Wednesday, August 26, 2015

A Bone Headed Idea

A question to my international readers: does the translation feature below the header image stand out well enough?

Back during my Doors Open posts at Mercury Court, I made mention of a bone headed idea on the part of the federal government. Today I'll explain. 

This parcel of land lies between the headquarters of Library and Archives Canada and the Supreme Court. It had been earmarked for many years for future use as a federal courts building to be named after a former prime minister, the late Pierre Trudeau. Some years back, the government removed that designation (the Dark Lord, among other things, truly despises the late Trudeau). There is a great deal of controversy here at present, because the Harper cabal intends to let a private charity, called Tribute To Liberty, build a monument here called the Memorial To The Victims of Communism. 


The memorial would tear up a large part of this area, erecting a monstrously ugly monument that is little more than a political statement by a Prime Minister who wishes he was living in the Cold War- not to mention a cynical and calculated attempt at gaining votes from people who came from areas where communist regimes had been in power. Ironically, the various designs are things that Joe Stalin would have loved and had erected himself- take a look at the basic idea here. This is not the only such incident of public land being in essence handed to a private organization- Harper wants to let a Toronto businessman have a peninsula in Cape Breton National Park so that he can build a monstrously huge statue (a gigantic copy of one of the statues that belong to the Vimy Monument)- all so that said businessman can make even more money for himself selling souvenirs. Both projects show a contempt for the public- absolutely no transparency, no regard for opposing views, and the fact that private organizations are being given so much leeway over public space is appalling. City council, numerous Members of Parliament, high profile architects, and members of the public have been very vocal in their opposition here, and a court case is now before the courts to stop this. It is hoped that whichever of the two opposition parties win in the upcoming election will do the right thing and end this nonsense.


There are three other elements to this. As mentioned, Harper hates Trudeau's name, which explains his particular venom where his son, the current leader of the Liberal Party is concerned. I have no doubt if he could dig up the elder Trudeau's corpse and set it on fire, he'd do it. So cancelling a building that was supposed to bear Trudeau's name must fill his blackened withered void of a soul with glee. Second, Harper despises the city- he literally cannot put aside his hatred of the functions of government like the civil service aside and respect the institutions of a national capital, so having something like this erected- much of it at the expense of the government- would be a thumb in the eye of the city. And third, Harper truly loathes the Supreme Court itself, which over the years has spent a great deal of time doing its job- being an independent branch of the government, while rightfully calling into question many of his governmental actions as unconstitutional. He would prefer them to be nothing more than lapdogs, following his orders. If he could get away with building a monument like this, it would be a massive middle finger to the Court for all time.


Turning around, this view of the Court takes us where I'll be going tomorrow. I paid a couple of visits for shots recently. It is a beautiful building. I deeply hope the view is never hindered by a monstrosity of a monument. If the group behind Tribute To Liberty ever read this, you people should be ashamed of yourselves, letting yourselves be used by the most hyper-partisan and sociopathic politician this country has ever seen. You should be, but somehow I doubt you're capable of feeling that way.

34 comments:

  1. So, what are your real feelings on this matter? ;-)
    I agree though, these kinds of dealings are not good for Canada. I doubt there will ever be a Harper monument built, so I think he is just jealous that Trudeau is/should be getting one.

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  2. Politics run DEEP! In every country.

    Janis
    GDP

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  3. No, no, no! More parks, less monuments. :-)

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  4. Gosh you don't like Harper do you!!! However I see no point what so ever in putting up that monstrosity of a monument..........keep the park as is in my humble opinion!

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  5. it is beautiful the way it is...i hope they don't go and ruin it!

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  6. I hope this election shines some light on this government's lunacy and that people will vote for someone else.

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  7. @Halcyon: not all of the PMs have had statues or buildings named for them- Harper did, however, name a new office building after his late buddy the former finance minister.

    @Janis: oh, yes!

    @Revrunner: it would stick out like a sore thumb against all of the architecture in this area.

    @Gill: I really, really, really don't like him.

    @Tanya: if the Tories lose the election, it's done. It's possible that a much scaled down monument would be placed elsewhere, but not likely.

    @Red: either opposition party, as far as I'm concerned. The best thing for the Conservatives at this point is a decade or three in the political wilderness.

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  8. Sorry, I lost you after a few lines, this stuff seems quite Italian politics to me! Anyway our local boys-in-charge are thinking to rename our main street after Ernesto 'Che' Guevara...

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  9. I really like the second photo!

