The Village of Lions Bay's Most Prominent Political Commentator
Posted in The Tyee on Jan 23rd, 2012
Keystone is no victory if dangerous bitumen instead pumps through Kitimat or Vancouver. What will happen to the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands to Houston, Texas? Will it finally be a go after the November presidential election, or will it be tubed? Before I go on, Damien Gillis, the master filmmaker and I, [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Jan 10th, 2012
On decisions that matter most, how much say do you and I really have? On New Years Eve, in addition to looking to a new year like the rest of you, I started my ninth and likely last decade. Before going on, let me thank all of you who helped celebrate my roast back on [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Dec 13th, 2011
We’re on a collision course to violent conflict, with little to gain for BC. This lovely, peaceful province of ours is flying headlong into a situation which customarily breeds violence. Those are harsh words, but this is how I see the pipelines/tanker situation developing. Some will claim that I’m irresponsibly creating a self-serving prediction. I [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Nov 28th, 2011
If citizens of our age need a scathing anthem, here’s one from 1927. 2012 bids fair to being a year of violence, which makes me think of Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez and other chroniclers of the ’60s who eloquently and effectively wrote the anthems to which the peace movement marched. This revolt against [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Nov 14th, 2011
Enbridge and Kinder Morgan each aim to pump more tar sands gunk to our coast. Now that the Obama administration has delayed its decision on whether to approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta’s oil sands to refineries in Texas, we had better gear up for quite a fight here in British Columbia. The pressure [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Oct 31st, 2011
World Series was one more reminder that patriotism trumped reason after attacks. Before I get started, please understand that I mean no disrespect whatsoever to those who died on 9-11, nor their families and friends — that I mean from the bottom of my heart. I am sick of 9-11. I’m sick of hearing “God [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Oct 20th, 2011
The movement is inevitable, unstoppable and unpredictable. The Occupy Wall Street movement should come as no surprise. It certainly doesn’t to me, as I’ve been saying — in print — that the gap between the rich and the poor with the slow extermination of the middle class was a traditional recipe for serious unrest. While [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Oct 4th, 2011
Remember, the goal is to protect society and deal with a dangerous sickness. Today, a doubleheader. First to my MP, John Weston (West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea-to-Sky Country). Dear Mr. Weston, I want to direct your intention to how sexual predators will be dealt with under your criminal law proposals, and point out [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Sep 20th, 2011
Ten things to know about the inner workings of your columnist’s operating system. I write this column with the uneasy feeling that no one gives a damn, yet I think people who read a columnist have a right to know what makes the writer tick. Or belch for that matter — something I often do [...]
Posted in The Tyee on Sep 9th, 2011
That can happen when government shuts citizens out of critical decisions. The world abounds in wake-up calls but, as Sinclair Lewis wrote, “It can’t happen here.” Or can it? All over the world, citizens are taking to the streets and although the issues vary, there is an underlying theme — the government isn’t paying attention [...]
Rafe Mair Online
The Village of Lions Bay's Most Prominent Political Commentator
There are 313 Posts and 641 Comments so far.