i'm listening to cbc radio this morning (there's a strike at uvic's student union building where cfuv is housed so i'm reluctantly abstaining as a way to show solidarity), and i can see the twinkling lights of america from the window of the doggie's house i'm minding. the cbc tells me that finance minister jim flaherty is attempting to assure canadians that our economy will remain strong as we move through this 'extraordinary period.'
this brings to mind several things that, even in the sleepiness of the morning (in which i awoke, as i expect many others did with some degree of concern about what the near future holds) seem worth scribing despite my very sore arm/shoulder (that some combination of basset hounds and computering constructed):
1. the cubans called their greatest financial crisis a 'special period.' ours is being referred to as an 'extraordinary period.' it's interesting that even now, as the cubans rebuild after four hurricanes caused the most damage they've seen in their fifty year revolution, health care and education remain their priorities. it was the same during their 'special period.' health care, and education. education, and health care. the revolution remains about and for the people.
2. while america's idea of a solution to an economic crisis is to put the private debt into public hands and bankrupt their people, the cuban government responded to enormous crop loss (resulting from the hurricanes) by transferring state owned land (presumably sugar cane cropland, previously stolen from the people by america's united fruit company) to qualifying farmers so they can grow food. the cuban government wants to grow food to feed their highly educated and very healthy people; the american government wants to grow money to feed their fat rich greedy corporate fuckheads.
3. which direction will canada go? will we follow america to its grave, or will be hold strong to our socialist roots? lester pearson, tommy douglas .... where are you? what would you do?
4. if you think we're just now entering an 'extraordinary period,' a recession, you might talk to any one of the several thousand people rendered homeless the past few years about the strength of the economy.
5. are we bc taxpayers really going to go through with that atrocious two week billion dollar party in 2010?
6. how many lies are the corporate media going to propagate before people realize what's going on there?
7. what's really happening in argentina, and bolivia, and cuba, and nicaragua, and other parts of south and central america who have established themselves and their economic systems as distinct from the capitalist imf and world bank? who's best poised to weather this 'extraordinary' storm?
the time's ripe for a bloodless revolution! -- from our little island to theirs ........... hasta la victoria siempre!!
