401 Main St.. , Vancouver, R .C. (604)665-2289

OUR MUGGS IS NlIMf3I3t ONE !

On May 21st the YNCA chose our Muggs as s wnmm of Distinction i n the community se rv ice category.

I wasn't there . Rob was, the only man t h e r e a t the fancy do without a jacket. P a t t i , Muggs' s i s t e r , was there , the only woman i n t h e room wearing a long dress. I f I ' d made it, I would have been the only person carrying a bucket of ice . But my f e e t were shooting out flames 6 I needed t o go home. So I d idn ' t get t o see our Muggs g e t se lec ted, even though I got her i n t o h t e game In the first place .

So how did Muggs end up on t h e stage of a fancy ballroom a t a dawntown hotel?

Four years ago I heard Paul Taylor ask Muggs i f he could nominate her f o r the YWCA Woman of Dis t inct ion Award. Efuggs jus t laughed E sa id , "0 Paul, ge t a l i f e . "

This spring 1 observed how proud the community was of th6 Four S i s t e r s ge t t ing a United Nations Habitat nomination. O f course, not everybody l i v e s the re , but somehow the honour t o DERA re f l ec ted on everyone in the aommunity. I wondered if recognit ion of Muggs would a l s o be good f o r the nieghbourhood. ,

So I broached the subject . I a c t u a l l y waited unt i l near the nomination da te when Bob was away v i s i t i n g h i s mother 4 Ehggs was overloadyI with school 6 Stan E p r e t t y vulnerable & I s a i d i n one breath: "Oh by the way Muggs can I nominate you f o r the ywca woman o f d i s t i n c t i o n award I t h i n k you're t e r r i f i c & it would be r e a l l y good f o r the community so do I have your permi- ss ion 6 I ' l l give you a day o r two t o think about it 6 i n the meantime I ' l l

o $ m t deing ~ k e we& t k W e requia~d," do by tho %$me ML18g~ began t o think

about i t , I already had t h e paperwork hap- pening. A s p a r t of the nomination process I needed t o f i n d people who knew Muggs 4 who were wi l l ing t o wri te l e t t e r s of supp- o r t t o the Y. This p a r t was incredibly easy. There a r e twenty years of admirers out the re i n the c i t y , people who've known Muggs a t various s tages of her l i f e .

People from today wrote about Muggs and the Strathcona Community Gardens, S t a r 2 Bingo 4 Carnegie. People from her pas t praised Muggs 4 her work i n the t r ade uni- on movement 4 t r a n s i t i o n houses 4 daycare. Everyone recognised her committment t o women 4 children & the disadvantaged.

I learned t h ings s h u t ?.tiinns t h a t I had- n ' t known. That she ' s dyslexic, & t h a t ' s why her tongue sometimes g e t s twis ted .ar- ound words. That she was married a t 19 & a s ing le motKer on welfare a t 21. That she f in ished Grade 12 a t n ight school & then Human Resources sent her o f f t o Langara f o r t r a in ing a s a welfare aide. That she ' s been a worker f o r a l l kinds of organiza- t ions - from MacBlo t o SORWC t o a l t e r n a t e schools. That she ' s been a f o s t e r mom.

A l l kinds of people wanted t o wri te l e t - t e r s i n support of Muggs. I ca l l ed & asked a few & then the word spread 4 people phoned & asked i f they could p a r t i c i p a t e .

The l e t t e r s about Muggs came from a l l over - Carnegie patrons & p o l i t i c i a n s 4 bureaucrats 5 people on welfare & f o l k s from the downtown eas t s ide & authors & readers & gardeners & f r iends . And, consi- s t e n t l y , the l e t t e r s sa id t h i s is one very specia l woman 6 she deserves recognit ion f o r he r e f f o r t s .

Joanne Heeku, brem the G @ P ~ Q J M , told ir Funny Mug#% stery i n k 8 ~ 1 e t t w . It weis ibout how Muggs talkad Carnegie I n t o re- :ycling & then when the re were problems [e t t ing the mountains of r o t t i n g kitchen ;craps over t o t h e Gardens, Muggs j u s t vent out on t h e s t r e e t & found a grocery :art & wheeled it a l l t o t h e compost p i l e . hr Muggs, out the re pushing loads of gar- ,age (In f a c t , t h i s pas t weekend when the 1 mnouncement had been made & Muggs had '.;!

Ieen honoured a s a woman of d i s t i n c t i o n , she went back t o the Gardens t o shovel. Nith f l i e s buzzing around her head & sweat

i l r i bb l ing down her face , Sob decided'she should be ca l l ed Woman of Dis-STINKY !, .)

1 Anyway, back i n February, I got the pack-

age assem'uieci B Stephen Learay h i s t w o

toddlers came over & we put Muggs on a s tool by S iby l ' s desk & Stephen took head 6 shoulder shots (because Muggs d i d n ' t have any recent p o r t r a i t s ly ing around) & then Stephen ran around town t o ge t the f i lm developed & t h e processing took an ex- t r a day & we had t o submit t h e wri t ten mat- e r i a l ahead of t h e photos. And by then

b

Muggs couldn' t back out so she s a i d 'okay' & signed the candidate permission s l i p . "Don't worry Muggs," I sa id , you cant t possibly win. And i f by some miracle you do, it w i l l be good f o r t h e community."

So then we forgot about it f o r awhile,

1 I

u n t i l Mums was inv i t ed t o a t t end a recept- candidates. Her pal Joanne

Hochu went along t o keep he r company.Muggs hated it. Everyone was dressed up & sophis- t i c a t e d & people from t h e Y kept encourag- ing her t o mingle. J o found some fel low jocks t o t a l k t o & Muggs j u s t f e l t shy 6 out of place.

So then we began t o worry. Had we gotten

h wondered whether or-not t o a t tend the awar-!

I t h e event we a l l worried about at tending.

was saving me a s e a t but by then my f e e t 1 1 t o l d me they weren't going anyplace but 1 home. I bare ly got the t o o t s i e s home & set-1 t l e d i n t o a bucket of i c e when t h e phone 1 rang. I t was Sob c a l l i n g t o say t h a t Muggs

had won. - Hugs, e t c . - 3. 3

In he r acceptance speech, Muggs sa id her volunteer work was no big deal . In the I Recently I had a conversation with downtown e a s t s i d e & Strathcona, the re a r e a woman I ' l l c a l l Donna who has been l o t s of people l i k e he r who care about the in A.A. f o r about 3 years. In the

community 4 work t o make it b e t t e r . course of our disucssion I asked her On CBC Radio t h e next day, Muggs *said it why she never came t o osme of the

meetings I regu la r ly attended. She again. She a l s o t a lked about Danny Korica 4 h i s e f f o r t s i n t h e community & how much we miss him. Muggs is good a t making peopA l e understan1 t h a t t h i s is a very specia l neighbourhood .

One funny th ing happened. Bob's boss a t the Sun wrote an a r t i c l e about Muggs, say- ing she ' s considered a s a i n t i n the down- town eas t s ide . Give me a break, buddy. Our Muggs i s no blinking s a i n t . She's g rea t & an a s s e t t o t h e community but we've got t o g iggle about words l i k e s a i n t .

So what d id Muggs g e t out of a l l t h i s ? Well, she had a chance t o p r a i s e the commu- n i t y . And she got a f r e e dinner. And the award i s kind of l i k e an Oscar, a g l a s s 1

a r t piece. She's going t o bring i t i n be- cause she th inks it belongs t o us a l l .

But most o f a l l , our Muggs is glad t h e fuss is over. She j u s t wants t o g e t back over t o the Gardens & tu rn t h e compost!

\ By DIANE MacKENZIE

\ to ld me she had been t o them but no longer came because of t h e way she'd been t r e a t e d by some of the men. She f e l t abused..the way she was hugged & some of the th ings t h a t werw whis- pered i n he r ear. Her solut ion may not be the "best" i n your view, but Donna stopped going. She is still1 sober, goes t o meetings, & i s qu i t e b i t t e r about her experience.

Since then I 've ta lked t o a number o f women i n the program, from v a r i - ous areas , & they've ALL experienced the same problems, 60r;iboth themsel- ves & t h e i r sponsees. Yes, they did t a l k t o t h e men causing the problem, sometimes qu i t e fo rce fu l ly , 6 a l t h - ough t h a t ended t h e i r being bothered it hadn' t stopped the problem. I am saddened t o think of the newcomers who may have been chased away by t h i s SOP,^ of behaviour.

One of t h e most d i f f i c u l t th ings f o r me t o learn i n the program has been how t o say no. I warted very badly t o be a p a r t o f , r a t h e r t h i n

/ a p a r t from; fo r tuna te ly , being male, :...-.-..".A- ..l.r....,.n- ..̂ ..A ..-r --..I.? .̂.. T * , , , "AU~"b* C&L."c&..bba W b L C U 1 . C "&""Lb,t, ' d i d n ' t have t o face. Being hugged by f r i ends , both male & female, i s one of t h e th ings I love most about the program, 6 I wouldn't want t h a t t o end. We need t o remember t h a t sex does not need t o be involved i n hug- ging & t h a t innocent "playing around" can be very offensive t o some of us.

We a r e wi l l ing t o go t o great lengths t o make a Twelfth Step c a l l ; l e t ' s work a l i t t l e harder t o keep some of the ones who a r e already here. I think t h i s i s something we '

a l l need t o th ink about, & i f you ever wnat t o l iven up a meeting, it would make a great topic .

Mike H.

- Le t ' s r ewr i t e t he Nursery Rhymes - L i t t l e Mulroney Sat i n h i s corner Eating h i s "free" t r a d e He put i n h i s thumb And pul led out a lemon And sa id , What a f o o l am I ." And a l l Canada agreed.

Jack and Ji l l went up the h i l l To go t o t h e Food Bank Jack f e l l down and h u r t h i s head Ji l l cam f a l l i n g a f t e r Because they were hungry.

L i t t l e Miss Muffet s a t on h e r t u f f e t Eating h e r noon-time meal, There came a b i g spider' ' . That s a t down beside h e r Miss Muffet s a id : ltTh..--l ----. C-- --- - 1 1

Illbr.i; S LUUIII LUL u3 all GTi

t h i s p lane t . .p lease s tay ."

