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Tuesday, March 17, 2009
There’s a lot of freedom loving people out there
Over the past few days I have been receiving a, let’s say, more than modest amount of email from people. Many of the emails have come from familiar names, and others have come from some unfamiliar names.
It seems that I touched a nerve with a lot of people. But the nerve I touched seems to have been met with a decidedly positive response.
What has really impressed me with many of these emails is that lack of brevity; a lot of people have had a lot of interesting and thoughtful things to say.
I must confess that I have replied to very few of these emails so far, as I have found the whole thing a little unsettling. Let me tell you why.
A good amount of these emails contain a theme which disturbs me a little. Many people have used words like “brave”, “ballsy”, “courageous”, and “guts” in describing a post I wrote about Stephen Harper’s speech last Thursday night.
As much as I like having my ego stroked, I think this speaks to a very, very, concerning element among conservatives. And it left me thinking about what exactly these people mean.
It didn’t take long to realize that, for many people, bravery is simply the act of challenging the status quo. Bravery is having the guts to go to a speech by a politician and then open up your laptop computer and write a scathing rebuke.
Of course, it’s more nuanced. It’s not about criticizing people, it’s about criticizing people with whom you associate--you’re own kind. It’s about calling yourself a conservative, and then feeling some sort of invisible pressure not to openly criticize the leader of the Conservative Party.
What I did was not brave. It was just honest. If being honest with ourselves and each other is associated with a rare form of bravery, then I’m depressed for humanity.
Here’s my reply to one of the emails that particularly bothered me:
Thank you for the kind words of support. But I am troubled by some of the things you have said. Particularly in regards to how you view me as some sort of leader for those who cannot speak up. Who cannot speak up? Is there are gun to your head? Do we live in a police state? Do you fear Stephen Harper will sic CSIS on you?
In all seriousness, though. I am not your voice. You are your own voice. You have a conscience and the intellect to express it. You are your own agent of change. Your individual liberty is yours to embrace, not mine to trumpet. Your words are yours to speak, not mine to relay. Your arguments are yours to make, not mine to defend.
Being free is contingent upon the willingness to be free; to shake the pressures of your peer groups and speak about what is important to you. If you are too afraid to lambaste your own leaders if they are wrong, then what is your self-worth? You have become beholden to someone else. You make yourself a slave by your unwillingness to speak up.
This isn’t about tactics. This isn’t about the grand scheme of things. This is about you.
Best,
Mike
Posted by Mike Brock on March 17, 2009 | Permalink
Comments
Thanks again for your blog reporting, Mike. It's not like Harper didn't want his remarks to become public. He was just hoping that no one would see this as the bridge-burning that it was and spark a feud within the CPC.
Harper sees libertarians as a threat, not an asset, and was hoping that his rebuke would cause them to slink into a hole and never be heard from again. Instead, he may have created a problem that will come back to haunt him.
All this despite the fact that bloggers like yourself played a huge role in disseminating pro-Tory information during Harper's tenure, and in exposing holes in the opposition's armor. If we were to go back to the era when the MSM held a virtual monopoly on disseminating information, Harper would likely not even have a minority. The MSM would have hung him out to dry long ago. That's Harper-style gratitude for you.
Posted by: Dennis | 2009-03-17 3:27:32 PM
Do we live in a police state? Do you fear Stephen Harper will sic CSIS on you?
And the answer is definitely yes.. One Calgary Mayor, One federal Prime Minister and one Ontario Conservative Premier already sent their police watchdogs 6 times to my home to try discouraging me from writing my own views on their acts to major news editors.. all 3 of those persons now are out of office but I am still writing. BC and Alberta, Ontario Federal and provincial Conservative Ministers have falsely tried to intimidate me now as well..
I have about 30 internet sites, and hundreds if not thousands of posted messages too.. and yet the only 2 complaints that the sites have received were those post most negative about the RCMP..
my most popularity read posts of a few hundred different topics deal with the subject of Harper's church the Christian Missionary alliance church, The Toronto airport Christian Fellowship church, the RCMP, Steven Harper and the Conservatives, and Bell- Sympatico, the CRTC.. and I often get lies and hate messages from Conservatives, evangelical pastors in Reponses. Not the people i would have expected it from firstly too..
