June 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter by Carnegie Newsletter

401 Main St.. , Vancouver, R .C. (604)665-2289

OUR MUGGS IS NlIMf3I3t ONE !

On May 21st t h e YNCA chose our Muggs a s s wnmm of Distinction i n t h e community

s e r v i c e category. I wasn't t h e r e . Rob was, t h e only man t h e r e a t t h e fancy do without a jacket. P a t t i , Muggs' s i s t e r , was t h e r e , the only woman i n t h e room wearing a long dress. I f I ' d made i t , I would have been t h e only person carrying a bucket of i c e . But my f e e t were shooting o u t flames 6 I needed t o go home. So I d i d n ' t get t o see our Muggs g e t s e l e c t e d , even though I got her i n t o h t e game In t h e first p l a c e . So how did Muggs end up on t h e stage of a fancy ballroom a t a dawntown hotel? Four years ago I heard Paul Taylor ask Muggs i f he could nominate h e r f o r the YWCA Woman of D i s t i n c t i o n Award. Efuggs j u s t laughed E s a i d , "0 Paul, g e t a l i f e . " This spring 1 observed how proud t h e community was of th6 Four S i s t e r s g e t t i n g a United Nations Habitat nomination. O f course, not everybody l i v e s t h e r e , but somehow t h e honour t o DERA r e f l e c t e d on everyone i n t h e aommunity. I wondered if recognition of Muggs would a l s o be good f o r t h e nieghbourhood. , So I broached the s u b j e c t . I a c t u a l l y waited u n t i l n e a r t h e nomination d a t e when Bob was away v i s i t i n g h i s mother 4 Ehggs was overloadyI with school 6 Stan E p r e t t y vulnerable & I s a i d i n one breath: "Oh by t h e way Muggs can I nominate you f o r t h e ywca woman o f d i s t i n c t i o n award I t h i n k you're t e r r i f i c & i t would be r e a l l y good f o r t h e community s o do I have your permis s i o n 6 I ' l l give you a day o r two t o think about it 6 i n the meantime I ' l l

o $ m t deing ~ k we& e t k W e requia~d," do by tho %$meML18g~began t o think about i t , I already had t h e paperwork happening. A s p a r t of t h e nomination process I needed t o f i n d people who knew Muggs 4 who were w i l l i n g t o w r i t e l e t t e r s of suppo r t t o t h e Y. This p a r t was i n c r e d i b l y easy. There a r e twenty years of admirers out t h e r e i n the c i t y , people who've known Muggs a t various s t a g e s o f h e r l i f e . People from today wrote about Muggs and t h e Strathcona Community Gardens, S t a r 2 Bingo 4 Carnegie. People from h e r p a s t praised Muggs 4 h e r work i n t h e t r a d e union movement 4 t r a n s i t i o n houses 4 daycare. Everyone recognised her committment t o women 4 children & t h e disadvantaged. I l e a r n e d t h i n g s s h u t ?.tiinns t h a t I hadn ' t known. That s h e ' s dyslexic, & t h a t ' s why her tongue sometimes g e t s t w i s t e d .around words. That she was married a t 19 & a s i n g l e motKer on welfare a t 21. That she f i n i s h e d Grade 12 a t n i g h t school & then Human Resources s e n t her o f f t o Langara f o r t r a i n i n g a s a welfare aide. That s h e ' s been a worker f o r a l l kinds of organizat i o n s - from MacBlo t o SORWC t o a l t e r n a t e schools. That s h e ' s been a f o s t e r mom. A l l kinds of people wanted t o w r i t e l e t t e r s i n support o f Muggs. I c a l l e d & asked a few & then t h e word spread 4 people phoned & asked i f they could p a r t i c i p a t e . The l e t t e r s about Muggs came from a l l over - Carnegie patrons & p o l i t i c i a n s 4 bureaucrats 5 people on welfare & f o l k s from t h e downtown e a s t s i d e & authors & readers & gardeners & f r i e n d s . And, consis t e n t l y , t h e l e t t e r s s a i d t h i s is one very s p e c i a l woman 6 she deserves recognition f o r her efforts.

Joanne Heeku, brem the G @ P ~ Q J M , told ir Funny Mug#%stery i n k 8 1~ e t t w . It weis

ibout how Muggs talkad Carnegie I n t o re:ycling & then when t h e r e were problems [ e t t i n g t h e mountains o f r o t t i n g kitchen ;craps over t o t h e Gardens, Muggs j u s t vent out on t h e s t r e e t & found a grocery :art & wheeled it a l l t o t h e compost p i l e . h r Muggs, out t h e r e pushing loads of gar,age (In f a c t , t h i s p a s t weekend when t h e 1 mnouncement had been made & Muggs had '.;! Ieen honoured a s a woman o f d i s t i n c t i o n , she went back t o t h e Gardens t o shovel. Nith f l i e s buzzing around h e r head & sweat l r i b b l i n g down h e r f a c e , Sob decided'she should be c a l l e d Woman o f Dis-STINKY !, .) Anyway, back i n February, I g o t t h e packhis two age assem'uieci B Stephen Learay toddlers came over & we p u t Muggs on a s t o o l by S i b y l ' s desk & Stephen took head 6 shoulder shots (because Muggs d i d n ' t have any recent p o r t r a i t s l y i n g around) & then Stephen ran around town t o g e t t h e f i l m developed & t h e processing took an ext r a day & we had t o submit t h e w r i t t e n mat- b e r i a l ahead o f t h e photos. And by then Muggs couldn't back o u t s o she s a i d 'okay' & signed t h e candidate permission s l i p . "Don't worry Muggs," I s a i d , you cant t possibly win. And i f by some miracle you I do, i t w i l l be good f o r t h e community." So then we forgot about it f o r awhile, u n t i l Mums was i n v i t e d t o a t t e n d a receptcandidates. Her p a l Joanne Hochu went along t o keep h e r company.Muggs hated it. Everyone was dressed up & sophist i c a t e d & people from t h e Y kept encouraging h e r t o mingle. J o found some fellow jocks t o t a l k t o & Muggs j u s t f e l t shy 6 out of place. So then we began t o worry. Had we gotten

wondered whether or-not t o a t t e n d t h e awar-!

t h e event we a l l worried about attending.

was saving me a s e a t but by then my f e e t 1 t o l d me they weren't going anyplace but 1 home. I b a r e l y got t h e t o o t s i e s home & set-1 t l e d i n t o a bucket of i c e when t h e phone 1 rang. I t was Sob c a l l i n g t o say t h a t Muggs

had won. In h e r acceptance speech, Muggs s a i d h e r volunteer work was no big deal. In t h e I downtown e a s t s i d e & Strathcona, t h e r e a r e l o t s of people l i k e h e r who c a r e about t h e community 4 work t o make it b e t t e r . On CBC Radio t h e next day, Muggs *said it again. She a l s o t a l k e d about Danny Korica 4 h i s e f f o r t s i n t h e community & how much we miss him. Muggs i s good a t making peopA l e understan1 t h a t t h i s i s a very s p e c i a l neighbourhood One funny t h i n g happened. Bob's boss a t t h e Sun wrote an a r t i c l e about Muggs, saying s h e ' s considered a s a i n t i n t h e downtown e a s t s i d e . Give me a break, buddy. Our Muggs i s no blinking s a i n t . She's g r e a t & an a s s e t t o t h e community but we've g o t t o g i g g l e about words l i k e s a i n t . So what d i d Muggs g e t o u t of a l l t h i s ? Well, she had a chance t o p r a i s e t h e commun i t y . And she got a f r e e dinner. And t h e award i s kind of l i k e an Oscar, a g l a s s 1 a r t piece. She's going t o bring i t i n because she t h i n k s it belongs t o us a l l . But most o f a l l , o u r Muggs i s glad t h e fuss i s over. She j u s t wants t o g e t back over t o the Gardens & t u r n t h e compost!

By DIANE MacKENZIE

Hugs, e t c .

Recently I had a conversation with a woman I ' l l c a l l Donna who has been i n A.A. f o r about 3 years. In t h e course of our disucssion I asked her why she never came t o osme of t h e meetings I r e g u l a r l y attended. She t o l d me she had been t o them but no longer came because of t h e way she'd been t r e a t e d by some of t h e men. She f e l t abused..the way she was hugged & some of t h e t h i n g s t h a t werw whispered i n h e r ear. Her s o l u t i o n may not be t h e "best" i n your view, but Donna stopped going. She is s t i l l 1 sober, goes t o meetings, & i s q u i t e b i t t e r about h e r experience. Since then I've t a l k e d t o a number o f women i n t h e program, from v a r i ous a r e a s , & they've ALL experienced t h e same problems, 60r;iboth themselves & t h e i r sponsees. Yes, they did t a l k t o t h e men causing t h e problem, sometimes q u i t e f o r c e f u l l y , 6 a l t h ough t h a t ended t h e i r being bothered it hadn't stopped t h e problem. I am saddened t o think o f t h e newcomers who may have been chased away by t h i s SOP,^ of behaviour. One of t h e most d i f f i c u l t t h i n g s f o r me t o l e a r n i n t h e program has been how t o say no. I warted very badly t o be a p a r t o f , r a t h e r t h i n /apart from; f o r t u n a t e l y , being male,

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d i d n ' t have t o face. Being hugged by f r i e n d s , both male & female, i s one of t h e t h i n g s I love most about t h e program, 6 I wouldn't want t h a t t o end. We need t o remember t h a t sex does not need t o be involved i n hugging & t h a t innocent "playing around" can be very o f f e n s i v e t o some of us. We a r e w i l l i n g t o go t o g r e a t lengths t o make a Twelfth Step c a l l ; l e t ' s work a l i t t l e harder t o keep some of t h e ones who a r e already here. I think t h i s i s something we ' a l l need t o t h i n k about, & i f you ever wnat t o l i v e n up a meeting, it would make a g r e a t t o p i c . Mike H.

L e t ' s r e w r i t e t h e Nursery Rhymes

L i t t l e Mulroney Sat i n h i s corner Eating h i s "free" t r a d e He p u t i n h i s thumb And p u l l e d out a lemon And s a i d , What a f o o l am I ." And a l l Canada agreed.

Jack and J i l l went up t h e h i l l To go t o t h e Food Bank Jack f e l l down and h u r t h i s head J i l l cam f a l l i n g a f t e r Because t h e y were hungry.

L i t t l e Miss Muffet s a t on h e r t u f f e t Eating h e r noon-time meal, There came a b i g spider'' . That s a t down b e s i d e h e r Miss Muffet s a i d : ltTh..--l

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t h i s planet..please stay."

