This is a reprint from electoral-vote.com, a site for sane commentary about politics in the USA. I don’t always have the resolve to follow American political news but I recommend this website for its discernment of important issues.
Award-winning Indigenous journalist Brandi Morin posted comments about Justice Michael Tammen’s findings in a court case that followed violent and racist actions by the RCMP. Police were serving as a security force for the oil and gas industry, which is just one more hidden subsidy governments provide for fossil fuels. An approaching climate crisis seems not to matter. Unfortunately, the findings of Justice Tammen are unlikely to change RCMP behaviour. The police force has a long history of ‘dirty tricks’ favouring oil and gas companies.
Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana stated the words shown here in his work The Life of Reason. With the rising tide of fascism in the USA and elsewhere, we should be attentive to his warning. According to University of Edinburgh historian Stephan Malinowski, a small group of powerful actors played a critical role in the creation of the Third Reich. In the 21st century, a different small group is again promoting fascism.
“We are entering uncertain times internationally and the need for strong, domestic food production is again becoming more acute. On behalf of everyone on the farm, thank you for all you do to support local food and local farmers wherever you live.”
Traditional geothermal failed to produce clean heat and electricity for the people of the German town of Geretsried. But now Calgary’s Eavor Technologies, using directional deep drilling technologies developed in the oil and gas industry, is starting its first commercial power plant in Geretsried.
I told Michael James, the writer recently featured here, that I wished more journalists had the strength of character to oppose authoritarianism now threatening democracy. Doing so involves professional risks because the Trump/Musk administration is supported by plutocrats who control major parts of the USA economy. There are also risks to an individual’s safety and well-being because one of the persons currently exercising power has pardoned dangerous criminals and marshalled massive numbers of would-be oppressors who, like him, ought to be in jail.
With the Musk/Trump administration ripping huge holes in America’s social safety net, it is frightening to observe how major media properties have sagged onto bended knees to pay homage to wealth and power. There is a parallel to Germany in the 1930s. There, political leaders took control of media that did not serve the Nazi Party. A cocktail of naked opportunism and misplaced arrogance among the country’s most powerful men facilitated the rise of the Third Reich. With the media silenced or controlled, it was relatively easy for evil men to consolidate power and punish opponents…
Mr. James posted a follow-up to the short essay he recently published on Facebook. His first piece was shared tens of thousands of times, but it attracted many hateful responses. According to James, Trump supporters reacted with threats, insults and rage. Many people favour freedom of speech only when they agree with what is spoken. Commentators on both sides of the political spectrum tend to oppose words that go against their personal values or beliefs.
On the information platform Medium, Jack Dallaire describes himself: “Former tech CEO turned journalist-in-training. Psychology degree holder with a mission to uncover how tech giants are shaping a digital dystopia.” He wrote a piece about Pierre Poilievre that is worth attention.
Michael James is a widely published journalist who lives in New York. He posted the following on Facebook and I think it is worth repeating.
Reading comments on social media and listening to statements by certain politicians, it is apparent that carbon taxes are often misunderstood. These impositions are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and science shows that would improve human health and lessen catasrophic losses resulting from climate change…
If a Canadian were to put aside C$500 a week, it would take more than 38,331 years to accumulate a billion dollars, and more than 21 million years to accumulate the wealth held by the man who wants to be King of the Universe.
In 2000, James M. Kauffman forwarded a satirical letter circulating the Internet, addressed to conservative talk-show host, Dr. Laura Schlessinger. As a result, he became entangled in the raging controversies surrounding homosexuality […]
PhD historian Giordano Nanne wrote that his main focus was “comparative colonialism in the 19th-century British Empire; and more specifically, settler-colonialism in Australia.” Nanni’s focus may have shifted because he created Juice Media, the group responsible for “Honest Government Ads.”…
Trump and his conservative supporters aim to hurt people who seem different from themselves. In the end, they will hurt us all.
I have observed and studied politics for more than sixty years. I have never been as worried about the fragility of democracy and I am convinced it is at risk in Canada in 2025 and beyond. Our school curricula should pay close attention to what sustains government by the people. We should carefully consider the following actions…
In the summer of 1950, parents kept their children indoors for fear of a devastating and contagious virus: polio. That year alone, more than 33,000 Americans fell victim to the disease—half of them under the age of ten. But tireless advocates, teams of scientists, and everyday Americans donating their dimes led to the development and rollout of a life-saving vaccine, one of the most important medical breakthroughs in U.S. history.
Poilievre has been heartily endorsed by Elon Musk and Trump promoter Megyn Kelly. To people on the far-right, those are meaningful endorsements. To humane conservatives, centrists, and progressives, any government person in the Trump/Musk orbit is frightening. New York Times essayist David Wallace-Wells wrote about the Trump/Musk administration, but his words suggest Canada’s future if Pierre Poilivre is elected Prime Minister.
January 2025 beat the prior record set in January 2024 by a sizable margin… An unexpected record to start things off may presage higher temperatures this year than many of us thought.
Previous generations have fought to protect our democracy and made sacrifices to build the Canada we inherited. This now our time.
Milestones usually provoke self reflection, and the closer we get to the ultimate milestone, the more there is to reflect…
Regular reader of insights here. I seldom comment but will try to do that more in the future. I'm glad…
Thanks, I appreciate this follow-up.
Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't show a link to the study initially because it was on a site that…
in-sights.ca 
I very much appreciate your writing with IN SIGHTS Norm. I get too much to read on my computer and…