Mohawks begin blockade

DESERONTO, Ont. (CP) — Mohawk protesters, who said they had guns and wouldn’t back down, have begun threatened protest blockades in eastern Ontario.

The protesters parked an old school bus and a pickup truck loaded with wooden pallets late Thursday across secondary Highway 2 near Deseronto and turned back traffic in both directions.

The Mohawks had said they would begin with a “soft” target before moving to blockade the main CN line and a key highway near this town west of Kingston, despite widespread calls that an aboriginal day of action be peaceful.

Men, women and children in army-style fatigues, their hair braided back or shaved in traditional Mohawk style, began arriving at a makeshift camp outside Deseronto just after 5 p.m.

It was a call to action by protest leader Shawn Brant, a 43-year-old militant Mohawk who has done jail time for trashing the offices of politicians.

He wouldn’t disclose the actual sites, but confirmed that he and others were prepared to “meet force with force” if police got in their way.

“We’ve made no secret that we have guns within this camp,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview.

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Mohawk protester says supporters will be armed to battle Police for day of protest

By The Canadian Press
Thursday, June 28, 2007

DESERONTO, Ont. (CP) – Mohawk protester Shawn Brant says his supporters will be armed to defend themselves if police try to keep them from blocking Highway 401 and the CN rail line near Deseronto, in eastern Ontario. Both are targets for Friday’s aboriginal day of action, along with Highway 2.

Brant says commuters between Toronto and Montreal can expect major delays in both directions on the 401 over the 24 hours starting at midnight or earlier.

Provincial police have already gathered in the nearby city of Napanee.

Brant says the time has passed for marches to educate Canadians about native poverty and suicide.

He says militant Mohawks in his area and in other parts of the country will take a stronger stand to demand change now.

Supporting Terrorism Via Appeasement

Today CN Rail announced that they will shut down service for countless Canadians tomorrow (June 29th) exactly as Native Terrorists have demanded they do. The official announcement says “Via said in a statement Thursday that the sudden cancellations were in anticipation of mass commuter chaos” but we all know that’s nothing more than a weak attempt to cover their asses.

The fact of the matter is that CN Rail has given in to the demands of Terrorist Shawn Brant who told them to shut down, or he and his band of thugs would shut down the rails by force. The same Shawn Brant who has publicly announced that he and his fellow Terrorists will be armed in case police try to do their jobs and stop these Criminals from illegally blockading railways and highway 401.

More on CN Rail giving into Terrorist demands

In anticipation of a day of native protest that could target rail and highway lands, Via Rail is shutting down service Friday on its Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa routes.

A news release issued Thursday afternoon says:

“Additionally, due to the uncertainty of the situation and anticipated location of a blockage, VIA’s late evening and early morning trains between Toronto and Kingston have also been affected as follows:

• Train 650 – Toronto to Kingston departing June 28 at 10 p.m. – Replaced by bus
• Train 651 – Kingston to Toronto departing June 29 at 05:25 a.m. – Cancelled.

As well, passengers arriving in Montreal on June 29th on board VIA train No.15 from Halifax with connections to Ontario (Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Belleville, Toronto) will be accommodated by chartered motor coach.”

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Breaking News: CN Rail gives in to Domestic Terrorists

  CTV: Via Rail to replace trains with buses

  CTV: National Chief Phil Fontaine in Ottawa

  CTV: OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino

Courtesy of www.caledoniawakeupcall.com Stay tuned for more as this disgusting story of corwardice unfolds

Boycott non-native businesses Friday, Manitoba chiefs urge

Manitoba’s Southern Chiefs Organization wants First Nations to boycott non-native businesses on Friday’s national day of action – but an Ontario aboriginal leader says the boycott doesn’t make sense.

The boycott would be one way to demonstrate the economic power of the native community, said Nahanni Fontaine, director of justice with SCO.

The decision to call a boycott follows the recent SCO election of a new grand chief, Morris Shannacappo, and is the beginning of a long-term strategy of economic action, Fontaine said.

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Native Radio Show from New Mexico – 50 minutes on the topic of Canada’s Day of Protest

also aired in Alaska, Washington, South Dokado, Wisconsin, Toronto and other locations

50 minutes on the topic of Canada’s Day of Protest – we were asked to be part of the show.

  Full Show

  Our 6 Minute part – Excellent segment with Gary McHale

Courtesy of www.CaledoniaWakeupCall.com

Haldimand mayor concerned about out-of-province natives joining day of action

Haldimand County Mayor Marie Trainer says Caledonia residents have been watching apprehensively over the last few days as cars with Quebec and American licence plates have driven onto the occupied site, swelling the number of people there.

An aboriginal spokeswoman said Thursday morning that a small group of about 15 people planned to meet Friday at the Caledonia site that Six Nations members have occupied for more than a year and that they will say prayers that demonstrators across the country would be kept safe. (Edit: Yeah that explains why Terrorist reinforcements from Quebec and the US are coming.. so 15 of you can pray)

Caledonia is on high alert but Trainer said everyone was hoping the day would go by without any of the violent clashes the occupation has sparked in the past. “I’m sure there will be a couple of spots that are hot but I’m hoping ours isn’t,” Trainer said. “I’m hoping clear minds will prevail.”

Read the full story here

Provincial and territorial premiers urge peaceful National Day of Action

TORONTO (CP) – Canadian aboriginals are understandably disappointed and frustrated with past injustices but Friday’s day of action should be peaceful and reflective, Canada’s premiers and territorial leaders said in a joint statement hours before the national day of action was set to begin.

