Coco-BOOM
Contrary to my expectations, and to my great disappointment, I learned that this is not how Coco Puffs are made. Au contraire, this is the War on Drugs. Who knew coke was so flammable?
Puerto Concordia, Colombia: anti-narcotics police officers blow up a cocaine processing laboratory after seizing it from the Farc
Photograph: Guillermo Legaria/AFP/Getty Images
Bystanders were extremely moved by the pyrotechnic display, if not thrilled.
I fucking hate shortages!!
Prime Minister Stephen Harper Sez Welcome to Canada's beautiful tar sands
And how was YOUR weekend? Canuckistan’s Glorious Ruler posed for a picture with some cuddly Alberta wildlife, while his obedient servants created a website apologizing to the world for the mortifying homunculus who sits, slavering, atop Parliament.
We messed up.
We know you look to us as one of the last great strongholds of common sense in a swirling sea of crazy on this big ol’ crazy planet of ours.
Decriminalized marijuana, same-sex marriage, our peace keeping force, universal health care, education, our stance on environment, human rights, and religious freedom made us look pretty darn awesome.
Now we’re realizing that those things that made us awesome are being taken away from us, and it’s not just us Canadians who are paying the price.
Turns out some of us thought it would be a grand idea to put this fucking guy in charge.
Well, actually, it wasn’t so much that we put him in charge as it is we failed not to.
We goofed. We took our stick off the ice. We pulled a real boner. For that we apologize.
But, hey. 2015 is just around the corner. Hopefully, we’ve learned our lesson, and we’ll do better next time.
We’d better, assuming he doesn’t pull a coup and off the Governor-General, and I wouldn’t put it past him or his alien leaders.
In related news, at least now we can live tweet the defeat of democracy as it happens:
The government of America’s hat announced it will repeal a 1938 law that prohibited citizens from publicly posting election results before all polls closed across the country. Since social-media sites feature real-time discussions, it has been nearly impossibly to enforce the rule despiteElections Canada’s hardline stance.
Someone who’s suddenly not having a great weekend is Greyhound bus driver Donald Ainsworth, who kicked 13 OccupySD protesters off his bus just for supporting Occupy. He thought he’d show them.
Then we did this:
If I do say so myself, I got some kickass photos today.
And won the Great Poutine Bet, although I should have known better than to bet with a tory with a tory judge presiding. Count your fingers after making THAT handshake deal.
According to the one protester left to mind the placards and People’s Lovely Lending Library, about 300 people showed up, with the protesters only slightly outnumbering the media. After the obligatory speechifying (which I am glad to have missed) they then strode over to the viaduct into the port, where they were met by a count of 35 Vancouver police officers ranged across the bridge, completely blocking traffic, whether pedestrian or vehicular.
Here is Court, reporting from the scene:
Now, the Great Poutine Bet has everything to do with whether or not traffic was able to move into or out of the port, even though Dave doesn’t seem to think so. He and I had a bet: that if Occupy Vancouver shut down access to the port (and by that, what moron would think I meant completely sealing it off? We don’t have a geodesic dome big enough anymore!) on Monday the 12th, I’d win all the poutine I could eat, and if OV did not shut down access to the port, he would win all he could eat.
To which someone made the following observation:
#FreedomCurds @raincoaster #Poutine 4 All or PommesFrites 4 the1% @cloud_commuting When poutine is outlawed only outlaws will #occupypoutine—
Savannah K (@caveaged) December 13, 2011
Is #FreedomCurds or is it not the best hashtag of all time? Thank you, it is.
Anyhoodle, Dave weaseled out of the bet as expected, even though FoodNotBombs shut down access via the Clark bridge in the morning, OV shut it down at Britannia in the afternoon, and in early evening another group of OV shut down the Clark onramp again. Shut down access to the port.
@davedotca @raincoaster No matter how you cut it Port authorities told me at no time today was the port "shut down" only an entrance.—
shane woodford (@WoodfordCKNW980) December 13, 2011
@davedotca @raincoaster And since there are more than one entrances truck traffic was just diverted not blocked. My verdict is Dave wins.—
shane woodford (@WoodfordCKNW980) December 13, 2011
Five people were arrested at the second Clark occupation (well, five people left involuntarily in custody of the police, although police say only two were arrested) and later released without charges filed.
Oh well, one must be philosophical about such things. Once Dave tries my cooking, he’ll realize that there are many ways of winnning, and many ways of losing.
Pooo. Teen.
Fuck you, Officer! Now we have to WALK to Occupy!
Fark tha Police.
Occupy Harper
Our Robot Overlord Stephen “Landru” Harper didn’t get quite the reception he was expecting at today’s photo-op at Science World in Vangroover. Or maybe he did. Either way, today was an unequivocal win for the Occupy movement, even before the Prime Minister’s gilded coach SUV ran over a couple of bicycles while fleeing the scene.
RT @ChrisFofonoff: Rumour is that @PMHarper's motorcade ran over a bike at Science World. Cartoonists, you'll never get it easier than t …—
Wendy Lund (@wendylund) November 26, 2011
Oh, he’s done for now!
Doesn't @pmharper know that penalty for killing a bicycle in Vancouver is 20yrs hard labour in the HappyPlanet juice mines. #occupyvancouver—
Lester B Piercing (@LesterBPiercing) November 26, 2011
Harper Hates Bikes
In fairness, she looks hella dangerous. And what business did she have locking her bike up on a city-provided bike rack in the first place? Asking for it, totally.
And by the way, nobody seems to have noted that it is illegal to drive motorized vehicles on the Seawall in Vancouver, so Heil Harper was in fact breaking the law. But the VPD got flak when they broke the idling laws:
After a while (and I believe after we had started effecting Harper’s schedule) the motorcycle cops started their engines and moved into a formation. They then say there idling and the crowd began to remind them of Vancouver’s anti-idling laws. A good time was had by all!
Not all of his escorts were unsympathetic to the protest:
Harper's Men in Suits
Men in Black tell VPD to step back – this area for protesters (!) #occupyHarper #occupyvancouver—
Savannah K (@caveaged) November 25, 2011
In fact, the Men in Suits bear an uncanny likeness to another politically active group.
United as one divided by zero
No wonder I love a man in a good suit!
And then, Harper scarpered. Don’t worry, you’re doing a heckuva job, Harpy!
Heil Harper
