Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Cory Greenlees, Jan Slomp, Janine Bandcroft Feb. 24, 2014

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

While the news this week is rife with rumours of coups and possible new elections coming to Ukraine, another test of democracy is unfolding on this side of the world. Earlier this month, El Salvador held its presidential election.

The tiny, Central American nation was infamous, in the 1980's especially, for a distinct lack of democracy, with US-supported right-wing death squads terrorizing the people, and triggering an armed rebellion that led to civil war.

El Salvador's violent history, and timorous democratic reemergence, has been watched closely by international human rights organizations, with many sending delegations down at election time to ensure the game is played squarely. This year was no exception.

Listen. Hear.

Cory Greenlees, is a Victoria resident and member of the Mining Justice Action Committee and Victoria Peace Coalition. Cory answered the local FMLN Committee call for volunteers, and travelled south to act as an election observor.

She'll be presenting a slide show and talk this Friday at the Central American Support Committee, CASC's, monthly Cafe Simpatico coffee house at 1923 Fernwood Rd, in the heart of the Fernwood community.

Cory Greenlees in the first half.

And; few believe a farmer's life is an easy one; the vagaries of weather, diminishing soil quality, market instability, transport and input cost variability all conspire to ensure this is no business for the faint-hearted. Perhaps more worrisome though than all these is when government, captured by corporate Agribusiness behemoths, conspire to undermine the latter's little competitors.

It can hardly be a surprise then to discover Mr. Harper's New Government, a regime marked by, if nothing else, its irrational exuberance for the corporate philosophy and a business-first devotion to the magic of the invisible hands of the market, is in bed again with those interests to push through the Agricultural Growth Act.

Within Bill C-18, yet another Tory Omnibus Bill, is language the National Farmers Union fears would jeopardize their right, and that of the next generation of farmers to come, to save, reuse, exchange, and sell seed.

Jan Slomp is president of the NFU, a quote: "[D]irect-membership organization made up of Canadian farm families who share common goals." Jan and the Union have some serious concerns about what Bill C-18 could mean for both Canadian farmers on the land today, and in the future.

Jan Slomp and for whom the Agricultural Growth Act springs in the second half.

And; Victoria Street Newz publisher and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of what's going on, good and otherwise, around our town and beyond in the coming week. But first, Cory Greenlees and taking a trip to the polls down El Salvador way.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca.  He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the corporate media.