Lines from t h e Learning Centre DEBBIE BRYANT

Come t o t h e Learning Centre on t h e top f l o o r of Carnegie and meet Debbie Bryant, your Li te racy Outreach Worker.

Besides working i n t h e Centre, she keeps i n touch with people i n t h e ne i - ghbourhood, l e t t i n g them know about Carnegie and e n l i s t i n g t h e i r he lp i n spreading t h e good work about our Free Learning Centre.

Debbie was born i n Vancouver and grew up i n t h e Knight I n l e t area. She is a profess iona l a r t i s t and at pres- en t teaches a r t a t t h e Native Educat- ion Centre. She is e spec i a l ly i n t e r e s t - ed i n community education 6 p o l i t i c s .

Debbie's f r i e n d s descr ibe he r a s a wonderful mother, someone who i s easy t o t a l k t o and who i s a t l r e spec t e r of persons.

Debbie says Carnegie Community Cen- t r e is one of t h e f r i e n d l i e s t p laces she has ever worked i n 6 t h a t i t ' s a t r e a t t o be here.

Come and s e e t h e Learning Centre f o r yourse l f . You can l ea rn anything from reading, wr i t ing , a r i t hme t i c t o High School graduation.

The Centre is open from 9am t o 8pm

Monday t o ~ ; i d a ~ . ~umnikr hours vary. You can work with an ind iv idua l t u t o r o r i n a small group, arranging times t h a t s u i t you and work a t your own r a t e . . i n your own way.

When you come ask f o r Lex, Claude, Colin, Mike, Rick, Sharon o r Debbie.. a l l wai t ing t o he lp anyone.

JOAN DOREE, Volunteer Tutor.

11:OO LEARNERS TALK TO TUTORS # MUSIC,FOOD,LEAIWER'S READING !. i

12:OO LIGHT LUNCII r LAUNCIIING TIIE CARNEGIE

1:00 .LIFESKILLS LEARNING CENTRE MAGAZINE

2 0 0 FITNESS,MENTAL IIEALTII & LEARNING JUNE 2, 1992 3:00~5:00 OPEN IIOUSE AT CARNEGIE 3RD FLOOR 401 MAIN ST.

EVERYONE WELCOME

CHILDCARE & BUS TRANS. SUBSIDY AVAILABLE

PIIONIS AlIEAD TO 665-3013

C A N A R I E S

Some people think t h a t "Street Peoplete should be el iminated, t h a t they should be put away so I'Normal People"(Society)" w i l l not have t o deal with them da i ly . I

Many of them end up dead i n a l l e y dumps- t e r s o r overdose on drugs. Others end up i n j a i l o r asylums, which should br ighten your day 'cause t h a t solves p a r t of your problem.

BUT - they be l i k e vermin, i n f e s t i n g a l l our major c i t i e s with a growing p r o l i f e r a - t i o n r a t e .

The reason "normal peoplev th ink they'd bes t be gotten r i d of is t h a t it forces them t o s t a r e a t t h e i r own greed, c r u e l t y E inhumanity - i n t h e face . I t ' s hard t o n,?;,... I -,...-....r.+ ...,.I -.., ,, , 5,uL,,,bb ,,,.A at a fmcy restziiziiiit while the ones outs ide i n the r a i n begging f o r crumbs have t o be ignored..without it a f f e c t i n g yBur conscience somehow.

I t a l s o c r e a t e s a f e a r i n people 's minds t h a t , i f they should be s t ruck by misfort- une, they may someday end up i n t h e same grimy shoes. That 's a r e a l i t y people would j u s t a s soon ignore, hoping it goes away. Rather than contr ibut ing something t o the wretched homeleqs, they pray f o r a simple so lu t ion t h a t w i l l exterminate t h e problem a l toge the r .

Well, good news folks! I t s s been done before & it worked t e r r i f j c a l l y . Next e l - ec t ion j u s t vote f o r the Nazi candidate of your choice. They know how t o deal with use less scum. The l a s t time they had a shot a t it they wiped out about 30 mil l ion of l i f e ' s vermin qu i t e e f fec t ive ly .

I suggest we take a more p o s i t i v e out- look. You should think of these c rea tu res as warning s igns t h a t t h e r e is something wrong with the soc ie ty we l i v e in . The way th ings a r e going, with a few more r i c h & a l o t more poor, the problem is bound t o in- c r e a s e . . . ~ ~ you had b e t t e r get used t o it. Nobody a t the top knows how t o f i x these dilemmas they've created; they ' r e too busy gorging themselves a t the trough anyway.

To take your f e a r F loathing l o g i c a l l y ( ? fu r the r , you ' l l th ink of these "Street Pe- ople" a s the f i r s t malignant tumor on t h e ass of soc ie ty , the f i r s t rash of po l lu t - ion, the warning s igns of mass s o c i a l psy- chosis. You w i l l s ee them as t h e f i r s t

symptoms of a dying socie ty , a soc ie ty with a bad hea r t , tunnel v i s ion , d iar rhea , black lung, homocidal tendencies & schizo- phrenia.

So my f r i e n d s j u s t th ink of these souls a s being the caged canar ies i n our s o c i a l coal mine. I f they ' r e s i ck E dropping dead l e t it be a warning t h a t the atmosphere is t o x i c & about t o explode (as we've been so c l e a r l y reminded of i n recent weeks).

Clean up the environment, r e p a i r the in- f r a s t r u c t u r e . . , o r run f o r t h e h i l l s !

T R I ~ U T E T O A RESTAURANT 7 .

My nerve impulses are traveling at mach one. I

Cackling laughter is beating the sound barrier on my eardrums. I take a deep breath and watch my stomach rise with hopeful compassion for my fellow loony tuners.

Once was a time I could sit here for hours drawing, and nothing in the world could invade my private world of intense concentration, except for the later to come deterioration of my eyesight.

Now I sit here, in blistering self- consciousness, doing crossword puzzles, wishing I could go back two years and do it all over again.

But the Bavaria family is selling out, and Gassy Jack will have new proprietors at the edge of his rarefied mound, and I'll have my memories of those two sweet years of unmercenary occupation.

So, will the new owners take my drawings off the back wall, and remove my sun faded cappuccino posters from the window, causing me to lose my surrogate art gallery?

Ah, this evolution of a simple coffeehouse/ bistro/drop-in centre is pregnant &th poignant intrigue:

wf11 T forget - the kind faces of the old Bavaria famiiy, and adopt the new ones, or should I make my escape now, so as not to feel such loss ever again?

On this brick sea of streets will I ever '

again find the pleasures of such a harbor.

Garry Gust

I t is t r u e , however, t h a t communities with high unemployment G poverty a r e t a rg - e t s f o r t h e t r a f f i c k i n g powers. Drug-mark- e t ing o f f e r s poor, a l i ena ted , despai r ing people t h e same long-shot opt ions a s the l o t t e r y .

M r . J e l inek i s Revenue Minister f o r the Conservative gov' t i n Ottawa. Under t h i s gov' t unemployment & poverty have increas- ed in Canada, & s o have t h e condit ions t h a t lead t o drug t r a f f i c k i n g i n our nei - ghbourhoods. Should we put Otto Je l inek i n j a i l , & throw away t h e key?

The Drug System

In The Vancouver Sun (May 15/92) Otto Jel inek, the Conservative Party Revenue Minister, sa id drug dea le r s should be put i n j a i l & the key thrown away. In an a r t i - c l e i n Sojourners Magazine (June/92) B i l l Wylie Kellermann r e f l e c t e d on the in terna- t i o n a l drug t rade , & h i s comments showed t h a t Otto J e l i n e k ' s statement hinders ra- t h e r than helps u s deal with t h e enormous problem of addic t ive drugs i n the world.

The drug system cannot be understood simply i n terms of drug dealers . You can change a l l the faces i n t h e in te rna t iona l drug system & the system w i l l remain, stronger than any one pa r t of it.

Kellermann says t h a t t o understand the uower of t h e d m g rra6e, ynl. have tc set 1

it whole - a s a system of competing under- ground corporations. Between the poppy o r coca f i e l d s & t h e s t r e e t dealer l i e s a huge en te rp r i se . E l i t e s dominate product- ion, manufacture, & global export. Middle- management oversees regional d i s t r i b u t i o n , paramil i tary secur i ty & money laundering. Below a re the peasant farms (Third World raw mater ia l ) & the crack houses o r t h e i r equivalent , feeding on cheap labour.

With the drug powers; a s with t h e m i l i - t a r y powers, death is omnipresent. Drugs a r e the idea l consumer product, a s c l i e n t s a r e wi l l ing t o d i e f o r it.

There us a connection between t h e Canad- ian govt t , the f inancia& indust ry & the drug trade. The Tory gov' t i n Ottawa supp- o r t s the In ternat ional Monetary Fund (IMF) When the IMF puts the squeeze on Third World Nations t o pay t h e huge i n t e r e s t on t h e i r debts, it pushes peasant farmers i n the d i rec t ion of the l u c r a t i v e drug system. Kellermann says the permanent Third World Debt C r i s i s has addicted e n t i r e nat ional economies t o the underground drug t rade , 4 in te rna t iona l bankers happily t ake t h e i r i n t e r e s t i n drug do l l a r s . Should we put

The arms of t h e drug system s t r e t c h f a r wider than poor ghettoes, however. Americ- ans make up 6% of t h e world's population, but consume 60% of t h e world's i l l e g a l dplgs. p i d i c t l ~ n is 2 wzy cf life i z 6 ; ~

modern world - addiction t o the l a t e s t con- sumer toy, t o alcohol, t o n ico t ine , t o ill- egal drugs, t o drugs found on t h e shelves of t h e loca l pharmacy, t o over-eating, t o under-eating, t o sex, t o work, t o making money, t o obtaining power over o thers , t o r e l i g i o u s f ixa t ions , t o spor t s , t o TV, t o wars & t o you name it. What an emptiness must e x i s t t h a t so much energy goes i n t o f i l l i n g it! How can t h e idea of "enoughw giow i n an economy driven by the dynamic '

of accumulation? Drug add ic t s & drug dea le r s a r e used a s ,

scapegoats by those with g rea t power. Focu- sing on them, without speaking t o the in- , j u s t i c e s t h a t f o s t e r the drug system hides I

t h e depth of our s t rugg le agains t the corp- o r a t e powers t h a t would deprive us of our land, our communities & our a b i l i t y t o choose j u s t i c e over t r i n k e t s .

