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Here’s to Canadian creativity and hashtags

Here’s to Canadian creativity and hashtags

Posted on Feb 16, 2012

 

You have to appreciate the creativity that surfaces sometimes in reaction to politicians who come up with stupid, half-baked ideas or say something that really is over the top.

 

The latest example is federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. In his attempt to deflect opposition criticism of the government’s new online surveillance bill, a law that would compel telecommunications providers to hand over online activity records on anyone the police want to know about, without any requirement for a search warrant, Toews took the position that anyone who is against this is on the side of child molesters.

 

Framing the issue in that narrow a way – of suggesting that as Canadians we have to choose, thus dismissing the possibility of any middle ground, and dismissing that there are those among us who are against child pornography but also feel that privacy of Canadians must be considered too. And that’s a lot of Canadians including Chantal Bernier, assistant privacy commissioner of Canada and University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist, who holds a Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law. 

 

Like many, they have cautioned that this proposed law goes too far. I wonder what they think when the Minister characterizes them as being on the side of the child molesters?

 

Of course it was a ridiculous thing for him to say. For those of us who agree we can be against child molesters and still value our rights to privacy, therefore not subscribing to the “you are either with us or against us (and for child pornographers)” Bush like rhetoric, we can either get mad or get creative. And creative is usually better.

 

My hat is off to whoever came up with #TellVicEverything, a hash tag that at the time of this writing is trending as the top Twitter topic in Canada. In protest of the bill, Canadians in huge numbers are contributing tweets telling Toews the most mundane details of their life.

 

Check it out. Some are really funny. But beyond that it’s a healthy, positive way for Canadians to weigh in, in this peaceful, I like to think Canadian, way to protest.

 

It reminds me of a few years ago, when Ric Mercer of This Hour has 22 Minutes called then Canadian Alliance leader Stockwell Day on his proposal that if 350,000 Canadians signed a petition on anything, that would be enough to automatically trigger a national referendum. Mercer started an online petition that eventually collected 1.2 million signatures. It was a petition to make Stockwell Day change his name to Doris Day.

 

It was fun but at the same time exposed the foolishness of his proposal, and was a good creative way to allow Canadians to, in a direct way, participate in our democratic process. 

558 Comments

  • On May 26 Sandeep said:

  • I really axrpopimating this post to a skillful extent along with in fact I would as well axrpopimating to know if you have possession of a few sort of facebook page to facilitate capacity subsist able with the aim of get something done a reorder telephone lookup as regards so that we be capable of stumble on away who the site owner is with qualification so when to doesn’t work, possibly with a cell phone search with the aim of discern what kind of twitter chronicle they capacity have while well might be there a profound belief. And last qualification not least be able to continually test out the mobile phone number search parts of package obtainable so that we be able to discover away each kinds of things down folks weird numbers in our day quickly in addition to easily or else it is always as well late.

  • On May 30 Heloise said:

  • I really approximating this post to a skillful extent along with in fact I would as well approximating to know if you have possession of a few sort of facebook page to facilitate capacity subsist able with the aim of get something done a reorder telephone lookup as regards so that we be capable of stumble on away who the site owner is with qualification so when to doesn't work, possibly with a cell phone search with the aim of discern what kind of twitter chronicle they capacity have while well might be there a profound belief. And last qualification not least be able to continually test out the mobile phone number search parts of package obtainable so that we be able to discover away each kinds of things down folks weird numbers in our day quickly in addition to easily or else it is always as well late.

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  • On June 3 Cayle said:

  • Police will sit on judicial advisory committees   By StatGuy Last November, then-Justice Minister Vic Toews proposed that judicial advisory committees vetting potential judges should be expanded to include representatives from law enforcement.  Judges and lawyers raised a huge outcry: They were appalled that their exclusive club might be crashed by the men and women in blue.  Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin publicly “rebuked” the minister, saying the proposal would compromise the independence of the judiciary and endanger the interests of all Canadians.  Then the lawyers chimed in, expressing “astonishment” that the minister would “politicise” judicial appointments.

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  • On June 7 Arnie said:

  • And while you're at it, watch out for thought crime…  But forget about that domestic terrorism… just look the other way… You know, the domestic terrorism where women are the vicitms, and where long guns are often used by the perps.  Vic (the moron) would rather we watch for suspected, possible foreign agents, but "don't look over here" at the NRA supported gun nuts who would love to create wacko militias of gun nuts like they have in parts of the USA…I guess "law and order" only applies to certain people…

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  • On June 9 Deandra said:

  • Okay, Okay ... I will respond in a fair and candid manner, consistent with reasonable expectation to the always MORONIC VIC TEOWS >>>VICYou have terrorists of TREASON down the hall in the Parliament of Canada. There names are : John Baird, Tony Clement, Jason Kenny, Dictator Steve Harpocrit ... to name but a few of this little secret society >>> they somehow believe the best interests of Canadians are best met by these shameless & godless terrorists of TREASON deliberately misleading AND outright lying to Canadians, almost all the timeIn fact Vic Moron you are also a terrorists of TREASON !!!

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  • On June 9 Shanna said:

  • Okay, Okay ... I will respond in a fair and candid manner, consistent with reasonable expectation to the always MORONIC VIC TEOWS >>>VICYou have terrorists of TREASON down the hall in the Parliament of Canada. There names are : John Baird, Tony Clement, Jason Kenny, Dictator Steve Harpocrit ... to name but a few of this little secret society >>> they somehow believe the best interests of Canadians are best met by these shameless & godless terrorists of TREASON deliberately misleading AND outright lying to Canadians, almost all the timeIn fact Vic Moron you are also a terrorists of TREASON !!!

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  • On June 13 Dweezil said:

  • Yes, it is definately important to report on any activity by someone that is not US. To be US is to love US. Them cannot understand US and so HATE US for our freedoms. Watch my neighbours? By all reports that I've hear these folks were normal, nice and helpful. Upstanding members of their community. None of their neighbours knew what was going on. So, I guess I got to ask, what exactly are we looking for and why should we rat on each other?I used to have trouble with believing that elected folk in a democracy talked this way. Used to.Shame shame shame.

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  • On June 21 Andi said:

  • Robert Vollman:You are not entirely correct.  The current situation is indeed Orwellian in addition to the compounding and complicating factors introduced by 'Minority Report'.  Individuals are going to be charged with crimes that are future probable (This is happening now, real time.  I say future probable and not future certain, simply because our 'pre-cogs' are not yet as proficient as the ones in the book/movie.). As well, always remember, the stupid party is called stupid for an entire litany of well founded reasons.

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  • On June 23 Starr said:

  • You can find Canadian sites in Canada and Italian sites in Italy. Go to those countries, and every site that comes up will be sites from those countries. Or, you can type into the search bar “Canadian dating site,” or “Italian dating site,” and the sites from those two countries will come up.

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  • On August 21 ibimwyc said:

  • nvosotjv

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