Lines from t h e Learning Centre DEBBIE BRYANT Come t o t h e Learning Centre on t h e t o p f l o o r o f Carnegie and meet Debbie Bryant, your L i t e r a c y Outreach Worker. Besides working i n t h e Centre, she keeps i n touch w i t h people i n t h e n e i ghbourhood, l e t t i n g them know about Carnegie and e n l i s t i n g t h e i r h e l p i n spreading t h e good work about o u r Free Learning Centre. Debbie was born i n Vancouver and grew up i n t h e Knight I n l e t a r e a . She i s a p r o f e s s i o n a l a r t i s t and at p r e s e n t t e a c h e s a r t a t t h e Native Education Centre. She i s e s p e c i a l l y i n t e r e s t ed i n community education 6 p o l i t i c s . Debbie's f r i e n d s d e s c r i b e h e r a s a wonderful mother, someone who i s e a s y t o t a l k t o and who i s a t l r e s p e c t e r of persons. Debbie says Carnegie Community Cent r e i s one of t h e f r i e n d l i e s t p l a c e s she has e v e r worked i n 6 t h a t i t ' s a t r e a t t o be h e r e . Come and s e e t h e Learning Centre f o r y o u r s e l f . You can l e a r n anything from reading, w r i t i n g , a r i t h m e t i c t o High School graduation. The Centre is open from 9am t o 8pm

Monday t o ~ ; i d a ~ ~umnikr . hours vary. You can work with an i n d i v i d u a l t u t o r o r i n a small group, arranging times t h a t s u i t you and work a t your own r a t e . . i n your own way. When you come ask f o r Lex, Claude, Colin, Mike, Rick, Sharon o r Debbie.. a l l w a i t i n g t o h e l p anyone.

11:OO LEARNERS TALK TO TUTORS

JOAN DOREE, Volunteer Tutor.

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CANARIES Some people think t h a t " S t r e e t Peoplete should be eliminated, t h a t t h e y should be put away so I'Normal People"(Society)" w i l l not have t o d e a l with them d a i l y . I Many of them end up dead i n a l l e y dumpst e r s o r overdose on drugs. Others end up i n j a i l o r asylums, which should b r i g h t e n your day 'cause t h a t solves p a r t of your problem. BUT - they be l i k e vermin, i n f e s t i n g a l l our major c i t i e s with a growing p r o l i f e r a tion rate. The reason "normal peoplev t h i n k they'd b e s t be gotten r i d of is t h a t it f o r c e s them t o s t a r e a t t h e i r own greed, c r u e l t y E inhumanity - i n t h e f a c e . I t ' s hard t o ,5,uL,,,bb ,,,.A at a f m c y restziiziiiit while t h e ones o u t s i d e i n t h e r a i n begging f o r crumbs have t o be ignored..without it a f f e c t i n g yBur conscience somehow. I t a l s o c r e a t e s a f e a r i n people's minds t h a t , i f they should be s t r u c k by misfortune, they may someday end up i n t h e same grimy shoes. That's a r e a l i t y people would j u s t a s soon ignore, hoping it goes away. Rather than c o n t r i b u t i n g something t o t h e wretched homeleqs, they pray f o r a simple s o l u t i o n t h a t w i l l exterminate t h e problem altogether. Well, good news f o l k s ! I t s s been done before & it worked t e r r i f j c a l l y . Next e l e c t i o n j u s t v o t e f o r t h e Nazi candidate of your choice. They know how t o d e a l with u s e l e s s scum. The l a s t time they had a shot a t it they wiped out about 30 m i l l i o n of l i f e ' s vermin q u i t e e f f e c t i v e l y . I suggest we take a more p o s i t i v e outlook. You should think of t h e s e c r e a t u r e s a s warning s i g n s t h a t t h e r e i s something wrong with t h e s o c i e t y we l i v e i n . The way t h i n g s a r e going, with a few more r i c h & a l o t more poor, t h e problem i s bound t o inc r e a s e . . . ~ you ~ had b e t t e r g e t used t o it. Nobody a t t h e t o p knows how t o f i x t h e s e dilemmas they've created; t h e y ' r e too busy gorging themselves a t t h e trough anyway. To t a k e your f e a r F loathing l o g i c a l l y ( ? f u r t h e r , y o u ' l l t h i n k of t h e s e " S t r e e t People" a s t h e f i r s t malignant tumor on t h e a s s of s o c i e t y , t h e f i r s t rash of p o l l u t ion, t h e warning s i g n s of mass s o c i a l psychosis. You w i l l s e e them a s t h e f i r s t

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symptoms of a dying s o c i e t y , a s o c i e t y with a bad h e a r t , tunnel v i s i o n , d i a r r h e a , black lung, homocidal tendencies & schizophrenia. So my f r i e n d s j u s t t h i n k o f t h e s e s o u l s a s being t h e caged c a n a r i e s i n o u r s o c i a l c o a l mine. I f t h e y ' r e s i c k E dropping dead l e t it be a warning t h a t t h e atmosphere i s t o x i c & about t o explode (as we've been so c l e a r l y reminded of i n r e c e n t weeks). Clean up t h e environment, r e p a i r t h e inf r a s t r u c t u r e . . , o r run f o r t h e h i l l s !

T R I ~ U T ET

A RESTAURANT

My nerve impulses are traveling at mach one. Cackling laughter is beating the sound barrier on my eardrums. I take a deep breath and watch my stomach rise with hopeful compassion for my fellow loony tuners. Once was a time I could sit here for hours drawing, and nothing in the world could invade my private world of intense concentration, except for the later to come deterioration of my eyesight. Now I sit here, in blistering selfconsciousness, doing crossword puzzles, wishing I could go back two years and do it all over again. But the Bavaria family is selling out, and Gassy Jack will have new proprietors at the edge of his rarefied mound, and I'll have my memories of those two sweet years of unmercenary occupation. So, will the new owners take my drawings off the back wall, and remove my sun faded cappuccino posters from the window, causing me to lose my surrogate art gallery? Ah, this evolution of a simple coffeehouse/ bistro/drop-in centre is pregnant &th poignant intrigue: wf11 T forget the kind faces of the old Bavaria famiiy, and adopt the new ones, or should I make my escape now, so as not to feel such loss ever again? ' On this brick sea of streets will I ever again find the pleasures of such a harbor.

Garry Gust

The Drug System In The Vancouver Sun (May 15/92) Otto Jelinek, t h e Conservative Party Revenue Minister, s a i d drug d e a l e r s should be put i n j a i l & the key thrown away. In an a r t i c l e i n Sojourners Magazine (June/92) B i l l Wylie Kellermann r e f l e c t e d on t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l drug t r a d e , & h i s comments showed t h a t Otto J e l i n e k ' s statement hinders rat h e r than helps u s d e a l with t h e enormous problem of a d d i c t i v e drugs i n t h e world. The drug system cannot be understood simply i n terms of drug d e a l e r s . You can change a l l t h e f a c e s i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l drug system & t h e system w i l l remain, stronger than any one p a r t of it. Kellermann says t h a t t o understand t h e uower of t h e d m g rra6e, ynl. have tc set 1 i t whole - a s a system of competing underground corporations. Between t h e poppy o r coca f i e l d s & t h e s t r e e t d e a l e r l i e s a huge e n t e r p r i s e . E l i t e s dominate production, manufacture, & global export. Middlemanagement oversees regional d i s t r i b u t i o n , p a r a m i l i t a r y s e c u r i t y & money laundering. Below a r e t h e peasant farms (Third World raw m a t e r i a l ) & t h e crack houses o r t h e i r equivalent, feeding on cheap labour. With t h e drug powers; a s with t h e m i l i t a r y powers, death i s omnipresent. Drugs a r e the i d e a l consumer product, a s c l i e n t s a r e w i l l i n g t o d i e f o r it. There us a connection between t h e Canadian govt t , t h e f i n a n c i a & i n d u s t r y & t h e drug trade. The Tory gov't i n Ottawa suppo r t s t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Monetary Fund (IMF) When t h e IMF p u t s t h e squeeze on Third World Nations t o pay t h e huge i n t e r e s t on t h e i r debts, it pushes peasant farmers i n t h e d i r e c t i o n of t h e l u c r a t i v e drug system. Kellermann says t h e permanent Third World Debt C r i s i s has addicted e n t i r e n a t i o n a l economies t o t h e underground drug t r a d e , 4 i n t e r n a t i o n a l bankers happily t a k e t h e i r , i n t e r e s t i n drug d o l l a r s . Should we put i n t e r n a t i o n a l bankers i n j a i l , & throw away t h e key? In t h e United S t a t e s , t h e t y p i c a l crack addict i s a white, middle-class male, but you wouldn't know i t from e i t h e r t h e media o r a r r e s t records. Only 1 2 % o f those using i l l e g a l drugs a r e African Americans, but they make u p 44% of those a r r e s t e d f o r simple possession.

I t is t r u e , however, t h a t communities with high unemployment G poverty a r e t a r g e t s f o r t h e t r a f f i c k i n g powers. Drug-marke t i n g o f f e r s poor, a l i e n a t e d , d e s p a i r i n g people t h e same long-shot o p t i o n s a s t h e lottery. M r . J e l i n e k i s Revenue Minister f o r t h e Conservative gov't i n Ottawa. Under t h i s gov't unemployment & poverty have increased i n Canada, & s o have t h e conditions t h a t l e a d t o drug t r a f f i c k i n g i n o u r n e i ghbourhoods. Should we put Otto J e l i n e k i n j a i l , & throw away t h e key? The arms of t h e drug system s t r e t c h f a r wider than poor ghettoes, however. Americans make up 6% of t h e world's population, but consume 60% of t h e world's i l l e g a l d p l g s . p i d i c t l ~ nis 2 wzy cf life i z 6 ; ~ modern world addiction t o t h e l a t e s t consumer toy, t o alcohol, t o n i c o t i n e , t o ille g a l drugs, t o drugs found on t h e shelves of t h e l o c a l pharmacy, t o over-eating, t o under-eating, t o sex, t o work, t o making money, t o obtaining power over o t h e r s , t o r e l i g i o u s f i x a t i o n s , t o s p o r t s , t o TV, t o wars & t o you name it. What an emptiness must e x i s t t h a t s o much energy goes i n t o f i l l i n g it! How can t h e i d e a of "enoughw ' giow i n an economy driven by t h e dynamic of accumulation? Drug a d d i c t s & drug d e a l e r s a r e used a s , scapegoats by those with g r e a t power. Focusing on them, without speaking t o t h e inj u s t i c e s t h a t f o s t e r t h e drug system hides , t h e depth of o u r s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e corpo r a t e powers t h a t would deprive u s of our land, our communities & o u r a b i l i t y t o choose j u s t i c e over t r i n k e t s . Putting drug d e a l e r s , i n t e r n a t i o n a l banke r s , o r Otto J e l i n e k i n j a i l & throwing away t h e key won't h e l p much i n t h e struggl e f o r an a d d i c t i o n - f r e e world. However, e l e c t i n g governments t h a t have a democratic v i s i o n based on e q u a l i t y , r e s p e c t , meaningf u l work a t decent wages, & on adequate incomes f o r a l l c i t i z e n s i n t h e community of n a t i o n s , would be a s t e p i n t h e r i g h t d i r ection. By SANDY CAMERON

