Introduction I find it fascinating how many with doctorates or Ph. D.s fail to question their own assumptions. I have experienced this situation numerous times. I just came across another example of this lack of critical thinking in the case of Alan Slusky, a psychologist living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Hamas' Attack on October 7, … Continue reading A Professional Psychologist’s Flawed Logic of Hamas’ Attack on Israel On October 7, 2023
Tag: State oppression
Socialism, Part Ten: What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers: Child Support Laws, State Oppression and the Left
Introduction Mr. Gindin, a self-proclaimed socialist in Toronto, claims that the state in a socialist society will expand its services rather than wither away--in opposition to Marx's and Engels' views on socialism (from Socialism for Realists): The expectations of full or near-full abundance, added to perfect or near-perfect social consciousness, have a further consequence: they … Continue reading Socialism, Part Ten: What It May Look Like, or Visions of a Better Kind of Society Without Employers: Child Support Laws, State Oppression and the Left
The Basic Functions of the Capitalist State
The capitalist state often combines the appearance of fairness while applying threats and force. The radical left needs to expose this fact whenever possible. John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted the following: John Clarke Based on decades of dealing with elected institutions, administrative bureaucracies and repressive bodies, … Continue reading The Basic Functions of the Capitalist State
Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Nineteen: The Oaxaca, Mexico Teachers’ Strike and Subsequent Community Uprising of 2006
This is a continuation of a series of posts on summaries of articles, mainly on education. When I was a French teacher at Ashern Central School, in Ashern, Manitoba, Canada, I started to place critiques, mainly (although not entirely) of the current school system. At first, I merely printed off the articles, but then I … Continue reading Critical Education Articles Placed in the Teacher Staff Lounge While I Was a Teacher, Part Nineteen: The Oaxaca, Mexico Teachers’ Strike and Subsequent Community Uprising of 2006
Solidarity with Union Members–and an Occasion for Discussing the Limitations of Collective Bargaining: The Ontario Ford Government’s Legislation to Force CUPE Education Workers to Abandon Their Strike
The recent passing of legislation to force Ontario education workers to abandon a strike that they had not even yet started deserves to be opposed energetically. Ford, the Ontario premier, furthermore, justified the law practically by invoking the "notwithstanding" clause of the Canadian Charter of Rights. This clause involves the following: The notwithstanding clause — … Continue reading Solidarity with Union Members–and an Occasion for Discussing the Limitations of Collective Bargaining: The Ontario Ford Government’s Legislation to Force CUPE Education Workers to Abandon Their Strike
Exposing the Intolerance and Censorship of Social Democracy, Part Four: Critique of the Idealization of Publicly Owned Infrastructure, Etc.
Introduction This is the final post of a four-part series of posts. For the context of where the following fits into my participation and withdrawal from the organization Social Housing Green Deal, see the first part Exposing the Intolerance and Censorship of Social Democracy, Part One: The Working Class, Housing and the Police. People's Pandemic Shutdown … Continue reading Exposing the Intolerance and Censorship of Social Democracy, Part Four: Critique of the Idealization of Publicly Owned Infrastructure, Etc.
A Worker’s Resistance to the Capitalist Government or State and Its Representatives, Part Eight
Introduction This is a continuation of a previous post that illustrates how politically biased the capitalist government or state and its representatives (such as social-democratic social workers) are when it comes to determining real situations--especially when a person self-declares as a Marxist. Just a recap: I filed a complaint with the Manitoba Institute of Registered … Continue reading A Worker’s Resistance to the Capitalist Government or State and Its Representatives, Part Eight
The Expansion of Public Services Versus a Basic Income, Part Two: How the Social-democratic Left Ignore the Oppressive Nature of Public Services: Part Two: Oppressive Welfare Services
Introduction This is a continuation of two previous posts (see A Basic Income Versus the Expansion of Public Services? Part One: Critique of the Social-democratic Idea that the Expansion of Public Services is Socialist and The Expansion of Public Services Versus a Basic Income, Part Two: How the Social-democratic Left Ignore the Oppressive Nature of Public … Continue reading The Expansion of Public Services Versus a Basic Income, Part Two: How the Social-democratic Left Ignore the Oppressive Nature of Public Services: Part Two: Oppressive Welfare Services
Basic Income, Public Ownership and the Radical Left in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Critique
In a couple of posts, I criticized John Clarke's opposition to a particular form of basic income. Mr. Clarke is a former leader of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Mr. Clarke continues to oppose any alternative universal basic income scheme (see 'Pandemic Basic Income' Gets It Wrong). He has ignored … Continue reading Basic Income, Public Ownership and the Radical Left in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Critique
A Worker’s Resistance to the Capitalist Government or State and its Representatives, Part One
The following may not seem appropriate since it is supposed to be a political blog. However, the personal is sometimes political, and the political is sometimes personal. Political lessons can sometimes, therefore, be drawn from personal experiences. It will also serve as an antidote against the illusions of the social-democratic left, who isolate the various … Continue reading A Worker’s Resistance to the Capitalist Government or State and its Representatives, Part One
The Abolitionary 