From the category archives:

Ideology

Social Media filling the gap in local politics

by Rod Edwards on October 1, 2009

Ok, CPC. I’ve said it before. Now is the time to be trailblazers and seize the technological high ground. From PBS, “Local Politicians Use Social Media to Connect with Voters:”

“A newspaper article gives you such a shallow understanding of the events that occurred at City Hall,” said recently elected Tuscaloosa, Ala., mayor Walter Maddox. “A television story is 30 seconds if you are lucky. Through our website, through Facebook, through MySpace and Twitter, we can provide a more detailed and compelling message to the voters of why we are making a certain policy decision. [PBS]

I found this PBS article on the blog of a fellow Manitoban, which I stumbled across on Twitter:

“During my commute this morning, I noticed a section of our street “under construction”. The street was closed off. I have no idea what they are doing. And why. It occurred to me that I’m no longer satisfied in “letting things happen to me”. Perhaps I’m influenced too much by participatory technologies, but I like to know what’s happening my community. Who decided this road should be repaired? Why? How long will it take? What other priorities were shelved as a result? Not-knowing is not acceptable.” [Elearnspace]

That’s a powerful statement: not-knowing is not acceptable. That’s an audience of ready-made evangelists and tech-savvy, politically-engaged voters that the CPC should be working to connect with. They’re in your community, down your street, in the car next to you on the morning commute. You don’t see them doing it, but they weild weight in their communities, online and off. How are we reaching them?

{ 0 comments }

Scary Fundamentalist pegs the Burka Debate

by Rod Edwards on July 10, 2009

Wow – an excellent, well-reasoned post on Burkas, human rights, religious freedom, and politician’s duties on matters of this nature:

Edit: I shared Scary’s post on Reddit, which is always seems to stir up good debate.

There are many arguments in support of banning the burka that, at first blush, are convincing. The burka is not proscribed by the Koran or mainstream Islam. Many consider the garment to be symbolic of oppression; the woman within has no identity, no contact with the outside world. Some call it a “prison”, enslaving its wearer to her husband. These are an affront to the values of Western nations, Canada included.

None of these arguments, though, present a transgression of recognized human rights as long as burka fashion is voluntary. In other words, if someone wants to wear it, why shouldn’t she (or even he) be allowed to? More importantly, if someone truly feels that they have a religious duty to wear it, then we also risk trampling on another freedom, that of religion…

…Sarkozy has the right to condemn the Burka, even when speaking as the representative of the French people. I would even argue that he has the duty, since a vast majority find the practice to be repulsive. He should not, however, seek to use the powers of the state to compel women to dress a certain way in public, contrary to their religious beliefs…

…For that would be forcibly taking these women from the only prison they know, and in the process subjecting all of us to a bigger prison – that of the nanny-state.

[Scary Fundamentalist]

{ 10 comments }

Small Government vs. Smart Government: The New Conservatism

July 10, 2009

In a comment I made on yesterday’s “Banning Bottled Water” post, CWTF challenged my thinking on the Nanny State aspects of policy of this nature. In responding, I was finally able to elucidate why I think policy like banning bottled water is inherently conservative: I see something like banning bottled water as “conservative” because it [...]

Read the full article →

The Noise and Rage and Endless Chatter

June 14, 2009

…and because politics seems to speak so little to what they are going through – because they understand that politics today is a business and not a mission, and what passes for debate is little more than a spectacle – they turn inward, away from the noise and rage and endless chatter. [Barack Obama, The [...]

Read the full article →