Anti-war protesters get fast start on PM

[JasonH]

Anti-war protesters get fast start on PM

canada.com
Thursday, December 04, 2003

VANCOUVER - Paul Martin has yet to be sworn in as prime minister, but he‘s already attracting protesters.

Demonstrators from an anti-war group are planning to picket a Liberal party fund-raising dinner in downtown Vancouver Thursday night.

Martin is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the $290-a-plate dinner at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel.

Members of the StopWar.ca coalition say they will picket outside the hotel to demand the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan.

They are also protesting any possible participation in the U.S. National Missile Defence program, the latest effort at a "Star Wars"-style anti-ballistic missile defence for the continent.

Martin will be sworn in as prime minister on Dec. 12.

http://www.canada.com/vancouver/globaltv/story.asp?id=D39DEEB2-7834-484E-A922-6A7F739F6F56

 

[311]

Arn‘t we in Afgahnistan to free the people from the tyranny of Al Quada, who treat woman poorly amoung one of the many human rights violations. Arn‘t we in Afgahnistan to stop terrorism ?

Maybe the people at StopWar.ca should get there priorties straight. I‘d be interested in what they would have to say after a terrorist killed their family.

 

[meni0n]

Bunch of ignorant hippies.

 

[winchable]

These are the same people who think rememberance day is a celebration of murder, shortsighted ill-informed people.
Peace can only be won with a sword.
For them, peace can only be won by whining and making life hard for everyone around them.

 

[jutes85]

What is their problem? Its not like our soldiers are getting killed almost everyday like with the Americans in Iraq. They make sure that terrorists stay out of countries like Canada and the US, bunch of hippies.

 

[winchable]

Soldiers dying at all is no good, even if it isn‘t everyday.
But for the most part I doubt they‘re there because soldiers are dying, service is voluntary so it‘s not like they‘re protesting the draft.
They‘re most likely protesting because they think the war is a human rights infraction against someone.

 

[jutes85]

Exactly, it was the soldier who decided to join the army, he knew of the risks involved.

 

[winchable]

Yeah, which is why they‘re not there to protest that...

 

[Gibson]

Some country could have nukes pointed at us with soldiers murdering and stealing grain from the poor while beating their women into submission and ethnically cleansing them afterwards. If we sent troops in there to stop it even with all UN Nations supporting it, there would be protests. Some people, regardless of reason or just cause still protest. If they were around 50 years ago they would have protested against D-Day.

To me personally it‘s come to a point where protests are almost a normal thing and if we sent troops overseas and there weren‘t any protests then we should have cause for concern! I‘ve seen organizers woo students at my school into protesting with promises of DJ‘d parties afterwards and what not. Half the people walking the line are in it ‘cause some cute girl asked them to go, it‘s a useless form of expressing yourself as people just write it off as the result of a bunch of nutcases. For the most part they are right too.

 

[stukirkpatrick]

This appalls me. Sure, peace and love are nice theories, but the world does not work that way. It seems to be human nature to be aggressive towards others.

Why pull Cdn troops out of Afghanistan? They are there to stop the vicious infighting that exists between the warlords, not just hunting terrorists.
They are probably doing more good for the people than if they just weren‘t there in the first place. :evil:

Ok no more ranting.

 

[combat_medic]

I think what everyone (on both sides of the debate) is missing in this debate is a healthy dose of perspective. Peace can not _only_ be won by a sword, nor is it _never_ the answer.

Sometimes, peace can be accomplished without force of arms, and I think most people here would agree that it would be the most preferable option. However, we should still be alert and prepared for a forcible solution. Neither one is the answer, and neither is entirely right or wrong. There is a time and place for both, and most intelligent military and political leaders will understand the appropriate time and place for their application.

Being either a "hippie" or a "warmonger" is to be narrow minded, and to lose perspective. Both sides seem to be losing sight of the issues at hand, and are debating war and peace as mere philosophical principles. Let‘s not be overly hasty at beating our swords into plowshares, or our plowshares into swords.

 

[Bert]

That is the most "on the fence" post I‘ve ever read.

 

[combat_medic]

Trust me, I‘m never "on the fence" when it comes to any issue, but I do believe in considering all courses of action when making a decision, and not narrowing your field of vision to only one limited viewpoint.

 

[311]

I don‘t think the issue is wiether or not we like war, no one wants war. However, given what we are doing in Afgahnistan, I don‘t think we should be taking flak for it. We are clearly helping. We don‘t have to be there, but if we all want to feel safe tonight, then we do. Helping opressed people, and taking out terrorists is a good thing. I would have to say that the people at StopWar.ca are stupid, nieve and no very little of what is actually going on. I believe as some posters said above, that there just protesting , for the sake of protesting.

 

[Enzo]

I hear what you‘re saying Medic.

As for legitimate protest. It may not be for everyone, but it‘s a right that we enjoy. I don‘t mind, gives people (including us) something to talk about.

Besides, if you can meet a cute girl, why not?

Cheers, I‘m going along with the local bikini models to protest brussel sprouts at Thrifty‘s. I can‘t stand those things and as long as those ladies will have me, I‘ll be there.

 

[winchable]

I must say I have never seen a cute girl at a protest.
Where is this bikini model brussel sprouts protest?

I think the topic in general has been one that has been thought about for some time. The 70‘s vietnam war protests: Where freedom to do things such as protest government policies etc., was being protected by the very same army that the protesters were protesting.
Whether or not they were actually protecting freedom with the action in vietnam is another topic, and my new years resolution is to keep my controversial statements to a minimum on this forum.

 

[JSA]

Hey Che, let er rip. It‘s a free country. If folks don‘t like what you think, they‘ll get over it. I don‘t try to start a fight but if I‘m right I won‘t back down. I always remember best the days I was in an rifle section as a peon, boys said just about anything and if they thought what you said was stupid they told ya. We had a good saying that could usually identify if you‘d said something boneheaded, ‘your talking like a tree fell on your head‘. A very polite way to tell someone that their making a jack__s out of themselves. Back to the original post, Protester‘s have a right to protest and I have a right to tell them I think their wrong, or if they won‘t listen I can ignore them. Free country...at least for now. Don‘t lose it! js

 

[Enzo]

Che - Sorry, the protest didn‘t work out. We were on our way to Thrifty‘s but it was a long walk. Thirst overcame us and we went into the pub. Would you believe that a group of Labatt‘s Poster girls were in there holding a beer bong demo. A few later, ended up protesting bathing suits in the hot tub of their hotel.

I love protests...

 

[winchable]

Actually JSA you‘d be surprised how some people never seem to let things go these days.

As for the protesters i have to agree, if they are allowed to protest, then I‘m allowed to tell them I think they‘re wrong.
I found the best way of dealing with protesters is to ignore them most of the time all they can do is yell stupid stuff like "baby Killer", etc.
Which is fine because words are about all they can throw, if they throw anything else or make it a physical thing then they open up a new dimension, but I have yet to come across any that have.
Although I‘m sure if one were to look in the paper they would see the protesters hurling rocks at the police and the police hurling gas back, but I personlly haven‘t met any of those kind.
So as long as they‘re only loud, and not violent then they have a right to wave their little signs and call me a baby killer. That doesn‘t make them right but, like you said JSA, free country.

 

[winchable]

I‘m not sure if that was a protest or a bordello you were visiting Enzo =)

Why "Thrifty‘s" for a brussel sprouts protest anyways? Thriftys is a clothing store last I checked. Or is it something different on the far side of the world?