AtticusinCanada and WhiteKat were a successful anti-FATCA presence at Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s press conference in Ottawa yesterday.
Besides handing out leaflets, they spoke with people, one of whom was Globe and Mail reporter Bill Curry, who – although the event was held to announce a three year freeze in unemployment insurance premiums – asked Minister Flaherty about FATCA.
WhiteKat’s sign said: “FATCA: Sequel to the War of 1812” on one side and “FATCA = Extortion by USA of All Canadians” on the other. Atticus’ sign said: US Bullying violates Canadian Charter: Stop FATCA” on one sign and “Google isaacbrocksociety.ca” on the other.
Minister’s Flaherty’s reply is on CTV, beginning around 4.25 min.
WhiteKat and Atticus’ conversation with reporter Curry also resulted in a Globe and Mail article.
Thank you, WhiteKat and Atticus!
@Whitekat and AtticusinCanada
Oh you two are so cute, I’m tearing up!
I’m glad you like it. On to bigger and better things.
Full transcription of the Flaherty exchange now up at http://usxcanada.wordpress.com/perspectives/#flaherty.
LTA (Lobbying the Authorities) has just hooked up with DTM (Doing the Media). One name for this fun tactic is birddogging.
As Petros has fulminated at greatest length, the essence of what Flaherty is saying is Sauve qui peut.
I see an eruption of mad frothing for the joys of agitation … but no canny assessment of achievable goals. What could those be in present circumstances?
Catharsis is not politics.
@Blaze I know Victoria’s blog well – and that woman was me!
Madame Lea? Yes, I have your note on the Flophouse and thank you for leaving it and for being a denizen of the Flophouse. 🙂
We should talk. Send me an email: v_ferauge@yahoo.com. I have a few other possibilities – people in the UK I’ve been talking to via email. I’m sure there are others. I’m also thinking about maybe doing something at the American Church or the American Library here in Paris. Just hold an open meeting and see who shows up.
But first things first. Let’s see if we can put together a London Brockstock.
@US in UK: Small world! I hope you find others for a London Brockstock. I know there are others from UK here and at Sandbox.
Actually, I’m in London too–but it’s Canada’s London. Anyone in SW Ontario interested in a Brockstock or a fall Maplefest?
@usxcanada,
re: “I see an eruption of mad frothing for the joys of agitation … but no canny assessment of achievable goals. What could those be in present circumstances? Catharsis is not politics”
More food for thought.
Thank you WhiteKat and Atticus. You guys are amazing!
“re: “I see an eruption of mad frothing for the joys of agitation … but no canny assessment of achievable goals. What could those be in present circumstances? Catharsis is not politics”
I see being happy at getting some sort of answer from Flaherty but, not “mad frothing” Very colourful! I think the canny assessment and achievable goals is the next step. It’s only been a few days. Hopefully, many good ideas will be listed, whittled down and acted upon. Including the things we have already been doing which have been very effective too. I wasn’t feeling catharsis really. Just encouragement. In order to feel any sort of catharsis this would have to be finally over and done with. I don’t see that happening for a very long time. On to the next steps.
I can see how some might view our approach as rather ad hoc, but then none of us asked for this fight. Brock is clearly a grass roots organization that formed in response to a threat for which many of us feel under siege.
Be strong Brockers, and expect more sniping because I believe we haven’t seen the worst of it yet.
@usxcanada
Sir, with affection and all due respect, I’m assuming we can safely count you out for any public protests. That’s fine, for I believe that your suspiciously preferential role as the Cheshire Cat of Brock is more than enough contribution. I believe that Wikipedia supports my analogy thusly:
“Alice first encounters the Cheshire Cat at the Duchess’ house in her kitchen, and then later outside on the branches of a tree, where it appears and disappears at will, engaging Alice in amusing but sometimes vexing conversation. The cat sometimes raises philosophical points that annoy or baffle Alice.”
Just keep doing what you do so well – I would otherwise greatly miss your missives. We are as unlikely a crew that’s ever set sail on the stormy seas of American and world history, so there’s room for many points of view – as long as we retain some basic respect and human dignity with each other, of course.
@Deckard1138, I concur with all you said. Very well put!
@US in UK, Victoria
Considering reaching out to these reporters at the British Daily Mail:
Mark Seamark, James Black, Rebecca Evans
When the US spent years trying to extradite UK citizen and autistic computer hacker Gary McKinnon, the Daily Mail’s “An Affront to British Justice” waged an outstanding job of dogged advocacy against the encroachment of American’s extra-jurisdictional bullying:
“Gary McKinnon’s ten-year nightmare was finally over yesterday after police and prosecutors decided he will not stand trial in Britain. The computer hacker won his fight against extradition two months ago when Theresa May blocked US demands to send him there.
That decision marked a victory for the Daily Mail’s “An Affront to British Justice” campaign.”
