To thine own self be true

and evidence in Alberta. Again, like last summer, Kenney didn’t even offer one iota of evidence to back up his decision to open up and totally abandon Albertans, including, shamelessly, children, for his ego and to curry favor with trucker barbarians at the gates.

are mostly American. The GOPs are planning a simultaneous power-grab of Canada if they win the midterms. North America could become all of their corrupt/ed property. Even if dictator Trump ends up in jail.

Their goal is to spread social chaos, shutting down/destroying the economy and taking over the government and control of Canada.

They are an evil ‘American’ Fifth Column domestic-terrorism cult attacking Canada on many fronts.

They practise violent GOP “legitimate political discourse” a la the January 6th Capitol attack. When ‘inspired’ or ‘provoked’, they become instant dopey vandals and thugs who attack others willy-nilly without reason or common sense.

Much as the Capitol barbarians wanted to hang Pelosi and Pence, these simian-brained bums want to kill Trudeau. They do not want to talk to anyone outside the cult; others are pariahs to be ignored or simply, mindlessly, attacked.

The cult is a self-affirming system; the members all follow and worship Trump, the GOP, and the January 6th terrorists. They see themselves as ‘American’/Canadian ‘patriots’.

They also see themselves as superior super-beings, but they are merely dumb-ass hooligans instigating a ‘zombie apocalypse’, now.

They are truly low-functioning, intelligence-wise, and don’t have to think or ever question their leaders or the ‘mandate’.

They possess zero morality to challenge or question themselves and others in the cult.

That’s precisely who and what they are. And they are a very small minority alien fringe group that has hatched within our borders.

These are all small or thin chap/books. Anything published 100 years before 2022 would be considered a more valuable antique book.

American Literature

the ‘last word’ on 9/11; cute nicely packaged softcover of a girl’s poem with stills from Serguei Bassine’s line-drawn film (small DVD included) narrated by Rosie Perez

the classic 1st printing paperback (1960) that introduced American readers to the Beats

1955 reprint paperback; rare signed by Miller

1 of 2500 copies of 1993 facsimile reprint of the 1890 original

1966 softcover printing of the 1956 original; Ginsberg’s biggest hit which was the subject of a controversial book trial

1972 reprint I discovered when I started teaching; I, consequently, taught an English option called The Poetry of Rock which featured the likes of Dylan, Lightfoot, and The Beatles

2008: an interesting theme for a poetry anthology; cute little book

1956 movie book for kids; an olde personal favorite by Felix Salten popularized in North America by Disney

1968 Hallmark dust jacketed book; Hallmark used to sell these quaint kinds of books in their stores once upon a time

the best-selling 1st ed. signed by the author who died recently (over 100 years old)

a delightful, witty one-off 1988 softcover

British Literature

1880s-1910? leatherette illustrated Elizabeth Barrett Browning poems

beautiful 1912? suede cover on mini-book of Coleridge’s poems

1989 illustrated paperbound chapbook from a series

British Library hardcover, no date; Carroll’s original drawings prior to Tenniel’s famous illustrations

1968 hardcover, illustrated book of Tennyson’s famous poem

cute little 1969 reprint I studied from in Modern British and American Drama course at U of A in 1970-71; includes Synge’s “Riders to the Sea” and “Playboy of the Western World”

a wonderful tiny chapbook that used to be sold in bookstores for Christmas–first appeared in 1959; the best possible gift you could ever hope to give a reading child or teen for Christmas

rare 1927 chapbook of Eliot’s poem; artwork by E. McKnight Kauffer

San Francisco’s Westgate Press 1930 ed., the only book she ever had published first in a non-UK country; rare, slipcased, numbered and signed in purple ink by Woolf

a recent, rare acquisition of this very small print run ed. of love poems signed on the cover by singer-songwriter Donovan

1900-1907? book has illustrations throughout of what used to be called the greatest poem in the English language; color hardbound cover

1973 paperback reprint which changed my views of madness, alienation, and psychiatry

1961 dust jacketed reprint of Thomas’s classic radio play; notice Dylan pictured on the front cover

1991 paperback hot on the heels of Four Weddings and a Funeral movie; poem recited by gay lover in funeral scene

the iconic paperback cover; 1988 reprint

1988 reprint with very rare Stoppard inscription; his first and best-known play which later became a movie

