Who's Your Luddite

The Luddites were a group of textile workers who during the English industrial revolution resisted progress and the implementation of technical advancement. The nature of their work was threatened by new developments and they resisted by sabotage. They were severely prosecuted for their efforts, imprisoned and in some cases killed.

Linda McQuaig likens the late Bush administration and the Cheney oil lobby as this ages’ Luddites. They have been resistant to change and have actively sabotaged Kyoto among other things to maintain a golden age of the oil economy.

What about ourselves? I find myself driving an SUV and occasionally flying in an airplane, today for the purpose of playing with gravity on a mountain, and more importantly to meet with my son Crossley. I have met the Luddites, and they are us. What influence can I have on him during our brief visit and what might he teach me?

One interesting direction the comments to the news have taking has to do with ‘the unions’. They alone seem to be responsible for the success or demise of the car companies. They cause one airline’s employees to be surely and pass the buck when they can, as opposed to another non unionized airline’s employees to be fun and more proficient. Reading between these lines one would conclude that unions are the root of all evil and the cause of all our economic stress. Somehow structure for fairness is being blamed for all that ails us and is being framed as something obsolete in today’s world.

I think instead of pointing the finger at the structures around us we might make more headway by starting with ourselves and re-framing our approach to the bigger issues that we face. It is amazing what the power of collective like mindedness can amount to when unleashed. This is one thing I hope the Green Party can help facilitate.

Bala Falls and Dubai Foolishness

If Dubai with all it's money can't get it together to develop without dumping raw sewage into the ocean what hope is there for us here in Ontario to live sustainable lives and retain a clean environment? It took members of the local yacht club to notice a growing stench around the local beaches to raise awareness of the problem in Saudi Arabia. Clearly money is not the necessary factor that motivates good stewardship of resources. There are other factors that prompt us to behave differently than we might otherwise, and help shape a cleaner living space.

Here in Muskoka one of the only common rights left to all is the right to use our lakes freely as we choose- inside a few non intrusive parameters like speed limits, fishing and noise restrictions, conditions of sobriety among others. This particular right shapes what being in Muskoka is all about. We are generally here for recreation. To take in the beauty of the lake and the surrounding community which shares it. The harnessing of these waters for the creation of energy has to be framed in the general common use of these waters by all of us.

One of my concerns about the proposed project in Bala in the rebuilding of the power plants is the notion that the resulting energy production will benefit a private few who are developing it. Surely the green energy that can be reaped from our waters should be for the benefit of all who have a stake in the waters that flow. Lakeland Power, a local suppler of energy is owned by the municipalities of Bracebridge and Huntsville. Swift Energy, the developer of the Bala project on the other hand, is owned by a few individuals, perhaps cottage owners on the lake- who knows.

If we are going to mess with our lake levels and reap some energy let it be ourselves doing the tinkering and for the common good......

Protectionism and Armed Forces

Somehow Costa Rica abolished its armed forces in 1948. According to a local tour guide it chose to spend the money instead on education and universal health care. The result has been a high rate of literacy among its population, a strong middle class, and booming tourism industry that includes cosmetic surgery and dentistry. Come to Costa Rica and fix your smile......

Sadly,we have lost another soldier in Afghanistan, using our armed forces to serve in ways and means that suit our good neighbor to the south, though I question our effectiveness. While the US is contemplating further protectionism re trade, I wonder why we need to 'hang on the coat of the bully' in this war effort. What if we used our defense budget to finance a foreign aid contribution of .7% of our GDP, among other things?