I haven’t written about this yet because, frankly, I’m sick of all the election talk, both about the American and Canadian elections, and in both the blogosphere and the “traditional media” (whatever that means these days). Fortunately, I don’t have to write about it, because Ian Welsh at Firedoglake has already done it. His post has everything you need to know about the upcoming Canadian federal election. Seriously, everything’s in there. Go ahead, read it.

Back? Good. I will simply add my two cents to a couple of Ian’s points. But first a little background. Part of the problem with parliamentary politics is that you need a majority to get anything done, and with five major federal parties nobody has been able to form a majority in the last couple of Parliaments. Add to that the fact that there are essentially four left-wing parties and one right-wing party (we can argue about that later, if you like), and you can see why there might be splits between various left-wing voters more than various right-wing voters, leading to pluralities for the right-wing party. The current Conservative Party was formed by a series of mergers of various right-wing parties and coalitions, and its current head Stephen Harper was one of the founding members of the Reform Party—an alliance of racists, sexists, homophobes, xenophobes, neocons, and general all-around bigots.

The Reform Party, though now defunct, lives on in the Conservative Party and its leader Stephen Harper. Don’t be fooled by people who say that in American politics the Conservatives would be regarded as liberal. Some Conservatives might be, as would some of the former constituent groups that merged. But as Ian Welsh noted, Harper is nothing more than “a neocon in Canadian drag”. His is a nonstop agenda of hawkish foreign policy, running up huge deficits by cutting taxes for the mega-rich, and trying to introduce constitutional reforms like an elected Senate which, as Welsh correctly notes, would only serve to “introduce US style gridlock and corruption”—more places for big business to throw its money into politics.

Stephen Harper doesn’t care about true social justice or effective remedies to some of this country’s problems, and he certainly doesn’t care one whit about ordinary people. He’s only interested in placating his friends in business—especially the oil industry—by lining their pockets with enormous tax cuts, letting them further destroy the natural environment, and creating more politicians whom they can then buy. Sound like anybody you might know in international politics?

Of course, the Liberal Party are handicapped by their own unpopular leadership in the person of Stéphane Dion, nobody takes the federal NDP or the Green Party seriously (though this might change if they can win a couple more seats in this election), and the Bloc Québécois doesn’t run candidates outside of Québec so they can’t win even a minority government. The leader of the Bloc, Giles Duceppe, was unfortunately correct when he said yesterday that his party was the only thing standing between Harper and a majority government. The situation doesn’t look good—Stephen Harper will probably be the next prime minister of Canada. The only question is whether he will lead a minority government and thus have continuing gridlock, or whether he will lead a majority government and thus plow his right-wing neocon agenda full steam through Canada.

The B.C. Court of Appeal ruling on Thursday said that while the right to oppose abortion is constitutionally protected, the purpose of the provincial law to protect vulnerable women and those who provide for their care justified limiting protesters’ rights.

“The purpose or objective of the [Access to Abortion Services] Act is sufficiently important to justify a limitation on the way in which freedom of expression is exercised in an area adjacent to the facilities providing abortion services,” it said.

The protesters are lamenting their loss of free speech: “You just heard a judge say you don’t have freedom of speech in British Columbia,” one of them said. “That’s what that means.” To such sentiment, I have this to say: Boo friggin’ hoo. First of all, there is no such thing as unfettered freedom of speech anyway—you can’t make hateful remarks about ethnic group x or burn crosses on Jews’ front lawns. Rightly or wrongly, there are limitations on your “free” speech, many of which have long and storied political histories, and I have no doubt that some of the same people who engage in these kinds of protests would oppose these other restrictions on speech. But that’s the reality of the matter. Even so, this case recognizes the individual “right to oppose abortion” but also recognizes that the other consideration (allowing women to go to an abortion clinic without harassment) justifies the limitation imposed by the law.

And that really cuts to the heart of the matter: this case isn’t so much about the desire of individuals to protest abortion, it’s about their desire to further their own political agenda at the expense of vulnerable women’s health. Renee of Womanist Musings makes a similar point: “They are angry because the government will not allow them to assert control. This is about power.” Kudos to the B.C. Supreme Court for making exactly the right decision.

Of course, equestrian qua sport is really silly, and anybody who says otherwise obviously hasn’t taken a good look at the ridiculous costumes involved at any level of competition. And seeing the competitors there on the medal podium, with their coats and breeches and neckties, while “O Canada” played and the Canadian, Swedish, and American flags were raised, and with hundreds of people not really standing at attention but idly milling about, vaguely bored—I couldn’t help but think I had somehow missed the equestrian event and been transported to the opening of a new IKEA store or something.

