Ryan Hillier
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ryanhillier.bsky.social
Ryan Hillier
@ryanhillier.bsky.social
580 followers 130 following 1.7K posts
Marxist. Internationalist. Writer.
https://osedax-writer.blogspot.com/
“Capitalism carries war within it,
just like clouds carry rain.”
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ryanhillier.bsky.social
Irrational behaviour driven by fear. Large swathes of the population devoid of the ability to think critically.
In a suburb on the outskirts of the capital, Marcin Fedyna has been nearly run off his feet trying to keep up with the number of gun enthusiasts coming to his shooting range called PM Shooter. It’s not uncommon for 100 people – some as young as 10 years old – to be firing off rounds on a weekday and up to 1,000 people drop by on Saturdays and Sundays. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “we’re making, double, triple the numbers,” he said. And after events like the drone attack in September, “everybody comes in and asks me if there’s going to be a war.”
November 12, 2025 at 1:36 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Roy Hobbs professes his love for the game of baseball.
November 2, 2025 at 4:01 AM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Yooo. Thanks for the rec!
The poster for the film 'Spirits of the Dead'
October 31, 2025 at 9:53 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
First thing that came to mind when I read this. No matter what the US still triggers the giant boulder
Indiana Jones ponders how to take a golden idol without triggering a series of deadly traps. He attempts to place a bag of sand of a similar weight to the idol on the idols' ceremonial pedestal.
October 31, 2025 at 9:50 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
In 1762, Rousseau wrote "There is peace in dungeons, but is that enough to make dungeons desirable?"
It will be said that a despot gives his subjects the assurance of civil tranquility. Very well, but what does it profit them, if those wars against other powers which result from a despot's ambition, if his insatiable greed, and the oppressive demands of his administration, cause more desolation than civil strife would cause? What do the people gain if their very condition of civil tranquility is one of their hardships? There is peace in dungeons, but is that enough to make peace desirable? The Greeks lived in peace in the cave of Cyclops awaiting their turn to be devoured. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, 1762
October 28, 2025 at 4:20 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
In The Devil's Chessboard, Talbot describes Churchill and Roosevelt favouring summary execution; it was Stalin who advocated for trials. George Kennan was against trials because he felt they "would not find any other class of people competent" to lead postwar Germany.
President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill were so intent on meting out a fitting punishment that they originally favoured taking the law into their own hands and summarily shooting Hitler's top military, ministerial, and party ranks - Churchill estimated the number would be somewhere between fifty and a hundred men. The prime minister thought that once the proper identifications were made, the killing could be completed in six hours. In one of history's deeper ironies, it was Joseph Stalin who insisted that the Nazi leaders be put on trial, lecturing his Western allies on the merits of the process. "U[ncle]. J[oe]. took and unexpectedly ultra-respectable line," Churchill wrote Roosevelt after meeting with Stalin in Moscow in October 1944. The Soviet premier told Churchill that "there must be no executions without trial; otherwise the world would say we were afraid to try them."
October 27, 2025 at 2:22 AM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Picked up a 125-year-old printing of Hegel's Philosophy Of History for $4 at a local book sale.
The spine label of Hegel's Philosophy of History. The frontispiece of the book, with a photogravure of Hegel taken from a steel engraving.
October 26, 2025 at 7:59 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
"An amnesty law adopted by the Ukrainian parliament […] granted blanket immunity from prosecution for Maidan participants for a variety of serious crimes, including murder, terrorism, and seizure of power. The law […] specified that any evidence that had already been collected had to be destroyed."
Similarly, the main pro-Maidan parties blocked the creation of a parliamentary commission concerning Maidan massacre during Petro Poroshenko’s presidency (112 Ukraina, 2017). An amnesty law adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on February 21, 2014, granted blanket immunity from prosecution for Maidan participants for a variety of serious crimes, including murder, terrorism, and seizure of power. The law also prohibited the investigation of any Maidan participant for such crimes and specified that any evidence that had already been collected had to be destroyed.