Port Grab a t Crab Park Moby Dick t o l d some t a l l t a l e s . The Port of Vancouver Corporation does too. In a r e c e n t l e t t e r from Captain Norman S t a r k of t h e Port, they t e l l us they have no plans t o a l t e r Crab Park. Well, u n l e s s somebody invented a chemical t o s h r i n k parks, we know t h a t . However,two c r u i s e s h i p p i e r s E a convent i o n c e n t r e & o t h e r unknown developments immediately beside t h e e x i s t i n g f r a g i l e , would have immense negar a r e greenspace t i v e impact on our park. The Port is s u r p r i s e d , apparent1 y, t h a t we t h i n k t h e y don't provide f o r proper community input. The Port & C i t y planners g e t t i n g i n t o bed with each o t h e r i s not proper, democratic community input. This i s e x a c t l y what happened on t h e Expo lands and it w i l l be a r i c h g h e t t o . Do we need a r i c h g h e t t o beside Crab waterfront park? How w i l l t h e low-income c h i l d r e n ' s hrograms survive? Over 1,500 t o u r i s t s g e t o f f each mammoth Love Boat. Are t h e r e no sex o f f e n d e r s o r pedophiles amongst them? Won't t h e convention c e n t r e b r i n g drugs, alcohol 6 p r o s t i t u t i o n , ( f o r t h e r i c h ) t o t h e family parkspace? Won't t h e Port Police develop a new a t t i t u d e , making low income people f e e l unwelcome i n t h i s a r e a ? The l e t t e r from t h e Pdot says they w i l l

dn m ir?ci,~penden+_ e r ? v i r m ~ e n t a ?asscssmcnt

review. Is t h a t so. I t i s not an independe n t review i f t h e Port o r a p r i v a t e developer i s paying f o r it. The committees E agencies t h a t t h e r i c h Port belongs t o i n no way represent t h e l o c a l low income community, t h e Downtown ~ a s t s ? d eo r o u r i n t e r e s t s . Tourist only park Sailboat building number two. t h e New World Order conventi ion c e n t r e . ..where do t h e poor go now? A t 2 i n t h e afternoon on Sunday, June 7, both Crab-Water For Life Society 5 Environ ment Canada a r e sponsoring a f r e e music f e s t i v a l c a l l e d Honour t h e Earth. See ya'l

,'-

...

Don Larson

People i n Government Servicq (PIGS) Courts, Custody, Cops, Cozy Corner; Chinese Community Centre, Carnegie Community Ccntrc; Cznzdien C h e ~ eC x h i n g Cectrc, C i t y Council, Church Confirmation (Corpus C h r i s t i i ) ; Core Courses, Cost Coefficient Creative Cosmic Caro Care Cards; Called t h e Calf, "that t a s t e s l i k e pork". "Those who were f u l l ' have h i r e d themselves o u t f o r bread," Samuel 15: To shake o r scrape, t h a t i s t h e question Whether it i s n o b l e r t o venerate t h e abomination of t h e d i s o l u t i o n : of Communication, Communism, Capitalism, Centralism, Culturalism, Confucianism, C h r i s t ism, Creationism, Calvinism, Catholicism, Cerebralism, Cannibalism and Coca-ine. Cabbalamirkabbaism.

Editor,

1 s i n c e r e l y r e g r e t t h e misunderstanding which I caused by p r a i s i n g Tora's a r t i c l e s . I t i s probably due t o my poor English o r b e t t e r t o t h e f a c t t h a t Tora has not enough confidence i n t h e power of h i s philosophy; otherwise he would not consider my p r a i s e u n r e a l i s t i c . I am r e a l l y not kidding when I exp r e s s my opinion t h a t personally I f e e l t h e genius i n Tora1s w r i t i n g s . Of course, he i s d e f i n i t i v e l y not a "nice" guy t o agree with t h e s o c i e t y and sometimes he does a s p o r t of c r i t i c i s i n g and "slamming" everybody. On t h e o t h e r hand, i t i s probably such a r a d i c a l , S P V P ~critic t h a t w e need i n our c o r r upt and r o t t e n s o c i e t y . I a l s o must i n s i s t t o s t a t e t h a t t h e most i n t e l l i g e n t thing t h e NDP g o v ' t could do 3 s t o s e r i o u s l y consider Tora's i d e a s and c r i t i c i s m . This, with some good w i l l , would lead t o a broader publ i s h i n g of Tora's w r i t i n g s . F i n a l l y , I would l i k e Tora t o understand t h a t I have nothing t o do with t h e p o l i c y of t h e Carnegie Association and I think t h a t drawing a p a r a l l e l between my l e t t e r and t h e censorship problem was an e r r o r . E t ienne Szekely

CONTINUALLY SABOTAGING OURSELVES

Dear Mr. Taylor:

I have received a copy of your l e t t e r , d a t e d Jan. 9, ' 92, forwarded by t h e Honourable Moe S i h o t a , M i n i s t e r o f Labour & Consumer S e r v i c e s & Minister Responsible f o r ICBC. My apologies f o r t h e delay i n w r i t i n g t o you. I am advised by t h e Motor Vehicle B r . t h a t t h e i r correspondence records show numerous l e t t e r s from members & supporte r s of t h e Assoc. f o r Vehicle Movement Safety. Through t h a t correspindence t h e f a c t s , figures & rationale related t o the previous mandatory program G t o t h e c u r r e n t voluntary program a r e provided. The i s s u e of v e h i c l e inspections i s one t a k e n very qerinnriy hy i h i r Gnv:r.

Z'll

be g i v i n g f u l l c o n s i d e r a t i o n t o a l l concerns voiced by t h e Association when I d i s c u s s t h e i n s p e c t i o n o f p r i v a t e vehicle s with t h e MVB i n t h e n e a r future. trust my comments w i l l provide some assurance c h a t t h e Ministry i s working t o address t h e s e i s s u e s .

, I

Colin Gabelmann, Attorney General.

/ ;

NEWS FLASH GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN DRUG TRAFFICKING This r e p o r t e r has uncovered one of t h e most unscrupulous drug t r a f f i c k i n g schemes i n Canadian history4 This s i n i s t e r crime has been p e r p e t r a t e d by a l l l e v e l s of succ e s s i v e govt's throughout t h e years. Some of t h i s t a i n t e d money has been passed on t o t h e Queen hexself l The pushers of t h i s s t u f f a r e found on thousands of s t r e e t c o r n e r s a c r o s s t h e country. Their b a s i c p i t c h has been mainly d i r e c t e d a t kids, who a r e seduced by being t o l d i t w i l l cause f e e l i n g s of euphoria.. i t ' l l make them more popular 8 d e s i r a b l e , more cool, p r o j e c t i n g a more mature image. They ' f o r g o t ' t o mention i t s h e a l t h haza r d s f o r years, 6 t h a t ' i t t s one of t h e most deadly, a d d i c t i v e drugs known t o man. I t ' s i n s i d i o u s e f f e c t s creep up on one s o slowly t h a t people g e t hooked before t h e y know i t . Millions have been strung o u t on t h i s substance most of t h e i r l i v e s ,

i though they've t r i e d t o kick t h e h a b i t so

many times. These u n e t h i c a l g o v t ' s now warn people of t h i s d r u g ' s dangers, i n t h e hope of abt solving themselves of any r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h e i r unconcionable behaviour. Like most dope pushers t h e y keep cranking up p r i c e s , knowing f u l l well t h e i r addicted customers w i l l f o r k over t h e i r l a s t penny rathey than go through t h e nerve s h a t t e r ing agony o f withdrawal. Meanwhile, hypoc r i t i c a l p o l i t i c i a n s a r e l i n i n g t h e i r pock e t s with m i l l i o n s of o t h e r s hard-earned cash, using t h e s e d e s p i c a b l e t a c t i c s but having no concern f o r t h e s u f f e r i n g of t h e i r wreathed victims. When t h e ' c l i e n t 1 e l e ' compains of i n f l a t e d p r i c e they r e s pond with t h e usual p u s h e r ' s l i n e "Well, / nobody forced you t o do it" o r "You can always q u i t you knowH..so g r a f t goes on. I t h i n k t h e s e EXTORTIONISTS should be made t o f e e l t h e f u l l weight of t h e LAW, 1 l i k e any o t h e r drug t r a f f i c k e r s . I recomI mend long j a i l terms 6 heavy f i n e s . But, unfortunately, t h e s e p a r a s i t e s a r e a t t h e pinnacles of power s o t h e chances of j u s t ice are s l i m . 7 I f t h i s course of a c t i o n f a i l s , I sugge s t t h a t a l l ' c l i e n t s ' ( a d d i c t s ) enact a c l a s s - a c t i o n s u i t f o r reimbursement o f t h e b i l l i o n s t h a t have been so r u t h l e s s l y t o r n from t h e i r grasp. The p r i c e of t h i s substance should be brought down t o t h e c o s t of production E rllc+vibutics fzr thcsc too ~ddi~t-6 tu q u i t . The p e r p e t r a t o r s of t h e crime should be forced t o pay f o r t h e r e h a b i l i t a t i o n of those wishing t o s t o p t h e h a b i t . Otherwise t h i s drug should be e r a d i c a t e d completely from t h e general marketplace, t o prevent o t h e r s , e s p e c i a l l y kids, from f a l l i n g i n t o its trap. We must put an end t o t h i s h y p o c r i t i c a l corruption from our e l e c t e d o f f i c i a l s and prevent one more penny f a l l i n g i n t o t h e greedy hands o f t h e s e t r a f f i c k e r s . For more information, g e t i n touch with: THE SOCIETY TO PREVENT TOBACCO EXTORTION. or NICAHOLICS UNANIMOUS. Thank you. I J.La Riviere

I have r e c e n t l y been present during seve r a l conversations regarding t h e j u s t i f i c a t i o n , from an economic p e r s p e c t i v e , of l e1. i t h e expense of t h e o r e t i c a l research t o o l s ' being b u i l t today. . i n l i g h t o f t o d a y ' s problematical s t a t e of socio-economic and ecological a f f a i r s . And I must say t h a t t h e pessimism of some of t h e opinions t h a t I have had t h e p l e a s u r e t o r e f l e c t upon from an i n t e l l e c t u a l point o f view has not been p l e a s u r a b l e from t h a t same point of view. On t h e one hand I can understand t h i s pessimism i n r e l a t i o n t o nuclear weapons, germ warfare, g e n e t i c engineering branches of knowledge (and more) which have t h e capacity bo unleash unthinkable c a t a s t r o p h i c consequences. But, on t h e o t h e r hand, o u r quest - t o understand t h e fundamental laws of n a t u r e - l e a d s u s d i r e c t l y t o t h e e t h i c s of how t h i s knowledge should be used.

