UPDATED April 04/11: Newly discovered video of arrests of Mark Vandermaas & Gary McHale on Dec 16/06. Watch the OPP rip the Canadian flag out of Mark Vandermaas’s hands on Dec 16/06 before he and Gary McHale are arrested:
- CANACE video, Dec 16/11: Gary McHale & Mark Vandermaas arrested Dec 16 2006 [VIDEO, 2:52]
- see also: VoiceofCanada feature: THE END OF THE BEGINNING!
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Firstly, thank you for all your good wishes and expressions of concern regarding my arrest by the OPP in Caledonia on Saturday, December 16th.
Foes of the Two Tier Justice system being perpetrated on Caledonia and Ipperwash will be pleased to know that on December 16-17/06 the OPP joined Haldimand County in the VoC ‘A Child Could Have Seen it Coming’ club by disgracing a Canadian flag in front of 30+ witnesses, and making themselves and a certain crown attorney look like fools in front of a judge. I suspect that they will also be facing a lawsuit from Gary McHale in the near future.
DID I/WE ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING BY GETTING ARRESTED IN CALEDONIA THIS WEEKEND?
Before I share the background to this great story, let me pass on my amusement at the (very) few ‘hate mail’ senders who are under the very mistaken impression that being arrested on Saturday was a bad thing for me or for Gary McHale. You have no idea how wrong you are. Do I look unhappy to you? I knew, the moment the OPP ripped the flag from my hands, that we had scored a gigantic victory, and I told them so as they were arresting me.
Don’t take my word for it, though. Politicians and media – including 2 of the largest newspapers in the Golden Horseshoe – have now realized who the real victims in Ipperwash and Caledonia are – and it’s not the native criminals flouting the law:
1. Dec 19/06: The St. Catharines Standard – “A Caledonia reality check is in order.” This is one very hard-hitting editorial that gives Ontario Premier McGuinty, and his Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ramsay a good slap upside the head for their Ipperdonia policies of appeasement and politically-correct policing. The Standard’s strong position was forcefully ratified just two days later when their piece was re-printed by none other than…
2. Dec 21/06: The Toronto Star – “Time for a reality check on Caledonia.” The Star’s version was only slightly edited. The last sentence says it all in both versions: “The rule of law is paramount in Canada’s society and must be upheld.”
3. Dec 26/06: The Georgetown Independent – “McGuinty breaks promise to Caledonia.” Another toughly worded editorial piece by Halton MPP, Ted Chudleigh, that begins, “Native protesters in Caledonia are destroying the faith of all Canadians in the rule of law which forms the basic social contract of our society.”
4. Dec 17/06: CanadaFreePress.com (www.canadafreepress.com) Respected journalist, Judi McLeod, opens her article, – ‘Ontario – yours to recover’ – with these words, “Something changed in the Province of Ontario on Saturday. And that something changed Ontario forever.”
5. Voice of Canada: For some VoC context on these historic editorials all written just days after our arrest see “History has been made this week!“
So…to the hate mail senders, and one supporter of the DCE criminals in particular who thought he was having a laugh at my expense while I was in the OPP police car…the joke’s on you.
December 16th was a public relations disaster for the OPP. Take a few minutes to enjoy this 4 minute video produced by CaledoniaWakeUpCall.com called, “Justice in Ontario – OPP Style.” If you don’t have high speed internet, use this link.
NEW TO THE CALEDONIA CRISIS?
If you’re new to the Caledonia crisis and how it is eating at the very foundation of our democracy, or you just want to know why an average, overweight, middle-aged guy dragged his butt off the couch to end up in a Cayuga jail cell, check out MARCH FOR FREEDOM – The Struggle to Restore Equal Justice in Ontario, Canada.
HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED – DECEMBER 16-17, 2006
1. I arrived at Canadian Tire parking lot approx 1/2 km from occupied land about 1045 on Dec 16/06. I brought a new Canadian flag measuring approximately 2.5′ x 5′ mounted on 1″ hollow aluminum pole that was 6′ long. (Photo by Jeff Parkinson: “Puppets With Badges” – click to enlarge)
2. Gary McHale arrived at about 1100 with wife, Christine.
3. Media began interviewing both McHale and me separately.
4. At approx. 1145 McHale asked me to hang a protester’s flag (mounted on wooden stick) upside down on a nearby pole.
5. I then addressed the crowd with an impromptu speech that lasted several minutes. I have to say that I was a little more strident than I should have been. In fairness to myself, however, I was also trying to speak loudly enough for everyone to hear. I explained that:
a. I was there for a man named Quinton Chausse who was arrested by OPP approx. 1 week earlier for attempting to mount a Canadian flag across from occupied land.
