stop-lossed soldier punished for speaking out: please help

I've blogged before about Marc Hall, a stop-lossed soldier who has been arrested and imprisoned for speaking out against the unjust policy that led to his involuntarily re-enlistment. Hall - on his own time - wrote and played a song protesting stop-loss, and for that, he's feeling the full wrath of the US military. He faces court martial - a "trial" staged by his accusers - and either a lengthy prison sentence or forced deployment to Iraq.

Veterans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Courage to Resist and other groups - the ones that "support the troops" - are joining together to help Hall. The goal is to generate 1,000 letters to to the US Army - and to bring Hall's case to national attention in the US.

You can click on this link to send your letter, and share the link every way you can.

You can also visit Stop Loss Music to sign a petition in support of Marc.

This weekend I saw a news item on a horrific case of untreated PTSD from a veteran. Every soldier who resists the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan is not only standing up for the people of those countries and their right to self-determination. They are helping to stop a very dangerous cycle of violence at home. (Have you seen the movie "In the Valley of Elah"? Do.)

Marc Hall is being punished exposing the truth: that the US military is not voluntary. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution - the one the military claims he is defending - gives Hall the right to speak out. But Hall needs no statute or clause to say "no" to war. He is a human being, and therefore he has the human right to conscience. He has a right not to kill or be killed.

I hope you'll take a minute to send a letter.

u.s. election changes nothing for many creatures: wolves slaughtered, thanks to bush-obama policies

The news about wild canines in the US is absolutely stomach-turning. More than 400 gray wolves have been slaughtered since Obama's Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar made good on Bush-era plans to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list.

The other night, I saw a friend who is also passionate about wild canines - one of the people we visited the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre with. I remarked how I can't understand killing such magnificent creatures for no reason. She said, "It's worse than killing them for no reason. It's killing them for fun."

I was struck by the appropriateness of that correction. Killing them for fun. Not for food, or even for commerce. For recreation.

And never forget, the slaughter stems directly from government policy. For these animals, as for many of us, it's a one-party system.

The only silver lining is that policy can be changed.

From email from the NRDC Save BioGems project:

The war on wolves is getting uglier by the day.

It's tragic enough that a record 402 wolves were killed last year in Idaho and Montana after their removal from the endangered species list -- an astronomical level that amounts to one-third of the entire wolf population in those two states.

But what saddens me almost as much are the barbaric tactics that wolf-haters have been employing lately.

For example, on Christmas Eve, Idaho wolf supporter Lynne Stone received a threatening email from a wolf hater there. The email only said "Merry Cristmas" (spelled without the 'h') and included a morbid photo of a bloodied dead wolf in the back of a pickup truck.

This disturbing photo and sinister email remind us of what wolves and their supporters are up against -- and why we need you to speak out now against the savage slaughter of wolves.

. . .

Here are a few shocking examples of how ugly the situation has become:

Just a few weeks ago, a Wolf/Coyote/Predator Killing Derby was held in Idaho, where prizes were given away for shooting the most animals. Participants were told in advance they'd be able to use "wolf distress calls" to attract nearby wolves to the rifle range.

. . . a sickening sign outside an Idaho restaurant proclaimed, "Tag a Wolf. Get a Free Pizza and Pitcher of Beer."

. . .

Many wolf packs have been decimated. A majority of Idaho's Basin Butte pack, a favorite of wolf-watchers, was wiped out, seven of them by government agents firing from a helicopter or airplane. The remaining members of Montana's Sage Creek pack were also killed by aerial gunners. Four of the 10 wolves in Yellowstone Park's much-studied Cottonwood Creek pack were killed when they ventured out of the park's boundaries. And government agents have recently been authorized to destroy several packs in Montana.

This disastrous open season on wolves has reversed so much of our hard-won progress over the past several years. . . .

Over the next critical months, NRDC will be facing off in federal court against Interior Secretary Salazar over the fate of the wolf.

