Mr Prime Minister,
When one of the greatest musical geniuses of this or any lifetime requests a meeting with you, you say yes. I know, I know, it's probably not politically expediant to talk to someone who is going to make you look like a fool: (a) by telling you how you are not keeping your promise to help relieve the burden of poverty and debt in Africa, and (b) because you'll giggle a little when you hear his name (mispronounced) with a long "o". But seriously, it's Bono...of U2...of Live 8...Time's Person of the Year (2005)...Nobel Peace Prize Nominee (2003, 2005, 2006)... DATA...the ONE Campaign...The Joshua Tree...he is larger than life.
But even if you aren't a fan of U2's music, Bono's dedication to a noble cause must surely have earned him your ear. Unfortunately, you, Mr Harper, don't care. Like the environment, you really don't give a shit about the millions of people who die every year simply because they don't have clean water to drink. Your mansion in Calgary and your new (temporary) home at 24 Sussex Dr have left you isolated from the realities of life that so many people endure simply because of where they were born.
And as if the chance to meet Bono wasn't enough, you also passed on the opportunity to meet another great musician turned humanitarian, Mr Bob Geldof (of the Boomtown Rats, remember I Don't Like Mondays?). If you had met him, you'd know that you've turned Canada into "an obstructionist in G8 efforts toward a substantive commitment for Africa." (Where have I heard the term "obstructionist" before...?) You're using numbers to claim we're doing our part when in reality we're barely doing one-third of what we promised we would do. What makes that even worse is that we promised to do too little in the first place!
According to anti-poverty groups, "Canada [is] blocking efforts to hold the G8 countries to their promises of helping Africa with aid." I am very nearly ashamed of being Canadian right now. I am absolutely ashamed of our Prime Minister. Why? Apparently, Canada (via Harper's government) is "blocking the G8 from using clearer language to make a firm commitment and accept accountability for fulfilling aid pledges." Harper denies this, but it fits perfectly into the Tory M.O. of twisting numbers and words while obstructing processes that don't fit Harper's narrow world view (oh right, remember the obstruction manuals?).
Stephen Harper, you are not fit for the job you currently hold. You are tarnishing Canada's reputation abroad. You are actively working to ensure the wealthiest states in the world cannot help the poorest. Stephen Harper, you are a disgrace.
Yours Truly,
Me.
UPDATE: I corrected the gramatical error in the title. It only took about a week for me to catch it. I am not always that smart.
Well, I can't say I'm surprised by the tone of your voice in the posting. I knew you were never a fan of Mr. Harper, so I guess you should have admitted that perhaps you are a little biased in your position.
ReplyDeleteAnd probably, not surprising, I think Harper did the right thing. Other opportunistic and photo-op oriented politicians would not have wasted a second in accepting the invitation to be seen with Bono. However, Mr. Harper is not like those other politicians -- he doesn't need, nor does he care to have, the support of jump-on-the-band-wagon celebrities and become a pimp to their particular social cause.
I should also note that while Bono wants to pretend to be helping the poor, he is also the one who moved his production recording company out of Ireland (which already has really low rates of taxation) to avoid paying taxes on his money -- money that could have been used by his homeland to give money to the poor.
I know you think it's not what the messenger does that counts but rather it's the message, but I do believe that people should "practice what they preach"..
And, if you believe PMSH to be a disgrace because Canada is not giving money to Africa, can I please ask how much your monthly donation is help feed the homeless or cloth the poor is on a monthly basis?
Mr. McIver, I must say awhile back when you criticized David Suzuki about his electricity usage I was a little surprised. Well, you've out done yourself. I'm absolutely dumbstruck that you decided your next victim would be Bono. How does it feel to criticize someone for something they were nominated (three times) for a Nobel Peace prize for doing (not to mention his Time Man of the Year honour)?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you say Harper is not a "photo-op oriented politician" when he has a habit of making "surprise trips" to Afghanistan when things get too heavy at home. His tactic seems to be to distract Canadians (and our media) with a photo-op abroad. But more to the point of my original article, there's no reason a meeting with Bono would have to be a photo-op event. If you've read anything about the man (Time's article about him when he was named man of the year is a good start) you'd know he's hardly a "jump-on-the-band-wagon" celebrity and that he actually works tirelessly to further educate himself both on the problems and potential solutions. You say he pretends to help the poor, yet his charitable organizations (including DATA and the ONE Campaign) raise a substantial amount of money (and awareness) for the cause.
You see, you've gone and done it again. You're taking someone with a great cause and great success relative to that cause, and decided he's not worth your time for some barely related reason. Take the musical success away from Bono and you're left with a man who has a cause, who knows what he's talking about, and who's had more success with that cause than anyone else who's ever tried to tackle it. Let go of the fact that "New Years Day" rubbed you the wrong way when you learned it's not actually celebrating any sort of holiday. In this case Pat, you're simply making a fool of yourself by trying to criticize the messenger.
As for how much I donate on a monthly basis to the cause, well, I donate my time writing wonderfully crafted blogs to help raise awareness, but more importantly, I don't give enough. You see, of the taxes I pay, your man Harper doesn't allocate enough to debt relief. That means I don't donate enough.
I did however toss an old t-shirt in the Goodwill box last week, so I have my moments!