So There

From the always provocative Susan Russell:

"Obama is not a brown-skinned, anti-war socialist who gives away free healthcare.

You're thinking of Jesus."

Angelus

March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation, commemorating the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary to announce that she would bear the Christ Child.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’

Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’

Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

Luke 1: 26 - 38

We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts; that as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so also by his Cross and Passion we may be brought into the glory of his Resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

Tepid and too little - but it's something

Obama's health reform passage made it through the House of Representatives this evening by a margin of 219 to 212. It's tepid and too little, but it's something.

So, to my American friends, congratulations. Progress, however small, should be celebrated.

But I also say to my American friends that they should learn some tactical lessons from their opponents. The extreme right, having taken over the Republican Party, have effectively shifted the political goalposts in your country because they pay no attention to bipartisanship. They force their agenda through. With substantial majorities in the House and Senate, the Democrats made an egregious tactical error in attempting to work with a Republican Party that had no interest in anything but obstruction. (The few moderate Republicans not already in thrall to Glenn Beck and the Tea Party lunatics were quickly bullied into submission.)

Of course, the same applies to Canadian progressives who believe that the key to achieving their goals is the undermining of the only progressive party in the country and rebuilding the decaying structures of the "possibly not quite as extremely right wing as the Conservatives" Liberal Party.

Achieving progress requires boldness and backbone.

No progressive measure has ever been enacted by compromise with the hard right.

Just as a reminder, here are a pair of films showing the Saskatchewan precursor to the Tea Party movement. The footage includes progressive heroes like Tommy Douglas and Woodrow Lloyd. It also includes some of the dishonest demagogues - like Cline Harradance - whose lies to the people of Saskatchewan were the sole basis for the protests against the introduction of Medicare.

Four Friends - Save the First Nations University of Canada

I have written previously about the continuing crisis at the First Nations University of Canada. In the aftermath of my post (though in no way due to my mere scribblings), there was significant progress.

The Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, with the assistance of several bright and articulate First Nations youth, managed to persuade the majority of chiefs finally to take action to address the corrupt mismanagement of the institution. The cumbersome governance structure has been overhauled and a proper board appointed. Senior management whose conduct was under question were placed on leave. An agreement in principle has been made with the University of Regina to take over financial management functions at FNU, at least until financial confidence can be restored. A formal memorandum of understanding is being worked out.

It is unfortunate that it took the provincial government's threat to cut off funding to spark these essential actions, but so be it. I'm concerned that Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris is refusing to commit to the renewal of funding prior to the agreement with the UofR being finalized. Given the past record of the institution, I admit to understanding the Minister's reluctance. However, even making such a commitment conditional on the UofR-FNU agreement would be, in my mind, a gesture of good faith.

What I find wholly unforgivable is the arrogant intrasigence of the federal government. To date, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl has made it clear that he will not consider restoring FNU funding under any circumstances. To me, this simply stinks of the same kind of racism that has marked the Department of Indian Affairs since its inception.

At the same time as they refuse to commit $7 million to support a First Nations educational institution, the Harper Conservatives are proposing a 43% increase in spending to build new prisons. That's 43% more than last year. It's a 272% increase over what was spent before Harper came to power. As the Toronto Star puts it: Tough on crime but soft on logic.

These aren't unconnected. There is a strong link between educational attainment and educational opportunity on the one hand and crimnality on the other. Clearly Stephen Harper and Chuck Strahl prefer having First Nations and Métis people over-represented in our prisons and under-represented in education and the economy. No, nothing racist about that, surely.

University of Regina President Vianne Timmons will appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development next week. As a member of the University Senate, I have received an advance copy of her speaking notes. Please consider this story about the effect if FNUC is forced to close.

Let me share one story. In Saskatoon I met a faculty member from First Nations University, a Cree woman my age. She is very close to completing her Ph.D. She is the sole provider for her grandchildren. This pulling of funding will mean she will not be able to afford to complete her degree, and will likely lose her home. She is terribly afraid, because she knows the impact this will have on her grandchildren. There are many more such stories.

