Sunday, January 13, 2013

Blowback

In this post commenter Double Nickel drew my attention to a Sun piece by John Robson (I won't link to that publication). It's of a bit convoluted piece, full of misrepresentations (e.g. "Queen of England") and outright racism ("the white man") that gets the lumpenprols a-frothing, but he does make a sort of point about the kind of resistance that Idle No More supporters are capable of.

No, INM and its associated actions cannot easily "bring the economy to its knees" as Nipinak vents, but it can certainly disrupt the hell out of it. And do it with much support from non-Aboriginal Canadians. This is the latest round in a general and slow burning uprising that includes the student protests in Quebec, the anti-G8 protests in Toronto, Brigette DePape, the popularity of Occupy in this country, and so on. Extend it, and we're part of a global movement of transformation.

We've watched a government steal an election, destroy any environmental protection it can find, sell development access the most toxic stretch of planet short of nuclear test site to a foreign power, permit torture, attempt to discredit veterans and soldiers, hide things. This is without unprecedent. Unless you're an Aboriginal person. Hey, wait...
 
What we're seeing now is blowback. Many of us are not particularly interested in waiting a couple more years until another election. We don't want to see what damage is done in the mean time. We also don't trust the next one to be run fairly. Cheat in one without consequences and all future elections are in doubt.

Anyone expecting us all to sit peacefully while all this happens is deluded. Everything many Canadians like about this country is under attack and when that happens, people. fight. back.

The more we're dismissed or suppressed, the more noise we'll make.  


4 comments:

thwap said...

Wholeheartedly agree.

Anonymous said...

If you're correct its going to get very noisy. The acceptance at this point is stunning tho. Perhaps more will be outraged when Stephen Harper utilizes an 'Order in Council' or other contrivance to mobilize the RCMP, reluctant Canadian Forces and the CSIS and some of his nastier back room bum boyz.

You know how this works.. John Baird starts shouting in the hallways of Parliament, Joe Oliver screeches about his precious pipelines and Stephen Harper goes to war in Canada at the behest of petroleum corporations.. to chase down and arrest First Nations elders, warriors, women and children impeding pipelines, fracking, pollution, construction, surveying etc..

Yes.. domestic war on folks doing the normal thing anyone would do to protect their country, their families, neighbors, homes, their property, their way of living .. their freedom.

Of course it may be challenging for the authorities smashing through the boreal forest, wetlands, the mountains, valleys, the rain forest in Leopard tanks or aging military vehicles or spying via drones.. or dropping from their outdated helicopters. They may also find themselves up against, loggers, tree huggers, fishermen, hunters, gatherers, teachers, artists, poets, scientists, biologists etc that aren't First Nations.. but very very motivated.

The Harper Government will want to bill the provinces for the war services, penal services, legal fees and court costs.. thus adding to the provincial deficits. Ideally Jason Kenney will fast track immigration to hire and train low cost Chinese infantry and lawyers to get the job done.

We have a federal government that's completely lost track of its job description, mandate and jurisdiction.. aligned with provincial governments, conducting a legislative war against the environment of Canada. The very land and its people.. and perhaps most importantly.. against the First Nations and its Treaties.. so that foreign controlled and owned resource companies can rip and strip and export our resources.

How twisted and out of control is that ..?

Gloria said...

We have no say in this country. We don't even own this country. Harper is giving Canada to Communist China. They own the resources and the resource jobs. Harper's omnibull bill, gives China the right to sue, any Canadians getting in China's way. China sued in BC to take the mining jobs. China refuses to pay Canadian wages. China's minimum wage is, $236 per month. I don't know what wage China settled with Harper? Harper has permitted all company's to hire cheap labor.

Harper is already planning China's takeover, of the rich resources in the High Arctic.

Any province that has a lick of sense? Will get the hell out of Harper's Canada. If not? They will belong to China. This country isn't Canada anyway.

Holly Stick said...

Further to the economic disruption:

http://beaconnews.ca/blog/2013/01/first-nations-have-power-to-stop-canadian-resource-development/