Well I think I can now OFFICIALLY declare that Spring has arrived in Simonville, the small humble corner of Canada where it's never Harperland.
And I must admit that all I feel like doing is climbing on to the old boathouse roof, stretching out my arms like Jesus, giving thanks to the merciful Gods of The Great White North, and soaking up the sun.
But this is shaping up as a Spring like no other.
Because everywhere I look in Canada I see signs of rebellion, as ordinary Canadians mobilize to defend their democracy...
Or read calls to action like this one.
And all I can say it's about time, and I couldn't agree more with Kev. Now is the time for the progressive parties in Parliament to join that rebellion and take their protest to another level.
They must become obstructive, use every procedural trick in the book to turn up the heat. They must do this though only in lead up to the one action they must take to bring the fight against this assault on democracy to a head and thrust it squarely into the public's conscience....BOYCOTT PARLIAMENT.
Because they may be good people, and they may have the noblest of intentions. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, they're getting NOWHERE.
Doing the same old thing over and over again with no hope of a different result is the very definition of INSANITY.
So they do need to go big or go home.
Anything short of this would be cowardice and an act of complicity. The opposition does not get to play nice, play within the rules and say they tried, not this time, not with this government and certainly not with this bill.
Go big or go home, stand up for Canadians or be judged harshly by history.
And I would only add it's also time for Canadians to hit the streets.
Like about fifteen thousand people did this week in Montreal.
Thousands of protesters flooded downtown Montreal streets Thursday to protest what militant student group ASSÉ called "austerity measures" in the 2014 provincial budget.
Because they're back. The people of the red square with their flags and their banners.
And if they can march through the streets in the face of police intimidation, to demand an end to austerity and inequality, we can and must do the same to defend our democracy.
Because the truth is like our parliamentarians, we too have been too passive for too long. For too long we have looked on helplessly as the Cons destroyed our country and raped our values.
That sorry spectacle has reduced too many of us to a state of despondency and despair, turned too many into the walking dead.
So it really is time for a Canadian Spring.
Because I can never forget how the Quebec Spring mobilized the young and the old.
Helped defeat a corrupt government.
Gave me the hope to continue.
And brought the living back from the dead...
And if it could happen there it can happen here eh?
Let's show Harper and his thugs what we really think of them.
Let's make this a Canadian Spring to remember.
And the beginning of the end of the Con regime...
Please click here to recommend this post at Progressive Bloggers.
Yup, gardening season is here, time for Plant-a-CON. Bury 'em . . .
ReplyDeletehi Edstock...well one thing is for sure, if we don't plant them soon they will bury us...
Deleteplanting a con will just give you more weeds
DeleteHi Simon I'd like to note that if it wasn't foe a couple alternative sites in the US I may never have heard of the Montreal protest as Canadian coverage outside of Quebec was sparse to non existent.
ReplyDeleteWe must make it impossible for them to ignore or voices. To that end Occupy is attempting a resurrection with their Wave of action campaign
hi Kev...congratulations again on your excellent post. It's depressing to think that such a massive protest could have been ignored by the MSM media in this country. More than 3,400 people were arrested, often for no good reason, which makes the War Measures Act look like a kindergarden story. It was also the first time I have ever seen so many people of all ages questioning the very foundations of our society. But thanks for the Occupy link. It also had a big influence on me. I spent many evenings at their camp listening to some of the most marginalized people getting a chance to voice their opinions. I also marched with them and the Idle No More movement which also inspired me, and the red square and the red feather still decorate my blog, and always will. I will also always remember how they were treated by the MSM and how right-wing this country can become when the ruling class is challenged. But challenged it must be if we are going to survive in this country and on this planet. When the Harper years are tallied up by historians the incredible passivity of the population will be hard to understand...
DeleteHi Simon it's a shame we didn't meet during Occupy, perhaps some day
DeleteDear Simon! A million thanks for showing this video! It fired me up even more than I already am. Even though I'm in my seventies, I am ready to march and march and march. We need protest marches like this in all Canadian cities. Thanks once again for all you're doing to save our democracy. The Maple Leaf loves you! My heart is filled with love for all those people I just watched in that protest march! God bless them all!
ReplyDeletehi anon....I'm really glad you liked it. The whole movement was so inspiring, and I should add so are you. As I just told Kev, one of the things that most impressed me was the way young and older people came together, to discuss how we might build a better world. I do hope that we can all meet in the street again to show the Cons how we feel about them. I realize we are not a marching people, and normally I'd be OK way that. We are who we are. But there comes a time when enough is enough, and this outrageous assault on our democracy is it for me. If we don't speak up for our freedoms what kind of country are we? And keep up that fighting spirit, you are an excellent example for old and young alike... :)
DeleteThe worst part is? It is impossible to shame Harper and his team. Even the worlds opinion on, the Fair Election Plan hasn't shamed any of them. The Conservatives are of Harper's Borg and seem unreachable.
ReplyDeleteI agree the media is no help especially, in the rest of Canada. The people of BC were fighting Gordon Campbell's HST scam. The media were blatantly biased in Campbell's favor. If you look at Campbell's theft and corrupt sale of the BCR trial. The media were a disgrace to their professions.
