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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Random angry disjointed protest thoughts



I can appreciate that people are appalled at the damage done by protesters on the weekend but the vast majority of protesters were well behaved and respectful of authority. Despite this fact many in the general public and political circles chastise them all for having the audacity to demand their rights to be heard in a supposed free and democratic society. I’ve even heard comments that people who live in the core should have willingly fled the city or placed themselves in virtual house arrest for the so they would not be on the streets in their own communities. Rubbish

I also can’t fathom the people who say anybody at a protest deserved to get clubbed, arrested and strip searched, these dumb fucks are actually advocating for a police state, All Hail Kim il Harper.

I understand that the police had a difficult job maintaining order in a dumbass location with what seemed to be a flawed plan, or at least flawed leadership enacting the plan. This however does not excuse the arrogance and violence shown by a small portion of the law enforcement community who went beyond doing their job to enjoying doing their job. Neither does this excuse the gun point raids on innocent people’s houses in the wee hours of the morning, arbitrary group arrests, inhumane confinements cages, failure to feed prisoners, inadequate access to phone and lawyers, and the notable arrests and violence towards media.

Finally we have a police Chief who lied about the 5 meter law regarding the fence then ordered the harassment of people on the premise it was a real law all while the civilian leaders who passed the law refused to speak up and correct the lying Chief. Canada is turning into some kind of banana republic with colder weather or an episode of Soap, I’m beyond irritated.

I can’t help but think that personal political biases and an institutional disdain for “Long hair hippie freak trouble makers” colour police behaviour after all it makes their job harder, but it must be understood that in a functional democratic society free speech and the right to assemble and protests are not just rights but a necessary requirement to maintain democratic health.

Democracy is not the ability to vote twice a decade and go back to sleep. Democracy is being aware, speaking out, living as part of the greater community not in isolation, being politically or socially active and if things are not going as you believe they should, democracy is even protesting. These are not just activities that would be nice in the perfect world these are actions that are mandatory to maintain a democracy which represents all citizens equally not just the empowered elite. Even if you don’t support protesters points of view they are out there defending your democracy, your right to free speech and your right to assemble.

For those many people who’ve painted the protesters and the idiot rioters with the same brush you'd better pray that a garbage dump isn't being planned for your neighbourhood, or that your house is not being bulldozed for an off ramp because the right to protest may no longer be available when YOU have an issue to care about.

Under no circumstances should society accept the clandestine passing of “Secret Laws”. The Provincial Libs have some serious explaining to do passing it in the first place but allowing the Bill Blair to lie about it to citizens is unimaginable. Heads should roll.

The media failed us by largely ignoring the safe and peaceful protests and they totally failed us by rarely giving the mainstream protesters a voice to explain their issues. Instead the media drummed up fear and loathing without ever asking the question why people hold these leaders and their billion dollar meetings in such contempt. Most media simply stalked protesters hoping for some violence to make a “good” story, until they got a shot to the head that is, then suddenly they believe in free speach and the cops are being scrutinized. Funny that!.

Personally I think it might be a good thing that the media was targeted because know they know what really happens. Now they might start asking the right questions. Now they might finally start being reporters instead of press agents selling lies, talking points and fluff.Recommend this Post

5 comments:

Fillibluster said...

A very good summary of all the issues.

Agent L said...

You are very angry but very articulate -- exactly what we need now. Thanks for your excellent blog. Let's find out who issued the police their orders and bring them to justice.

PeterC said...

Interestingly enough, I was talking to a conservative friend about this law and what happened at the G20. His reply to me was "What you describe as whole scale removal of our rights, I perceive as localized crowd control."

Truth wins out over facts again. He also believes that the earth is 6000 years old.

I can only hope, without wishing more abuse of our rights, that he is in the middle of it next time.

PeterC

Anonymous said...

"Feds cancel oilsands pollution probe": Calgary Herald, Wednesday, July 07, 2010.

"Federal politicians from the government and opposition benches have mysteriously cancelled an 18-month investigation into oilsands pollution in water and opted to destroy draft copies of their final report, Canwest News Service has learned. The aborted investigation comes as new questions are being raised about the Harper government's decision to exempt a primary toxic pollutant found in oilsands tailings ponds from a regulatory agenda. Naphthenic acids are one of the main pollutants responsible for the toxicity of tarsands tailings to aquatic organisms, and have been shown to harm liver, heart and brain function in mammals." Therefore, one asks: What about Canadian government propaganda and those who parrot such obvious propaganda without speaking "truth to power". There is nothing like wilfully and cynically manipulating and controlling the flow of information in an 'open society' in order to further one's own interests and/or the interests of one's friends. We are witnessing in real time true 'thought control in democratic societies'.

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