To see him standing up for a small First Nation that is fighting a giant foreign oil company is so inspiring.
An example to us all.
To hear him denounce Stephen Harper and his foul Con regime is music to my ears.
Canadian rock icon Neil Young launched a blistering attack on the Harper government and Alberta's oilsands at a news conference on Sunday, saying that he was "shattered" after visiting a Fort McMurray industrial site he compared to the atomic bomb-devastated wreckage of Hiroshima, Japan.
Joined on the Massey Hall stage by representatives from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Young was especially scathing in his criticism of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's "hypocritical" administration, which Young said was ignoring science to irresponsibly drive corporate profits.
"Canada is trading integrity for money," said the environmentally engaged 68-year-old rocker. "That's what's happening under the current leadership in Canada, which is a very poor imitation of the George Bush administration in the United States and is lagging behind on the world stage. It's an embarrassment to any Canadians."
To see a great old guy like him speaking truth to power, and standing up for future generations moves me beyond belief.
"I want my grandchildren to grow up and look up and see a blue sky and have dreams that their grandchildren are going to do great things," he added later. "And I don't see that today in Canada. I see a government just completely out of control.
For those First Nations are standing up for the future too. And their struggle is OUR struggle.
And when I see Stephen Harper's ghastly minions
Jason MacDonald, a spokesman for Harper, countered that "projects are approved only when they are deemed safe for Canadians and (the) environment" and stressing that the resource sector creates "economic opportunities" and "high-wage jobs" for thousands of Canadians.
"Even the lifestyle of a rock star relies, to some degree, on the resources developed by thousands of hard-working Canadians every day. Our government recognizes the importance of developing resources responsibly and sustainably and we will continue to ensure that Canada's environmental laws and regluations are rigorous. We will ensure that companies abide by conditions set by independent, scientific and expert panels."
They're RESPONSIBLE ? Canada's environmental laws are RIGOROUS? They will ensure that oil companies listen to SCIENTISTS?
Muahahahaha.
OMG. Are the Cons still in deep denial? Do they still take us for fools? Or have all those scandals driven them CRAZY?
And can you believe those shabby oil pimps trying to pit " "hard-working Canadians" against Neil Young?
Or having the gall to talk about jobs so soon after this debacle?
What will the PMO do next?
Wheel out their greasy songbird?
To take on a legend like Neil Young?
Who is more Canadian than they could ever hope to be?
Gawd. They really must be crazy DESPERATE.
No wonder when I hear this song, in the darkness of Harperland.
I always feel like shouting freedom, freedom, FREEDOM !!!!!
Did you see that Canadian flag waving proudly in the crowd? Did you see all those young people cheering that old man? No wonder the Cons are so worried eh?
Here's to the great Neil Young who NEVER sold out.
Here's to our beautiful First Nations whose rights will NEVER be extinguished.
Here's to my awesome progressive brothers and sisters who are fighting the Con regime with them. And will NEVER give up.
Until the glorious day of victory when we shall rock together.
In a free Canada...
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21 comments:
It's about fucking time.
Me and my friends spent many a night dreaming on our dimes - a dime for one song, three for a quarter. Neil Young was always a popular choice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsEFXYJz4Hg
Go for these servants of the Corporate BUMS, who think that they are God\'s gift to humanity!
There's a lot more "older Canadians" like Neil out there than you think, Simon, and we're just as enraged and offended by that slimy motherfucker harpie as you are. Now if we can just get us to remember his egregious offenses once the voting starts . . .
The government's response, and Harper's own response (I was surprised he even did respond) was a textbook study on ignorance and doublespeak.
Our government isn't in denial, they just lie every time they speak. They lie to us by saying the exact opposite of the truth and expecting us to believe it is the truth. Take us for fools they do, and honestly, we keep falling for it as a nation, The Canadian electorate is one of the least engaged voting bodies in the world. The majority of Canadians didn't even realise Harper had withdrawn us from Kyoto, how can we expect that level of ignorance to be aware of other facts?
I hope Young responds to Harper and his drones, that he calls them out on their bullshit. For Harper to say that Neil Young should look after his own carbon footprint before criticising the government is one of the most assheaded comments I've read in a while. Young absolutely practices what he preaches.