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  10. I don't see a translator button. In fact, I can't read the headers very well. They seem to fade off into sky or something.

    As for your current government...Sounds like American complaints about ours!

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  11. Politics is such a dirty business. Just be glad you don't have Donald Trump.

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  12. Sounds like you hit it right on the 'bone head'. A disasterous idea.

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  13. @VP: I did add a note above- I wondered if the translation feature stands out well enough.

    @Linda: thank you!

    @Cheryl: I fixed the text- should have mentioned below the header. As for the rest, that's the image itself, but people know it's Ottawa. I'll choose something with blue skies for my fall header.

    @Sharon: well, we had the Ford Brothers in Toronto for years, and they're as dumb and obnoxious as Trump.

    @BIrdman: it definitely would be.

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  14. Great photos, but I can't read the header on your blog on my PC.

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  15. The communist monument makes no sense to me at all.

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  16. How many days until your elections? Take a big, deep breath and keep counting. (At least your Ford brothers were limited to Toronto. Trump has set his sights far broader than just one city.)

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  17. Google translator is well disposed, but the translation to Portuguese is somewhat confuse (no surprise).

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  18. Yes, it's there.


    Good grief, can't they at least find another place? VP made me laugh, we still have Stalingrad or Lenin streets...

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  19. Hi William - as I've seen your name on the many blogs I visit I'd thought I would 'hop' over from Ivy's blog to have a read.

    Great photo's and the translator button stands out for me ... not that I need it (I'm in the UK)

    All the best Jan

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  20. @Linda: I'm thinking of changing the header to a fall image- something with blue sky so the title comes out nicely.

    @Norma: hopefully it is in its final weeks before oblivion.

    @Denise: thanks!

    @RedPat: I find myself stunned that the people supporting this are so oblivious to the way Harper's playing them.

    @Kay: just under two months. It'll feel longer! And that is true- Trump's got his eyes (until he loses interest) on a whole country.

    @Luiz: I get that with translating other languages- the computer system translates it literally without taking into context the nuances of how languages work.

    @Ciel: there was another place suggested, but Harper's hellbent on this location.

    @Jan: thank you!

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  21. Ah, show any bureaucracy a lovey open space and they'll try and spoil it I'm afraid William..

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  22. Beautiful grounds. That wouldn't really by a monument about Canadians.

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  23. First of all, I think your translation widget would not be noticed as easily as it would if it were on the right side, as that is its usual place.

    Secondly, I'm so disappointed. I thought things like this went on only in the U.S. I thought we had almost a lock on all the boneheads in government. A good bunch of boneheads are trying to become prezident riding in the Republican clown car...

    Hopefully, saner heads will prevail up your way. If so, let us know how it happened.

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  24. it seems politics r every where. & in everything, it plain stinks, wish we could all agree to disagree & s on. luv the blooms. ( ;

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  25. I can see the translate but I wouldn't have noticed it if you didn't point it out.

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  26. Seems there's always people to complain about in high places and Canada is no exception (sadly).

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  27. What a mess.
    Somewhere I read that the your favorite brother are thinking of running again.

    cheers, parsnip

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  28. You'd think governments had better things to spend taxpayers money on than monuments to war and hate. Just sayin'.

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  29. This is an awful development. I'm so glad you wrote about it. It's what happens when a lobby group gets going and no one can stop them.

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  30. @Geoff: they no doubt would!

    @Mari: it wouldn't, but it just comes down to cynical politics.

    @Lowell: I've moved it over to the right, up at the top.

    @Beth: unfortunately not with this government. The hell of it is, it wasn't always this way. Back in the elder Trudeau days, and even for years after, leaders could leave their differences at the door. It's the current brand of neo-conservatism that brought so much ugliness into Parliament.

    @Whisk: the location's changed now, and I'm happier with it where it is.

    @Beatrice: too true.

    @Parsnip: they're floating the idea around now to have Dougie run to lead the Conservative party (with all of one term as a city councillor to his experience) if Harper tanks in the election. A drug dealer thug thinks he can be the Tory leader.

    @EG: you'd think so. At least some monuments make sense.

    @Jennifer: it's the ultra secrecy of this thing that bothers me, not so much the concept itself- if it were moved to a different location.

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  31. The idea of the monuments does sound like a large dollop of self-gratification rather than considering the public interest over time. So frustrating when politicians seem so blind to the real here and now and where the future leads.

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    1. Fortunately it was prevented. The concept has been revised at a location not that far away and scaled down. I'm not sure when it's due to be put up, but it'll be on a much better scale.

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