CFN

We have ten councilors currently.   There is no ward system in Cornwall so representation isn’t an issue although it probably should.

Recently we have had Beavergate and the Bilingual nurse protest.  Both issues councilors sat on their hands.

We have Councilor Thibault busy chopping up and planning the waterfront with some developers and a few stooges on the Waterfront Committee.

Here we have a video regarding the committee allegedly trying to force Stephen Alexander, one of the most competent managers in Cornwall off of the Waterfront committee.  Watch Mr. Menard spin  :)  Libel chill from a committee member, many questions, not a lot of answers .  Interesting video if you care about Cornwall’s waterfront.

We have councilor Carr with his Heart of the City initiative.    HOC does some good in Cornwall, but surely some of the bluster about conflict of interest has some merit?  Should Mr. Carr have to make a decision about whether he wants to run Heart of the City or be on Council when Cornwall has a policy that does not allow city workers to be on Council?

Councilor Grant is busy leading many of the committees, but from there it spins downward with most councilors participating on many committees, but not really having much of an impact in moving the city forward.

As a matter of fact council at the moment is starting to go partisan with Conservative members smelling blood in the water of long former Liberal MP Bob Kilger who is fighting off scandal after scandal while sitting as mayor and dealing with health issues.

Murmurs at city hall of a putsch to land Councilor David “Mellow Yellow” Murphy into the mayor’s seat have many following Cornwall politics cringing.

Voting at council has shown this year to be done by bloc or clique; especially during the issues surrounding the CAO Paul Fitzpatrick and the alleged wrongful termination of HR manager Robert Menagh.

So the question is why have ten councilors?   If the city is going to be run as it’s been run this term of council why have more than two or three?

Where are the issues that councilors should be leading?  With Councilor O’Shaughnessy quitting in disgust; the gang bang of councilor Rivette who has been very quiet since his complaint has stood up after sitting for a video interview with CFN;  councilors MacDonald, Dupelle, and even Queen Bernadette Clement have been all but silent on issues impacting the city, are having that many councilors just dead wood and a waste of tax dollars?

Add in refusals of council to allow citizens to present to council and it seems a very shady version of Democracy being practiced in Cornwall Ontario…

What do these councilors stand for?

What do you think Cornwallites?  You can post your comments below.

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

]]> http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/does-cornwall-ontario-need-ten-city-councilors-waterfront-subterfuge-editorial-by-jamie-gilcig-may-22-2012/feed/ 4 http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/canada-a-democratic-dictatorship-editorial-by-corneliu-kirjan-free-thinking-citizen/ http://cornwallfreenews.com/2012/05/canada-a-democratic-dictatorship-editorial-by-corneliu-kirjan-free-thinking-citizen/#comments Mon, 21 May 2012 20:29:50 +0000 admin http://cornwallfreenews.com/?p=36777 CFN -

“… the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism – ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.”

                                                                         Franklin D. Roosevelt, April29, 1938

In 2003, the American political scientist Laurence W. Britt published in the magazine Free Inquiry an article entitled “Fascism Anyone?” (Free Inquiry, Spring 2003-Volume 23, No. 2) After studying the political system of seven countries that have experienced periods of political dictatorship (Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Spain under Franco, Portugal under Salazar, Greece under Papadopoulos, Chile under Pinochet and Indonesia under Suharto) the political scientist concluded that despite some differences, all these regimes have 14 common characteristics:  Powerful and continuing expression of nationalism, Disdain for the importance of human rights, Identification of enemies/scapegoats as unifying cause, Supremacy of the military/avid militarism, Rampant sexism, A controlled mass media, Obsession with national security, Religion and ruling elite tied together, Power of corporation protected, Power of labor suppressed or eliminated, Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts, Obsession with crime and punishment, Rampant cronyism and corruption and Fraudulent elections.

Let me add one more characteristic of totalitarian regimes to those identified by the author:  The contempt for democratic institutions which are nevertheless used for the establishment of the totalitarian regime.