Without federal government support for First Nations University, any gains made over the past 34 years will be lost – and lost forever. Fewer Aboriginal learners will realize the benefits of post-secondary education, and Canada will be a less inclusive society as a result. That is not what I want for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students alike, and it is not what I want for your and my grandchildren.

Finally, please watch this video which has been created by several students and friends of the First Nations University of Canada. For my Canadian readers, please consider going to the website they mention and writing to the Prime Minister, the Indian Affairs Minister and your Member of Parliament.

Constraining arbitrary power

Twice in the last 18 months, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has advised the Governor General to prorogue (suspend) the Canadian Parliament.

While prorogation itself is a perfectly legitimate parliamentary procedure - frequently done by previous Prime Ministers in previous Parliaments - what is virtually unique here is the reason for the Prime Minister's advice.

Normally, prorogation happens when the bulk of the work set out for a particular session has been concluded. This does not apply to either of Harper prorogations.

Prime Minister Harper sought prorogation in order to avoid being accountable to the House of Commons.

Of all the prorogations in Canadian history, four stand out.

• Sir John A. Macdonald sought a prorogation in 1873 in order to avoid facing the House over the Pacific Scandal. It was to be fully 130 years before another Canadian Prime Minister acted such a coward.


• Jean Chretien sought prorogation in 2003 in order to avoid facing the House over the Sponsorship Scandal.


• Stephen Harper sought prorogation in 2008 to avoid facing a confidence motion in the Commons triggered by his own overreaching attempt to financially cripple the opposition parties.


• Stephen Harper sought prorogation in 2010 in order to avoid facing the House over the treatment of Afghan nationals detained by the Canadian Forces and turned over to the Afghan government.

Although he has been Prime Minister less than five years of Canada's 143 year history (less than 3.5%), Stephen Harper is personally responsible for fully half of the irregular abuses of prorogation - and stands in company with John A. Macdonald and Jean Chretien, two of the most corrupt Prime Ministers in Canadian History.

Tomorrow, New Democrat leader Jack Layton will be introducing a resolution in the Commons to constrain the Prime Minister's capacity to abuse prorogation in this way. His resolution states:

“That, in the opinion of the House, the Prime Minister shall not advise the Governor General to prorogue any session of any Parliament for longer than seven calendar days without a specific resolution of this House of Commons to support such a prorogation.”

This is a reasonable and moderate limitation on the Prime Minister's prerogative, but the Liberal Party may not support a resolution which would similarly constrain a future Liberal Prime Minister.

I encourage my Canadian readers to go here to sign the online petition to pressure the Liberals to hold the Conservatives to account . . . for a change.

Looking for Jesus

Now go out into the highways and hedges where not even the Bishops will try to hinder you.

Go out and look for Jesus in the ragged, in the naked, in the oppressed and sweated, in those who have lost hope, in those who are struggling to make good.

Look for Jesus.

And when you see him, gird yourselves with his towel and try to wash their feet.

+Frank Weston, Bishop of Zanzibar

Speaking at the Anglo-Catholic Conference, 1923

Nancy, your dad would be ashamed

The image to the right is not edited or photoshopped in any way. This is a true image of the poster promoting a Saskatchewan Party fundraising event in the Martensville constituency.

I didn't agree with the late Ben Heppner. Heppner was a Conservative and then Saskatchewan Party MLA, representing first Rosthern and then Martensville. He was probably farther to the right than I am to the left. But everyone I ever knew in the Legislature thought that Ben Heppner was a stand-up guy.

After Heppner's death due to cancer, his daughter Nancy held onto his seat in a byelection. It was hardly a surprise. Not only was it an emotional tribute to a much loved MLA to elect his daughter in his place, it was also one of the two constituencies the CCF-NDP has never won at any point in our nearly eight decades of existence.

In this case, it seems, the apple may well have fallen a great distance from the tree. I cannot imagine for a second the late Ben Heppner ever being involved in such a disgusting exploitation of tragedy for base partisan considerations.

I mean, really. It's so revoltingly bad that even Toronto's national newspaper, the Globe and Mail has noticed.

Shame on you, Nancy.

For the response of the Saskatchewan media, please review the following video.