February is generally regarded as the worst month in the Northern Hemisphere, since it is the middle of winter. However, here are some positives that we can celebrate:

1. The New Orleans Saints - popularly known as the “Aints” - beat the favourite Colts to win the Super Bowl! This is a feel-good story for the ages, not only because of the Saints’ 40 plus years’ history of ineptitude, but also because of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent betrayal by George W. Bush, who promised to rebuild the city and didn’t… he did very little in fact.
2. Another feel-good story I just read in the Toronto Star, Feb 6, 2010 concerns M.C. Metha. He is a 63-year old lawyer in India who has successfully battled big corporations for the last 26 years on a variety of environmental issues, including reducing pollution around iconic Indian sites like the Taj Mahal and the Ganges River. He has never earned more than Can $2,300 per annum, which is what corporate lawyers in India earn in a single consultation. Way to go, MC!
3. February is often the beginning of the new (lunar) year! A Chinese Astrology web sites states: “Hot passion meets cold steel with the arrival of the year of the Metal Tiger. This combined sign signifies both the energy to begin activity and the determination to follow it through to the end. Forget about last year’s slow plodding. Events set in motion now will pick up speed and continue until either the objective is attained or the whole endeavor crashes and burns”.
4. So what do we generally and especially in Canada, want to “set in motion”? Perhaps that our political leaders actually listen to the people (rather than shutting them down by shutting down Parliament)? That some leader comes up with a uniting and compassionate vision rather than a divisive and partisan one? That some leader actually tells us the Truth (rather than blocking access to it) and that we have the courage and intelligence to actually understand that… rather than narcissistically shouting, ”Give me what I want” regardless..? Think of a country, like Canada, as a family with a family budget. You only have so much money to spend. What are your priorities? There isn’t an open cheque book for individuals, countries or the planet! You can’t get something for nothing!
5. On a personal note, February has been great for me! We just opened our (Harmony Dawn retreat) season and our (new) clients were great! LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) helps look after our natural environment and they were polite, sensitive and appreciative.. of our natural environment, but also of our food and hospitality. It’s a huge win-win situation! Also it’s been very sunny (albeit cold), which warms our off-grid house, pumps up our solar power, thaws the ice on our road and heats our house like a sauna… bring on the bathing suits and drinks with an umbrella!
aj

Democracy in my dictionary is defined as: “A system of government by the whole population, usually through elected representatives”.  How many, much less the whole population, feel that they actually govern their country?!!

Many are very concerned about the state of the world and the direction in which we are headed, but feel powerless and confused.  They are worn down by the demands of their daily lives, find political and social issues too complex, and don’t trust politicians enough to be bothered to vote. Within the USA and Canada, a 60% voter turn-out is regarded as good, even though entrenched opposition parties, especially within the USA, will split the vote almost 50%, with a very small “swing vote” being decisive... and conducive to being manipulated by the trumped up “pseudo events” of the moment.  History suggests that we tend to be manipulable suckers.  As people “cocoon”, they withdraw from participation, including from the political process.  This withdrawal has allowed the power elite and the corporations to exert ever more control over our affairs, further eroding the democratic process.
The single greatest threat to democracy has been the rapid increase in corporate size and power over the last half-century.  In 1961, President Eisenhower, a senior World War 2 general, used his farewell address to warn America and the world of the dangers of the emerging military-industrial complex: “This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.  In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.  We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
There can be no doubt that Eisenhower’s worst fears have materialized, yet most people don’t seem to care or are blissfully unaware!  “Unwarranted influence” abounds and the citizenry does not seem to be “alert and knowledgeable” or if they are, have been rendered relatively powerless by the elite. Corporations give $ billions to both Republicans and Democrats thru donations, “lobbying” and other means. Elections (and those vicious attack ads) in the USA and Canada wouldn’t be able to run in their present format without massive corporate funding.  Corporate CEO’s and senior personnel go into government and back to the corporate world as through a revolving door.  This corporate/ government connection was particularly blatant under George W.  He appointed corporate lobbyists to neutralize watch-dog departments like the Environmental Protection Agency; Cheney used to run Haliburton, which benefited from prime contracts during the Iraqi war (which he helped start for no good reason).  American treasury and lives were spent, but companies like Haliburton just got richer (Check out Harper and the Alberta elite). It must be noted that the power elite which moves freely between government and the corporate boardrooms, have all been educated in the same elite universities and socialize together- this includes Obama.

