Photoblogging - Part I

Comments?

Cracks in the armour of our Great White Knight

We were told time and time again that a government under the virtuous Stephen Harper would be accountable to its constituents, that it would not repeat the sins of the previous Liberal regime who doled out large sums of money to its closest friends in the business world. We were told to "demand better" from our elected representatives, thus, on 23 January 2006, we gave the White Knight a chance to save the day.

Two weeks hence, to the day, His Excellency was sworn into office, along with his hand-picked cabinet. My eyes and ears twitched upon learning of the appointment of three particular individuals: David Emerson to the Ministry of Trade, who, after being elected as a member of the Liberal party, promptly jumped ship for a cushy cabinet position; Michael Fortier to the Ministry of Public Works and Government Services, who was not even elected to Parliament, yet made Minister in Mr. Harper's cabinet - oddly enough, Mr. Fortier was appointed to the Senate three weeks later, which Mr. Harper does not hesitate to criticize for its members being "unelected" - and Gordon O'Connor to the Ministry of National Defence, a position well-suited to him, as he made his life's work persuading past governments to spend money on defence contractors he represented. Already, the cracks were visible in the White Knight's shining armour.

Today, I learn that, under the auspices of Mr. O'Connor, nearly forty percent of military contracts were awarded to private firms without any bid process. Also, I learn that Mr. O'Connor was seeking government contracts in the weeks leading up to his appointment as Minister of National Defence. As a graduate of Engineering and an employee of a multi-national corporation, I have been and continue to be lectured on the importance of being ethical in my practices, which is why I find this story particularly appalling, yet sadly unsurprising.

We've seen this over and over again, through the actions of politicians, of executives, of educators, military commanders and police officers, and the lesson has always been thus: when in a position of authority, the rules apply to everyone but you. We were told things were going to change, and we were outraged enough at the previous Liberal cabal to believe what we heard. If Mr. Harper's apathetic approach to mitigating ecological destruction wasn't enough for his government to be brought down, surely, the collapse of the chief pillar of his platform will...

...but then what? We will have seen two consecutive governments fail, prompting another early return to the polls only to select one of them again? Is it any wonder why I have no faith in our "democracy"? Is this even a democracy, or merely a gang of bandits clad in red and blue (and orange) wrestling over who gets to loot the public? When are we, as citizens, as voters, as financiers of these thieves and rapists and murders, going to finally wake the fuck up? For how much longer do we have to put up with this shit? Do we actually believe another election is going to rectify everything when our alternatives are all vying for preserving the status quo?

Or does the status quo mean that much to you, too? If that's the case, please don't lecture me on crime or corruption ever again because you are content to vote for them. Don't bother me with talk about longing for a world in which you need not worry about your daughter staying out late for fear of her being raped or murdered, so long as you continue to vote in favour of Fear and Loathing.

This system rests on a foundation of deceit. When the cracks within are apparent, more lies are used as mortar to patch them shut. The problem is, mortar cannot be whipped up quickly enough to keep pace with the propagation of said cracks. When this system of deceit finally collapses under its own weight, do you want to find yourself trapped beneath the rubble?

Playing the Blame Game: The Ipperwash Inquiry

On 31 May 2007, the final report detailing the findings of the inquiry of the standoff at Ipperwash Park between Stoney Point Ojibwa and Ontario Provincial Police, during which one Dudley George was struck and killed by a police bullet. Andrew Coyne of the National Post believes this report "effectively legitimizes illegal protests".

Mr. Coyne feels our indigenous peoples, after having their land stolen and their mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters wiped out by the White Man, ought to play by His rules in their quest for justice. Someone ought to tell Mr. Coyne what Terry Nelson of the Roseau River First Nation told the press:

"There are only two ways of dealing with the white man: one, either you pick up a gun, or you stand between the white man and his money."

How many of you believe these people are going to sit around and wait for the White Man's bureaucracy to work? Does bureaucracy ever work for those it is intended to serve? At the end of his piece, Mr. Coyne himself sites the following:

"90 The number of years one expert estimated it would take to clear the backlog at the current rate. 130 The number of years Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine...estimated it would take to clear the backlog at this pace."

Faced with the choice, would you sit and wait 90-130 years for justice, or force the public to listen?