b. I was also there because Ontario’s Minister for Aboriginal Affairs said that natives were different and deserved to be treated differently. If they are different, I am different and we are, therefore, not equal.
c. I had served in a UN peacekeeping mission in Middle East under the Canadian flag and I was not going to allow a corrupt police force or self-serving politician to keep any Canadian citizen from erecting a Canadian flag, nor would I stand by while they promoted the idea that all Canadians are not equal under the law. I was prepared to go to jail that day if necessary to preserve those ideals.
d. I believe OPP are acting as taxpayer-funded security guards for organized criminals.
e. The flag was hung upside-down in the Universal Distress Signal because all the values it stands for are under attack.
f. I was disappointed with media for their superficial coverage of the March for Freedom, Oct 15th.
After my talk there was a lot of applause. Afterwards, numerous people, including Quinton Chausse, came over to thank me for my words and for coming to Caledonia.
6. I then crossed the street and walked with Gary McHale into a field on the East side of Argyle St as we moved closer to occupied land. We were heading to a spot further down the road where approx 30 protesters were gathered in front of an OPP police line. The OPP were guarding a utility pole from which was flying a Mohawk Warrior flag.
We did not ‘break through’ police lines; we simply walked along towards the other protesters. As we got about half way to the pole McHale was stopped by a group of OPP officers who wanted him to ask everyone to leave. McHale told them he would be pleased to call an end to the demonstration if they would bring over an officer who could explain why it was legal to place the Warriors’ flag on the pole, but not a Canadian one.
7. As McHale debated the issue with them I left and walked up to the police line that was guarding the pole with the Warriors’ flag. There were about 30-40 people there asking the police to either let them take the Warriors’ flag down or put up the Canadian flag beside it. The police stood there against us refusing to allow law abiding, peaceful citizens to erect a Canadian flag on a Canadian pole on a Canadian street on Canadian land beside a flag placed by organized criminals under the continued protection of our very own Ontario Provincial Police. In this photo I have just arrived at the left with my flag hung upside down on my pole. You can see the Warriors’ flag being guarded by the OPP line. (Photo by Jeff Parkinson: “Picture Worth a Thousand Words” – click to enlarge)
8. A couple of young girls, aged 11-13 (?) came up to me with their father and asked if I would give them my flag so they could ask the OPP officers to let us put it up. I did so, but the officers refused, standing there like brainwashed automatons seemingly not caring or understanding that they had sold their country and their souls for a few pieces of overtime silver. I wanted to cry – for the police, for those two girls and for my country. I don’t know who the two young ladies are but I want you to know that I couldn’t be prouder of you. (Photo by Jeff Parkinson: “Girls With Guts” – click to enlarge)
9. I then asked an officer directly whether or not he would allow us to put up the Canadian flag. He replied that ‘the line is here. No one is crossing the line.’ I asked him if that meant that they were refusing to allow us to put up a Canadian flag next to the Warrior flag to which he replied, ‘Yes, it does.’ In this photo you can see the back of my head just to the right of the flag as I question the officer. (Photo by Jeff Parkinson: “Guarding the Sacred Pole” – click to enlarge)
10. I came to Caledonia on December 16th to put up a Canadian flag across from the occupied land or go to jail trying. I knew that getting arrested was the likely result. My resolve did not, however, include using violence against the police in any way, so I asked people to step back away from the officers so they would not appear threatening to them. I then walked quietly out to the middle of the Northbound lane of Argyle Street and sat down in the road facing a car with my flagpole between my legs. It was approximately 1300.
I was facing Southward with the OPP officers off to my left. Again, I did not ‘break through’ their lines to get to the road; I simply walked away from the Warrior’s flag they were guarding for the Caledonia criminals and sat down on the road.
11. Almost immediately, and without warning, an OPP officer grabbed the top of my flag pole from behind and tried to take it from me. I held on to it as hard as I could; he used so much force that the 1″ diameter aluminum pole the flag was mounted on broke in two separate pieces! I was then lying on my back holding the bottom half of the pole in my hands. I was ordered to drop the piece which I did. They then asked me if I was willing to stand up so they could remove me. I did so and cooperated completely as they escorted me to a police car on the West side of the road. As I walked to the car I saw Gary McHale being led away.
