The Friends of Stanley Park: No Way Xwayxway!
I’m not an activist.
Not unless you consider what I do on the Downtown Eastside (DTES) teaching at risk kids to stay away from drugs or you look at any of the other quiet time I spend helping adult addicts out where I can.
I spent several years, boots on the ground, right at ground zero on E. Pender Street–right in the heart of Vancouver’s hell–and I know what aboriginal Canadians are treated like by the government and the povertarians and grief pimps, who feed off them, under the specious guise of ‘compassion’ and ‘recognition’.
It’s why I rail against liars and manipulators like Premier Gordon Campbell and others who use the words ‘First Nations’ like a punch-line.
What always perplexed me, until I saw the light, is why the so-called First Nations “leadership” went along with it.
They collect hundreds of millions of YOUR tax dollars every year–BILLIONS over decades and Indians are still dying on our streets and in our jails. Reserves look like slums. Their jewels–their children–drop out of high school, that’s if they attend at all, and are tens of times more likely to die of an overdose than your kids.
Have you ever had to turn over the body of a downtrodden Indian fellow, who used to voluntarily sweep your steps for a once-a-week burger meal, and discover that he’d overfilled his veins full of fury hours earlier? Have you ever held the hand of woman who died only a half hour later because you weren’t there when she had a psychotic episode from playing chase the dragon…and her AIDS-ravaged body couldn’t take it anymore? Ever seen the look of an aboriginal Mom with chronic Hepatitis, who lived out in the lane of your building, when she discovered that her teenage son was the guy shot dead in another lane but behind the Cobalt Hotel the night before?
I have.
Think about that next time you tuck your son or daughter into bed. Think about what life they’d likely lead walking out your front door on any given morning. Dealers looking to prey upon your son; pimps treating your daughter like she’s yet another piece of meat.
That’s the startling reality that Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Band won’t answer to. You see, it was his incendiary comments on Canada Day, no less, that prompted the website we’ve now built TO FIGHT for Stanley Park. Drive through his reserve and have a look. Ask him where all the money goes. Ask him to open his books.
Oh but I bet his people are so much better off after the Squamish Band erected a grotesque, video billboard right next to the Burrard Bridge some months ago. That really helps matters, eh Chief? Crass commercialism, I thought, was the white man’s sin?
If you have your own “government” and your own “land”, then act responsibly, and leave OURS alone.
Changing names, signing treaties, building casinos, “repatriating” land, DOES NOT save the native aboriginal of this country from the ills that plague them. And disgraceful politicians like Gregor Robertson, Aaron Jasper, Gordon Campbell and Kevin Kruger, who all believe in this system MUST be run out of office. They are dangerous and reckless. They do not serve us at all well.
It’s high-time, the rest of us fought for what’s right. Please join us in standing up against aboriginal non-leadership like that of Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish. Please join us in fighting against the trampling of Stanley Park–because it will only be the beginning.
There is a time and place for honouring aboriginal Canadian habitation. This isn’t it. Stanley Park will stay Stanley Park and we will fight against this if we have to take it to the Supreme Court of Canada.
This is not a time to let cowardly politicians make decisions for us. This isn’t like the HST–YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE HERE AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO LISTEN. Join us, please.
I have every confidence that the Prime Minister and his government will do the right thing and reject any formal renaming. But for those politicians willing to take the expedient route, let’s kick them out of office at first opportunity. Public lands like Stanley Park belong to EVERY CANADIAN. Stanley Park is NOT an aboriginal park. IT’S A CANADIAN PARK–an internationally recognized urban miracle, that belongs to every Canadian taxpayer that built her over the 122 years she’s been our civic jewel.
And if our elected politicians are not prepared to make the right decision…then we’ll fight until the highest court in the land hears our cry.
Thank you for your consideration in advance.
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Go here, or click on the link at the top right of my website and take a look around. Many of you have asked for a petition page and it’s coming, within a day or so. Perhaps if brighter heads prevail, like those of Vancouver Parks Commissioners Stuart Mackinnon and Ian Robertson, then we won’t have to worry much longer.
Tremendous post, kudos, Alex.
” … povertarians and grief pimps, … ”
Povertarians. That’s marvelous. Please be advised I will be pinching that one.
At the risk of repeating myself:
http://davidinnorthburnablog.blogspot.com/2009/04/another-gordie-campbell-disaster-in.html
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Thank you Sir. Very kind words. BTW, I’ll be making some changes to my blog roll and I’ll be adding you. I think your thoughts are cogent and sensible. Even when we disagree I find what you’ve written compelling and common sense. Kudos right back at you!
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Hi Alex, Unfortunately due to time constrains I will not be able elaborate much on this usually avoided subject and restrict myself to an abbreviated comment.
The World was able to eliminate Apartheid (a system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race) I know there are many differences to the Canadian situation, however the basic principles of “ALL RACES having the same rights and responsibilities”, should prevail.
The present trend of apologies and reparation is absolutely illogical and unfair, why should the present generations be punished or benefit for something not of their doing, which was done on another era, with different rules and laws.
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BEcause it’s a way of left wing politicians like Gregor Robertson getting another bit of air time to show you what a lovely man he is–NOT! IT’s an opportunity for Gordon Campbell to shamelessly pander to minorities. It gives the likes of Kevin Kruger and Aaron Jasper and opportunity to say idiotic things and prove with politicians often need to be replaced for the same reason that you would change your baby’s diaper.