Canadian Literature

1926 hardbound

rare 1909 tiny leatherette chapbook

the 1944 softcover version

politically incorrect these days; but this was a memorable 1966 paperback; a 1940 Governor-General winner

very rare signed early chapbook by the female author  with a note to a reader

1968 paperback; I used to teach Ross’s excellent Depression short stories; this is an incredibly rare signed copy (he seldom signed anything)

the 1967 paperback novella I read coming back to Edmonton on the train from my honeymoon, 1971

rare 1954 paperback version of Richler’s early novel The Acrobats

1952 paperback about an out-of-wedlock pregnancy

rare 1956 chapbook signed by Layton to his daughter

rare signed 1923 hardbound with illustrations by Group of 7’s Varley

Gr. 12 memory: the chapbook I bought sold to me by my teacher as a study aid; an ON publication with essays by ON authors

Robert Stead was better known for his Manitoba prairie novels; this 1912 collection of poems has a color pastedown on the hardback cover

a 1983 reprint of the best lit crit book ever done by a Canadian; I bought it because it was signed by the author; it changed and enhanced my English teaching pedagogy back in 1975 AD

a rare signed paperback copy of his award-winning novel about French and English Canada

-the somewhat lurid paperback cover with Joanne Woodward from the movie of the same name (her husband Paul Newman directed); I saw it in 1970 at U of W after we had read Margaret Laurence’s A Jest of God in an early CanLit course

Cohen’s ‘pornographic’ novel–same paperback ed.–which I first memorably encountered during a Can Lit course at U of Winnipeg in 1969;

a very small book published in 1880; Roberts’ first collection and the first consequential title of the Confederation poets–it made Lampman want to write and publish; signed by Roberts–incredibly rare

incredibly rare 1939’survivor’ with very rare inscription; the classic poem about the Canadian Depression

left: 1966 Canadian paperback version; right: original 1945 UK dust jacketed book about controversial (then) out-of-wedlock pregnancy/love affair

a rare signed copy of the same 1974 ed. I used to teach my Gr. 10 Academic Challenge kids; her most impressive book–a collection of related/overlapping stories written over a period of years and published separately at first; amazingly, it reads like a novel

1927 dust-jacketed book inscribed inside

Graham’s most famous novel in 1948 paperback

risque 1965 paperback version

Cohen’s earliest publication: 3 poems in his university’s 1959 chapbook

two more of the poems

1966 McClelland & Stewart; my wife bought his 1st 4 softcover books when she was a u undergrad when Cohen’s poetic reputation was first being established

‘Al Purdy Was Here’–inscription to an ON bookseller in his Governor-General book winner

1942 dust jacketed book with rare inscription; his poem “David” has long been considered the Great Canadian poem

scarce signed dust-jacketed 1955 Andre Deutsch

rare 1932 dust jacketed book with enclosed postcard and 3 letters, 2 signed by the author

1912-16? early ed. with very rare signature of this beloved Canadian humor classic

his popular 1895  book with his most famous poem

very scarce softcover signed and inscribed to her Toronto  dentist; author of 2 Governor-General winning novels

enclosed letter to the dentist

rare 1946 U.K. dust jacketed book

rare 1942 U.K. dust jacket with 1st day cover envelope and stamp tipped in

1888 hardbound–his first book–incredibly rare signed, inscribed to an Ottawa friend

1974 signed book with rare tipped in letter

rare 1912 inscribed Pauline Johnson

rare 1979 inscribed children’s book: “I wish that they would accept her–this other cat–among their numerous other cat friends. With affectionate remembrance.”

doubly rare: the 1926 dust jacketed book, signed

International

1995 softcover movie tie-in book

to his base, his rogue MLAs, and trucker convoys. Today is the day he surrenders to the wanna-be American, simian-brained, hooligan truckers, assuming they will now just peacefully disassemble. (Wrong again, another Kenney cowpie; they want to destroy and take over Alberta and Canada once and for all. They are here to stay.)

Kenney’s relentless war on Albertans peaks today as he totally abandons the ordinary folks of Alberta to COVID and, potentially, to the barbarians at the gates and borders. He shamelessly and without an ounce of moral courage or conscience caves in because of his desperate ego and fears of losing power.

The emergent uncivil war within the UCP does not mean that all remaining Albertans should line up like lemmings in this mad dash to deep oceanic oblivion. Much like last summer, The People have been sold down river by Kenney to COVID and now, too, to  crazy truckers and American manifest-destiny interests. (We can see now that the Washington trip was yet another cowpie foreshadowing Kenney’s collapse today. He basically welcomed American money and interests to the wide-open spaces, y’all, of Wild West Stampede-Alberta–a message taken very seriously by all the GOPers financially backing the trucker convoys. Thanks again, Jason.)

