Category: Uncategorized

December 23, 2022

“The Gospel of St. Nicholas”

A number of years ago I researched the REAL story of St. Nicholas/Santa Claus and what I discovered was surprising…

THE GOSPEL OF ST. NICHOLAS
Translated & edited by Randolph Carter
(Miskatonic University Press; 2007)

Another lost gospel? Oh, dear, here we go again.

Ever since a couple of farmers stumbled across a treasure trove (over 1000 pages) of ancient scrolls just across the river from Nag Hammadi (Egypt) in 1945, we have been captivated by the notion of “hidden” or heretical texts, suppressed by church leaders, lost to the ages. These texts would, some think, overthrow prevailing church dogma and reveal the “true” message of Christ. The Gospel of Thomas caused a bit of a stir some years back and then a few scraps purporting to give Judas’ side of the most infamous betrayal in human history were recently unearthed and published in the pages of a certain world-renowned magazine.

But the ancient texts always end up promising more than they deliver. Thomas turned out to be a…

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July 16, 2017

The State of the Union (2017)

Disorder in the Real

Something has gone wrong, somewhere along the way the polarities were switched or we missed a critical turn or…?

Power has devolved to self-interested, greedy individuals in the thrall of capital.

We have been passive observers, happy to cede control and responsibility to others as long as that means we’re free to pursue our frivolous entertainments and distractions.

But all of a sudden it’s like someone has decided the illusion need no longer be maintained. The elite have grown wary of even the tepid, paltry democracy we celebrate every four years.

There will no longer be elections, key positions will be appointed from a trained, compliant technocracy.

Not politicians, autocrats.

Graffiti

Aided by a permanent state of emergency, which helps rationalize the curbs to freedom, the removal of basic rights, judicial oversight, etc. When liberty, personal or collective, impedes commerce (they claim), the natural order is disrupted and economic stability threatened.

Rich, as a reward. Poor for a reason.

Alert for dissent, some budding Robespierre waiting in the wings (the creak and rumble of tumbrils still haunt their dreams). Discredit or kill potential opposition leaders (give ’em the “Assange treatment”). No quarter for class enemies. To the victors, the spoils.

Idolizing Lee Kuan Yew, while demonizing Marx.

Controlling the means of production and the dissemination of information.

Governing a cowed and stupid populace, relegated to low wages, uncertainty, fear; resigned to their diminished station.

Militarizing and privatizing the police, just in case harsher lessons are required.

Resorting to patriotism, should every other artifice fail.

Red Glare

July 15, 2017

Letter From Istanbul

It’s been a year since the coup attempt in Turkey.

Sherron and I arrived a few days afterward and found the atmosphere in Istanbul remarkably calm. But there were underlying tensions and anxieties–what would Erdogan do next? Most people we spoke to mistrusted their leader’s motivations and believed Turkey risked autocracy unless wiser voices prevailed.

It seems those forebodings were justified. Erdogan clearly wants to be another Putin, with all the ugliness that entails; gradually moderate, democratic voices are being silenced by jail or purges.

And it was already starting to happen when I wrote this post, back in August, 2016.

Beautiful Desolation

Recently, my wife and I returned from a dream holiday: a month in Greece, Turkey and the Czech Republic. Mere days before we were to leave for Istanbul, however, Turkey experienced a coup attempt in which nearly two hundred and fifty people died, many of them civilians. Friends and family urged us to cancel this leg of our trip but, then, some stability was re-established and we decided we couldn’t miss visiting that ancient capital, truly one of the world’s “eternal” cities. We flew into Kemal Ataturk Airport and spent an incredible ten days walking its teeming streets. But while we were out and about, chatting with waiters, hawkers and people from various strata of society, I started composing an article on the attitude of ordinary Turkish citizens to the bungled coup and their autocratic leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Here it is:

The woman in Taksim Square is insistent: we must…

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May 23, 2017

Manchester

23/05/2017

The morning after the Manchester bombing
an old grey tomcat sleeps under a white maple
in our backyard, oblivious to human affairs,
indifferent to the harm we inflict on one another.

I wish I had his equanimity, then I wouldn’t feel
so bewildered by a universe that seems to condone
random violence, so disappointed in a species that has
forgotten the simple joy of napping beneath a shady tree.

December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and all the best in 2017 to our small but ferocious band of supporters and readers.

Cheers!

(From Cliff Burns & Black Dog Press)

November 11, 2016

Donald Trump’s election was a GOOD thing (no, really!)

screen-shot-2016-11-11-at-11-09-26-am

I’ve posted my views on Donald Trump’s election on social media, Tweeting and Facebooking…but then I started hearing from folks that while my little quotes and snippets were nice, some deeper analysis was necessary. There were some not-so-subtle hints that I was shirking my duties as resident curmudgeon and unrepentant Leftie. Surely I had something more substantial to say…

And so, to make amends, I offer a longer response, a piece that makes the shocking assertion that the Donald’s occupancy of the White House might be the best thing that could have happened to the political Left.

That made you sit up and take notice, didn’t it?

Read this…and feel free to offer your own opinions and reactions:

Good, Honest Hatred (essay)

June 12, 2016

The proof!

Righteous Blood is in the house.

The proof is well-nigh perfect and I’ve gone ahead and ordered copies for friends, Saskatoon bookstores, reviewers, etc.

The book retails at $19.00 and the shipping costs will be similar to my previous offering, Disloyal Son. Check my Bookstore page for further details.