But legal action is just one important tactic. Public action is another. That's why we're urging you to show the Interior Secretary that you care about wolves.

Powerful government agencies and a vocal minority of hunters and ranchers have lined up against the wolves of the Northern Rockies. But the wolves have you. It's urgent that you stand with us now.

Even if you've signed other wolf petitions, please add your name to this one. Tell Salazar to call off the guns!

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Ever since going to the Wolf Centre last summer, we've been planning to return for a winter visit, when the wolfs are in full coat and most active. I was very disappointed to learn that the Centre is only open on weekends from October to May! Unfortunately, I can't take a day off to go up there again. As a consolation prize, we're going to Jungle Cat World, where my wolf-loving war-resister friend goes regularly to interact with wolves, cougars, tigers and other creatures.

More pics from our wolf visit here.

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Please don't forget to sign the petition.

little pupdate, with apologies to tala

What a bad dog-mommy I am! January 29 was Tala Day, and we forgot all about it! So, in honour of three years of our hilarious, big-eared Bo (short for Talabo, short for Tala Bobala), let's all go terrorize squirrels.

In other news, Cody - 13 years old, with arthritis and hip dysplasia, not to mention newly-diagnosed cancer - is snoozing on the bed when we're not home. We don't know how she gets up there anymore. We have a ramp for her at the back door, and we help her in and out of the car, and the bed is kind of tall.

But after years of trying to keep dogs off the bed - barriers, balloons, alarms - now I'm thinking of ways to help Cody get on it! I don't think a ramp would work in the bedroom, but maybe some sort of step.

Not much to update yet regarding Cody's condition. She has no symptoms yet. We have an appointment with an oncologist in Guelph, and I'll post an update after that.

the last abortion doctor revisited

People don't get it, he says. After eight murders, seventeen attempted murders, 406 death threats, 179 assaults, and four kidnappings, people are still in denial. They say, Well, this was just some wingnut guy who just decided to go blow up somebody. Wrong. This was a cold-blooded, brutal, political assassination that is the logical consequence of thirty-five years of hate speech and incitement to violence by people from the highest levels of American society, including but in no way limited to George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Helms, Bill O'Reilly, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson. Reagan may not have been a fascist, but he was a tool of the fascists. George W. Bush was most certainly a tool of the fascists. They use this issue to get power. They seem civilized but underneath you have this seething mass of angry, rabid anger and hatred of freedom that is really frightening, and they support people like the guy who shot George — they're all pretending to be upset, issuing statements about how much they deplore violence, but it's just bullshit. This is exactly what they wanted to happen.

He goes on about Bill O'Reilly for a while. Over the course of twenty-nine separate shows, O'Reilly accused "Tiller the Baby Killer" of performing a late abortion for any reason at all, even so a girl could attend a rock concert — a charge that is blatantly untrue. O'Reilly is a disgrace to American society, he says.

But O'Reilly says he's just exercising his right to engage in vigorous debate, you point out.

He's full of shit. This is not a debate, it's a civil war. And the other people are using bullets and bombs. I think O'Reilly is a fascist, and he would fit right in in Nazi Germany as far as I'm concerned.

It's odd, you say, trying to be agreeable. They always go after the doctors. They never go after the moms.

His eyes snap up. What moms? The patients?

Yeah, the patients.

They're not moms until they have a baby.

Last week, I posted a link to a long story that ran in Esquire last year, a few months after the assassination of Dr George Tiller in Kansas. Apparently I'm the only person in the entire reproductive rights movement who missed it, probably because it came out in September, while I was beginning school, completely overloaded and stressed, and de-focusing the outside world.

I've just finished reading the story, and it is a must-read for anyone who thinks about this issue.

The story profiles Dr Warren Hern, who performs later-term abortions in Colorado. (At the time of publication, he was thought to be the last such doctor in the US, but abortion-rights activists tell me that two of the late Dr Tiller's associates are still performing the procedure.)

