O O Ø O O O O
This Land Was Made for You and Me
After a wet and chilly spring, summer has arrived in the Nation's Capital (and elsewhere) just in time for Canada Day. I've missed the last five Canada Days in Ottawa because of work-related travel and living in another country, so I've been looking forward to a little revelry - some BBQ'd steak, beers on the patio, and fireworks to celebrate July 1st. It's one of the truly great days in Ottawa, and it allows us all to express just how much we love our home. Not to mention partying with a couple hundred thousand other people in various stages of intoxication, whether it be cultural or bottled-barley-beverage-al.
Usually there's a lot of preparation and hype leading up to the big day, but this year Canada Day is being overshadowed by the G8 conference and the demonstrations that usually accompany it. People are worried about the damage to the city and the inconveniences the protests may cause. The local media has helped fuel these fears by doing their usual bang-up, one-sided, opinion-not-reporting job, siding very heavily against the planned protests. As a result of the hype, some of the traditional Canada Day events are taking place elsewhere, and some of the remaining events have been scaled back.
...Ottawa is the place to be this week to protest.
The G8 conference itself is being held in Kananaskis, Alberta - a place I can't pronounce, let alone point out on a map. The RCMP and other organizations - including the military - have buttoned the place up so it's pretty much inaccessible to anyone other than the attendees, which is probably best for all, given the lessons learned in Seattle and Quebec City. This, coupled with Kananaskis being so darn hard to get to - especially with Air Canada's "bend over if you wanna fly anywhere in this country" fares - has led the protest groups we've come to know and worry about from past summits to decide that Ottawa is the place to be this week to protest. Protest organizers have launched a "Take the Capital" campaign to help with managing the demonstrations here this week.
I'd like to think the idea behind "Take the Capital" is to peacefully demonstrate and raise awareness of some of the social, enviornmental, and economic issues the G8 member countries have created throughout the global community. All I really know, however, is that the protest organizers have a pretty shitty marketing and public relations arm. Based on what I've read in the papers and seen on television, I don't have a clue what these folks think the bigger issues are. During the past two weeks the local papers have had "interviews" with some of the organizers and protesters, who are always surly, angry looking people who talk only about how they're going to demonstrate and everyone else be damned. They almost never seem to say what they're rallying against other than "capitalism" and "greed". I haven't heard any constructive thoughts on how to fix the problem, just that there are problems.
There has been a lot of rhetoric from law enforcement, local government, the organizers, and the residents of Ottawa. The mayor wants to keep the demonstrators off public lands to "protect the residents." Local businesses want financial compensation from any level of government that will give it for business lost because of the demonstrations (umm... where does it say the taxpayer is responsible for picking up your losses? Business slowdowns/interruptions beyond your control comes with the territory - deal with it). Residents and businesses alike have been very vocal about wanting law enforcement to keep the demonstrations under their thumb, ensuring we don't see the "hooliganism" that occurred during past events (and I can't blame them). The organizers have done very little to help assure everyone that they will do whatever they can to keep the demonstrations from becoming violent, and seem to think the image the media and people have painted them with further draws attention to their cause. Maybe it does, but in this case I'm pretty sure "any publicity is good publicity" does not apply. The only sane people, surprisingly, seem to be the police, who have reiterated they will wait and see what develops from the demonstrations before any action is taken.
They almost never seem to say what they're rallying against other than "capitalism" and "greed".
For the record, I fully support the ideas behind what the peaceful demonstrators are trying to accomplish. For the most part, we have no clue how dramatically our lifestyles impact developing nations, their environment, and their people (there's good and bad, but it's not managed), I really think we should be taking a greater interest in making sure our living doesn't hurt others. No one has the right to take away the protestors voices, It's really pretty scary to listen to people like Mayor Chiarelli (and others) so casually state that some of our basic rights ought to be tossed out the window because the demonstrations MAY cause inconveniences and MAY turn violent in some cases. The right to speak our minds and not be persecuted for it is sacrosanct, and we must never forget how important it is that we retain it.
That said, I too saw the images of the violent demonstrations from past summits on TV. I know there is an element within the demonstrators who either feel violence is a more effective way of getting their "message" across to us "po-dunks who can't think for themselves," or they get off on wanton destruction. I'm pretty sure the protesters are a mixture of the good and the bad (mostly good), but unfortunately, when a few bad seeds are mixed with a mob mentality, bad things happen. There's a reason people here are worried about what the demonstrations will turn into. These worries are based on past performances with a recurring theme: violence and destruction of property for no apparent gain of the "cause."
what a colossal waste of money it's costing us just so Chretien can waggle his little dick with the big boys
The papers tell me the G8 summit will focus on development in Africa, and will help create a plan where members of the G8 will help, not hurt, developing nations. I'm skeptical, as all I ever see are the pictures from the photo-ops where everyone is smiling, looking natty, eating really expensive food, and making promises they never keep, all at taxpayer expense. There is never any accountability (a universal problem). It would be nice to see just how many promises/plans/ideas named at the summit the G8 members actually implement. I'm willing to bet I could cut my arms and legs off, and still have the necessary number of parts required to count the number. Wouldn't it be nice if at the end of the summit, the member nations committed to x,y, and z, and we actually held them accountable for it? Wouldn't it be super if we actually believed that some good would come out of the G8 summit, instead of thinking about what a colossal waste of money it's costing us just so Chretien can waggle his little dick with the big boys? Isn't it too bad that anyone who believes this meeting is in any way relevant is living in a dream world?
I have no faith in any of the governments attending the G8 summit. I really do think that, despite the promises and agreements made, they'll do whatever the hell they please when they get home. This is a nice vacation for them on our dime, and I'd probably jump at the chance to get one of the really cool Kananaskis apples, too. If any work actually gets done, it'll be done by the policy makers who feed their leaders their lines like so much pablum. I'm betting a couple grand in conference calls between the flunkies - with a little lip service and glad-handing thrown in from the bigwigs - could accomplish the same thing, but I'm politically naive. Gents, if you can, please do discuss what you can do to reign in companies that exploit developing nations, even though it will cost you contributions and GDP.
...break one fucking window in my city, and I guarantee you'll all be branded thugs...
As for the protesters, please, go ahead and protest. I think we need to be a little more accountable/responsible for the consequences our lifestyles generate. I also think you can get your message across without acting like a bunch of English soccer fans. Put another way, break one fucking window in my city, and I guarantee you'll all be branded thugs, regardless of your best intentions. Try and do a little better in the marketing department, too. If I knew what in the hell it was you were fighting for, I might actually help out.
I can take the politicians, the disruptions, and the scaled back celebrations, but I can't take either side using past transgressions as a tool to enforce their will on me or any other person. I have just as much right as any other person to speak my mind and show my beliefs, and I should respect others beliefs as well. That's what this week should be all about, especially with the lead-in to the holiday weekend. Remember what Canada Day is all about, and celebrate/demonstrate accordingly. I think it can be accomplished.
But then again, I'm the eternal optimist.
Happy Canada Day!
Tuesday, June 25, 2002
PD DLIII