I had even written about this yesterday too.. Conservative’s one sided attack on others, by Harper as well are most unfair. Telling the truth about the Conservatives immoral, bad acts is often falsely rejected as being hateful.. but it is not hate when the Conservatives do it??? The “ people who act irresponsibly in the name of freedom are almost never willing to take responsibility for their actions.” - Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who now also should apply this firstly still to himself and his own Conservative party and not merely preach it to others. It absolutely amazes me still as to how Stephen Harper and the Conservatives are so ready to preach about, to see the supposed sins of the Liberals, and yet they cannot firstly see their own sins, when they do the very same thing that they are accusing the liberals, others of doing.. and now why is that?
I have also clearly said that to many Conservative party supporters, the professing Christian ones included now are big liars, hypocrites, and that is undeniable now as well for decades too especially in the West and elsewhere. Canadian Conservatives loudly they claim they believe in democracy, their rights, their freedom of speech, their own right to be heard, their right to govern, but they next do too often do rather deny me my own right of free speech, my rebuttal of their lies, my detail post of their immoral acts, on the net and elsewhere openly under some false excuse, and that evidently to all now makes them liars. They also to often tend not to hesitate to abuse me, slander me, bully me, and that makes them perverts too. They really do not care about the truth, other people’s rights but mainly and solely their own it seems for sure. I too have now learned along time ago that the bad men and bad women like to disguise themselves as good persons too and they like to , want to have all the sole rights, the rights to do all the talking as well, and all it takes for these evil persons to continue to prosper is for the good persons to do nothing, well real life does not work that well, I thus do not mind, do not hesitate to tell the truth, even if they falsely label is hate, vile, and i do not mind to expose the liars, cheats, thieves, con men, imposters and to rightfully demand their persecution and incarceration too, no matter who they they they are, or how important they now do think they are.
but when I see the Conservative devil breathing down on my back next I know I am in the right path, doing something good..
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-17 3:55:37 PM
Do we live in a police state? Do you fear Stephen Harper will sic CSIS on you?
And the answer is definitely yes.. One Calgary Mayor, One federal Prime Minister and one Ontario Conservative Premier already sent their police watchdogs 6 times to my home to try discouraging me from writing my own views on their acts to major news editors.
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-17 3:55:37 PM
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-03-17 4:25:56 PM
I guess now millions of ordinary Canadians - fiscal conservatives - are beginning to understand the way Danny Williams feels about Harper.
I can take a reluctant policy reversal in the face of overwhelming pressure from the public, the opposition, and international partners. What I can't take is a load of superior, self-righteous balloney and a public back-stabbing.
Posted by: Grant Brown | 2009-03-17 5:04:36 PM
thenonconformer,
Have you ever been seen by a psychiatrist? I think you may suffer from paranoid personality disorder. I mean that in the gentlist, kindist way.
Posted by: MikeBrockIsAnAsshole | 2009-03-17 5:18:36 PM
May I suggest that when people used words such as bravery and courage, they had in mind how due to political correctness most people are afraid of saying anything that others may find offensive. I personally see it as a lack of honesty when one is never willing to call a spade a spade.
It is always preferable to advance constructive criticism in hopes that an improvement will come about.
Posted by: Alain | 2009-03-17 5:28:54 PM
I guess now millions of ordinary Canadians - fiscal conservatives - are beginning to understand the way Danny Williams feels about Harper.
Posted by: Grant Brown | 2009-03-17 5:04:36 PM
Millions? So we can expect those "millions" to be voting for the Libertarian Party in the next election. That will be quite a coup, from 7500 votes in the last election to "millions" in the next. WOW!
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-03-17 5:34:09 PM
Stig:
Don't be obtuse. There are millions of "fiscal conservatives" just in Alberta, let alone all of Canada. And most of them probably didn't vote last time.
Posted by: Grant Brown | 2009-03-17 6:09:00 PM
Au contraire Stig -- I hope that millions more people do what the largest majority did last election AND not vote at all!
Posted by: MW | 2009-03-17 6:16:28 PM
Attention News/Assignment/Education/Parliament Hill/Queen's Park Editors:
Students call on Harper and Tory to disclose how much party funding was used to undermine students' unions TORONTO, March 18 /CNW/ - Recordings leaked from a workshop hosted by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Campus Association and the Manning Centre for Building Democracy reveal a plan to undermine democratic decision-making on Canadian campuses. At the February 7, 2009 Conservative training session for students in Waterloo, a workshop called "Campaign Strategies and Tactics for Keeping the CFS off Campus" was presented by Aaron Lee-Wudrick, Campaign Manager for
Member of Parliament Peter Braid, and Ryan O'Connor, Ninth Vice-President of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Braid and other Conservative politicians participated training workshops in Waterloo and elsewhere in the country.