Even apart from their direct influence on politics and government, corporations wield enormous and undue power throughout society, which decisively tilts the democratic playing field.  They can threaten to move their operations (including many jobs) if they don’t get sweet deals from the government… and eventually will do anyway…to cheap labour countries.  Even if they are in the wrong, they can bankrupt their opponents in the courts.  They influence culture and popular opinion through entertainment, advertising and the media, including the “factual news” you ingest.  Perhaps the most recent example of just how corporations powerful have become is the recent global recession/ depression, precipitated by bad/ corrupt behaviour in the highest echelons of the banking/ financial community.  The very organizations that caused the crisis were bailed out by government money (your taxes) because they were deemed too big to fail (how did they become that big?... no regulation).  While Main St. was losing money, Wall St (and to a lesser extent Bay St) continued paying out big bonuses.

These issues deserve in-depth and extensive investigation, but at present, the conventional media and even the internet does not provide a suitable venue… in large part because we, the average citizen, has an ever-shortening attention span.  So here are a few quickie suggestions of how we can help turn the Democratic tide:

1. Severely limit corporate donations/ expenditure within the political, economic and legal processes.  If corporations are legally regarded as an entity equivalent to a human individual, their impact should be on par with a human individual.
2. Make corporate entities responsible for the totality of their activities.  For example, if corporate(or individual) activities generate trash, pollution, delayed health-risks etc. then make them pay for the clean-up/ fall out.
3. Think outside of the box.  Are corporations truly promoting the well-being of a country or its individuals?  The last time I looked, corporations were looking to maximize profits… and truth be told, maximizing the profits of its management.  The tricky thing about corporations is that they have been given the legal status of a human individual (based on a American law intended to protect the newly-freed African slaves) but their monetary and other powers are vast… they become a Super Citizen!  They are also tricky because it is easy for individuals to hide or pass the blame.. shareholders (the owners) have limited liability and the people who run the corporations can claim they didn't know what was going on or wash money and assets thru subsidiary corporations based abroad. Corporations are not loyal to countries or individuals… the prime examples are the biggest American corporations.. Walmart etc… which have outsourced jobs outside of America (similar things happened in Canada).

If we do not protect Democracy through our efforts, it will continue to be eroded., together  with our Quality of Life.

Looking back over the first decade of the new millennium, the event most people remember is 9/11 and the fall of the Twin Towers.  People were shocked and shaken; George W. Bush launched his “War on Terrorism” with which Obama is now saddled; time has slowly dulled the pain and shock.

What are the real consequences and lessons of 9/11?  Thomas Walkom recently wrote an article in the Toronto Star entitled, “Who won the decade? The Terrorists”.  He argues that the West has taken a leap backward because of our own fears and anxieties - civil liberties and social movements have been rolled back; torture has become acceptable; surveillance of citizens is increasingly more intrusive; the Liberals are divided and indecisive, fearing to be called soft or unpatriotic, and so are leaving the field more and more to the extreme Right.

Way back in 2004, I pointed out in my book, “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality: Investing in Human Evolution”, that the American invasion of Iraq was wrong-headed, largely trumped up by the Bush-Cheney administration (google:  project for the new American century) and doomed to failure.  Now in 2010, we know that many more Americans have died in Iraq than died in 9/11, not to mention tens of thousands more injured; Iraq and its population have been devastated and have become a recruiting ground for terrorists; the war has been a huge drain on the American Treasury; Afghanistan has been neglected and now festers, while Al-Qaeda has become stronger as a rallying point for extremists.  Al-Qaeda cannot be defeated by armies because it is an idea, which is spread and enabled by the internet.  Another terrorist attack in the USA will succeed sooner or later because all it takes is one person with relatively crude devices - or even just a computer.