Dr Hern is militantly, passionately and compassionately pro-choice. He drives himself to exhaustion and puts his own life at risk every day in order that women not be forced to bear tragic pregnancies to term. He also recognizes the sadness and grief inherent in his work.

I frequently write that despite how abortion is framed in the media, terminating a pregnancy is not always - perhaps not even usually - a wrenching decision. It is often a clear and obvious choice, not something anyone wants to go through, but very clearly something that needs to be done. The feeling most women attest to post-procedure is that of overwhelming relief.

But all that applies to early, first-trimester abortions. Later-term abortions are almost always personal tragedies, laden with loss, grief, pain and fear.

I will never forget my former friend who, after two spontaneous abortions of wanted pregnancies (commonly called "miscarriages"), was finally, joyfully pregnant. I will never forget the day she called me about the results of her amnio: if she carried to term, the baby would have no brain, and would die moments after birth. She was insane with grief. I truly believe that if safe and legal abortion wasn't available to her, she would have attempted suicide.

That's what later-term abortion is all about.

Imagine being in that situation and also having to fear for your life from terrorism. Imagine being in that situation and having nowhere to go, because all the doctors have been terrorized out of business.

So please read the Esquire story.

More about second trimester abortions, and why they are needed, here. If US state law was not controlled by woman-haters, and if US women had access to health care, most of these procedures would be unnecessary. That's not my opinion; that's a fact.

Thanks again to M Yass for sending.

non-human animals showing us the way

Love is all there is
it makes the world go 'round
love and only love
it can't be denied.
- Bob Dylan

Have you seen the orangutan and the hound dog?

And in case you missed it the first time I posted it, more cross-species love.

the contents of my inbox: wmtc linkathon

Here are various things that readers have sent me or that I have collected over some unspecified period of time, which I don't want to delete unshared, but can't spend any time writing about. Enter at your own risk.

The Ratchet Effect:

In every election year, the Democrats come and tell us that the country has moved to the right, and so the Democratic Party has to move right too in the name of realism and electability. Gotta keep these right-wing madmen out of the White House, no matter what it takes.

(Actually, they don't say they're going to move to the right; they say they're going to move to the center. But of course it amounts to the same thing, if you're supposed to be left of center. It's the same direction of movement.)

So now the Democrats have moved to the "center." But of course this has the effect of shifting the "center" farther to the right.

Now, as a consequence, the Republicans suddenly don't seem so crazy anymore -- they're closer to the center, through no effort of their own, because the center has shifted closer to them. So they can move even further right, and still end up no farther from the "center" than they were four years ago. ...

This is not a vast conspiracy. Nobody planned it out. ... [I]t evolved. And it evolved for the same reason that anything evolves: it was useful.

* * * *

The mortality rate in California for pregnant women has nearly tripled in the past decade. It is now more dangerous to give birth in California than it is in Kuwait or Bosnia.

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Iraq has banned 14 parties from taking part in its next election. Blogger lefti:

That's the 'democracy' that 'we' are told 'we' fought to create. Meanwhile, in another 'democracy' that the U.S. supports (to the tune of billions every year) in the region, Egypt deported George Galloway and forbade him from ever returning, all for the 'crime' of delivering humanitarian supplies to the besieged people of Gaza."

Lefti also links to an interview in which journalist Allan Nairn notes that the grotesque euphemism "collateral damage" is not used in the military. Murdered civilians are referred to as "bugsplat".

* * * *

President Obama continues to crank up the US war machine: threatening Iran, murdering civilians in Pakistan, asking for $5 billion to fortify the US nuclear arsenal, and selling $6.4 billion in military hardware to Taiwan. He also claims the right to kill anyone on earth without charges, without trial, without warning.

* * * *

ABC reports that high-powered rifle sights used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan (and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers) have references to New Testament passages inscribed on them (pic here). Trijicon has a $660,000,000 contract with the US military -- and says it has been putting New Testament passages on its products for more than two decades. Now the Michigan company says that it will be providing 100 kits to remove the references on already deployed products.