[The image above, right, was captured from an A-Channel interview recorded Jan 19/07 just prior to the Jan 20th March for Freedom event. It includes footage of the OPP officer ripping the flag from my hands on Dec 16/06. The officer is bent over me at the far right of the photo. You can see a flash of red as he tries to get the flag out of my hands. (2.10 mins) HIGH-SPEED DIAL-UP]
12. While standing by the car, I turned over the contents of my pockets to the arresting officer. Suddenly, another protester appeared pleading with the officer to let me go. I don’t know who you were, but I appreciated your efforts to have the police reconsider their decision to arrest me. The officer ordered him to leave which he was reluctant to do, so I asked him not to get arrested for me as it would have been very easy for the officer to claim that he had assaulted them, or was interfering with the arrest. (Photo by Jeff Parkinson: “Reinforcements” – click to enlarge)
13. The officer explained that I was being arrested for Breach of the Peace, and read me my rights. I then asked about my flag. Another officer told me, “It’s in the ditch where you left it.” You can imagine how that made me feel. I do not know what happened to my flag, or if it was damaged or otherwise dishonoured by the OPP during or after my arrest.
Prior to being placed in the police car I was able to hand off my video camera to a nearby protester who was herself manhandled by the OPP. Fortunately, the incident was caught on film. The photographer described it to me as follows: “That one [photo] with the cop pushing the older woman across the street is especially disgusting because despite what seems to be a smile on her face, that cop grabbed her from across the street and shoved her quickly and violently across Argyle. She was not a happy camper and may come looking for evidence.”
VoC does know the “older lady” personally and I’m not sure if she’s more annoyed with the OPP’s actions or the description of her as being “elderly.” 🙂 (Photo by Jeff Parkinson: “OPP Abuse the Elderly” – click to enlarge) Just kidding – she was thrilled with the photo!
14. I was kept in a cell at the OPP station in Cayuga until approximately 1600 when they released me unconditionally without charge. When the officer returned my personal items I refused to sign the acknowledgement form until they made a note regarding my missing flag. The sergeant didn’t seem too committed to finding it for me so I let them know that if I didn’t get it back I would be filing a Small Claims Court action against the force and make sure the media were present when I served the papers.
15. The sergeant warned me that if I came back to Caledonia for future demonstrations I could face charges, and I explained to him that I would keep coming back until the OPP enforced the law equally.
16. I was met outside by my wife and another Caledonia activist. After celebrating with a meal, my wife and I drove home to London where we learned that Gary McHale was going to be held overnight despite no charges being laid against him.
17. On Sunday, my wife and I drove to Hamilton to attend McHale’s ‘bail’ hearing for the non-existent charges. It took place at 1015 and proved to be quite an embarassment for the OPP and the poor crown attorney. At one point before the proceeding began, the court’s appointed Duty Counsel for the defence came to us and said, “This smells like a political case, not a criminal one.” Surprise! It took this experienced lawyer all of 5 minutes to realize that the OPP’s case didn’t pass the sniff test!
McHale appeared in court by video. The judge asked the Crown what the case was about, to which the Crown replied – “I have no information about this case, your honour.” (In other words, “The OPP are fools and they’re making me look stupid, too.”) I almost laughed out loud. After a brief moment of palpable amusement, the judge ordered Gary McHale to be released. It certainly appears that the OPP had knowingly held a citizen overnight even though they knew they were not going to charge him.
I didn’t see McHale being arrested. I’ve been told that there is video/audio evidence and witnesses to the fact that he was standing peacefully and non-threateningly where I left him, debating the Warrior vs. Canadian flag issue when he was taken into custody. Naturally, he’ll have lots to say about it at http://www.caledoniawakeupcall.com/.
18. In fairness, I must note that – other than dishonouring my Canadian flag – the OPP officers treated me and all who came into contact with them on my behalf with respect and professionalism once the initial arrest was made. I’ve been told by OPP Inspector McLean that my flag is to be returned to me.
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Don’t miss the updates/media appearance links below the photos. Mark
MEDIA COVERAGE:
Jan 19/07: A-Channel News (www.achannel.ca) – Sean Irvine interviews Mark Vandermaas DIAL-UP (2.10 mins) This interview, conducted the day before the Jan 20/07 March for Freedom, includes footage of me being arrested on Dec 16/06. If you watch closely you can see the OPP ripping the flag from my hands while I’m sitting on the ground.
Dec 16/06: CTV.ca – “OPP arrest Caledonia protest organizer McHale” Nice photo of me going into the paddy wagon.
Dec 16/06: Global National (http://www.globalnational.com/) – “Organizer of Caledonia rally arrested.”
