Rebirth of the Print Media

I have finally finished listening to Trump's first Press Conference.

Unrelated: I am out of Gin. I need more Gin.

I might be going crazy here, but people were harping endlessly on Trump's seemingly non-sequitur of "The leaks were real, but the news was fake" (timestamp 00:44:40). It sounds crazy (and it is) and contradictory, but I think I understood what he meant.

Remember the whole Death Panels thing years ago? The Fox propaganda machine took an idea that had some basis in fact and tried to spin it into a wild breaking news story, and then did the same thing with every hot-topic news story that would make Obama look bad: take a small story and whip it up into a big news story to discredit the current Administration.

Trump's position here is that the media is reporting the wrong stuff. The news may be true (the leaks are real), but Trump doesn't want the media to report it because it would present the people with a message that he doesn't want them to hear. If the Trump admin wants to control how the people are informed, then they would have to power to define what is real (real news) and what is untrue or not in-line with the Admin's messaging (fake news).

In fact, he even refers to that idea in the same session: that the news sites are filled with hatred against him, which they shouldn't be doing because he won.

So when he says that CNN reports Fake News, what he means is that they are reporting news that he does not approve of. Trump wants his government to decide what the media reports on and what they get to say. When Kelly Anne Conway says "We might have to rethink our relationship with the media," this is what she means.

You know who does that? North Korea. China. Russia. It's fucking crazy, and if Trump attempts to shut down the Internet and Social Media the way he has talked about in the past, we might see the grand return of the underground Print Media.

Nostalgia

As I'm writing this article (which started out as a Facebook Comment and lengthened into an article because it turns out I have more to say), I am reminded of my College days when I wrote articles for my college newspaper The Broadside. At that time (1986-1988), the Student Council that was so incredibly corrupt that over half the council members were ejected for using Student Council funds for a Get-Rich pyramid scheme (you can actually read about this here, published by fellow writer Keith Waddington).

I personally sat in a Council meeting where they openly discussed using the college money to buy alcohol on a student trip and disguise the expense as getting theatre tickets. So when I wrote an article in The Broadside about what I witnessed, the Student Council demanded that they get to approve articles before they could be publish. We we refused this request, they defunded the The Broadside and took our room away. The College Administration was happy to see us go because we were critical of them as well.

But The Broadside didn't go away. We went underground and continued to publish the paper with a limited printing (funded by secret donors), and our supporters helped us with distribution by sharing the paper person-to-person. Any copy that the Student Council president found was ripped up and I was personally threatened with physical violence several times. Of course, this only strengthened my resolve and gave birth to my backbone.

With a dictatorial administration in power, this may be the rebirth of the Print Media industry with an underground, community-driven financial and distribution system. Mark my words.

Eye Wide Open to Inconvenient Truths

Still reeling from the tragedy in Quebec city last night. Sleepless night.

The outpouring of sadness and solidarity for the Muslim community in Quebec is heartening, but too many people are quick to blame Trump, as if Canada was somehow immune to the racism that he is institutionalizing in his own country.

Have we already forgotten the despicable Charte that Pauline Marois championed to save Quebec from anything that didn't look Christian enough? It was just 4 years ago when that proposed piece of legislation emboldened too many to speak their racism aloud, to harass and attack anyone they felt looked too foreign. Even now, chapters of the despicable Sons of Odin walk the streets of Quebec city looking to oppress anyone who looks unfamiliar  (yes, I mentioning them very specifically and pointedly).

This year marks the 150th anniversary of a country that founded itself by using the religion of a foreign land to oppress and to attempt to eradicate the First Nations people. The last Indian residential school operated by the Canadian government was closed in 1996, only 20 years ago.

It's easy to blame Trump, an outsider, for bringing this tragedy to our homes, but he is just one of many who rile and legitimize an undercurrent of racism that has been constantly humming in our country for over 150 years. Marois did it, the Harper Government did it, and Ezra Levant continues to do it to get clicks and sell papers. Once Trump is gone, others will come to fan the flames to manipulate the people.

As an open and educated society, it does us no good to pretend that this came out of nowhere and wail "How can this happen in Quebec/Canada?" We need to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that this kind of racism is not only a part of our history, but is also a living, pulsing fragment in our living, present culture. We can choose to stand against it, to support all of our brothers and sisters, and to move forward to embrace a positive, inclusive, multi-cultural society, but we can only do this by acknowledging that we all play a part in the inherent racism and bigotry that exists in our living culture.

I choose to stand against it, but my eyes are not shut to the inconvenient truths. Thanks be to friends Molly B. and Natalie H. for keeping my eyes open. #mosqueequebec #JeSuisQuebec

Magical Resistance is Fertile

Reading the Social Media feeds, I'm seeing lots of fear, anger, and subsequent violence. In magical circles, I'm also seeing people demand that Trump be cursed magically and have some kind of ill-moment befall him (watch the skies for fallling pianos).

But quite frankly, lots of cursing and magical workings were going on during the election and they all seemed to fail. As much as I fear the next four years, this may be something that America needs to go through. Keeping a culture afraid for 15+ years (since 9/11) has consequences, and Mr. Trump being President is one of many consequences.

Right or wrong, the people put him there for a reason. It may have not have been the reason they expected, but it's lesson that will be taught (and learned, hopefully). After decades of deposing dictators in foreign lands, let's see how America deals with its own despots.

