Dear RN list, Aug. 9
The Progressive Conservative (I know it's an oxymoron but, that's politics
in Canada!...) Party is the subject of some rather interesting politics lately.
On the one hand, in the province of Ontario, the PC government there is
about as Reagan/Thatcherish as you can get. On the other, the party now has
a system for electing its national leader which enables all party members to
vote directly for the leader.
An organic farmer from the province of Saskatchewan, David Orchard, has
decided to run for leader. He has been at the forefront of opposition to
NAFTA (North American Free TRade Agreement) and more recently, to the MAI.
(Interestingly enough, it was a PC government (under Prime Minister
Mulroney) that signed Canada up to NAFTA.)
People tell me David Orchard has no real chance of winning the PC leadership
race but lots of people (including me!) are joining the party in order to
vote for him.
There are two parts to this posting:
One gives the outline of a book (aptly titled _Alien Invasion_) being
written on the Harris PC government in Ontario.
The next part is an abridged version of a message I sent out to the MAI-not
list serv to announce that I was supporting David Orchard's campaign.
Amusing reading, if nothing else :-) More seriously though, this stuff fits
in well with a message Richard sent out to this list on "ripples on the
right" (sent June 27).
all the best, Jan
****************************************************************************
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 17:45:49 -0400
From: Eric Fawcett <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Book on Ontario under Harris
Jan, I don't feel competent to accept this invitation, but somebody in the
ren listserver might. Please put this message there, if both you and Ruth
Cohen think that's appropriate.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 16:26:40 -0400
From: Credo <•••@••.•••>
To: •••@••.•••
Subject: Alien Invaion
Tte Title of my Book is to be "Alien Invasion: the Occupation of Ontario"
Here is the latest draft of the Table of Contents. I am in touch with
a BC publisher. Have sent proposal. Need eight weeks to complete.
I would appreciate comments and suggestions -- also if you might be
interested in contributing a section -- especially re Citizen Action.
ALIEN INVASION:
The Occupation of Ontario
edited by
Ruth Cohen
Only when you know every detail of the lay of the land can you manoeuvre
and contend - Sim Tzu, The Art of War circa 250 B.C.
Compiled by a Public Interest Research Group allied with CREDO, the
Coalition to Restore Democracy in Ontario
1998
Abstract
ALIEN INVASION
The Occupation of Ontario
by Ruth Cohen, ed.
Democracy has always rested on two pillars - the notions of the "social
contract" and of balance and compromise.In Ontario this democratic
compromise has been decisively destroyed. The Harris government has imposed
a virtual dictatorship to bring about their "Common Sense Revolution ."
This book tries to show how the calamity which has befallen Ontario can be
confronted and what it will take to restore this province to some semblance
of sanity.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
PART ONE
The Origins of the "Common Sense Revolution"
Nietzsche
Ayn Rand
Friedrich A. Hayek
The primary motivation: ressentiment
Milton Friedman
The Propaganda Mills of the Business Cult
(Manufacturing Consent)
The Fraser Institute
The C.D. Howe Institute
The Business Council on National Issues
PART TWO
Retooling the State
Who is T. Boone Pickens?
Cities as Corporations
The Revolutionaries
Snobelen and Lindsay on "transformation"
PART THREE
The Anschluss
Enabling Legislation:
Bills 26 to 160
The Propaganda machine
A comparison with the bills of the Third Reich
The Megacity Fiasco
Chaos reigns supreme
PART FOUR
The Resistance
Constitutional Issues
Court Challenges to the Senseless Revolution
The Days of Action
C4LD and John Sewell
The Megacity Referendum
The main resistance groups and their focus
The Teachers' Strike
The OFL Election
PART FIVE
The Aftemath: A Revolution in Consciousness
The People's Voice
The game of Party Politics
Various plans for Recovery
Building a new democracy through Community Action
CHAPTER ONE
The occupation of Ontario in June of 1995 by a party of right wing
revolutionaries did not come entirely as a bolt from the blue. It was
preceded in the short term by at least 25 years of organized propaganda by
right wing think tanks; in the medium term by political theorists who
assumed a preordained hierarchical social order (which is extremely limited
in its application); and in the long term by the example of the tyrants of
history, whose main purpose was to impose their will on the populations
they sought to control.