What struck me the most after reading the article was the resemblance to the characteristics of Canadian politics since January 2006 and even more since May 2011, when the Conservative government became a majority government with less than 40% of the votes cast. It is not difficult to find concrete examples for each of the 15 characteristics mentioned. I will content myself in mentioning a few, leaving readers the opportunity to complete the list as they please:

Two times prorogation of Parliament to avoid votes of non-confidence and loss of power; changing the operating rules of the Committees of the House of Commons; overspending to exalt nationalism celebrating the War of 1812; budget cuts and the elimination of organisations dealing with human rights, identification of socialists, liberals, progressives and environmentalists as enemies of the nation and the national interest; reckless spending, in times of economic crisis, for military equipment and military interventions abroad; control of the mass media and access to information and retaliation against those who criticise the government; excessive laws justified by the need for national security; close relationships with leaders of various religions and their use for electoral purposes; anti-union legislation and the weakening of the legislation protecting workers; many legislative changes in favor of companies and corporations and against the common good and the environment; illegal elimination of the Wheat Board in favor of big landowners and big US grain companies; control of scientific information produced by government employees and the elimination of many scientific and cultural organisations; adoption of several laws relating to criminal offenses in a context where crime rates are down; legislation addressing judicial independence by requiring judges to award predetermined sentences; thousands of partisan nominations and corrupt behaviour by government officials (among others ministers Bev Oda, Peter MacKay, Tony Clement and Christian Paradis); concentration of decision-making in the hands of the  Prime Minister and Cabinet members to the detriment of the Members of Parliament; a unique lack of transparency in Canadian political history; fraudulent electoral behaviour (suppression of votes with illegal phone calls, illegal voting, financial opacity).

The majority of Canadians identify democracy as being the opportunity to vote freely and choose among candidates nominated by various parties, those who will represent and speak on their behalf for a period of time, usually four years.  The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures a wide range of other rights which are taken for granted and considered immutable. We are convinced that those to whom we have delegated our power to decide are worthy and defend the common good and the general interest of our country. Unfortunately, the reality is very different and we risk having a rude awakening.  History is full of examples but we still think that this can only happen elsewhere, not in Canada.

Nevertheless, since 2006, Canada has entered a period of profound political and social changes. These changes have been very gradual and they have been supported by an extraordinary propaganda machine that would be the envy of any totalitarian regime. Under the influence of this propaganda and overwhelmed by our daily problems (job security, consumption and debts) we are convinced that those to whom we have temporarily delegated our powers are defending our interests and those of our country. The reality is that since 2006 the opposition parties, each in turn and for partisan reasons, have been accomplices in these changes. Since the Conservative Party has had a majority in Parliament (with only 40% of the votes) the progressive forces, representing over 60% of the population, have continued their division and internal fights and thereby fostered the changes.

Under the Conservative government, Canada is formulating and implementing an all-new form of dictatorship, the democratic dictatorship.  The lack of leadership and unity of progressive forces makes even sadder the establishment of the new Canadian political regime.

For now, the only good news is that all the dictatorial regimes have eventually failed and democracy has triumphed over tyranny.

Corneliu Kirjan
Free-thinking Citizen
Cornwall, Ontario

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

CFN

There’s a hitch though.  I’m stopped.

I’m told that I can’t separate my role as activist or journalist.

I offer to not use my camera, ME2, and just sit in and participate but I’m told that OPG will walk if I’m present.

What a lot of people forget when working in groups is to check their ego.   I saw the look in Rebecca Sorrell’s eyes and without any fuss or muss step down.   I end up waiting nearly two hours for the meeting to end.

It gives me time to make some calls and work on some notes for the follow up to Beavergate.  It’s been inspiring to work together as a team.  It’s been inspiring to combat stubbornness and ignorance without being overly emotional about it.

Since my first story April 25th a lot of neat things have happened.  Yes, it’s important to save the beavers in Guindon Park, but this is also a metaphor about getting elected officials and those that work on behalf of the public to listen to we the public.    It’s about the process and holding people accountable.   It doesn’t always have to be an us or them fight.

Cornwall Politicians have failed big time when it comes to listening and responding to the public in a meaningful way.   There’s been a mean spiritedness in how Beavergate has been handled.

As positive these first few strands of light are, and the meeting did show some huge strands of light, the bottom line is that the only reason this meeting took place is because of internal and external public pressures.

Yesterday the Standard Free Holder came out with a story on Beavergate.   It was written by Cheryl Brink.   I’m not sure which journalism school she went to, but the Free Holder last I looked was a Broadsheet newspaper.   I personally practice Gonzo Journalism.

