It's taken me two days to come down from last Saturday's big demonstration against the Harper regime's foul Bill C-51.
Because I do wear my heart on my sleeve, and it was so great to see so many Canadians in the street at last.
Instead of letting Stephen Harper scare them into allowing him to turn this country into a police state.
But sadly I would probably still be flying, if it wasn't gloomy Harperland, and so many progressives seemed so determined to shoot me out of the sky.
The ones who kept telling me something like this: "So you got about 15,000 people to come out, in a country of thirty million. Big deal. What difference will that make"?
Or the ones who are always complaining about the bill, but couldn't find the time to join us...
Or even write about it on their blogs.
Or all those who are caught up in our mindless culture, and would rather talk about Justin Bieber's roast, or Beyonce's latest problems, or anything to do with the ghastly Kardashians, than deal with something that really matters.
And all I can say, after picking myself off the ground, is that it WAS something. Even 15,000 people in a country as complacent as this one IS a big deal.
And any sign of resistance in this monstrous Harperland IS something to celebrate...
So I was glad to see that Chris Hedges managed to make it all the way from the U.S. to join us, and help explain to those who still don't get it, why the bill is so dangerous.
What I find disturbing is that although the revelations of Edward Snowden are known, we're not reacting. We don't understand the danger that's in front of it, when you talk about a population that is watched and tracked 24 hours a day. The relationship between a population that is monitored on that level and knows that [the government watches] them is a relationship between masters and slaves -- you can't even use the word liberty anymore and we're already at that point.
Why so many are so passive and gloomy:
People are politically passive because they have kind of given up on the system. That's certainly true -- more true -- in the United States where Congress has a nine per cent approval rating. Only 38 per cent of the population even bothers to cast a ballot anymore. I think the other thing is that they don't quite understand how incredibly dangerous handing any government this kind of power is.
And why he travelled so far to join us:
That's why I was willing to fly up here because if we don't react in a sustained way then we will see cemented into place one of the most frightening dystopias in human history -- something that dwarfs anything ever dreamed of by the communist Stasi state in East Germany.
Which is why I believe so strongly that the battle against Bill C-351 must continue. Because even though the fascist Cons will pass their police state bill, the more noise we make, the more we will be able to use it against them in the next election.
Why I'm looking forward to the next demonstration, or the next act of resistance.
And why I'd like to share this video aimed at those caught up in our mindless culture, who care more about the Kardashians than they do about their own freedom.
So they too can understand the danger, and join us next time...
Because there will be a next time.
Everyone will get a chance to join the anti-Harper rebellion.
For there is no more magnificent sight than this...
The resistance WILL continue.
And that WAS just the beginning...
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18 comments:
Hi Simon It as a glorious day I feel re-energized We seem to attend many of the same events Who knows maybe we'll actually meet some day
"progressives seemed so determined to shoot me out of the sky."
That's because they'd rather stay home and pretend that signing another online petition or commenting on a blog somewhere is enough to turn the tide against the likes of harper, Simon. Even Thwap, who is just a tad cynical, was at that demonstration Saturday. That spoke pretty loudly to me about how this thing is going to have to work. The time for action is now. No more excuses . . .
People are, indeed, feeling discouraged and deflated because the last ten years have been so devastating. More than this, however, I think so many Canadians are just shockingly unaware of the nature of democracy, what we should be working toward (democratically speaking), and what the real dangers are. This ignorance is what Harper has traded on for ten years, and he continues to trade on it. Then when you put into that mix, the latent racism and anti-muslim sentiment that he has tapped into and it is easy to see how progressives have been discouraged.
Oh, there's something going on this Saturday too. I'll be at that. I do find the numbers depressing though. And I make no bones about it.
I don't think we can ever measure the success of a demonstration as a function of turnout vs overall population. Was there enough people for others to take notice? Yes. Most Canadians do not entertain their inner-activist. You cannot expect vast numbers for something that lacks impact statistics. (ie. People have yet to be impacted.)
This bill is atrocious, and the objective should be to spead the word to as many as possible, tying this to Conservative Party policy. What amazes me is how quickly some progressives point the finger of blame and negative energy at other progressives, thus diluting the case against the Conservatives. If I was on the right, I would strategize to exploit this self-defeatist nature.
Simon, we could all stand to be a little more like you; and keep our eye on the prize. Thanks again.
anything going on this weekend in TO against C-51?
There was an interesting article in the Guardian yesterday about the fact that Palestinians, for the first time, aren't interested in the elections in Israel, because they feel that no matter who gets elected, their circumstances won't change..
