Segacs’s World I Know

I’m equally cynical and fearful of what tomorrow’s election results will bring. I cynically sense it will be nothing good, and I’m worried for the people and groups who will be most hurt by the fallout. And I’m fed up by people who don’t bother voting because they know that their privilege will protect them from the consequences of whatever happens.

Vote, and vote smart. Vote strategically. And vote compassionately.

Yes, sometimes that means holding your nose and voting for the least-worst option. That’s the reality of first-past-the-post, alas. But it’s better than the cold consolation of realizing your protest vote — or your refusal to vote — helped elect the option you despise the most.

Hello word

It’s December 31st again. But it’s been no typical year.

This time last year, I wondered whether we were a little too eager to leap from the frying pan into the fire. One year later, I can say unequivocally: I was right.

Even just a short list of what’s happened in the USA the past 12 months is far more frightening than anything that we could have imagined in our worst dystopian nightmares. From Russian collusion, to neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, to Muslim immigration bans, to a tax bill that will make the rich richer and everyone else poorer, to Puerto Rico still underwater months after Hurricane Maria, any short list of lowlights is just bad news following worse news. And that’s to say nothing of how we’re all cringing every time Donald Trump accesses Twitter to wonder if today is the day he’ll launch World War III.

What will 2018 bring in the US?

There are those who see signs that the year ahead will be better. Roy Moore lost in Alabama, after all. Surely that means the Left is mobilizing and is getting ready to take down Trump and the GOP in the midterms? Right?

Wrong.

Let’s consider the unique circumstances: The Republicans ran basically the worst human being ever (after Trump, perhaps) — a racist detached piece of megalomaniac scum who is also an alleged child molester — in what they thought was a safe state. And he still got almost half the votes. He only lost because African-Americans and minorities — who generally vote in much smaller numbers, in no small part because of a concerted effort to suppress their votes — turned out in big numbers to vote against him.

It’s an entirely different story in the 2018 midterms. The electoral math is staggeringly terrible for the Democrats in both the Senate — where they’re defending 25 seats to the GOP’s 8 — and the gerrymandered-beyond-redemption House of Representatives. No matter how bad Trump’s approval numbers are, it seems like an act of divine intervention would be needed for the Democrats to win back even one, let alone both, houses.

And scariest of all, Trump may actually get more powerful in 2018, as he appoints more judges to stack the courts in his favour. The one saving grace in 2017 is that many of Trump’s most egregious acts were blocked by the courts. But the President appoints judges, so this was a temporary stopgap measure at best. As more and more judges are appointed to the appeals courts by Trump, even that last-ditch safeguard will fall by the wayside.

I’m reminded of the old Yiddish folk tale: “It could always be worse“.

What about closer to home?

Here in Canada, things are a little less awful. Justin Trudeau may not be entirely living up to the high hopes that the Left had for him. But let’s face it: next to the likes of Trump, Theresa May, or most of the rest of the world’s leaders (democratic or otherwise), he’s still a breath of fresh air. He’s broken some promises and waffled on others, sure. But despite his penchant for selfies and occasional faux pas, I believe he’s still fundamentally a decent human being.

Meanwhile, Montreal has a shiny new female mayor in Valerie Plante, who so far has reversed the pit bull ban and cancelled the Formula E race. So what if she’s failed to defend diversity convincingly, and her more outlandish ideas, like the metro’s pink line, will never get built? At least the stakes here are refreshingly low. Montreal will go into its 376th year with just as many potholes as ever. Plus ça change.

More worrisome is our provincial political scene. 2018 is an election year, and the right-wing CAQ is riding high in the polls. There’s a lot of time between now and October, to be sure. But the prospects look bleak: The Liberals have alienated everyone with their overly zealous austerity measures, corrupt spending, and ill-conceived face-covering ban of Bill 62, just to name a few. Couillard’s approval rating is hovering around the 32% mark, which is worse than Trump’s! Both the PQ and the CAQ are determined to play the xenophobia card to win the racist vote. There’s no good alternative for anglos, minorities, or anyone with a fundamental sense of decency. Our province, already plagued with racial tension and divisive politics, is liable to get worse.

On a personal note

All things considered, my personal 2017 wasn’t all that bad.

I shared good times with friends and loved ones. I welcomed two new baby cousins to the world. I tasted good food, good chocolate, good beer. I had a pretty good year career-wise, working with a fantastic team of wonderful, smart people, one of the few lucky enough to actually make a living at something I enjoy. I live in a city I love with my whole heart. These things can’t be underestimated, and I’m grateful.

I travelled a fair bit: Ottawa, New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Portland. In the spring, I visited two new countries — Peru and Bolivia — and ticked off another one of the Seven Wonders from my bucket list. My itchy feet are always seeking out the next adventure.

Like most people, I’ve tried to do what I can in whatever limited capacity I had in order to fight to make things better: Marches, vigils, protests. It never seems like enough. But every time we show up to be counted, to say not in my name, it’s something, at least.

The point is, I’m lucky. And I’m grateful. Like most people this year, I have tried to balance my need to be informed with my need to stay sane. That means I’ve curled up in a cocoon a bit, away from the news, in order to regain my balance. It means I’ve spent time disconnected from the ever-pervasive Internet and its seemingly endless horror stories. Time with friends, time on the ski hill or hiking or biking, time in front of a fireplace with a good book. Balance is a tricky thing, especially when it’s layered with so much guilt. But self-care is important: You can’t help anyone else until you put your oxygen mask on yourself first, right?

What lies ahead?

There’s reason to hope that 2018 won’t be the end of all things. We humans have lived through much worse before, and we’re survivors.