WIKI:

Gonzo journalismis a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. The word “gonzo” is believed to be first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson, who later popularized the style. The term has since been applied to other subjective artistic endeavors.

Gonzo journalism tends to favor style over fact to achieve accuracy—if accuracy is in fact meant to be achieved at all—and often uses personal experiences and emotions to provide context for the topic or event being covered. It disregards the “polished”, edited product favored by newspaper media and strives for a more gritty, personable approach—the personality of a piece is just as important as the event the piece is on. Use of quotations, sarcasm,humor, exaggeration, and profanity is common.

Among the forefathers of the new journalism movement, Thompson said in the February 15th, 1973 issue of Rolling Stone, “If I’d written the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people—including me—would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism.”^[

That being said it’s very very important to have facts in a story and even to occasionally fact check.

Ms Brink wrote in her blog:

A group of a dozen or more protesters hit up city hall this week, despite not making it onto the evening’s agenda. The Save the Beaver petitioners brought signs and homemade t-shirts, hoping to make a plea for the end to trapping of the country’s national animal in Guindon Park. When they realized they wouldn’t be invited to speak, they left in a rather noisy fashion. “I’ll see you next council, Mr. Kilger,” said Rebecca Sorrell, the unofficial leader of the group, and the petition’s author.

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Personally, I don’t think they’re going to get too far. Trapping for the purpose of population control has been going for more than two decades with very little controversy; the beavers are still around but the roads haven’t flooded. The city has little motivation to make changes … plus a couple of traps were stolen from the park this year, which I’m sure will do the opposite of helping this group’s cause.

As this video of part of the protesters entering council shows there are well over a dozen.  Why lower the number? Why leave out the facts?  Why leave out how Beavergate started?   Why slur the group by suggesting that somehow they were behind traps being allegedly stolen from Guindon park?

A quick telephone call to the police would have given Ms Brink the police report filed April 26, 2012 numbered CW12005380 in which the Trapper, Mr. Quinn, complained of one trap, valued at $33 being stolen from near its location near the Forest Washrooms.

Why would there be a trap near the washrooms next to the RC track where kids play?

When I started Beavergate after hearing about the plight of Guindon Park from Mr. Wyatt Walsh my first home work was talking to experts; scientists, biologists, and gaining the facts of this situation.   Could not Ms. Brink.   Ms Sorrell and her group didn’t start until after the 26th.  Why slur them, even loosely in her story?    As well I spoke to Mr. Pat Quinn the trapper who said four traps were stolen and that complained that we media were a big part of the problem and hung up on me.

My request for a 90 day moratorium was met by the trap being moved to the beaver lodge – clearly showing a lack of good faith or willingness to dialog.

Was it because Council and the CAO have a hard on for CFN?  I don’t know.  I do know it was unnecessary.

After the meeting I again; for the third time emailed Mayor Kilger, the CAO, Council and management requesting an immediate 90 day moratorium of trapping in Guindon Park.

I hope this time it’s met with the reality that we as a city have a huge opportunity.     Lesley Fox of  The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals has clearly offered to send at their cost a team to deal with the issues of Beaver Control in Guindon Park.

Not only will this ultimately save the city dollars.  It will help Guindon Park become an even better attraction.  They also will be training city staff at no cost and some volunteers who are excited about the opportunity as this service, which is evolving very quickly can be costly and is a growing area of jobs as there’s an acute shortage of people that can provide these services.

So as you can clearly see this is a huge opportunity for we citizens of Cornwall Ontario.  It’s truly a win win situation for all involved if they embrace it.

OPG left the meeting first last night.   Since that first phone call to me where they basically lied they’ve been a dark shadow on this process.   I hope Ms Haliday’s employers in Toronto realize that there are always options to better the environment and respect your neighbors.

As for Ms. Brink’s comment above:

Trapping for the purpose of population control has been going for more than two decades with very little controversy

It’s our job in the media to help bring issues to light.  If we in the media don’t bring concerns to our pages how ever will an issue become controversial enough to bring pressure on our elected officials to respond?

And to end this piece is a video we shot with Rebecca Sorrell, her wonderful dog Ridley who hopes to play safely in the future in Guindon Park and Mr. Wyatt Walsh who expertly reputed OPG’s Engineers report to kick off the meeting.