"Students' unions provide an independent democratic voice for students and it is alarming that the Conservative Party of Canada is devoting resources to undermine that voice," said Shelley Melanson, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. "Students have a right to hear directly from Stephen Harper and John Tory about whether it is official party policy to interfere with democratic student unions." The Canadian Federation of Students represents over 300,000 college and university students in Ontario, and more than 500,000 across Canada. The mandate of the Federation is to advocate for accessible and high-quality post-secondary education. Other student groups, such as campus Public Interest Research Groups, that advocate for environmental sustainability, human rights,
and social justice were targeted by Conservative Party presenters. The leaked materials, available at Wikileaks.org, include session agendas and audio recordings that feature instructions on how to run Conservative Party candidates in student elections to promote the partisan agenda of the Conservative Party. Presenters are heard advising Conservative students to set up "front organisations" to receive student clubs funding under false pretenses in order to funnel money to the Conservative Party.
"Students deserve to know how much the Conservative Party has spent and who has received funding and training," said Melanson. "I certainly hope that the federal and provincial Conservative parties aren't using taxpayer dollars for these purposes."
For further information: Shelley Melanson, Chairperson, (416) 882-9927 (cell); Joel Duff, Organiser, (416) 707-0349 (cell)
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2009/18/c9873.html
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-18 8:27:39 AM
>>Have you ever been seen by a psychiatrist? I think you may suffer from paranoid personality disorder. I mean that in the gentlist, kindist way.
did you practise what you preach.. cause i would first suggesst that.. you call people liars, when you yourself lie..
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-18 8:29:12 AM
for the one suggesting falsely I get professional help.. I got Jesus already as my counselor.
Are you related to the bad RCMP? For actually the persons who tend mostly to suggest professional help to me tend to be the bad RCMP and bad evangelical pastors, funny the correlation, and if you check the Canmore Court records you will see they the RCMP also said to me if you do not shut up, we will shut you up for good, I am still talking, and working to cut their pensions too. The 6 undeniable police visits, witnessed by others too now, the details are posted on the net, for years now too, the Conservative Premier Ernie Ewes who sent the police to my home lost re-election shortly after that too. What was in the one email that I had sent to the Ontario Premier that he did not want others to know? I asked him why he was sleeping with.. I asked the same thing of the Calgary Mayor too... Just recently a person in Ottawa who took pictures of the police abusing a girl, he site crashed and the police harassed him as well.. I posted that on the net too. It occurs often the police state suppression.. I do not have to accept it and I do not.
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-18 8:46:46 AM
>>Have you ever been seen by a psychiatrist?
Yes I have twice, it is on record too..
the first time he next said I should send Harper's Calgary alliance pastor to him cause there was nothing wrong with me... I posted that on the net too
and the second time a different one said I should send the police to him.. the police had said I had to be crasy if I complain about the police.. the often social misfit alcoholics cops who cannot bear to see, hear the truth about themselves. 50 percent of persons in BC belive you cannot trust the RCMP.
and you think the big demonstration this week against police brutality in Montreal happened by chance? or due to real reasons?
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-18 9:12:12 AM
>>Have you ever been seen by a psychiatrist?
Yes I have twice, it is on record too..
the first time he next said I should send Harper's Calgary alliance pastor to him cause there was nothing wrong with me... I posted that on the net too
Posted by: thenonconformer | 2009-03-18 9:12:12 AM
You need to up your dosage of Clozapine. Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Posted by: The Stig | 2009-03-18 9:26:41 AM
I have never seen a bigger bunch of paranoid delusional twits.
What giant conspiracies you have manufactured! You have convinced yourselves that you are so important that Prime Minsters and CSIS agents and RCMP are tripping over themselves to raid your house and shut down your opinion. I have news for you. No one cares!
HAHAHAHHAHAHA!
Guess what. You are irrelevant. The day after you die, 99% of the people you know will have forgotten about you or are well on their way.
How about venturing out into the sunshine and refamiliarizing yourself with this planet instead of living in a coo coo contrived fantasy world.
Posted by: epsilon | 2009-03-18 12:49:58 PM
What giant conspiracies you have manufactured!
I've heard from a personal friend and former RCMP that they are in fact compiling dossiers on the citizenry. Its a daunting task though and they aren't making all that much headway.
As for freedom and reversing direction from the socialist cancer our "conservative" PM is now completely at home with....we ALL need to speak up!
Posted by: JC | 2009-03-18 3:45:06 PM
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