Canadians take to the street

Today, I'm a proud Canadian.
It's been a little while since I've said that, especially when it comes to the collective conscience of the electorate.

The masses took to the street all over the country to protest the Conservatives' prorogation of parliament. For those of you not from Canada , parliament has been shut down until after the Vancouver Olympics. Why? In large part because of the questions surrounding the mistreatment of Afghan detainees (which I've written about here and here). It is most likely an effort for the Conservatives to save face and to avoid answering embarrassing question while the whole world is watching Canada.

Considering our dismal turnouts for many of our most recent federal election, I am truly surprised at the number of Canadians that took to the streets. Expatriates living in London and New York did the same.

The prorogation of parliament is seen by many as an assault on the democracy that shapes this country. This is the second time in as many years that Mr Harper and his Conservatives have shut down parliament, the first time was in 2008 when they closed it down to put together a budget that would keep them in power and avoid an election.

When prorogation occurs both the senate and the house of commons are dismissed so any bill that was tabled to be voted or become law gets axed and will need to be introduced again at the new session of parliament. This prorogation cost us 36 bills and the Globe and Mail provides us with a comprehensive list. Among the bills that died were:

-BILL C-45
Protects foreign nationals from exploitation through human trafficking
-BILL C-58
Requires Internet service providers to report tips about child pornography
-BILL C-36
Eliminates faint-hope clause that allows those with life sentences to apply for parole after 15 years
-BILL C-34
Strengthens the National Sex Offender Registry and the National DNA Data Bank

Prorogation should not be a tool to remain in power, it shouldn't be a "timeout" to rally your troops and certainly shouldn't be used to avoid dealing with issues that could potentially set off an election. Canadians will not forget how Mr Harper has manipulated the system to avoid elections and avoid hard hitting questions concerning the mistreatment of Afghan detainees. I hope that the election results will show this next time around.

Well Mr Harper... you can brush off the Opposition parties, but you can't brush of the thousands of Canadian voters, many of them Conservative voters, who took to the streets yesterday in an effort to make you hear their voices. Remember that you are a Public Servant and that is a wonderful title of trust and prestige that is bestowed upon by the people; as such you have obligations and responsibilities to public you are paid to serve. Those obligations do not include shutting down Government because you feel like it. Think about it.

Live (Kind of) From Tehran...

Youtube video of the laments and protests of oppositions supporters under the cover of darkness.



(from Twitter: SLSiriRT Tonight in Tehran. Gives me chills. Let's make tomorrow LOUDER!)

Iran: The Sea of Green returns

As the tweets in #iranelections roll in this Friday morning, the Telegraph.co.uk is reporting that police showed up to Friday prayers in Tehran and started hitting Mousavi supporters and launching tear gas into the crowds.

This is the first time ever that Friday prayers have not been televised in Tehran and the planned government assault of its citizens might have something to do with it.

As the tweets continue to roll in various reports of two girls being stabbed by pro-government militia keep being re-posted; reports of clashes in the streets, reports of a large crowd of protesters heading towards the state television station and many reports that cellular networks and the internet are down in much of central Tehran keep pouring in. Reuters also confirms that police have been detaining people today despite calls from the senior clerics to free those already jailed following the recent protests.

Kudos again to the Iranian people for having the balls to stand up for what they believe is right despite everything that can possibly go wrong and despite the very real possibility of arrest and grave physical harm.

Hey Everyone... Montreal is Protesting too!

One of the great things about this country is freedom of assembly, it's something we often take for granted.

It warms my heart when I see people join together and march in support of those in Iran; I find it just that people can walk down the street show their support for Tibet, I can even accept the stupid communist march on May 1st... but the latest protest in Montreal is beyond my comprehension.

People held a rally a few days ago at the Bell Centre to urge the Montreal Canadiens to resign Alexei Kovalev. Seriously. A hundred people used Twitter and Facebook to coordinate an action to all meet at the arena, dress their kids with the "Bleu, Blanc, Rouge" in the middle of summer and protest because the hockey team doesn't want to give Kovalev 6 or 7 million dollars pert year. Are you impressed? Cause I'm not.



In fact I'm a little embarrassed for these people and especially for their kids that didn't have a choice but to come along. But stunted childhoods put aside... Here's the kicker, while the rest of the world doesn't seem to be getting any better: People are being arrested and will likely be executed in Iran for assembling and marching, people in Honduras are being shot by soldiers for assembling and protesting, there are over 2100 political prisoners in Burma because of assembly and protest and here... We assemble, march, assemble and protest for a pro hockey player?

This can mean two things:
1- That Montreal is a really fantastic city with absolutely no problems, where everyone eats, has a place to live, no one gets stabbed and beer is cheap.
OR
2- People are idiots and have nothing better to do.

I'll let you draw your own conclusions, I think my opinion on this matter is pretty clear.

Muchacho Enfermo

Iran:A picture worth a thousand words

(Link to original pic HERE)

Some Montreal Protesters Missed the Point

There was another march yesterday in Montreal to show support towards those requesting a legitimate democracy in Iran, actually there was two...

One with about 400 marchers organized by Solidarité-Iran that was demanding "another vote, the ouster of Ahmadinejad and international boycotts."

The second group with about 100 marchers "demanding a complete regime change."

And both claim to be for "for the purpose of the democracy movement in Iran."

Maybe I am the one missing the point here, maybe there was an email sent out explaining all this stuff and I never got it but I thought we were marching to show our support, so that those in Iran know they weren't alone... I didn't think I was marching on the street to make demands of a foreign government or decide for a complete regime overhaul.