Ms Sorrell is not going to let her tootsie off of the gas pedal.   Her petition continues online and in stores like Island Ink Jet (3rd street and Pitt across from the Royal Bank) and she still hopes to present to council with her supporters at the next meeting.

You can post your comments below.

UPDATE 9:17 AM

We just received word from Mr. Stephen Alexander, General Manager Planning, Parks, and Recreation Services from Cornwall Ontario

There was an e mail last night asking for consideration of a 90 day moratorium on traps in the park. 

 In fact,  following the meeting,  staff determined , and put into action  steps to remove the only trap that was remaining in the park while we are considering if any other approaches can achieve the objectives of protecting the park infrastructure etc.  for park users. 

To my understanding,  from information this morning,   by the time you get this e mail it may have in fact been removed,  together with the signs. 

I personally want to thank Mr. Alexander for this amazing gesture and step forward by the City Management of  Cornwall Ontario!

CFN

She is the first dental assistant to have mercury poisoning recognized as an occupational illness.  She is also the first dental assistant to receive compensation for mercury poisoning in Norway, as a result of a lawsuit that began 20 years ago.

The precedent setting case has raised alarm bells and dental assistants in Sweden and Denmark are now speaking out, disclosing their mercury caused illnesses and demanding compensation.

Meanwhile, here in Canada and the United States our medical and dental professionals are in denial. Health Canadarefuses to make a ruling to declare that mercury in dental fillings are extremely toxic and unsafe.  Can you believe that once the amalgam is removed from old fillings, there are strict protocols for its removal in hazardous waste containers, but millions of people are walking around with a mouth full of the stuff? Amalgam fillings contain at least 50% mercury!

Research shows that the mercury does indeed mix with saliva all of the time in your mouth. Mercury can cross the blood-brain barrier, which means that the unborn are at risk while in the womb if the mother has mercury in her system.

Some dentists and other professionals in the U.S. have spoken out against the dangers. Dr. Boyd Haley, Dr. Andrew Cutler and Dr. Mark Breiner have identified about 40 symptoms of mercury poisoning, including conditions like extreme fatigue and a weakened immunity.

On a personal note, I have had 12 ‘silver’ amalgam fillings removed by a holistic, mercury free dentist in Ottawa and I’m feeling a whole lot better.(realitycheck.typepad.com)

Next time you or your children go to your dentist for a filling, consider asking for a white composite filling and avoid the extreme hazards of amalgam fillings. Don’t wait for your doctor or your dentist to inform you that amalgam fillings are dangerous. It’s not going to happen.

The more people who become aware of this information, the harder it will be for Health Canada to keep the lid on the truth.

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

CFN

The people that make Oreo Cookies have probably had a billion dollars worth of exposure all over a bit of of nipple.   Time now will probably do quite well with its cover.

Are we going to be seeing more and more of the fount of human milk in our advertising like we are on HBO?   And is that such a bad thing?

You can post your comments below.

Dr. Anthony Hall

CFN – Saturday I accepted an invite from a friend who is huge on the Occupy Canada movement.   We drove down to the Hill.  Perfect weather and a fine day for a protest.  We got there early and there was a protest over Communist Vietnam.   It was bright, lots of signs, singing, and frankly very moving.

Then the Occupy Canada people showed up near the flame.   A small crowd numbering between 100 to 200 people eventually circled and the speakers started.

Derek Soberal was the leader who also started the Occupy Canada Facebook page.

Jon Allan

The message was loud and clear if you were in the crowd.  These people were unhappy with the Harper government.  They stated that because of the Robo Caller scandal, which has now pointed at a Harper Organizer, the Federal election was fraudulent and essentially corrupted our Democracy and should be struck down as well as any laws passed under it to date.

Mr. Harper Shot Down in Song

Mr. Soberal and friends, some who had travelled to Ottawa from all parts of the country must not have been happy with the turn out or were full of energy as they left the Hill and took to the streets of Ottawa and ended up with Mr. Soberval being arrested.

Dr. Anthony Hall was the last speaker.   He teaches at Lethbridge University.  He’s written extensively about the Harper Government.  He’s also been targeted by media as a “Kook.”

Here’a a link to a very long piece he’s written which I’ll let you the viewer take a peek at on Fixing Elections Through Fraud. LINK

The declining credibility of elections in many countries is creating a crisis of legitimacy severing bonds of trust that once linked citizens to the institutions that govern us. Without credible proof that those governing on our behalf really have earned our supportive consent in free and fair elections, one of humanity’s greatest innovations is rendered null and void.

