Celebrating Canada Day
A Canada day rant!
Today's the day we collectively celebrate the country we live in. And as we chose it by default or purpose we must all like it here? Well I do but am perturbed by a couple of things that the Country has allowed to develop. These same concerns would be voiced if I lived in other western countries so Canada is not unique in these developments.
First of all let me define my version of Freedom. Simply put Freedom is the ability to live anywhere, behave within the bounds of decency and decorum, assemble anywhere on public property, not be subject to demands from authority to justify why I am where I am, not have to produce ID on demand and to be free from demands to open bags and be subject to search and seizure. Gee I guess I have just rambled on about the value of the Charter of Freedoms. What a wonderful document!
So why do we complain so much about these values? Because they are being eroded bit by bit and every time one of them gets chipped away the next one is at risk.
After three full days of a cacophony from the air waves about the behaviour of the Toronto Police at the G20 demos there are a couple of conclusions. One is that Proactive Policing should be examined. In other words can we allow the Police to charge into a crowd to 'snatch' suspects or do we allow the 'suspects' to put themselves into a position that proves conclusively that they are in fact perpetrators and them arest them. The other is to define just what basic rights we have. Are the bags we carry subject to random search or not. Can this basic freedom be abrogated by 'special conditions'? The classic example is that when we voluntarily go to concerts and ball games we offer our bags for search. But we also choose to be there in the first place. Walking on the sidewalk is no activity for a search or to submit to an ID check. Anecdotally I have been told, many times, that the local Police, when they stop young people at the dead of night that they are told to "empty your pockets" what justification is there for that? I am sure that the officer who demands it knows that the demand may be illegal but does it anyway knowing that few people will complain.
In this excellent essay, Murray Dobbin, writes that these events are part of a larger problem and that the Police activities are part of an effort to control the public not to contain them. In conclusion, without being dramatic all I can do is to quote Niemolle: "THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.........." - you know the rest!
So my message is be watchful and don't be afraid to speak against perceived injustice as you see it, we are allowed to do it - just don't be afraid to do it!
A postscript from another commentator here, it's about the orders, confusion and mayhem in Toronto.
Today's the day we collectively celebrate the country we live in. And as we chose it by default or purpose we must all like it here? Well I do but am perturbed by a couple of things that the Country has allowed to develop. These same concerns would be voiced if I lived in other western countries so Canada is not unique in these developments.First of all let me define my version of Freedom. Simply put Freedom is the ability to live anywhere, behave within the bounds of decency and decorum, assemble anywhere on public property, not be subject to demands from authority to justify why I am where I am, not have to produce ID on demand and to be free from demands to open bags and be subject to search and seizure. Gee I guess I have just rambled on about the value of the Charter of Freedoms. What a wonderful document!
So why do we complain so much about these values? Because they are being eroded bit by bit and every time one of them gets chipped away the next one is at risk.
After three full days of a cacophony from the air waves about the behaviour of the Toronto Police at the G20 demos there are a couple of conclusions. One is that Proactive Policing should be examined. In other words can we allow the Police to charge into a crowd to 'snatch' suspects or do we allow the 'suspects' to put themselves into a position that proves conclusively that they are in fact perpetrators and them arest them. The other is to define just what basic rights we have. Are the bags we carry subject to random search or not. Can this basic freedom be abrogated by 'special conditions'? The classic example is that when we voluntarily go to concerts and ball games we offer our bags for search. But we also choose to be there in the first place. Walking on the sidewalk is no activity for a search or to submit to an ID check. Anecdotally I have been told, many times, that the local Police, when they stop young people at the dead of night that they are told to "empty your pockets" what justification is there for that? I am sure that the officer who demands it knows that the demand may be illegal but does it anyway knowing that few people will complain.
In this excellent essay, Murray Dobbin, writes that these events are part of a larger problem and that the Police activities are part of an effort to control the public not to contain them. In conclusion, without being dramatic all I can do is to quote Niemolle: "THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.........." - you know the rest!
So my message is be watchful and don't be afraid to speak against perceived injustice as you see it, we are allowed to do it - just don't be afraid to do it!
A postscript from another commentator here, it's about the orders, confusion and mayhem in Toronto.
9 comments:
You're assessment is pretty much bang on, from my perspective. Thanks for sharing it.
Testing...testing...
Every post I've tried today gets eaten. Bear with me...
A good post, especially written so early in the morning. I thought Washburn's column in the local paper was excellent too.
But how many of us have the smarts to see what's really going on here? Harper's gang are masters at manipulation and too many people fall for it without thinking.
That's what really scares me.
There are a number of independent review agencies available for people to take their complaints to. Including "locally". Unfortunately it is easier to spread your untested complaints in the different media streams and have them accepted by the naive as the truth rather than have them scrutinized by an independent body.
But of course, the vast majority of the special interest groups are well versed in that tactic.
Anonymous, what the hell are you talking about? What "independent review agencies"? Locally? What are they?
What complaints do they investigate?
And please define a "special interest group". Is the Chamber of Commerce one? The Rotary Club...
Nobody knows what you mean with a vague, cryptic comment like that.
it seems Mr Keeler has discovered the power of the alter-ego, another "handle" or two.
Not a chance. I am Wally Keeler. I post only under that handle. Your ability to conjecture is flawed.
Hey Anonymous, instead of trying to guess a poster's identity (wrongly) how about answering the questions about who the independent review agencies are locally and what they investigate exactly.
Don't forget to define a special interest group, that might prove interesting.
My contention is that any group of people who gather and organize around something, whether it's bird watching, honouring veterans of war, a soccer club or any other kind of interest, is a special interest group by definition.
The attempt to marginalize citizens by accusing them of belonging to such a group is a tactic politicians use to discredit ideas they don't like. It's purely manipulation of the Orwellian variety and we would be wise to be aware of that.
Would you agree?
pretty close, with some reservations, of course.
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