October 22, 2025 at 3:00 AM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
"The 1960s Red Power movement lived to raise its militant fist again and again, offering all oppositions a sense of what was possible to do if a fighting spirit was kept alive."
One reason an alliance of all of the dispossessed remains both possible and potentially liberating, is that while the labour movement and working-class people in general suffered defeats in the post-1975 years, Indigenous protest never quieted and showed a capacity to rise up angry in its opposition to colonialism and, increasingly, to capitalism. The 1960s Red Power movement lived to raise its militant fist again and again, offering all oppositions a sense of what was possible to do if a fighting spirit was kept alive.
October 20, 2025 at 12:01 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
"Two leaders of the far-right Svoboda party stated in their separate interviews that a Western government representative told them and other Maidan leaders a few weeks before the massacre that Western governments would turn on [Yanukovych] after casualties among protesters would reach 100."
Two leaders of the far-right Svoboda party stated in their separate interviews that a Western government representative told them and other Maidan leaders a few weeks before the massacre that Western governments would turn on the Yanukovych government after casualties among protesters would reach 100 (Braty, 2017, 94). Such specific conditionality created rational incentives to “sacrifice” 100 protesters and attributed their killing to the government forces. The protesters killed were called Heavenly Hundred immediately after the massacre. Protesters and people who were not even on the Maidan and died from illnesses or other causes were included to bring the number of victims to 100.
October 19, 2025 at 6:11 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Ivan Katchanovski's new book, on the Ukraine conflict from its origins in the Maidan colour revolution of 2014, is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand what immediately followed. The Ukrainian people were robbed of their agency and set on a path of destruction.
The Maidan massacre was immediately attributed to government snipers and the Berkut police by the Maidan opposition, Western leaders, and the media in Ukraine and the West. The far-right commander of the same special Maidan company, whose snipers shot at the police from the Music Conservatory building and then at both the police and the protesters from Hotel Ukraina, called from the Maidan stage on the evening of February 21, 2014, to reject a signed agreement, which was mediated by foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Poland and a representative of the Russian president. A video of his speech shows that he issued a public ultimatum for President Yanukovych to resign at 10:00am the next day, justified it by blaming Yanukovych and his forces for the massacre, stated that his Maidan company was responsible for the turning point of Euromaidan, and threatened an armed assault if Yanukovych would not resign (Yakshho, 2014). The Maidan massacre undermined the legitimacy of Yanukovych as president of Ukraine and the legitimacy of the incumbent government, police, and security forces and their monopoly on the use of force. The massacre prompted a part of the Party of Regions deputies to leave their faction and support the Maidan opposition and the parliament vote on February 20 to withdraw government forces from downtown Kyiv and subsequent votes to dismiss then President Yanukovych and his government, even though this was unconstitutional.
October 19, 2025 at 6:02 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
One driver of copaganda is the need to bolster RCMP ranks in the face of dwindling recruitment. They need new members to contribute to the pension which is steadily gaining more dependents.
RCMP membership figures as at March 31 2021. Active members: 22,267. Pension recipients: 22,861. Source: Treasury Board Secretariat. RCMP membership figures as at March 31 2022. Active members: 22,063. Pension recipients: 23,464. Source: Treasury Board Secretariat. RCMP membership figures as at March 31 2023. Active members: 21,734. Pension recipients: 24,128. Source: Treasury Board Secretariat. RCMP membership figures as at March 31 2024. Active members: 21,501. Pension recipients: 24,708. Source: Treasury Board Secretariat.
October 16, 2025 at 11:37 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Is the military fighting wildfires with artillery barrages, CBC?
A screenshot of a CBC online article with the headline "Military continues to battle wildfires at CFB Gagetown, no risk to nearby communities." The lead image show an artillery crew firing off rounds, with the caption reading "Crews are working to put out a wildfire at CFB Gagetown."
October 10, 2025 at 9:09 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Proud raised the ire of his shareholders when his board awarded him a huge equity payout in 2021 - eventually Proud was ousted as CEO under pressure from investors but has retained leverage over the direction of the company, which he wants to take private.
