I am a Canadian writer and blogger, and a former MP. This site reflects my interest in politics, social justice, rhetoric, and books. You will see on the sidebar that I write two Blogs which I invite you to follow. I have written or edited eight Books, and you can read more (below) about my ninth which is upcoming. Some of my Journalism is posted on the site as well. Please check out the selections below to see what I am following and writing in recent days. I refresh this page regularly. You can follow it, but if you prefer to receive an email when I post, please Contact Me and I will add you to the list.
Timothy Snyder on Trump’s “bloodbath” speech
I don’t often carry stories on US politics because we read and see so much about it in the media. But Donald Trump gave a speech on March 16, 2024 promising a “bloodbath” if he is not elected in November 2024. Trump, his handlers and other apologists did their usual wink, wink, nod, nod, saying for public consumption that he was misunderstood and taken out of context. He wasn’t. American historian Timothy Snyder dissects the speech and warns that Trump means what he says. Fascism is on the near horizon in the US. I also recommend Snyder’s short, but powerful book On Tyranny.
Cash-stuffed envelopes
Brian Mulroney, who died in February, 2024, is being widely feted as a great prime minister. But after he left office, he also took envelopes stuffed with cash from a lobbyist and had no credible explanation for it.
Whose Land is Palestine?
Israel’s relentless bombing and ground attacks on Gaza in response to an earlier attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023 have now claimed more than 30,000 lives. The Hamas attack was brutal and deadly, but Israel’s retaliatory assault on homes, offices, schools, shelters, and hospitals has killed twenty Palestinians for each person murdered in the Hamas attacks. There have been widespread calls for a ceasefire, and the government of South Africa has taken Israel to the International court of Justice alleging genocide against the people of Gaza. In a book written long before the latest hostilities, author and pastor Frank Epp asked (and answered) an important question about Israel and Palestine. You can read about it here.
A Communist for the RCMP
I have been working on a book called A Communist for the RCMP. It is the true story of a long-time civilian informant for the RCMP Security Service, first in Calgary and later Regina. His handlers warned him not to keep notes, but he did, and they were later handed over to me. Those notes, and a good deal of added research, allow me to tell the story of a hopelessly conflicted character, and to reconstruct how the Security Service spied on tens of thousands of Canadians. I am publishing with Between the Lines, the book will be available in June 2024. You can order from your favourite independent bookstore (please), from the publisher, or, if you prefer, from a chain, or Amazon.
Quotable quote
“What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all. To this end, may we take our share in the world’s work and the world’s struggles” -J.S. Woodsworth
Dennis Gruending 