Rather than trying to get Mr. Trump out, this might be a good time to fix the system that put him in place (i.e. the demise of the Electoral College?). As revealed during his campaign, Mr. Trump does not follow the rules, which may then rupture the systems in place in a way that requires change and correction. It took the tragedy of the Titanic for ships to be required to have enough lifeboats for every passenger on the ship. From tragedy, good works can flourish. Lots of work to do in the next four years.

Going back to the point, if any magical workings are to be done, they should be made to support those who actively resist what is happening. Magic alone cannot bring about this kind of change. It requires boots on the ground, fists in the air, and voices in harmony. It requires physical presence, people getting their hands dirty, and physically working towards a better tomorrow. It needs people putting pressure on government, working with them to devise better solutions, demanding accountability when systems fail, and renewing the energy needed to demand positive change.

So be ready to get your boots and hands dirty, get on the phone to your reps, get yourself to the Statehouse to add your voice. But if you cannot do these things (your reasons are your own), send your magic to bolster those who can. Your magical workings should be directed to keeping these front-line people safe, allowing their efforts to be met with success, and to broadcast their message to bolster others. The magic could be used to awaken people's sense of compassion rather than give in to their fear (fear is definitely what caused this result).

Sure... it's not as sexy as cursing Mr. Trump himself, but it's a much more efficient and potentially effective use of energy. Support the people and they will bring about the change that's needed. Resistance is fertile, and from it, life will grow stronger.

Update

There have been articles floating around on social media about how a bunch of witches are going to perform a magic spell to bind Donald Trump. Personally, I think this is a huge waste of misdirected energy. Although the Trump admin needs to be opposed, its the people who are on the front lines that needs to be bolstered and protected.

When I've seen people raise this point, the come-back is something like "Well I'm glad the witches in the UK didn't think like that when they performed their spell to bind and stop Hitler."

The power of that legend is compelling, but it's wrong.

In World War II, Dion Fortune gathered a group of witches to perform a war spell, that's true enough. But their focus wasn't on stopping or binding Hitler.

What they attempted to do (and succeeded) was to bolster the soldiers' resolve so that they could push through the horrors of the war and exhaust Hitler's forces, keeping him away from Britain. By raising magic, they seeded archetypal visions, invoked angelic protection, and upheld British morale under fire.

It was the unrelenting sacrifice of the Commonwealth pilots that kept Hitler away from Britain. The witches supported the troops and kept them from panicking under fire.

With that success in mind, this is why I think it would be a better use of magical energy to bolster the protesters and the front-liners to defeat the Trump administration and restore some sense of normalcy and respect to the world.

You can read more about the Magical Battle of Britain here.

NEWS: The Harper Government Establishes Polytheism as State Religion

REUTERS -- In a stunning turn of events, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in the House of Parliament that the state religion was henceforth Polytheistic in nature to reflect the myriad of cultures and viewpoints that are deeply embedded in Canadian culture.

"It was a moment of pure ephiphany," explained Mr. Harper to a curiously stunned press. "There I was in the House, listening to Mr. Mulchair make a point about something or other, and it came to me in a dream that the surest way to unite the country under one banner would be to return to religion."

At which point, Mr. Harper reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a deeply-creased folded photograph of Pierre Elliott Trudeau. "Old Pete understood how multiculturalism allows Canada to rise above mediocrity to embrace diversity, so why shouldn't our state-authorized belief system reflect that diversity as well?"

Conservative opposition to the Prime Minister's surprise statement has been fierce. "This stance does not reflect the ideals of the Tory party!" Tim Hudak shouted angrily. "Mr. Harper did not present this to the party, so we have had no time to discuss or debate it. You cannot make decisions that affect the country this way without consulting the population! It's unconstitutional!" At which point, the other Tory members began to shift uncomfortably in their suits and move slowly away from Mr. Huldak. Sniggering could be heard from the non-Tory party members and MP Justin Trudeau was spotted tweeting furiously.

"First things first, I need an MP who understands religious diversity," Mr. Harper said, pulling out his smartphone and accessing Facebook. "It appears that the pagan community has a newly-named Pope, so we'll be in consultations with this figurehead. In the meantime, we'll be diverting some of the military budget to picking up incense, candles, and statues of Vishnu to decorate the parliamentary halls. Good day to you all and may the Gods always keep your path well-lit."

Mr. Harper was briefly hospitalized for first degree burns after attempting to leap over the Centennial Flame shouting "I have been reborn!"

Nothing to hide/Nothing to fear

When it comes to the issue of domestic spying, the standard line is "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." Most people may think that they live such inconsequential lives, why should they fear the government spying on them? It's not like we're doing anything to warrant suspicion.

And while this may be true, the underlying layer of "nothing to hide/nothing to fear" is that you will be held responsible for not only your own actions, but the actions of anyone and everyone else you communicate with. If you have a friend or acquaintance that is secretly a member of an organization that the government fears, and you communicate with that person regularly, then the government will also suspect you as being a threat by association.

Thanks to movies and pop culture, people don't realize that "people of interest" to a government spy agency also have kids and hobbies that have nothing to do with their political activities. Until that guy who planted that bomb took that action, he probably chatted happily with you at the arena as you both watched your kids playing hockey. Maybe you both planned on organizing a local street hockey tournament, which meant that you spoke and texted often.

If the government only looks at the meta-data of your exchange, even though you knew nothing of this guy's secret plans, you will look guilty as hell by association. Trying to prove your innocence to a suspicious government will turn your life upside down and hopefully you will land on your feet. Hopefully.

"Nothing to hide/nothing to fear" only makes you responsible for everyone else's actions. Are we really willing to buy this government line at our own expense?