I Am Not Afraid

The bay-trees in our country are all wither'd
And meteors fright the fixed stars of heaven;
The pale-faced moon looks bloody on the earth
And lean-look'd prophets whisper fearful change.

I really have been meaning to update the site, but life has a habit of getting in the way sometimes.

I just finished up a production of As You Like It in the park and I've started a job at an office downtown for the summer. I would love to blog from work, but I'm sure my boss would not appreciate that. And yet here I am, sitting in my cubicle(Holy crap I've got a cubicle!) writing this... On my blog. Oh crap, here comes the CEO. *minimizes window and looks busy*

*Phew* That was a close one. Anyways, on to the reason I am writing this post.



In lieu of the recent RCMP and CSIS operation that apprehended 17 men accused of plotting to bomb targets in the Toronto area and allegedly wanting to storm Parliament Hill, there has naturally been a lot of discussion on the internet. People of all political stripes in Canada have been weighing in, with the general response being one of shock, fear and anger. We weren't attacked, but the recent arrests show that we very well could have been. We were lucky we weren't attacked, but now the bubble of complacence has been burst and in its place we see fear and confusion.

We should not be afraid. We should not be afraid because it is the very reaction terrorism is designed to elicit. Rather than acting rashly and reacting out of fear or bigotry, Canadians need to carefully examine the reasons why something like this could happen. At a time like this Canadians need to come together and show the world that this kind of thing will not shake us from our daily lives.

Pundit, punk rocker and blogger Warren Kinsella is spearheading a campaign to do just this. He and several others have started a website http://www.iamnotafraid.ca/ for people to post their artistic/photographic/poetic responses/ reactions to this troubling event. The website will also help to organize a rally at a Blue Jays game, designed to raise people's collective voices on the subject and show everyone that we are not afraid.

I think it's a great idea, and exactly the kind of thing Canadians need to see and be a part of right now. Here's more info from an article in the Toronto Sun.

NO-FEAR PARTY PLANNED

BY VIVIAN SONG

High-profile party planners have mobilized once again during a tense, crisis-filled moment for the city, announcing plans to host a party at the Rogers Centre and send a message to would-be terrorists.

The "I am not afraid" campaign is meant to be "positive and populist," says Warren Kinsella, former Liberal strategist and aide to ex-Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

Kinsella is the mastermind of the campaign, but has also secured the support of Liberal ex-MP Dennis Mills and Senator Jerry Grafstein -- famous for bringing in the Rolling Stones to headline SARSstock three years ago. The party drew more than 450,000 people to Toronto at a time when the city was reeling from the economic fallout of the respiratory disease.

The trio is hoping to rally residents -- "no politicians, just regular folks" -- at a Blue Jays game in the next couple of weeks and reclaim spaces the alleged terrorists targeted, "where we would make some noise and raise our collective voices." Kinsella says he was inspired by the residents of London who stood up in defiance of the terrorists who bombed their subway system last summer, killing 52 people.

For more info check out I Am Not Afraid.ca and Warren Kinsella's website.

Cam from The Other Sixth Estate has started http://i-am-not-afraid.blogspot.com/

Back to regular posting very soon... hopefully.

- Will   Thursday, June 08, 2006