In Ageless Wisdom Spirituality, I pointed out that our greatest strength is actually internal.  We need all our bravery, clarity, common sense and compassion to meet our collective global challenges: the health of the planet, the poverty gap (which I think is linked with terrorism) and the indiscriminate implementation of science and technology.   9/11 was a tragedy but the loss of life and property was relatively small considering what other countries around the world experience.  The terrorists are winning because they have plunged us into Fear and distracted us from our really important challenges.  Americans are living in the past.  They keep on spending more than they earn and borrowing the difference from China, which is now poised to challenge the USA both economically and military; they cling to Old Oil, while the more forward-looking countries are already positioning themselves to lead the next wave, which will be “greener” and based on more alternative energy solutions; they refuse to look outside of their own borders for new ideas and inspiration or even feedback.

And what of Canada? Since 9/11, Canadian leaders have voluntarily (or been pressured behind closed doors) fallen in line with American policies.  Under Harper’s minority government, this process has accelerated with Canada having fallen off the international stage and become not much more than a neglected, American state, toeing the Presidential line.  Harper is operating more like an American president (especially Bush) with the PMO’s office holding ever more “secrets”, controlling talking points and bullying anyone who opposes or contradicts it, including career diplomats like Richard Colvin. Probably the next big bi-lateral issue to surface (or be pushed through in secret) is one which I have mentioned before in my blogs: the idea of Canada being included in a North American defensive “perimeter”, which will be manned mostly by the American army.  Of course, in exchange for all this “security”, they will expect more control of our water and natural resources and whatever else they find useful.  If we are going to hand over our defence to the USA, why is our defence spending increasing?  The whole point of a stronger army is to deter bullies, including the Americans!

Apart from the obvious issues of the erosion of Canadian democracy and independence, does it make even strategic and economic sense to bind ourselves ever more tightly to the sinking American Empire?

Recent polls and by-elections suggest that Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are edging towards a majority government.  Although it is obvious the Liberals keep shooting themselves in the Foot, is this enough reason to give Harper a free hand to run Canada, given his track record? (See below)

Remember Canadians kicked the Liberals out of power in 2006 after the Sponsorship Scandal broke, because they wanted to “punish”, “teach a lesson”, “send a message” etc.  At that time, I thought it was a rash reaction, since the economy and other aspects of government were in good shape and the money involved - $100 million plus - was insignificant compared to the many billions the federal government spends annually… which accelerated under the “fiscal conservative” Harper..  It was clear to me that Harper was an ideologue, who admired not only the Bush-Cheney free market/ de-regulation/ military might policies, but the bullying and divisive tactics they employed.  Thus far, Harper has acted as I though he would and has been politically cunning, outwitting the divided, cash-strapped and inept Liberal leadership.  Here is a brief summary of Harper’s “legacy” so far.

