About 25 or 30 supporters of war resisters woke up early and bundled against the damp, chilly morning to show their support for Jeremy Hinzman and other war resisters seeking refuge in Canada. This blogger and a friend drove in from Buffalo; my friend M@ was there holding a banner; many Quakers attended, as they always do; plus a few Campaigners who don't work regular hours. Those who could stay made our way through security and sat in the back of the courtroom. The court was kind enough to supply extra chairs, and we all squeezed in. Lawyer Alyssa Manning was masterful. When the Crown rose to respond, you could hear crickets chirping. They had nothing. I took copious notes and can report at length tomorrow if anyone is interested. (Yes? No?) Meanwhile, here's a story from Canadian Press via CBC. [Link has been fixed.] A Canadian immigration official failed to consider the hardships a high-profile American deserter and his family would face if forced to return to the United S...
Tonight we watched " Before the Flood ", Leonardo DiCaprio's film about climate change, which I had heard such good things about. It's well done, and is chock full of appropriately terrifying and depressing information. But in the end, the film delivers yet another "it's up to each of us" message, focusing on individual actions, rather than systemic solutions. Early in the film, we hear that discussions of climate change used to focus on individual solutions -- change your light bulbs, bring your own coffee mug -- but now we know that's not enough. Yet in the end, the film concludes: "Consume differently: what you buy, what you eat, how you get your power." Vote for people who promise to do something. After seeing miles of gray, dead coral reef, rainforest devastation in Indonesia, and the monstrosity of the tar sands, "consume differently" is an empty platitude. And how you get your power? Most of us have no choice about that. Su...
We had a wonderful little getaway , despite some crazy weather. It was great to re-connect with our Windsor friends , now not only married but Canadian citizens. We had dinner at a terrific little Salvadorean joint ; if you find yourself in Windsor, it's worth looking up. Driving out to Windsor, we hit rain so intense, we had to pull off the highway to wait it out. But the following day, when the game started, we actually needed sunscreen. The storm clouds rolled in, but not as quickly as Boston's runs. By the time the raindrops started falling, the Red Sox had a 7-run lead. We quickly snagged two seats under the overhang - cushioned seats with extra leg-room and a little bench for your drinks - so when the downpour started, we were cozy and happy. By the 8th inning, the Red Sox lead was 14-2. The tarp came out and the fans streamed out. It was neat to be in a nearly empty ballpark, and great to see a big win in our only live Sox game this year. We had a lot of fun. * * * * Thi...
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