hmmm, from ezra...were one inclined to even consider his authorship, it would
be well advised to check the credibility of each and every one of his claims
and remember he's framing them from the standpoint of a ticked-off denier with
far too much media persuasion.
That said - and I wouldn't assume either Gore or Suzuki are saintly - they
still have only one system to work within - and it's ill advised to attack the
messenger, especially when their message is to change the system, unlike that
of ezra et all, who pre-suppose individual action operating within the crashing
system is sufficient.
IMHO, the saintly crowd still have respect - unlike the policy based evidence
makers - and their fictitious side remains merely a necessary evil to achieve
their ultimate goals - it's called hedging your bets.
I used to ask this each time I traveled to international conferences, but
realised that each time, I still make a greater contribution to a more
sustainable planet through the people I interact with, systems and policies I
influence, questions I raise, and values I articulate.
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 10/14/13, Steve Kurtz <kur...@ncf.ca> wrote:
Subject: Re: [Futurework] The two Suzukis
To: "RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION"
<futurework@lists.uwaterloo.ca>
Cc: "Ottawa Dissenters" <ottawadissent...@yahoogroups.com>
Received: Monday, October 14, 2013, 9:47 PM
Al Gore fits
this mold pretty well too.
Steve
On Oct 14, 2013, at 9:20 PM, Arthur Cordell
wrote:
The two
Suzukis: There’s Saint Suzuki, the one you see on CBC, and
Secret Suzuki, the capitalist millionaire· Oct. 11,
2013· original•There are
two David Suzukis.Most of us
know one of the Suzukis. Let’s call him Saint Suzuki.
That’s the Suzuki whose TV show on the CBC constantly
lectures us about our lifestyle. He says we need to consume
less, buy less and use less fossil fuels.But then
there’s another Suzuki. Let’s call him Secret Suzuki,
because he’s far less well-known.Secret
Suzuki is the one who lives on Vancouver’s elite Point
Grey Road, on a double lot, overlooking English Bay, right
above the exclusive Kitsilano Yacht Club. The City of
Vancouver assesses the land value alone at over $8 million.
And that’s just one of Secret Suzuki’s
properties.He has
another million-dollar home in Vancouver. And then there’s
another home on Quadra Island. That’s three homes right
there, if you count the double lot on Point Grey Road as
just one property.But then
there’s his large property holdings on Nelson Island.
What’s so fascinating about that one is that he co-owns
the property with an oil company, Kootenay Oil Distributors
Ltd. They don’t plan to drill for oil together. It’s a
beautiful tourist spot — maybe perfect for a nice big
condo development.Of course,
there’s nothing wrong with co-owning any property along
with an oil company. But isn’t Saint Suzuki against fossil
fuel companies — especially oil companies?Saint Suzuki
tells us that the world is desperately overcrowded, that
we’re overpopulated, and that we’re going to run out of
things.But in his
own life, Secret Suzuki has five children.There’s
nothing wrong with having five children. It’s a blessing.
But then why does he think other people should have fewer
kids?Saint Suzuki
rails against corporations and profits. He even gave a
well-received anti-capitalist speech at the Occupy Vancouver
protest.But Secret
Suzuki himself has several corporations. One of them, the
David Suzuki Foundation, took in a whopping $9 million last
year and has $12 million in assets. More than 10 million of
that is invested in stocks and bonds.Saint Suzuki
despises lobbyists, and says they have a disproportionate
control of political power in Ottawa. But Secret Suzuki
himself has nine paid lobbyists registered in Ottawa’s
lobbyist registry. Not one. Nine.Saint Suzuki
despises politicians, and says they can’t be trusted.
Secret Suzuki starred in a Liberal party TV ad along with
former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty.Saint Suzuki
says corporations have to be less obsessed by profits, and
do more for the public good. They need to especially think
of the interests of the next generation, our
children.But Secret
Suzuki has made a tidy profit off young people. His standard
speaking fee at universities in Canada is $30,000 plus
expenses. He billed Quebec’s John Abbott College a cool
$41,000 to visit them.Saint Suzuki
speaks in the language of tolerance and equality and
liberalism — utterly politically correct.But Secret
Suzuki engages in conduct that should cause feminists to
raise an eyebrow. When he visited John Abbott College, his
assistant called with special requests to go along with his
speaking fee. Here is an internal e-mail from the
college’s Mary Milburn: “We have learned, via Dr.
Suzuki’s assistant, that although the Dr. does not like to
have bodyguards per se, he does not mind having a couple of
ladies (females) that would act as body guards.” The
college’s Jim Anderson got involved in selecting the
coeds, too: “Please be certain that the women are nicely
dressed, we don’t want them in evening gowns, but
definitely NOT Police Tech uniforms.” All of this bizarre
selection of girls, dressed just so, was the result of
Secret Suzuki’s special request. If he were a
conservative, he’d be called a dirty old man. But he’s a
saint. So the college went along with it.David Suzuki
is not a criminal. But he is not a saint. He’s a real man
— a capitalist millionaire, a politician, a man with a
staff of lobbyists, a prolific father, a wealthy landlord.
If only he’d stop scolding the rest of us for aspiring to
do the same.Original
URL:http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/10/11/the-two-suzukis-theres-saint-suzuki-the-one-you-see-on-cbc-and-secret-suzuki-the-capitalist-millionaireShare/exportDid
this
article display correctly? Yes No
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