Putt ing drug dea le r s , in te rna t iona l bank- e r s , o r Otto Je l inek i n j a i l & throwing away the key won't he lp much i n t h e strugg- l e f o r an addic t ion-f ree world. However, e l e c t i n g governments t h a t have a democratic v is ion based on equal i ty , respect , meaning- f u l work a t decent wages, & on adequate in- comes f o r a l l c i t i z e n s i n the community of nat ions , would be a s t e p i n the r i g h t d i r - ec t ion.

By SANDY CAMERON

,

in te rna t iona l bankers i n j a i l , & throw away the key?

In the United S ta tes , the typ ica l crack addict i s a white, middle-class male, but you wouldn't know i t from e i t h e r the media o r a r r e s t records. Only 12% of those using i l l e g a l drugs a r e African Americans, but they make up 44% of those a r res ted f o r simple possession.

Port Grab a t Crab Park

Moby Dick t o l d some t a l l t a l e s . The Port of Vancouver Corporation does too.

In a recent l e t t e r from Captain Norman Stark of t h e Port , they t e l l us they have no plans t o a l t e r Crab Park. Well, unless somebody invented a chemical t o shr ink parks, we know t h a t .

However,two c ru i sesh ip p i e r s E a conven- t i o n cen t re & o t h e r unknown developments - immediately beside t h e e x i s t i n g f r a g i l e , r a r e greenspace - would have immense nega- t i v e impact on our park.

The Port is surpr ised, apparent1 y, t h a t we th ink they don' t provide f o r proper co- mmunity input. The Port & City planners g e t t i n g i n t o bed with each o t h e r is not proper, democratic community input. This i s exact ly what happened on t h e Expo lands and it w i l l be a r i c h ghet to .

Do we need a r i c h ghet to beside Crab waterfront park? How w i l l t h e low-income chi ldren ' s hrograms survive? Over 1,500 t o u r i s t s get o f f each mammoth Love Boat. Are the re no sex offenders o r pedophiles amongst them?

Won't the convention cen t re br ing drugs, alcohol 6 p r o s t i t u t i o n , ( fo r the r i c h ) t o the family parkspace?

Won't t h e Port Police develop a new a t t - i tude , making low income people f e e l un- welcome i n t h i s area?

The l e t t e r from t h e Pdot says they w i l l dn m ir?ci,~penden+_ e r?v i rm~enta? asscssmcnt review. Is t h a t so. I t is not an independ- ent review i f t h e Port o r a p r i v a t e devel- oper i s paying f o r it.

The committees E agencies t h a t the r i c h Port belongs t o i n no way represent t h e loca l ,'- low income community, t h e Downtown ~ a s t s ? d e o r our i n t e r e s t s .

Tourist only park ... Sai lboat bui ld ing number two. . . t h e New World Order conventi ion centre . ..where do the poor go now?

A t 2 i n the afternoon on Sunday, June 7, both Crab-Water For Life Society 5 Environ ment Canada a r e sponsoring a f r e e music f e s t i v a l ca l l ed Honour the Earth. See ya ' l

Don Larson

People i n Government Servicq (PIGS)

Courts, Custody, Cops, Cozy Corner; Chinese Community Centre, Carnegie Commu- nity Ccntrc; Cznzdien C h e ~ e Cxh ing Cectrc, City Council, Church Confirmation (Corpus C h r i s t i i ) ; Core Courses, Cost Coefficient Creative Cosmic Caro Care Cards; Called t h e Calf , "that t a s t e s l i k e pork". "Those who were fu l l ' have hi red themselves out f o r bread," Samuel 15: To shake o r scrape, t h a t i s the question Whether it i s nobler t o venerate the abomination of t h e d i so lu t ion : of Communication, Communism, Capitalism, Centralism, Culturalism, Confucianism, Chr is t ism, Creationism, Calvinism, Catholicism, Cerebralism, Cannibalism and Coca-ine.

Cabbalamirkabbaism.

I Editor, I

1 s ince re ly regre t the misunderstand- / ing which I caused by p ra i s ing Tora 's a r t i c l e s . I t i s probably due t o my poor English o r b e t t e r t o the f a c t t h a t Tora has not enough confidence i n t h e power of h i s philosophy; otherwise he would not consider my pra i se u n r e a l i s t i c .

I am r e a l l y not kidding when I ex- press my opinion t h a t personally I f e e l t h e genius i n Tora1s wri t ings . Of course, he is d e f i n i t i v e l y not a "nice" guy t o agree with the soc ie ty and some- times he does a spor t of c r i t i c i s i n g and "slamming" everybody. On t h e o the r hand, i t i s probably such a r a d i c a l , S P V P ~ critic t h a t w e need i n our c o r r - upt and r o t t e n socie ty .

I a l s o must i n s i s t t o s t a t e t h a t the most i n t e l l i g e n t thing the NDP gov ' t could do 3 s t o se r ious ly consider Tora's ideas and c r i t i c i sm. This, with some good w i l l , would lead t o a broader pub- l i s h i n g of Tora's wri t ings .

Final ly , I would l i k e Tora t o under- stand t h a t I have nothing t o do with the pol icy of the Carnegie Association and I think t h a t drawing a p a r a l l e l be- tween my l e t t e r and the censorship pro- blem was an e r ro r .

E t ienne Szekely

CONTINUALLY SABOTAGING OURSELVES

Dear Mr. Taylor:

I have received a copy of your l e t t e r , dated Jan. 9, ' 92, forwarded by the Hon- ourable Moe Sihota , Minis ter of Labour & Consumer Services & Minister Responsible f o r ICBC. My apologies f o r t h e delay i n wri t ing t o you.

I am advised by t h e Motor Vehicle B r . t h a t t h e i r correspondence records show I

numerous l e t t e r s from members & support- e r s of the Assoc. f o r Vehicle Movement Safety. Through t h a t correspindence the f a c t s , f i g u r e s & r a t i o n a l e r e la ted t o the previous mandatory program G t o the curr - ent voluntary program a r e provided.

The i s s u e of veh ic le inspections i s one taken very qerinnriy hy i h i r Gnv:r. Z'll be giving f u l l considera t ion t o a l l con- cerns voiced by t h e Association when I 1 discuss t h e inspect ion of p r i v a t e vehicl- , e s with t h e MVB i n t h e near future. I

trust my comments w i l l provide some assurance c h a t the Ministry i s working t o address these i ssues .

Colin Gabelmann, Attorney General. w / ;

NEWS FLASH GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN DRUG TRAFFICKING

This r e p o r t e r has uncovered one of t h e most unscrupulous drug t r a f f i c k i n g schemes i n Canadian history4 This s i n i s t e r crime has been perpet ra ted by a l l l e v e l s of suc- cess ive govt 's throughout the years.

Some of t h i s t a i n t e d money has been pas- sed on t o the Queen hexself l

The pushers of t h i s s t u f f a r e found on thousands of s t r e e t corners across the country. Their bas ic p i t c h has been mainly d i rec ted a t kids, who a r e seduced by being t o l d i t w i l l cause f e e l i n g s of euphoria.. i t ' l l make them more popular 8 des i rab le , more cool, project ing a more mature image.

They ' forgot ' t o mention i t s hea l th haz- a rds f o r years, 6 t h a t ' i t t s one of the most deadly, addic t ive drugs known t o man.

I t ' s ins id ious e f f e c t s creep up on one so slowly t h a t people ge t hooked before they know it. Mill ions have been strung out on t h i s substance most of t h e i r l i v e s ,

w e

i though they've t r i e d t o kick the habi t so

I many times. These unethical gov t ' s now warn people

of t h i s drug 's dangers, i n the hope of ab- t solving themselves of any r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

f o r t h e i r unconcionable behaviour. Like most dope pushers they keep cranking up p r i ces , knowing f u l l well t h e i r addicted customers w i l l f o rk over t h e i r l a s t penny rathey than go through t h e nerve s h a t t e r - , ing agony of withdrawal. Meanwhile, hypo- c r i t i c a l p o l i t i c i a n s a r e l i n i n g t h e i r poc- ke t s with mi l l ions of o t h e r s hard-earned cash, using these despicable t a c t i c s but having no concern f o r t h e su f fe r ing of t h e i r wreathed vict ims. When the ' c l i e n t -

1 e l e ' compains of i n f l a t e d p r i c e they res -

/ pond with the usual pusher ' s l i n e "Well,

I nobody forced you t o do it" o r "You can always q u i t you knowH..so g r a f t goes on.

I th ink these EXTORTIONISTS should be made t o f e e l t h e f u l l weight of t h e LAW,

1 l i k e any o the r drug t r a f f i c k e r s . I recom- I mend long j a i l terms 6 heavy f ines . But,

1 unfortunately, these p a r a s i t e s a r e a t the pinnacles of power s o the chances of j u s t - i c e a r e s l i m .

7 I f t h i s course of ac t ion f a i l s , I sugg- e s t t h a t a l l ' c l i e n t s ' (addic ts) enact a c lass-act ion s u i t f o r reimbursement of t h e b i l l i o n s t h a t have been so r u t h l e s s l y to rn from t h e i r grasp.

The p r i c e of t h i s substance should be brought down t o t h e cos t of production E rllc+vibutics fzr thcsc too ~ddi~t-6 tu q u i t . The pe rpe t ra to r s of t h e crime should I be forced t o pay f o r t h e r e h a b i l i t a t i o n of those wishing t o s top t h e habi t . Otherwise t h i s drug should be eradicated completely from the general marketplace, t o prevent o thers , e spec ia l ly kids, from f a l l i n g i n t o i t s t r ap .

We must put an end t o t h i s hypocr i t i ca l corruption from our e lec ted o f f i c i a l s and prevent one more penny f a l l i n g i n t o t h e greedy hands of these t r a f f i c k e r s . For more information, ge t i n touch with: THE SOCIETY TO PREVENT TOBACCO EXTORTION.

o r NICAHOLICS UNANIMOUS.

I Thank you.

J.La Riviere I

I have recen t ly been present during sev- e r a l conversations regarding the j u s t i f i c - a t ion , from an economic perspect ive , of lei 1. the expense of t h e o r e t i c a l research t o o l s ' being b u i l t today. . i n l i g h t of today 's problematical s t a t e of socio-economic and ecological a f f a i r s . And I must say t h a t t h e pessimism of some of the opinions t h a t I have had t h e p leasure t o r e f l e c t upon from an i n t e l l e c t u a l point of view has not been pleasurable from t h a t same point of view.