I t is my opinion t h a t our j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r knowledge i s s e l f - f u l f i l l e d . I t l e a d s us t o a g r e a t e r understanding of t h e whole of r e a l i t y , of which t r u t h i s a fundamenta l p a r t . I f i m r l y b e l i e v e t h a t , u n l e s s we adopt more o f a lfPlatonic"*approach t o ed~ c z c i $ n ,t h e sc-cslzed educated p ~ o p : of ~ t h e f u t u r e w i l l be motivated more by t h e i r m a t e r i a l i s t i c g a i n s than by t h e i r search for truth. A search f o r t r u t h bas an i n t i m a t e r e l a t i o n s h i p with e t h i c s h d s p i r i t u a l i t y . Ethics has been l o s t . A s f a r as s p i r i t u a l i t y i s concerned I b e l i e v e t h a t it can be found through science. I b e l i e v e t h a t E i n s t e i n wasn't very f a r from t h e t r u t h i n h i s statement t h a t science would be blind without r e l i g ion and r e l i g i o n would be lame without science. Marcus Stanley Roy * -

Plate's d e f i n i t i o n of Democracy "a p l e a s a n t mixture of anarchy with p l e n t y of v a r i e t y "

1 \

d i d vu hear one b i r d sing l a s t night?

someone l i e s under t h e yellow ground melted i n t a r from t h e b l a c k s m i t h s s f i r e t h e squeal on t h e p i e r c i n g r a i l smooth show s l i d e over t h e bed some one speaking f o r t h e wolf blue eye roaming yellow eye's land

outside the rancherstbat named Avernus on an avenue 5"*1.6 -A:.."

..".+ .... . . " d

..Lsns

1I"

yellow shimmerings p u l l Eis ?n on t h e lake not one wing

ne ighbour grudge b u i l t t h a t meadow, turned t h e house i n t o a p i g s t y e on t h e highway and pickups nipped up in the night took chickens and a f a t cabbage and a m i l l s t o n e t o grind t h e sun

i n t h e c r y s t a l l i z e d processes t h a t made a r a d i o around a p a l e green blob of g l a s s on a l i t t l e L of b r a s s , i n t h e nimbus of black holes t h a t laugh a t my o l d man and yor o l d man, t h e impossible t o comprehend s p a r k l e s about t h e i s l a n d nebulae, t h e long t r i p we have resolved t o make t o Alpha Centauri and beyond, i n t h e agonized burning o f a s t r o n a u t s s e t up d i t h o u t properly s e a l i n g 0 r i n g s t h e plent.ifu1 v i s i o n s o f c h r i s t i a n s and buddhists and moslems and hindus and s i k h s and jews

I I

amidst a l l t h e procedural wrangling it i s important t o remember t h a t a southern gentleman can k i l l anything .

I ' M NOT A CATALYST

One d u l l , damp afternoon, I was n e a r l y bored t o t e a r s , and s o I picked up a magazine and began l e a f i n g through it. My i n q u i r i n g eyes s p o t t ed an unusual a r t i c l e with a q u e s t i o n a i r e . I t simply asked, Which category h e s t suite-you?" I

1. Married 2. Single

3. Ambitious 4. Lazy 7. C a t a l y s t

5 . Stingy

6. Generous

You may wonder j u s t wjat a c a t a l y s t i s , a s I did, u n t i l I looked t h e word up i n two d i c t i o n a r i e s , p l u s a t r i p t o t h e Public Library t o make f u r t h e r i n q u i r i e s . I gave myself a few days t o analyse t h e e x e r c i s e before coming up with an honest answer. But before I give t h e d e f i n i t i o n of a c a t a l y s t , I hab a discussion on t h e phone with a c l o s e f r i e n d . I asked her, What c a t e f o r y do you fit into?" She s a i d , "1 don't know." "Well," I s a i d , "I know f o r s u r e t h a t I ' m not a catalyst." J u s t then my p r e c i o u s s i x year-old grandson came b u r s t i n g through t h e open door, almost out o f breath. He s a i d , "I d i d n ' t know you were on a ' C a t t l e List' Grandma!" Maybe, i n due time with a l i t t l e 'soul searchi n g ' , I could become a C a t a l y s t a i n t h e t r u e sense .however, h e r e ' s what I t h i n k i t ' s a l l about. C a t a l y s t has a t l e a s t two meanings one has t o do with a chemical change, which can speed up a condition. The o t h e r has t o do with some t h i n g o r someone.

J u s t t h i e r mere presence of being a t a p r e c i s e time o r place can cause t h i n g s t o happen i n s .miL;ltaneoiisly. Hopefuiiy everything t h a t ' s good w i l l happen i n due time, f o r t h e betterment of humanity. By VERNA JOHNSTON -.-

I'HESEARCH

SELFHOOD,

--.-/' .

The Fear of Freedom:

Marijuana d i d not k i l l Daniel Posse.. I t ' s a p l a n t t h a t grows almost anywhere whose sap has medicinal & s e d a t i v e e f f e c t 6 whose f i b r e s have been used t o weave rope, f a b r i c & paper. H i s t o r i c a l l y , marijuana has been c u l t i v a t e d & used by peopl e of a l l races i n a l l p a r t s of t h e world. Giant c l a y p o t s , wealed & packed with highgrade marijuana have been dug up from beneath t h e a l t a r s of a n c i e n t temples i n North Africa & elsewhere. The s p i r i t u a l use of t h i s p l a n t i s well documented by a r c h e o l o g i s t s . During t h e Middle Ages it i s known t o have been a major i n g r e d i e n t of hemp porridge, a s t a p l e i n t h e d i e t of C h r i s t i a n monks. krijijzfi,ii;l iv,ii;l~ a t ojlcl: iime erown ar: a cash crop worldwide. I t supplied a l l t h e f i b r e s f o r hemp rope used e x t e n s i v e l y on t h e s a i l i n g s h i p s t h a t dominated world t r a d e . ~ e o $ ~Washington, e t h e f i r s t President of t h e United S t a t e s , c u l t i v a t e d marijuana a s a cash crop. Thomas J e f f e r son & Benjamin Franklin a l s o c u l t i v a t e d 6 used marijuana. I t was an i n g r e d i e n t i n many e l i x i r s , t e a s , p o u l t i c e s & "magic" remedies sold by old-fashioned f r o n t i e r hucksters and "medicine men" a s Europeans t r a v e l l e d west, destroying t h e Native North Americans i n t h e i r path. Today i n India, marijuana, under t h e name "ghanja", i s used by wandering holy men whose t r a d i t i o n s arb s o a n c i e n t even modern Indian governments d a r e not break them. Medical research has determined t h a t blarijuana r e s i n i s a u s e f u l & benevo l e n t substance without being p h y s i c a l l y addictive. Daniel Posse, t h e 22 year-old son of t h e coach of Canada's olympic s o c c e r team is t h e only person shot & k i l l e d by poli c e i n t h e i r search t o f i n d 6 d e s t r o y marijuana. Many thousands of c i t i z e n s have been harassed, beaten, j a i l e d o r k i l l e d over t h e l a s t 50 y e a r s f o r t h e i r involvement with t h i s p l a n t . In t h e 1920'a & e a r l y '30's marijuana was l e g a l everywhere. Even i n t h e U.S. marijuana c i g a r e t t e s could be purchased f o r a n i c k e l apiece. I t was l a r g e l y used by t h e black community - a t r a d i t i o n they brought with them from Africa where mari-

juana had been regarded a s sacred & benevolent f o r thousands of years. The f i r s t law a g a i n s t marijuana was a r a c i s t a c t i o n pushed through Congress by a s i n g l e FBI agent. He had been h i r e d by white establishment t y p e s t o check up on t h e i r sons & daughters who were hanging around black jazz c l u b s & beginning t o experiment with marijuana. - Basically, t h e f i r s t law a g a i n s t t h e use of t h i s p l a n t was i n i t i a t e d i n an attempt by white r a c i s t s t o keep t h e i r daughters' from s l e e p i n g with black musicians. From t h e r e t h e i l l e g a l image of marijuana was spread around t h e world. I t was claimed t h a t marijuana smoking would decrease productivity i n o t h e r words, stoned people wouldn't c a r e about working for bosses 6 making a i o t o f money. ~ a r i juana was perceived by businessmen a s something t h a t might i n t e r f e r e with t h e i r a b i l i t y t o make money o f f t h e labour of others. Marijuana does have a l i b e r a t i n g e f f e c t on t h e senses, but it i s not n e c e s s a r i l y anti-work. In A f r i c a i t ' s well known t h a t smoking up before heavy physical labour is a good way t o arouse t h e enregies of t h e body, E t h i s i s a t r a d i t i o n f o r work p a r t i e s i n small African v i l l a g e s . In t h e 6 0 ' s t h e Canadian g o v f t was pressed t o review t h e law a g a i n s t marijuana. They s e t up t h e Ledain Commission which m F t with concerned c i t i z e n s across t h e country & f i n a l l y recommended l e g a l i s a t i o n , Their r e p o r t was ignored i n Ottawa & today is gathering d u s t i n t h e archives along with hundreds o f o t h e r royal commission r e p o r t s whose recommendations were considered t o o r a d i c a l t o implement. During t h e 70's I experienced personally (along with many o t h e r s ) t h e v i c i o u s , dest r u c t i v e b u s t s organized by undercover narcs. In t h e i r attempts t o d i s r u p t & scat t e r t h e hippy community i n Kitsilano t h e y busted familys f o r growing i t i n t h e i r own backyards. People were j a i l e d & beaten t h e i r 'children were taken away E put in f o s t e r homes. Many c r e a t i v e Earth-oriented communitys were destroyed by t h e government's paranoid r e a c t i o n t o t h i s p l a n t . Today t h e "War Against Drugs" i n i t i a t e d by American r a c i s t s has r e s u l t e d i n enormous p r o f i t s f o r p o l i c e & government