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Wired reports that the FBI and various telecom companies conspired collaborated (feel better?) to routinely violate federal wiretapping laws for four years, as agents got access to reporters' and citizens' phone records using fake emergency declarations or simply asking for them. The inspector general also reveals that the Obama administration retroactively legalized these activities through a secret ruling in early January 2010. That particular fact is buried near the end of the 289-page report.

Meanwhile, Yahoo! claims that its surveillance policies, such as allowing the Justice Department to request wiretaps of its users and revealing the amount it charges US taxpayers per wiretap, should be kept secret because the information would "shock" customers. Verizon said it cannot provide details on its charges for wiretaps because it would be "confusing".

* * * *

Jordan Miles, 18, a violinist and honour student at the prestigious Creative and Performing Arts High School in Pittsburgh, was severely beaten by three plainclothes officers who believed he was carrying a gun (video). The teenager - who is African-American - said he resisted arrest because he believed the three white men were trying to abduct him.

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Lastly, something cool and beautiful: a photography of a completely frozen Niagara Falls, dated 1911, with thanks to James Morton.

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Thanks to everyone who sends me goodies, and thanks to Allan for getting this post out of drafts.

battle of the letters, war resister edition, part next

Three more excellent letters, these all from the west coast, in support of war resister Cliff Cornell, and in support of soldiers everywhere who refuese to commit illegal and immoral acts.

Re. Deserter's action shames veterans, Letters, Jan. 26.

Tim Harris has my full backing in his respect for the sacrifices that Canadians have made to protect our democratic rights and freedoms.

Might he also consider this: The current war in Iraq, as Cliff Cornell has found out, was not about protecting the rights and freedom of Americans, not even about bringing democratic rights and freedom to the people of Iraq.

It was about establishing U.S. geopolitical hegemony in that part of the world.

My dad went into the Second World War as a 19-year-old and experienced the full onslaught of the Cruel Sea and the frightening prospect of world domination by monstrous fanatics.

I respect what he did. I also respect his views on the travesty of these ridiculous attempts to disguise our current geopolitical manoeuvrings in Afghanistan and the U.S.'s in Iraq as civilization versus tyranny.

Even the disguise is a failure because no nation can donate democratic rights and freedoms to another nation.

So many U.S. and Canadian soldiers from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have had a dramatic and eloquent education in the current realities of world geopolitics. I'm giving them my every attention, just as I've listened to the older veterans' thoughts about past and present wars.

Jim Edmondson
Vancouver

*

I don't understand why people think that a soldier who has left his or her post or refuses to return to duty is making an easy choice or disrespects his or her country.

Putting aggressive and fraudulent recruiting practices aside, many people who join armies expect the chain of command to possess an element of reasonableness. Armies wouldn't want to waste resources, and abuse of soldiers - sexual assault, hazing, forcing conscientious objectors to remain in combat roles - is a waste of human resources.

When that kind of waste happens on the base or on the battlefield, some soldiers experience a profound shock. They spend a long time trying to resolve their trouble within the military, giving the system every opportunity to right itself, frequently failing to find a solution that allows them to stay in uniform.

The defence of 'following orders' when faced with genocidal or inhumane commands was supposed to be discredited by the Nuremburg trials after the Second World War. Questioning orders that needlessly put soldiers' lives in danger and targetted civilians was partly what built the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and bolstered a generation of peace activists before us.

This country prides itself on its human rights record. We are told that we should not do something if it is unethical, that we should report wrongdoing, and that we are protected by law against retribution for whistleblowing. Where is the shame in that?

And yet your contributor insists that a war resister shames war veterans because that resister exercised the rights that vets purportedly fought for. How absurd.

Welcome, Chris Cornell, and thanks for your example of bravery for refusing to fight an illegal war.

Ian Weniger
Vancouver

*

I was delighted to read that Cliff Cornell was released earlier than expected from prison and wishes to return to Canada.