If travel has taught me anything, it’s that despite the politicians and the power-mongers, most people in the world are fundamentally good and decent. If we keep remembering to look out for one another, to help those in need, and to hold onto our humanity, we will get through even this.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in

– Leonard Cohen

An 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck southern Mexico last night. So far, at least 30 people have been killed, and destruction is widespread. There’s also a major tsunami risk.

Mexican authorities said at least 32 people were killed in the quake, all in the southern states. In Oaxaca, which lies along the Pacific coast, there have been at least 23 deaths, according to the state governor, Alejandro Murat. Some 17 of the dead were found in the town of Juchitan, where residents put out pleas on social media for help recovering people from the wreckage.

Mexican authorities said at least 32 people were confirmed dead, including many in the state of Oaxaca along the Pacific coast. In some towns, such as Juchitlan in Oaxaca, there were reports of people trapped under rubble.

I travelled through some of those parts of Oaxaca and Chiapas a few years ago, which just makes it even more devastating in my mind.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods… Mother Nature is angry this month.

I’m almost hesitant to share this piece from The Atlantic because I don’t want to send the wrong message. Sexual assault is a huge problem on college and university campuses, and in general I’m strongly in favour of policies designed to believe victims when they come forward and to stamp out assault and toxic rape culture.

But… even an accusation of assault can ruin someone’s life. And sacrificing due process on an altar of doing the right thing isn’t the answer, either.

On too many campuses, a new attitude about due process—and the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty—has taken hold, one that echoes the infamous logic of Edwin Meese, who served in the Reagan administration as attorney general, in his argument against the Miranda warning. “The thing is,” Meese said, “you don’t have many suspects who are innocent of a crime. That’s contradictory. If a person is innocent of a crime, then he is not a suspect.”

Let me be clear: In the overwhelming majority of cases of campus sexual assault, the problem is that the victim is dismissed, disparaged or just plain not believed. Far, far, far too many assailants still get off scot-free or with a slap on the wrist. This is especially (though not exclusively) true when the assailant is a white male and/or the victim is a female person of colour.

In the latest from the ridiculous Montréal sait faire files: These painted lines directing cyclists to ride down the underpass on Atwater… on the sidewalk:

New paint on the sidewalk on both the northbound and southbound sides indicates that both cyclists and pedestrians are permitted to use it.

[ . . . ]

The southbound side of Atwater Avenue is of particular concern, because cyclists going down the steep hill can gain speed quickly.

[ . . . ]

The city says the new design is part of its strategy to make underpasses safer for cyclists.

The same thing has been done at other problem spots.

Officials say there is no room for a dedicated bike lane on Atwater Avenue — but Sauvé disagrees.

Agreed. I cycle down Atwater every day on my way to work, and I’d NEVER feel safe going down that hill on the sidewalk, no matter what the painted lines say.

Vélo Québec: We desperately need a proper separated bike path linking the De Maisonneuve path, Atwater Market, and the Lachine Canal bike path. That entire stretch is needlessly dangerous. At present, there’s no good way to navigate past the taxi stand near Place Alexis-Nihon, the poor visibility through the tunnel, the Lionel-Groulx metro station (with buses pulling in and out), the Atwater turnoff for the tunnel, and the pedestrian-only zones near the canal.

The whole area isn’t well thought out for cyclists at the moment. And there’s PLENTY of space for a bike lane, if only the city had the political will to build one.

As white supremacists march in the streets in the US, we can’t feel too smug here. Racism is, sadly, alive and well right in our home province, as the Liberal government chooses this moment to revive the debate about religious headgear.

Bill 62, the so-called anti-niqab bill, is being touted by the Liberals as a “compromise” that will allow for “social peace” — just a code word for a majority curtailing the rights of minorities … because any visual evidence of people different from them offends their fragile sensibilities so much that they can’t possibly survive. Or something. It’s akin to suggesting that the way to stamp out sexual assault is by telling women not to wear short skirts. It blames the victim of racism instead of the perpetrator. It assumes that the rights of a majority to not see something that offends them is more important than the rights of a minority to dress or practice their religion as they choose.

And, worst of all, Couillard’s approach is actually the most moderate of the three major parties, with both the PQ and the CAQ calling for even more stringent restrictions on religious headgear. It’s as if we’ve learned nothing from the mosque shooting in Quebec City earlier this year, from the Charter of Values debacle, or from what’s currently happening in the US and elsewhere.

Don Macpherson gets it exactly right in this case:

Bill 62 stigmatizes the tiny number of Muslim women in Quebec who wear facial veils. It encourages their persecution, like the harassment of women wearing Muslim head scarves during the debate on the former Parti Québécois government’s ill-fated “charter of values.”

It would enshrine in legislation the hypocrisy of Quebec’s “Catho-laïcité,” or Catho-secularism. One of Vallée’s amendments pretends that Quebec’s public institutions are founded on the separation of church and state, while the bill would preserve the crucifix placed in the Assembly to symbolize an alliance between the two.

The government pretends that the ban on face coverings in general does not discriminate on religious grounds. But its intent is given away by the fact that the ban is contained in a bill to restrict religious accommodations.

It’s a nasty little secret of politics that targeting vulnerable minorities gets candidates elected. Sadly that isn’t so much of a secret anymore, in the era of Trump. But we have our own demons to grapple with here.

It’s telling that so many quasi-Liberal, left-leaning people in Quebec support this nonsense. They believe, falsely, that because forced religion is bad, the answer to it is forced secularism. They want to hide any visual evidence of differences, in order to protect their “patrimoine”, or perceived superiority over everyone else. There’s honestly not much difference between the pro-laicite crowd and the neo-Nazis people marching in Charlottesville this week… except at least the latter are honest about their racist beliefs.

Bill 62 is a bad bill, scapegoating religious minorities in order to pacify racists. It should not become law. Call your MNA.