"There's an awful lot of other people who are going very very very close to the line on what they're doing to destroy peoples' reputations - and ya know they need to be watched..."
This is interesting don't you think? The Premier says people who act within the law should be watched! Because when you go very very very close to the line but do not cross - you are exercising your rights to speak freely - and we should not be subject to intimidation including this threat of being "watched". What does that mean Premier?
If I am driving 100 km/h in a 100 km/h zone - I am very very very close to going over the speed limit - but I am acting within the law and won't get a warning ticket for it. If I have just turned 19 years old and visit a pub for a drink - I am very very very close to being 18 but I am not warned or charged for that. If I am within 1 cm of a no trespass area - I am very very very close to crossing the line but I won't be issued a warning for it.
Big Brother (Dan) is watching - very good explain that to us Premier - especially to the three private citizens you have singled out.
Now let's look at the irony of another situation within the mix of this administration. Ross Reid - who up until a short while ago was a public servant - having been the Deputy Minister to the Premier and another department. Ross is a long time Tory and a PC MP - St. John's East under the Mulroney administration. Reid was one of the casualties of the "boot the Tories out" after Mulroney and Campbell.
Ross was my federal member in 1988 - and he was a good fellow - did a significant job for the district and was committed to hard hit areas like Bell Island and worked very well with the Provincial Liberal Rep. Jim Walsh. There's no doubt the election defeat in 1993 to Bonnie Hickey was a blow and no doubt he took it hard. I also vividly remember the truly "personal attacks" launched by people during that campaign. He was not being called to task on policy or his work in the district but he was being called to task for Mulroney and his own personal lifestyle. It was disgusting and there were people like me who were not shy in speaking out against this type of attack. How quickly he must forget.
In either case Ross left the province and went on to work in countries with new democracies. He was there to assist in the establishment and maintenance of these new democracies. One such group was the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs - they claim to do the following:
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) is a nonprofit organization working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Calling on a global network of volunteer experts, NDI provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders advancing democratic values, practices and institutions. NDI works with democrats in every region of the world to build political and civic organizations, safeguard elections, and to promote citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.
Ross also sits on the Board of IMPACS a group which says this:
The Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS) is a registered not-for-profit charitable organization committed to strengthening the voice and profile of civil society organizations in Canada and internationally.
This fellow is supposed to be a key advisor to the Premier - as a public servant and now as the Chair of the PC election campaign for October 2007.
Based on the Premier's threats to named and unnamed private citizens - either Ross has no sway with the Premier on these issues or he does not believe what he appears to stand for. How can you sit back and condone these threats by the Premier? How can you support the premise of the people wanting full accountability and openness in government - when to ask questions about the fibre-optic deal is somehow a full affront on the Premier and his buddies? How did you sit back during the attack on NAPE and CUPE members?
What's up Ross?
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