On the one hand I can understand t h i s pessimism i n r e l a t i o n t o nuclear weapons, germ warfare, genet ic engineering - branches of knowledge (and more) which have the capacity bo unleash unthinkable ca tas t rophic consequences.

But, on the o the r hand, our quest - t o understand the fundamental laws of na tu re - leads us d i r e c t l y t o the e t h i c s of how t h i s knowledge should be used.

I t is my opinion t h a t our j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r knowledge is s e l f - f u l f i l l e d . I t leads us t o a g r e a t e r understanding of the whole of r e a l i t y , of which t r u t h i s a fundament- a l pa r t . I f imrly bel ieve t h a t , unless we adopt more of a lfPlatonic"*approach t o ed- ~ c z c i $ n , t h e sc-cslzed educated p ~ o p : ~ of the f u t u r e w i l l be motivated more by t h e i r m a t e r i a l i s t i c gains than by t h e i r search f o r t r u t h .

A search f o r t r u t h bas an in t imate r e l a - t ionsh ip with e t h i c s h d s p i r i t u a l i t y .

Ethics has been l o s t . A s f a r as s p i r i t u a l i t y is concerned I

bel ieve t h a t it can be found through science. I bel ieve t h a t Eins te in wasn't very f a r from t h e t r u t h i n h i s statement t h a t science would be blind without r e l i g - ion and r e l i g i o n would be lame without science. Marcus Stanley Roy * -

Plate's d e f i n i t i o n of Democracy - "a p leasant mixture of anarchy with p lenty of va r i e ty"

1

\ 1 did vu hear - \ one b i r d sing las t night?

0

someone l i e s under the yellow ground melted i n t a r from the blacksmithss f i r e

0 the squeal on t h e p ierc ing r a i l smooth show s l i d e over t h e bed

0 some one speaking f o r the wolf blue eye roaming yellow eye's land

0 outs ide the ranchers tbat named Avernus on an avenue . -A:.." .. .."+ ..Lsns 5"*1.6 .."d C .... 1I"

yellow shimmerings p u l l Eis ?n

on the lake not one wing

ne ighbour grudge b u i l t t h a t meadow, turned t h e house i n t o a p igs tye on t h e highway and pickups nipped up i n the n ight took chickens and a f a t cabbage and a mi l ls tone t o grind the sun

in the c r y s t a l l i z e d processes t h a t made a radio around a pa le green blob of g l a s s on a l i t t l e L of brass , i n t h e nimbus of black holes t h a t laugh a t my old man and yor o ld man, t h e impossible t o comprehend spa rk les about the i s l and nebulae, t h e long t r i p we have resolved t o make t o Alpha Centauri and beyond, i n t h e agonized burning of as t ronauts s e t up d i thou t properly sea l ing 0 I r ings the plent.ifu1 v i s ions of c h r i s t i a n s and buddhists and moslems and hindus and s ikhs and jews I

I

amidst a l l the procedural wrangling it i s important t o remember t h a t a southern gentleman can k i l l anything .

I

I

I

I ' M NOT A CATALYST

One d u l l , damp afternoon, I was near ly bored t o t e a r s , and s o I picked up a magazine and be- gan l ea f ing through it. My inquir ing eyes s p o t t - ed an unusual a r t i c l e with a ques t ionai re . I t simply asked, Which category hes t suite-you?"

I

1. Married 3. Ambitious 5 . Stingy 2. Single 4. Lazy 6. Generous

7. Cata lys t

You may wonder j u s t wjat a c a t a l y s t is , a s I did, u n t i l I looked the word up i n two dic t iona- r i e s , p lus a t r i p t o t h e Public Library t o make f u r t h e r inqu i r i e s . I gave myself a few days t o analyse the exerc ise before coming up with an honest answer. But before I give the d e f i n i t i o n of a c a t a l y s t , I hab a discussion on t h e phone with a c lose f r i end . I asked her, What ca te fo ry do you fit into?" She sa id , "1 don' t know."

"Well," I sa id , "I know f o r s u r e t h a t I ' m not a ca ta lys t . "

J u s t then my precious s i x year-old grandson came burs t ing through t h e open door, almost out of breath. He s a i d , "I didn ' t know you were on a 'Ca t t l e List' Grandma!"

Maybe, i n due time with a l i t t l e 'soul search- ing ' , I could become a Cata lys ta in the t r u e sense . .however, h e r e ' s what I th ink i t ' s a l l about.

Cata lys t has a t l e a s t two meanings - one has t o do with a chemical change, which can speed up a condit ion.

The o t h e r has t o do with some th ing o r someone.

J u s t t h i e r mere presence of being a t a p rec i se time o r place can cause th ings t o happen i n s -

.miL;ltaneoiisly. Hopefuiiy everything t h a t ' s good w i l l happen i n due time, f o r t h e betterment of humanity.

By VERNA JOHNSTON -..- -- . .- /'

I

I'HESEARCH

SELFHOOD,

The Fear of Freedom:

Marijuana did not k i l l Daniel Posse.. . I t ' s a p lant t h a t grows almost anywhere

whose sap has medicinal & sedat ive e f f e c t 6 whose f i b r e s have been used t o weave rope, f a b r i c & paper. His to r i ca l ly , mari- juana has been cu l t iva ted & used by peop- l e of a l l races i n a l l p a r t s of the world.

Giant c l ay pots , wealed & packed with highgrade marijuana have been dug up from beneath the a l t a r s of ancient temples i n North Africa & elsewhere. The s p i r i t u a l use of t h i s p lan t i s well documented by archeologis ts . During the Middle Ages it i s known t o have been a major ingredient of hemp porridge, a s t a p l e i n the d i e t of Chr is t ian monks. krijijzfi,ii;l iv,ii;l~ a t ojlcl: iime erown ar: a

cash crop worldwide. I t supplied a l l t h e f i b r e s f o r hemp rope used extensively on the s a i l i n g ships t h a t dominated world t rade . ~ e o $ ~ e Washington, the f i r s t Pres- ident of the United S ta tes , c u l t i v a t e d marijuana a s a cash crop. Thomas J e f f e r - son & Benjamin Franklin a l s o c u l t i v a t e d 6 used marijuana. I t was an ingredient in many e l i x i r s , t e a s , p o u l t i c e s & "magic" remedies sold by old-fashioned f r o n t i e r hucksters and "medicine men" a s Europeans t r a v e l l e d west, destroying the Native North Americans i n t h e i r path.

Today in India, marijuana, under the name "ghanja", is used by wandering holy men whose t r a d i t i o n s arb so ancient even modern Indian governments dare not break them. Medical research has determined t h a t blarijuana r e s i n is a useful & benev- o len t substance without being physical ly addic t ive .

Daniel Posse, the 22 year-old son of t h e coach of Canada's olympic soccer team is the only person shot & k i l l e d by pol- i c e i n t h e i r search t o f i n d 6 dest roy marijuana. Many thousands of c i t i z e n s have been harassed, beaten, j a i l e d o r k i l l e d over the l a s t 50 years f o r t h e i r involvement with t h i s p lant .

In the 1920'a & e a r l y '30's marijuana was legal everywhere. Even i n t h e U.S. marijuana c i g a r e t t e s could be purchased f o r a n ickel apiece. I t was l a r g e l y used by the black community - a t r a d i t i o n they brought with them from Africa where mari-

juana had been regarded a s sacred & bene- volent f o r thousands of years.

The f i r s t law agains t marijuana was a r a c i s t ac t ion pushed through Congress by a s i n g l e FBI agent. He had been hi red by white establishment types t o check up on t h e i r sons & daughters who were hanging around black jazz c lubs & beginning t o experiment with marijuana. - Basically, the f i r s t law agains t the use of t h i s p lan t was i n i t i a t e d i n an attempt by white r a c i s t s t o keep t h e i r daughters from s leeping with black musicians.

'

From t h e r e the i l l e g a l image of mariju- ana was spread around t h e world. I t was claimed t h a t marijuana smoking would de- crease product iv i ty - i n o t h e r words, stoned people wouldn't c a r e about working for bosses 6 making a i o t of money. ~ a r i - juana was perceived by businessmen a s something t h a t might i n t e r f e r e with t h e i r a b i l i t y t o make money o f f t h e labour of o thers .

Marijuana does have a l i b e r a t i n g e f f e c t on the senses, but it is not necessa r i ly anti-work. In Afr ica i t ' s well known t h a t smoking up before heavy physical labour is a good way t o arouse t h e enregies of t h e body, E t h i s i s a t r a d i t i o n f o r work p a r t - i e s i n small African v i l l a g e s .

In the 60 's t h e Canadian g o v f t was pres- sed t o review t h e law agains t marijuana. They s e t up t h e Ledain Commission which m F t with concerned c i t i z e n s across the country & f i n a l l y recommended l e g a l i s a t i o n , Their repor t was ignored i n Ottawa & today is gathering dust i n t h e archives along with hundreds of o the r royal commission r e p o r t s whose recommendations were consid- ered too r a d i c a l t o implement.

During the 70's I experienced personally (along with many o the r s ) t h e v ic ious , des- t r u c t i v e busts organized by undercover narcs. In t h e i r at tempts t o d i s rup t & sca- t t e r the hippy community i n Kitsi lano they busted familys f o r growing i t i n t h e i r own backyards. People were j a i l e d & beaten - t h e i r 'children were taken away E put in f o s t e r homes. Many c r e a t i v e Earth-oriented communitys were destroyed by the govern- ment's paranoid react ion t o t h i s p lan t .

Today the "War Against Drugs" i n i t i a t e d by American r a c i s t s has r esu l t ed i n enorm- ous p r o f i t s f o r pol ice & government

If you watbh l a t e n ight TV, you a r e famil- i a r with the "thousands of items seized i n na rco t i c s ra ids t ' ads which promote gov' t auctions of expensive equipment seized by narcs. If you cross the border with one marijuana roach i n your ashtray, your ca r w i l l be conf iscated F so ld & your J i f e placed under survei l lance i n the hope t h a t the government may be able t o get i ts hands on a l l of your possessions, s e l l them, & keep the proceeds.

