Jun 07

Is ForestEthics Gravitating Towards The Militants Now? (Feat. Ben West, Gord Hill)

  • June 7, 2014

Wittingly or not, Ben West is a dangerous man...

Wittingly or not, Ben West is a dangerous man…

To steal a phrase used by TIDES Canada, our country’s environmental movements often bring together some strange bedfellows. The most striking of these relationships has to be the partnership with Green Party leader Elizabeth May and the Council of Canadians leader Maude Barlow- May is outspoken against violence (albeit in a strangely twisted manner), while Barlow and her organization are influential enablers.

Until recently, ForestEthics seemed rather benign. Radicals have harshly criticised them for being fronts for US business interests- some have spent a lot of time attacking FE leader Tzeporah Berman. But there have been recent indications that FE is getting closer to the radical elements. And, this week, their campaign director Ben West has stepped into some very dangerous territory.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2014/06/07/eco-extremists-is-forestethics-gravitating-towards-the-militants-now-feat-ben-west-gord-hill/

Jun 05

[Updated] Vancouver Activist House Raided In Anti-Pipeline Vandalism Investigation (Feat. Gord Hill)

  • June 5, 2014

Classy, real classy...

Classy, real classy…

Update: Quell surprise, Ben West of ForestEthics has complained that the police were too heavy-handed…

Vancouver has been experiencing a Vandalism problem over the past few months. A person (or persons) have been prolifically spray painting “No Pipelines” on buildings across the east side of the city. The graffiti is in no way artistic; and in some cases has actually been painted over real art (see above). It’s the type of thing that leaves one wondering about the stupidity of some protesters, or if someone is intentionally trying to poison their cause.

New information came to light on the case this week when Vancouver Police executed a search warrant on an East Vancouver house on Parker Street. In an approach similar to last year’s raid on a London, Ontario anarchist house, the search warrant allowed police to confiscate the resident’s digital media. Five people were taken into custody, including on of the country’s most notorious militants.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2014/06/05/vancouver-activist-house-raided-in-anti-pipeline-vandalism-investigation-feat-gord-hill/

Jun 02

What Didn’t The Media Tell Us About Desmond Tutu’s Visit? (Feat. 350.org & Eriel Deranger)

  • June 2, 2014

Chief Alan Adam & Desmond Tutu

ACFN Chief Allan Adam & Desmond Tutu

The one thing I admire most about Desmond Tutu is his rigorous advocacy of non-violence. As the creator of the concept of the Rainbow Nation, and chairman of South Africa’s Truth And Reconciliation Commission, Tutu’s work made a real difference to many people’s lives. More recently, Tutu spoke out against the African National Congress, saying “it doesn’t seem to me now that a freedom-fighting unit can ­easily make the transition to becoming a political party,” and describing South Africa as “the most unequal society in the world”.

This weekend Tutu travelled to Canada, a country whose residents enjoy a high standard of living, above-average economic equality, the freedom to say what we want, and a sense of security that South Africans could only dream about. Tutu’s message was both that he’s not here to tell Canadians what to do, but that the current trajectory of the oilsands is producing ‘filth’ and is evidence of our country’s ‘negligence and greed’. Many Canadians agree with this message- equally, many others feel that Tutu is misguided.

Tutu’s visit was covered by media outlets around the globe. But, as usual, most reporters completely missed the obvious- the influence of an American NGO…

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2014/06/02/what-didnt-the-media-tell-us-about-desmond-tutus-visit-feat-350-org-eriel-deranger/

May 31

Burnaby Chevron Protesters, Threats Of Violence, And The Perversion Of Mahatma Gandhi

  • May 31, 2014

Who paid for the sign?

Hey, doesn’t that sign look familiar?

Activists interrupted a Burnaby, BC fuel truck refilling station yesterday, protesting Chevron’s involvement in the Pacific Trails Pipeline project, and showing ‘solidarity’ to the (violent) Unist’ot’en Camp. Replicating Greenpeace’s similar stunt in October 2013, three of the protesters locked themselves to the front gate. Their message for Chevron was to ‘frack off’, a slogan as stale as their tactics. But of  course, the media ate it all up!

Talking to the media, the group and their representatives stressed that they’re just “ordinary citizens” who’ve decided that enough is enough! But, are they just ordinary folk or is there more to the story that the media didn’t tell us? I’m sure you’ve guessed the answer already, there’s much more to be told- including how one arrestee was recently filmed advocating for violence (and how another tried to cover it up).

Let’s have a look at who got arrested…

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2014/05/31/burnaby-chevron-protesters-threats-of-violence-and-the-perversion-of-mahatma-gandhi/

May 29

[Updated] Slacktivist Exploitation Of Missing Toronto Women Has Unintended Consequences

  • May 29, 2014

torontowomen-kathleen-pye-first-tweet

Update: The two teenage girls have now been found.
Update 2: Corrected a mistake: Paisley Ray’s spreadsheet separated the men into their own tab, I missed that. Ray has created a Storify page of her tweets.

I use an app on my phone to subscribe to the Toronto Police Service’s news release updates. It’s an interesting barometer of what’s happening in the city, and perhaps a good way to catch a story or two- but most of the time it’s a lot of white noise.

There’s rarely a day when I don’t see missing persons alerts; for people of all genders, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The alerts are almost invariably followed by an announcement that the person has been found. I see so many of these messages each week that I often tell myself I should find an app that can filter them out.

The alerts turned into a minor, and questionable, controversy on Tuesday. Three women were reported missing near Queen St West and Osslington, two were teenage friends who were known to have been together; the third case was unrelated, a 40 year old Asian women. The story quickly caught the attention of the slacktivist class- outspoken radical New Brunswick feminist Kathleen Pye announced the hashtag #TorontoWomen. Everything started going downhill from that point.

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: http://www.genuinewitty.com/2014/05/29/slacktivist-exploitation-of-missing-toronto-women-has-unintended-consequences/

Load more