I have provided a 75 word abstract of the book.
Brief CV of author: I am a retired high school teacher. I taught English
and Art for 25 years. However my academic background includes Philosophy
and Anthropology. I have been active in campaigns to protect schools,
hospitals, tenants, welfare recipients, the environment and above all,
local democracy against the onslaught by a government using the practices
of tyrannous regimes of the past to advance the aims of a bizarre business
cult.
In the process I have amassed material which provides evidence of a
serious flaw in the thinking of the far right They are unable to
conceptualize the public realm. Their thought processes are not suitable
for the management of living systems. They seem to lack reference points
other than their own possessive individualism.
******************************************************************************
Greetings Mai-nots, Aug. 9
I feel a bit like Max Wolfe, who wrote the article in the New Brunswick
Telegraph Journal (sent out to the MAI-not list on July 18 I think). This is
how he began his article:
MAX WOLFE: TO BE A TORY FOR A DAY (New Brunswick Telegraph Journal,
July 16, 1998)
"Father forgive me for I am about to sin. Not a mortal sin maybe but
close, oh so close. I am going to become part of that long and not very
honourable Canadian political tradition of joining a political party
just so that I can vote for a friend who is running in an internal party
election. He needs my vote and any other votes he can beg borrow or
steal."
As for me, David Orchard is not a friend; I haven't even seen him on TV
(which I don't have). But I like the idea of voting for someone who cares
more about doing what is right than getting elected. This seems to be David
Orchard.
But just to be sure, I wrote as follows to Marjaleena Repo, Co-chair of the
David Orchard Campaign for Canada:
JAN SLAKOV WROTE:
>
> Dear Marjaleena Repo & David Orchard, JUly 25
>
> I'm quite excited about your leadership campaign; you have been doing
> excellent work from what I have seen on the MAI-not list and I hope the
> roots you are fostering within the Conservative Party will be the strongest
> ones.
>
> I have generally supported the NDP and most recently have joined the Green
> Party.
>
> I am seriously considering joining the Cons. party in order to vote for you.
> But I would like to know: what kind of defence policy do you support? would
> you support Canada getting out of NATO and the Defence Products Sharing
> Agreement? to me, our linkage to the US military (and our own contribution
> to crimes against humanity and human rights violations) are even more
> abhorrent than our hopping on the "free trade" bandwagon.
MARJALEENA REPO REPLIES:
David Orchard advocates getting out of NATO, NORAD, Defence Products
Sharing Agreement, which he regards contrary to Canada's national
interests.
>
> I hope you are getting many supportive messages, but not so many that you
> won't have time to reply to me.
Lots of supportive messages - and more and more people joining the New
and Renovated Progressive Conservative Party. You can join by sending a
cheque for $10 (made out to the "PC Party Fund") to the David Orchard
Campaign for Canada at Box 1983, Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 4R7. That way we
can keep track of who are Orchard supporters. (Donations for the
campaign, likewise, can be sent to the above address.)
>
<snip>....>
>
All the best,
Marjaleena Repo <•••@••.•••>
for the DAVID ORCHARD CAMPAIGN FOR CANADA
toll free number: 1-877-WE STAND
*********************************************************************
Now I find out his candidacy is endorsed by the Green Party in B.C. and Ontario.
...
So, I did something I would not have thought I'd ever do (and I encourage
others to do it too: send in $10 ($5 for people under 25 years of age) to
become a member of the PC party.) BTW, I asked that my name NOT be put on
any PC mail lists.
...
all the best, jan
PS
Worth Quoting:
"The Conservative Party cannot grow where it needs to grow to win if it
looks and sounds like a political party of stockbrokers, Godzilla
look-alikes and Ayn Rand comic book fans."
--Dalton Camp, former president, Progressive Conservative Party,
commenting on Orchard's candidacy
"Mulroney was an aberration."
--David Orchard