• The Economy. This seems to be Canadians’ main priority and they trust Harper with it.  Harper inherited from the Liberals a budget surplus (like George W Bush and the Democrats) of over $13 billion and a reasonably well-regulated banking system.  Even before the economy crashed at the end of 2008, Harper, who regularly rails against “Big Government” spending and regulation, had already exhausted this surplus on his own right-wing agenda: tax cuts, the military and “pork” projects for his power base – Alberta and the rural areas. Harper denied the economic crisis late into 2008 and then did a massive U-turn in order to hold on to power. Les Whittington recently wrote in the Toronto Star, “The Conservatives, having nearly lost their hold on power in the backlash against their do-nothing mini-budget last November, threw open the spending taps…. On Jan 27 (2009)….Flaherty unveiled a hastily crafted $35 billion, 2-year stimulus package.  Flaherty’s largesse brought down the curtain on Canada’s long-entrenched fiscal prudence and ushered in an era of cash shortfalls that will run up the national debt”.  Remember the threat of an anti-Tory alliance a year ago had Harper begging the Governor General to prorogue Parliament until Jan. 27, 2009, immediately after Obama’s inauguration?  He knew Obama was proposing a stimulus package and was buying time in order to get on board and cover himself with his own package thereby putting Canadians further in debt.  Not very fiscally conservative!
• The Environment.  Not so long ago, Canadians made the environment (including global warming) a high priority and were admired worldwide for their efforts. Harper tied his environmental policies to Bush’s and Canada became a major foot-dragger along with the USA. Even though Canadians think Harper projects “leadership” qualities, he is increasingly tying Canadian policies in many areas to those of America.  In supporting the Alberta oil sands, he is at once catering to America’s insatiable appetite for oil and at the same time favouring Alberta. Al Gore, recently in Toronto, warned, “Gas from the tar sands gives a (hybrid) Prius the same carbon footprint as a Hummer… a lot of money is at stake, but a lot of lives and the future of human civilization are also at stake”.
• Standing up for Justice.  As with the environment, Canada’s reputation for fairness and justice under Harper has taken a dive. He has refused to help Canadian citizens who have fallen foul of America’s security and military organizations, including those who have been tortured directly or “rendered” for torture.  Recently, widespread accusations have surfaced that his government ignored reports that the Canadian military in Afghanistan turned over prisoners to Afghan authorities despite reports of widespread torture. The Harper government reaction? Attack the whistleblower!… which in this case is the highly respected diplomat, Richard Colvin, supported by colleagues in the international community and  organizations like Amnesty and the Red Cross. Maybe the Tories were just emulating the Bush administration which “outed” (blew her cover) CIA agent, Valerie Plame, the wife of diplomat Joe Wilson, who contradicted Bush’s claim that Iraq was getting nuclear material from Africa.  This was before the Iraq war started. It turns out Wilson was right.
• Government and Democracy.  Harper has set out to deliberately weaken the Federal government (“Big Government”) by spending its surplus, cutting taxes, de-regulating and giving the provinces more power.  He is weakening the democratic process (not necessarily deliberately) by polarizing politics and taking more power into the PMO’s office, making it almost Presidential. Think of how forceful and partisan Harper has been, even with a minority government!  His government’s tactics are echoes of Bush-Cheney – attack ads, controlling what his ministers say (akin to Bush’s “talking points”, punishing his “enemies”, and becoming more secretive, despite his calls for “transparency” while in opposition.   As in the USA, these bully tactics are working for the right wing….but at a huge eventual cost to us all in terms of our Quality of Life.

PS Regarding deliberately weakening the government, See Star article Nov 30,2009 entitled "Big-spender Harper true to his neoconservative roots". Also forgot to mention above, Harper, having demonized China these past few years over human rights and torture, has belatedly recognized that China's economy will overtake the USA's soon..and is now sheepishly going off to China to beg for trade scraps.

The above is the sub-title of “Eco Harmony Dawn Cooking”, which I have just co-written with Nicola Lawrence, the Chef of Harmony Dawn retreat and my wife.

Recognizing the Interconnection / Oneness in life and the individual and collective implications and possibilities arising out of such a realization is the whole purpose of the www.andyjames.ca website and blog.  That may seem remote from the realities of life to some, but interconnection within and between our external and internal (mind-body) environments is a fact, logically undeniable, but commonly denied anyway.  Our book points out, “Food is a prime example of the interaction of inner and outer.  It is something ‘external’ we ingest into our bodies, which then affects our internal chemistry, energetics, moods, health etc.  These internal factors subsequently influence our interactions with the external world, including how we produce food…and so the circles go.”

The first 30 pages of the book are devoted to explaining how the internal and external environments are interconnected, with special emphasis on the environment, food and health.  We also explain how these principles have been incorporated into Harmony Dawn retreat, which has so strongly resonated with our guests that we are now mostly booked up a year in advance.

The rest of the book is stuffed with more than 160 easy, delicious (already taste-tested by our guests) recipes and environmentally-friendly and healthful shopping and cooking tips and advice.  This book is the result of popular demand by Harmony Dawn’s guests, as was Nicola’s first enthusiastically received book, “The Dao of Harmony Dawn Cooking: Innovative and Acclaimed Spa Cuisine”.

We have book launches October 27 and November 4 in Toronto.  Check out www.harmonydawn.com for details.  You can get copies of the book on www.harmonydawn.com or www.andyjames.ca  It makes a healthful and informative Xmas gift!