I’m not a grizzled 30 year vet in the media biz, but I do know that it’s rarely the things  you want in the media to pick up that actually get picked up unless you really stay on point and focus.

There are so many issues that people should be protesting over and be concerned about.  Healthcare, jobs, the economy, and yes, some of the antics of our current government.  When 7,700 votes in a country this size are the difference between a majority and minority government something like the Robo Call scandal really does have an impact.

But what if the government and the laws it passed were struck down?  What then?  A new election?  Mostly likely the results would end up with a Harper Minority.  Would Thomas Mulcair rubber stamp Mr. Harper’s activity the way Mr. Ignatieff did?

Politics are a strange and Quixotic art.   Canadians have been socially engineered for the most part over the last 30 to 40 years to be more conformist and less into activism.

People are apathetic; don’t vote, and frankly give up on subjects Local, Provincial and Federal.    The students in Montreal has been interesting to watch.  It’s been messy, emotional, yet it’s actually achieved something.  It’s also planted some seeds, but people need to learn how to protest.

It’s about communication.  It’s about the true message.

Look at American Idol.  I know, it’s a TV show, but millions more in Canada know more about the contestants than they do about who their Premier is or the Minister of Justice is.

And isn’t at the end of the day what all of this is about?  Justice?   A just society that offers opportunity for all Canadians on something of a level playing field?

Accountability is something that we need more of in society.    It’s what’s triggering protests all across this country.

Saturday’s failure of the Occupy Canada Rally in Ottawa means one of two things.   Either the protesters are all wrong and the Harper Government is Fair Dinkum, or they need to learn how to organize and communicate with people in a much better manner.

Blaming media and Mr. Harper will not solve our society’s problems.  Getting people to become aware, educate themselves and take action in ways they can is.

Canadians need to learn how to speak up and become involved in the political system at all levels.  It doesn’t take much.  Just pick something you feel passionate about and get involved!

(Comments and opinions of Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and comments from readers are purely their own and don’t necessarily reflect those of the owners of this site, their staff, or sponsors.)

Now picture this. A family of four comes in to a coffee shop, buys its lunch and sits down to eat. During their meal no one speaks. No one looks up. They jam fast food in to their mouths, while playing on handheld devices, sending messages, listening to I-tunes and surfing the Net.

They leave the restaurant and the kids have to be driven back to school. Dad fumbles with his cell phone while sipping his coffee. Mom checks her Facebook account and the kids in the backseat are texting to their friends. The kids get dropped off at school, and the parents go back to work. Hardly a word was spoken during the lunch hour. This pattern is repeated millions of times every day in different ways all around the world.

We are becoming a dysfunctional society. We are not using our social skills; people are not engaging one another as they should be and our children’s intellect is not being developed.

Our lives are being controlled, and are being driven by technology of all kinds. Computers were invented to assist us, not to take over our minds and teach us how to think.

You cannot put a child in a room with a computer and expect the child to learn to read. Sure the computer will be a great aid for learning if used responsibly, but as a society we are letting the technology control us.

To cite one example, consider Facebook. Intelligence authorities love it by the way because people are entering personal information about themselves all the time, and then they present it on a platter. Why use ‘information officers’ to collect information when people will provide all kinds of information about themselves for free?

Some people actually live their lives on Facebook. They use Facebook as a hub to start their day, and from there play an endless assortment of games, answer messages, post articles, chat, reply to moves, etc. It’s amazing what you can do. You can never have enough time on Facebook because you can always look for new ‘friends’ and there’s always new games to play or more photos to post.

However, there a few things that Facebook cannot do. It cannot replace face to face contact and interaction. It cannot replace people discussing ideas, problem solving, teambuilding and coming up with solutions, at a time in our history when fresh ideas and forward thinking are really needed.

One of the paradoxes of Internet use in general, is that while there is virtually an unlimited wealth of information and so many topics to explore, that focusing on a single subject becomes almost impossible. You can’t surf forever. Sooner or later you have to consolidate your thoughts or you keep drifting.

I’m not suggesting that there is a quick fix here. Viacom, Disney, Apple, Microsoft and all of the other big corporations control the content. We are being carefully groomed, ‘dumbed down’ and brainwashed and the majority of us don’t see a problem with that.