Canadians have expressed their views through Parliament in motions that approved granting war resisters sanctuary here, especially those who have had the courage to uphold the real honour and the laws of their country, as is the case of Americans who have refused to participate in illegal and immoral invasions and occupation of foreign countries like Iraq.

It is unfortunate that some readers have expressed the view that any soldier under any and all circumstances must always obey their superiors even when those orders amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Those who have expressed such views sadly failed to understand why we did not allow the excuse of 'just following orders' to exonerate war criminals at Nuremberg.

It might be timely to recall this as we just honoured the day to remember the Holocaust.

Juergen Dankwort
Vancouver

ignatieff to harper: women are people, don't follow u.s. example

You know I'm no fan of Michael Ignatieff (although I fervently hope he'll be our next Prime Minister, and soon). But Ignatieff did the right thing yesterday, and deserves credit for that.

In this case it's the right thing for Canada, and a shrewd move for the Liberals, shining on one of the Conservatives' major political weaknesses.

Michael Ignatieff is urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper not to exclude abortion and contraception from his plan to become an international champion of women's and children's health.

The Liberal leader sought assurances Tuesday that Harper's agenda to improve the lot of women and children in the world's poorest countries will include funding for all reproductive health services.

"Women are entitled to the full gamut of reproductive health services and that includes termination of pregnancy and contraception," Ignatieff told a Liberal-sponsored roundtable discussion on foreign aid and international development.

Harper is hosting the G8 summit in June and he's vowed to use the opportunity to launch a major initiative to improve the health of women and children.

Ignatieff urged the Harper government not to follow the lead of the United States, which in the past has cut funding to some aid organizations that promote the use of contraceptives and abortion.

The Liberals subsequently issued a news release expressing fear that Harper is already going down the American path. It cited a petition filed in the House of Commons by Conservative MP Brad Trost urging the government to cut funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

And it cited a pro-life newspaper report that the Harper government has all but eliminated funding for Canada's member on the IPPF, the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health.

The release went on to list a series of anti-abortion comments from various Conservative MPs, dating as far back as 1990. Most of the quotes were unrelated to Canada's foreign aid policy.

On a related note, it completely disgusts me that the Canadian Press uses the words "pro-life" to describe an a publication or an MP. How fucking dare they. If they are anti-abortion, then say so.

Over and over, again and again, we see evidence of how these anti-woman fanatics have succeeded. They've turned the gaze of mainstream society - even those who imagine they are moderate or neutral - to see through the lens of their lies.

pupdate of the bad news variety

We got some bad news yesterday. Cody, our older dog, has cancer.

A few weeks ago, I found a lump. It's on her neck, right next to her throat. We've had many lumps removed from many dogs, and all were harmless fatty cysts (lipomas). But this didn't feel like those. We went to the vet last week, and she was concerned, and confirmed what I suspected, that this could be trouble.

We had a needle biopsy done, and there was even some risk in that. There's a lot of vital stuff in that neck, and high bleeding risk. The procedure went smoothly and cleanly. Our vet said that, indeed, it was not a lipoma, it was a tumour. Now a biopsy would show whether it was benign or malignant.

Since then, as some of you knew, we've been waiting for the biopsy results. Never a pleasant thing.

The vet called yesterday: it is thyroid cancer.

With this particular form of cancer, in dogs in which it has not yet spread, if a surgeon can remove the lump with "clean margins" - when they can get the whole tumour - there is a complete cure. But those are two huge "if"s. One, it may have already spread. And two, getting the whole lump may not be possible. The tumour, for example, could be growing around a vital organ or major artery. It's high-risk surgery, and she is not a young dog.

Allan and I had a long talk last night, and decided that our next step is to speak to the oncologist surgeon to learn more about the surgery. Before we even learn whether or not the cancer has spread, we want to know if this operation is something we should consider putting an old dog through. If it is, we'll have some tests done to see if the cancer has spread. Those are not invasive: chest x-rays, plus blood work for liver and kidney functions. If the surgery sounds gruesome, we may not do that.

