Standing By Instead of Standing Up
Written by Sarah MacMaster
Why is it that the actions of a few always ruin it for everyone else? I see it all the time at the bar I work in. A group of people come in to catch the game and have a few drinks. But they always bring the guy who inevitably drinks too much and either ends up puking, fighting, or both. His friends invariably know him and what he is like when he has a few drinks. My question is this: a) Why do they bring him? and b) Why do they do nothing to stop his embarrassing behaviour? It seems we have become a nation that prefers to sit by idly instead of actually doing anything important.
When it was announced that Ann Coulter would be making a stop in Ottawa as part of her Canadian tour, a group of us jumped at the chance to hear her speak. We pre-registered to ensure our seats, but we needn't have bothered. The attention garnered from the University of Ottawa provost's letter to Coulter warning her she should Trudeauify her speech or face charges resulted in over a thousand people showing up to see what all the fuss was about. A small group of soviet-style thugs also came to protest Coulter's “hate speech”. The amount of people resulted in the speech being cancelled and the police being called to break the group up.
The show's organizers stood by for over an hour and a half before deciding something should be done. Why were the police not called earlier to ensure an orderly process? There were people there who legitimately wanted to hear Coulter speak but were stopped because a few decided she didn't have the right politics and should therefore not be allowed. The commies cheered when the police came. The irony that they were the reason for police presence seemed lost on them. What an embarrassing day for free speech in Canada's capital.
There is a proclivity of publicly-funded agencies to shirk their duties. In this case, they failed to deal with an insignificant group of students who can't form an original thought. This is just one example in a growing trend of dereliction of duty. How is it that the OPP stood idly by in Caledonia while native thugs terrorized senior citizens and evicted them from their homes? It was terrorism, but the police did nothing. Police chief Julian Fantino even went so far as to posture that those in opposition would not receive police services. Is it even legal for the chief of police to decide which citizens qualify for police protection and which do not? And how come this bloated excuse for an officer is still a member of a police force let alone in a position of power?
This is not just occurring in our publicly-funded agencies, however. It is occurring on a huge scale in the citizenry at large. Bar owners won't speak up against restrictions being imposed on them through the Liquor Licensing Act. Restriction after restriction is being placed upon them, but they do nothing. My bar used to sell Ottawa Senators dinner packages which included a ticket to the game, a steak dinner, and a beer. It was a great deal. But after a while, we had to stop advertising the alcoholic drink. Shortly thereafter, we couldn't even offer an alcoholic beverage with the meal. Measures like this hurt the ability to make a profit, but nothing is said or done. It won't be long before prohibition is back.
Why won't township representatives speak up at county council meetings about land-use restrictions? We elect them for this very purpose. And we inevitably re-elect them when they fail in their duties as elected officials. Why do farm association directors stand by while governments impose restriction after restriction on small farms. You can't fill in that puddle, it could be fish-bearing water. Don't cut down those bushes, it is possible breeding grounds for endangered species. The Ontarian farmer is an endangered species. Where is his protective legislation?
If we keep standing by, pretty soon there won't be any restrictions left to impose upon us. How did it get this far? I think it started somewhere between Trudeaupianism and continued on through McGuintymania. Canada doesn't stand for anything much anymore. But it sure does sit for a lot.