respected role in the world.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:24:55 +0000

Well-meaning Christian Volunteers are not allowed to enter Prisons in B. C. A group of Nanaimo Christians is regularly visiting the “Hard-Timers” and the “Lifers” in Washington, USA. They are welcomed with open arms by both the prisoners and their wardens. The Cell Blocks that receive these visits become less violent and disordered. Prisoners receiving these visits are now being kept in a separate block, the good block, as it were. Exactly the same thing is happening in Brazil, according to a Reuters newspaper account. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s plant for punishment and more punishment for convicts is hogwash.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:56:46 +0000

The name of the Burton Cummings song that I mentioned is Break it to Them Gently. In this song Cummings imagines the pain and tenderness that a criminal might feel towards his grandmother, and “baby sister” and other loved ones.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:06:33 +0000

And these young men are somebody’s sons, brothers, maybe husbands, and fathers. Canadian songwriter Burton Cummings wrote a very, very beautiful song about one of these young men. Burton Cummings, where are you when we need you?

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:40:14 +0000

I am receiving material in the post on a daily basis, sent by Stephen Harper and his Conservative Government. It is targeting what appears to be young Canadians who commit crimes. It speaks of the cost to Canadians of car thefts. This petty crime is peanuts compared to the vast increase of wealth to the richest segment of Canadian society over the last few years. Many working families can no longer make ends meet, while the richest are stuffing their pockets and eliminating social programs. The gist of the written material is trumpeting punishment of the young who have lost their way. Without rehabilitation and vocationl training, these young men will become more hopeless and brutalized. Stephen Harper does not represent the average, decent, kindly, merciful, and hard working Canadian. This smacks of hate mongering of a target population, not far removed from anti-semitism. I say stick it to the corporate pigs who have strangled freedom of speech in the media in Canada.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 05:19:35 +0000

There is information surfacing that internet communication will be increasingly controlled and censored. With that in mind, I want to voice my opinion of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative Government. I think they are promoting hatred of a class or group of people, the most marginalized segment of society, the addicts and the criminals. Let us never forget that it was a criminal who hung on a cross beside the crucified Jesus Christ, and that Jesus forgave him. Not everyone is a Christian, I realize, but the antiquated, punitive penal system in the U. S. is not working. The prison system there has been privatised, and is becoming increasingly dehumanized. Human beings being treated little better than dogs. Being fed something that barely resembles food, and is just enough to survive on. There is a group of Nanaimo Christians that visits prisoners in the U. S. regularly. For some reason, Canadian Prsons will not allow them to set foot on their premises. Why? There are different laws for the rich and the poor. Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney is suspected of receiving $100,000 under the table from a shady source, and then not reporting it for income tax for a lengthy period. The Hell’s Angels building and assets were seazed because it was suspected money came from the result of crime. How come nothing was seized from Brian Mulroney? I’m not saying the Hell’s Angels are perfect, but where is the justice here? The Jesus said that he loved justice even more than he loved mercy. That was quite a statement. Quite a statement to ponder.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:02:04 +0000

The local newspaper printed misinformation about Paul Manly running for Civic Election. I have been informed that they will print a retraction tomorrow, September 6/08.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 15:34:11 +0000

Wow. Things are looking up in Nanaimo. The brilliant filmaker (Sombrio) Paul Manly is running in the next civic election. Paul is the brave young man who took bootleg film footage of the so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership Conference that was held in Montebello, Quebec. This was a closed door, secretive meeting of the richest, most powerful elites of the U.S. Mexico, and Canada. The streets around this enclave were lined with armed Riot Police with big hard plastic shields around their heads and upper bodies. Ugh! Horrible! Like something from a science fiction movie. But their it was, in Canada, captured on film for all to see. Some Riot Police donned disguises and masks, and infiltrated some peaceful protestors there, who included the great author and thinker Maud Barlow. These imposters were seen to be carrying big rocks in their hands. They were unmasked by the protestors, and scurried back to their colleagues. Paul Manly is the kind of leadership material that Canada needs. He is the hope of the future.

By: Madeline Bruce

Madeline Bruce — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:33:40 +0000

I think that everybody has seen the great war film Apocolypse Now, which shows the horrific slaughter of Vietmanese villagers from machine-gunning and bomb-dropping American Military Helicopters, with background Trombone music by Wagner. That is the reality of what military helicopters do. Showing Canadian military helicoptors on a supposedly comedic Canadian TV show smacks of Wartime Propaganda to me.