Canada’s Debate

I just saw an interesting film called Paradise Now and it got the wheels turning. Anyone who knows me well knows that I think about the question of Israel and Palestine a lot, even if I don’t make a point to pontificate on it, or even share my own feelings. The film depicts the final days of two Palestinean men who are slated to become suicide martyrs.

I find the film interesting because it is as transparent a polemic as you’ll find on film, yet it does not preach or condescend. The movie ends in oblivion, not as a meditation of fate or justice, but because that is how hate-fueled violence ends. This is not a review of the film however, so I should get to my point. The Israeli Occupation has functioned over the last few decades with two explicit goals, even if they are not publicly stated. First, “Palestine” is occupied to protect against attacks on Israeli civilians, which is by itself a laudable goal. The second reason; to prevent the Palestineans to exert control over their territory to guarantee Israeli settlement expansion is not. (Continue reading…)

I feel like being a populist… and I’ve got 20 gigs of storage space on my new server so it’s time for another movie meme. As usual, the prize for the winner is standard: a pint of beer at the bar of my choosing somewhere in Toronto, at the winner’s leisure. Of course, the last prize has yet to be claimed as well. Why am I doing this? Because I’m incredibly bored, and have been housebound the last couple of days due to an illness… plus, it doesn’t hurt to stir things up around here. Unfortunately I still find myself completely disinterested in political discussions, and as a general rule my own life makes for some pretty dull writings. So, here goes.

Deadline for submissions is, I don’t know… November 3rd. So here it is, another film meme: (Continue reading…)

Well, I’ve migrated the blog over to my new host, and everything appears to be working fine. If anything comes through hinky, or doesn’t come through at all, please let me know so I can track down the problem and I can correct it.