Dec 16/06: Global News (Ontario) – “Organizer of Caledonia rally arrested.” Similar story to above, but with more details.
Dec 18/06: London Free Press – “Protesters say house trashed” Gary & I were nowhere near the house that was trashed at approximately 0130 on the morning after we were arrested, but the article mentions us both. If you haven’t already done so, take 2 minutes to review the absolutely shocking CHTV video. The owners came home at 0130 Sunday morning to find their entire house trashed by intruders who wrote the words ‘RACIST GO HOME’ as well as other profanities on the inside walls.
The house borders the occupied Douglas Creek Estates, and although the identity of the intruders is not known, the hostility of the attack and the words used to deface the walls seem remarkably similar to that used by supporters of the Caledonia criminals who heckled Gary McHale in Brantford before the Oct 15/06 March for Freedom – see March for Freedom: the movie for video footage from that night.
Dec 18/06: CKNX AM920 in Wingham, Ontario (www.am920.ca) – 20 minute radio interview on the Bryan Allen Talk Show regarding my statement in Caledonia that we need a new political party to stand up for equal justice and the rule of law. Bryan is very supportive of the fight against Two Tier Justice, and I appreciate his interest.
Dec 18/06: The Right Side (http://www.therightside.ca/) – 20+ minute interview with talk show host, Doug Aldridge. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Doug is a supporter of our fight against Two Tier Justice, and I thank him for his interest and air time.
Dec 18/06: 103.9 FM radio (‘The Hawk’ – short interview on the Jeff McArthur show. Unfortunately, the audio recording is not available. Jeff was very supportive of the fight against Two Tier Justice, and mentioned that all his callers were supporting my/our actions. Thanks, Jeff!
Dec 18/06: National Post (www.canada.com) – “Organizer of rally in Caledonia, Ont. arrested at native occupation site” Nice photo of Gary McHale leading the original March for Freedom, October 15/06.
Dec 19/06: London Free Press – “Protester eyes new party to deal with natives” Actually, I didn’t say that we needed a new political party to deal with natives; I made the “new political party” statement near the end of my ‘speech on the hill‘ during which I said that Canadian values such as democracy, the rule of law and equality were under attack by our police and our politicians. During a radio interview on AM920 (see Dec 18/06 above) I explained my reasons for reconsidering my opinion about the need for a new political party.
UPDATE 1: Let me say how absolutely overwhelmed I am with all the support from readers, and from the media who are now beginning to focus on the real issues facing our country. Thanks to the actions of the OPP on December 16th, there is absolutely no doubt that our province has instituted an anti-democratic, anti-equality Two Tiered Justice system, and citizens are beginning to respond. I have already received an offer from someone offering to have his band play for free at a March for Freedom event to support Gary & Christine McHale. Wow! I have received hugs and congratulations from people I know in business, and from waitresses at one of my favourite restaurants. Thanks to all.
UPDATE 2: Gary McHale and I will be filing lawsuits against the OPP. Lawyer, John Findlay of Findlay & McCarthy (www.caledoniaclassaction.com) will be handling our actions for wrongful imprisonment. Since we are expecting that there will be more people arrested at the next March for Freedom event on January 20/07 the OPP can look forward to more lawsuits.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP RIGHT NOW: If you can, go to www.caledoniawakeupcall.com right now and send Gary a few bucks using his PayPal donation button – he and Christine really do need it. Please believe me when I say – from personal knowledge – that they are putting EVERYTHING on the line for the residents of IpperDonia, and they really need your help. Even if all you can afford is 5 bucks, it matters. You are witnessing our century’s first, and possibly most important civil rights movement, and one day you’ll be proud of the fact that you did what you could to help.
If you already sent Gary some money, send more and ask your friends to do the same.
www.VoiceofCanada.ca 
Dear Mark,
You sound almost joyous about being arrested. A lot of us were traumatized by this event, and worried about how this could happen in any Province in Canada. I am proud of you and Gary and all those who rallied to Caledonia to place the flag high and proud. Obviously once again the OPP have decided our rights as Canadians are redundant in their so -called quest for peace.
There is not a peaceful calm in Caledonia due to the efforts of the OPP. Any calm superficially exhibited is due to the restraint of the residents who have to deal with the occupation. This was proven that night when a resident’s house bordering DCE was vandalized and trashed. I received info that native intruders were seen walking out the back door as the owners returned home. This type of vandalization has been commonplace at Ipperwash with no law enforcement to help if the perpetrators of the crime reach the safe haven of the former park and base.