That’s why…
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I see Metro columnist Paul Sullivan is for the renaming of the park – or as he puts it a ‘back atcha’ , at the ‘white powdered pigtales’ .
Sad, very sad.
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Stop at he is a Metro “columnist”…. ‘nough said.
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I have not had the direct contact you describe here, but I too have visited many reserves. While I worked in Manitoba, I had the opportunity to be a guest at many of the reserves, and I always felt as though I was vacillating between despair and disdain at what I saw. Of course, right after that, I couldn’t help wondering if that made me a racist. If we say, “why don’t you live your life this way?”, inevitably, someone among the reserve “leadership” would play the victim-card to its’ pinnacle and claim I had no right to suggest that their way of life is sub-standard. What I saw was evidence of egregious nepotism, decrepit, decaying housing, garbage strewn everywhere, and a general lack of accountability. But as you point out, when white man attempts to intervene, and asks for accountability they are bluntly told where to go. Much like in old-communist Europe, where the path to a good life was faithful party membership, so too is it on reserves where being a family-member of the chief and council was a path to privilege. If saying so makes me a racist — so be it.
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Good for you! I agree wholeheartedly. I was sent a screenshot this morning of the website of Vision Vancouver’s paid whore. Apparently, I too am racist because I pointed out the very same things you did. So I’m in great company then? LOL! Some people will stop at nothing to prove their irrelevancy. Let’s have a discussion say the Vision idiots, so that we waste taxpayers dollars further–and as I predicted, anyone who would dare question the native aboriginals is, of course, a racist. Pathetic. Great comment. Much appreciated, Sir.
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AMEN
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And then, to placate the abos, they renamed the Stanley Cup the Xwayxway Cup.
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Apparently not! YEA!
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Congrats, Alex. As you know, Stock Day has announced that the name of the park is not going to change.
I would tell your friend Mr. Ross, that the people HAVE spoken—and the feds, at least, heard us loud and clear.
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Thank you. I was prepared to fight and had the new website up in 24 hours. Ross? He’s the belly lint of bloggers. He gets paid to lie for Gregor. Wow, such an existence…
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Spent some time growing up in rural Saanichton in the 60′s, often as one of the few white kids in the class. I could see the confusion and despair on my classmate’s faces even then, as we went to our different worlds after school. I was deeply moved by your post. This name-change fight is a great way to tell First Nations leaders it’s time to get their priorities in order. And to tell our politicians that feel good lip service just doesn’t cut it. Well done, Alex.
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Thanks Alan. I was doing it for the people who were clearly not going to be represented by the likes of Gregor Robertson, Ellen Woodsworth and KEvin Kruger. Oh, and let’s not forget the Premier an Arrogant Jasper… pathetic!
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Dear Alex,
Did you read the Province’s article regarding Stockwell Day’s comments about maintaining “Stanley Park” as Stanley Sark?
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Yes I did. Worked out quite well indeed.
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I heard Raymond Louie on the news tonight expressing regret that there wasn’t more public input. I guess he failed to read the Comments section on this story in virtually any Vancouver media outlet. Lots of public input and it was loud & clear.
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Hey Bob, yes, I’ll be blogging about this tomorrow. Louie is lost. Ever since he lost the nomination to Gregor, their relationship has been almost non-existent. And in losing his way, he’s lost his political mojo. Raymond’s too bitter.
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” … Raymond Louie on the news tonight expressing regret that there wasn’t more public input. …”
Translation: the wrong sort of public inputted, for Mr Louie’s tastes.
” … some changes to my blog roll …”
I’m honored, thank you, Alex.
“Even when we disagree I find what you’ve written compelling and common sense.”
Gotta watch that ‘disagreeing with common sense’ thing, Alex.
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We’ll we don’t disagree much, you and I, I meant of course that we might not be on the same page on everything–this isn’t necessarily disagreement.
And it’s MY privilege to promote good bloggers.
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Paul Sullivan’s sarcasm of the Downtown Ambassadors, who are basically a bunch of young men and women doing their best at very low wages, was enough for me to realize that he is a big-mouthed bully, who is to be ignored as everything he has to say is all about his superiority.
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Paul Sullivan is an utter fool who works for a ridiculous paper. Period, let’s move on.
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Well, I seem to have been disagreeing a bit with you lately, so happy to support your outrage on this typical piece of superficial nonsense which is about as rational as adjusting the curtains when the house is on fire.
The condition of native people in Canada is a national disgrace. I was stunned to read the other day ( on Al Jazeera of all places! ) of the incarceration rates in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. To have such monumental failiure at such enormous expense bespeaks incompetence and corruption throughout the system. From the bloated bureaucracy in Ottawa, through the native leaderships to all the peripheral agencies it’s obvious that a total clean out is needed.
Or alternatively let’s distract everyone by changing the name of a park. Pathetic!
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Never, ever worry about disagreeing. This blog is about robust discussion–and we all remain pals. I learn from all my readers, no matter what their opinion. It’s a privilege. Only when someone gets condescending, rude or just downright stupid do I feel the need to step in. In your case, you always have something intelligent to offer.
On the issue of the native aboriginals’ condition, we are, of course, agreed. Pathetic indeed.
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