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Friday, August 24, 2007

You Tube
Weapon for Truth


When I first became aware of You Tube, it seemed like a good idea and Google apparently agreed as their acquisition of the dewy cheeked start-up would soon demonstrate to the world (and the instant moguls who had created You Tube). The nifty little web application seemed like such a handy way for folks to share videos of their cats being endearing or to display their own wacky humor to the world. But I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised at how this baby and totally democratic medium has become a weapon in the war against the Corporate Media and the Lies it tries to promulgate.

Two recent incidents here in Canada demonstrate some early victories against the likes of GlowBall/Canned West and the Faux News Liars of the airwaves and printed news.

The recent protests against the secret agenda of the three North American Clowns at Montebello are the first example I will discuss. I would recommend going over to the Canadian Cynic to pursue an elevated interest in this incident as he has been all over it ever since it happened, telling and showing it like it is/was and de-constructing the reich wingnuts and their blathering around the truth in his Canadian and Cynical style.

What occurred, in short, was that the only "demonstrators" that appeared to be agitating for and promoting violence (and carrying rocks to throw) were confronted by other protesters at which time these "violent types" headed FOR the police lines and were taken into custody, without having their masks removed or removing them themselves. Then mysteriously these dudes(the only violent "bad" actors) were released without charges and their identity remained a mystery as well. When protest organizers and others suggested that these "mystery" men were police provocateurs the representatives for the various cops had this to say:


The RCMP has refused to comment, while Quebec provincial police have flatly denied that its officers were involved in the incident.

It said it is not releasing any names as no charges were laid.



Videotape and still photos then flooded the internet, many of them on You Tube, including some that suggested the "violent" rock toting protesters and the police shopped at the same shoe store and had the same sense of style. Eventually we got this from the Quebec Provincial Police who earlier had denied having any "pretend protesters" planted with the real protesters.


The RCMP and Quebec police force have denied allegations their officers posed as protesters to try to provoke peaceful demonstrators at the recent Montebello summit.

"I confirm (to) you that there is no agents provocateurs in the Surete du Quebec... It doesn't exist in the Surete du Quebec," spokesperson Const. Melanie Larouche told The Canadian Press



Lo and behold, now the story starts changing, since so many people were watching so much actual you know "evidence" and believing their lyin' eyes in spite of the fact that Stephen Harper had told them there were only a half dozen demonstrators. By today the statements from the Pork in Uniform are very different than what they had to say at first (when they didn't realize everyone could see for themselves what had happened). The official story now is:

Quebec admit they went undercover at Montebello protest

Quebec provincial police admitted Thursday that their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators during the protests at the North American leaders summit in Montebello, Que.

The police came under fire Wednesday when protesters accused the force of planting undercover officers in the demonstration to provoke violence. A video surfaced on YouTube that appeared to depict disguised police in the crowd.

The provincial police, in a news release, said its officers went undercover to identify and stop non-peaceful protesters.



Somewhat conveniently the Spokesman for Uniformed Pork didn't mention that the only protesters packing and threatening to throw rocks and wearing masks WERE THE UNDERCOVER COPS. But I guess we shouldn't be surprised by that. Even more amusing, as the Cynic (Canadian variety) points out:

I'm guessing somebody is going to regret not taking the time to come up with a better lie than this one:

Police said that after viewing the clip, they were able to confirm the men were Quebec provincial police officers.


I'm sorry ... the police are saying that they had no idea that the three provocateurs were also police until they watched the YouTube clip? They didn't know that while those three idiots were cavorting around with rocks, while they were being arrested or while they were subsequently being freed without being charged? Not during any of that time!? They're saying that that's how they would normally treat potentially violent demonstrators?

This so needs a public inquiry in the worst way. This isn't even remotely close to being over.



Switching Yard Accident in PG




Prince George Switching Yard (...right!)

Early this month an incident occurred that was described in all the media as an accident in the switching yard in Prince George by CN, the Rail Road that never ran a train that it could keep on the track, in BC at least it seems. According to most reports there was no environmental risk, no REALLY dangerous materials, just a minor accident in the yard putting trains together. BC Mary was the citizen journalist all over this one, and she had the help of some local people in Prince George who posted video clips on You Tube, shared photos with us showing clearly that it was more like a train collision on the mainline, on a bank above the Fraser River, close by parks and residential neighborhoods. Oh yeah, I don't know what qualifies as dangerous materials, but when thick black smoke is rising in the air even higher than the 10-15 meter high flames and water bombers need to be called in to fight the fire it ain't exactly just an overheated break drum on a set of wheels.

Once again the OFFICIAL CN, BC Government, and GlowBall/Canned West story was shown up as the skein of lies that it was, thanks to the internet and the ease of sharing pictures and videos on You Tube. This is why I think You Tube is more than just an amusing little piece of software, rapidly it is becoming one of the average citizen's best weapons in the important battle to defeat the forces that would like to make George Orwell's nightmares come true. This is just one reason that Net Neutrality is so important, the same media conglomerates that control the so-called Main Stream Media can't be allowed to control the internet too, or we might as well just bow our heads and be fitted for our slave collars.

2 comments:

G West said...

Nice stuff koot! Very nice; but it's not just ole George who's having nightmares these days. You may remember an etching by Goya called 'The Sleep of Reason Brings Forth Monsters'. Living in these times begins to bring it to mind.

BC Mary said...

.
You should all run (don't walk, run!) over to Pacific Gazetteer and see what RossK stumbled onto today.

Ross wanted to check out the 5-day weather forecast. He got a shock.

He went to http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/canada_e.html
and saw the advancing footsteps of an undemocratic goon squad.

In short, you get a Harper-Con. advertisement mixed in with Canada's weather report.


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