Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Friday, January 13, 2012

‘Radical ideological agenda’ easy to spot from downtown Toronto

From the depths of his pipeline-free riding in the heart of Toronto, National Resources Minister Joe Oliver has lashed out at “environmental and other radical groups” for “[threatening] to hijack our regulatory system to achieve their radical ideological agenda.”

Gosh, I haven’t heard environmental activists smeared like that since Glen Clark labelled Greenpeace campaigners against old-growth logging “enemies of British Columbia.” Guess who won that round?

This time, the activists’ great sin is to oppose the proposed Gateway pipeline from Alberta’s oil sands – across B.C. and the territory of scores of native groups battling the project – to Kitimat, where tankers the size of 3.5 football fields will load up with crude and head for Asia through the province’s narrow, pristine, coastal waterways.

Who could be opposed to that but radicals? Never mind that B.C. will bear most of the ecological risk, without much permanent economic benefit.

Mr. Oliver’s diatribe also included outrage that funds from non-Canadians are being used in the fight against a project fuelled by the interests of foreign-based oil companies, including authoritarian China’s huge, state-owned energy company, Sinopec.

Ethical oil, indeed.

And who’s behind this ideologically driven, outside cash, Mr. Oliver was asked. “Billionaire socialists from the United States – people like George Soros,” he replied.

Sounds like someone itching to get into those wacky Republican debates and show up Mitt Romney for the socialist he really is.

Original Article
Source: Globe 

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