If you watbh l a t e n i g h t TV, you a r e famili a r with t h e "thousands of items seized i n n a r c o t i c s r a i d s t ' ads which promote gov't auctions of expensive equipment seized by narcs. If you c r o s s t h e border with one marijuana roach i n your ashtray, your c a r w i l l be c o n f i s c a t e d F s o l d & your J i f e placed under s u r v e i l l a n c e i n t h e hope t h a t t h e government may be a b l e t o get i t s hands on a l l of your possessions, s e l l them, & keep t h e proceeds. Today we l i v e i n a c l o s e t f a s c i s t societ y . The RCMP a r e not red-coated heroes of a musical r i d e - they a r e dull-witted paranoid undercover n a r c s who w i l l harass, beat up o r even k i l l anyone who stands i n the way of marijuana c o n f i s c a t i o n . But they picked on t h e wrong guy i n t h e wrong neighbourhood. Young Daniel Posse was well-connected. H i s f a t h e r i s wealthy & even somewhat famous f o r h i s involvement i n p r o f e s s i o n a l s p o r t . I f a 22 year-old had been shot dead i n an East Van drug r i a d , t h e r e would have been a small f l u r r y of media hype E t h e whole t h i n g would 've dropped out o f s i g h t a week l a t e r . But t h i s i s d i f f e r e n t . Daniel had no previous record. He had, about h h a l f -ounce i n h i s possession. The f i v e cops responsib l e f o r h i s death entered through an unlocked door. They claim he had a p e l l e t gun i n h i s hands - but t h e cops were t h e only witnesses t h e y could e a s i l y have placed it i n h i s hands a f t e r the h i t . Police c r i m i n a l s a r e just l i k e any o t h e r rriminals Dncc they hgyc ~cmmi++ed2 s e r i o u s offence they w i l l go t o any lengt h s t o cover t h e i r t r a c k s . I p r e d i c t t h e s e cops w i l l r e c e i v e no more than a reprimand & w i l l go f r e e t o continue t h e i r war a g a i n s t t h e good weed. Many more sons & daughters of t h e g r e a t nation of Canada w i l l b i t e t h e d u s t before t h e f a t o l d f o o l s i n power a r e f i n a l l y . :' forced t o change t h e law. Bloodshed, pain & misery w i l l be t h e l o t of those who a s s o c i a t e with t h e good weed, u n t i l t h e law a g a i n s t it i s wiped out. TORA

...

"My New World" We once had dreams of warm cozy houses Neat Picket fences Gardens of roses. we wake in cold h o t e l rooms Our dreams quickly vanish Clouded i n gloom.

NOW

' A d e s c r i p t i o n of t h e Betty P l a c e 1

( a CEEDS farm)

Life h e r e ' s a s t r i n g of d i r t y bars, Speeding c a r s , s t r e e t s loud & noisy, 'ti1 the small hours. Some f i n d solace i n needles o r booze. Discarded b o t t l e s & needles a t t e s t t o t h e i r use. Along t h i s path one can only l o s e . ;;ow d i d we g e t :lei-e? No one can say. Can we escape here? What p r i c e should we pay? We a l l become trapped here i n our own way.

We're discarded people Once babes i n arms Cradled and loved Away from l i f e ' s harms.

There i s a s o f t n e s s t o t h i s p l a c e Where o n e ' s mind can r e s t and eyes can wander. Over t h e g r a s s meadows, through t h e poplar t r e e s . I f you l i s t e n , t h e creek i s foremost a s water f a l l s , f r o t h s and bubbles i t s way down towards t h e l a k e . C h i c-kadees r-hirpirig, s i n g i n g nnci f l u t t e r i n g among t h e willows,.goes i n and o u t of e a r focus. Broken by t h e o c c a s i o n a l , sharp, one-beat c h i r p of t h e woodpeckers. Followed by t h e hollow jackhammer sound of beak s t r i k i n g wood. L i s a Enquist

Hearts become weary, broken & bruised We're l o s t and f o r g o t t e n No longer of use. When w i l l it s t o p When w i l l it end A t .the end of t h e tunnel There's always a bend. I'

I . A . Dubin

OUT OF SIGHTIMIND BUT Bonnie seas and neptune spirits, Summer holidays taken in spring, Time is in your hands to sculpture Inner spaces that make life sing. Jibe-o-ducks in full canvas clouds, Windjammer gypsies searching for grace. Whispering pirates and madd'ning crowds Are far behind well out of the race. 14 mornings for feet on the-earth, 13 midnights to put you to bed, 5 hours of sleep in silver light dreams;. Nothing is left but what lies ahead. Garry Gust

Theresaymy Theresa, I t ' s a system you c a n ' t beat, Soon t h e y ' l l b u i l d another prison; That w i l l keep you o f f t h e s t r e e t .

THERESA

(Two Years Less a Day) Theresaymy Theresa, Now your s t o r y has begun, I have s e t it down on paper; This i s s t a n z a number one. .

They put you i n Okalla, There i s nothing you can say; You a r e doing time f o r robbery, For you i t ' s two y e a r s l e s s a day. Theresa,my Theresa, You a r e out and roaming f r e e , You escaped i n t o t h e t w i - l i g h t ; This i s s t a n z a number t h r e e . You're back i n t h e Digger, Where t h e y ' r e not so very n i c e ; But you're tough and will.'face i t , When i n j a i l you pay t h e p r i c e . Theresaymy Theresa, I know why you w i l l survive, You'll be gone before t h e morning; This i s s t a n z a number f i v e . Across t h e grounds you're running, S e a r c h l i g h t s streaming i n your eyes; Time t o h i t t h e downtown bars, And watch t h e sun begin t o r i s e . Theresaymy Theresa, A l l your luck i s made i n Heaven, I t is time f o r you t o p a r t y ; This is s t a n z a number seven. You p a r t y i n t h e Slunrisc, O r on up t o t h e Balmoral; I f you're not i n s i d e t h e Brandiz, Then y o u ' l l be i n t h e r e tomorrow. Theresaymy Theresa, Now you always p a r t y f i n e ; B u t % t h eb a r s w i l l soon be closing; This i s s t a n z a number nine. Theresa,my Theresa, You a r e on a one-way t r a c k , Eleven times you have escaped; Eleven times they brought you back. They double barred your window, And they t r i p l e locked your door; I f you c a n ' t leave by t h e c e i l i n g , You w i l l go o u t through t h e f l o o r .

They're t e a r i n g down Okalla, They b u i l t another a l l brand new; A prison i n South Burnaby, They b u i l t s p e c i a l j u s t f o r you. Theresaymy Theresa, There i s nothing more t o say, You a r e doing time f o r robbery; For y o u , i t l s two years l e s s a day. Michael James McLellan

The Betrayal of Canada dissects free trade agenda

Action Canada I

The FTA isn't about exports, Me1 Hurtig's new book shows The Betrayal of Canado by Me1 Hurtig (Toronto: Stoddart, 1991) review by Lome Brown "BrianMulroney and hisfriends lied to Canadians. It is one thing not to tell the truth through ignorance, but it is quite

:o mis!cad :hrozgt;f h m : bdkf :L an ideology. The very worst combination is ignorance, ideology, and betrayal. This is exactly whatwe have hadfrom thepolitical and corporate leadership of Canada since the federal election of 1984." azc:,'.~r

Me1 Hurtig does not mince words in The Betrayal of Canada. He points out that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was not about enhancing Canadian exports to the U.S. and most certainly not about creating more jobs in Canada. Before the FTA, 80% of Canadian exports to the U.S. entered duty-free and 96% of such exports paid a duty of 5% or less. For years Canada ha i maintained a large merchandise trade surplus with the U.S. For Canadian banks, and the corporate elite in general, the FTA was about selling out Canada in return for investment opportunities in the U.S. and eventually Mexico and elsewhere. If it had been about exports, the Canadian government would not have thrown away all the potential benefits by maintaining a high dollar which has devastated our exports, increased imports and encouraged cross-border shopping. The Betrayal of Canada is well argued, superbly written, and extensively and scrupulously documented from Canadian government and international sources and includes 54 extremely useful charts and graphs. Much of the information is based on totally new research.

Hurtig demonstrates that the FTA is an integral part of the New Right agenda which also includes dismantling Canadian social programs, gutting the power of the federal government to regulate the economy, privatization, and the destruction of the public sector. It is also about deindustrialization, decentralization, and aismanuing Canada to iioe poini wircrc w c will ultimately be absorbed into the United States. It is a betrayal and sellout unparalleled in the history of any industrialized country. And it is a massive assault involving most major corporations on both sides of the border, the Tory, Reform and Bloc Qu6b6cois parties, almost the entire media elite, the Business Council on National Issues, the C.D. Hawe Institute, the Fraser Institute, and a vast array of selfseeking academics and the unscrupulous elements of the ideologically dogmatic petit bourgeoisie. No sellout, no matter how outrageous, would cause such people to so much as blush. "The nation's pimps are their own best cheer-leaders. In other countries they would be regarded as contemptible sellouts. In Canada they are the establishment." Hurtig documents how all this has happened and is happening against the will of the majority of Canadians. The majority were against the FTA in the first place and are even more so today. They are also against almost all other Mulroney government policies yet the Tories continue to implement the corporate agenda with the connivance of the media elite. Now, after being stopped in their tracks on Meech Lake, they are trying to push through an even worse constitutional package designed to further dismantle the country. Hurtig .

B t'

0 ) calk for an end to corporations being allowed to buy elections and the implementation of some form of proportional representation. Of all the advanced industrial countries, only Britain, the United States, and New Zealand share with Canada the archaic and undemocratic "fit-past-the-post" electoral system. Hurtig contends that the next federal election will be the last chance to begin turning things around before we lose all possibility of determining our own future. And he argues that the Tories, the Reform Party and the Bloc Qu6bkcois could very well represent a majority coalition (they would only need about 50 seats each) after the election. They could then dismantle the country and destroy the last vestiges of an independent and meaningful demoaatic System. This will certainly be on a e i r I

agenda. According to H ~ r t i gwe have a crossroads. "If there is one fundamentalquestion this book raises it is this: Who should be in charge of societythe community or big corporations?" Hurtig is not very optimistic about either the Liberals or the NDP. The former are drifting to the right under Chrttien and the latter appear rudderless and incapable of presenting an attractive program to the disillusioned public, Hurtig says. Both are allowing the ultra-riaht Reform Party to move ~ntoa poi~t~cai vacuum to the deiight of big business. He recommends either a new political party altogether or a massive campaign of "strategic voting" around progressive candidates in sufficient seats to force the Liberals and NDP into a postelection coalition. Hurtig argues any new go~emnent should have two immediate priorities: abrogation of the FTA, and instituting democratic reforms including proportional represent.tion. When released in paperback, The Betrayal of Canada should become one of the informational handbooks of the popular movement in this country.