D&D has been mired in turmoil for most of its five years as a public company. The two brothers who built the company– Mr. Proud and ex-chairman Tyler Proud, both large minority shareholders through their holding companies – had a falling out that resulted in a prolonged behind-the-scenes battle. Widespread investor discontent dogged D&D starting in 2021 when the board agreed to a huge equity award to the Matt Proud after he abandoned a management buyout. When then-chairman Brian Derksen surveyed shareholders in 2022 and 2023 he encountered a litany of misgivings about the company’s leadership, direction, debt-fueled acquisition spree and value creation plans. In fall 2023 some investors pressed for board changes, prompting two directors to leave. Customers also raged against significant price hikes for using the company’s software for tasks such as processing real estate transactions and making corporate name changes. The Competition Bureau launched a still-ongoing investigation into alleged trade restricting practices, and Britain’s competition regulator forced the company to divest an acquisition there. The truce represents a victory for Mr. Proud, who stepped down as CEO under pressure last fall as the company headed into a contested shareholder vote at its annual meeting. After being targeted by activist campaigns last year, Mr. Proud turned the tables this month, requesting through his investment company Plantro Ltd. that D&D hold a special meeting to elect three directors that it nominated and oust three board members who joined last December. Plantro also pushed for a full sale of the company. Under a new standstill agreement between D&D and Plantro, the former said it had appointed one of the three people Plantro had nominated, corporate finance veteran David Danziger, to the board and initiated a strategic review that “may include a sale of the company.” Mr. Danziger will chair the strategic review committee.
October 5, 2025 at 12:49 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Today's reading. "[…] after 1749 a more forceful British military presence led officials to reinterpret the treaty, de-emphasizing its original oral meanings and stressing the primacy of the English text in the treaty's interpretation."
Mi'kmaq Treaties on Trial by William C. Wicken. University of Toronto Press 2002. ISBN 0-8020-7665-3
September 30, 2025 at 4:12 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Am I the only one who is seeing this
A photo of a zester, a kitchen utensil which has more aesthetic appeal than the building which it appears to inspire the design of.
September 30, 2025 at 3:56 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
An example of the new doctrine of the US, weaponizing migrant flows in order to put pressure on domestic governments. In this case, attempting to coerce the current Afghan gov't to return Bagram Airbase to US control. via Stratfor worldview.stratfor.com/situation-re...
The United States may try to incentivize the Afghan Taliban to make a deal in return for some form of economic or humanitarian assistance, which would help Afghanistan manage additional waves of Afghan migrants deported from abroad at a time when foreign aid to the country has dwindled. However, the Afghan Taliban has expressed opposition to a revived U.S. military presence in Afghanistan. Considering the Afghan Taliban's consistent resistance to international pressure for it to ease its hardline governance in exchange for inducements like economic and humanitarian aid, the group is unlikely to change its stance on a U.S. military deployment, regardless of the incentives offered.
September 20, 2025 at 2:47 AM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
According to UN data, as of May 2025 China still conducted nearly $3 billion in trade with Israel. Mostly electronic and optical components apparently. That this trade continues marks a significant contradiction with China's public statements supporting Palestine. www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/...
A chart displaying trade levels between Israel and other countries.
September 19, 2025 at 12:04 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
When you read the history of the United Nations, understanding how it was corrupted from the beginning by United States' selective utilization of international legal precepts, and anticommunist gatekeeping, all the invocations of international law just sound like "rules-based international order"
The cover of the book "Defeat of an Ideal: A study of the self-destruction of the United Nations" by Shirley Hazzard.
September 9, 2025 at 9:41 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
This chart from the latest Statscan labour force survey is wild. Youth unemployment is nearly 15%. How are young people supposed to build a life with no career entry point?
