The following is the final post of a series of posts that provide a verbatim reply (with a somewhat different order) to a "clinical evaluation" (a performance evaluation of my teaching) made by the principal of Ashern Central School (Ashern, Manitoba, Canada), Neil MacNeil, in the fall of 2011 when I was teaching grades 6, … Continue reading A Principal’s Evaluation of My Teaching Basic French, or: How to Oppress a Worker Through Performance Evaluation, Part Seven
Author: The abolitionist
I come from a working-class background. My lost paid job was a teacher, substituting for a number of years before obtaining a permanent position. I obtained my doctorate in 2009. I am an unapologetic critic of capitalism and the way in which various institutions and ideologies reinforce it.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): An Organization of Oppression
I was once arrested by the RCMP (charges dropped)--and have experienced first hand how this organization operates through intimidation tactics. I thought it would be appropriate to present John Clarke's article about RCMP oppression. John Clarke is a former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). He posted the following on Facebook this … Continue reading The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP): An Organization of Oppression
The Evil of the Lesser Evil Focus of Some Leftists (Often at the Expense of Community and Class Organization)
John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, posted the following recently on Facebook: John Clarke 19h · Some problems with the 'lesser evil' electoral strategy. 1. What we are really up against is a regressive agenda that continues to intensify. It revolves around increased exploitation, austerity, the growing threat of war … Continue reading The Evil of the Lesser Evil Focus of Some Leftists (Often at the Expense of Community and Class Organization)
Unions that Uncritically Support Pro-Employer Representatives
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted the following on Facebook: John Clarke · Never has a sow's ear looked less like a silk purse. https://www.commondreams.org/news/unions-endorse-biden-2024?fbclid=IwAR3AOlDUvdSg5tuU-IAiIFQdg9TNn0KZvRvtsZK-MPjn0Uehkr1kntuYYgs I wonder what the attitude of the so-called radical left is concerning the support of Biden for president.
The Capitalist State: Reform (Transform) or Abolish?
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted on Facebook the following: John Clarke I was asked to use my column for Canadian Dimension this month to take up the question of whether the capitalist state can be transformed and used to build socialism.https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-socialist-register-on-the-state-and-the-transition-to-socialism?fbclid=IwAR0p4ES0KpiaGo272qHnbosQ2rbg5XGZFcemSg2h6D3ZFtMgL8rzvF6gAqk The issue is relevant for the … Continue reading The Capitalist State: Reform (Transform) or Abolish?
Company Town: A Critical Review of a Documentary on the Closing of the Oshawa Plant by General Motors (GM), Part Two: Jerry Dias, President of Unifor National
Introduction The documentary (https://gem.cbc.ca/media/cbc-docs-pov/s04e05?cmp=sch-company%20town) presents the situation in Oshawa, Ontario, where General Motors (GM) decided to close its plant. GM had operated in Oshawa for around a century. On November 16, 2018, GM announced that it was closing the plant, throwing around 2,500 direct workers out of work and affecting thousands more indirectly (through the … Continue reading Company Town: A Critical Review of a Documentary on the Closing of the Oshawa Plant by General Motors (GM), Part Two: Jerry Dias, President of Unifor National
The Police: Reform (Transform) or Abolish?
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted this on Facebook: John Clarke If you injured your arm and went to the hospital, you'd be quite surprised if the doctor noted the swelling and pain but refused to consider the possibility of a broken bone. Yet, when it comes … Continue reading The Police: Reform (Transform) or Abolish?
Drawing a Logical Conclusion: The Need for Ideological Struggle
John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, recently posted this on Facebook: John Clarke · We live in a society that is based on exploitation. The small minority of exploiters are raised under conditions that school them in the exercise of power and instill in them a fierce determination to preserve … Continue reading Drawing a Logical Conclusion: The Need for Ideological Struggle
Climate Change Should Not Be the Focus–But Rather the Class Power of Employers
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition of Poverty (OCAP), posted this on Facebook yesterday. John Clarke ontespSdor80h4904f6716896tc4cah5i5g6u65f8l61571h8iaa054hm1g0 · Capitalism's assault on the natural world is now producing impacts that must lead us to rethink our view of the class struggle and the strategies that flow from it. We must restrain the hand of … Continue reading Climate Change Should Not Be the Focus–But Rather the Class Power of Employers
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Real Assumption of Some Bureaucratic Tribunals, Part Seven
It is supposed to be a fundamental principle of criminal law that a person is presumed innocent until proven otherwise by the State (government). This is the ideology or the rhetoric (which much of the left have swallowed). The reality is otherwise. In reality, the administrative apparatus of various organizations of the government and semi-governmental … Continue reading Guilty Until Proven Innocent: The Real Assumption of Some Bureaucratic Tribunals, Part Seven
The Abolitionary 