Today we l i v e i n a c l o s e t f a s c i s t socie- t y . The RCMP a r e not red-coated heroes of a musical r i d e - they a r e dull-wit ted par- anoid undercover narcs who w i l l harass, beat up o r even k i l l anyone who stands i n the way of marijuana conf iscat ion.

But they picked on t h e wrong guy i n the wrong neighbourhood. Young Daniel Posse was well-connected. H i s f a t h e r i s wealthy & even somewhat famous f o r h i s involvement i n profess ional spor t . I f a 22 year-old had been shot dead i n an East Van drug r i ad , the re would have been a small f l u r r y of media hype E the whole th ing would 've dropped out of s i g h t a week l a t e r .

But t h i s i s d i f f e r e n t . Daniel had no previous record. He had, about h half -ounce i n h i s possession. The f i v e cops responsi- b le f o r h i s death entered through an un- locked door. They claim he had a p e l l e t gun i n h i s hands - but t h e cops were the only witnesses ... they could e a s i l y have placed it i n h i s hands a f t e r the h i t .

Police cr iminals a r e just l i k e any o the r rriminals - Dncc they hgyc ~cmmi++ed 2 ser ious offence they w i l l go t o any leng- t h s t o cover t h e i r t racks .

I p red ic t these cops w i l l receive no more than a reprimand & w i l l go f r e e t o continue t h e i r war agains t the good weed. Many more sons & daughters of the great nation of Canada w i l l b i t e the dust before the f a t o ld foo l s i n power a r e f i n a l l y . :' forced t o change the law. Bloodshed, pain & misery w i l l be the l o t of those who ass- o c i a t e with the good weed, u n t i l t h e law agains t it i s wiped out.

TORA

"My New World"

We once had dreams of warm cozy houses Neat Picket fences Gardens of roses.

NOW we wake in cold hote l rooms Our dreams quickly vanish Clouded i n gloom.

Life here ' s a s t r i n g of d i r t y bars, Speeding ca r s , s t r e e t s loud & noisy, 'ti1 the small hours.

Some f ind solace in needles o r booze. Discarded b o t t l e s & needles a t t e s t t o t h e i r use. Along t h i s path one can only lose .

;;ow d i d we g e t :lei-e? No one can say. Can we escape here? What p r i ce should we pay? We a l l become trapped here in our own way.

We're discarded people . Once babes i n arms Cradled and loved Away from l i f e ' s harms.

Hearts become weary, broken & bruised We're l o s t and forgot ten No longer of use.

When w i l l it s top When w i l l it end A t . the end of the tunnel There's always a bend. I'

I .A. Dubin

' A desc r ip t ion of t h e Betty Place1 (a CEEDS farm)

There i s a so f tnes s t o t h i s p l ace Where one 's mind can r e s t and eyes can wander. Over t h e g ra s s meadows, through t h e poplar t r e e s . I f you l i s t e n , t h e creek i s foremost a s water f a l l s , f r o t h s and bubbles i t s way down towards t h e lake. C h i c-kadees r-hirpirig, s ing ing nnci

f l u t t e r i n g among the willows,.goes i n and out of e a r focus. Broken by the occasional , sharp, one-beat ch i rp of t h e woodpeckers. Followed by the hollow jackhammer sound of beak s t r i k i n g wood.

Lisa Enquist

OUT OF SIGHTIMIND BUT

Bonnie seas and neptune spirits, Summer holidays taken in spring, Time is in your hands to sculpture Inner spaces that make life sing.

Jibe-o-ducks in full canvas clouds, Windjammer gypsies searching for grace. Whispering pirates and madd'ning crowds Are far behind well out of the race.

14 mornings for feet on the-earth, 13 midnights to put you to bed, 5 hours of sleep in silver light dreams;. Nothing is left but what lies ahead.

Garry Gust A

THERESA (Two Years Less a Day)

Theresaymy Theresa, Now your s t o r y has begun, I have s e t it down on paper; This is s tanza number one. . I

They put you i n Okalla, There is nothing you can say; You a r e doing time f o r robbery, For you i t ' s two years l e s s a day.

Theresa,my Theresa, You a re out and roaming f r e e , You escaped i n t o t h e twi- l ight ; This is s tanza number three .

You're back i n the Digger, Where they ' r e not so very n i c e ; But you're tough and will . ' face it, When i n j a i l you pay the p r i ce .

Theresaymy Theresa, I know why you w i l l survive, You'll be gone before the morning; This is s tanza number f ive .

Across the grounds you're running, Searchl ights streaming i n your eyes; Time t o h i t the downtown bars, And watch t h e sun begin t o r i s e .

Theresaymy Theresa, A l l your luck i s made i n Heaven, I t is time f o r you t o par ty ; This is s tanza number seven.

You pa r ty i n t h e Slunrisc, O r on up t o the Balmoral; I f you're not i n s i d e the Brandiz, Then you ' l l be i n t h e r e tomorrow.

Theresaymy Theresa, Now you always p a r t y f ine ; But%the ba r s w i l l soon be closing; This i s s tanza number nine.

Theresa,my Theresa, You a r e on a one-way t rack, Eleven times you have escaped; Eleven times they brought you back.

They double barred your window, And they t r i p l e locked your door; I f you c a n ' t leave by the ce i l ing , You w i l l go out through t h e f loor .

Theresaymy Theresa, I t ' s a system you can ' t beat , Soon t h e y ' l l bui ld another prison; That w i l l keep you o f f the s t r e e t .

They're t ea r ing down Okalla, They b u i l t another a l l brand new; A prison i n South Burnaby, They b u i l t specia l j u s t f o r you.

Theresaymy Theresa, There i s nothing more t o say, You a r e doing time f o r robbery; For y o u , i t l s two years l e s s a day.

Michael James McLellan

The Betrayal of Canada I dissects free trade agenda Action Canada I .

The FTA isn't about exports, Me1 Hurtig's new book shows

The Betrayal of Canado by Me1 Hurtig (Toronto: Stoddart, 1991)

review by Lome Brown

"Brian Mulroney and hisfriends lied to Canadians. It is one thing not to tell the truth through ignorance, but it is quite azc:,'.~r :o mis!cad :hrozgt; fhm: bdkf L: an ideology. The very worst combination is ignorance, ideology, and betrayal. This is exactly whatwe have hadfrom thepolitical and corporate leadership of Canada since the federal election of 1984. "

Me1 Hurtig does not mince words in The Betrayal of Canada. He points out that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was not about enhancing Canadian exports to the U.S. and most certainly not about creating more jobs in Canada. Before the FTA, 80% of Canadian exports to the U.S. entered duty-free and 96% of such exports paid a duty of 5% or less. For years Canada ha i maintained a large merchan- dise trade surplus with the U.S. For Canadian banks, and the corporate elite in general, the FTA was about selling out Canada in return for investment opportuni- ties in the U.S. and eventually Mexico and elsewhere. If it had been about exports, the Canadian government would not have thrown away all the potential benefits by maintaining a high dollar which has devastated our exports, increased imports and encouraged cross-border shopping.

The Betrayal of Canada is well argued, superbly written, and extensively and scrupulously documented from Canadian government and international sources and includes 54 extremely useful charts and graphs. Much of the information is based on totally new research.

Hurtig demonstrates that the FTA is an integral part of the New Right agenda which also includes dismantling Canadian social programs, gutting the power of the federal government to regulate the economy, privatization, and the destruction of the public sector. It is also about de- industrialization, decentralization, and aismanuing Canada to iioe poini wircrc wc

will ultimately be absorbed into the United States. I t is a betrayal and sellout unparal- leled in the history of any industrialized country. And it is a massive assault involving most major corporations on both sides of the border, the Tory, Reform and Bloc Qu6b6cois parties, almost the entire media elite, the Business Council on National Issues, the C.D. Hawe Institute, the Fraser Institute, and a vast array of self- seeking academics and the unscrupulous elements of the ideologically dogmatic petit bourgeoisie. No sellout, no matter how outrageous, would cause such people to so much as blush. "The nation's pimps are their own best cheer-leaders. In other countries they would be regarded as contemptible sellouts. In Canada they are the establishment."

Hurtig documents how all this has happened and is happening against the will of the majority of Canadians. The majority were against the FTA in the first place and are even more so today. They are also against almost all other Mulroney govern- ment policies yet the Tories continue to implement the corporate agenda with the connivance of the media elite. Now, after being stopped in their tracks on Meech Lake, they are trying to push through an even worse constitutional package designed to further dismantle the country. Hurtig

. t'B

0) calk for an end to corporations being allowed to buy elections and the implemen- tation of some form of proportional representation. Of all the advanced industrial countries, only Britain, the United States, and New Zealand share with Canada the archaic and undemocratic "fit-past-the-post" electoral system.

Hurtig contends that the next federal election will be the last chance to begin turning things around before we lose all possibility of determining our own future. And he argues that the Tories, the Reform Party and the Bloc Qu6bkcois could very well represent a majority coalition (they would only need about 50 seats each) after the election. They could then dismantle the country and destroy the last vestiges of an independent and meaningful demoaatic System. This will certainly be on aeir

I agenda. According to H~rt ig we have

a crossroads. "If there is one fundamental question this book raises it is this: Who should be in charge of society- the community or big corporations?"

Hurtig is not very optimistic about either the Liberals or the NDP. The former are drifting to the right under Chrttien and the latter appear rudderless and incapable of presenting an attractive program to the disillusioned public, Hurtig says. Both are allowing the ultra-riaht Reform Party to move ~nto a poi~t~cai vacuum to the deiight of big business. He recommends either a

' new political party altogether or a massive campaign of "strategic voting" around progressive candidates in sufficient seats to force the Liberals and NDP into a post- election coalition.

Hurtig argues any new go~emnent should have two immediate priorities: abrogation of the FTA, and instituting democratic reforms including proportional represent. tion.

When released in paperback, The Betrayal of Canada should become one of the informational handbooks of the popular movement in this country.

Hurtlg: "The natlon's plmpr are their own best cheer-leaders. In other wun- trles they would be regarded as wn- temptlble rrellouts. In Canada they are the establishment. "

Lorne Brown teaches political science at the Universiry of Regina and is the author of several books on Canadian politics.

