Uh oh: It looks like brain trust at the Toronto Star learned about that “Internet” thing from their grandchildren over the Christmas holidays. They even learned about a new fangled web site called “Facebook,” where people meet to exchange photos, gossip, and talk politics. Why, it’s just like the Tuesday bridge club — except you don’t have to put out folding chairs or make sandwiches.
We know about the Star editors’ foray onto the big exciting Interweb because of the newspaper’s front-page headline on Monday: “Grassroots fury greets shuttered Parliament.” The breathless story suggests Canada is on the verge of some kind of violent 1917-style revolution — a “growing public uprising” no less, complete with “protest rallies” from coast to coast, and young activists full of unhinged, wild-eyed rage. The evidence for all this: 20,000 people joined a Facebook page called “Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament,” which urges Parliament to “Get back to work.”
As “news stories” go, this is the journalistic equivalent of the doddering old in-law who, upon learning about the Internet from her hair colorist, proceeds to fill everyone’s inbox with lawyer jokes and pictures of cute cats. Anyone who has been on the Internet since … oh, about 1996 … can attest that getting 20,000 people to sign a petition is about as easy as finding a Twilight fan site.
[More]
See Also:
Time to make a meaningless gesture that doesn’t matter, Canada!
Facebook campaign means Ignatieff can stay home and save on emissions
Updates:
6:32 pm EST, January 5th, 2009 — People don’t care about Afghan detainee issue: Harper
Reality check….the total number of facebook users that have sign up against the PM using his options legally available to him account for about .01% of the population of Canada. I think this is mainly the Red Star showing it’s colours again and manufacturing a “crisis”. Grow up people. If the Liberals were in power and Iggy did the same thing he’d be called a constitutional authority or a genius.
So true. LOL
Canadians against prorogies is now up to 38,781 and climbing up from about 23,000.
The other group ‘for it,’ at last count had 9 members.
LOL
It now has 73 members, UV and it’s only been up a few hours. Give it time.
Re#3. No surprise. I bet if you asked those 38,781 what proroguing parliament even meant the overwhelming majority would respond with a blank gap toothed look and grunt “what’s a perogy”? The same people who vote Liberal (some their entire lives) and don’t have a clue why….. they just do what the newspaper tells them to do. LOL
Wow! 73 for it. They’ll be catching up soon, Jack.
Perogy, isnt that something from Purogatory?
I will be watching the interview after the Junior Hockey game to hold Peter Mansbridge accountable. Does the Prime Minister actually say Canadians don’t care about torture?
Listening to all the HoC bickering is torture enough for many Canadians.
Stephen Taylor has a great blog post up about the manufactured outrage about the Parliament being prorogued being delivered by the opposition on their way out the door. Jack Layton is going to the beaches of Belize. Count Iggy is headed to Euroweenie Land. No word on where Duceppe is headed…
I watched Stephen Harper answer ” The top priority is the economy for Canadians” . I switched channels during intermission. Hope Canada can pull off a win in overtime!!! Go Canada. Go Stephen Harper!
One of the originators of that facebook page sits on the board (or whatever they call it) of the ndp constituency somewhere. Is Layton behind it.
Too bad they are about 3 wks early in all their outrage. Until Jan 25 the House is on Christmas break.
Let us hope that the PM cancels all breaks in the future for Easter, Christmas, summer, whatever, as all those liberal MPs want to work.
Too bad the PM can’t tell us what he knows about coalition plans during the Olympics.
US wins in overtime. But it was a good game, not one sided.
Listening to all the HoC bickering is torture enough for many Canadians.
Come’on…..splashing water in a bad man’s face in return for saving countless lives, an entire city even, is not torture. Not even close. Our enemy does not respect our definition of it being torture, they mock us for our weakness.