“I think that everywhere is the right place to resist the Harper government.”

“This country needs a Canadian version of an Arab Spring, a flowering of popular movements that demonstrate that real power to change things lies not with Harper but in the hands of the people, when we act together in our streets, neighbourhoods and workplaces.” ~ Brigette DePape, Manitoba.

There you have it kids. 5 Seconds Of Decision doffs its cap to Ms. DePape's wonderful testimonial  during today's opening parliamentary session, when in a stroke of genius, she simply used her position as a Senate page to disrupt and disrespect the proceedings by walking to the centre of the room holding a homemade stop sign reading "Stop Harper". So much of the power we give our political and corporate leaders stems from an unwillingness to break stride from mainstream behaviour and niceties, to purchase products other than those which are most convenient or to seek out culture beyond the imminent crust of mass accessibility. While that admittedly likely sounds glib or romantic, I can't see it any other way. The unspoken protocol of self-preservation by avoiding embarrassment and discomfort is such a pervasive social force that few would deign to draw attention to the Emperor's proverbial newly elected clothes in such a fashion, alone at the naked ceremonial locus and spectacle of government.

Read more about Ms. DePape's display in The Globe and Mail here.

Don't stand talkin' in the wind kids. One of my favourite Clash anecdotes (I have many... far, far too many) comes from iconoclast music journo Lester Bangs, in which he tries to encourage Joe Strummer to invite a handful of terrified young fans backstage to initiate them into being punks. Strummer just scoffs, "Forget it. If they haven't got the courage to do it on their own, I'm bloody well not gonna lead 'em by the hand."

Initially taken aback at Strummer's seeming lack of sentiment in context of the band's notoriously mischevious willingness to exist on the level with the fans, Bangs would go on to write of his growing admiration for The Clash based on this resistance to glad hand or pander to people's desires. Agency, self-determination, confidence, action; all of these were the qualities they sought to instill in their fans as much as any particular political leanings or musical exploration, fierce self-worth within a community of parts trumping ideology and aesthetics. It led them to become pig-headed, even deeply misguided over time, but the quality remained nonetheless, an admirable if tragic core for the band.

It occurs to me now as well, the irony in re-posting a Globe and Mail article in that Ms. DePape shows genuine bullheadedness, a quality which the Globe so loves to ascribe to Mr. Harper. It is a brilliant gesture, to directly usurp the federal government, even for a moment, with a quality of courage rarely found even between two acquaintances in disagreement over preference of film in conversation at work.

No doubt this will become a quaint anecdote in Canadian current events over the coming weeks, but for her moment of spectacle, Ms. DePape didn't wait for any person to lead her to any action other than herself, which is the only thing any one of us ever need to do the same. Exploiting the very scenery, dress, iconography, position and proceedings immediately at hand in doing so, simply cements this as being all the more resonant a display of guile.

And yes, friends who pretty much expected it already may now officially begin tallying and taking bets on how many Clash stories fucking Crandall is going to shoehorn into this sad excuse for a blog.