Hate to wade back into my unfortunate antler locking with the idle no more movement after criticising the move to "block transportation routes" as part of their protest, but there are a few things i would like to correct in my original
post about this subject that became clear to me after some articulate social media discussion.
I wrote... "Why not clog the Government headquarters, or the industry headquarters
that the Government cares about? Probably because you will be maced,
beaten, perhaps shot... is that it?". Now i did not mean to suggest that out of cowardice, the protesters chose soft targets. In my head i was thinking "why don't they shut down Parliament by ringing the fucking thing, everybody could get behind that... and then i thought, actually they would be removed pretty quickly on some anti-protest law hidden in some rouge Environmental accountability law". I guess fair is fair, perhaps there isn't an anti-protest law hidden in an Environmental accountability Law, it might be hidden in the free speech law, or the equal opportunity law.
Sorry getting carried away, but i do apologize to the movement for insinuating that they took the easy way out by standing on the street protesting. It is not the easy way out at all, i would argue that it is the hard way down. I do appreciate people helping me see the light, although something tells me that I'm not going to go far enough.
It reminds me of the feeling i had in my stomach when my place of work was about to go out on strike again, and i mentioned that if we go out on strike we will get killed in that fight. I received rabid opposition to my position and was generally perceived as a traitor. So you think we should just take this? This is totally unfair? We have to fight on principle! I would try to explain that 1) When i fight i fight to win only, and 2) Life is unfair get use to it, and 3) What good is principle if nobody adheres to it anyway. Well that would really get the fur flying... What is the answer? I would get with angry face... Well the only one was work to rule... which i had been doing for years... do your job well in the time provided and deal with extras as the contract allows. But you see all the people who wanted the fight over principle, many of those were the people who served their own needs first each and every day, and got use to that so when the claw came it had something to grab. Of course the average profile of the person who had something the claw could grab couldn't afford to be without a paycheck for 5 or 6 weeks and they only found that out after 3 weeks on strike and then their tune changed a bit and all they wanted was to go back to work... so much for them standing strong in disobeying a "back to work legislation" passed down by your very employer. Hey wait was that a trap? Yes it was, and you hurt the business that you need to stay employed, and the Government wouldn't mind getting rid of that business and selling the real estate that it was on.
I really believe strikes and protests are most often boomerangs that come back to wound those at the origin. You see we live in an age of stupid fickle public, immediate shallow media coverage, and polls.
I saw the Idle no more movement gaining steam, heard the PM say "In this country people are allowed peaceful protests, as long as they don't break the law", and then next thing you know the movement is essentially breaking the law ( i would say minor) and inconveniencing a historically racial population of people (read the comments on news stories), for what gains? Never the fuck mind about right and wrong, forget about history... this is 2013 and you are in a PR battle with one of the slipperiest, slickest, oiliest Political leaders on the planet. This guy won an election as the leader of the only coalition party (Reform and Progressive Conservative), by scaring the country into the idea that if you vote for the other parties than they will form a coalition party that might try to govern and that would be a dangerous reckless thing to do. It is actually an incredible accomplishment when you think about it, but that's the world we live in. So don't make the news doing something "illegal" if you want a fight with this man.
And as predicted, just in time a new news story has come out today, a death blow to the PR battle... apparently all the money given to the band over the years hasn't been properly accounted for. As a side note i think they should send that auditor over to look at Dean Del Mastro's campaign finances.. but why do that right.
Two things... I have a University degree, and My Wife has a PHD and we can't figure out or tax forms... cause that's the way the system is... here's that money we owe you and here are the 7 thousand hoops for you to jump through. The other thing is, now lets call a spade a spade.. we are all human and power corrupts... it's the golden rule, well one of them anyway. For sure there have been times when Indian funds have been spent inappropriately, and to the racially charged electorate, they are screaming about their "tax dollars" whether they paid their tax or not. I always pay taxes and you can give mine to the poor or disadvantaged anytime, I'm for socialism. I just hate losing battles on bad strategy.
Prediction. PM goes into meeting and considers more help on the condition of accountability.
Want to hear my advise? Keep in mind I'm just a guy, not even a real writer.
If you are living on a reservation where living conditions are horrible and there is no end in sight, then move. I know that sounds harsh but there are still opportunities in this country that you are entitled to be part of. I realize that European Settlers fucked you over rather severely time and time again and that humans have savaged the land and it appears will accelerate the savaging under our radical PM. Also kind of hard to live off a barren, species depleted, polluted land... it pains me too beyond a region i have yet to comprehend as a human. Perhaps it is the part Native I have in my blood, or at least the Native my dentist thinks i have in my blood because i have tannins in my gums and many Natives do, but i was adopted and don't know my heritage on that level. It doesn't matter, we are all just human, that's where it's at now. Hey if a Reservation is working great for all, then keep it going and you can send my tax money there.
Think of it this way 1000 years ago you are fishing on a river and your hole dries up you move down the river, don't be idle in your situation in life, make the change. What is gone is gone, and it breaks my heart to say that but the truth is you could spend the rest of your live arguing about rights and wrongs. Now I'm not saying give up on treaties and agreed territories or payments, but rather if some situation is unlivable then get out of that situation, it might be hard, but you only have your life. If you think that your leaders are going to take care of you when they haven't they are probably not going to.
For the record, don't take me as an authourity on anything besides living right. These are serious issues affecting real people, and i hope for the best for all of them. I am applying my logic to the situation they are in... my logic has served me very well in my life.
