When Water And Oil Meet

I was talking to someone I know. A PQ voter who, in my opinion, doesn't fit the PQ profile at all. He even acknowledges the xenophobia of the PQ but he's always voted for them and never looked back.

It's a contradiction he can't explain.

When I tell you he doesn't fit the profile, lemme tell you he doesn't. He says he swings left but in my opinion he can fall on the libertarian side of the coin. He's too open, tolerant, intelligent, informed, classy and rational a guy to be wallowing in the nationalist nether-regions of the PQ.

Alas, what is politics without contradictions and, as we've seen too often, hypocrisy? Politics is human activity in the flesh.

We talked about the PQ's values charter (which he finds is absurd), and its on-going obsession against the English language, the state of the economy and how separatism is not such a "cool" idea anymore etc.

It was an honest and illuminating conversation I think for both sides but I think we already what each side thought because we're engaged people as a whole.

I asserted that in the case of the charter the sense I get, interestingly enough and if comments are accurate, Quebec is not without total support on this one. I've read many a "it's about time someone stands up for our values!" and "it's time they understand our ways!" comments spewed.

Alberta, of all places, seems to be on board.

Alberta has the oil, Quebec the water. Often they act as such but on this one, may as well be water and ice.

It's disgusting.

They argue of stupid things (like investment issues) but when it comes to protecting our cherished value of freedom of speech and religion, they conspire to spit on it.

He agreed.

We both understood the temptation to take this side is strong but if one truly and honestly ponders it, it's not the correct position to take. As my (apolitical) wife said, "if you solicit and claim to welcome immigrants only to regulate against their rights in the interest of the collective, why have immigration then?"

"You just can't do that to people."

Absolutely. It's called HUMAN RIGHTS.

If you're entire political thinking process is rooted in fear, then you have a serious problem and it ain't Little Punjab Harry the issue.

Same with language. How many times do you have to pile on to 22, 78, 101, 14 and so on before you just god damn outlaw a language? We're on that logical path. English doesn't threaten. They want to believe it does. If they can't survive without a law, how is it the problem of non-Francophones? Why punitive measures to enhance their own language?

It's like using coconut oil instead of olive oil to make a tomato sauce - the process is all wrong. Wrongheaded.

They've taken to claiming the fear-mongering is with the Anglo media which is a cop out. The Anglo media is too weak, the community to diverse to have any real impact. Our opinions are formed and borne of real life experiences. Rude STM workers and over-zealous Gestapo OLF inspectors are rooted in our folklore now because the majority of us have witnessed with our own two eyes the ugly under belly of nationalism.

The whole premise and raison d'etre of Quebec nationalism is based on fear so they will not set the terms of spinning this onto the other side.What they are in fact saying is, "why can't you just be quiet? You have it good!"

Thanks, Fidel.

As I've pointed out numerous times here. Nationalism is the antithesis of freedom. They CANNOT coexist. The collective will always prevail over the individual. Our darkest views of human nature will take precedent through tyranny of the majority over the noble and cherished ideals of human freedom.

It's a fact of history.

The only system of governance to EVER put down in writing that this is indeed the natural state of human politics (that is, tyranny), is the American Constitution. That's it. ONE document in the course of world history.

Yet, Quebec is set to do the exact opposite. I see nothing progressive in what the PQ does. On the contrary, it's more like a Dark Age mentality. No people of brilliance will be drafting the charter. It'll just be a piece of hyper-secularism that's sure to trample of civil liberties. You can't "balance" a liberty. Either you have it or you don't. If you think you can achieve it, then you deceive.

It's like...

It's like The Enlightenment never reached here.