For our own sanity, protection, and survival, The People of Alberta need no longer accept counsel and guidance from Kenney and his thoroughly corrupt, dysfunctional party with all its loser-ignoramus ministers and mini-tyrants: Madu, Hinshaw, Copping, Shandro, LaGrange, et al.

Instead, we need to continue operating on our own–following common sense, facts, truth, medical science and experts, education experts, and environment experts. We need to look after ourselves, our families, friends, community members, co-workers, and fellow Albertans. Jason and his incompetent henchwo/men have just left the room for good. (Only the province’s mayors should be supported and obeyed if they opt instead to protect public health.)

Today, too, we must have the courage of our convictions and choose Canadian sanity over American insanity, unlike the American UCPers and ‘killers’ at our gates. Today a whole culture, province, and way of life are in peril unless we respond autonomously and smartly.

No, no one is looking out for The People of Alberta anymore; (truth is, Kenney and the UCP never were). And we, as individuals, do not have to line up, mindlessly, to sell out to the American carpetbaggers and this out-of-control, brainless power grab.

Not!!
No, these simian-brained yahoos are defying the laws of the land (assaulting masked citizens, setting fire to an apartment building in Ottawa, breaking noise bylaws 24/7, vandalizing and desecrating the war memorial and Terry Fox’s statue), waving Confederate, Trump, and Nazi flags.

These are not decent, civilized, polite, live and let live people; they are irrational ‘animals’ with no respect for themselves, their families, friends, and others. They want to be part of the States, are financed by GOPers, are violent, unruly, abysmally ignorant, anti-social, and full of themselves– out of control. They want the Alamo here so they whip out their guns and die ‘heroes’ in their own minds.

He stole 15 boxes of government files the National Archive had to retrieve for the Jan. 6 committee.

*NB/ Since then, hundreds more classified documents were found under his custody.

As he gleefully watched the Capitol riot, he replayed scenes over and over on his monitor, impressed and in awe that the rioters were doing this “all for him”.

The weekend tv morning news anchor didn’t bt an eyelid saying “crap” last weekend.

Elsewhere, on American tv, there has been a lot of “frickin'” and “friggin'” used the past year.

W.H. Auden’s poem “There Will Be No Peace” returns to mind:
( a very prophetic poem about today’s world light years ahead of its time, methinks)

Though mild clear weather
Smile again on the shore of your esteem
And its colours come back, the storm has changed you:
You will not forget, ever,
The darkness blotting out hope, the gale
Prophesying your downfall.

You must live with your knowledge.
Way back, beyond, outside of you are others,
In moonless absences you never heard of,
Who have certainly heard of you,
Beings of unknown number and gender:
And they do not like you.

What have you done to them?
Nothing? Nothing is not an answer:
You will come to believe – how can you help it? –
That you did, you did do something;
You will find yourself wishing you could make them laugh,
You will long for their friendship.

There will be no peace.
Fight back, then, with such courage as you have
And every unchivalrous dodge you know of,
Clear on your conscience on this:
Their cause, if they had one, is nothing to them now;
They hate for hate’s sake.

………………………………………….

Hate is motivating the current rallies more than any bogus cry for limited self-centered ‘freedom’. These hooligans hate anyone wearing a mask, Jews, blacks, non-whites, Trudeau, Terry Fox, the war dead who fought for this country in previous wars, police, and any politicians not supporting them.

The majority of Canadians who are innocent, decent, law-abiding folks find themselves unfairly and irrationally cast as The Other in their own country by idiots of a faux-american nationality.

Jonathan Capehart’s interview with King associate Dr. Clarence B. Jones, now in his 90s:

1) about how he smuggled out “Letters from the Birmingham Jail” written on white spaces of newspapers and also on sheets of paper he brought in to King under his shirt. Jones had no idea what he had smuggled out till the piece was later typed up!

2) about his role in being summoned secretly by Harry Belafonte to show up at a NY bank, then meeting Nelson Rockefeller’s brother in the vault to receive and sign for $100,000 for anon bail money he’d take back to Birmingham to free King. Though Jones had signed for the money to be repaid at the bank, he later received a note saying the debt was forgiven!