Letter from Edge
Nov. 29th, 2004 12:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trishkitPresident Bush is visiting Ottawa tomorrow and the city is getting ready for huge crowds and protests. I live right downtown, in fact I can see the designated starting point for one of the protest marches from my window.
Believe it or not, this is Bush's first "official" visit to Canada. Way to rub in the complete unimportance and irrelevance of your Northern neighbour, dude. Sure, our military is small, but we still stamp our tiny feet and shake our wee fists in fury when we have to. No wonder the guy isn't known as a diplomat. If you can't even manage to get along with us freaking Canadians, you've got a bit of a problem.
As I write there are several helicopters and airplanes circling the area. None of them look military (in other words they seem to be keeping aloft without any problems), so I assume that they are from news outlets and are getting shots of the epicentre before they are barred. The entire downtown core has been designated a no-flight zone for tomorrow.
I went out to the library and grocery store this morning, stocking up on the essentials so that I don't have to leave home tomorrow. The breadth of the opposition to Bush really struck home to me as I walked along the street. Rightly or wrongly, whenever I think of protests and protesters I always picture young people. My neighbourhood has been plastered with notices of a mass protest ever since the visit was announced and today I saw more people putting up the same posters. This time the posterers were all middle aged and well dressed. They looked like (and probably were) office workers on their lunchbreak. Kind of showed me what a 50-50 split actually looks like.
Then I saw an SUV with American plates that had a toboggan and skis loaded on the top and everything was back to normal. They were New York plates, too. You'd think that people would figure out that the weather doesn't magically change as soon as you cross the border. You've only travelled 50 miles, the climactic changes just aren't that spectacular or, indeed, visible to the naked eye.
I prefer not to write about politics in my journal, even though I have the greatest sympathy for those who are adversely affected by present administrations. I'm kind of wishy-washy anyways. If I could find a party that had a platform of letting everyone do whatever they wanted while maintaining safety and security I'd be there in a flash. Lex Luthor for President! For now, I just glad that I live where I live and hope that everything goes off without a hitch tomorrow and that no one gets hurt.
Peace out, man.
Believe it or not, this is Bush's first "official" visit to Canada. Way to rub in the complete unimportance and irrelevance of your Northern neighbour, dude. Sure, our military is small, but we still stamp our tiny feet and shake our wee fists in fury when we have to. No wonder the guy isn't known as a diplomat. If you can't even manage to get along with us freaking Canadians, you've got a bit of a problem.
As I write there are several helicopters and airplanes circling the area. None of them look military (in other words they seem to be keeping aloft without any problems), so I assume that they are from news outlets and are getting shots of the epicentre before they are barred. The entire downtown core has been designated a no-flight zone for tomorrow.
I went out to the library and grocery store this morning, stocking up on the essentials so that I don't have to leave home tomorrow. The breadth of the opposition to Bush really struck home to me as I walked along the street. Rightly or wrongly, whenever I think of protests and protesters I always picture young people. My neighbourhood has been plastered with notices of a mass protest ever since the visit was announced and today I saw more people putting up the same posters. This time the posterers were all middle aged and well dressed. They looked like (and probably were) office workers on their lunchbreak. Kind of showed me what a 50-50 split actually looks like.
Then I saw an SUV with American plates that had a toboggan and skis loaded on the top and everything was back to normal. They were New York plates, too. You'd think that people would figure out that the weather doesn't magically change as soon as you cross the border. You've only travelled 50 miles, the climactic changes just aren't that spectacular or, indeed, visible to the naked eye.
I prefer not to write about politics in my journal, even though I have the greatest sympathy for those who are adversely affected by present administrations. I'm kind of wishy-washy anyways. If I could find a party that had a platform of letting everyone do whatever they wanted while maintaining safety and security I'd be there in a flash. Lex Luthor for President! For now, I just glad that I live where I live and hope that everything goes off without a hitch tomorrow and that no one gets hurt.
Peace out, man.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-29 09:43 am (UTC)Hahahahaha! (It's funny because it's true.)
I'm vaguely annoyed about the garbage pickup being delayed because of Bush's visit. That is all I have to say about that.
My grandma used to come visit (from Pennsylvania) and insist on putting on a sweater as soon as she crossed the border into Canada. In August.
(no subject)
Date: 2004-11-29 10:45 am (UTC)Although the thought of your sweater-toting granny is hilarious.