It is so wrong for natives to have such freedom from prosecution for crimes committed due to an accident of birth. How did the government ever get the right to put us in this situation??? Where do we go from here to regain integrity, moral fortitude, and justice for all with the likes of our representation at Queens Park. Every one has failed us except ourselves. We can stand tall knowing that justice based on race should never be practiced in a society that prides itself on it’s multiculturalism.
Take Care my Friend
Mary-Lou
VoC Reply: I AM joyous because the police finally revealed the truth about their disgusting relationship with the Caledonia criminals for all to see. People across Canada are reading and watching news stories about how the OPP desecrated a Canadian flag with no justification, and how they held a peaceful man in a jail cell for almost 24 hours even though they knew they weren’t going to charge him. I got hugs and thank-yous today at my office! Media outlets are beginning to join Gary McHale in exposing the attack on our democracy. Check out http://www.canadafreepress.com. Things are also happening behind the scenes. You showed us the way – this province owes you a huge debt of gratitute. Mark
I thank you for the committment to our lonely plight. The flag and pole were from my house and I gladly donate them to the cause.
Thanks from the Caledonia resistance.
VoC Reply: Thank you! If just one person in Caledonia feels just a little less ‘lonely’ today it was worth going to jail. Actually, it was worth it when people like Quinton Chausse came up to me after my talk on the hill to thank me for coming to Caledonia for him. Quinton Chausse deserves a lot of credit, as do the officers who came to apologize to him even while the OPP were issuing press releases accusing him of juvenile behaviour. Thanks again for writing – your support means a lot. Mark
What was done to you was unconscionable! I’m an American, and the same thing is going to be taking place down here if we aren’t careful. Your libs and ours are cut from the same unholy cloth!
Kudos to you for what you did. You should be able to cary your flag anywhere in Canada at any time.
Blessings and Merry Christmas!
VoC Reply: Hi Gayle. Thanks so much for your support and kind words. I don’t know if you’ve been to Caledonia, but I drove down one of the streets near DCE on the weekend and saw for myself the houses with U.S. flags on the lawn beside ‘Help Us’ signs, and I was grateful that we have a great, freedom-loving neighbour to appeal to for help. Thanks for your words, and Merry Christmas to you, too! Mark
VoC: “I have no information about this case, your honour”
Better check that quote there Mark, we don’t say “your honour” in Canada.
Either it is “My Lord” or “Sir”.
VoC Reply: You could be right about that, Tomax7. It’s possible I heard incorrectly. In any event, it was a pretty funny moment in a pathetic charade by the OPP. Thanks for writing. Mark
Thanks for your help Mark. I commend you and Gary for bringing this shameful situation to the eye of the public. As a long-time resident of Caledonia I support your actions on behalf of our community and welcome you back any time you choose to come.
VoC Reply: I hope you realize how much your support means to both me and to Gary McHale. As for coming back to Caledonia, as I promised the OPP sergeant during my release I will keep coming back to Caledonia until the OPP enforces the law equally. I just spent a few minutes reading some older posts on VoC. In one of them, and in my movie, March for Freedom, I warned the government and the OPP that the March for Freedom on October 15th was not the end of something, it was just beginning; the fight to restore equal justice in Ontario is just getting started.
You definitely haven’t missed your chance to share the inside of Cayuga’s jail with Gary McHale or me. Watch for an announcement in the new year that will give you and your friends the opportunity to stand up (or sit down) with us. We should sell tickets maybe? 🙂
Again, thanks so much for your support! Mark
P.S. If you can, go to http://www.caledoniawakeupcall.com and send Gary a few bucks using his PayPal donation button – he and Christine really do need it. Please believe me when I say – from personal knowledge – that they are putting EVERYTHING on the line for IpperDonia, and they really need your help. Even if all you can afford is 5 bucks, it matters. You are witnessing our century’s first, and possibly most important civil rights movement, and one day you’ll be proud of the fact that you did what you could to help. If you already sent Gary some money, send more and ask your friends to do the same. Why not organize a March for Freedom fundraiser? I’ll come, I promise. Hmmm, actually, I’m going to put this appeal in the article body, too.
Thank you Mark for showing the patriotism and civil indignation most of this civilly degenerated province.
I applaud your principled activism, your sacrifice and your acting on what should be a universally held civil indignation over what would (normally) be broadly condemned as duplicitous law enforcement and dual standards in the enforcement of the law.
Also demonstarted in your and Gary’s unselfish efforts is the fact that Ontario has now has a police function that is essentially political and enforces the political agendas of its masters as opposed to an unbiased/unpartisan constitutional determination of the rule of law that the people and constitution demand.
