JUSTCAWS

  Trust but verify, was a line from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. I have heard it being used more now as there seems to be an erosion of trust in global affairs. It is a line I believe our news media needs to follow in a world where deciding between what is fact and fiction is only going to get more difficult. I have been an avid consumer of news for decades. Whether it be from watching a nightly newscast or getting the daily paper to now streaming and digital subscriptions - I will follow. Obviously, the evolution in the distribution model is what people will point to when discussing change in the news media, but I believe a more profound transformation has taken hold. Some argue that once the U.S. News became a profit centre for networks that the decline in journalism began. Just take a look at this prophetic article from 1986 in the LA Times that predicts pending doom . The onslaught of social media was the next salvo to hit the news as more people discovered they could b...

As June begins I thought it would be appropriate to have a discussion about the pride flag being flown at Ontario schools. Recently, I opined publicly that the Canadian flag should be the only flag flown at schools as it should represent all of us. It is our symbol of unity, pride and progress.  That opinion, however, was liked and commented on by people who were not sharing my enthusiasm for the maple leaf, but liked the exclusion of anything pride. Their derogatory, inflammatory rhetoric made me realize we have not progressed  as far as I had thought or hoped. The importance of the Pride movement hit me more this year than any other. Some comments did give me pause though, to wonder if progressive voices were losing the room.  Even my own support of progressive causes and awareness campaigns is not absolute or without hesitation,  I’ve tried not to become numb to the constant awareness campaigns being pushed at schools for a variety of worthy causes and movements. ...

Another tragic mass shooting in the United States has Greg address the divisive issue of gun control. Sadly, the time for federal gun control in the States has come and gone. Too many rational citizens want guns to protect themselves from guns. This leads to escalation in madness with no apparent end in sight.  Only hope now resides at the state and local levels to enact their own common sense regulations. Time for progressives to get creative as lawmakers have done with abortion laws in conservative states. Perhaps with clear evidence of reduced gun violence in gun controlled jurisdictions a pathway out of this madness can be found.  My hope is for Canada to avoid this vicious cycle altogether. Canada’s superiority complex to the U.S. is deserved - on this file, but we haven’t done much lately to address the increase in gun related crimes. Most Liberal government initiatives are symbolic, and used to exploit divisions. Ban handguns - fine - but without  increasing penalt...

Originally Published in the Guelph Mercury -   January 12, 2008 Looking back at this column and its predictions...  There is much talk and concern about the alleged apathy of our young people when it comes to the political process and exercising their civic duty. Media campaigns and slogans are used to persuade young people to do something they haven't done in great numbers in the past --vote. But we need not worry. The youth of today do care and will vote. And perhaps in even greater numbers than previous generations, once they feel they are part of the process and truly believe that politicians are actually listening to what they have to say. We may be seeing this start to occur south of the border as young people are being turned on by the charismatic Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. His ability to get out the youth vote could break the current practice of politicians catering mainly to baby boomers who have the numbers and who turn out to vote. The boomers' electo...

  The plight of Guelph's lack of news coverage was a  focus last week when local police did not publicize liberal MP's arrest.  Globe columnist @JohnIbbitson  even took to twitter to sound off on the dangers of disappearing local news.  Said much of the same and more when the axe fell on our local paper a few years back ...   I can’t sleep tonight. The demise of my local paper, the Guelph Mercury, has struck a nerve. I believe I am like many citizens progressing through the stages of loss. My shock and sadness are giving way to anger, but my greatest fear is that we will move to acceptance. Like most of Guelph, I was not a current subscriber to the print edition. Even though I had contributed to the paper in the past, I cancelled my subscription to the Mercury because printed copies were available at my work. I enjoy the convenience of reading the news on-line and since it is the greener thing to do, I consume most of my news that way. I don’t have an ...

I am heartened to see many videos and images this morning of Police joining with peaceful protesters in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. While racism in society is pervasive and progress toward true equality moves at a frustratingly slow pace, the relationship citizens have with those sworn with a duty to protect them is at the core of this anger. I am not a police officer and I have no family connection to law enforcement. However, like many of us I know many and some very well. I have heard their stories and have nothing, but respect for the job they do. Many of the officers I know are also black. I have deep admiration for these heroes because I would imagine their sense of duty to their communities comes with an inner battle that must be won before they join that group and don that uniform. So I am careful not to suggest solutions in policing, or offer changes to law enforcement structures that I don’t understand.   I am a member of another professional tribe an...

To commemorate black history month I am posting my first column published this month 28 years ago.  In pursuit of this goal I spoke with a number of professors and scholars including Duke University's John Hope Franklin. I also traveled to the University of Guelph  and meet with Dr. C.J. Mumford. I was able to have a sit down meeting with the Chancellor of the University of Western Ontario.  The column did build awareness around the issue and I am pleased to see that Western now offers this course. I hope a diverse group takes this class. So what now... I continue to advocate for a strong, diverse public education system.  Learning in a diverse setting that has a deep respect for human rights, builds a strong foundation of perspective and understanding. And in the future... Many of our culture wars and petty political squabbles are inconsequential in a global context. Our biggest global problems will only be solved with a global mindset. We must embr...