Hosted by Justin Podur
A little more on the case I mentioned yesterday, in which a teacher tried to get a boycott/divestment/sanctions (BDS) resolution passed in a Ontario teacher’s union.
The JDL is on the US State Department’s terrorist list.
Continue reading “Politics in classrooms, “terrorism” at union meetings…”
Back in the summer we at ZNet published a fine piece by a very intelligent teacher named Jason Kunin on how to talk about Israel/Palestine issues to unionists. In Canada, activists in unions are trying to push a boycott/divestment/sanctions (BDS) campaign to force Israel to stop its ongoing ethnic cleansing and genocidal policies against the Palestinians. Goes without saying that this is an uphill battle. This is, after all, the same jurisdiction where a children’s book that talked about children in Israel and Palestine was banned.
Uphill, indeed. Kunin tried to pass a motion in his union on BDS. It seems that Kunin’s school board took it upon themselves to suspend him and investigate his teaching. They have suspended him, the preliminary reports say, for bringing politics into the classroom. The irony of this seems to have escaped them.
The motion is copied below. If I hear more on how to support this case I will publish it here.
BIRT D-12 STBU bring the following motion to AMPA 2007:
BIRT that AMPA 2007 express its concern about the humanitarian crisis in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by taking the following actions:
a) Requesting the PE to endorse the recommendations of Amnesty International, in its report “Israel & the Occupied Territories: Road to Nowhere” (December 1, 2006)
b) Requesting that the Provincial Executive write a letter to the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, copied to the Prime Minister of Canada as well as to the leaders of the opposition stating OSSTF’s endorsement of the recommendations of Amnesty International, in its report “Israel & the Occupied Territories: Road to Nowhere” (December 1, 2006)
c) request the provincial HRC to educate OSSTF members to the present crisis and to develop moral and other supports for students, teachers, unions, or other organizations in the Occupied Territories and Israel as may be appropriate.
d) Develop ways OSSTF can demonstrate its support of the growing international call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel.
Moved: Jason Kunin
Seconded: Hayssam Hulays
http://www.zcommunications.org/after-socialism-by-justin-podur
Review of Gabriel Kolko?s ?After Socialism: Reconstructing critical social thought?. Routledge, UK. 2006.
I’m reproducing here a communique from my friend Pablo Leal, who is in Oaxaca now and has been based there for about three years – at least… I worked closely with him for a few years starting in early 2001, but I am glad that the movements in Mexico have been able to benefit from his commitment and his insights. The point of this introduction isn’t to praise Pablo but to provide a preface that you’re hearing the words of someone who is both informed and committted.
México, December 6, 2006
Dear friends and compañeros,
Just when I think that Canada is a bleak field of endlessly boring events, something like this happens to perk my interest.
Now, I can’t honestly say that “Borat” was the worst movie ever because, well, I didn’t get through the entire movie. By the 40th intolerable minute of it, I walked out.
Let me say up front – I am no prude. And while I am sensitive to racism and sexism in pop culture, I am not so sensitive that I can’t enjoy it. I enjoyed the South Park movie and laughed very, very hard through many of the songs. I thought ‘Team America: World Police’ was funny, including the final monologue. I think Eminem is talented.
Continue reading “Borat might be the worst movie I’ve ever seen”
I interviewed Colombian journalist Hollman Morris in Toronto a few days ago. My favourite thing that Hollman said was the following:
For me, there are two kinds of fear. Whenever you write or present, you face the fear of the intolerant. This is a fear we always deal with. But much worse is the fear you face when you get to a part of the country after a massacre, a place where you, the journalist, are the only person who has a chance to break impunity and get these people’s story out, to shine this tiny light and break the official history of lies. The people put all their hope in the journalist. You get there – and you feel this fear. You feel so small before the hopes of these people. And this fear makes you feel responsibility.
This is definitely a fear I can relate to. Here’s the rest of the interview, that deals with context in Colombia, Hollman’s program CONTRAVIA, and the trajectory of journalism.
Hollman Morris is a veteran journalist from Colombia who visited Canada to receive the International Press Freedom Award from the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE). His career spans more than two decades, and includes his role as producer of the weekly program CONTRAVIA, correspondent for the channel RCN, editor of the Peace and Human Rights Section of El Espectador, (one of Colombia’s two most prominent newspapers) and founder of the university journal El Universitario.
I have been meaning to put together some resources and a little timeline on Oaxaca, mainly so that I could sort out what is happening for myself. In the meantime though, I would send you all to the NarcoNews, friends who have been doing great work for many many years.
When will Palestinians learn that the Israeli military has no problem killing civilians and that the press will report those killings as the civilians’ fault? Oh, wait, I suppose the Palestinians already know that. The knowledge, unfortunately, doesn’t give them any protection. Nor does it get them any respect when Israel murders their civilians – a 40-year old woman in this case. This is what evacuation of Gaza is, evidently.