By Gordon Clark Staff Reporter

B.C. police have shot 17 people in the past four years, killing 11 of them. Among recent shootings: I Vancouver police fatally shot

Frank Bell, 21, on March 3 in a dark downtown parking lot after he pointed a Sony Walkman at them. They mistook it for a gun. I On Jan. 17, North Vancouver

RCMP Cpl. Glenn Magark shot an 18-year-old burglary suspect at a Bible chapel on East 19th Avenue.

U Brian Shaw, a mentally ill 40- year-old panhandler, was shot dead at 10th and Commercial in Vancou- ver on Aug. 20, 1991, after he

refused to drop a steak knife. Danny Ladd, 20, was killed by

Surrey RCMP in April 1991 after a four-hour standoff at his parents' home. I Nanaimo RCMP Const. Glen

From shot and killed James Cruik- shank, 64, and his son Darel, 30, on Feb. 5, 1991, in what a coroner's inquest later called self-defence. I Randy Monk, 24, was shot

dead by RCMP on a reserve north of Prince George on Feb. 20, 1991, after he threatened to kill police.

.,Bank r o b b e r Kenneth Frederick Hodgins, 37, was shot dead by Vancouver police on Jan. 2, 1991, after he pointed a rifle at them.

Tecky's muzzle i n h i s b i g hand, t w i s t i n g till Tecky's h tad was upside-down l i k e a b lack mass, t h e dog moaning p raye r s through i t s t e e t h , my s i s t e r and I screaming ; holding u s around t h e under h i s I : i n h i s smo'

H i s f i n g e r s were brands proclaiming ownership of my b r e a s t s , my developkng body. These, and o t h e r a s s a u l t s we never . - wnen he c d i d we bc who answf

I t took s i x men t o p u l l Grandfather o f f . A mirac le you d i d n ' t d i e , t h e y s a i d when they p u l l e d Tom o u t , f l e s h melt ing l i v i n g t o r c h i n h i s f a t h e r ' s auto-da-fe.

Ile never spoke o f h i s childhood. For u s , he was only t h e Great F i r e consuming h i s daughters f o r twenty-six years . H i s name was Tom: synonym for ou r h a t e .

Years a f t e r h i s dea th , Mother t o l d me h j s red-headed f a t h e r never c a l l e d him by name, only "black bas ta rd" because of h i s black h a i r , and t h a t when Tom was f i v e , Grandfather suddenly ro se from t h e farm t a b l e and s i l e n t l y f lung him i n t o t h e b i g k i t chen f i r e , held up t h e b l a z e r , and up Tom roared .

And now I know he never l e f t t h a t p l ace , and . t h a t h i s soul revolved end le s s ly about a s t ake , f i n d i n g no way ou t through those grown-up f a c e s and t h a t he never stopped sh r i ek ing - h i s aloneness i n those- f lames , so he t r i e d t o p u l l h i s daughl

And now a1 an c a l l you by your n;.,.,, ,.. .,, Father , and l e t go my own burning. When o ld h a t r e d s k i n d l e , I s h a l l s t and bes ide you i n your f a t h e r ' s f i r e , hand i n hand, o u r f l e s h un rave l l i ng , eyes bubbling i n o u r heads, till ou r s treaming t e a r s p u t o u r mutual h e l l ou t .

J a n c i s M. Andrews

THE LONGHOUSE COUNCIL OF CHRISTIAN DECEPTION

I guess 1'11 never ge t used t o a world where a spade is not c a l l e d a spade. Names & t i t l e s commonly deceive us. To arrange a pub l i c image t o appear o t h e r than what you a r e is considered normal, & I guess 1'11 j u s t never g e t used t o it.

I 've never t r u s t e d t h e Chr i s t i an church anyway - it seems t o me t o be h i s t o r i c a l - l y & s p i r i t u a l l y bankrupt. It 's about time they v o l u n t a r i l y disbanded. I f they r e a l l y want t o help humanity they should g e t out o f i t s way!

The "good workt1 it claims t o do, t h e money it inves t s , t h e t a x breaks it g e t s , the locked doors, t h e herding o f people i n t o l ineups, t h e serving of meals & lec- tu r ing on s i n f u l ways has never appealed t o me. In f a c t I th ink it i s contrary t o t h e r e a l s p i r i t of Chr is t t o do such.

I d idn ' t even know the re was a C h r i s t i - an church c a l l e d T h e Longhouse Council of Native Ministries". . . why doesn ' t it c a l l i t s e l f Chr is t ian? . . . t h a t ' s what i t is, even i f it has a major i ty of nat ive , black, as ian , white o r some o t h e r race. No mat ter what r a c i a l p o u p s a t t e n t it - i t ' s s t i l l Chr i s t i an i s n ' t i t ? I f i t ' s

; Chris t ian it should not t r y t o appear otherwise. Jesus would not t o l e r a t e l i e s & sub t l e deceptiona likw f a l s e adver t i s - ing, but today we accepj, t h i s - it1 s j u s t considered a normal p a r t of l i f e .

J u s t a s New Democrats have no new demo- r n ~ y , gg the F i r s t k i t e d c:tiipih i s not first & i s not united. I know it i s comm- on p rac t i ce these days f o r Chr i s t i ans t o

c a l l themselves something e l s e , s ince they a r e j u s t l y ashamed of t h e i r b ru ta l (

deceptive h i s t o r y 6 want t o avoid being blamed f o r it - but they should be aware t h a t the s p i r i t dances, r i t u a l s & p u r i f i - ca t ions pract iced by abor iginal people, which have nothing t o do with Chr i s t i an i - t y , a r e commonly known a s T h e Longhouse Re1 igiontl .

For a Chr i s t i an church t o c a l l i t s e l f a *ILonghouse Council" is highly deceptive. I t ' s common knowledge among Native people t h a t evangel is t Chr is t ian organizat ions have waged a running b a t t l e with the Longhouse r e l i g i o n , c a l l i n g it s i n f u l & sa tan ic . On Vancouver Island t h i s s o r t of warfare continues & is o f t e n reported on i n l o c a l papers.

Here in Vancouver we have a Chr is t ian church t h a t c a l l s i t s e l f the Longhouse Council of Native Min i s t r i e s (or, as lian- c i s Andrews says, sometimes they j u s t c a l l it "The Longhousett) t h i s i s very curious. The f a c t t h a t t h i s Chr is t ian congregation is 70% Native does not seem t o j u s t i f y adver t i s ing themselves a s a alLonghouse Council".

Apparently t h e f u l l t i t l e of t h i s church does not even contain t h e word t T h r i s t i a n w . . .how strange. I th ink i f Jesus were a l i v e today, he might question such a p rac t i ce . He might examine t h e i r so-called s p i r i t u a l i t y & f i n d it wanting. Of course, he would forgive them, but first he would c a l l them l i a r s & h p o c r i t s .

I e A - - - . . . u y e generation oC vipers ," Re m1gh.t: say.. ."Get thee hence!"

I)O\JN'TU\JN STI) C l i n i c - Monday t h r o u g h F r i d a y , 9am - 5pm. ICASTSIDE FREE MEDICAL CLINIC - Mon, Wed, F r i d a y : 5:30-7:30pm

YOUTII NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 221 Main; e v e r y day 9am-5pm ACTIVITIES Need le Exchange van - on t h e s t r e e t Mon-Sat e v e n i n g s .

SOCIETY N . A . mee t s e v e r y Monday n i g h t a t 223 Main S t r e e t .

I Out-to-Lunch Bunch mee t s d a i l y a t 451 E . H a s t i n g s , 10-2:30.

Four Sisters Co-op - $ S O 0 DEltA -$SO0 I ,=":a! Scrt!!ccS -$!IJIJ

Etienne S .-$50 Forest Lawn -$25 Yvonne C.-$10 Keo -$5 Toln 5.-$5 Ilazel El. -$25 The O l d Sai lor-$40 C e c i l e H.-$20 Jean 17.-$15 Anonymous -$18.00

D e a d l i n e NEXT ISSUE

11 June

TllE NEWSIXTCER IS A PIIRLICATION OF THE C A M E C I E COEU.IUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION.

ArLic l e s represent t h e vlews o f inll.ividua1 conrr iburocs an; nor o f rile f i s s o c i a r l o n .

C i t y I n f o s t a f f c a n ' t a c c e p t donat ions f o r t h i s n e w s l e t t e r , s o i f you can h e l p . f i n d Paul Taylur and h e ' l l g i v e you a r e c e i p t .

Thanks everyone l

The Downtown E a s t s i d e ~ e s i d e n t s ' A s s o c i a t i o n can h e l p you w i t h :

* any w e l f a r e problems i n f o r m a t i o n on l e g a l r i g h t s

+: d i s p u $ e s w i t h l a n d l o r d s +: unsa@e l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s fi income t a x * U I C problems fi f i n d i n g hous ing a opening a bank accoun t

Come i n t o t h e DEM o f f i c e a t 9 E a s t J I a s t i n g s St. o r p h o n e u s ;at 682-0931

D E W IIAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 1 9 YEARS.

LARRY JOIINSRUDE executives a t tending a recent speech

by federal Energy Minis ter Jake Epp i n calgarY had a few things i n common.

~t wasn't j u s t t h e i r grey s u i t s , the way they make money & t h e i r enthusiasm f o r an- o ther Tory promise t o get the government's f jngers out of t h e o i l business. '

A few days e a r l i e r , each had attended a Reform par ty function of some s o r t - e i t h - e r a speech by l eader Preston Manning o r a p r iva te meeting with pa r ty organizers.

These oilmen once owed t h e i r a l legiance t o the Conservatives f o r scrapping the nat ional energy program & negot ia t ing f r e e t r ade with the US. But here they were l i s - tening t o Epp & a l l they could t a l k about was Manning.

A few weeks e a r l i e r , & 3500 km away, Manning took h i s pro-business message t o Toronto's upper-crust Granite Club, where he wowed about 250 of Canadian business world's movers & shakers.

''We d idn ' t ask f o r t h e i r cheques a s they came through t h e door," s a i d Reform's ex- ecutive d i r e c t o r Gordon Shaw, "but we a r e hoping they w i l l remember u s when they make a donation t o t h e p o l i t i c a l pa r ty of t h e i r choice."

Manning & h i s 5 year-old pa r ty may have already won the e a r s of Canada's most in - f l u e n t i a l business leaders. He's nor s e t t - ing h i s s i g h t s on theiritpocketbooks.

