While you weren't looking
Mar. 22nd, 2022 04:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabotabby Taking a break from Ford's declaration of war against students and staff in all public schools (not, it must be noted, private schools, including St. Michael's where the Goatfucker went to school), Ford has not forgotten to fuck over a bunch of other people while he's at it.
See, awhile ago, there was a little crisis where fascists took over Ottawa for a month and blocked the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. Controversially, the federal government's response (after the municipal and provincial governments did nothing and/or encouraged the terrorists), was to invoke the Emergencies Act. I didn't agree with this decision but I understood the impulse to do so. These were bad people doing a bad thing. If the city or province had acted responsibly, the Emergencies Act wouldn't have been necessary, because the things they were doing, like harassment, assault, and attempted arson, were already illegal. I did feel that it was overreach, though less so than when Trudeau 1.0 used the Emergencies Act 1.0, a.k.a. the War Measures Act, to declare martial law in Quebec.
This time, the Emergencies Act let them remove the fascists and freeze the bank accounts of fascist sympathizers who donated. I'm generally in favour of fascists getting removed from places and having their bank accounts frozen, like, that to me is a good time, but something about it made me feel queasy. You see, while not a student of history as such, I am someone whose memory goes back farther than about 30 seconds, so I know that any authoritarian law, regardless of who it's currently targeting, will ultimately be employed against the left, racialized, and other marginalized people far more than it will be employed against fascists.
At least, though, the Emergencies Act is meant to be a temporary, last-minute solution to an urgent problem. Much like with the Notwithstanding Clause, it's kind of a "break glass in case of emergency"-type thing. Not permanent, right?
Enter Doug. Fucking. Ford.
You know, the premier of Ontario who did nothing while a major city in his province was occupied for a month and bridges were taken over. And oh yeah, his daughter was one of the terrorists. Never one to waste a good crisis, he has decided to make some of the powers in the Emergencies Act permanent. Of course, of course, it's called the Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act. And you can't do anything about it because he has a majority government.
And if you think that it's only going to be used against, say, terrorists like Krista Ford, I have a bridge to blockade (and then sell you). Nah, this is gonna be used when Indigenous protesters block a train or pipeline. That's what this is about.
Giving authoritarian governments extra powers is always a bad thing. Always always always.
Have a great Tuesday!
See, awhile ago, there was a little crisis where fascists took over Ottawa for a month and blocked the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. Controversially, the federal government's response (after the municipal and provincial governments did nothing and/or encouraged the terrorists), was to invoke the Emergencies Act. I didn't agree with this decision but I understood the impulse to do so. These were bad people doing a bad thing. If the city or province had acted responsibly, the Emergencies Act wouldn't have been necessary, because the things they were doing, like harassment, assault, and attempted arson, were already illegal. I did feel that it was overreach, though less so than when Trudeau 1.0 used the Emergencies Act 1.0, a.k.a. the War Measures Act, to declare martial law in Quebec.
This time, the Emergencies Act let them remove the fascists and freeze the bank accounts of fascist sympathizers who donated. I'm generally in favour of fascists getting removed from places and having their bank accounts frozen, like, that to me is a good time, but something about it made me feel queasy. You see, while not a student of history as such, I am someone whose memory goes back farther than about 30 seconds, so I know that any authoritarian law, regardless of who it's currently targeting, will ultimately be employed against the left, racialized, and other marginalized people far more than it will be employed against fascists.
At least, though, the Emergencies Act is meant to be a temporary, last-minute solution to an urgent problem. Much like with the Notwithstanding Clause, it's kind of a "break glass in case of emergency"-type thing. Not permanent, right?
Enter Doug. Fucking. Ford.
You know, the premier of Ontario who did nothing while a major city in his province was occupied for a month and bridges were taken over. And oh yeah, his daughter was one of the terrorists. Never one to waste a good crisis, he has decided to make some of the powers in the Emergencies Act permanent. Of course, of course, it's called the Keeping Ontario Open for Business Act. And you can't do anything about it because he has a majority government.
And if you think that it's only going to be used against, say, terrorists like Krista Ford, I have a bridge to blockade (and then sell you). Nah, this is gonna be used when Indigenous protesters block a train or pipeline. That's what this is about.
Giving authoritarian governments extra powers is always a bad thing. Always always always.
Have a great Tuesday!
no subject
Date: 2022-03-22 10:27 pm (UTC)Agreed, of course. But... these days, authoritarians seem sufficiently emboldened that they don't even need to be given an inch to take a terrible mile. And holding back from necessary action for fear of what authoritarians will do (which they will probably do regardless!) seems self-defeating? Idk!! I'm still trying to work this out in my head.
But yeah. Fuuuck. >:-(
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Date: 2022-03-22 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-22 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-22 11:27 pm (UTC)Fucking Doug Ford.
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Date: 2022-03-22 10:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-22 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-22 10:41 pm (UTC)meanwhile, we have the People's convoy here in DC making rounds in the traffic creating some traffic jams and thinking they have showed us lefties! Clearly they were thinking all the locals will go flip them a finger so they can show the world how poorly they are being treated. Meh. It's another day on the beltway / DC traffic.
So sorry we sent the mess over to you!
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Date: 2022-03-22 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-23 01:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-23 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-23 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-23 01:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-23 03:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-03-23 08:27 pm (UTC)