Allan and I have loved and said goodbye to three dogs together, one who was older and in decline, two very suddenly. Cody and Tala are dogs three and five. Those of who you share your lives with animals know the pain. Every person has to reach their own conclusion about when it's time to say goodbye. I probably go a little quicker than many dog lovers.

Here's how I think of it. It's going to kill us no matter when we do it. If I do it on [this day] or do it on [this day plus six weeks] or [this day plus six months], it's going to hurt me just as much. But for my animal, those six weeks could be filled with pain and suffering, and she'll end up dying anyway. Six weeks of pain and suffering all because I couldn't say goodbye, because I selfishly wanted the animal here with me six weeks longer.

This is how I've rationalized my decisions in the past. This is how we've let them go faster than some other people might have, when hope of long-term survival was gone and their suffering was inevitable. You could say I've been brutally strong. I view it as our final responsibility to our animals.

The good news is also the saddest part of this story. Cody has been doing great. She has more energy, better appetite, is happier and more spry than she has been in a long time. People are always surprised at how old she is. So she's enjoying her life right now. If I can help it, she'll know no other way. We want to do what we can, but we won't let her suffer.

Thank you all so much for your support. Long-time readers of this blog have gone through one dog loss with us, shortly after we moved to Canada. The love and support I received from readers of this blog got me through it.

putting things in perspective

When I was a child, I had a book called How Big Is Big?. Is your big brother big? Is an elephant big? A redwood tree? A whale? A mountain? The ocean? The Earth? Jupiter?

The second half of the book asked "How small is small?" A baby? A puppy? A grain of rice? Bacteria? An atom? And so forth.

Obviously the book meant to stimulate a young mind to ask, "Compared to what?" and to think about perspective.

Here's an updated, visual version of the same idea. Amazing stuff: The Scale of the Universe. Click, then click "play".

31 days of action for canadian democracy

Between now and when Parliament resumes on March 3, pledge to do something to oppose Stephen Harper's anti-democratic agenda, and to keep the anti-prorogation feeling alive and visible.

This is copied from the Facebook group 31 Days of Action. Choose from this anti-prorogation menu, or create your own recipe for democracy.

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The Anti-Prorogation Rallies were an incredible success. As we draw closer to Parliament's eventual return on March 3rd, it is important that we find new and creative ways to keep the issue alive. Between February 1st and March 3rd, we have 31 days. That's 31 days to get involved, get informed and get out there.

The issue needs to be kept alive at the local level. Here is a list of 31 activities you can do over the next 31 days. Do you have what it takes? Some of them you can do from the comfort of your chair, others require group organization and even some running. Whatever you decide to do, do it with the respect and civility that has defined this movement thus far.

When you've completed any of these 31 goals, share it with us. Post photos to the event wall or mention it on the main CAPP forum. Help build the sense of community that we've developed and give others encouragement.

No one is required to get involved or support these activities, and you are encouraged to put forward ideas that resonate with you and your community.

31 WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
(The list is constantly being updated, so be sure to check back often)

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1) WRITE YOUR MP

This movement started with the simple act of writing to your member of parliament, and look what we've accomplished. Keep those letters coming: whether your MP is in Ottawa or in the riding, write to them and ask for weekly updates. If they are in your community, try to arrange a meeting time. Forward your emails to CAPPfeedback@gmail.com so we have a record, in case any of them claim "they haven't received any feedback".

2)SEND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Structure your letter so that it ties prorogation with local issues or let people know about your experiences with your MP.

3)CALL TALK RADIO

A lot of people listen to talk radio so it's a perfect opportunity to let your voice be heard. Even if you don't agree with the commentator, it's important to engage them respectfully and avoid name calling or bickering. Just keep focused on the issue.

4)DEMOCRACY TORCH RELAY

Some communities will be hosting a torch relay for democracy during the Olympics. If you're interested, you can find more information here.

