Category Archives: politics

31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 9

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Yes, it’s not actually Day 9 (Write a “How To” Post) but I’m catching up on posts* I’ve missed. Going back to the post on my purpose statement, I wanted to post something that covered “the personal is political” aspect of my writing. And so:

How To Help Your Kids Change the World

Xander helping Alderman Ceci cut the ribbon on the Calgary Peace Pole, September 2009.


Little Changes Add Up

Out of all the changes that happened when I became a single mom in March 2008, I didn’t think “not buying a car” would have the most impact. Joining Calgary Carshare has led to all kinds of changes: less shopping (especially in big-box stores), more transit/walking/biking (especially because Xander’s school and out-of-school-care are so close) and more volunteering (first as a member and then as a board member). Xander is a big fan of carsharing and we have a great time discussing alternative transportation models (including my “retirement home”: a rainbow-coloured school-bus that runs on recycled french fry oil – his proposal, not mine).

Take Them With You
Xander comes to board meetings with me, he volunteers at tables/events with me, and he comes to protests with me. He’ll be attending the Nenshi for Mayor orientation later this week and he’s requested his own tshirt so he can participate in events. He’s a familiar face at Bow Cliff Seniors, where his Wii-skills and weeding-skills are in demand. Sometimes I don’t attend things because he’s with me, or I reschedule them for times when he’s in school, after-school care or with his father, but most of the time he’s there with me. And I know this works first hand: I have several memories of volunteering with both my parents!

Xander and I at the Calgary Anti-Prorogation Rally, January 2010.

Explain Things So They Understand Why
Kids have questions and we (sometimes) have answers. Tell the truth, but in a way that your kids understand. Talk about why you feel something is right/wrong and why others don’t. And be honest when you don’t have the answers; kids can sense when you’re putting them on. Encourage them to do their own research and form their own opinions.

Have Fun!
Changing the world is hard work, but every revolution needs a dance party or two. One of our “new favourite” events is the Bow River Flow – a street party celebrating human-powered transportation. Next Sunday we’ll be volunteering for Calgary Carshare at the Bike Check-In and also wandering the streets looking for a game of snakes and ladders. Hope to see you there!

Come join the parade!

31 Days to a Brand New Blog Day 4

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(or “what we really should be talking about”)

The challenge for Day 4 is to write a list post that relates to my purpose statement. As my purpose statement identifies politics as an area of focus, and as we’re now 64 days away from the Calgary General Election, here’s my list of the top five posts I’d like* to write before election day:

1. The Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is the most controversial and misunderstood projects undertaken by the city, and it’s also the lightening rod that many candidates are using to rally support.

2. Plan It
Like many CivicCampers, I spent time last fall in council chambers as the council listened to presentations on Plan It, the document that would guide our city’s growth for decades to come. And, like many CivicCampers, I felt betrayed by a last-minute backroom deal that made developers’ interests more weight then that of citizens.

3. FCSS
FCSS Calgary (Family and Community Support Services) is a municipal/provincial program that funds nonprofits that do a variety of things (including Bow Cliff Seniors). If the FCSS stat re: social return on investment (that for every dollar spent on prevention the city saves six to thirteen dollars in other costs) is true, why aren’t we putting more into prevention? The city has two roles here: increase the dollar amount it funds (currently required to fund 20%, they actually fund 25% of annual budget) and they can lobby the province for additional funding for the entire program.

4. Transportation for All
Better transit – not just trains. “Next Bus” real time technology. (Come on, even Winnipeg has this one!) Smaller buses and routes that come more than once an hour during “non-peak” hours – and redefining “non-peak” hours to be more then “when people aren’t traveling downtown to work”. Resources for Access Calgary so it can provide more services (especially as the population needing their services grows). And, of course, an obligatory “carsharing rocks” moment.

5. Housing options
Obviously the city needs to get its act together on secondary suites. But I’m sure they can also find ways to support non-marketing housing options (like co-ops and cohousing) and develop more TOD (transit-orientation development) projects that include mixed-use and mixed-income housing. Again, the aging population will be a critical factor to consider: changing needs, increased population and a need for greater community involvement should all play a part.

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* That’s not saying I will, but I’ll likely be tweeting about them!

31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 2

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(or “why I do what I do”)

I’ve spent the last day tinkering behind the scenes and don’t think I’m any closer to fixing the communication gap between Telus, GoDaddy and Blogger – so I’ll ignore that and get on to the next assignment, “Write a Purpose Statement for Your Blog.”

Why do you blog?

I started blogging on January 8, 2006, with a little post about the projects I was working on. I’d been online since 1994 working on projects with nonprofits, especially those working on women’s issues, and decided that it was time to jump on this blogging craze. Soon I blogged because there was so much happening that needed to be shared, connected and commented on. And then – well, then real life really got in the way, in big painful ways, and I blogged less and less. As I posted yesterday, it’s been over a year since I last wrote something here. And no, life hasn’t gotten less busy, but I think I’m ready to face the pain again.
 