What's important to remember is that many Iranians that marched in Tehran aren't marching against the actual system, many of them are FOR the Islamic Republic of Iran, they are simply marching because they don't believe this election was fair. They don't want to oust a president (or at least they didn't at the beginning, now that he's killed a bunch of people they probably do) they just wanted to make sure their president was actually elected fairly.

So who are we, here in our safe little city thousands of miles away to tell them that they need to overhaul their system, the system many of them fought to put in place in the late 70s?

Let the Iranians deal with Iran, they know what is best for themselves... If you want to march in support, do just that: demand democracy, demand peace... once these things are achieved perhaps the system can change from within.

(source for quotes: The Gazette)

Muchacho Enfermo

Twitter #IranElections

(a screen shot from #IranElections taken 5 minutes ago)

A good friend of mine convinced me to join Twitter this week. At first I wasn't exactly sure what the whole point was to my joining and I must admit that to a certain degree I'm still no sure how it works.

But this morning, there is a protest in Tehran and I wanted to know what was happening at the same time it was happening. So I decided to go see on Twitter. Ends up there is a channel called #IranElections and updates on the Green Revolution are coming in at the speed of light. Hundreds of people from government "spies" to people AT the protests are uploading their comments as it unfolds.

This week it is reported that at peek times the channel had over 200,000 Tweets per hour. What we are seeing here people is something absolutely amazing. Not just in terms of Freedom of Speech and the courage to protest, but in terms of ways to use technology to rally together behind a cause.

So go to Twitter, type #IranElections in the search bar and show your support by posting your comment.

Muchacho Enfermo

This is the Song that doesn't end...

Following up on yesterday's "commie separatist manifesto" I decided that this being May Day I'd take the opportunity to write about more idiots that populate my fair city.

The Montreal Gazette reported in an article today that Montreal's 11 extreme-left communist groups are banding together for organize marches and concerts today to promote communism.

One march will start in the east en of the city lead by unions and the other march will be being in Cabot Square, in the middle of Downtown, and be lead by Anti-Capitalist, Anarchists and probably street punks that tend to show up to these things. If all goes well (which it won't) the groups should converge somewhere around Berri Square right between the Latin Quarter and the Gay Village.

As usual I'll include a few of my favorite quotes from the article:

"It's hard to be a communist in North America," Étienne (one of the commies) said. "But with the current economic crisis, with everyone questioning capitalism, we have a open window."

"There would be far less cars, and the city wouldn't be organized in a way that people need to live and work in different places," Eric (a 26 year old PHD student) said. "Workers would make the company's decisions, and there would be no boss."

Just when you thought it was over you realize that the insanity continues. How can a PHD student think that this would be good? I don't want anyone telling me where to work and that I can't own three cars, it's my business... just because he can't afford one or doesn't want one it doesn't mean that I can't have one. The beauty about Canada is that we have safeguards in place such as Workers Comp, Ei, Welfare, Medicare and Education which are given to ALL Canadians. Do we need a better way of helping the poor? Yes. Is there things we could do to help change their situations? Yes. But we don't need to change our economic system to do it. If we do there will be even less money to help them out!

The last thing I need is some cocky 26 year old PHD student telling me how I should live my life. Although considering that on the entire island of Montreal the was only 2207 votes for communist parties I don't think it'll happen any time soon.

So while our friends in Cuba are banging on their pots today for freedom of speech, travel, expression and in protest against communism (Generation Y and Octavo Cerco , From Here), I'll probably have my car vandalized by communists protesting against me.

Muchacho Enfermo

Images of the week

30 shot by police in Madagascar

Supporters of opposition leader Andry Rajoelina were mowed down as they advanced on the presidential palace in Antananarivo on Saturday. On top of the dead over 83 injuries were reported.

68 people died in the same city last month after a riot took place following one of the anti-government protests. The president of Madagascar Marc Ravalomanana has been accused of wanting to turn the country's recent democratic government into a dictatorship.

The opposition is being led by the mayor of Antananarivo. Who has launched legal inquiries into the current government's right to rule the people of Madagascar.
The country's highest courts have already stated they are not qualified to make a ruling on the matter.

So the people have decided to make their voices heard. The voice of the president however is loud and clear as his voice come from the mouths of his semi-automatics.

Muchacho Enfermo

Protest in support of "Shoe Thrower" held in Montreal and Toronto

The Canadian Press reported that yesterday protest were were held in Toronto and Montreal to show support for the shoe thrower who tried to hit outgoing President George Bush with both of his shoes.

40 or so protesters in Montreal went to the US consulate and threw shoes at black and white pictures of the president. One of the first to do this was new elected Amir Khadir who ran for the separatist party Quebec Solidaire. Protesters spoke to anyone they could find in the media and made sure to mention that this was a "humorous protest". After the shoe throwing was over the Montreal protesters walked over to the Canadian Armed Forces recruiting Center and protested something else.

In the Toronto group of protesters was an Iraqi refugee by the name Ahmed Habib who stated he hopes that Canadian journalists start throwing shoes at Stephen Harper.

Normally, I like protest and I'm really happy that as Canadians we have the right to protest. I just wish people would pick their causes a little better. Don't get me wrong I was the first to laugh when the reporter threw his shoes at Bush but holding protests in solidarity of him and trying to equate his actions towards Bush as something that should somehow be done against our Prime Minister? I don't think so, I'm pretty sure if you asked the shoe thrower himself what he though of Stephen Harper he wouldn't even know or care about who he was.

Also, I just think the manner in which this protest was conducted, especially in Montreal, exhibited a complete lack of control and is a black eye on this city.

Not to mention that if any protest should be in Canada right now it should be about having blogger and fellow Canadian Hossein Derakhshan released from jail in Iran for speaking his mind. This seems a little bit more important to me then showing your solidarity for the shoe thrower. Just my two cents.

Muchacho Enfermo