Having successfully brought freedom and democracy to Libya and Syria, France's Philosopher King casts his eye on Greece

I have no idea why, but today Canada's national newspaper of record gave an entire half page over to the international bon vivant and moron-at-large BHL.

The legend-in-his-own-mind BHL has it in for Tsipras and his referendum. Apparently holding a referendum on a matter that is life and death for the future of your country is anti-democratic.

Not only that, but it was an insult to 18 European countries, some of whom rolled over and cried "uncle" when they felt Frau Merkel's jackboot on their necks.

That's why Greece should roll over too...

That's pretty much the extent of the philosophical reasoning you're going to find here.

Has the global economy calmed the Hellenic crisis, or is this the calm before the storm?

Those fuckin' Greeks, eh?

They want dignity?

They have the audacity to want dignity after their banker betters mortgaged the nation for the next 300 years?

Well, I say the EU/IMF/ECB/World Bank crew should do all they can do to withhold that dignity.

After all, debts must be repaid... or the whole system is gonna go down the shitter.

Unless of course you are a major bank too big to fail.

Here's the thing. Our way of seeing things is at a crossroads.

Here's another way of seeing things.

I remember the late fifties-early sixties era when my fresh-off-the-boat father worked in a factory.

Back in the day, fresh-off-the-boat DPs of all stripes could get a factory job and buy a house and a car and believe in the good life. On one household income.

Fifty years later, productivity of the working class has gone up exponentially, but working people are either not working or they've become the working poor.

But it's been a great fifty years for hedge funds and bankers and all the other pillars of the Rumpelstiltskin economy.

Good for Tsipras and Varoufakis for saying "nein danke" and refusing, on behalf of the people of Greece, to take it up the ass anymore.

I think capitalism is great. It can motivate people to do great things. But it needs to be strictly regulated. Otherwise your're going to end up with a half dozen hedgie shit-bags running the whole show.

It's time to re-organize the global economy for the benefit of humanity.

Greeks put dignity and democracy before bailing out foreign banks

What, they're allowed to do that?

That's an outrage!

What if they catch wind of this insubordination in Portugal?

In Spain?.... Italy?

Hell, what if the people hear about this in America? What if Americans find out that bankers don't need to be allowed to call the shots?

Holy Geez... what's next?

We're on a slippery slope here folks... next you know there's gonna be pitchfork-wielding mobs marching on Wall Street chanting "OFF TO JAIL" and "LET THEM FAIL!"

Merkel to Greeks; no relief from austerity enema

One can only marvel at the myopic arrogance Frau Merkel demonstrates in her proclamations to the people of Greece. We hope the new government in Greece will stay the course in governing, finally, for the people of Greece instead of for German banks and foreign bondholders.

Let's not forget that much of Greece's accumulated debt is the result of extravagant military spending over the past thirty years, spending always applauded by the same suspects who now expect the Greek people to endure generations of making do with less to atone for the profligacy of the NATO acolytes who ran up the debt.

There are other problems of course. The Greek elite have been world leaders in the art and science of tax evasion ever since taxes were first invented. (by the Greeks, if I'm not mistaken!) PM Tsipras and his finance minister have let it be known they intend to change that, and hopefully they will not be cowed by the threats of the tycoons to move abroad. Since they're not paying their taxes anyway, that's not exactly much of a loss.

The main reason for Merkel's dire warning and Schaeuble's patronizing tone, as if scolding an errant child, is that these champions of the decaying old order realize history has arrived at a moment where too many are seeing that the emperor is stark naked.

"There's no arguing with us about this..."

Let's not argue then. The truth is, the EU and NATO need Greece far more than Greece needs them.

Tim takes it dry

Where's Eddie Shack when you need him?

Eddie once had the idea that he would be the next Tim Horton. Not on the ice, but in the world 'o donuts. For a few years you saw Eddie Shack donut stores here and there around Ontario, but alas, things never really caught fire for Eddie.

We got the news today that 350 Timmies employees, mostly head office folks with many years of service, got pink-slipped due to the new ownership of the venerable coffee and donut chain. It's all about synergies 'n efficiencies, don't ya know.

Mainly of course it's about making some filthy-rich hedge-fund shit-bags even richer.

So, what do you figure the future prospects are for some loyal employee who has worked at Timmies HQ for the last thirty years? I'd say they're pretty much screwed. Maybe, with a bit of luck, they can get a job passing coffee out the drive-thru window at their local Timmies.

I hit one of those pretty much every time I'm out and about. I'm inclined to boycott Timmies, but here's the problem; the success of the chain was built on the backs of the local franchisees. The gal who has the seven or eight stores in these parts is an incredibly hard-working woman who has a reputation for treating her employees well, and has always been actively engaged in the community. I don't want to boycott her.

If we had such a thing as government for the people, Industry Canada would not have rubber-stamped this deal. We do not have government for the people, however.

We have government for international capital.

The same government that allowed hedgies to destroy 5000 jobs at CP Rail while lining their pockets to the tune of billions.

The same government that allowed Caterpillar to shut down a perfectly viable locomotive manufacturer and destroy 400 well-paid manufacturing jobs in Ontario.

We need government that governs for the people of Canada, not for multinationals, hedge-fund managers, and international finance.

There's an election coming up soon. Obviously we've got to rid ourselves of this loathsome Harper crew. The tragedy is that there are no viable contenders on the horizon. Do you seriously think Trudeau will stand up for Canadian workers? He'll offer more in the way of banal pieties, but that will be that.

Regrettably,  now that the NDP has expunged their roots from their mission statement, I can't see anything changing with Mulcair either.

Canada needs to grow it's own Alexis Tsipras, and soon.