Never-the-less, the fight has to be fought. As Churchill said of WW2? This is a necessary war, to save all Canadians from an evil tyrant. Harper and his Cons are not true Canadians and they do not belong in our country. We have to drive all of them out, so their poison can be eradicated.
hi anon...yes the Harperites are shameless, and for them the end justifies the means. But happily I think they have pushed their luck a bit too far, and their end is nigh. It couldn't happen soon enough...
DeleteCanadian Spring sounds like a great idea. I think we need to somehow organize all the protests under a single banner to make the many voices one powerful one.
ReplyDeleteCanadians also need to fight for real democracy. In the developed world, governments represent an actual majority of voters. Here in Canada (and the UK) we dole out absolute power to minority parties. Harper won a 4-year dictatorship on 40% of the vote, cutting the vast majority out of the process -- the opposite of democracy.
If Canada was a real democracy, odds are Canadians never would've had Stephen Harper inflicted on them.
hi Ron...I agree with you, we should try to make our protest movement as non-partisan as possible. I'd even march with Conservatives to defend our democracy, which coming from me is saying something. ;)
DeleteI also belong to the small band of hopeless idealists who wish progressives would unite to fight the Con menace instead of splitting the vote and allowing the Cons to do what they want with the support of 40 per cent of the voters, and to try to bulldoze our democracy with their present support of 28 per cent. But like everything else in our political scene we remain mired in the past, and can't seem to come up with new ideas. And yes a big part of the problem is our outdated and clearly problematic voting system. So good for you for pushing for change on your blog. As I've mentioned before trying to effect change in this country is like trying to roll a giant boulder up a hill, in the face of a roaring hurricane. But some change is absolutely necessary, so keep up the good work...
Thanks. Both the Liberals and NDP have commitments to voting reform in their platforms, so it looks like opportunity is heading our way. We just have to be prepared for it.
DeleteThe corporate media is dead-set against voting reform. They like minority-party dictatorships over multi-party democratic governments (the norm in the developed world,) because they are easier to lobby and influence. Therefore it will be up to us in the social media to spread the word.
A political rally is NOT a concert...There will be people hidden in the crowd with the express purpose of escalating the event into a full blown RIOT!! and the government that best knows how to squash such stupid actions will be the 1rst to instigate the riotous climax to any such event; who's got your back. We need to be VERY careful who talks us into what!! Consider that collateral damage means dead, innocent children wounded, industry ground to a halt, infiltration of our borders by dissidents' that enshrine violence and disorder......I need to quiet my anger at what injustice such purveyors' of folly would visit upon us in the name of bettering our lives'
ReplyDeletehi Daniel...when the students first started marching the presence of members of some violent anarchists was a problem. And you're right, some governments and some police welcome riots so they can tar everybody with the same brush. But the interesting thing is that as the protests grew bigger the violent ones were controlled by the other marchers, so there wasn't any trouble. I have no time for people who think that smashing a store window is a revolutionary act. It isn't, it's just mindless vandalism. But street protests are a way of mobilizing people to fight injustice all over the world, so why not Canada?
DeleteIn the movie "The Gladiator", General Maximus(now a gladiator and threat to Caesar) finds favor with the fates that rule chance and the certitude of moral high ground. It seems he has opportunity to make his way to freedom and to be brought safely to those who could assure his revenge upon the despot emperor. He has the alligance of select amongst the senate, his trusted aide of old, and an army of loyal soldiers just a short distance away. He makes his bid for freedom as the established authority makes their move to secure his person in armed guard and off to jail. He is playing a winning hand, his release from the tyrannical grip of oppression has been arranged. His closet allies are their by his side to distract the authorities and defend his being secreted away in the commotion of conflict, even to their death if need be. He is playing a winning hand. He has even found favor with the emporess. The cards in the deck of fate were prepared in advance. He and his allies, have played into an outcome unlike what they had envisioned beforehand. The authorities have prepared this entire event much like a well prepared hustle in a game of poker. Do I trust military leaders' who claim allegiance to other than their lifes' obligatory oath of allegiance? Perhaps. Can I assume that my efforts to extricate myself from those who have understood power for centuries, will go unnoticed, albeit unchallanged? Have I the resources abroad to defeat an empire? Will I sacrifice my children for a cause that is best moderated by mutuality and support, while I "commit such things (that) are worthy of death, not only to do the same, but have pleasure in them who do them" ?(Romans Chapter 1; verse 32)
ReplyDeletehi Daniel...first of all, I did like that movie. And yes the rebels of this world, can cause a measure of chaos by challenging the established order. But if they didn't challenge it there would be no human progress. I'm also a big admirer of our Parliamentary democracy, I try to watch Question Period as much as I can. But when I see how it has been corrupted by the Harper regime, I consider it my duty as a citizen to voice my disapproval as loudly as I can...
ReplyDeleteYour reply was most helpful. Experiences' shared, are mistakes' avoided. Thank you so much. I have put our thoughts where they may do some good for others'.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Daniel