Is war the father of us all?
War is the Father of us all. – Herodotus, Greek historian, 5th C. BCE Study War No More. – 1960's peace poster War is over, if you want it. – John Lennon Forgive me Lord, I do so love it. – General Patton, American Army War is the typical normal condition of humanity, not peace. – James Hillman, psychologist Letters...
COMMENT: What government work should be done behind closed doors and what should be done openly?
What are we to do with, to, or about our Senate? Was it meant to be a chamber of sober second thought or a retirement home for political hamsters? Recent revelations about senators cashing in on the strength of what may, at best, be considered sloppy financial administration, have renewed calls to reform the Senate or to...
LETTER: Winlaw fire chief speaks to disciplinary action; mass resignation
To Whom it may concern. The Winlaw Fire Department is a volunteer group that has come together to help their community in the event of an emergency. We were recently asked by the Regional Fire Chief to provide traffic control for a nonemergency community event, I refused. Disciplinary action has now being taken against me for...
UPDATE: Opinion on Slocan response - Resiliency Centre now to stay open to Aug. 23
Ed Note: The Source just got word that the Resiliency Centre will now be open until Aug. 23. "We want to apologize to residents for any hardship that this incident may have caused," says Wayne Smook, senior vice president, airport services for Executive Flight Centre, "and we want to assure that Executive Flight Centre is...
COMMENT: Cluster Munitions and Bill S-10
The federal government has tabled legislation, Bill S-10, An Act to Implement the Convention on Cluster Munitions. My party opposes this Bill because it does not signify an attempt to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions but in fact, proposes to make an exception to it. Cluster munitions can release hundreds of explosives...
Meandering thoughtstreams, clouds in my coffee: A miscellany
Why I write A friend asked me about this column. What is the topic, theme, etc.? The best I could come up with, in summary of my intention: “I try to explore the question, ‘What is a good way to live, in these times and in this world?’ We are conscious of the magnitude of human and physical challenges in this moment. Our...
LETTER: Timber harvesting in Lynch Creek is no surprise
The recent announcement by BC Timber Sales that the perimeter of the Class A Gladstone Provincial Park in the Lynch Creek watershed will be logged is hardly surprising. Very few politicians and bureaucrats respect our democratic system of governance and repeatedly take advantage of the largest and most important stakeholder...
What’s an 'AAP' anyways?
The City of Rossland has started another Alternative Approval Process (AAP) to obtain authority to borrow up to $4,000,000 for up to 30 years to pay for the City’s portion of the nearly completed Columbia Avenue infrastructure project. This AAP is accompanied by even fewer details than was provided with the first AAP in...
We STILL don't know what the Columbia rebuild cost
The City of Rossland has started another Alternative Approval Process (AAP) to obtain authority to borrow up to $4,000,000 for up to 30 years to help pay for the City’s portion of the Columbia Avenue project. (See “What’s an AAP anyways?") The project is almost complete and has to be paid for. But what did it actually...
Beyond progress?
In the argument last column, I was still selling the typical narrative of our time, the story of progress in the West through democratic evolution and material science. The thesis is Progress. I see that this view, the perspective of modernity, is outmoded. Postmodernism now describes our mind and consciousness better than ...
