Progressive Bloggers, the blogging aggregator, is celebrating it's 10th anniversary. Scott Tribe and others are getting together in Toronto today to mark the occasion. And they have every right to celebrate, or give themselves a few high fives, for it is a magnificent achievement. Those who post on Progressive Bloggers, or read those posts, or contribute comments owe them a lot. And I know I do.
Yesterday I wrote a post denouncing the Harper regime for its refusal to protest the savage punishment the Saudis are inflicting on the blogger Raif Badawi. For the price of $10 billion dollars worth of armoured cars. But what I didn't know at the time is that Badawi's family lives in Quebec, which makes the silence of the Cons even more shameful.
I was trying to think about something to blog about on this cold, wet miserable night. Then I read about the death of Joe Bodolai, the American who nurtured so many great young comedians in Canada.
Who killed himself the other day by drinking a mixture of Gatorade and anti-freeze, but not before writing this last post.
And it stopped me in my tracks. Because what puny words could I write about anything compared to something so honest and so powerful that moved me so much?
It's not hard to feel the pall that has fallen over the progressive blogosphere since the Cons finally won their majority. First there was shock, then there was anger, and now just sadness.
So rather than write about The Great Darkness, and make things worse, I thought I'd just share some of the things that comforted me today.
Like this shot of my favourite swan sitting on five eggs.
Or this one of another couple finding out that raising one is hard enough.
So what does Eeyore spend most of his time doing? Like all great outsiders, he Thinks – and he takes great pains to distinguish himself from the other animals for this. ("They haven't got Brains, any of them, only grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake..."). There he is in his lonely corner of the forest, sometimes thinking sadly to himself, "Why?", and sometimes "Wherefore?" – and sometimes not quite knowing what he's thinking at all. While the other animals amble contentedly through their daily lives, Eeyore wrestles with these questions alone.
Because he's always gloomy, but everyone loves him just the same. And goodness knows there are enough Eeyores out there these days.
And then there was the story of the dead Vancouver blogger and his last post.
It turns out that no one can imagine what's really coming in our lives. We can plan, and do what we enjoy, but we can't expect our plans to work out. Some of them might, while most probably won't. Inventions and ideas will appear, and events will occur, that we could never foresee. That's neither bad nor good, but it is real.
Which was sad but also incredibly moving.
Airdrie, you were my best friend and my closest connection. I don't know what we'd have been like without each other, but I think the world would be a poorer place. I loved you deeply, I loved you, I loved you, I loved you.
Because what more could I add to that except..." I was loved, I was loved. What more did I need? What more could I want?"
And finally there was the 30th anniversary of the death of the great Bob Marley. Who died after failing to properly treat a melanoma on his foot.
Golly. I knew the day would come that somebody would recognize my brilliant videos eh?
I just wish my first review was a little more positive.
Personally, I don’t think that Harper is the Dark Lord of the Sith or the Devil incarnate, but I have to admit to being somewhat apprehensive about what a Harper majority government might do should things shake out that way. Even so, ridiculous, infantile scare-mongering like the video clip posted above demonizing Harper (almost quite literally), serves no good purpose whatsoever.
Now look, I like Red Tory a lot, I always have, and that review won't change anything in that regard. But I'm not apologizing for ANYTHING. Because that's MY nightmare not his.
As a gay guy who is also a strong supporter of the rights of women and poor people, I do consider Stephen Harper as the most dangerous political leader in Canadian history, I dread what he might do if he ever got a majority.
And everything I said in that video is true. He is an authoritarian thug. He has gone after women and gay people. He is in favour of the death penalty. I truly believe he wants to strangle medicare.
And if my videos appeal to emotion rather than just reason it's because I feel that if Canadians don't fear a Harper majority he will get one. And if I demonize Harper and his Cons it's because I believe in giving bullies a taste of their own medicine.
But then why I am surprised eh? Most of the other big progressive blogs, with the honorable exception of the Galloping Beaver, have never encouraged me. Just marginalized me like some dumb kid....or a faggot. When I am neither.
I'm deadly serious, I've written more than 2000 posts, and I can't help it if I'm naturally playful.
Oh well. Those pompous poobahs can ignore me, or call me infantile or hyperbolic, but I just call them BORING. And they are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves for discouraging younger Canadians from blogging .
So although I'm a bit depressed, I will continue to make to make my humble videos, because I think that videos are the best way to motivate young Canadians to vote. And if I can get ONE of them to do that I would be very happy and satisfied. And feel that I made a difference.
Which is not to say that I'm not sorry about something in my last video eh?
I really should have reduced the volume of that beeping heart monitor. Because this old guy thought it was the smoke detector.
And I found him shaking like a leaf under the bed.
Instead of ruling over it with his bunny crown...
But that's OK too. Because even he recognizes how terrible a Harper majority would be eh?
Knows that if one of his two daddies was in prison, he'd get half less than half the treats he gets each day.
There's a big moon over Mount Royal tonight. And I'm sitting here staring at that little plane flying into the darkness, and wondering why blogs can't last forever.
