Saturday, February 20, 2010
Bimbo Erruptions
Are Stephen Harper's worst nightmare. Here is, trying to return to his blue sweater vest glory days and some yahoo from the sticks is throwing his own feces at Louis Riel. That this goof would publish this closing-time-at-the-Orange-Lodge manifesto (paid for,I am assuming, by Metis tax dollars), tells us a lot about the man. That the PMO has to use all of its resources to try to keep these loony impulses suppressed, tell us a lot more about the party in power and its membership.
Recommend this Post
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Well, although I don't mind putting up a statue or two (or three or four) of Louis Riel, as he's certainly a significant figure in Canadian history, and I don't even mind a parliamentary resolution or two about him, calling him a "Father of Confederation" distorts history, and it's quite accurate to describe him as a traitor.
ReplyDeleteHe kinda fits the bill -- see, taking up arms against the central government is pretty much the textbook definition of treason.
You can say he was justified, you can say any number of things, but he certainly did commit high treason.
Wouldn't have hanged him for it -- I think Sir John A. would have been much better advised to commute his death sentence -- but it'd be a cold day in a very warm place before I voted in favour of a resolution to retroactively declare him a "Father of Confederation".
I think of him the same way I do Aaron Burr -- a colourful, darned interesting historical figure, who was best left to die in obscurity after his attempts to overthrow the government. (As Burr was -- the Americans were smarter, when they decided not to convict & execute Burr, even when they would have been richly justified in doing so.)
Put a statue or two of him up and name a square after him, if you like. Don't call him a Father of Confederation, and don't put a statue of him up on Parliament Hill.
Do call him Founder of Manitoba, and memorialize him as such -- that's a historically accurate label, and the truth.
The Conservative Party should trumpet that view all across Manitoba and Quebec during the next election.
ReplyDeleteWell, you saw the PMO's reaction.
ReplyDeleteStill, had Riel not executed Scott during his first rebellion, he'd probably have ended his days as effectively an MP-for-life from Manitoba.
A little more mercy all around would have worked wonders.