Stuntmen of the World

Stupid, stupid. But then, Greenpeace and its supporters have never attempted any manoeuvres that weren't based on blatantly confrontational, illegal and colourful stunts. It's what they pride themselves on. Their rationale has always been that their ideological dedication to the environment and the helpless creatures whom human society prey upon requires them to create a theatre of boastful intent and arrogant self-aggrandizing whose righteousness lends them the public courtesy of an honourable regard.

Their stunts have made instant, world-wide news. Events that highlight their bold intent, their skillful scenarios of high-seas confrontation that bedazzles the public, and perplexes governments. There is no authority to which they submit other than their own ultra-enhanced sense of entitlement to challenge what they determine to be decisions inconsistent with their reason for existence; to protect the vulnerable, be it the Earth itself, or the creatures of it.

Commendable, on the fact of it. They do, however, have a tendency to go a bit too far. They celebrate their boldness, surrendering common-sense and the potential harm they may do through their very particular type of civil dissent. In orchestrating yet another success, similar to the one that took place in England, by accessing the very seat of political power through ascending to the roofs of the Centre Block and the West Block on Parliament Hill, they made their point.

In so doing, they embarrassed a government and their security forces. At the same time again demonstrating their disregard for law and order in the greater search for what they feel is universal justice. Which may very well be true, depending on where one sits on the issue at hand, and the issue of global climate change is a huge one, consuming tremendous concern for the international community and people within those communities.

Yet Canada is a peaceful, freedom-assuring country, one that takes its interior and exterior obligations seriously. Its current government does acknowledge the very real threat of climate change, and the human contributions through CO2 emissions which must be restrained, is committed to focusing new technologies to be brought into play to help diminish greenhouse gas threatening the balance of the Earth's atmosphere.

Canadians have no wish to become a closed society, one which is always on tenterhooks, fearful of attacks and responding to such incidents with undue force and determination. Nor do we appreciate that a band of reckless self-availers who celebrate themselves as saviours of the world environment may have through their rash decision-making demonstrated to those who might wish to do real harm to the country how easily it can be done.

In the final analysis, a swift and rather absurd confrontation, and embarrassment through an illegal act of brief occupation, and world news. Does this alter anything in a meaningful way?