Hurtlg: "The natlon's plmpr are their own best cheer-leaders. In other wuntrles they would be regarded as w n temptlble rrellouts. In Canada they are the establishment. "

Lorne Brown teaches political science at the Universiry of Regina and is the author of several books on Canadian politics.

By Gordon Clark Staff Reporter

B.C. police have shot 17 people in the past four years, killing 11 of them. Among recent shootings: I Vancouver police fatally shot Frank Bell, 21, on March 3 in a dark downtown parking lot after he pointed a Sony Walkman at them. They mistook it for a gun. I On Jan. 17, North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Glenn Magark shot an 18-year-old burglary suspect at a Bible chapel on East 19th Avenue. U Brian Shaw, a mentally ill 40year-old panhandler, was shot dead at 10th and Commercial in Vancouver on Aug. 20, 1991, after he

refused to drop a steak knife. Danny Ladd, 20, was killed by Surrey RCMP in April 1991 after a four-hour standoff at his parents' home. I Nanaimo RCMP Const. Glen From shot and killed James Cruikshank, 64, and his son Darel, 30, on Feb. 5, 1991, in what a coroner's inquest later called self-defence. I Randy Monk, 24, was shot dead by RCMP on a reserve north of Prince George on Feb. 20, 1991, after he threatened to kill police. .,Bank r o b b e r K e n n e t h Frederick Hodgins, 37, was shot dead by Vancouver police on Jan. 2, 1991, after he pointed a rifle at them.

Tecky's muzzle i n h i s b i g hand, t w i s t i n g t i l l Tecky's h t a d was upside-down l i k e a b l a c k mass, t h e dog moaning p r a y e r s through i t s t e e t h , my s i s t e r and I screaming ; holding u s around t h e under h i s I : i n h i s smo'

H i s f i n g e r s were brands p r o c l a i m i n g ownership of my b r e a s t s , my developkng body. These, and o t h e r a s s a u l t s we n e v e r .wnen he c d i d we bc who answf

I t took s i x men t o p u l l Grandfather o f f . A miracle you d i d n ' t d i e , t h e y s a i d when t h e y p u l l e d Tom o u t , f l e s h m e l t i n g living torch i n h i s f a t h e r ' s auto-da-fe.

Ile never spoke o f h i s childhood. For u s , he was o n l y t h e Great F i r e consuming h i s d a u g h t e r s f o r t w e n t y - s i x y e a r s . H i s name was Tom: synonym for our hate. Years a f t e r h i s d e a t h , Mother t o l d me h j s red-headed f a t h e r n e v e r c a l l e d him by name, o n l y "black b a s t a r d " because of h i s b l a c k h a i r , and t h a t when Tom was f i v e , G r a n d f a t h e r suddenly r o s e from t h e farm t a b l e and s i l e n t l y f l u n g him i n t o t h e b i g k i t c h e n f i r e , h e l d up t h e b l a z e r , and up Tom r o a r e d .

And now I know h e n e v e r l e f t t h a t p l a c e , and . t h a t h i s s o u l r e v o l v e d e n d l e s s l y about a s t a k e , f i n d i n g no way o u t through t h o s e grown-up f a c e s and t h a t he n e v e r stopped s h r i e k i n g h i s aloneness i n those-flames, s o he t r i e d t o p u l l h i s daughl And now a1 an c a l l you by your n;.,.,, .,, F a t h e r , and l e t go my own b u r n i n g . When o l d h a t r e d s k i n d l e , I s h a l l s t a n d b e s i d e you i n your f a t h e r ' s f i r e , hand i n hand, o u r f l e s h unravelling, eyes bubbling i n o u r heads, till our streaming t e a r s p u t o u r mutual h e l l o u t .

J a n c i s M. Andrews

THE LONGHOUSE COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN

DECEPTION I guess 1'11 never g e t used t o a world where a spade i s not c a l l e d a spade. Names & t i t l e s commonly deceive us. To arrange a p u b l i c image t o appear o t h e r than what you a r e is considered normal, & I guess 1'11 j u s t never g e t used t o it. I've never t r u s t e d t h e C h r i s t i a n church anyway - it seems t o me t o be h i s t o r i c a l l y & s p i r i t u a l l y bankrupt. I t ' s about time they v o l u n t a r i l y disbanded. I f t h e y r e a l l y want t o h e l p humanity they should g e t out o f i t s way! The "good workt1 it claims t o do, t h e money it i n v e s t s , t h e t a x breaks it g e t s , t h e locked doors, t h e herding o f people i n t o lineups, t h e serving o f meals & l e c t u r i n g on s i n f u l ways h a s never appealed t o me. In f a c t I t h i n k it i s c o n t r a r y t o t h e r e a l s p i r i t o f C h r i s t t o do such. I d i d n ' t even know t h e r e was a C h r i s t i an church c a l l e d T h e Longhouse Council o f Native Ministries". why doesn ' t it c a l l i t s e l f C h r i s t i a n ? . . t h a t ' s what i t i s , even i f it has a m a j o r i t y of n a t i v e , black, a s i a n , white o r some o t h e r race. No m a t t e r what r a c i a l p o u p s a t t e n t it i t ' s still Christian i s n ' t i t ? I f it's C h r i s t i a n it should n o t t r y t o appear otherwise. J e s u s would n o t t o l e r a t e l i e s & s u b t l e deceptiona likw f a l s e a d v e r t i s ing, but today we accepj, t h i s i t 1s j u s t considered a normal p a r t o f l i f e . J u s t a s New Democrats have no new demor n ~ y ,gg the F i r s t k i t e d c:tiipih i s not first & i s not united. I know it i s common p r a c t i c e t h e s e days f o r C h r i s t i a n s t o

;

c a l l themselves something e l s e , s i n c e they a r e j u s t l y ashamed o f t h e i r b r u t a l ( deceptive h i s t o r y 6 want t o avoid being blamed f o r i t - but they should be aware t h a t t h e s p i r i t dances, r i t u a l s & p u r i f i c a t i o n s p r a c t i c e d by a b o r i g i n a l people, which have nothing t o do with C h r i s t i a n i t y , a r e commonly known a s T h e Longhouse Re1igiontl For a C h r i s t i a n church t o c a l l i t s e l f a *ILonghouse Council" is highly deceptive. I t ' s common knowledge among Native people that evangelist Christian organizations have waged a running b a t t l e with t h e Longhouse r e l i g i o n , c a l l i n g it s i n f u l & s a t a n i c . On Vancouver Island t h i s s o r t of warfare continues & i s o f t e n reported on i n l o c a l papers. Here i n Vancouver we have a C h r i s t i a n church t h a t c a l l s i t s e l f t h e Longhouse Council of Native M i n i s t r i e s (or, a s lianc i s Andrews says, sometimes they j u s t c a l l it "The Longhousett) t h i s i s very curious. The f a c t t h a t t h i s C h r i s t i a n congregation is 70% Native does not seem t o j u s t i f y a d v e r t i s i n g themselves a s a alLonghouse Council". Apparently t h e f u l l t i t l e of t h i s church does not even contain t h e word t T h r i s t i a n w . . .how strange. I t h i n k i f J e s u s were a l i v e today, he might question such a p r a c t i c e . He might examine t h e i r so-called s p i r i t u a l i t y & f i n d it wanting. Of course, he would f o r g i v e them, but f i r s t he would c a l l them l i a r s & h p o c r i t s . I e A --u y e generation oC v i p e r s , " Re m1gh.t: say.. ."Get t h e e hence!"

...

I)O\JN'TU\JN

ICASTSIDE YOUTII ACTIVITIES SOCIETY I

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11 June

The O l d S a i l o r - $ 4 0

C e c i l e H.-$20 J e a n 17.-$15 Anonymous -$18.00

The Downtown E a s t s i d e ~ e s i d e n t s 'A s s o c i a t i o n c a n h e l p you w i t h : a n y w e l f a r e problems i n f o r m a t i o n on l e g a l r i g h t s +: d i s p u $ e s w i t h l a n d l o r d s +: unsa@e l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s fi income t a x * U I C problems fi f i n d i n g h o u s i n g a o p e n i n g a bank a c c o u n t

Come i n t o t h e DEM o f f i c e a t 9 E a s t J I a s t i n g s St. o r p h o n e u s ;at 682-0931

D E W IIAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 1 9 YEARS.

LARRY JOIINSRUDE executives a t t e n d i n g a recent speech by federal Energy M i n i s t e r Jake Epp i n calgarY had a few t h i n g s i n common. ~t wasn't j u s t t h e i r grey s u i t s , t h e way they make money & t h e i r enthusiasm f o r ano t h e r Tory promise t o g e t t h e government's ' f j n g e r s out of t h e o i l business. A few days e a r l i e r , each had attended a Reform p a r t y function of some s o r t - e i t h e r a speech by l e a d e r Preston Manning o r a p r i v a t e meeting with p a r t y organizers. These oilmen once owed t h e i r a l l e g i a n c e t o t h e Conservatives f o r scrapping t h e n a t i o n a l energy program & n e g o t i a t i n g f r e e t r a d e with t h e US. But here they were l i s tening t o Epp & a l l they could t a l k about was Manning. A few weeks e a r l i e r , & 3500 km away, Manning took h i s pro-business message t o Toronto's upper-crust Granite Club, where he wowed about 250 of Canadian business world's movers & shakers. 'We d i d n ' t ask f o r t h e i r cheques a s they came through t h e door," s a i d Reform's executive d i r e c t o r Gordon Shaw, "but we a r e hoping t h e y w i l l remember u s when they make a donation t o t h e p o l i t i c a l p a r t y of t h e i r choice." Manning & h i s 5 year-old p a r t y may have already won t h e e a r s of Canada's most i n f l u e n t i a l business leaders. He's nor s e t t ing h i s s i g h t s on theiritpocketbooks. He seeks b i g bucks. Financed mostly through small donations from individual supporters, t h e Reform party i s going a f t e r big-bucks corporate donors i n a b i g way. Following a boardroom t o u r l a s t year by p a r t y chairman C l i f f Fryers, which produced $300,000 i n donations, p a r t y organizers have e s t a b l i s h e d f u n d r a i s i n g teams i n most major Canadian c i t i e s t o c o u r t corporate donors. Although Manning speaks t h e same f r e e e n t e r p r i s e language a s t h e corporate generals, t h a t hasn't yet translated into a flood of donations t o t h e p a r t y . Shaw s a i d , "I would l i k e t o t h i n k t h a t t h a t w i l l t u r n around." According t o t h e l a t e s t audited f i g u r e s j a v a i l a b l e , t h e p a r t y made $138,000 i n '90 \from 274 corporate donors, who gave an av, erage o f $500 each. But donations from I