He seeks b ig bucks. Financed mostly through small donations

from individual supporters, t h e Reform party is going a f t e r big-bucks corporate donors i n a b ig way.

Following a boardroom t o u r l a s t year by par ty chairman C l i f f Fryers, which produc- ed $300,000 i n donations, pa r ty organizers have es tabl ished fundrais ing teams i n most major Canadian c i t i e s t o cour t corporate donors.

Although Manning speaks the same f r e e - en te rp r i se language a s the corporate gen- e r a l s , t h a t hasn ' t ye t t r a n s l a t e d i n t o a flood of donations t o the par ty .

Shaw sa id , "I would l i k e t o th ink t h a t t h a t w i l l t u rn around."

According t o t h e l a t e s t audited f i g u r e s j avai lable , the pa r ty made $138,000 i n '90 \from 274 corporate donors, who gave an av- , erage of $500 each. But donations from I

corporations more than doubled i n '91, say par ty o f f i c i a l s , & a r e expected t o quadru- p le t o $1.2 mi l l ion by the end of 1992.

Financier Conrad Black made Manning the t o a s t of corporate Canada i n Sept.'9O when he inv i t ed t h e par ty leader t o speak t o the p res t ig ious Toronto Club. Black gave $5000 through h i s S te r l ing newspaper l i n e .

Edmonton chartered accounant Francis Winspear has been Reform's f inanc ia l god- f a t h e r from the s t a r t , when he made a $50,000 donation t o ge t h t e par ty going. In 1990 Winspear donated over $10,000.

O i l 15 Energy sti l l p r e f e r the Tories. Despite having i t s headquarters i n the

country 's energy c a p i t a l , the Calgary- based pa r ty hasn ' t had much luck winning over t h e major o i l companies. Imperial O i l have t h e Conservatives $75,000 i n '90; Husky gave almost $17,000; Chevron $8000; Suncor $6000.

Reform's l a r g e s t o i l company contr ibutor was Danadian Occidental - $5000. But the contr ibutor l i s t is dotted with small

f irms most people have never heard of - l i k e Dex Resources ($1000) E Redneck Res- ources ($120).

One observer says the industry i s eye- ing Reform c lose ly E a l l the l i t t l e comp- an ies could add up t o s ign i f i can t money.

This is a conservative industry looking f o r a conservative party. Tory support from t h e o i l indust ry reached mythical proportions because they were the only game i n town, but the re has been a l o t of disi l lusionment. (Wonder of wonders!)

The Reform Party Friend or Foe?

Under Preston Manning, the Reform Party has become expert a t disguising the ext re- me nature of i t s r e a l agenda. Many people have been fooled by the public face of t h i s "new" party. The .Reform Party b i r thed in Alberta. The Alberta Federation of Lab- our, looking behind t h e i r public image t o the the r e a l nature of Reform, says they a r e jus t one more big business pa r ty no d i f f e r e n t than the Mulroney Tories. When the t r u t h comes out, working people w i l l f ind very l i t t l e t o support.

Refomr Supports the GST and Free Trade. Tile Leform Party gained many of i t s new

members through i t s highly publicized opp- o s i t i o n t o the GST. Now, they a r e t a lk ing about a l t e r i n g the GST - not axing it.

"For example, the Reform's f l a t - o u t op- posi t ion t o the goods & services t a x was sent back t o i t s pol icy committees f o r review. The pa r ty ' s new stance w i l l l i k e - l y be a plan t o reform t h e new tax. This i s the posi t ion favoured by Manning. . . "

The Financial Post

On the o t h e r hand, the Reform Party has xlways been i n favour of f r e e t rade . No nat ter t h a t Canadian's worst f e a r s about Eree t rade , such a s p lan t c losures , unemp- loyment (461,000 jobs permanently l o s t ) & attacks on publ ic se rv ices ( U I , medicare) are proving t o be t rue .

The Reform Party endorses f r e e t r ade i n i t s Blue Book on Po l i c ies & Pr inc ip les ~ i t h o u t reservat ion.

A Reform Party Task Force concluded i n 1990 t h a t the re were no d i s t i n c t i v e l y Momen's i ssues . But, Reform Senator Stan Yaterl s repeated a t t a c k s on publ ic funding Eor the National Action Committee on the Status of Women tends t o c l a r i f y Reform's 30.;; r i ~ n . g.efcrm .rs ctrong?y ~7: ' . -,2;eicc.

"..(Reform MP Deborah) Grey does not l i k e feminism, af f i rmat ive ac t ion, o r any thing a t a l l t h a t smacks of spec ia l t r e a t ment f o r her gender. That i s why she opp- oses iaws t o enforce equal pay f o r work of equal value.''

Storming Babylon S. Sharpe, Don Braid

Preston Manning's church be l i eves i n a Li tera l use of the b i b l i c a l quote: "Christ i s the head of every man E every man i s the head of every woman."

We can't celebrate ... but we can remember.

The Holocaust of the Americas...

In 1492 Christopher Columbus anived at a land containing approx. 110 million natives. 150 years later

there were less than 10 million.

... is still happening today.

Instead of celebrating the "Discovery of the Americas", 1992 must be a year of commemorating 500Years of

Indigenous resistance.

"Our struggle is nor a mere conjecntral reflection of the memory of 500 years of oppression which the

invaders in complicity with the "democratic" Governments of our countries want ro turn into events

of jubilation and celebration. Our Indian People, Nations and Nationalities are basing our struggle on our identity, which shall lead us lo true liberation. We are responding aggressively and commit ourselves to

reject this CELEBRATION." QulWs Indlge- G.l)lc#ing July 1990, ~cttado;

Building the Future

Indigenous Peoples' liberation can only be achieved through a complete exercise of self-determination, which

in Nm must be expressed in complete autonomy. Without Indian Self-government and without control of their ancestral territories there can be no autonomy. Also for the next 500 years the real history of the 'encounter of the two worlds' or 'discovery of the Americas' must

emerge and correct the distorted one sided history that XI far has been told from the point of view of the invaders.

Summary of ELP activities from June, 1991 through May 11, 1992

MhJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Forced employment: ELP's 3-year campaign _______--- - - - - - - - t o end forced employ-

ment of s ing le pa ren t s on welfare f i n a l l y succeeded on Dec. 13, 1991. S ingle pa ren t s on welfare now have choice about working ou t s ide the home. The l e g i s l a t i o n has gone from being the worst i n Canada t o being the bes t . S ingle pa ren t s on welfare now have choice regarding employment ou t s ide the home u n t i l t h e i r youngest c h i l d is 19. ~ o o d program: E L P I S 4-yeaE campaign t o ge t ------------

un ive r sa l , non-st igmatizing school lunch programs i n lowiricom~ school$ I ' i ~ ~ a i i y won a $7 mii i ion con t r ibu t ion from t h e provinc ia l & a committment t o ongoing p rov inc i a l funding.

ELP b u i l t - a s t rong movement o f people with s k i l l s & con tac t s from t h i s campaign. We're confident t h a t t h e many hundreds of people who have worked with u s on t h i s , p r o j e c t and/or work i n non-st igmatizing

, school lunch programs now have a sense of I ownership o f hot school lunches & t h e move-

ment w i l l s t rengthen & expand without t h e present l eve l of ELP work.

Our concerns with t h e program a re : - low income people 6, groups need t o know

about t he program. Harcourt 4 Hagen announ- i ced $7 mi l l ion f o r 130 schools and 50,000

k ids but only 48 elementary & 15 secondary schools got money; - t he Provinc ia l Advisdry Committee t o

oversee t h e funds is being chosen & ELP's pos i t i on on it i s not secure; - the p rov inc i a l funding program does not

provide adequate money f o r changes t o t h e shcool o r equipment f o r long term high q u a l i t y eco log ica l ly sound hot lunches.

Education A c t i v i t i e s

Hundreds of Fighting Poverty k i t s have been d i s t r i b u t e d .

Hundreds of s t r i n g k i t s ( i l l u s t r a t i n g the d i s t r i b u t i o n o f wealth i n Canada) have been d i s t r i b u t e d .

< Corporate Agenda Workshops: We've given over 50 of t hese workshops t h a t he lp peop- l e understand t h e s t r u c t u r e s t h a t cause Poverty & what we can do about i t . Board

members, community groups, advocates, low income people & s t u d e n t s have asked f o r t h e workshop. They have been given i n Van- couver, Calgary, Windsor, Toronto, Golden & Courtenay.

S tudents come t o t h e o f f i c e f r equen t ly , & phone asking about pover ty i s sues .

ELP d id numerous r ad io , ,TV & newspaper in terv iews about poverty. We were involved with longer programs on pover ty on t h e Knowledge Network & Cable TV i n Vancouver, V ic to r i a , Kamloops, Surrey, and on CBC.

We've w r i t t e n a r t i c l e s f o r t h e Vancouver Sun, Legal Perspec t ives , t h e YWCA S ing le Parent news le t t e r , NAP0 news, NOISE, t he CLC, Eq';c? ?!e&?,l.=, Co;;;;;;;nity ?4zrttz-;rs, Thz Province and Kinesis . Briefs : ELP presented b r i e f s on Park Board ------

budget c u t s , t h e c o n s t i t u t i o n , B i l l C-69, t o t h e L ibe ra l s on pover ty and t h e economy; t o PSAC & NUPGE on t h e econo- my; t o Saanich Council re hungry ch i ld ren ; t o V ic to r i a School Board r e lunch program; Vancouver School Board on lunch programs; t o Surrey School Board on lunch programs; on gender b i a s t o hea r ings i n Vancouver; t o panel on Family Se rv ices i n VanLSurrey.