Remember the words of Marshal McLuhan:

“The Medium is the Message.”

Society’s values and ways of doing things are changing drastically because of the technology, but these changes should not be automatically endorsed.

They need to be critiqued and challenged in every way possible.

CFN

I’ve watched community events where one media company asks for “exclusivity” at the expense ultimately of the event.

Now that’s fine in private business.  If some company feels that it’s best to go that route no matter how silly that may be that’s their choice, but when it comes to community or in the more extreme, publicly funded events it’s utterly counter productive.

After all, why should any media outlet or organization help an event that they’ve been excluded from or disrespected by?   Surely any publicly funded event wants the most exposure and the most coverage, especially in this day when one media outlet just doesn’t have the clout like in days or yore?

Yet this is exactly what we’ve been seeing here in Cornwall Ontario.   Now I can sorta understand from a company point, but this is a community, and one that’s been struggling with population growth and economic issues for over a generation now.  At what point do some people get that the status quo works for less and less people, and that these practices hurt more than they help?

When you see city leaders supporting and protecting these behaviors of course the results are even worse.    Recently we decided to support an event and sure enough there was a protest from this big ugly company that just doesn’t like to play well with others.

I was sad because this hurt all the players involved including the public.  Instead of everyone pulling together and making magic and being happy with their role in it, a few bad eggs create an atmosphere and culture that force people to pick sides and feel bad.

I have hope though.  I see some bright spots in the horizon where some of these behaviors are being confronted.   Like I’ve stated when asked about this community, there is a very bright future and that the biggest flaws are some individuals, but not the city, location, or opportunities.

And people come and people go.  People that think like corrupt dinosaurs usually go the way of… dinosaurs.

In the short term this may hurt some events and some businesses.  People learn.  After all like the saying goes.

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time!

Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News

You can post your comment below.

photo courtesy of Christine Lowe

CFN -As Ottawa’s (arguably) most publicly-known marijuana activist, I have been consistently embarrassed in the eyes of my fellow activists – both nationally and internationally – by Ottawa stoners’ propensity for splitting the 420 crowds into two. Year after year, half the participants were going to Parliament Hill, and half were going to nearby Major’s Hill Park.

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Look at any Youtube video of “420 Ottawa” from any of the previous years, and you see a lot of evidence of this. Two crowds both numbering hundreds or even thousands (depending on the weather, no organization, no coherent message. Meanwhile, my friends from Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver post pictures and videos of 10,000 – 15,000 people, stage set ups, P.A. systems, kiosks, the works.

This year, Ottawa organizers Graham Kittmer (and others), took it upon themselves to try and gather these two groups together. Well, that sort of failed, at first, but ironically, the day was saved by the Ottawa Police Service. There were no volunteers to help marshall the parade, if there was ever going to be one, so they took it upon themselves to keep the Major’s park clear of ne’er-do-wells.

My wife and I arrived at Major’s Hill Park at about 3:15 pm, to find maybe 20 cops, some with motorcycles, telling about 20 stoners, sitting in small groups throughout the park, to move along. Police were under the false impression that the whole thing was supposed to be on Parliament Hill, and informed me that there was a huge crowd there already. With little choice, I pointed to my camouflage “MEDICINAL” shirt, and told them that for the rest of the day, they can tell the stragglers, “on behalf of the organizers”, yes, it is all at the Hill this year. Wasn’t much I could do, and I offered that as a help to the police, because some of the kids, surprisingly, were still not leaving.

I would like to point that the OPS were completely within their rights to arrest people – not only for using pot in the park, but for smoking tobacco as well. There is a new bylaw in effect and it will make the summer complicated and difficult for everyone, but the police were extremely cordial about the whole thing. More than they needed to be, actually, and should be commended.

We got to Parliament Hill just after 3:30 and there were already at least 1,000 people there, I would guess, and the crowd was growing fast. The stink of pot and tobacco was profound.  The RCMP stood around like parent chaperones at a high school dance, forced to listen to music and watch dancing designed specifically to infuriate them. They feigned boredom to mask their disdain and/or delight.

I met with the organizers and the featured speaker, Marc Boris St. Maurice from Montreal. I wandered around taking video and spoke to some media and a student crew who were making a documentary about political protest, not just pot protests.

