Email Report of G20 Police Breaking Into Homes

On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 10:11 PM, XXXXX XXXXXX wrote:

The cops were on a mission. All neanderthal aggression. Nice on the video clip. We caught the tail end of people running away but didn't see how it started as we were watching from another side of the roof.
- Hide quoted text -


On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 9:46 PM, XXXXX XXXXXX wrote:
Twas a picture I saw online. The video of the police charging after the peaceful crowd sang O'Canada is insane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Heb9BXjYcII

Stay safe!

On Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 9:41 PM, XXXXXXX XXXXXXX wrote:
Hey!! We were safe on the roof until a small squadron of cops came up and made us all lie down. We won them over in the end. The cops actually broke in through our neighbours place, by picking their locs, to make it up to the roof. (The neighbours were up on the roof with us.) Crazy times...

Using Public Works to Limit Public Rights

What is the the Public Works Act?

The intent of the Public Works Protection Act is to protect critical public works like power plants and water reservoirs, where someone can do real damage to public safety and the community. However in this instance, private property - the Metro Convention Centre & Deerhurst Inn - is being declared a public work and the law is being used not to protect a public work but to control political participation.

Why was this new law needed?

The Criminal Code already covers acts of violence and destruction of property. Under this new law, police can arrest anyone not providing requested identification or who decline to be searched, even if that person has not committed a crime and is not a threat to public safety. The police have not issued a public statement detailing the need to detain people who are not breaking the law.

How was this new law passed?

At the request of Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and without any public debate whatsoever, the government quietly passed a law classifying the private Metro Convention Centre and Deerhurst Inn as public works for the purposes of increasing police powers while decreasing civil liberties. This new law will not be officially published until 1 week after it has actually expired so the public was unaware of its existence until police started using it to arrest people.

How is this new law being applied?

If the reasoning behind the new law was to help the police manage large outbreaks of violent protest, no one yet arrested under this new law was protesting violently nor were they breaking the law and the police haven't yet declared to the public how they intend to apply arbitrary detention. As a result it appears to the public that the police arrest people simply because they can.

Why wasn't the public told?

With the largest summit security budget of all time, police public relation officers did not inform protest organizers about the new law, knowing full well that these groups were distributing 'citizen's rights' communications which were incorrect with regards to the new law. Many unnecessary confrontations with the police, where the public thinks incorrectly that their rights are protected, would have been mitigated if police outreach simply provided the correct information much earlier. However by surprising everyone right when the summit starts, the public is unable appeal this police-initiated government decision.

How can the police be trusted to protect the public's rights when they are conspiring in secret with the government to take them away?

They can't. Perhaps it's time to consider electing our police chiefs.

* Reference link:
Public Works Protection Act
http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90p55_e.htm

The Bellyflop of MP Del Mastro

*sung to WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD by Gordon Lightfoot *

The legend lives on from the G20 on down
Of the fake lake they call Reflective Pool
The fake lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When access to Huntsville turns gloomy.

With a load of H-2-0 - 57,000 dollars more
Than the fake lake will cost when it's empty
Those flying canoes, they were bones to be chewed
When the gales of G20 came early

The PM was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some big speech in Europe
As big budgets go, it was bigger than most
Whatever experts say, we'll believe'em.

Concluding some terms with a couple of security firms
When we found out they don't have a licence
And later that night with our televisions on
Could it be sinking polls we've been feeling?

The piped-in bird song made a tattletale sound
As a reporter falls over the railing
And every man knew, as the PM did, too,
T'was the witch of the fringe groups come stealing.

The dawn came late and protesters had to wait
Then the LRADs of police came a blaring
When the tasers came out, they were feeling some pain
In the face of 10,000 policemen

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying I got some Muskoka chow here to feed ya
At 7PM the big jumbotron caved in
But we watched the World Cup round the corner.

The PM wired in he had water coming in
And the fake lake and media were in peril
Then later that night, with an election out of sight
Came the belly flop of MP Del Mastro.

If I Had A Billion Dollars - G20 version

*sung to melody of IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS by the Bare Naked Ladies.*

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd host 2 global summits (I'd host 2 global summits)

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd host them both at the same time (simultaneous at the same time)

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd tell you it's cheaper (experts say so what can you do?)

If I had a billion dollars, you'd want some too...

If I had a billion dollars

I'd hire ten thousand cops

If I had a billion dollars

At least a thousand for each block

If I had a billion dollars

Maybe we could put up chain link fence round here

Wouldn't that be fabulous!