Pride was terrific as well, as usual, but there were two things I noticed that deserve special attention: (1) the commercialism and (2) the politics. Commercialism, of course, is going to be rampant at Pride celebrations most anywhere, and it’s easy to understand where much corporate presence comes from. Corporations know, for the most part, which side their bread is buttered on, and know that there’s lots of money to be made by self-promotion and advertising in the gay community. To that end, you get lots of things like banks handing out promotional literature and coffee companies offering samples of new concoctions. (This also reinforces my suspicion that the only thing you need to do—indeed, the only thing usually done—to advertise to the gay community is to put the word “gay” in front of anything, as in “gay credit card” or “gay holiday to Europe”. Also, sometimes there’s a shirtless man in the advertising.)

As for the fact that this was one of the most political Pride celebrations I’ve seen in a long time, I’m referring specifically to domestic politics. What with a possibly looming federal election come this fall, all three left-wing parties are trying to brand themselves as the “gay party”, with varying degrees of success. This is especially evident in Vancouver, where there was a recent by-election which the Liberals won by an extremely slim majority. The Greens and NDP are threatening to make a strong stand again in the riding of Vancouver Quadra, as well as in Vancouver Centre, and to this end all the potential candidates showed up to Pride to promote their political parties. It’s also interesting to note that in the United States, you often see the Republican Party or Log Cabin Republicans at Pride celebrations—another example of knowing which side your bread is buttered on—but the Conservatives were nowhere to be seen in Vancouver, at least this time. A similar effect was evident with the two organizations running candidates for mayor of Vancouver, Vision Vancouver and the Non-Partisan Association. At any rate, it was interesting to see this phenomenon at work, and it’ll be interesting to see which of these parties emerges as the “gay party”, if any, or at least the best on gay issues.

(Two brief side notes. First, if the Single Transferable Vote system were implemented—as there was certainly very strong support for doing in evidence at Pride—the fact that there are three major left-wing parties in Canada (four, if you count the Bloc Québécois) might not have such a negative impact on actual left-wing representation at the provincial—and hopefully, one day, the federal—level. Second, I was chatting briefly with Hedy Fry, the Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre, when one of the 9/11 Truthers, who had a strong presence as well at Pride, loudly interrupted and started making a scene at her. I felt kind of bad for her, but she is the MP…)

At any rate, you can check out all my photos from Vancouver Pride at the Xyre Gallery. Enjoy!

Also, I now have a new computer after Apple very graciously decided simply to replace my old, broken MacBook after having replaced both the hard drive and the logic board several times each. So I apologize for my absence for the last few days—but I’m connected once again, and back to writing all those essays I had promised to post. Whee!

(X-posted to Feministe.)

On Passover, Jews recount the joyful story of the exodus from Egypt, the journey from slavery to freedom. Yet this freedom came at a price: in the story, God brought ten plagues on the Egyptians—even killing all the firstborn males in the kingdom—before Pharaoh would allow the people to leave the land. During the seder celebrations on the night of Passover, when the ten plagues are recounted, it is a custom among many Jews to spill a drop of wine from their cups, to symbolize the fact that we cannot celebrate with a full cup when that celebration is born of other people’s suffering.

This year, Pride will be celebrated with diminished happiness, with less than a full cup. And so must it be every year, until this kind of hatred is eliminated from the world. Homophobia, transphobia, gynophobia, racism, and all other kinds of intolerance must be swept away so that everyone may one day celebrate with a full cup.

(X-posted to Feministe.)

In short, a man of about twenty or so years was stabbed to death and decapitated by the 40-year-old man next to him on a Greyhound Canada bus travelling between Edmonton and Winnipeg. The victim was sleeping with his head on the window at the time. After a standoff of several hours, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police apprehended the assailant. At this time, there have been no reports of a motive, or indeed anything resembling an explanation.

This afternoon on the bus in Vancouver, everybody seemed a little bit on edge, furtively scanning their neighbours for signs of who knows what. I’m sure that things will eventually settle down to normal again soon, but in the meantime many people around here are still in a something of a state of shock. I fervently hope that some sort of resolution can be brought to the victim’s family and friends, and that justice can be served for this awful, terrible crime.

(X-posted to Feministe.)

A 56-year-old man from the Midwestern US state of Wisconsin has been arrested after shooting his lawn mower in his garden because it would not start. …

Police officers said Mr Walendowski had told them: “It’s my lawn mower and my yard, so I can shoot it if I want.”

