Greetings to All from Julian (especially Just Me, FromtheWilderness, Blaze and Em after their recent speculation on whether or not Julian was a “Brocker” and their invitation for Julian to join Isaac Brock if not).
I have just noticed all the comments about me at Isaac Brock and want to thank all of you for your kind words. I can’t do so without giving up my identity, either under my Brock pseudonym or by opening another account under my real name, so I am asking calgary411 to be my go-between.
I (calgary411) have the pleasure of knowing Julian and count him as a special friend through all of this. I, too respect the many literate comments (virtually well thought-out essays) Julian has tirelessly posted on countless media news stories (and here), to the benefit of us all. I’m glad to do this for Julian.
I count myself amongst the number here – and am especially indebted to all of you for your insights, hard research and personal thoughts so willingly shared. We are all in this together, working for one goal! Isaac Brock has been one of the few bright spots in this whole mess.
I (calgary411) second that, Julian. Don’t we all know that!
hmmmmm….
Well, whoever he is, his work around the web is well appreciated by many! I was just reading several tonight at an Forbes Saverin story on May 23rd. Where I posted a comment tonight encouraging him to join the discussion here.. http://onforb.es/KOEh6l
@ Julian Hudson
I love a good mystery but I also know when to leave it alone. 😉 But at least one thing is solved — we now know why your excellent comments are so in tune with the dialogue at IBS. It is great that you are pitching in with all the dedicated Brockers who post in so many different places. (I won’t name them all because I’d forget someone.) I know I should be doing the same but I really restrict the number of sites I sign in at — just a thing I have. Besides, writing is not an easy flow thing for me so I spend 99% of my time reading and an embarassingly certain percentage of that misinterpreting what I’m reading. Thank you to everyone here at IBS for making my days better and my nights easier and a specific thank you to you, Julian Hudson, for popping up in a most welcomed manner when I am following the links to other sites.
@Julian c/o calgary411
Your writing is highly appreciated. It was an honor to have been thought of as being you.
Keep up the good fight!
@Julian, I, too appreciate, your postings. Often, I’ll go to comment, but then I read yours, you’ve already said what I wanted to say, but in a much more cogent and eloquent way. You often make me think about things a little bit different than my norm, so thank you.
I have to ask why so many here wish to remain anonymous on Brock yet are comfortable being “out” elsewhere? Is there some residual paranoia from when some commenters were censored at Expat Forum late last year, and thus formed the Isaac Brock Society blog? I know I’m already semi-out but don’t want to make it TOO easy for potential adversaries to know who I really am. I also want to get some ‘business’ taken care of before I out myself.
@ bubblebustin
I think your last sentence explains things. I for one will only feel comfortable being “out” when I have a stamped I-407 and have successfully extricated myself from filing. But even then I will have to think about my husband who has further to go to be filing free. I wish we could all meet and greet each other here out in the open ( yes I know that if they want to know who we are they have ways to do it) yet I prefer to be, for now at least, just Em. (I doubt they are rooting around for such small potatoes as we are though.) A few years from now I hope we can all have a we’re out from under the weight of the IRS party at IBS.
@Em, what could be a better excuse for a party? Cheers.
bubble –
Brock and USxCanada InfoShop are the only web venues where I pseudonymize. That may change, that may not. Very unlikely before lengthy and torturous processes have wound their way to uncertain conclusion. Sometime in 2013 with luck?
That’s completely understandable but why would some, myself included, speak so vehemently against some policies in our own identities elsewhere and not here? Why does Brock have a perceived bulls eye?
bubblebustin said: “Why does Brock have a perceived bulls eye?”
Because there is strength in numbers. Also we are representing potentially 1 million people of American origin in Canada, that’s a big number.
Individuals can post the most eloquent arguments in their own names elsewhere but they are isolated events and so they are not considered a threat.
This website is a threat because it’s organized and cohesive and we’ve engaged members of our government at the highest level in the struggle. Also, because it is primarily Canadian I think it would be taken more seriously because Canadians tend to be more passive. The fact that we are all worked up about this means that our opposition (the US government) is clearly in the wrong.
