Welcome to the great twilight struggle between the democracies and the dictatorships ยญโ€” The United States has now become an outlaw state

Defending democracy on Capital Hill, Feb 5, 2025 โ€œThe democratic world will have to get along without America. It may even have to defend itself from it.โ€ ~ Andrew Coyne, The Globe and Mail, February 14, 2025 [Andrew Coyne, originally published in the Globe and Mail] I wonder if we have underestimated the gravity of... Continue Reading →

The Blessing of a Sneeze

A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen Anglican Church, Summerland BC / Sunday, February 16, 2025 / The Very Rev. Ken Gray I was recently told that I should include more humour in my sermons. I often do, though my joking around is often unplanned and spontaneous. Today however, I will begin with a... Continue Reading →

Flag Day in Canada โ€“ My contribution

We donโ€™t have a flag to fly on our patio today; other Canadians however certainly do. Itโ€™s refreshing that many Canadians have recovered their pride in our 60-year-old Maple Leaf Canadian flag, itself recently dishonored by trucker convoys and hootenanny right-wingers. Instead of parading the flag on our south-facing patio, I offer the memes below... Continue Reading →

Canada, the 51st state? โ€œOver our dead bodies,โ€ say Indigenous leaders

Brandi Morin, Ricochet Media Indigenous leaders across Canada are responding sternly to President Donald Trumpโ€™s controversial suggestion that Canada should become โ€œour cherished 51st state,โ€ emphasizing that any such discussion must recognize Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights. Dr. Wilton Littlechild, a prominent Cree lawyer from Maskwacis, Alberta who helped draft the UN Declaration on the... Continue Reading →

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Celebrating great Americans โ€” A new series of blogs Time for something different here at takenote.ca. Setting aside stories of the dark fascist in the white house and his posse of oligarchal henchmen I want to commence a series celebrating great modern day Americans. Today I feature Henry Louis Gates, Jr., someone I have only... Continue Reading →

Laying down the law, in Tanzania

Mwigulu, courageously speaking in front of the African Court last September [Ken Gray] Readers of my blog will already know that as an Albino myself I have long supported the work of Under the Same Sun, a charity based in British Columbia but working in Tanzania to support Albinos who live at great risk and... Continue Reading →

Words matter

James Murray, circa. 1879 in the scriptorium In 1992, a Lutheran Bishop joined a group of us Anglican clergy for a supper meeting at the local golf club in Sooke a short drive from Victoria. While my memory of the discussion is somewhat hazy, at one point during the meeting he simply said, โ€œwords matter.โ€... Continue Reading →

Are you saved?

A sermon for the parish of St. Saviour, Penticton BCSunday, February 9th 2025 / Fifth Sunday after the EpiphanyThe Very Rev. Ken Gray โ€œAre you saved brother?โ€ I used to hear this question a lot some years ago. It was spiritual lingua franca when I was coming into adulthood in the 1970s.  Christians, especially evangelicals,... Continue Reading →

Canada: The Labradoodle of allies

[KJG] Five-year-old Labradoodle Juno is a nationally recognized dog-blogger who lives with her Mawpaw and Pawpaw in Summerland in the BC Okanagan. Her numerous blogs on many topics remain a popular feature of takenote.ca. Today, she digs into US politics. Enjoy. [Juno] Jon Stewart, you nailed it. You have mended my broken heart, an organ... Continue Reading →

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