Apparently the charges are disorderly conduct and possession of a sawn-off shotgun, and (naturally) alcohol appears to have been a factor. And the worst part? Shooting the lawn mower appears to have been a violation of its end-user licence agreement:

A local retailer said that Mr Walendowski might now have difficulty getting his lawn mower repaired.

“Anything not factory recommended would void the warranty,” said Dick Wagner, of Wagner’s Garden Mart in Milwaukee.

You’ve got to admire the crazy libertarianism and independence of thought and action that have so defined Americans since the country’s founding in 1776. Actually, you don’t. Which is (partly) why, after a week back down in Portland at OSCON 2008, I will be returning to Canada tomorrow, where all we have to worry about is overzealous law enforcement killing Métis kids with Tasers. Full updates, resumption of normal blogging, etc. to happen in short order.

After Lake Louise, we drove on in the rain through Yoho and Glacier National Parks (did you notice the last picture there is of lots of rain clouds obscuring the mountaintops in Glacier National Park?), and then right on through Golden, Salmon Arm, Kamloops…down the Coquihalla Highway…past more places with silly names, like Chilliwack…and…

FINALLY BACK TO VANCOUVER!!

Total mileage: 16,810 km (10,455 mi).

We did see bison by the side of the road just outside of Edmonton, but other than that, the ride was pretty flat and uninteresting. The real exciting things are beyond Edmonton in the terrific national parks of Alberta and British Columbia. But you’ve got to do the boring before you can do the interesting. (Also, you have to walk around sketchy downtown Edmonton for a while before you decide to go to a different restaurant on the other side of town.)

Remember, full photo gallery available as usual. Next stop: the Canadian Rockies!

But then I went on to Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, and one of those cities whose names definitely belong on that list of words that sound dirty but aren’t. The building of the Saskatchewan Legislature is actually quite impressive; there were no fewer than four wedding parties taking photos in the gardens on the grounds and inside the building. On the other hand, there were only two people besides me on the tour, so we kind of felt like we had the whole building to ourselves, except we really didn’t.

From Regina, it was on to Moose Jaw, which is definitely up amongst the cities with the silliest names on the planet. Disappointingly, there is no moose jaw in Moose Jaw. However, there are plenty of really nice locals and surprisingly delicious restaurants. But other than that…there’s not really that much.

Remember to check out the full photo gallery. Next stop, Edmonton!

Three interesting markers were passed today: that I was entering the Central Time Zone, that I was passing the exact longitudinal centre of Canada (just outside of Winnipeg), and that I had entered the Arctic Watershed—the other continental divide, past which every river flows north into the Arctic Ocean.

Next stop: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. I hope there is a moose jaw!

Still, I did manage to get one picture, as promised—not of an inukshuk, but of an innunguaq. These are inukshuk-like stone constructions in the shape of a human being; inuksuit are not shaped like this. (Think of the differences between the flag of Nunavut and the logo of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and you’ll get the idea.)

You’re probably sick of hearing it, but remember to check out the full photo gallery here. Next stop: Winnipeg, Manitoba!

Only a few pictures of Sault Ste Marie today. Full gallery still available here.

Next stop, hopefully: Thunder Bay, Ontario. Then it’s farewell to Ontario (at long last—the drive across the province is longer than going across Texas was, but it’s a darn sight prettier).

On the other hand, there is the Hockey Hall of Fame. A pilgrimage was made. We also visited the Royal Ontario Museum, which rather disappointingly tries to be all things to all people. One whole floor is pleasingly devoted to Greece and Egypt and Cyprus and much of the rest of the ancient Mediterranean, while another is devoted to dinosaurs and yet another to Canada’s aboriginal peoples. The curating wasn’t all that good or consistent either; often we had no idea what it was we were looking at, some dates and times were missing, and (possibly worst of all) there was a teensy bit of orientalist fetishization of aboriginal cultures…but more about all that in a future post.

For now, enjoy this sampling from all the photos from Toronto:

The plan for the next few days is to drive northwest round the Great Lakes. Next stop: Sault Ste Marie, hopefully!

(As usual: All photos available here. There were over 50 added today again. Enjoy.)

In the morning, we went into town and observed the changing of the guard ritual on Parliament Hill. Essentially, over the course of half an hour about fifty people in bright red uniforms with shiny brass buttons and intimidating weaponry bark orders at one another and march around a big grass field. The ceremony involves music, marching, inspection of weapons, “exchange of compliments” between the commanders of the old and new guard units, and more music and more marching.