“Together with other Canadians, we respect the right of Canada’s First Nations leadership to organize a national day of action,” said the statement, signed by every premier and territorial leader with the exception of British Columbia and Nunavut.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said he’s spoken to Ontario aboriginal leaders and everyone agrees the day should go ahead.

“I remain hopeful that this national day of action will proceed in a peaceful and respectful way,” said McGuinty, adding it will be up to provincial police to deal with any blockades or illegal activity. (Edit: Which he knows for a fact they won’t do because he ordered them not to via his sock puppet Fantino)

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Warning for Caledonia

On the morning of June 17, two kids tossed a volleyball sized piece of rock from the Sterling Road Bridge into traffic. One car swerved out of its path, the rock bounced off the road and shattered the next car’s windshield. The kids got away.

On the evening of June 18, I pulled into the Baptist Church parking lot, where a cruiser was sitting. There were two young male officers inside. The conversation went as follows:

ME: Good evening

Officers 1 & 2: Good Evening

ME: I have a question. Given what happened yesterday morning could you tell me why there is not a cruiser on each of the overpass bridges?

Officer 1: That’s a good question

ME: I’d appreciate an answer. What happened could happen again and someone could get killed.

Officer 2: We’d have to cross native land to get to those bridges.

ME: So?

Officer 2: We can’t drive there.

At that point I turned and walked away.

This is a warning to anyone who drives Highway #6 around Caledonia and who also values their life.

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Ont. government’s ‘puffery’ undermines public confidence: ombudsman

Ontario’s ombudsman has attacked what he calls the “puffery” and spin by provincial government officials that he says involve grandiose promises that amount to little.

“It has not escaped the people of Ontario that the strongest leadership shown by many government bureaucracies has been in making puffed-up promises,” André Marin said as he released his second annual report Wednesday.

Citing a number of cases, Marin said the government’s credibility is “dying a slow death” because bureaucrats ignore problems while boasting of their accomplishments.

As an example, he said the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. billed itself as a global leader in assessment, but was actually an arrogant cutthroat agency with little regard for homeowners.

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Province trying to avoid Ombudsman

Ontario’s government must cringe every time Andre Marin opens his mouth.That’s because Ontario’s ombudsman rarely has a nice thing to say, which is understandable when you are charged with the task of being the province’s watchdog.

He is currently probing allegations against the Special Investigations Unit, a civilian agency charged with the task of investigating incidents between police departments and the public.But, according to the most recent criticism by Marin, the list of his targets could be, and should be, a lot longer.

The problem, he says, is that the government is deliberately trying to skirt his office to avoid his scathing criticisms.

“From the government’s perspective, the risk is much more contained when you go out and hire a contractor,” Marin said last week.

Marin’s assessment stems from the Ministry of Community Safety hiring an outside investigator, at added cost to taxpayers, to investigate the actions of OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino in relation to the land claim issue in Caledonia.

The McGuinty government has proven adept at blatantly detouring controversy by simply avoiding that which is controversial.In this case, it is Marin.

A month ago, it was displayed by the premier himself during question period.

It was at the height of the slush fund scandal, when the government was under fire for distributing grants to community groups, some with direct ties to the Liberals, with no formal application process or notification that the money was available.

At the time, NDP Leader Howard Hampton asked McGuinty to apologize for inferring the opposition parties were racist for questioning this use of taxpayer money.

Instead of apologizing, McGuinty went on a rambling verbal journey into health care.

In a stunning snub, he simply ignored the question put to him by another party leader.

It’s that attitude that has McGuinty in a pre-election flurry, re-promising promises he has already broken.

Read the full story here

Native blockade bad idea: Martin

TORONTO — Staging illegal activities on tomorrow’s National Aboriginal Day of action would do nothing but “tarnish” the efforts of peaceful protesters hoping to further the case for improving the lives of aboriginal Canadians, former prime minister Paul Martin said yesterday.

Martin, who was speaking at a public forum on aboriginal rights, said illegal actions would only divert the attention of the Canadian public from the issues at hand.

“I think the case for fairness, equality of opportunity, education and health care are just simply too important to be diverted by such acts.”

Read the full story here

Rebel without a brain

Mohawk protester Shawn Brant has emerged as a lonesome voice of hard-line native militancy, plotting major economic disruption as his way of making Canada sit up and listen.

“We’re going to have that expression of strength and solidarity across this country,” he said in an interview at the quarry he occupied on disputed land last March near Deseronto, west of Kingston.“Then we’ll step back and say: ‘You absorb this.’ Because the next time we come out, it’s going to be harder, it’s going to be longer and it’s going to have an impact on this economy that Canada can’t imagine at this point.

“We’ve had enough.”Well Shawn, apart from the sexual imagery… you took the words right out of my mouth.

My guess is though, that Dalton McGuinty will let this one, whatever it turns out to be, slide too.

This full story and much more at www.CaledoniaWakeupCall.com

OPP Seeks Positive Outcome for National Day of Action Events

ORILLIA, ON, June 27 /CNW/ – On Friday, June 29, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has called for a day of peaceful demonstrations and rallies to raise public awareness about aboriginal issues in Canada. Numerous legitimate protests and information and educational events are expected across Ontario, including activities that may interrupt normal travel and traffic flow.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is actively working with many involved communities and organizations to support peaceful events and legitimate forms of protest. With a responsibility to preserve public safety and maintain order, the OPP is calling on those involved not to jeopardize public peace or endanger anyone.

“I am assured by the First Nations leadership that the National Day of Action is a call for peaceful activity,” said Commissioner Julian Fantino. “The OPP fully supports people’s right to freedom of expression and lawful protest. At the same time, we have a duty to preserve the peace.

EDIT: WRONG Julian. You have a duty to ENFORCE THE LAWS OF ONTARIO

Read the full story here