What do you want to blog about?
My second blog post jumped right into my three favourite topics (according to my tags list): politics (38 posts), witch(craft) (26 posts) and feminism (24 posts, with an additional 13 labelled ecofeminism). The personal is political, especially to a radical feminist witch like me, and it’s what I do best. Blogging about things can also help me re-centre, re-claim lost ground and re-inspire me as I work through the next stages of the game plan.
What do you want to be known for through your blog?
I want people to read my posts and think “Yes, that makes total sense.” I want to draw attention to the disconnects in the world between what we think and what is being done in our names. I want to prove that not all the radicals have gone away, that not all the feminists have put away their protest signs, and that not all the witches are afraid of the fire. 
 

Let Them Stay!

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Read more!

Have you sent your letter in support of the War Resisters Campaign? Time is running out for Kimberly Rivera and her family, due to be deported on Thursday, March 26. 2009.

The Hon. Jason Kenney
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
House of Parliament
Ottawa, Ontario
minister@cic.gc.ca, Kennej@parl.gc.ca, kennej7@parl.gc.ca

Dear Mr. Kenney,

On June 3, 2008, the Parliament of Canada passed a motion calling on the government to stop all removal proceedings against U.S. Iraq war resisters, and to implement a program to allow them to apply to stay in Canada as permanent residents. As recently as February 12th of this year, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration reaffirmed this motion.

This motion is supported by a majority of Canadians, including myself. Despite this nation-wide support, Stephen Harper and yourself, as Citizenship and Immigration Minister, have refused to implement this motion. Instead, the minority Conservative Government of Canada continues to deport war resisters, including the recent order that Kimberly Rivera and her family leave Canada by March 26, 2009, or face deportation.

Kimberly Rivera was the first woman U.S. soldier to seek refuge in Canada. She was deployed to Iraq and, while home on a leave, decided she could no longer participate in what she considered to be an illegal war. As a result, she came to Canada with her husband and two young children in January 2007, and their family was further blessed with a daughter born here in November 2008.

Although the Riveras had requested that their deportation date be postponed until June so the children can complete their school year, the Immigration Department has decided to ignore this plea. They have also refused to see the impact that sending Ms. Rivera back to the United States, where she will face certain imprisonment, will have on her husband and children. As a mother myself, I know it took incredible courage for Ms. Rivera to choose this path as the best option for her family. I would hope, as Canadians, we honour that courage by following the will of Parliament and allowing her to stay.

Sincerely,

Tracey Braun

cc: The Right Hon. Stephen Harper, pm@pm.gc.ca
The Hon. Jim Prentice (MP, Calgary Centre-North), Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca
Maurizio Bevilacqua (Liberal party immigration critic), BevilM@parl.gc.ca
Olivia Chow (NDP immigration critic), chowo@parl.gc.ca
Thierry St-Cyr (Bloc Québécois immigration critic), StCyrT@parl.gc.ca

Follow up to the last post…

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Did you know that one of Canada’s leading scientists, Don MacIver was dropped from the climate change delegation? Jim Prentice (my “second-favourite” MP, y’all know who my “first-favourite” is, right?) says that it was a cost-cutting measure.

All this tries to make sense… but the article also says that MacIver’s costs were to be covered by the World Meteorological Organization”as part of his role as the chair of the organizing committee” and not by Canada. Now, MacIvor likely would have been drawing a salary during the conference, so I guess that money is better spent doing… something else that scientists do. Because we’d hate to have the scientists COMMUNICATING with one another as they try to get us out of this mess we’ve made.

Oh, yeah, it is the full moon…

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How else could you explain the troll-full reactions to this article on Canada’s role at the UN Climate Change talks in Poland? Reactions like:

Canada stands proud, sovereign, free, and under God.

Harper has led Canada into a position of proud global leadership. In light of this new strength, we no longer need to be concerned with “disappointed” environmental socialists and those countries that adhere to a flawed global warming fear tactic!

Canada can unite free and proud on its own terms! God bless Canada.

Not that I’m Christian or anything, but wasn’t there something about Adam and stewardship in that Bible of yours?

Or this:

Do the foreigners pay tax here? No? Then what they think or say doesn’t mean JACK! The next time the decadent Europeans decide to have a war, we should stay home. Say, don’t they still owe us for winning WWII for them? What short memories these guys have. Must be all the wine and creamy sauces…

Mmmhmm. There must be a variation of Godwin’s Law here somewhere….

Oh, and Minister Prentice? When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told you that Canada has played an important role “historically” in international affairs, I think you should take some time to reflect on what “historically” actually means and why it’s not necessarily a good thing.

OK, so it’s been a while…

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… but at least I still remembered my password!

Yes, life got busy for a while. Anyone who knows me knows what’s been happening. The rest of you can make something up – use your imaginations!

My jonesing for website development is currently being satisfied at www.bowcliffseniors.org, where I’ve been the Executive Director since last October. I’ve also become addicted to Facebook along with half of my former high school. (Mostly they find me through my sister, who was way more social than I was during that period in our lives.)

I’m starting my next-to-last class at MRC tonight, which should take up even more of my time, which has become even more constrained since the single-mom thing started in March.

Oh, and I’m in the news today:

Anders’ absence angers seniors

This ‘Bart’ never punished

And to think moving from the violence against women sector to the seniors sector would be less political!