Vote (my letter to the editor)

The Occupy Wall Street movement is spreading like a rash on the face of North American Capitalism (this used to say "the Occupy Wall Street Movement is spreading like HPV on the ass of Western Capitalist Society"...but I decided it was too awesome a metaphor to be appreciated by readers of a newspaper literally called the "Nugget"). The movement has seeped Canada in the form of Occupy Toronto, and Occupy Bay Street, among others. According to the Sudbury Star, it has even travelled farther North, catching on in Sudbury last Saturday. Recently I was informed that the movements supporters here in North Bay will even be "Occupying" North Bay City Hall this Friday.

Let me first say that I understand the desire for change. As a student, with heaps of personal and student debt as well as copious amounts of seemingly endless bills in the mail every day, and having grown up less than rich, having relied on social assistance for a short time, with a mother working more than 50 hours a week to put food on our table and clothes on our backs, I am no stranger to the plight of the 99.

I understand that people are disenchanted with the political process, angered at the destruction caused by our increasingly competitive and unequal capitalist society. I can also honestly say that I support most forms of political protest if the cause has any sort of rational basis, which this cause, while a bit diluted, clearly does.

However, I find myself unable, as many others, to stand behind this specific movement at this time. The reason for this is quite simple: the recent election boasted astronomically low voter turn-out, the lowest its ever been since 1867. One might argue that people are disenchanted with our system. To me this is a sad excuse. How can you say that the system is broken if you have not attempted to use it? I would equate such an argument to saying you hate the way a Macbook works without ever having strayed from the comfort of your 10 year old PC. The point of course, is that the Macbook is better. I kid of course...

Needless to say (but I will say it nonetheless), my advice to the Occupy "Insert place-name here" movement in Canada is: Vote first, occupy later. Show that you have used our already instated democratic means (which, by the way, our neighbors in the Arab world are still fighting to the death for) to encourage change. If this doesn't work, then I, and most other Occupy skeptics will be more likely to jump on the Occupy bandwagon and ride it with you all the way to a more equal society.

p.s. Just a little side-rant: it is ridiculously easy to vote. I timed myself this year, just to prove to a fellow student how silly he was for saying it was a waste of time. Including travel time by bus it took me 15 minutes and 16 seconds. The average adult Canadian watches 28.8 hours of television a week. Which seems like a bigger waste of time to you?

Eddson Chakuma

Support for Eddson Chakuma
Eddson Chakuma and his family are in desperate need of financial and moral support. Eddson is in the process of starting a chicken project to support his wife, 3 year old son and his retired parents, who he takes care of.


Eddson is an inspiring character--he is one of 6 Zimbabwean activists currently facing trial for merely attending a lecture and watching video footage of the North African revolutions which recently took place. They were tortured, in lice-infested, dirty jail cells and denied food and medical attention--to make matters worse for him and his family, Eddson was fired by his employer, the United Food & Allied Workers Union of Zimbabwe, for missing work while he was imprisoned. Yet you would not know it from talking to Eddson that he has suffered and continues to suffer such a terrible ordeal. His light-hearted spirit and emanating kindness distracts from his situation.


In the last message I received from Eddson, he asked me about my family, and told me about his 3 year old son. He says that he is very sad he can not raise him better, because of the situation he finds himself in. But he remains positive and hopeful. "Just being my friend makes my life better, especially this time when I need friends most" he writes, "I and my family are praying day and night that something, an Organisation or individual will come to our rescue and we haven't lost hope yet."


If you're someone who is always thinking--"I am just one person, what good can I do?" then this is the perfect opportunity for us to give you an answer to that perennial and all-to-common question. You may be surprised by the answer.


And the answer is "everything."


To contact Eddson or send financial support to him and his family during their time of need, please email echakuma1 (at) yahoo.com .


For more information about his case visit this link.

(copied from http://agentsofpeace.blogspot.com )

Excited!

So, in three weeks I will be headed off to Fiji for two weeks of volunteering, bathing in the ocean, swimming with sharks, drinking kava, island hopping and exploring!

So exited to go and incredibly thankful to everybody who helped me in my fundraising efforts!

I really should start blogging more...