I don’t normally recommend a book before I have finished reading it, but I will this time. Sandy Tolan’s award winning book, The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East, is a delight. It is the true story of the intimate relationship that developed between two families — one Palestinian and one Israeli — and the house that both lived in, one before and the other after the 1948 expulsion of the Palestinians and founding of the state of Israel. The ... Read Full Story

Malalai Joya visited Winnipeg on November 16 and 17 as part of her 2009 cross-country tour to convince Canadians to press for the withdrawal of their troops from Afghanistan. This feisty woman packed the house at the University of Winnipeg and spoke with passion about the oppression of her people under the combined weight of the Taliban, Hamid Karzai’s warlord drugocracy, and the NATO occupation. Her message was one not heard in this country. Loosely paraphrased, it is: “Go home!... Read Full Story

November 17, 2009: Afghan MP Malalai Joya is in Winnipeg as a part of her Canadian tour to convince Canadians they must withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. Afghans, says Joya, must decide what happens in Afghanistan. Foreign intervention must end. She has a message for the families of Canadian soldiers. She understands their suffering and extends her condolences. Like them, she knows what it is like to lose loved ones in war. But condolences are not enough. She calls upon Canadians to for... Read Full Story

Malalai Joya has been called the bravest woman in Afghanistan. (I suspect that may be an understatement.) She has repeatedly risked her life to speak out about the violence and poverty brought on by years of occupation and corruption. In November, she will speak to audiences across Canada about why we must end the war and let the Afghan people decide their own future. This is a message that all Canadians need to hear, especially those who have bought the lie that we’re there for humanit... Read Full Story

Because we vote every few years in elections we say we live in a democratic country. Yet every day, the economically active among us walk into work and check their democratic rights at the door. To some extent, the lack of decision-making power in the workplace is ameliorated by union membership and labour legislation. But the fundamental decisions remain with managers, shareholders and owners. HR department-led “respectful workplace” training programs may foster more harmonious h... Read Full Story

Families of Canadian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan can now take comfort in knowing that even if their sons or daughters commit suicide they will receive the very same medal awarded to those killed by enemy fire. If nothing else, the federal government is proactive. For months now, they have been laying the foundation for Canadian troops to remain in Afghanistan after 2011. The decision to give the “sacrifice medal” to victims of suicide may be a recognition that fighting  ... Read Full Story

Barack Obama joins a short list of Nobel Peace Prize recipients whose efforts to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict were, to put it in the kindest way, premature. These include: 1994: Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO, President of the Palestinian National Authority; Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister of Israel; Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister of Israel. 1950: Ralph Bunche, Professor Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Director of the UN Division of Trusteeship, Acti... Read Full Story

Dale Cummings’ cartoon (above) in today’s Winnipeg Free Press, illustrates the fear-mongering hypocrisy surrounding Iran’s nuclear enrichment program that is being propagated by news media and governments world-wide. If all you saw was this cartoon, you would conclude that Iran has nuclear weapons and we should all be very afraid of them. Well, folks, Iran is not a nuclear power and the world leaders yelling loudest about Iran’s attempts to enrich uranium are more int... Read Full Story

Joshua Key is an American war resister who fought in Iraq and who sought refuge in Canada because of his war experiences. Author of “The Deserter’s Tale,” Joshua told the story of his recruitment into the U.S. Army, the carnage he witnessed in Iraq and his subsequent flight to Canada to an audience in Winnipeg, the first stop on a 13-city tour of western Canada. Like so many young people, Joshua joined the army to escape a life of poverty and support his family. The Army pro... Read Full Story

American war resister Joshua Key begins a 13-city tour on September 16, 2009 to seek support for the cause of U.S. war resisters in western Canada. Joshua is co-author of “The Deserter’s Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier who Walked Away from the War in Iraq.”. The tour dates are as follows: Sept. 16,17: Winnipeg Sept. 18: Brandon Sept. 19: Regina Sept. 20: Saskatoon Sept. 22: Edmonton Sept. 24: Calgary Sept. 25: Kamloops Sept. 27: Kelowna Sept. 28: Vernon Sept. 29: Grand For... Read Full Story