Oxford Dictionary Definition of terrorism in English:

noun

[MASS NOUN]

The unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims:the fight against terrorism; international terrorism

Under Bill C-24, the ironically titled Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act a Canadian may lose their citizenship in any number of ways. I say Canadian because once you are a citizen that is what you are – Canadian. You are not a Grade B Canadian or a sub-Canadian…you are simply Canadian.

According to the Canadian Bar Association the act effectively creates four levels of Canadian citizenship out of the previous one:

a) Canadian born who do not have another nationality. These “true” citizens would be most secure in their status. There is no mechanism proposed for revoking their citizenship, even if they commit the most egregious crimes against Canada or its people.

b) Naturalized citizens without another nationality. These would be the equivalent of all naturalized citizens under the current legislation. The only way they could risk losing their citizenship is if it was originally obtained by misrepresentation.

c) Canadian born citizens with another nationality. Apart from misrepresentation (that would rarely apply to this group), the full range of revocation provisions would apply, including those that might be proposed in the future.

d) Naturalized citizens with another nationality. These truly “third class” citizens would face the full range of retrospective revocation provisions being proposed, including those that might be proposed in the future.

There are so many problems with the “Ship Unwanted People To Other Countries Bill” err Bill C-24 one can barely cover them all in a simple blog post.

Terrorism is a highly subjective and politicized term. By definition it includes unlawful protest against a government. In Canada it is unlawful to wear a mask at a protest. If a naturalized citizen is convicted of this offence can they be branded a terrorist and shipped “back where they came from”?

Canadians have stood against the death penalty for a long time. If we strip a Canadian citizen of citizenship for an offence that is punishable by death in their home country we are effectively sentencing them to death – contravening Canadian law.

Bill C-24 is wrong. It weakens citizenship by creating multiple classes. Once a person becomes a Canadian we have a legal system that can manage their criminal behaviour. We have a prison system that exists for rehabilitation and punishment. We should not be shipping Canadians to other countries so that they can deal with our problems. We should not be stripping Canadians of citizenship so that we can then send our garbage overseas.

The act does not protect Canadians or make us safer. It is opportunistic and politically driven. It is driven by fear and divisive.

We are better than this.

standing between the light and you
I cast a darkness ‘cross your feet
that grows as the sun sinks
in mild resignation
of one rooted in this moment
awaiting night, and with it –
the banishing cold

the sunlight
drifts on the air like ozone
and you know
the world is going to burst forth
on this day
and reanimate you

but we want to know
if we are the old made new;
the dead made alive…
or just a babe in the moment
having shed the life
of the moment before

how many of my corpses
have I left in the wake
of this new day’s man?
one for each hour/minute/second?

this sunlight,
it is supposed to warm
convection currents of bright thoughts
that lift me high on my new wax-wings,
not these dark and heavy black sunspots

wisdom seeks understanding
understanding is the mother of tolerance
tolerance leads to peace…

1. If people hate you hate them back
2. If some people from a particular group hate you don’t just hate them, hate the entire population whether they are involved or not
3. Do unto others as they do unto you
4. An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth
5. The solution to your problems with others is to build a wall
6. If you see a Samaritan lying injured on the side of the road, remember, they are your enemy and its probably a trick anyhow. They are likely rigged to explode. DO NOT HELP NOT MATTER WHAT.
7. Muslims are all evil terrorists
8. Middle Eastern people are all evil terrorists
9. JUDGE! JUDGE! JUDGE!
10. Trust No One.

I watched the Daytona 500
and how they race
aroundaroundaround
this great black track

some of the drivers
they know how to keep it all together
trying not to think about the aimlessness

some of the drivers
they know the tricks for getting through
and succeed in ending (that’s the goal)

some of the drivers
aren’t so careful and push too hard
until they fly away and lose themselves
because its hard to keep it together
when you’re going in circles

some of the drivers
they take others with them
when they take wingless into the air –
sometimes they mean it
sometimes they don’t
but it makes no difference in the end

i’m wearing the clothes
of a thousand years
putting on one shirt
after another;
one pair of pants
after another;
and it is safe,
and it is warm,
in an immobilized
smothering
kind of way;

i’m sinking into softness
that the world might recede
and the echoes from the empty well
don’t sound so loud in the darker nights
as the knock about these walls
like laughter

insanity has wrung like a bell
through the great masses
and everyone is driven to a corner
that we might come out swingin’
beating our points home
like punches driven to kidneys

one

sharp

jab

at

a

time

until the opponent is down
and we might bleed
in our broken version of success;
because truth is a fist,
like a hammer in our hands,
that we might bash
their evil fuckin’ brains out
just to look for the gory evidence
that we taught ’em a lesson

i’m moving further
to the back of the bus
and the view
through the windshield
is getting away from me;
lost to the noises
and the smells
letting another drive
while I miss
stop after stop after stop
drifting in and out

who would do that one thing
that they would rather not do,
but that which another wanted
if it were for the many
though not for themselves
except maybe a good person?

are there any good people
and have they ever been
that have not been snuffed out?

what difference does it make…