Tag: Out In Left Field

By Chris Morrison

There is a difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter, or a guerrilla. A terrorist deliberately targets civilians; a guerrilla attacks the military and government apparatus of its perceived oppressor. Yasser Arafat, regardless of his Nobel Peace Prize, is a terrorist because of his long history of attacking civilians. These attacks have included the… Continue reading As the United States prepares to go to war, thy show us who the real terrorists are

By Chris Morrison

At the conclusion of James Joyce’s short story “Araby” from Dubliners, the narrator, ostensibly a young Joyce, enters the bazaar on Saturday night after the people have all left and the bazaar workers are counting their money and cleaning up for the day. All of a sudden, he forgets his promise to Mangan’s sister, who… Continue reading Goodbye baseball

By Chris Morrison

During the 1996 United States presidential election, Republican nominee Bob Dole tried to make President Clinton’s ethical problems the issue (and this was before the whole Monica Lewinsky story became known). But the American people voted en masse for Clinton. Why? Well, they did not care about Whitewater or Paula Jones. They cared about money.… Continue reading Framing the mid-term elections

According to the media, we will soon be at war with Iraq, again. When I say we, I mean the West, of which Canada is a member. Many of the players are the same, Saddam Hussein, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and a George Bush. While Saddam’s recent overtures to the United Nations suggest he will… Continue reading Pending military action against Iraq

By Chris Morrison

R ecently, I have noticed an alarming trend whereby the Israeli government and its supporters, especially certain segments of the North American media, label anyone who speaks out against it as an “anti-Semite.” It seems the Israeli government and its media allies are under the impression that Israel, and Israel alone, is immune from criticism.… Continue reading Does anti-Israeli mean anti-Semite?

By Chris Morrison

There is a scene in Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov, sort of a novel within a novel, where the Grand Inquisitor is interrogating Christ upon his return to earth in 16th century Seville. The Inquisitor accuses the Christian messiah of misleading man with the gift of free will. Man is actually rebellious, and naturally would… Continue reading East is East and West is West

By Chris Morrison

American Secretary of State Colin Powell is travelling to the Middle East this week. On the record, he’s there to try and find some solution to the ongoing troubles, namely Israel’s reoccupation of the West Bank. Off the record, he’s there to help his boss, the usurper-in-chief Dubya, extend his campaign in the war on… Continue reading The “Great Satan” all soft and cuddly

By Chris Morrison

This past weekend I happened to read a piece in the Globe and Mail by John R. MacArthur, publisher of Harper’s Magazine. In the piece, he points out that right-wing American commentators are using an article written by George Orwell in 1944 to justify civilian casualties in Dubya’s current campaign against terrorism. He then goes… Continue reading Knowing your history helps, kids

By Chris Morrison

Holy Week is upon us, the most important week in the Western Christian calendar. According to Christians, this week commemorates the pinnacle of God’s creation with the death of Jesus and his resurrection, which saves us from eternal damnation, or at least some level of Dante’s Hell. Holy Week this year looks to be the… Continue reading Opening their eyes to pedophilia

By Chris Morrison

A Calgary landmark will not be torn down. The King Edward Hotel, built in 1905, will be transformed from a low-cost hotel featuring rhythm and blues to a low-cost transitional housing unit for the working poor, ranging in cost from $300 to $350 a month. This is good for many reasons.First, the City of Calgary,… Continue reading Oh how the mighty have fallen…