corporations more than doubled i n '91, say p a r t y o f f i c i a l s , & a r e expected t o quadrup l e t o $1.2 m i l l i o n by t h e end of 1992. Financier Conrad Black made Manning t h e t o a s t o f corporate Canada i n Sept.'9O when he i n v i t e d t h e p a r t y l e a d e r t o speak t o t h e p r e s t i g i o u s Toronto Club. Black gave $5000 through h i s S t e r l i n g newspaper l i n e . Edmonton chartered accounant Francis Winspear has been Reform's f i n a n c i a l godf a t h e r from t h e s t a r t , when he made a $50,000 donation t o g e t h t e p a r t y going. In 1990 Winspear donated over $10,000. O i l 15 Energy s t i l l p r e f e r the Tories. Despite having i t s headquarters i n t h e country's energy c a p i t a l , t h e Calgarybased p a r t y h a s n ' t had much luck winning over t h e major o i l companies. Imperial O i l have t h e Conservatives $75,000 i n '90; Husky gave almost $17,000; Chevron $8000; Suncor $6000. Reform's l a r g e s t o i l company c o n t r i b u t o r was Danadian Occidental - $5000. But t h e c o n t r i b u t o r l i s t i s dotted with small

firms most people have never heard of l i k e Dex Resources ($1000) E Redneck Resources ($120). One observer says t h e industry i s eyeing Reform c l o s e l y E a l l t h e l i t t l e compa n i e s could add up t o s i g n i f i c a n t money. This i s a conservative industry looking f o r a conservative party. Tory support from t h e o i l i n d u s t r y reached mythical proportions because t h e y were t h e only game i n town, but t h e r e has been a l o t of disillusionment. (Wonder of wonders!)

The Reform Party Friend or Foe? Under Preston Manning, t h e Reform Party has become expert a t disguising t h e e x t r e me n a t u r e of i t s r e a l agenda. Many people have been fooled by t h e public face of t h i s "new" party. The .Reform Party b i r t h e d i n Alberta. The Alberta Federation of Labour, looking behind t h e i r public image t o the the r e a l n a t u r e o f Reform, says they a r e j u s t one more big business p a r t y no d i f f e r e n t than t h e Mulroney Tories. When the t r u t h comes out, working people w i l l f i n d very l i t t l e t o support. Refomr Supports t h e GST and Free Trade. Tile Leform Party gained many of i t s new members through i t s highly publicized oppo s i t i o n t o t h e GST. Now, they a r e t a l k i n g about a l t e r i n g t h e GST - not axing i t . "For example, t h e Reform's f l a t - o u t opp o s i t i o n t o the goods & s e r v i c e s t a x was s e n t back t o i t s p o l i c y committees f o r review. The p a r t y ' s new stance w i l l l i k e l y be a plan t o reform t h e new t a x . This i s t h e p o s i t i o n favoured by Manning. " The Financial Post

On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e Reform Party has xlways been i n favour of f r e e t r a d e . No n a t t e r t h a t Canadian's worst f e a r s about Eree t r a d e , such a s p l a n t c l o s u r e s , unemployment (461,000 jobs permanently l o s t ) & attacks on p u b l i c s e r v i c e s ( U I , medicare) are proving t o be t r u e . The Reform Party endorses f r e e t r a d e i n i t s Blue Book on P o l i c i e s & P r i n c i p l e s ~ i t h o u tr e s e r v a t i o n . A Reform Party Task Force concluded i n 1990 t h a t t h e r e were no d i s t i n c t i v e l y Momen's i s s u e s . But, Reform Senator Stan Yaterl s repeated a t t a c k s on p u b l i c funding Eor t h e National Action Committee on t h e Status o f Women tends t o c l a r i f y Reform's 30.;; r i ~ n .g.efcrm .rs ctrong?y ~ 7 : ' .-,2;eicc. "..(Reform MP Deborah) Grey does not l i k e feminism, a f f i r m a t i v e a c t i o n , o r any thing a t a l l t h a t smacks o f s p e c i a l t r e a t ment f o r her gender. That i s why she oppo s e s iaws t o enforce equal pay f o r work of equal value.'' Storming Babylon S. Sharpe, Don Braid Preston Manning's church b e l i e v e s i n a L i t e r a l use of t h e b i b l i c a l quote: "Christ i s t h e head o f every man E every man i s t h e head of every woman."

The Holocaust of the Americas... In 1492 Christopher Columbus anived at a land containing approx. 110 million natives. 150 years later there were less than 10 million.

...is still happening today. Instead of celebrating the "Discovery of the Americas", 1992 must be a year of commemorating 500Years of Indigenous resistance. "Our struggle is nor a mere conjecntral reflection of the memory of 500 years of oppression which the invaders in complicity with the "democratic" Governmentsof our countries want ro turn into events of jubilation and celebration. Our Indian People, Nations and Nationalities are basing our struggle on our identity, which shall lead us lo true liberation. We are responding aggressively and commit ourselves to reject this CELEBRATION." QulWs Indlge-

G.l)lc#ing July 1990, ~cttado;

Building the Future

...

We can't celebrate but we can remember.

Indigenous Peoples' liberation can only be achieved through a complete exercise of self-determination, which in Nm must be expressed in complete autonomy. Without Indian Self-government and without control of their ancestral territories there can be no autonomy. Also for the next 500 years the real history of the 'encounter of the two worlds' or 'discovery of the Americas' must emerge and correct the distorted one sided history that XI far has been told from the point of view of the invaders.

Summary of ELP activities from June, 1991 through May 11, 1992 members, community groups, advocates, low income people & s t u d e n t s have asked f o r t h e workshop. They have been given i n VanForced campaign _ _ _ _ _employment: _ _ - - - - - - - -tELP's -o- end 3-year couver, Calgary, Windsor, Toronto, Golden forced employ& Courtenay. ment of s i n g l e p a r e n t s on welfare f i n a l l y S t u d e n t s come t o t h e o f f i c e f r e q u e n t l y , succeeded on Dec. 13, 1991. S i n g l e p a r e n t s & phone asking about p o v e r t y i s s u e s . on welfare now have choice about working ELP d i d numerous r a d i o , ,TV & newspaper o u t s i d e t h e home. The l e g i s l a t i o n has gone i n t e r v i e w s about poverty. We were involved from being t h e worst i n Canada t o being with l o n g e r programs on p o v e r t y on t h e t h e b e s t . S i n g l e p a r e n t s on welfare now Knowledge Network & Cable TV i n Vancouver, have choice regarding employment o u t s i d e V i c t o r i a , Kamloops, Surrey, and on CBC. t h e home u n t i l t h e i r youngest c h i l d i s 19. We've w r i t t e n a r t i c l e s f o r t h e Vancouver ~ o o d program: E L P I S 4-yeaE campaign t o g e t -----------Sun, Legal P e r s p e c t i v e s , t h e YWCA S i n g l e u n i v e r s a l , non-stigmatizing school lunch programs i n lowiricom~ school$ Parent n e w s l e t t e r , NAP0 news, NOISE, t h e ?!e&?,l.=, Co;;;;;;;nity ?4zrttz-;rs, Thz I ' i ~ ~ a i iwon y a $7 m i i i i o n c o n t r i b u t i o n from CLC, Eq';c? Province and Kinesis t h e p r o v i n c i a l & a committment t o ongoing B r i e f s : ELP p r e s e n t e d b r i e f s on Park Board p r o v i n c i a l funding. -----budget c u t s , t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n , ELP b u i l t - a s t r o n g movement o f people B i l l C-69, t o t h e L i b e r a l s on p o v e r t y and with s k i l l s & c o n t a c t s from t h i s campaign. t h e economy; t o PSAC & NUPGE on t h e econoWe're confident t h a t t h e many hundreds of my; t o Saanich Council re hungry c h i l d r e n ; people who have worked with u s on t h i s , t o V i c t o r i a School Board r e lunch program; p r o j e c t and/or work i n non-stigmatizing Vancouver School Board on lunch programs; school lunch programs now have a sense of t o S u r r e y School Board on lunch programs; ownership o f hot school lunches & t h e moveon gender b i a s t o h e a r i n g s i n Vancouver; ment w i l l s t r e n g t h e n & expand without t h e t o panel on Family S e r v i c e s i n VanLSurrey. p r e s e n t l e v e l of ELP work. Our concerns with t h e program a r e : Lobby & c o n s u l t a t i o n : To Smallwood on wel- low income people 6, groups need t o know .................... f a r e 6 wages, FLAW about t h e program. Harcourt 4 Hagen announ- w i s h l i s t , women's i s s u e s ; t o Priddy and ced $7 m i l l i o n f o r 130 schools and 50,000 Vicky Robinson on c o n s u l t a t i o n ; t o Tim Agg k i d s but only 48 elementary & 15 secondary r e c o n s u l t a t i o n & Legal S e r v i c e s Review; schools got money; S i h o t a on wages. - t h e P r o v i n c i a l Advisdry Committee t o Talks, p a n e l s 8 speeches: On j u s t i c e and ........................ oversee t h e funds i s being chosen & ELP's poverty t o n a t p o s i t i o n on it i s not secure; i o n a l conference on gender & t h e law; t o - t h e p r o v i n c i a l funding program does n o t t h e Vancouver Labour Council on CLC docuprovide adequate money f o r changes t o t h e ment 14; t o a c c e s s f o r a l l conference on shcool o r equipment f o r long term h i g h i n f o needs of low income people; t o n u r s e s q u a l i t y e c o l o g i c a l l y sound hot lunches. union convention on poverty & ELP; t o Cana d a ' s C h i l d r e n ' s conference on poverty & Education A c t i v i t i e s competitiveness; i n P o r t Alberni on how t o Hundreds of Fighting Poverty k i t s have advocate t o end poverty; Women's Day lunch been d i s t r i b u t e d . on North Shore on economy; Women's Day Hundreds of s t r i n g k i t s ( i l l u s t r a t i n g meeting of Ukranian women; l i b r a r y group t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f wealth i n Canada) have on freedom o f information; t o Independence been d i s t r i b u t e d . '92 on poverty 4 e q u a l i t y & b u i l d i n g c o a l Corporate Agenda Workshops: We've given i t i o n s ; t o School o f Theology on c h a r i t y ; over 50 of t h e s e workshops t h a t h e l p peop- to Edmonton group on food programs & psvl e understand t h e s t r u c t u r e s t h a t cause :rty; t o conference o f 150 people working Poverty & what we can do about i t . Board vith pregnant & p a r e n t i n g t e e n s ; Delta NDP MhJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