5)CANDLELIGHT VIGIL

Some communities have discussed holding a candlelight vigil to lament our lack of government. This is still in the planning stages, but more information will be available soon.

6)"WHERE'S DEMOCRACY?" PHOTO CHALLENGE

Sam Philips is organizing a cross Canada photo competition. Participants sign up and will receive a handcrafted mace in the mail and will take photos in their community. You can find details here.

7)DISTRIBUTE BATHROOM LITERATURE

What separates public washrooms from private ones is the lack of reading material. Why not leave a couple fliers for people to reflect upon?

8)ORGANIZE FLASH RALLIES

Many ministers are currently blitzing across the country. You can find out where they are on government websites. If they are coming to your community, you will usually have less than 24 hours to organize a quick demonstration. Work with your local Chapter to help get the word out. Whenever possible, try to engage the minister in conversation, but some of them have been sneaky so be sure to watch the back doors.

9)ATTEND TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Local MPs may be holding town hall meetings during the next month. Attend if you can and respectfully engage them in a conversation explaining why you think prorogation is an important matter.

10)DISTRIBUTE FLIERS

Head down to your local farmer's market or public space and politely hand out informational fliers. Don't be pushy or getting into people's faces. Find someway to identify yourself and people that are interested can engage you if they want. Many local chapters have fliers, but we will have a link to some soon.

11)PUT UP POSTERS

You can make colour photocopies at Staples for 49 cents a page. Throw in a couple staples or some tape, and you can help spread the word by canvasing your neighbourhood in posters.

12)GET INVOLVED IN YOUR LOCAL CAPP CHAPTER

The success of the rallies was due to dedicated volunteers operating in their local CAPP organization. These groups are autonomous and set their own goals. Visit NoProrogue.ca to see if there is a chapter in your community and if they are meeting in the near future. Attend and share your ideas.

13)LEAVE COMMENTS ON ONLINE ARTICLES

This is something you can do from the comfort of your desk. All online news sources have some commenting feature. Take a minute and leave a comment, and agree/disagree with the comments of others.

14)"I LOVE DEMOCRACY" VALENTINES GREETING FOR HARPER

This one is still in the planning stages, but some folks in Ottawa are encouraging people to send them Valentines cards for democracy, which will be hand delivered to the Prime Minister's Office. Mailing information will be made available, check back soon.

15)TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT PROROGATION

Going out for drinks with friends? Why not drop the P-Bomb during the conversation? Many Canadians are still unfamiliar with the issue, so talk to them about it and find out what they think.

16)CONTRIBUTE TO THE CAPP FORUMS

If you're here, chances are you're a CAPP Facebook contributor. Post encouragements, relevant news and what you've been up to. Keep it civil and we'll keep on the right track.

17)RALLY IN OTTAWA

Some members in Ottawa have expressed an interest in another rally on Parliament Hill on March 3rd, the day parliament resumes. If you're in the area, be sure to visit the Ottawa chapter's page for more details and if it is going ahead: here

18) CIRCULATE A PETITION

Draft up a petition in your community. Not an online one, but one that you can distribute in your community and get people to physically sign. There are certain criteria to have a petition accepted into the House of Commons, you can find more information here.

19) HOST A CONCERT

Anyone whose heard Trevor Strong's "The Wild Proroguer" knows the power of the creative spirit in this movement. Why not organize a concert? You can have politically minded songs, or simply create a relaxed atmosphere in which CAPP members can relax and chat. It could be a large event or a small gathering at a pub. If you've got a Stephen Harper mask handy, why not bring out the piano and let them man himself entertain the crowd? Work with your community group to get something like this off the ground.

20) VOTE +1

In a democracy, elections are inevitable. When the day comes, be sure to get out and vote, and bring along a friend, colleague or stranger who has never voted before. The 2008 election had the lowest voter turn-out in Canadian history. Let's show them that Canada can be the come-back kid and give the next one the greatest turn-out...EVER.

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