So far, the UK popular press is silent on FATCA, probably because they never connected the dots to understand how it will discriminate against any UK citizen who was born in the US – and I understand there are many thousands of them.
Here’s a possible spin:
London Mayor Boris Johnson is about to discover he’s now a second class UK citizen. Although he is a UK citizen – and the Mayor of London – under the agreement between Her Majesties Revenue Agency and the US, Boris Johnson’s banking and investment suppliers will be required to surrender the intimate details of his financial affairs to a foreign state. Because he was born in the United States, he is now, under the “FATCA intergovernmental agreement” a distinctly second class British Citizen!
Deckard1138 –
Your comparison is apt, but too restrictive. You can’t count me out of anything. Or in, either. To paraphrase a famous saw, I never yet met a group I could not not fit into.
Let not the dialectic hit a standstill. More concretely, where a flame flickers, gasoline seeks to flow.
Canada is just a jerky little dog tail on the US beast. The vulnerable outliers of that beast are consulates around the world.
No instruction without delight. Sauve qui peut.
@usxcanada,
This average, Canadian, soccer-mom is confused by your words, despite 6 years of post-secondary education . Is there a google translator I can use?
We live in a small town and my husband and I have already begun to be very careful to refrain from telling anyone about our US connection. (Hopefully those who know from the before times will simply forget.) Yes, it has actually come to that. Since I can’t overtly protest here I have a tiny local stealth campaign up my sleeve, inspired by those who are too many to be named. Sorry I can’t be specific but it would connect Me to Em and I’m not ready for that. My “sauve qui peut” ducks are not in a row yet. They are wandering all over the highway as a matter of fact.
Em, I trust anything you decide is right for you and applaud all your efforts.
As to the protest I had to laugh today. I feel like Lucy Ricardo turning around to say “Ethel! I’ve got an idea!” LOL…well, it turned out fine at least and didn’t end up in a harrowing disaster at least.
I guess going public for me right now is just about being tired of the fear factor. I cannot take it anymore. I have done nothing wrong, I will not be called a criminal anymore and I will not hide. If they wish to make an example of me then they will have to deal with the fact that it directly contradicts the people they say they are going after in reality. I am not who they say FATCA is about but, I am who it is harming and many, many more like me. If it results in consequences that I truly don’t want to have to deal with then that is out of my control because fear is not an option for me anymore. Bullying is off the table. I have cowered and hid and behaved like I was guilty. I’m just tired of that. It’s disgraceful that anyone in our situations should be made to feel they must hide and my heart goes out to each one of you innocent minnows caught in this horrible place. I KNOW all of you have to make your own decisions. I fully respect that and appreciate every effort you’ve made most of you far, far more than me.
Simultaneous efforts of all kinds are not a bad thing! I’m interested in another larger protest down the road but, am wanting to see what comes of efforts to make as many as possible aware of that beforehand. In fact I would like to invite officials to participate if possible at all such as Elizabeth May and maybe some people from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. For me, it’s time.
I would like to mention that protesting doesn’t require you to speak to media or give your name. I was asked and gave mine. White Kat was asked and declined to give her name so it’s not a requirement. Something to consider.
@All,
Atticus i right. You don’t need to reveal your name to anyone to protest. Dark sunglasses and hat are good cover for those who want to camouflage their physical appearance a bit.
Atticus –
? Catharsis ≠ Finally over ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis
I really like Just Me’s proposal for a Fact Sheet.
Look, if the U.S. government won’t educate people then no reason we can’t step in and do it for them. With our spin on things, of course.
What I would propose is a one page “just the facts” about CBT and FATCA. In my opinion we don’t even have to go beyond the basic facts to get the point across – the FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. It’s a terrible deal for a migrant or an aspiring US citizen. All we have to do is shine a light on these facts – all that info that the US government really would prefer people not know. We could call it “The Facts about FATCA and Citizenship-based Taxation” or some such. A link to all the players in this fight could go at the bottom: Brock, Maple Sandbox, ACA, AARO and so on.
Once we have that let’s spread it around. Giving it out in front of the embassies is a terrific idea. We could also target any forum on-line that caters to people wanting to immigrate to the US or people thinking about US citizenship. Send it to the media in all the countries where we live. See if we can get it to go viral.
What do you folks think?
A factsheet about FATCA and CBT is a great idea. It would be a very useful tool to combat the FATCAphiles myopic message.
@USxCanada,
No.
@Just Me, and Victoria
A fact sheet is wonderful….perhaps a template that can be used by multiple countries. We need to stress in the facts that although US persons are the target, this affects EVERYONE negatively.
Yes to a “FACTS about FATCA” So, do you want to do an online collaboration via google docs or something?
We should keep it as one liners, and since it is ‘our’ FACTS about FATCA, then it should be all the Negative and unintended consequences. We don’t have to be fair in this fight. We need attention,and don’t need to explain the FATCAnatics good intentions. 🙂