a perfect world

 

The most interesting questions are always the ones parallel to the ones we are asking ourselves. I felt on one about a perfect world.

Most of us might see a perfect world as a result instead of a process – how a world in process could be perfect? I couldn’t stand an unimprovable world.

But the most important question about a perfect world is not how it would be but how we are. A perfect world would be built from who we are.

Would a perfect world be suitable with us?

Mostly: what are we made of? Greed? Fear? Hunger?

Before willing to improve the world, shouldn’t we be willing to improve ourselves?

Lately, old teenage ideas about a better world came back in my mind. I thought: what’s missing? Why are we thinking about a better world? Do we miss ingredients? Recipes? Cooks?

It’s easy to imagine a better world. Damn easy. But according to who we are, could we get better?

john goes politics

 

Friday night, the young and new member for the electoral division where I live was holding an assembly to meet his electors. As I don’t live in this town for long and never voted here, this was an excellent opportunity to get to know what he was made of.

The assembly was held at a soup kitchen so about the third of the room was filled of messed-up/drunk hobos – I guess they couldn’t be told to go away for a while. The guy spoke for about an hour about hot issues, mainly health, his own field, then we had the opportunity to ask him questions. I watched the process and near the end, I went to the microphone to ask my own question about prevention in our healthcare system. The guy has been elected in the opposition, so he complains at the government daily and tells how things should be. I wanted to hear him about we can change our ways of doing things to have a healthier society. Instead of asking a general question, I gave the example of the way we do agriculture, as food is a huge factor of health.

He did a wonderful session of figure skating.

His party likes the way things are in agriculture. He can’t say it’s bad. He also insisted on how we can easily find some nice biological food section in any grocery. Therefore, everything is fine.

But I wanted to hear his views about prevention. I went back to the point.

Then, he said it’s hard. Very hard. People wants result now. They want money now. It’s hard. Hard to fight for more prevention. It’s very tempting to go for the instant solution.

I got back on my chair and another question was asked.

I was expecting him to bring me some vision. Some dreams. Some “this is the way I’d do things if I was in charge”. Content. Ideas. Lyricism, if possible. Not hearing about how hard it is to improve things. As if he was already in charge. Already feeling is hands are tied.

Mine are too. I won’t vote for him.

I could go back in the next assemblies and ask even more seditious questions until I find a breach in him for hope – or until I get blacklisted by his staff and thrown out. He may be a nice guy but the actual parties ruling Quebec are dull.

Then, did I say to myself, shouldn’t I volunteer for the Greens? As they are the only party that fits my values.

I guess it depends of my political choice for the next elections: abstentionism or voting for the don’t-stand-a-damn-chance-poor-and-poorly-organised Greens.

I have to choose between lucidity and hope.

Poverty and poison

 

If poverty is indeed poison, politicians are therefore ______.

rousseau and democracy

Were there a people of gods, their government would be democratic. So perfect a government is not for men.

Rousseau, The Social Contract

a 59 years old farce

 

I read, for the first time in years, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 59 years later, this is a farce. A sad farce.

and he might succeed

It could have been a sarcastic illustration that positive discrimination is a bad concept. But no, it’s the new governement of Quebec. Clearly, the goal of Charest was not to bring up the best governement possible but win next elections. By contrasting with ADQ’s all-men club and stealing women votes from PQ. Showing PLQ is gentle. Showing it cares.

And bringing an unexperienced immigrant woman as immigration minister spoils the good idea it could have been.

please just shut up and take a nap

John Baird painted a distastrous economic picture Thursday if Canada were to meet its Kyoto promises on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but opposition parties accused the environment minister of not basing his forecast on facts.

Man, did I ever wanted more to slap a politician on the back of the head ?
What’s the point of having a ministry of environment then ?

give it to the kid

Who chose Mario Dumont to be responsible of Environment and suitable development ? Simon-Pierre Diamond (French article), the youngest politician Quebec ever had !
Mario ? Hello ? Seriously ?

she’s bold

We have to give it to Elizabeth May: she’s bold.

Running in the district of Peter McKay is something and she explains why in 10 points.

6. I need to prove that the Green Party is NOT a one issue party. By running in Central Nova I will be taking on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, raising the clarity of vision of our international policies versus the “aye, aye, Sir” approach of Mr. Harper.

I hope for her she didn’t really plan to get elected there. This world can’t afford much more deluded politicians.

restrict firearms ?

What should the White house and Congress do about firearms ? I think they should severely restrict semi-automatic and automatic weapons. But what about the others ? Could they severely restrict any firearm ? Should a father who wants to protect his family be able to get a gun ? Does it worth the risk he uses it to kill his wife before she divorces and leaves with the kids ? This issue makes me glad I’m not a politician.

it’s over

This picture killed her campaign to become the Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2008 election. But she will probably try anyway.

screamers

 

Follows the Grammy-award winning rock band System of a Down as they confront the issue of the Armenian genocide in 1915 Turkey and efforts by the Turkish government to deny it.

I had two thoughts in mind after the movie:

• I don’t have any problem. Any.
• There are two kinds of politicians: evil ones and corrupted ones.

but mostly an abstainer

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% LiberalSocial Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

 

we won

We abstainers won the Quebec election.

1. Abstainers 1 617 327
2. PLQ 1 313 780
3. ADQ 1 223 477
4. PQ 1 125 078
5. PVQ 154 367
6. QS 145 051

I don’t know if I should add the 41 252 rejected ballots to the abstainers. As we don’t know how many of these voters really tried to vote.

As the abstainers won, elected politicians should abstain from lying and stealing. At least for a few days. Please.

poetry against politics

Today is election day. I have diarrhea. I won’t call it a coincidence. And I don’t think they would let me vote that way.

I finally decided to abstain. The decisive argument has been that no party achieved to reach me.

I thought it would be interesting on the next elections to hold a poetry reading to condemn the political void of corruption and demagogy we are stuck in.

Or even to create a political party that would be a poetic lobby.