Hello Ken, Tara, Linda M, Varya, Linda H, Karen, Brenda, Tracy, Claudette, Ashton, and Miranda,
This is altogether funny! Usually I am sending petitions such as the one you sent me regarding the CBC. Now here I am on the receiving end!
It is wonderful to be living amongst so many people who care so passionately. I thought you might like to know that the second largest group of people who have emailed me during the election is CBC supporters.
Maybe I am too radical on CBC TV: we were in South Africa a number of years ago. They had public television, lots of educational programmes, with NO commercials! If South Africa can do that, why not us?! (I listen to CBC Radio; I seldom watch TV, partly because there are so many commercials.)
Corporate interests and their buddies would like to be rid of the CBC.
I believe that the Corporations use the air waves at the pleasure of us, the citizens. I think air waves are part of “the Commons”, like water. But the Corporations (not referring to the CBC) seem to think that THEY OWN the air waves. The length of commercials has grown longer and longer, and so on – – right down to a decision to keep Elizabeth May out of the televised leadership debates!
It seems to me that the various parts of a society should be working together. At the very least, citizens should have more say in the content of what comes into their homes and the minds of children, in particular. The amount of violence is just one of the problems. Could we not strive for more noble values?
A well-informed citizenry is essential to democracy . . . but I am preaching to the choir!
I have been and will be fighting with you, all the way, when it comes to funding for the CBC.
For those of you who do not know, I have run an activist email network for more than 10 years, working on various issues. In the end, most things are connected. If you go to www.sandrafinley.ca , to the “categories” in the right-hand side bar, you will get an idea of the work of the network. You are welcome to go on the distribution list if it would be of benefit to you.
By the way: the single largest group of people from whom I have received emails is disease-related. It strengthens my conviction that we need to join the organizations for disease and for developmental problems together in an effort to stop the poisons we are putting into the environment and directly into our bodies.
Our immune systems are different, we each have a different history of known and unknown exposure to poisons that are neuro toxins, teratogens (interfere with normal cell development) and so on. We each now have a “body burden” of poisons, and the Earth has a “body burden”.
You may be interested in:
Work is now underway.
I know you are supporters of different political parties, and maybe no political party. And some people may not vote for the Greens but still believe that Elizabeth May would make a very positive contribution to the governance of Canada (already has).
I would like to extend an invitation whatever your persuasion: please feel free to join us at The Bassment (Jazz Society) on Monday night (Election night).
8:00 pm
Let us know if you’re coming (so we can plan food, etc.).
Robin already has it up on facebook – – you can respond there, or email me.
Exciting times – will be the best party in town!
(The Bassment is Downtown, 202 4th Avenue North, kitty-corner from the Library, in the renovated basement of the old Post Office. Entrance on north side of the building.)
We may well be celebrating the making of history!
There is a very good chance that Elizabeth May will be elected. I know her personally. We kept bumping into each other during the years when she was the Executive Director of the Sierra Club and became friends. She is intelligent, warm-hearted and caring, with amazing energy, dedication and integrity. She understands the issues and is the reason why I joined the Green Party. I know that if she is to achieve her potential, there have to be people in every province to help build Green support.
We cannot poison the place where we live, and our bodies, too. Elizabeth has been a strong voice and active force through all the years at the Sierra Club – I am confident that she, working with others in the Green movement, is our best choice when it comes to driving the change-in-thinking that is urgently needed.
Best wishes,
P.S. You can watch a special preview (“May in Your House”—a 30-minute TV special that shares the extraordinary story of Elizabeth and the values that are the core of the Green Party. This mini-documentary explores the practical, realistic Green Party approaches to real problems faced by Canadians: climate change, jobs, health care, education, pensions, youth unemployment, and more.