Feb 12 2002
The police did their duty and are honorable men. I do not consider anyone on this panel to be their equal in this matter, by the measure of either competence or sacrifice on behalf of civilization. The boot camp to become their equal is missing. As General Patton probably would have said, politicians (any you don't even have a ballot box mandate) are not fit to judge marines.
My job when the protesters showed up; it was to stand defiantly in front of my store in a boarded up building. McDoalds at 99 Rideau St. is in the same building and they had reason to fear, as the other McDonalds not boarded up got trashed by the protesters to some degree.
The police did everything to provide my assurance that they were on top of the situation, including being on top of what in my heart I wanted to do to the protesters and would have got me arrested if I had given in to my own passion. My side did not demonstrate at all.
I think that the cops won the battle, but the politicians on this panel will loose the war, a war to uphold our past measure of urban civilization. A democracy must not tolerate minority violent action, and the politicians on this panel will give encouragement to minority violent action, if only in the matter of arrest and detention.
My store insurance renewal with Lloyds now has a 'Terrorism exclusion clause', with their definition of the word terrorism applied; "...means an act, including but not limited to the use of force or violence and/or the threat thereof, of any person or group (s), whether acting alone or on behalf of or in connection with any organization (s) or government (s), committed for political, religious, ideological or similar purposes including the intention to influence any government and/or to put the public, or any section of the public, in fear."
This new '9-11' underwriter's clause will undoubtably show up with all private and public ownership insurance over the next few years. Is there anyone on this panel who does not either privately own or publicly account for insured property? My store insurance does not exist where this clause applies, and the same is or will be true of your homes or public buildings as well in short order. So get used to standing defiantly in front of property you own or account for, looking to see if the police are there to provide alternative protection when your insurance is suspended. Your insurance will soon no longer exist where the intent of any action taken by anyone that would have you make a claim on it, is fear.
I already have the answer for that one. The age of assemblies is over. The largest civilized public gatherings are in the past. Being transportation and civilized control dependent, the first largest was in Europe from the 1930s to the 1950s, then America in the 1960s, then China in the 1970s and 1980s. Now even with a protester showing up in Peking; you can pass a cannonball and hit no one. It only takes a few cops to restore control. The air ports are more empty. Crowd bubbles happen, but not like before.
Every time you guys give comfort to violent protesters, those who would make the public fear, you make the end of the age of assemblies happen faster; in your government sponsored public places, your church public places, not just in my store. I got a new iMac on order with a web cam and high speed edition and can sell on eBay. I soon won't need your public places any more. We can all hold digital hands by email or web cam video, and even when doing it from private places or gated communities, enjoy a good cigar. President Bush has called the civilized world to arms against terrorist evil, and our cops won their battle this time with terrorist evil, but panels such as yours that are organized to appease terrorist evil will loose us this war.
James D. McIntosh