In short, our cops have political masters making them enforce political policy…not law…that’s why people are harrassed and gooned for hanaging Canadian flags where big brother deems it “dangerous”…. or you get arrested for selling your eggs, milk or wheat to people without big brother’s skim or approval or you go to jail for using your property as you see fit…or any number of statute enforcement “officers” can become belligerent and abusive of you, your proprty and your charter rights.
This is NOT the Ontario you or I grew up in….and it is not good enough to justify this belligerant statism as …”oh well, things change…just adapt”. When is a free and moral man ever to :adjust” to statist tyranny???
You and Gary have demonstrated that the police state is here and it is run by amoral bureaucrats with situational morals and compromised civil values.
Now it is up to the people of Ontario to become civilly outraged by this….the question is do good slaves rebel against their master/oppressor?
Will McGuinty get away with his perversion of our constitutional civil system…will Harper ( a confessed constitutionalist) allow this civil injustice to fester as it does????
VoC Reply: Hi WL! Thanks, as always, for the support. Were you there on Saturday? Mark
With all due respect, I would like to put an alternate viewpoint to you in regards to Native people receiving different treatment under the Canadian Judicial system. I firmly believe that they do receive different treatment than members of the dominant society, but it is in a punitive fashion. Stats Canada provides some interesting figures to support this idea:
1. Although aboriginal people make up 4.4 percent of the adult population of Canada, they represent over 18 percent of the incarcerated population of Canada.
2. In the Praries, Aboriginal inmates account for between 40 and 60 percent of the inmates.
3. Many individual cases of injustices perpetrated against Aboriginal people exist in Canada….Donald Marshall, Helen Betty Osborne, Niel Stonechild and the “Starlight Tours”. There has been a systemic abuse of Aboriginal people by the justice system.
I am white, but I have lived on isolated reserves. I have observed racial profiling by police. I am in full agreement with you that the “special treatment” of Aboriginal people by the justice sytem needs to stop. They have been subjected to poor treatment for far to long.
I personally feel that your acts are inflammatory. I think the low turnout for your protests should tell you that your opinion is not widely shared. Land claims exist and are recognized by all levels of government, and over time usually get settled.
Respectfully,
Rob (highly doubtful that you will post this)
VoC REPLY: Hi Rob. O ye of little faith 🙂 – I’ll post anything that isn’t hate-oriented and actually tries to make an argument. Heck, your email is the most on-point mail I’ve ever received from people who disagree with me!
1. DO WE HAVE SUPPORT? We had approximately 2,000 people at the October 15th March for Freedom despite the worst scare-mongering possible by every level of government and the OPP. We had 200 people on Dec 16. The plain fact is that people of Caledonia have been terrorized into keeping quiet with good reason – take a look at the CHTV video of the house beside the occupied land that was trashed on Sunday morning. Finally, I think a peaceful, legal protest is nowhere near as ‘inflammatory’ as the violence and terror tactics used by the Caledonia criminals.
2. As promised in my private email earlier this week I will now respond to your statistics now that I’ve had a chance to locate a very important and interesting document that seems to not only confirm your stats, but offers some possible explanations for them. See my new post: Are Aboriginals Unfairly Treated by our Legal System? StatsCan vs. SIU Report.
Thanks very much for your patience and for taking the time to write. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed. Mark
OPP is whack yo!
VoC REPLY: Well, ‘smokendrink’ you get the VoC award for brevity. Thanks for writing! Mark
A big thankyou to you and Gary for the marches. I do believe you have achieved a start at bringing this to the attention of the rest of Canada. I just can’t believe the police and government got away with it in Ipperwash and we did nothing to help those people. Where was I ? – just thought the officials would take care of it. Now I see how they do nothing and take care of nothing but their own asses.
The marches/rallys are good but short lived and the officials end up having the last word. It is now time for another approach. Reach out to others quietly by taking good speakers, people like Anne Marie and Mary-Lou from Ipperwash, or is xxxx or xxxx a good speaker? The police are now busy babysitting their house, just like they now look after the hydro towers. I believe these people could bring the situation home to us.
You’re going to need some good planners that can arrange the events, good communicators that can talk to a group of people, a good emcee like yourself, and good reporters like yourself and Gary to report on the progress through the website. Let’s have a fundraiser to keep Gary’s website going but also to put these people on the road to educate us. Even have a seminar in Caledonia and have Marie invite the people after she sees that they can be run peacefully in other cities. The media will never pick up on these peoples stories until the public accepts what is happening and realizes that we have to effect changes. The media will listen after the people are committed to effecting change, then the politians will have to listen to the people thru the media. Like Gary keeps saying win the media.
Common sense has to prevail here. The aboriginals have not suffered any more than peoples in other countries in that era. While we should have empathy for them we cannot continue to throw away our charter of rights and freedoms along with out pocketbooks. The government will not continually put the aboriginal rights ahead of the people of Canada unless we allow it to happen. You have probably 150 people in Caledonia, pick up another 100 in Hamilton, 100 in TO and 100 in Kitchener and another 1 or 200 in Caledonia through these speeches. The seminars will be entertaining and informative meetings, just like I understand that you have with first time homebuyers.
Get people to sign up and commit to working towards effecting the media and the government. Then regroup, and rally with everyones concerns for a better Canada. It cannot be just about the policing. It’s about the emotional and financial struggles of home ownership, it’s about the public land that the government is passing on to the indians and yes it’s mostly about the criminals that are being financed by the government, it’s about the conditions on the reserves and government money that isn’t getting to the aboriginal people. If the government gets away with paying themselves to negotiate away our resources and our rights, that’s the two R & R’s that will never let us be free to have the traditional R & R again.
PART TWO: The government negotiators and Haldimand County cannot continue to not answer to the people of Caledonia. Caledonia needs to go on a campaign of demanding that the negotiators come forward with their proposals not only to the indians but to the people of Caledonia. As an outsider I have observed that the Local, Provincial and Federal governments (with the exception of Marie) has effected a feeling that they are the top dogs or chiefs so to speak, and the little people that really don’t understand the issues are the white people and the aboriginals. The government has chose to negotiate out of court so that the people will not be able to have an educated opinion and make them accountable. You now have 150 people in Caledonia that can brainstorm and stop this secrecy that is bringing about the divide and conquer atmosphere.
VoC REPLY: Hi Bucky – lot’s of stuff there, so here goes:
1. Thanks for your support and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
2. WHY YOU WEREN’T INVOLVED: You are no different than me in that you had faith in our leaders and police. When I was in jail I met another man who’d been arrested while trying to put up a flag the night before. We talked about how everything we believed about our country was a lie. I was taught to believe in equality and the Rule of Law, and that the police would never abandon us to criminals. I believed that politicians – while self-serving, and occasionally corrupt – would eventually get around to doing the right thing. Where have our leaders gone!?! Why do they not come and help us put Canadian Flags up instead of trying to stifle peaceful protest with their scaremongering?
3. ORGANIZING/PLANNING: You are right on, and I can assure you that the need for professional/organized fundraising and eduction has been recognized and is being worked on as we speak. We’re still in the early stages, and remember – we’re not earning a living while we work on this, and we’re working as hard as we can. I still apologize to Gary for getting frustrated with the slow implementation of some of my ideas that have now appeared (selling apparel online, PayPal) while he was trying to organize the Oct 15 March for Freedom. So, keep your ideas coming – they are heard. The best education tool of all, though, is you, your friends and your family showing up at the next March for Freedom event.
4. POLITICIAN’S VIEW: Your sentiments are right on, but I would say that it is not just ‘white people’ and ‘aboriginals’ who the government seems to look down on, but ALL citizens. Believe me, I know you didn’t mean anything by your use of ‘white people’ because Caledonia does not have a lot of people from other backgrounds.
5. SUPPORT IN CALEDONIA: If you have connections to people who want to help, send me – WITH THEIR PERMISSION – their names and contact info, and I’ll forward them on to people trying to help organize this movement. If you want me to forward your name and details, let me know, OK – I won’t do it unless you ask.
Thanks again. Mark
No Mark, sadly I wasn’t. Had I known I would have made an effort to be there.
I think that you and Gary and the other unintimidated people of Caledonia have sacrifieced all that need be…the fact you have to stage these demonstrations every so many months tells me the media is controlling the information coming out of the Caledonia scandal and the bulk of that GTA media is controlled by Queens park…..The media has done 2 things here: 1) they have kept the more virulent acts and issues in this matter quiet….and they do not keep the matter alive as a topic of political commentary. This I find appauling as this is the premier constitutional and civil issue in this province….2) they demonize anyone who is civilly outraged by this current state of constitutional anarchy in Caledonia…they paint morally justified civil indignation as “extremism”…they paint principled civil activism as “inciting violence” and overall they encourage people to be passive as their charter rights are violated by the state and criminal alike. Sycophant media rhetoric parises pasive docility in the face of blatent breaches in the rule of law and subversive collusion in public policy making. The media is now part of the brewing civil crisis in the province.