They can’t label us rich tax cheats living the high life in Switzerland. We pay outrageously high taxes where we live. Everybody knows Canadians live the dullest of lives and we like it that way. To come after us is just pure vindictiveness and greed on the part of the US government.
@omg I would think that for those reasons the US would have more grounds for diplomacy than persecution in the case against any individual of this group. Any one of us minnows would draw a distinction between most of us and Saverin the whale. That said, we are still dealing with a desperate animal.
@bubblebustin, I agree the US government is acting like a wild vicious animal in the throws of death. Diplomacy is not a word it could comprehend.
Among it’s most affected victims are people who actually live in the US, many of whom have lost everything. Consider how much angst we are feeling and we are in many ways protected from this animal. I can’t even imagine the suffering of those that have lost their jobs and homes down there. These poor folks keep being told that things are consistently getting better when nothing could be further from the truth.
@omg, I think citizenship based taxation and how the US is enforcing it is their dirty little secret, otherwise why would they have been so negligent in making their citizens aware of it? The last page in mouse print in your passport? The Canadian media did their work for them in getting the word out to me. It’s a secret because a) they rely on the element of surprise in administering their FBAR fundraiser and b) I think if American homelanders really knew what it’s all about (as Ron Paul does) they would object to the inability of unfettered access to the rest of the world. Don’t we?
@All – I have no idea where to put this idea, and since this thread is about ‘fellow brockers’ it seemed the most appropriate.
July 1 is Canada Day. Can we Canadian Brockers take advantage of this date to encourage/demand our government stand up for our rights? To refuse the US attempt to reclaim our citizenship? To refuse the US attempt to invade our privacy? To refuse the US attempt to take our money? To say no to the US bullying?
Can, or should, the Society come up with a message that we all send to the Minister of Finance, the Privacy Commissioner, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism?
Imagine if a few hundred emails were all received by them on July 1st, all with the same message. Surely that would have some impact?
I know we get accused of being too Canada-centric here, but with Canada Day coming up, it seemed a perfect opportunity to make a statement to our gov’t.
What do people think?
@ outragedcanadian
I love your idea. It would be a “Say NO to the USA” e-mail campaign. I’m in and hopefully one of the many good writers here can put the template together for us. I would happily spend the wee hours of July 1st pressing SEND, SEND, SEND.
Thanks, Em! I could even send from my real identity and my outraged identity, and double up! It would be wonderful if one of our more skillful writers could come up with a message that would get attention, and get the point across.
Absolutely — perfect day to demand further representation from our government representatives.
I hate to be a wet blanket, but haven’t we been doing this to the best of our abilities all along? Maybe we should stand at the border and burn some Canadian and American flags, but then, er, no one wants to be seen.
@ bubblebustin
We have both flags but I kind of like them so I probably wouldn’t burn them. And yes we have been doing this all along but I think the idea is for the e-mails to arrive en masse, hopefully giving them more force. I’m banging pots and pans on “Casserole Nights” (Wednesdays 8PM) for the Quebec students (mostly in protest of Bill 78) BUT we have a cow bell that I could ring every time I press the SEND button on July 1st. Not than anyone would know why but just because it’s fun. 🙂
@Em,Bubblebustin, I love your sense of Humour!
@all, Best Part of North America!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg
It would be worth a try, but I have sent four e-mails to Jim Flaherty over the past two months with no response. As Tiger says, Flaherty’s “silence is deafening.”
@Blaze & Bubblebustin, yes, I know we have, but Em’s right. What I thought might – perhaps – maybe – have an impact is to fill their mailboxes on Canada day with the same message from different people on Canada day asking for Canada to stand up for us. Maybe it’s a forlorn hope, but even if no one else does, I think I’ll have to try. The deafening silence IRKS me.
@saddened, I’ll drink to that! Ok if not flags, how about we burn some effigies?
Ok, seriously, I like the letter writing blitz. How about we come up with a message that we agree represents how we feel as a group and send it out en masse? Maybe we can make it from the Isaac Brock Society, as certainly it will get some notice this being the year we celebrate how we burned the white house down in the War of 1812?
(Just kidding about the going back and doing it again part)