Pie Throwing a "Terrorist Activity", according to Newfoundland MP
The Globe & Mail is reporting today that a Liberal MP from Newfoundland and Labrador is questioning whether yesterday's "pie-ing" of Federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea should be considered a "terrorist activity". She is calling for an investigation into whether PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) should be listed as a "terrorist organization" in Canada, as a result of this recent "attack".
Now, far be it from me to defend the actions of PETA. I dislike this organization's publicity stunts in the extreme, including their over-the-top capitalization on the slaying of the young man on a Greyhound bus last year (they had questioning why Canadians should care about that one act of violence, given the massive number of violent acts committed against animals every day-- their point about animals is valid, but their exploitation of that tragedy was way, way over the top). Also, I'm not a big fan of hurling pies at Ministers of the Crown.
However, take the Liberal Member's argument to it's logical conclusion. If tossing a pie becomes a terrorist action, and can therefore be compared to bombing an airliner, where will we draw the line on terrorist activities? If you belong to an organization which protests a government action or policy, and you somehow "intimidate" a member of the government, or perhaps the police, or even the public, would you then be considered a terrorist? That sounds ludicrous, of course, but...
But how far are we willing to go? Remember, terrorists don't actually have to carry out an action in this country to be arrested. The gang in Toronto were only PLANNING on blowing up buildings and cutting of the head of the Prime Minister, and they found themselves in terrible hot water (as in "years in prison"). If attacking a Minister of the Crown with a pie is a terrorist activity, perhaps so too would be planning on attacking a Minister of the Crown.
We need to remain vigilant when these sorts of arguments are brought forward in the name of Security. I'm appalled that a Liberal MP wants to equate this latest action with an act of terrorism, and to list PETA as a terrorist organization as a result. It is a very slippery slope. Perhaps, in the future, attending a rally like many of us did this past weekend, protesting an action of the government, may be considered an act of terrorism or treason against the State. Far fetched? I hope so. But so is equating a pie to bomb, yet here we are today.
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surprised about what the Liberal said?
Well in the seventies Liberals (albeit the federal kind) did not blink at putting poets and singers (who were vocal but obviously not security threats) in prison... I am very wary of people who have variable-geometry ethics. That's why I don't trust any party except the Greens on the environment: for the old parties, the environment is just a way to get votes. But they know where the money comes from for theur campaigns.
That said, you are definitely right about how extreme this is.
They might come and get us for blogging!
Crime + Political Motivation = Terrorism? Please no...
I was thinking about this a lot over night. The arrested woman committed a crime, assault. She belonged to an organization with political overtones (PETA, who want to change our laws). If committing a crime "on behalf" of an organization out to change our laws or political viewpoint is an "act of terrorism", think about this:
The anti-prorogation rally here in Sudbury had its venue changed at the last minute from a park located on the corner of a busy intersection, to the public square behind our City Hall. The change came about because police were concerned that protesters might end up out on the street blocking traffic.
So...protesting at a rally (a political event) which could have led to illegal activity (blocking traffic)...under the "pie throw" definition of "terrorist activity", this might have been a good fit. Indeed, the potential for harm to person and property is likely greater from an incident which blocks traffic than one in which an individual ends up wearing tofu.
I wonder where the rest of the Liberals stand on this, and the Conservatives too. Commit a political crime, and it's terrorism? Hmmm. Guess those Greenpeace people who rapelled down the Parliament buildings would be terrorists, and so would those students who got beat up by Parliamentary security when they started shouting about Bill C-311.
Yes, if this "pie throwing" concept of terrorism takes hold, it wouldn't take a big leap in imagination to arrive at the above conclusions.
"Sudbury" Steve May
Man: Your papers
seriously... I dont want to live in that type of country.... under the liberals and Conservative rule we have slowly been slipping there.
Beware the McCarthies of the world
In changing times attempts at reforming the system will be seen as subversive, and sadly, the public will often concur with sanctioning or restricting freedoms or even persecuting. The USA is an old hand at this stuff. As recently as the announcement of the Iraq invasion anyone with an opposing view was a terrism collaborator. Hilary was in, Obama wasn't (mainly because he wasn't yet a senator). Our freedoms are most at threat when the system is in crisis, as it is now.
Whatever your opinion on PETA - pieing is not a terrorist act. Neither is harrassing Japanese whalers or obstructing sealers. In years to come today's "terrorists" might well become the freedom fighters that Martin Luther King, the Sufferagets, Gandhi, and all the eco-activists who rapell up and down places of high visibility have become.
As the philosopher Arther Schopenhaur said: All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
Pie throwing is not terrorism.
This is the royal ascent version of bill-c36. Read article 83.01
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=2330951&...
Pie throwing does not qualify as terrorism under any creative interpretation.