Dear editor,
The revolution has begun!
For years, we 鈥� the inhabitants of this planet 鈥� have been helplessly and silently surrendering our freedoms, rights, wages, pensions, jobs, education, health, homes, dignity, and democracy to the obscenely rich, power elite who dominate world policy-making.
The analogy that works best for me is that of a stage production (in this case a farcical production on a stage I call the world stage). The power elite 鈥� the banks, IMF, Wall Street, the Pentagon and NATO, the intelligence and security apparati, trans-national corporations (BP, Monsanto, et al), and the media they control 鈥� covertly, hidden backstage, write, direct and finance this farce and its actors. These power elite appear to share the same traits: they are bereft of conscience and morals (psychopathic); they are politically ultra-right (fascist); religiously fundamentalist; they want to hoard the world鈥檚 wealth, and ultimately control the world.
The actors, mimes, hams, impersonators and puppets reciting their lines by rote, and making every effort to deliver an air of legitimacy to this farce, are those with mediocre or stunted intelligence, dubious morality, and little common sense, otherwise known as politicians and governments (of the power elite, by the power elite, for the power elite).
Not only is attendance at this farce mandatory, but at the box office the audience (we, the great unwashed, of course) must pay with every cent we鈥檝e earned, and forfeit whatever remains of our brains, hearts and souls.
But three months ago, something extraordinary happened! One audience member stood up and booed the farce on the world stage.
Three months ago, a Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire to protest the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation from municipal officials. That fire created the spark for non-violent anti-government revolts.
Others joined the booing chorus. Beginning in other North African countries; spreading to Madison, Wisconsin; rapidly repeated throughout other U.S. states; to Toronto, Sudbury, and to B.C.
We decided to stand up and boo, when 鈥� following at least 10 years of lying and savage fleecing by our government 鈥� Gordon Campbell, in May 2009, vowed not to introduce the HST, and once on the throne, had some sort of epiphany and imposed the new tax through an order-in-council by the provincial cabinet.
To rub salt into the wounds of those he had already hurled aside, after more than 700,000 (85 per cent) eligible B.C. voters, including 12,000 (25.2 per cent) here in the Valley, signed an anti-HST petition, Campbell said that he didn鈥檛 care how many signed, he was keeping HST (his obeisance to his power elite masters). The only recourse left to the 85 per cent was a legal, government-approved, MLA recall campaign.
Having no political affiliation whatsoever (I mistrust all politicians equally), but having an interest in democracy, accountability, transparency, and getting my money鈥檚 worth from my representative in government, I volunteered for the Comox Valley Recall campaign.
I鈥檝e nothing personal against our MLA 鈥� he could belong to any party, even NDP! 鈥� I simply have seen no evidence to date of that accountability, transparency, democracy, or getting any bang for my buck. We 鈥� citizens of B.C. 鈥� pay him around $100,000 a year, and, from what I can ascertain, he鈥檚 appeared in the Legislature about 100 days in the past two years. (I appreciate 鈥� of course 鈥� that he has other strenuous duties: kissing babies, smiling for the local paparazzi, and touring the rubber chicken circuit).
Whether or not we achieve the ridiculously absurd 40 per cent (19,350 signatures) of the 2009 registered voters is, for me at least, not the point. We 鈥� the audience to this farce 鈥� have finally seen behind the actors鈥� masks and the strings being manipulated from backstage, and we now want to close down the farce; to restore to the stage compassionate people who will cut the ties to the power elite and start treating the audience with dignity and respect, start listening, and stop lying.
I don鈥檛 particularly enjoy standing on the roadside in the cold wind, rain and snow; nor do I appreciate having maniacal invectives spewed at me from crazed drivers who obviously, like our government, don鈥檛 believe in free speech or freedom of assembly; nor do I relish having the 鈥渂ird鈥� flipped at me.
On the other hand (no pun intended). I am heartened by the wonderful, thoughtful, intelligent, engaged, politically savvy people who stop to sign and/or to chat. I鈥檓 buoyed by the number of retired military who stop to sign and chat. Yes, there are still those who remember that more than 10 million allied military (including more than 100,000 Canadians) sacrificed their lives in two world wars to defend everyone鈥檚 right to freedom, justice, dignity and respect: in short 鈥� democracy.
I served 28 years in the military, including as a peacekeeper with the UN in Egypt, with NATO in Europe, and with our Defence Liaison Staff in Washington, DC. I know somewhat of what I speak.
So, Mr. MLA, this is what I鈥檝e gathered on the roadside, and I hope with all my heart that you listen and act: many, many of your fellow citizens are really and truly hurting; they are fed up with being treated like imbeciles and vermin; they would like you to start treating them with respect and dignity, and start listening to them as opposed to your power elite string-pullers.
If not 鈥� come next election 鈥� you are toast!
鈥淚f we do not listen to the stories of those without power, those who suffer discrimination and abuse, those who struggle for justice, we are left parroting the manufactured myths that serve the interest of the privileged.鈥� 鈥� Chris Hedges in Death of the Liberal Class.
Lou Cassivi,
Courtenay