The title of the infographic is "Unemployment rate by age group, August 2025" The infographic contains four charts. The title of the first chart is "Total (15 years and older)" This is a line chart. The vertical axis shows the percent, from 4% to 8%, by increments of 2. The horizontal axis shows the months January 2022, January 2023, January 2024, January 2025 and August 2025. There is one line in this chart to show the unemployment rate and a line to show the 2017 to 2019 average. The unemployment rate is 6.4% for January 2022, 5.1% for January 2023, 5.7% for January 2024, 6.6% for January 2025 and 7.1% for August 2025. The 2017 to 2019 average is 6.0%. The title of the second chart is "Youth (15 to 24 years old)" This is a line chart. The vertical axis shows the percent, from 8% to 14%, by increments of 2. The horizontal axis shows the months January 2022, January 2023, January 2024, January 2025 and August 2025. There is one line in this chart to show the unemployment rate and a line to show the 2017 to 2019 average. The unemployment rate is 12.5% for January 2022, 10.0% for January 2023, 10.9% for January 2024, 13.6% for January 2025 and 14.5% for August 2025. The 2017 to 2019 average is 10.8%. The title of the third chart is "Core-age (25 to 54 years old)" This is a line chart. The vertical axis shows the percent, from 3% to 7%, by increments of 2. The horizontal axis shows the months January 2022, January 2023, January 2024, January 2025 and August 2025. There is one line in this chart to show the unemployment rate and a line to show the 2017 to 2019 average. The unemployment rate is 5.2% for January 2022, 4.2% for January 2023, 5.1% for January 2024, 5.6% for January 2025 and 6.1% for August 2025. The 2017 to 2019 average is 5.1%.
September 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
"Allow us to destroy everything you have ever known, and receive a digital token which will enable you to live in the hell world we will construct over the bones of your family." The article goes on to note that this plan is being pitched as cheaper than keeping Palestinians alive on their own land.
The 38-page prospectus seen by The Washington Post envisions at least a temporary relocation of all of Gaza’s more than 2 million population, either through what it calls “voluntary” departures to another country or into restricted, secured zones inside the enclave during reconstruction. Those who own land would be offered a digital token by the trust in exchange for rights to redevelop their property, to be used to finance a new life elsewhere or eventually redeemed for an apartment in one of six to eight new “AI-powered, smart cities” to be built in Gaza. Each Palestinian who chooses to leave would be given a $5,000 cash payment and subsidies to cover four years of rent elsewhere, as well as a year of food. The plan estimates that every individual departure from Gaza would save the trust $23,000, compared with the cost of temporary housing and what it calls “life support” services in the secure zones for those who stay.
September 1, 2025 at 2:07 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Egypt had been steadily increasing its gas production up until 2011, when the Arab Spring revolt swept the region and unseated the leadership of Hosni Mubarak. Following this, production dipped and then rose upon the installation of current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi via military coup.
A chart displaying the gas production and consumption levels of Egypt 1980-2018. A chart displaying the export and consumption levels of natural gas in both Egypt and Israel 2001-2021.
August 7, 2025 at 12:33 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
No difference between these two pictures
An excerpt from Ted Morgan's book 'An Uncertain Hour' describing the process of Sonderbehandlung, or "special treatment" of Jews. This was a euphemism for the processes of the Final Solution. "The only way to implement the Final Solution was to convert it into a set of logistical problems, such as crowd control and railroad timetables."
July 18, 2025 at 7:43 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
Income inequality in Canada reaches a record high, with the wealthiest becoming richer and the poorest becoming even poorer. Young people have been shut out of the housing market. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quo...
Chart: Average household net saving by income quintile. Source: StatsCan. Chart: Change in average household mortgage debt by age group of major income earner. Source: StatsCan
July 16, 2025 at 11:22 PM
ryanhillier.bsky.social
The Globe & Mail publishes a ludicrous and easily debunked claim, courtesy of former SCTV comedian Dave Thomas who traveled to Ukraine, that "a Russian sniper" killed a civilian near Odessa. The closest Russian forces are nearly 40 miles away on a peninsula... www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/televis...
What about the civilians you spoke with? I talked to a woman who was being evacuated from the south, near Odessa. Her husband was packing the car, and a Russian sniper shot him in the head. She saw it happen from the window of her house. She fled with her children on her own. Nobody should have to witness that. A map displaying the location of Russian forces on the Kinburn Spit, located nearly 40 miles from Odessa across the Black Sea.
July 15, 2025 at 9:42 PM