Lobby & consu l t a t ion : To Smallwood on wel- .................... f a r e 6 wages, FLAW

w i s h l i s t , women's i s sues ; t o Priddy and Vicky Robinson on consu l t a t ion ; t o Tim Agg r e consu l t a t ion & Legal Serv ices Review; S iho ta on wages. Talks, panels 8 speeches: On j u s t i c e and ........................

poverty t o na t - i ona l conference on gender & t h e law; t o t h e Vancouver Labour Council on CLC docu- ment 14; t o access f o r a l l conference on i n f o needs of low income people; t o nurses union convention on poverty & ELP; t o Can- ada ' s Chi ldren ' s conference on poverty & competi t iveness; i n Por t Alberni on how t o advocate t o end poverty; Women's Day lunch on North Shore on economy; Women's Day meeting of Ukranian women; l i b r a r y group on freedom o f information; t o Independence '92 on poverty 4 e q u a l i t y & bu i ld ing coal - i t i o n s ; t o School o f Theology on c h a r i t y ; to Edmonton group on food programs & psv- : r ty; t o conference o f 150 people working vi th pregnant & parent ing t eens ; Delta NDP

ekildran $ peverty far Venceuva~ Bakosl. f gmrd; to Gkilllwack graup o f low inceme

people; Maple Ridge Family Resources; deal School; Spectrum School about c l a s s - ism; Richmond High; present a t ions on pov- e r t y & lunch programs t o groups i n Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, Vic tor ia , Nanaipo; a t SFU on poverty; inner c i t y school planning committee, BC Public Health Conference; on women & work on IWD a t Vancouver Museum; on freedom of i n f o a t BC Library Assoc.; on Privacy Act & low income people i n Van- couver & whis t ler .

1 Events: Mothers r e l i e f t o ce lebra te end of _----- forced employment; 3 meetings with

Joan Smallwood, one with Moe Sihota; media ; workshop with ELP committee members,BCCPD; ! caper at socred convention; Walk on Rich. / Board Committees: Wages & welfare; Forced _---------------

employment; cons t i tu t ion . Analyses: On the c h i l d benef i t ; on Vancou- --------

ver School Board l e t t e r t o par- en t s r e lunch program; on evaluation of lunch program organizing; on cons t i tu t ion ; on t rend f o r s o c i a l programs t o be manipu- l a t ed t o fo rce people t o work f o r low pay; community kitchens; women & t h e corporate agenda; r e l a t i o n of advocacy t o ending

4 poverty; poor people 's information needs; freedom of i n f o & Privavy Act. Regional FLAW meetings: These have been ......................

held i n Kamloops, ' Salmon Arm, Vernon, Williams.Lake, ~ r i i c e George.

They general ly include in fo on t h e corp- 1 orate agendz, hew nrlrlnrates cnz get iz':=l-

ved i n ELP campaigns t o reduce poverty. The workshop helps focus people on what they want t o do i n t h e i r community t o help f i g h t poverty. They help people organize low income ac t ion groups o r committees - f o r example: Active Support Against Pover- t y i n Kamloops, Salmon A r m anti-poverty soc ia l ac t ion committee, Vernon anti-pov- e r t y group. Lower Mainland FLAW meetings: Ongoing ne t - , ............................

work meet- ings with Front Line Advocate Workers from the Lower Mainland t o d iscuss v i c t o r i e s & problems, t h e bigger p ic tu re ; how t o make l e g i s l a t i v e changes t o reduce poverty; t a p low income people & advocates i n t o ELP/ FLAW campaigns. FLAWS want ongoing consul- t a t i o n with Smallwood. -

Nawslatkers: I.-----L--- Throe msnthly - BLP neysleee- er, Actionline, FLAWlins,

Monthly mailouts: E L P ' s monthly mailout ---------------- includes t h e 3 newslett-

e r s , o t h e r i n f o of i n t e r e s t t o low income people, ELP and FLAW minutes. Over 400 people a r e now on the mailing l is t . Costs a r e picked up by t h e Hospital Employees1 Union & the BC Government EmployeeslUnion.

Campaigns

Welfare and wages: A l l o f ELPts a c t i v i t i e s ----------------- have t r i e d t o r a i s e our

p r i o r i t y i s sues of welfare & wages. These include e lec t ion quest ionnaires t o candid- a t e s ; Le t t e r s from t h e Heart, a booklet of s t o r i e s about l i v i n g on r id icu lous ly low welfare r a t e s & wages; a t tending al l-cand- ida tes1 meetings during the e lec t ion ; r a i - s ing the i s sues a t meetings with p o l i t i c i + ans; spec ia l meetings of ELP and FLAW with Smallwood & Sihota on these i s sues ; the Walk on the Rich; a l e t t e r wri t ing camp- aign t o Smallwood & Sihota i n which thous- ands expressed t h e i r d e s i r e f o r ELP1s goal i n minimum wage & welfare r a t e s . Real universa l heal th care: This has j u s t ..........................

been determin- ed a Board p r i o r i t y f o r a shor t term goal . ELP is co l l ec t ing s t o r i e s of low income people who a r e denied h e a l t h ca re (includ- ing den ta l heal th , mental healeh, counsel- l ing , insurance) because of lack of money. ELP has a new hea l th committee which w i l l begin work nn t h t s csmp+gn. Socia l j u s t i c e within tfie s o c i a l j u s t i c e ........................................ movement : -------- A small committee of ELP Board

members & a l ega l expert has been chosen by the s t a f f t o make recommen- da t ions t o t h e Board about workers1 i s sues . S ta f f has been working on ways t o improve working condit ions a t ELP. Board & s t a f f have been discuss ing a statement of princ- i p l e t o be included i n t h e J u s t i c e Program o r ELP const i tu t ion. We have a l s o been t r y - ing t o bui ld s o l i d a r i t y with disenfranch- . i sed groups. Grants: ELP has been n o t i f i e d t h a t it w i l l ------

receive a grant of $175,000 from the s o c i a l se rv ices minis t ry t o organise & educate about poverty & t o c r e a t e publ ic w i l l t o end poverty. ELP i s a l s o wri t ing

-.

gran t s o r enquiry l e t t e r s f o r these p ro j - e c t s : a p a r t i c i p a t o r y research p ro jec t on b a r r i e r s t o good h e a l t h f o r low income people; a p a r t i c i p a t o r y research p ro jec t on discr iminat ion aga ins t poor women.

We a r e awaiting n o t i f i c a t i o n about our ELP newsle t ter g ran t app l i ca t ion & our regional FLAW meeting g ran t appl ica t ion from Legal Services.

We have applied t o Oxfam f o r up t o $3,000 t o do corporate agenda workshops & t o t h e World Day of Prayer f o r s t a f f he lp with our c h a r i t y p ro jec t . Oxfam has run out of funds but may give u s some i f they ge t some. We a r e awaiting word from World Day of Prayer.

ELP was one of a group of anit-poverty groups t h a t appl ied t o -:he provincia l gov- ernment f o r funding t o bring anti-poverty groups together t o develop a pos i t ion on the cons t i tu t ion . Gwen Brodsky helped a l o t with t h i s . We a r e s t i l l waiting & it doesn' t look too hopeful.

ELP got a small g ran t t o bring people together t o consul t wuth Tim Agg on Legal Services i s sues .

ELP received $2000 f o r a shor t p ro jec t interviewing women about environment and development i ssues .

, From the Ed i to r ' s desk.. .

Even the t i t l e sounds a l i t t l e p re ten t i - ous. .we become-what':wecpree8nd'to- be; Cut- t ing through t h e b u l l s h i t , l e t t i n g c l e a r l i g h t f a l l on the o f t en su rp r i s ing t r u t h in a s i t u a t i o n - each cf *In c!cas t h i s z h ~ z i n t u i t i o n is t rus ted .

There a r e s i x 'sub-stat ions ' of t h e mind cal led chakras i n Sanskr i t . They a c t a s foca l points f o r t h e functions of t h e mind poss ible a t each. A t t he lowest l e v e l t h e mind concerns i t s e l f with food, survival & fea r ; higher l e v e l s invoke s u b t l e r prop- ens i t i e s , emotions, psychic powers; & t h e highest l e v e l of mind is sublime..called the "pearl of great price" & re fe r red t o in s p i r i t u a l discourse a s t h e goal .

The dr iv ing forces e t e r n a l l y present i n a l l of u s a r e physical c l a sh , psychic c lash & longing f o r the Great. One w r i t e r , having the temerity not t o be cowed by ac- ademic tremblings, s t a t e s t h a t E ins te in ' s famous equation f o r t h e universa l nature

----T Charity p ro jec t : ELP has a U I top-up grant --------------- and has h i red 4 people t o do a p a r t i c i p a t - ory research p ro jec t on how people who use c h a r i t i e s f e e l about them, and what they propose f o r shor t & longterm improvements t o char i ty . The p ro jec t s t a r t e d on March g and w i l l go t o Sept. 4th. Action Canada Network: ELP continues t o .....................

p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h i s nat ional c o a l i t i o n f i g h t i n g ag&st f r e e t r ade & t h e corporate agenda. This year the ACN has provided l o t s of in fo & analy- sis on the cons t i tu t ion & f r e e t rade , and . helped us make f r i ends with people who've donated money & goods t o us. A s co-chair of ACN(BC), Jean Swanson has given not ice t o t h e group t h a t she w i l l not be ab le t o be t h e c h a i r a f t e r 4 t o 6 months because of o t h e r work committments, although ELP w i l l continue t o be involved. ELP has been instrumental i n a number of ACN assemblies and a CLC conference i n Ottawa; lobbying gov' t on f r e e t r ade ; giving workshops on t h e corporate agenda & the s t r u c t u r a l fo r - ces t h a t cause poverty i n poor countr ies a s well a s i n Canada. ELP's analyses of poverty i s sues ge t d i s t r i b u t e d throughout Canada through the ACN. Women f o r ~ e t t e r Wages and Health Care - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 - - - - - - - - - - 7

~ d v o c a t e s : ELP i a s a l s o ~ a r t i c i ~ a t e d i n - --------- these groups & i n t h e i r action's

including a pre-e lec t ion news conference on welfare, wages & pay equi ty and a nat - ionwide TV hook-up on t h e 30t"h anniversary of medicare.

.. ~f th ings - E = M C ~ - is flawed.. .without an -. I I I t a f o r awareness, t h e "E" & t h e "M" & t h e "c" (which is a mathematical constant) zould not e x i s t . Awareness = consciousness.

The Carnegie Newsletter, a s I s e e i t , has ever been a razor-sharp t o o l f o r j u s t t h i s purpose - c u t t i n g through t h e bu l l - s h i t . Most volunteers contr ibut ing, cons- ciously & unconsciously, attempt t o prov- ide answers t o a questibn penned by Tora some time ago: "Why can ' t they ever get i t r ight?"

It's up t o each of us t o l i s t e n t o our i n t u i t i o n , t o strengthen our s o l e connect- ion t o what each of us perceives a s the Great. Take care. PAULR TAYLOR