And how sorry I am to discover that somebody has taken down Bruce McDonald's blog Canuck Attitude. Only four months after he committed suicide.
Disappointed because I won't be able to link to some of his bully stories, to illustrate the horror of homophobia, and how it can kill, long after the bullying stops.
Disappointed because now the link to the different versions of the flag he designed...
Instead of being shared with people all over the world as it was for years.
But mostly I'm sad because I thought Bruce's blog was also his memorial, a place to go to remember him, and I was planning to keep it on my blogroll forever.
I don't know why somebody took it down. I hope it wasn't because they thought it's not the kind of memorial that a "respectable" dead person should have. Because that would be so wrong.
I was surprised to see that the Canadian Blog Awards are back.
Because after last year's fiasco I thought they were dead and BURIED.
Which is why I'm so amused to see that those who created the biggest fuss over the awards last year, are the ones most eager to be nominated this year.
But who really cares eh?
If it was a serious contest, where the nominees were chosen by a jury of other eminent bloggers, it might be worth something. But it's not. It's just a popularity contest where those who win have the most Facebook friends.
And besides I can never forget how two years ago, when I was nominated, a friend told me he wanted to vote for me, but couldn't because somebody had used his office computer to vote for somebody else.
Oh sure, I guess the "contest" does serve some purpose by introducing me to some blogs I'd never heard of before. But like most other Canadian awards, it's usually the same people nominated over and over again.
Who then bombard us with posts BEGGING us to vote for them, because they need to show us how much better they are than the rest of us. How annoying.
Or how BORING.
And as far as self promotion goes, well I don't call my dog Kerouac for nothing.
You know just do it eh? Write as honestly as possible, and leave it at that. If people want to read you they will, and if they don't too bad.
After 1,775 posts, all of them written by me, if I depended on the encouragement of others, I would have quit long ago.
Which reminds me, you don't think there is something we can do something about cross posting do you?
So two identical posts from some blogging conglomerates, don't force two other humbler ones into the blogging basement, before we have a chance to read them.
No. I didn't think so.
Oh well. To all the other bloggers out there who didn't make the short list, don't be discouraged, because it doesn't mean ANYTHING.
Oh boy. Sometimes it isn't easy being a Canadian eh? It still looks like the summer that arrived about three weeks ago. But if you go out without a hoody you can freeze your little tits off. And then there's the state of the progressive blogosphere...
The Liberals have suddenly stopped crowing about an election, or calling the NDP fascist collaborators for propping up the Con government. It's like the Big Chill. For ....um....obvious reasons.
While the NDPers having recovered from the shock of finding themselves in bed with The Creeper..... for .... um..... obvious reasons. Are now desperately trying to regain the high moral ground by claiming that Michael Ignatieff is the same or worse than Stephen Harper. Unfortunately, Harper’s challenger, Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff, is just as much a wolf, but poses a much greater danger to the Left because he dresses as our shepherd. Which is ridiculous. Because we're not sheep. Ignatieff may be badly flawed, but he's still better than Harper. And nothing could be worse than a Harper majority. But then maybe you have to be gay to understand that.
Just like I now realize you probably have to be gay to understand that this woman is no hero. And that it's not even funny. Oh well. WTF? Even the best can have a bad blogging day.
And there was some good news today. They arrested another hero for allegedly gay bashing this guy.
The bad news? You can arrest one gay basher, but there's a lot more where that one came from. And even if they do convict that guy in London, he'll probably get off with a slap on the wrist. Because he's a hero eh? Just like the other one. Golly. I can hardly wait to hear what Don Cherry has to say about that. But of course it's my fault. I really have to pack away my dreams and face up to REALITY.For a change. Progressives will never unite until Harper gets a majority. Summer is really over eh? And I am where I am...
Woohoo!!!! Countdown to Liquor Day !!!!
10-9-8-7-6-5.....booze is bad for you. But right now I don't really care...
So I'm watching this guy drawing a portrait of Jesus on the sidewalk. And since, as you know, I'm trying to be a BETTER person, I smile and nod and give him a toonie. I regretted that later of course. But then the OLD ME would have fixed him with an icy stare. And wondered where's a street cleaner when you need one? Still it did remind me that Jesus' General is running a neat little music number And after checking out THE LIST I came up with my top six Werewolves of London Bloody Sunday Mercedes Benz Imagine Lola And of course Monkey Man...coz who could beat lyrics like this? I'm a fleabit peanut monkey All my friends are junkies That's not really true I'm a cold italian pizza I could use a lemon squeezer What you do? As for the songs themselves ...well that's a harder choice. I'm not quite sure. But I bet I know which song on that list Red Tory must be humming. Victoriously in Victoria. After what happened to Werner Patel's blog. Oops! It's GOTTA be this one....
Golly!! Those lyrics ARE good....I bet a lot of bloggers are humming that song... But Asses of Fire? You don't think that's you know who's NEW blog? Oh no there I go again. I really am trying to be a better person.