(I am mentally composing an angry letter to the Queen about how ridiculous the music selection was—half of it felt appropriately military, but the other half was bizarre and Disneylandish; not a very good feeling to try to evoke when you’re working with full brass band and a bunch of bagpipes. Seriously, it felt like they were going to start breaking into a show-stopping song and dance number at any moment. Also, they played the Wedding March from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro for quite some time, and not enough of good old standards like The Maple Leaf Forever. I don’t know what was up with that.)

After an excellent lunch and walk through the town and the outdoor markets, we took the tour of the Parliament building, which needless to say was terrific. We got to see the very spot upon which Stephen Harper and Stéphane Dion traditionally yell at one another Mondays through Thursdays at about 2:15 pm. The Parliament buildings are full of terrific artwork and symbolism. I also proved myself an insufferable asshole by answering all the tour guide’s semi-rhetorical questions because nobody else on the tour appeared to (a) know and (b) speak English anyway. So she was all like, “Does anyone know what the first four provinces to enter Confederation were?” and everyone had one of those “party silences” until I shattered the mood with the correct answer (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, and Ontario, if you had to know). I also bought a coffee mug with the coat of arms of Canada to complement my coffee mug from the U.S. Congress with the First Amendment on it.

Next stop: Toronto.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures; here are just six of the fifty-one that I added today:

Next stop: Ottawa! Also, lest we forget—happy Fourth of July!

After Fredericton, we turned north and went through Edmundston, New Brunswick into Québec, where we made a small detour to the town of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!. Yes, Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! is a real place, but you don’t have to take my word for it—check out its entry on Wikipedia. Apparently nobody really knows where the name comes from—it’s probably just as well. At any rate, I have photographic evidence proving that (a) it exists and (b) I’ve been there. Count another notch on my list of places with crazy names that I’ve been to.

We camped right near Québec City and went into town for the 400th birthday of the city, which was celebrated in a torrential downpour with church bells ringing simultaneously all across Canada at 11 am (eastern time, natch). Thousands of people turned out despite the rain, but we west-coasters were the only ones sans umbrellas, nyah nyah. There were boring speeches by dignitaries and a military parade that almost didn’t happen because of the rain. Of course, the anti-war protesters came out in force anyway and the Québec City police were ready to meet them face-on, as it were, in full riot gear with gas masks. I did not think it wise to try to snap photos of some of these events.

So, bonne fête, Québec ! To 120, or something like that.

As always, the full photo gallery is available here. Next stop, Montréal!

But now I’m back on the road, this time passing through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine to get to Saint John, New Brunswick, where my travelling companion and I celebrated Canada Day. I call it a celebration, but what it really consisted of was hanging out on increasingly foggy docks by the harbour waiting for them not to shoot off fireworks. On the other hand, we met some extremely nice Maritimers with Opinions About Things, who were delightful, it appeared, to finally find a new audience at last. (They also had great accents, but that’s pretty much a given with Maritimers.)

Not too many photos of Saint John; we didn’t get here early enough to get any really good ones. Hopefully we’ll be able to take some more on the drive today while it’s sunny and not too foggy. As always, full gallery available here.

Next stop: camping probably somewhere outside Québec City!

• A dispute over a parking space between a security guard and a private citizen in Colorado leads to a Taser duel.
  

  “(The guard) pointed a stun gun at my mother’s face and I immediately responded with my personal Taser,” Epstein said Sunday evening, within an hour of being released from Boulder County Jail. “And we shot each other at the same moment.”

• But it’s not all bleak news: the RCMP says it would be “willing to change its Taser policy”, partially in response to the Robert Dziekański Taser incident at Vancouver Airport a while back.

The old policy, adopted a year ago, caused a public outcry after it was learned through a Freedom of Information request that transit police had deployed a Taser on non-violent passengers, including a person who had not paid his fare and tried to run away from an officer.

The old policy stated: “A Taser may be deployed…to gain physical control of a non-compliant, suicidal or potentially violent subject.”

But it’s not at all certain just how much real change this alteration of terminology is really going to bring about:

Inquiry counsel Art Vertlieb asked [deputy transit police chief Ken] Allen if the new policy would allow a Taser to be deployed on a person fleeing police during a “fare blitz”—a check to see if passengers had paid fares.

“It would depend on the extenuating circumstances surrounding why the individual was fleeing,” the deputy chief replied.

In other words, Canada’s only armed transit police force not only gets to keep its Tasers, they get to keep using these potentially deadly weapons on “actively resistant” human beings who make the bad judgment not to pay their transit fare and the misfortune to get caught. If TransLink is so concerned about revenue loss from non-compliant individuals, they should install some fucking turnstiles on the SkyTrain instead of Tasering their riders.