Come ‘n git it!

April 28, 2016

An open letter to the party faithful

Trent Wotherspoon has been appointed interim leader of the NDP here in Saskatchewan. I decided to write him a note, reflecting on the disastrous recent provincial election results and the future direction of the party.

Here’s what I said:

Mr. Wotherspoon:

Like many progressives in this province, I was dismayed by the results of the last election.

For the past thirty+ years I have voted NDP or Green in every federal and provincial contest.

I think what bothered me most about this past election is that I didn’t see enough, well, socialism at the heart of the party’s message. I believe it was Pat Atkinson who complained that Mr. Broten’s campaign seemed to consist of a kinder, gentler version of Mr. Wall’s, and I think that’s a legitimate criticism. I didn’t see any kind of a defining, guiding ideology, the kind of definitive statements I was looking for as a traditionally left wing voter:

* No mere moratorium, an outright ban on fracking

* Transitioning out of the fossil fuel economy, investing in job retraining for oil patch workers, Green technology, aggressive environmental targets, punishing polluters, enacting a carbon tax, ditching ridiculously expensive and untried “carbon capture” technology, etc.

* Massively increased grants and subsidies to post-secondary students so that college and university is affordable for all

* An overhauled tax system that digs deeper into the pockets of upper income earners; luxury taxes on big ticket items

* A minimum wage that allows the working poor to live with a modicum of dignity

* Cultivating better relations with First Nations people, while presenting a friendly, welcoming atmosphere to new Canadians and refugees

* Higher wages and better staffing for those caring for our seniors

* More subsidized housing for low income earners (partnering with federal government)

* Prosecuting “slum” landlords

* A system of pharmacare (in tandem with feds) to alleviate prohibitive costs of prescription medicine

* Including regular dental visits and procedures under provincial medicare, at least for for children up to 18

* Restoring the sanctity of collective bargaining and labour fairness

…instead I heard too much talk about bringing back the film tax credit, not exactly a high priority among the people I’m acquainted with. However, I do hear many of them fretting about the cost of sending their kids to college or how much their braces are going to set them back.

Mr. Wotherspoon, for too long the NDP, both provincially and federally, has been trying to crowd into the middle of the road along with everyone else. When I see a new approach, like the LEAP Manifesto, I’m struck with some hope–at least there are some out there who feel as I do, that the party has abandoned principles for a shot at power, ideology in favour of practicality and pragmatism.

The people of this province are apprehensive of the future and I believe they would like some reassurance that the NDP understands that they’re having trouble making ends meet, that they spend many sleepless nights worrying how they’re going to afford to pay the bills and still retain the ability to provide for their kids’ education fund. Ordinary men and women will vote for the party that has their back, that they believe will minister to their present needs, while also devoting sufficient thought to the future world we’re creating.

“Since the dawn of history in virtually every human society there are some people who are given a great deal and many more people who are given little or nothing. Some people have property and power, class and capital, status and clout which are denied to the many. And time and time again, the people who receive a great deal tell the many to be grateful to be given anything at all. They say that the world cannot be changed and the many must accept the terms on which they are allowed to live in it. These days this attitude is justified by economic theory. The many with little or nothing are told they live in a global economy whose terms cannot be changed. They must accept the place assigned to them by competitive markets. By the way, isn’t it curious that globalization always means low wages for poor people, but is used to justify massive payments to top chief executives.

Our Labour Party came into being to fight that attitude…”

–Jeremy Corbyn, British Labour Party leader

I hope that in the coming months the NDP will have a “long, dark night of its soul” and seek to recapture some of the vision and courage of an individual like Tommy Douglas, who overcame disapprobation and vilification and enacted profound changes on our society that resonate still.

I’ll be watching your discussions and deliberations with great interest.

Regards,

Cliff Burns

February 4, 2016

Flash Fiction

2020

Endless processions of driverless cars.

Delivering their contents to automated houses.

Under the constant scrutiny of cameras, overhead drones.

Smart appliances reporting preferences, behavior, patterns; mined for data, narcing to their corporate masters.

Election night: voting by remote control, hardly bothering to check the results.

Keeping your head down, mouth shut.

Addicted to livestreaming porn sites.

Disgusted by the state of affairs but powerless to effect any change.

Buying stupid trinkets to fill the void.

Drugs when nothing else works.

An epidemic of suicide in your age bracket.

Desperately lonely and neurotic, verging on anti-social.

In your solitary rooms, secured by triple locks.

Talking to yourself and the listening walls.

Waiting for the knock on your door.

January 28, 2016

Quote of the day: Charles Eisenstein

“We are only able to continue our ravaging of the planet under the cover of pretense. How is it that we as a society take no action, when the awful artifacts of our way of life on this planet lay strewn all around us? How is it that we continue to hurtle toward an obvious abyss? It is only because we have been rendered blind and insensate. Underneath their numbers games, the banks and hedge funds are stripping wealth away from the masses and the planet. Behind every profit statement, behind every executive bonus, is a trail of wreckage: strip mines, debt slaves, pension cuts, hungry children, ruined lives, and ruined places. We all participate in this system, but can do so willingly only to the extent we do not feel, see, or know. To conduct a revolution of love, we must reconnect with the reality of our system and its victims. When we tear away the ideologies, the labels, and the rationalizations, we show ourselves the truth of what we are doing, and conscience awakens.”

-Charles Eisenstein, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible