Do you oppose/despise the Harper government enough that you would be willing to be considered an "enemy"? That would be a tough one if only Harper didn't already consider most of you his enemy... and you know he does.
Harper is wasting tax dollars tracking down would-be enemies. He's even got CSIS involved identifying opponents of the Northern Gateway pipeline.
It might be an idea to save the Canadian public all that money and simply set up a registry where we could voluntarily declare ourselves enemies of the Harper regime. Not the country, mind you, nor Parliament either. Just the Harper regime, itself much akin to a criminal enterprise.
Through such a registry we could perhaps link up, get to know each other, share views and organize actions to oppose the Harper regime, show it for what it is.
Maybe a door-to-door or online sign-up campaign would be helpful. Imagine if a lot of Canadians, even a few million, declared their enmity to Stephen Harper and whatever he might stand for.
Just a thought.
Count me as any enemy Stevie. My local MP Silent Scott Anderson has probably already submitted my name but I don't want to be left out.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. I would consider setting up such a server in my basement, but I doubt my connection could handle the bandwidth demand.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a clue how to go about something like this but I could draft a dandy preamble to ensure signatories couldn't be branded as radicals, terrorists or insurgents.
ReplyDeleteActually, Mound, a universal legal boilerplate preamble that protected the legal rights of citizens who choose to operate a private website (or any sort of private internet communication site) would be very useful.
ReplyDeleteThe list could be easy to generate and we could use the negative response requirement that the mobile phone companies tried a few years ago...
ReplyDelete1 - Take the Elections Canada voters database
2 - Delete all members of the CONservative Party of Canada
3 - Delete all members the provincial affiliate parties including the BC Liberals and Quebec Liberals
Result: Enemies of Canada.
An minor enhancement would be to delete the Libertarian Party and Family-type Party members as well.
@ Anon - an umbrella or blanket statement would be tough to do without considering who is to be protected against whom and for what exactly.
ReplyDeleteMy focus was intended to be much narrower to define "enemy" in the context of its use by Harper & Co. and to expressly disavow radicalism, terrorism, or anything that could be construed as sedition.
"...an umbrella or blanket statement would be tough to do without considering who is to be protected against whom and for what exactly."
ReplyDeleteI get it, Mound. The rich people must be protected from the poor. After all, it is the poor people who are leading to the destruction of the rich.
I don't quite know what you're getting at, Anon. Rich protected from the poor, what in hell is that? I trust you also understand that no preamble can be particularly protective or confer immunity.
ReplyDeleteThere do exist lawyers such as Eben Moglen and Lawrence Lessig who can put together such ideas.
ReplyDeleteWe seem to be lacking in this country.
Given that you still can't be clear on what it is you're getting at, Anon, you might as well take your concerns up with them. I'm sure a hefty hourly fee will do wonders to focus your wandering mind.
ReplyDelete"I'm sure a hefty hourly fee will do wonders to focus your wandering mind."
ReplyDeleteHey Mound. My mind always wanders and is always free. The lawyers Ebon Moglen and Lawrence Lessig always work for free for the right thing.
What is it with you and your kind always asking for money?
Another Anon (again)
ReplyDeleteAppears the Broadbent Institute shares your thinking Mound.
HELP US FILL HARPER'S 'BINDER FULL OF ENEMIES'!
https://www.facebook.com/broadbentinst
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/left-leaning-broadbent-institute-mocks-harper-enemies-list-210151452.html
@ Anon 6:00 - "you and your kind"? You know nothing of me or my kind or else you wouldn't make such a fool of yourself. And, if you think that either of those named lawyers would work a minute much less an hour for free for the like of you, you're an even bigger fool.
ReplyDelete@ Anon 6:32, thanks for that! I'm signing on.
I was hoping that Mound would donate his brain to Canadian freedom at reduced rates....
ReplyDeleteWell, I will say that the first thing I thought when I heard about the Cons' "enemies list" was "Where do I sign up?"
ReplyDeleteBut if you do that boilerplate, which sounds like a fine notion, I don't think I'd be willing to sign on if I had to disavow "radicalism".
@ Anon 10:39 - here are a couple of things you might find helpful. when I was a young fellow (back when Christ was still a corporal), I volunteered to work at a local veterinary clinic, for free. I just found it exciting to work with animals, to help out. I actually aspired to be a vet.
ReplyDeleteThere were two vets at this clinic, a pair of young practitioners. One had his sights set on prosperity. His partner just truly cared very deeply for animals.
I figured out which was which one day when some kids brought in a grievously wounded pigeon that other kids had shot with a pellet gun off a church roof. Dr. Prosperity couldn't be bothered. The other vet asked if I would mind staying a couple of hours to help out. Of course I stayed.
That vet worked on that pigeon, "pro bono", for a couple of hours. He removed feathers, extracted a couple of pellets, immobilized his patient, and used drugs and products I can't begin to name. He covered everything, right down to the suture, out of his own pocket.
