Example of why I bother to attend political protests

Back in 2001, I and 20,000 other people went to Quebec City to complain about the plans for a Free Trade Area of the Americas. Among our concerns was the inclusion of a cause equivalent to Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which allows corporations to sue governments for laws they deem counter to their freedom to make a profit. And now Dow is using NAFTA to sue Canada over Quebec’s pesticide regulations (similar to those since passed in Ontario). In part due to massive public outcry throughout the hemisphere, the FTAA is now pretty much dead in the water. I’ve been thinking about this event lately because I recently found backups of a radical cheerleading website I used to help run, and this weekend I put them on-line to help contribute to the historical record of that and similar protests. My own cheerleading days are over, but I hope they inspire someone out there on the internet.

In unrelated news, Sh. and I paid for our fridge and stove yesterday (they were left here when my former roommate moved out two years ago, and when he finally decided he wasn’t moving back to Canada he sold them to us). For some reason it took a little bit of effort to find someone who could sell me a money order denominated in Euros, but I succeeded. I guess there’s no denying that Sh. and I are grown-ups now.