At one point, there was an asian man with two toddlers – yes, toddlers – standing right in the middle of all of this weirdness, and I went over and asked him “Do you have any idea what is going on today?”

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He did not. I explained the party/protest aspect, and that he was welcome to stay. I also told him that he should head off to the east corner – upwind – as ”…in about 12 minutes, a huge cloud of dope smoke is going to come wafting across this thing and, well, your kids are gonna get stoned. And that’s not cool. You need to get them out of here. Like, now.”

Four o’clock came around and Boris started things off. He did a short intro, and then, apprehensively, handed the mic to me.

Notice that I had the TV guy just over my right shoulder? Not sure if that shot got on TV, but I am told I was on CTV news that night. I spoke to the cameraman and said

“Make sure they represent these numbers accurately, right?” He said “I shoot wide, I shoot tight, and they edit it how they want. I have no control.”

4:20 pm approached and I was having a lot of trouble getting my joint lit. Finally managed to, with the help of some over-eager beaver who kept bugging me, on camera, for a toke of my joint. I explained politely that I had a Health Canada permit, and sharing joints on camera was a good way to lose that permit.   So no.   He also feigned reluctance to be on camera, which I chided him for.

“No one  comes to these things expecting to avoid cameras. You come here to be photographed. That is the point of this.”

I asked the RCMP what they thought the crowd size was, at about 4:05. They shrugged and nodded at each other, and we all agreed it looked like about 4000 people. Still growing though, at this stage. Here is a nice time lapse video of the Hill-Cam courtesy of Youtube’s own “purplegummibear”:

I also noticed that the RCMP did not have their usual “surveillance” van with a Horseman on the roof shooting with a long-lens SLR like I have seen at other pot-themed Hill events. They must have realized by now that if they want photos of who was all there, all they have to do is look at the internet. People love toking on camera.

The crowd lit it up at 4:20 pm and I was a little aghast, quite frankly. I had never been in anything like this before:

Several minutes later, I started to panic a little when I could not find my wife. Keep in mind, we both have social anxiety issues that come with PTSD, and she has epilepsy, so crowds of enthusiastic revelers is a little off-putting for us. A lot off-putting, actually. I kept walking around the Parliament steps – the “stage” – looking for my wife, trying to spot her black shirt in a sea of 5500 people, half of whom were wearing at least some black.

Eager Beaver kept bugging me to light my joint again, while I became increasingly frantic. I eventually became quite terse with him, and feel justified in doing so, and here is why: You  don’t go to these events and bum tokes off people. You just don’t. Bring your own, chip in with friends, or politely wait for something to be offered. Asking for pot – that is trafficking.

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Offering pot – that is trafficking. But most of all, it is just Bad Form. You don’t meander along patios asking for bits of food or smoke from restaurant patrons, do you? You don’t ask for a  bite of a sandwich as you walk by someone’s park picnic, do you? Well, if you are homeless, okay, maybe you do, but otherwise, no. And, no – that is not a shot at the homeless, it is a shot at all the stray dogs who come to these events with empty pockets. Show some self-respect, dude. Bring your own, or suck it up!

Still unable to find Christine, I had Boris page her on the PA and she arrived seconds later. I hugged her hard for about 10 seconds. She told me should could feel my heart pounding. My primary function – as a living human – is to take care of her. Failing in that is unacceptable.

We hung around for about another hour, talking to media, and I was even interviewed live on local rock radio station The Bear (106.9fm in Ottawa) (http://www.thebear.fm/) at about  5:00pm.

Next year, weather permitting, and with April 20 falling on a saturday, I think we can get the number up over 8000. Here’s hoping.

CFN

I’m sure Oreo’s ad agency is loving it.   It’s an awesome ad and millions have seen it and are talking about their cookies.    And look at that image, the safe and security of mom, the act of breast feeding which is one of  the most healthy sources of nourishment connected to their product.

Smart ad.  Smart roll out.  How sad is it that they could never use it here in North America?

Of course with Social Networking this image has gone viral although in most media the nipple has been covered with a box or image and I do know we’ll probably end up with emails or comments about us showing it in the raw, but really…. in an age with ultra violent video games, music lyrics, and Jersey Shore on TV are we really all that afraid and offended by a lactating nipple?

Jamie Gilcig – Editor – The Cornwall Free News

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