The pigeon survived and recovered. It was released and quite possibly flew back to that same church roof or one very much like it. The vet who couldn't be bothered moved on to own three or four pet clinics and, last I heard, made out like a bandit. The guy I stayed with and worked for went bankrupt and wound up as a government meat inspector to support his family. There was never an animal that was brought in that he wouldn't do everything to save, usually knowing that he had slim to no chance of being paid.
My Dad, a horribly wounded WWII infantry officer, was a lot like that vet only he went out of his way at similar risk to help people less fortunate. We never got along until I was in my very late 40s yet I always admired his selfless willingness to go out on a limb to take a chance on others.
After the air force and journalism I moved into law and got my chance to help out others. I had big name institutional clients and, in a way, they paid for the services I provided to those without. There were several, especially young families just starting out. I was a very good lawyer and I charged top rates which gave me the leeway to provide for others.
Make no mistake, it was incredibly arbitrary. Some I helped, even more I didn't. All that left was nagging doubt. But you can never let that consume you or you'll do no good for anyone.
for the amount of emails I send Sir Harper, im sure im on the enemy list (of his asst at the very least:))
ReplyDeleteI have asked the PM to step down for every scandal, im certain he wont bother listening to my rantings via email, but I sure hope the RCMP can convince him to;P
When you gotta put together an enemys list you know you're either hugely popularly, hugely unpopular, extremely paranoid, or perhaps you just have a huge ego:P
If the law is meant to protect the poor from the tyrany of the rich, how is it the law ended up in protecting the rich from poor? Easy, the rich manipulate the law to suit their situation. Do ya think?
ReplyDeleteThe law isn't "meant" to protect the poor although certain laws are specifically enacted to do that. The law is supposed to treat parties equally as a general rule. Access to counsel, however, is hardly equal and big bucks can buy big guns. There is some truth to the adage that you get as much law as you can afford. We're all familiar with the trend these days for corporations to use "lawfare" against their adversaries to shut them down financially.
ReplyDelete.. "just a thought .. "
ReplyDeleteWhen was that .. (thinking laterally) ever a bad idea .. ?
I like it.. I like it a lot ..
I think there's tradition, protest, satire, anger, question, mistrust.. and that old glowing heart, stand on guard for thee ... attitude .. embedded in the idea
Your idea follows on many precedents.. all without any legal standing or protection.. or guarantee.. Like Franke James, or those young First Nations exemplars that walked down to Ottawa, or Suzuki or David W. Schindler or the Idle No More exemplars ..
The list is long.. and you're on it.. maybe I am too (the salamanders hope so !) My sister, a teacher ? Probably.. Biologists, firefighters, pensioners, schoolchildren studying wild salmon or caribou, small business persons, young immigrants .. the list grows so long..
Skip the odd arguments in the comments.. don't be sidetracked .. Those comments may have value.. but miss the point.. detract from a simple shiny idea.. an active idea..
I dunno .. create a T-Shirt .. sell it online .. keep the money, use it, or give it to a creative caring Canadian with unbreakable Canadian values and a glowing heart ..
There's nothing stopping you .. and everything to be gained.. and like what's the worst that could happen ? They put you on the Enemies of Canada List ? ?
.. "just a thought .. "
ReplyDeleteWhen was that .. (thinking laterally) ever a bad idea .. ?
I like it.. I like it a lot ..
I think there's tradition, protest, satire, anger, question, mistrust.. and that old glowing heart, stand on guard for thee ... attitude .. embedded in the idea
Your idea follows on many precedents.. all without any legal standing or protection.. or guarantee.. Like Franke James, or those young First Nations exemplars that walked down to Ottawa, or Suzuki or David W. Schindler or the Idle No More exemplars ..
The list is long.. and you're on it.. maybe I am too (the salamanders hope so !) My sister, a teacher ? Probably.. Biologists, firefighters, pensioners, schoolchildren studying wild salmon or caribou, small business persons, young immigrants .. the list grows so long..
Skip the odd arguments in the comments.. don't be sidetracked .. Those comments may have value.. but miss the point.. detract from a simple shiny idea.. an active idea..
I dunno .. create a T-Shirt .. sell it online .. keep the money, use it, or give it to a creative caring Canadian with unbreakable Canadian values and a glowing heart ..
There's nothing stopping you .. and everything to be gained.. and like what's the worst that could happen ? They put you on the Enemies of Canada List ? ?
Actually, Sal, I think I'm probably on a few lists. Given the number of visits they make to my blog that might include U.S. Army Intelligence, U.S. Navy Intelligence, Lockheed Martin and they're visitors that come in openly. They probably view me as some sort of subversive rabble rouser. They usually announce their presence by using a strange web browser known as Rippers.0.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of that, I see I got a visit today from Lockheed Martin checking out some stuff I posted in February about their vulnerability to Chinese military computer hackers, Unit 61938.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea m or how about we all print t-shirts letting it be known we are enemies of harper's anti science, anti democratic, anti environmental stances and go to parliament hill when fall session reopens. If enough of us come we will not be ignored.
ReplyDeleteDon't you think lists have been compiled in ernest since WWII?...just an aside. Yes MOS, excellent suggestion by the sal.
ReplyDelete