Occupy Wall Street

Eddie, is it a joke because violence didn't break out?

What are your thoughts on Occupy Rome? Less wussy?

 

The laws are pretty clear as to what one can do in public spaces with regard to a noise standard. There are very few occasions where I know that the police do not enforce the standard, some buskers (street musicians) and some religious groups promoting anti-abortion messages. Even the free concerts and movies have to follow guidelines and get permits from the city. I live across from a bandshell and today while lounging in my bedroom I had to listen to some band that I can't even find who was performing for about 4 hours this evening.

--- merged: Oct 16, 2011 4:03 AM ---

that's quite an ignorant statement because there are many protests that were non-violent that changed many things.

The most noted ones are the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King Jr. and Ghandi. You can look here for many others from the People Power of the Philippines to the Orange Revolution of the Ukraine.

 

Yeah, many of the revolutions of the late '80s that overturned the remaining communist governments in Europe were relatively non-violent.

 

so you mean that Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Ghandi, didn't gain freedom without bloodshed? I know of Holocaust deniers, but that's really unbelievable.

 

Did you miss the link Cyn posted above?

Oh...and... *ahem*....

The Patriation of the Constitution
Patriation - Wikipedia

(Dude, we're just north of you.)

 

What about Canada? Are you going to call us out on the inevitable paper cuts from all that paperwork?

Also, are you talking about the deaths under British rule or the actual resistance led by Gandhi?

 

Oh you mean that the oppressed had their blood shed. Okay, got it. There's still many others that didn't happen.

People Power Revolution
A series of nonviolent and prayerful mass street demonstrations that toppled Ferdinand Marcos and placed Corazon C. Aquino into power. After an election which had been condemned by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, over two million Filipinos protested human rights violations,election fraud, massive political corruption, and other abuses of the Marcos regime. Yellow was a predominant theme, the colour being associated with Corazon Aquino and her husband, Benigno S. Aquino, Jr., who was assassinated three years prior.

Singing Revolution
A cycle of mass demonstrations featuring spontaneous singing in The Baltic States. The movement eventually collected 4,000,000 people who sang national songs and hymns, which were strictly forbidden during the years of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States, as local rock musicians played. In later years, people acted as human shields to protect radio and TV stations from the Soviettanks, eventually regaining Lithuania's, Latvia's, and Estonia's independence without any bloodshed.

Velvet Revolution
During the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Czechoslovak citizens responded to the attack on their sovereignty with passive resistance. Russian troops were frustrated as street signs were painted over, their water supplies mysteriously shut off, and buildings decorated with flowers, flags, and slogans like, "An elephant cannot swallow a hedgehog."

Orange Revolution
A series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was marred by massive corruption, voterintimidation and direct electoral fraud. Nationwide, the democratic revolution was highlighted by a series of acts of civil disobedience, sit-ins, and general strikes organized by the opposition movement.

I could continue to cut and paste them but really you could go to the wiki page yourself.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_resistance

 

She's a figurehead, just like in Britain.

The Canadian Prime Minister is the head of government and is charged with recommending the executive on carrying out governance under the Constitution. The biggest differences from American governance is that Canadian governance is a responsible government and has more accountability.

Other than that, we both live under constitutional governance, simply. Canada has parliamentary sovereignty, which means that executive, judicial, and legislative power rests with the democratically elected government.

Nice try though.

All the Queen does, really, is say, "Okay, you've decided to have another election; that's nice," and then, "Okay, you have a new government now; that's nice." And she does all this through a Canadian official called the Governor General. It's all very ceremonial, but, practically speaking, we're governed under a constitution just like America. The Queen is much less a "tyrant" than the President of the United States, trust me. The Prime Minister--especially under a majority government---has a lot of power over Canada, even more so than the President of the United States has over America. The Queen be damned.

Don't hate us for our bloodless independence. True North Strong and Free!

 

I don't think you understand just what the British Commonwealth means in the same frame as you don't seem to understand that peaceful protest without bloodshed have liberated millions.

 

Actually, yes it is, because it was bloodless. I'm quite proud of it. And it's really shaped up to be a great flexible political system, which is why I don't envy the two-party system in America.

Wait. Did you read the rest of the post, or are you being facetious? Are you just being a funnyman?

Let me reiterate: The Prime Minister has more power over Canada than the President of the United States has over America. Let me simplify: Stephen Harper can do more shit in Canada than Barack Obama can do in the United States. The Queen can't do any of the shit Stephen Harper does. The Constitution forbids it.

In case you didn't notice (forgive me---I'm not sure whether you ever read the news or not, especially since it's obvious you haven't read what I've posted on this issue), Canada is a part of the G8. You'd think there would be some kind of outcry about the UK "doubling up" on such an important and influential group. And---oh shit!---the Queen doesn't show up to these meetings for either Canada or the UK!!!!11

There's a reason: Canada is a sovereign federal state.

If you're curious, though, why don't you look up all the wonderful things Her Majesty has done as our head of state? (Don't waste your time.)

 

I think it comes down to this. The history is there, but he doesn't seem to want to acknowledge it. This selectivity is becoming a familiar tactic of his. (Sorry, Eddie, we aren't buying it.)

 

Also, if we're bringing up the Queen:

Our head of state is not the Queen of England. She is the Queen of Canada. It just so happens that the two are embodied in the same person, who is also the Queen of some fourteen other sovereign nations.

Are you seriously trying to argue that our formal head of state indicates a lack of sovereignty? Because that's not an opinion thing. It's a demonstrably false assertion.