, I

ekildran $ peverty far Venceuva~Bakosl. gmrd; to Gkilllwack graup o f low inceme

people; Maple Ridge Family Resources; deal School; Spectrum School about c l a s s ism; Richmond High; p r e s e n t a t i o n s on pove r t y & lunch programs t o groups i n Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, V i c t o r i a , Nanaipo; a t SFU on poverty; i n n e r c i t y school planning committee, BC Public Health Conference; on women & work on IWD a t Vancouver Museum; on freedom o f i n f o a t BC Library Assoc.; on Privacy Act & low income people i n Vancouver & w h i s t l e r . Events: Mothers r e l i e f t o c e l e b r a t e end of _----forced employment; 3 meetings with Joan Smallwood, one with Moe Sihota; media workshop with ELP committee members,BCCPD; ! caper at socred convention; Walk on Rich. / Board Committees: Wages & welfare; Forced _--------------employment; c o n s t i t u t i o n . Analyses: e c h i l d b e n e f i t ; on Vancou-------- vOne r t hSchool Board l e t t e r t o pare n t s r e lunch program; on evaluation of lunch program organizing; on c o n s t i t u t i o n ; on t r e n d f o r s o c i a l programs t o be manipul a t e d t o f o r c e people t o work f o r low pay; community kitchens; women & t h e corporate agenda; r e l a t i o n o f advocacy t o ending 4 poverty; poor people's information needs; freedom of i n f o & Privavy Act. Regional FLAW meetings: These have been ...................... held i n Kamloops, ' Salmon Arm, Vernon, Williams.Lake, ~ r i i c e George. They g e n e r a l l y include i n f o on t h e corp1 o r a t e agendz, hew nrlrlnrates cnz g e t iz':=lved i n ELP campaigns t o reduce poverty. The workshop h e l p s focus people on what they want t o do i n t h e i r community t o h e l p f i g h t poverty. They h e l p people organize low income a c t i o n groups o r committees f o r example: Active Support Against Povert y i n Kamloops, Salmon A r m anti-poverty s o c i a l a c t i o n committee, Vernon anti-pove r t y group. Lower Mainland FLAW meetings: Ongoing n e t ............................ work meetings with Front Line Advocate Workers from t h e Lower Mainland t o d i s c u s s v i c t o r i e s & problems, t h e bigger p i c t u r e ; how t o make l e g i s l a t i v e changes t o reduce poverty; t a p low income people & advocates i n t o ELP/ FLAW campaigns. FLAWS want ongoing consult a t i o n with Smallwood. -

;

Nawslatkers: Throe msnthly BLP neysleeeer, Actionline, FLAWlins, I.-----L---

Monthly mailouts: E L P ' s monthly mailout ---------------includes t h e 3 newslette r s , o t h e r i n f o of i n t e r e s t t o low income people, ELP and FLAW minutes. Over 400 people a r e now on t h e mailing l i s t . Costs a r e picked up by t h e Hospital Employees1 Union & t h e BC Government EmployeeslUnion. Campaigns Welfare and wages: A l l o f ELPts a c t i v i t i e s ----------------have t r i e d t o r a i s e our p r i o r i t y i s s u e s o f welfare & wages. These include e l e c t i o n q u e s t i o n n a i r e s t o candida t e s ; L e t t e r s from t h e Heart, a booklet of s t o r i e s about l i v i n g on r i d i c u l o u s l y low welfare r a t e s & wages; a t t e n d i n g all-candi d a t e s 1 meetings during t h e e l e c t i o n ; r a i s i n g t h e i s s u e s a t meetings with p o l i t i c i + ans; s p e c i a l meetings of ELP and FLAW with Smallwood & S i h o t a on t h e s e i s s u e s ; t h e Walk on t h e Rich; a l e t t e r w r i t i n g campaign t o Smallwood & S i h o t a i n which thousands expressed t h e i r d e s i r e f o r ELP1s goal i n minimum wage & welfare r a t e s . Real u n i v e r s a l h e a l t h care: This has j u s t .......................... been determined a Board p r i o r i t y f o r a s h o r t term goal. ELP i s c o l l e c t i n g s t o r i e s of low income people who a r e denied h e a l t h c a r e (including d e n t a l h e a l t h , mental healeh, counsell i n g , insurance) because of lack of money. ELP has a new h e a l t h committee which w i l l begin work nn t h t s csmp+gn. S o c i a l j u s t i c e within tfie s o c i a l j u s t i c e ........................................ movement -------- : A small committee of ELP Board members & a l e g a l expert has been chosen by t h e s t a f f t o make recommend a t i o n s t o t h e Board about workers1 i s s u e s . S t a f f has been working on ways t o improve working conditions a t ELP. Board & s t a f f have been d i s c u s s i n g a statement of princi p l e t o be included i n t h e J u s t i c e Program o r ELP c o n s t i t u t i o n . We have a l s o been t r y ing t o b u i l d s o l i d a r i t y with disenfranch- . i s e d groups. Grants: has been n o t i f i e d t h a t it w i l l ------ rELP e c e i v e a g r a n t o f $175,000 from t h e s o c i a l s e r v i c e s m i n i s t r y t o organise & educate about poverty & t o c r e a t e p u b l i c w i l l t o end poverty. ELP i s a l s o w r i t i n g -.

----T Charity p r o j e c t : ELP has a U I top-up g r a n t --------------and has h i r e d 4 people t o do a p a r t i c i p a t ory research p r o j e c t on how people who use c h a r i t i e s f e e l about them, and what they propose f o r s h o r t & longterm improvements t o c h a r i t y . The p r o j e c t s t a r t e d on March g and w i l l go t o Sept. 4th. Action Canada Network: ELP continues t o ..................... participate in this n a t i o n a l c o a l i t i o n f i g h t i n g ag&st free t r a d e & t h e corporate agenda. This year t h e ACN has provided l o t s of i n f o & analysis on t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n & f r e e t r a d e , and . helped u s make f r i e n d s with people who've donated money & goods t o us. A s co-chair of ACN(BC), Jean Swanson has given n o t i c e t o t h e group t h a t she w i l l not be a b l e t o be t h e c h a i r a f t e r 4 t o 6 months because of o t h e r work committments, although ELP w i l l continue t o be involved. ELP has been instrumental i n a number of ACN assemblies and a CLC conference i n Ottawa; lobbying gov't on f r e e t r a d e ; giving workshops on t h e corporate agenda & t h e s t r u c t u r a l f o r c e s t h a t cause poverty i n poor c o u n t r i e s a s well a s i n Canada. ELP's analyses of poverty i s s u e s g e t d i s t r i b u t e d throughout Canada through t h e ACN. Women r- - - 5 - - - -and Health Care - - - - - - - f- -o- -r- - -~1 -e- -t- -t- e- - -Wages ------7 ~ d v o c a t e s : ELP i a s a l s o ~ a r t i c i ~ a t ei nd --------, t h e s e groups & i n t h e i r action's From t h e E d i t o r ' s desk.. including a p r e - e l e c t i o n news conference Even the t i t l e sounds a l i t t l e p r e t e n t i on welfare, wages & pay e q u i t y and a n a t ous. .we become-what':wecpree8nd'to-be; Cutionwide TV hook-up on t h e 30t"h anniversary t i n g through t h e b u l l s h i t , l e t t i n g c l e a r of medicare. l i g h t f a l l on t h e o f t e n s u r p r i s i n g t r u t h i n a s i t u a t i o n - each cf *In c!cas t h i s z h ~ z .. ~f t h i n g s - E = M C ~ i s flawed.. .without an -. i n t u i t i o n is trusted. There a r e s i x 'sub-stations' of t h e mind I I a I t f o r awareness, t h e "E" & t h e "M" & t h e "c" (which i s a mathematical constant) c a l l e d chakras i n S a n s k r i t . They a c t a s f o c a l p o i n t s f o r t h e functions of t h e mind zould not e x i s t . Awareness = consciousness. The Carnegie Newsletter, a s I s e e i t , p o s s i b l e a t each. A t t h e lowest l e v e l t h e has ever been a razor-sharp t o o l f o r j u s t mind concerns i t s e l f with food, s u r v i v a l c u t t i n g through t h e b u l l t h i s purpose & f e a r ; higher l e v e l s invoke s u b t l e r props h i t . Most volunteers c o n t r i b u t i n g , conse n s i t i e s , emotions, psychic powers; & t h e highest l e v e l of mind i s sublime..called ciously & unconsciously, attempt t o provt h e "pearl of g r e a t price" & r e f e r r e d t o ide answers t o a questibn penned by Tora i n s p i r i t u a l discourse a s t h e goal. some time ago: "Why c a n ' t they ever g e t i t The d r i v i n g f o r c e s e t e r n a l l y present i n right?" a l l of u s a r e physical c l a s h , psychic It's up t o each of us t o l i s t e n t o our c l a s h & longing f o r t h e Great. One w r i t e r , i n t u i t i o n , t o strengthen our s o l e connecthaving t h e temerity not t o be cowed by acion t o what each of u s perceives a s t h e ademic tremblings, s t a t e s t h a t E i n s t e i n ' s Great. Take care. PAULR TAYLOR famous equation f o r t h e u n i v e r s a l n a t u r e g r a n t s o r enquiry l e t t e r s f o r t h e s e p r o j e c t s : a p a r t i c i p a t o r y research p r o j e c t on b a r r i e r s t o good h e a l t h f o r low income people; a p a r t i c i p a t o r y research p r o j e c t on d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a g a i n s t poor women. We a r e awaiting n o t i f i c a t i o n about o u r ELP n e w s l e t t e r g r a n t a p p l i c a t i o n & o u r regional FLAW meeting g r a n t a p p l i c a t i o n from Legal Services. We have applied t o Oxfam f o r up t o $3,000 t o do corporate agenda workshops & t o t h e World Day of Prayer f o r s t a f f h e l p with o u r c h a r i t y p r o j e c t . Oxfam has run out of funds but may give u s some i f they g e t some. We a r e awaiting word from World Day of Prayer. ELP was one o f a group of anit-poverty groups t h a t a p p l i e d t o -:he p r o v i n c i a l government f o r funding t o bring anti-poverty groups t o g e t h e r t o develop a p o s i t i o n on t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n . Gwen Brodsky helped a l o t with t h i s . We a r e s t i l l waiting & i t doesn't look t o o hopeful. ELP got a small g r a n t t o bring people t o g e t h e r t o c o n s u l t wuth Tim Agg on Legal Services i s s u e s . ELP received $2000 f o r a s h o r t p r o j e c t interviewing women about environment and development i s s u e s .