I have to laugh at this constant media/police bleating to “avoid violence”…as if all violence is bad…what about the violence that must be exerted by police to subdue criminals?…or by individuals or nations to protect themselves from criminal attack.?
Let’s not let this degenerate pasivism being peddled by the disingenuous “progressives” in Queen’s park and their media remove the main tenet of civil responsibility in our free society…that being that some “violence” is not only justified but required from time to time to restore the legitimate rule of law.
Otherwise police, armies and narions would trade in their guns for bull hoens so they can “negotiate” evil back into pandora’s box. Mark, as an ex Canadian Peace keeper I’m sure you are familiar with the futility of passivity in the face of aggression and evil.
The criminal element in Caledonia has shown what passive docility will yeild as they continue to make threats and trash homes and private and public property unencumbered by the justified “violence” needed to make them comply with the rule of law.
As is evident in the Caledonia situation now, the proper and judicial use of court ordered justified force has not been used to remove an ongoing breach of the rule of law….subsiquently the police “avoiding confontation” at all costs has placed our most precious civil possesion ( the security of the rule of law) in disrepute….and all the sycophant media spinning…and all the taunting hubris from amoral ministers of state will not change that fact.
I suspect all this police/media mewling about avoiding confrontation at all costs is nothjing but a smoke screen for cowardice and deriliction of duty. I think these renegades have the OPP brass and timid Dalton totally scared. But they seem to be able to get their grit up to goon over an egg farmer or intimidate laege chubby middleaged caucasion men trying to raise our flag.
Perhaps the time has come to step up this cause a notch and go after one or two of these delinquent political thugs manipulating the rule of law and drag them into court on a charter or constitutional challenge of dereliction of duty/office..
Do you suppose there are enough citizens of Ontraio who still have enough self respect and civil responsibility to make a class action against the delinquent political lunatics who jail citizens for waving the flag of our nation as they protect a cartel of avowed “violent” criminals who continue to terrorize local citizens and police alike.
VoC REPLY: Hey WL. Just once I’d like to see the media press the politicians and the OPP to explain exactly who they are afraid of when issuing their ‘sky is falling’ press releases. Thanks – as always – for writing. Mark
Dear Mark, this is my first visit to your site and I absolutely love it. I’m from Caledonia and have been fighting the two tiered justice system since day one. Thank you so much for following Gary McHale’s involvement and coming to Caledonia. The politicians call us wacko. The OPP call us juvenile. Our Mayor calls us silly. What we haven’t been called and what we are, is victims. Our politicians say that the fragile peace was distrubed by “outsiders” ! Thank God that you and Gary and Christine and your wife have recognized that if my rights are being violated under the Charter, then each and every person living in this country has been violated! Come on Canada, before we go to sleep with the sound of Jack Boots on cobblestone, we must stop the evil from growing. You write, you fight. Beth
VoC REPLY: Wow -what can I say but thank you for your support on behalf of me, my wife, Gary and Christine! I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we didn’t come to help Caledonians – we came to stand up for fellow Canadians. Sorry to sound repetitive, but you really can’t know how much your (and everyone else’s) support means to us. Thanks, too, for the praise for VoC – I do work hard to make it worth reading. Mark
Mark, I just wanted to say thank you for joining the fight for justice and law and order in Haldimand County. I am an older woman on my own. I have a beautiful home in Haldimand County and expected to live out my senior years in this beautiful county that was once a tranquil place. This past year I have shed a lot of tears, living in fear, worrying about my future, my safety, my property value. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a country like Canada allowing terrorism to flourish and be protected by a corrupt police force who are try to oppress ordinary law abiding citizens. At my age, I do not know how much more I can witness before I make that final decision to try and sell my home and leave. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you and Gary and all those who are willing to put your lives on hold to fight for freedom, democracy, law and order. They are definitely worth fighting for. If only I was 20 years younger. God Bless you all !
VoC REPLY: Thank you so much for the wonderful comments about Gary and me. I’m going to pass them on to Gary so he can publish it on CaledoniaWakeupCall.com along with some of the others I’ve received. As for being “20 years younger,” we all do what we can in this fight – your letter means a lot to me, to Gary and to our wives who are paying the ‘real’ price for this fight. Here’s an idea, if you’re up to it: send your letter to every politician you can think of, to every newspaper you can find, to the Legion, to the TV stations, to the radio stations. Ask them to withold your name. Even if you can’t join us on January 20th and go to jail with us 🙂 your support means everything to us. Thank you again. Regards, Mark