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd buy you five years of daycare (but not real daycare that's cruel)

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd buy you some foreign aid (save a couple million babies or more)

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

There'd be no more abortion (All them crazy elephant bones)

If I had a billion dollars, you'd want some too...

If I had a billion dollars

I'd buy you tasers to control the crowd

If I had a billion dollars

Hear those sound cannons sure are loud!

If I had a billion dollars, you'd have to eat Kraft dinner

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd buy you a green dress (gotta save the environment, that's cool)

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd buy you some art (but nothing from the CBC, that's gay)

If I had a billion dollars (If I had a billion dollars)

I'd buy you a minister (haven't you always wanted a monkey?)

If I had a billion dollars If I had a billion dollars If I had a billion dollars

If I had a billion dollars of YOUR MONEY!

Politicians Using Twitter: Article Template for Journalists

After an exhaustive review of existing journalism and studies regarding Twitter and its use by Canadian politicians, please find following this handy template for your own article or study*:

Introduction: Amusing or catchy introduction to get readers attention, usually a few tweets taken out of context. More serious articles can reference the Iranian demonstrations.

Paragraph 2: Background on Twitter: uses 140 characters only, number of overall Twitter users, when Twitter was founded. More serious articles can reference provide context of Twitter in social media

Paragraph 3: Count the number of followers for politicians who tweet regularly and whomever has the most, equate this with best practices on Twitter. Give bonus marks if the politician follows others. Give extra bonus marks if the politician responds occasionally to the public's responses. This also makes a great side bar with a data table or bar graph.

Paragraphs 4&5: detail the politicians who tweet regularly and reflect on their keeping things professional and avoiding being overly personal with the provision that the odd personal tweet helps to show that politicians are people too (it is social media after all). You do not need to present the overall messaging and tone of the selected politician's timeline, just a tweet or 2 is sufficient.

Paragraph 6 (optional): point out that some politicians - such as the party leaders - have large followings but seldom, if ever, respond to the public's tweets. Muse over the obvious fact that staffers are tweeting for them. Quickly point out that many politicians with Twitter accounts rarely tweet.

Conclusion: state that social media is a new technology platform and that there are no existing protocols so politicians are learning as they go - be sure to ignore any existing government information protocols that may already apply in Canada. Also, be sure to ignore the British Government's Twitter guide which lays out exactly government Twitter use in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner.

* If you are doing a study, insert a few graphs and charts.

Things to avoid:

• While you do this as matter of routine in other research for your work, avoid asking politicians directly for quotes on their Twitter use such as "why do you tweet?" "what are the biggest challenges tweeting?" "who do you follow and why?" "do you block anyone from following your tweets?" This kind of context just muddies the waters.
  
  
• Do not mention unequal public access to government information where MPs or government accounts, which are clearly labeled such, block members of the public who have challenged them or who are blocked merely because they are from another party. Pretend that #mygovtblocks hash tag doesn't exist. This requires actual research and should be avoided.

I'm 2 Sexy For My File

A Right Said Fred comment from story on Lisa Raitt and her sexy nuclear file - courtesy of Curly Maple:

"I'm too sexy for my file too sexy for my file
My file's going to leave me

I'm too sexy for Steve-O too sexy for Steve-O
So sexy it hurts
And I'm too sexy for caucas too sexy for caucas too sexy for caucas
Chalk River?! Its chopped liver!!

And I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm lip synching

I'm a Tory you know what I mean
And I do my little turn in the commons
Yeah in the commons in the commons yeah
I do my little turn in the commons"

Link to article

What is the Harper Government's Twitter Policy?

The British government is making an effort to engage the public with Twitter and is implementing a government-wide policy for its use. This is something we should expect from our Canadian government.

In a 20 page document, the British government's guidelines for Twitter use include:

• post should be "human and credible"
• use "informal spoken English"
• post 2-10 tweets a day
• used for any type government communications
• expect Twitter to play a role in emergency crises
• warns against using Twitter simply to convey campaign messages
• not follow anyone who does not follow you already (to avoid a Big Brother image)
• accept that there will be criticism (my emphasis)
  

It is important to note that, in stark contrast to Canadian MPs who actually block members of the public, the British government accepts criticism as a condition of using Twitter.

Additionally, if the current Canadian government chooses to use Twitter for communicating emergency information during a crisis, they have already compromised this channel by blocking members of the public.

Prime Minister Harper pledged an 'open and transparent government' however it seems with the provision that his government must like what it hears from the public first.

Reference links:
British Government Twitter Policy: link
Canadian MPs who block the public: link
Globe & Mail article: link