They are working on self-recognition, on networking with other countries to attempt to control their own destiny..which I think is laudable, considering that they are right...
As for trashing progressives here in Canada, perhaps it is the calm before the storm..incessant polling reveals that the numbers seem to indicate a minority government for the Harperoids, no matter what sort of insanity he pushes..That is beyond depressing, and progressives often feel that there is no point in voting because who would they vote for, and will their votes count?
I vote in every election, and everyone here on Vancouver Islnd who does vote seems to elect almost exclusively NDP candidates...and now, because of Quebec, we have for the first time, an official designation as Federal opposition...so what? Justin flashes his pearly whites, and that is the end of any hope we may have had..and no, Simon, progressives, real progressives, aren't in the least interested in seeing him elected, as there is nothing truly progressive about him or his party, except when compared to the scary yahoo Cons...
Holding your nose and voting for the least offensive candidate is hardly a progressive tenet...
I realize that we need to do whatever we can to stop Harper, and all we really can do is publicly protest and vote when the time comes..I always do both, but it isn't enough...and whether or not we like it, them's the facts...
The fact is......'you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink'! I am One person with One vote. Most of the people I speak with say they won't vote for Harper..........but sometimes what people say and what people actually do can be two different things! I've learned this from previous elections.
So, Canadians will make up their own minds!
Simon-- I caught this little tidbit from an American news cast in the last month. It was in reference to contacting your elected official with a complaint about an issue. What they said was, when 1 person contacts their representative about a certain subject -- they take it as 13,000 people's opinion -- that said, if we got 15,000 people out last Saturday, times 13,000, that adds up to a lot more influence then our current population numbers... the few spoke for the many..
hi Kev...yes it was a great day, I felt I just had to say that even if it's a message some don't want to hear. And yes, let's hope we meet at a demo (follow the sound of the drum) instead of a jail cell... ;)
hi anon...well I don't want to be too harsh on anyone. But as you say, the time for action is now. And at the very least progressives should be encouraging each other not putting each other down...
hi Kirby...I understand why people are down, and who can blame them? It is a horrible situation. But that's when we need to dig down deep and summon up the strength to fight back. Or we will do nothing and it will only get worse. For can you imagine the recriminations if Harper does manage to get a majority? If we think it's bad now, the next four years will be a living hell. Since I started helping a friend who suffers from depression (PTSD) I've learned that it helps to keep busy when you are in that state, rather than sit at home and feel miserable. The more we fight the better we'll feel...
hi thwap...the numbers may not be as good as they should be. But as I said in my post, in a country which has been as quiet as a mouse since the Quebec student strike and Idle No More, anything is better than nothing. They got people out all over this huge country, and the media were forced to cover them, so more people got to hear about the problems with the bill, and that can only be good. And good for you thwap for going. I know you feel very strongly about the situation, and you can only inspire others to do the same thing...
hi Blue Grit...yes you're right, we can't measure the impact by the turnout alone. The demonstrations were covered by the media and a lot more people were reached than if we had just stayed at home and written about it on social media. And Canadians sometimes forget how big this country is, and getting people to come out from coast to coast to coast is an achievement. And yes, I have no time for negative energy. It just brings everybody down, and works to help the Cons. Hopefully there will never be a political situation as bad as this one in our lives. So while it's here we need to throw all our energy at it. I want those sordid Cons evicted so I never have to think about them again...
hi anon...I don't know, but I will look into it, and help spread the word...
hi mizdarlin...I refuse to accept that we are in such a bad state, or helpless. If we are helpless it's because we're lazy, we are divided, and we haven't come up with an original thought for years. This country is atrophying, parochial ,aging badly, greedy, grubby, and on the verge of senility. There are no excuses and the monster is US. And I should also point out that when you describe a HarperCon minority as bad news it actually isn't. For it will force the Liberals and the NDP to work together to topple them. And I'm hopeful that out of that some really good things will happen. And as I said in my post and above, we progressives have to be more positive and more supportive of each other. It's the only way to win, and in my opinion the only way to live....
hi Kathleen...Canadians will make up their own minds, but if they see their friends in the streets it will motivate them to vote more than if we just stay at home. And besides demos can be fun, and very empowering. And where else can I play my drum loudly, without having to worry about the grumpy neighbour next door? ;)
hi jolly roger....that is interesting. And when you think about it every movement for change starts with a few speaking or marching for the many. I know that many of the people who came out are some of the finest Canadians in this country, and I was both proud and grateful...
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