I have a suggested rewrite of "Southern Man" for Neil Young to sing at his benefit concerts:
"Northern man, better keep your head/ Don't forget what the Good Book said/ Global change gonna come to pass/ Now your dirty oil is flowin' fast/ Northern man"
Jian Ghomeshi's interview with Neil Young:
http://www.cbc.ca/q/blog/2014/01/13/neil-young-oilsands-occupation/
The video of the interview will appear on the Q website in the near future.
David, like your rewrite. I hope Young is sincere, but remember when he flirted with Reaganism?
hi Jim....yes it is, eight years of this crappy Con regime is more than enough. When I'm feeling very charitable, I can understand why it took so many Canadians so long to realize that the Harper gang was rotten to the core. Like the human body encountering a new bug, it took a while for before they realized that this was a government like this country had never seen before. But now it's clear how bad they are, the time for excuses and inaction is over...
hi anon...I see the person who made the video would take us back to the 19th Century. Which I would consider a bit optimistic, since I'm pretty sure that Harper and his gang are taking us back to the 14th Century. But Joni Mitchell is another Canadian treasure, and does have a beautiful voice... ;)
hi Kenneth...You and I are on the same page. I have worked almost every day for eight years, in my very humble way, to encourage Canadians to evict those bums, and their willing tools from power as soon as is humanly possible. I could never stand their ignorance and their cruelty, and I can't wait for the day they are gone...
hi anon...that's excellent news, because there are two things we absolutely need to do if we are going to evict the Harperites from power. We must convince more younger Canadians to vote, and convince older Canadians not to vote for the Cons as so many have done in the past. If we do that, young and old together should prove a winning combination...
hi Noah...I too was surprised the Cons responded, and so quickly too. But I think what that tells us is that the Cons are desperate, they are hoping to isolate First Nations' leaders and then try to bribe them. So anything that hints at a larger movement is bad news for them. And of course you're right. Just about everything the Cons say is a Big Lie. They actually do believe that if they repeat a lie enough times people will finally accept it's true. Canadians have been slow to react to that outrageous behaviour, for some of the reasons I mentioned above. But now that the Cons have revealed who they are, that denial also has to end.
Another term for the Harperites would be the end of this country as see know it. So failure is not an option...
hi David...excellent, I like those lyrics. I would suggest my own, but I suspect they would be a little too obscene to play in public. I may in the year ahead put out a song of my own, but only if I get a very good editor...;)
hi david...thanks for the link. Although I have always like Neil Young's songs, I'll be following this tour even more closely. I hope more artists will follow his lead. Hey, with artists and scientists on the same side how can we lose? ;)
But this is exactly what they do, and how they do it! I agree with Simon that they must be shit-scared to have put out a response to Neil's words so quickly ... Lies, bullshit rhetoric, trying to pull Neil down into the cesspool with them by trying to diss his carbon footprint ...... hey Azzhole, what about when Harpo gets flown to hockey games all over the place? Or flies out to Vancouver & the Island to private meets with 'businessmen' to sell the vile pipeline that Cdns have told him loud and clear we don't want! - Are we supposed to think that's footprint free? This is how these THuGs bully and try to 'rule', with a 'do as I say, not do as I do' bullshit!
I still honestly believe the fastest way to get rid of him is with a minimum of 1 million Canadians, on Parliament Hill; That we demand and remain there, force him to resign, and takes his sorry entourage of liars, pimps, skanks, and thieves with him.
More like the Carboniferous or Silurian and computers are not oil based technologies they are more silicon and space age.
Corporations that chase coal, oil and gas which prove evolution and that the earth is billions years old
Cheena1 I'd be with you there but don't live in Ottawa and never go out. My carbon footprint is minuscule. I hope this fundraiser is way more than successful. After all we are up against oil company billions who are holing on to their cash to see how much of ours Harper spends for them.
Or that "let's roll" lookin for a scapegoat after 9/11. This is promising though.
I know - the biggest problem with our country is that it's so spread out! I will post a link for a March 1 Event If we could get huge #'s to Ottawa it would be fabulous, but not too likely to happen. Meantime, there will be events like this held all across Canada, and beyond. Feel free to go to this link to see details......
https://www.facebook.com/events/346703702131529/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming
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