traintrakcks

Welcome to another edition of the rabble.ca weekly blog roundup!

As always our lovely bloggers have challenged, proposed and critiqued various aspects of Canadian and global life, specifically focusing efforts on our prime minister and his loyal gang ranging from Stephen Harper’s new million-dollar project to celebrate his version of the War of 1812 (seriously), to calling for a new economic model for post-secondary funding, to the Harper government’s sporadic claims and definitions of “radicals” and their agendas, to the proposed advancement of the tar sands pipeline.

So prepare yourself for an educational romp through the minefield that is the Harper government. Enjoy your reading!

Remember that time Stephen Harper declared “Canada also has no history of colonialism” to the world? Well now he extends his skewed and whitewashed thinking to the War of 1812 and the millions of dollars the government will spend to celebrate it in Derrick O’Keefe’s Why we can’t trust Stephen Harper’s history of the War of 1812.

Fred Wilson outlines how the picket lines against Caterpillar and Rio Tinto will shape the economic outcomes for other Canadians in Caterpillar and Rio Tinto lockouts force unions into underdog fight against global capital.

The Canadian Federation of Students call for the National Student Day of Action on February 1 and examine, among other things, a new economical model for universities and colleges to equalize funding, fees and access to post-secondary education in Reducing tuition fees means giving youth a fair chance by Roxanne Dubois.

When will the baby boomers retire? by Andrew Jackson looks at the immediate issue surrounding these demographic changes, which is huge unemployment, not generalized labour shortages.

Pamela Palmater continues her converge of the strangely obscure rationale of Conservatives to deem everything non-conservative as “radical” and a national security risk in The problem with radicals, insurgents, terrorists and non-thinkers.

The Babble Book Club has its final discussion of selection The Wind Up Bird Chronicle this Sunday, January 15 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST on the babble forum — learn about our group on Facebook or Bound but not Gagged and come join the fun!

Meghan Murphy picks apart the oversimplifications of complex debates and points of view on the porn industry, feminism, misogyny and sexism in Can I get a f**k you? Why erections are always right and feminists are always wrong.

Karl Nerenberg also weighs in on the strange “take-no-prisoners” rhetoric of the Conservatives with their wild accusations and erratic responses in Hill Dispatches: The 2012 policy agenda, part two.

Tyler McCreary tackles and challenges the Harper government’s commitment to the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Project and advancement of the tar sands pipelines in Traditional knowledge and the history of irresponsible development.

Photo by Kaitlin McNabb.