Trying to Study

..."Trying" being the operative word... Not even country music can drown out the ruckus.

To which protests am I referring? See here and here. When will the madness end! Don't these students have midterms and essays to write too?!

Because it's mildly amusing, here is an excerpt from the aforementioned commie newspaper I picked up:

Considering that the student mobilization is mainly related to the $1,625 rising of university tuition fees on the part of the Charest government, ... the Revolutionary Student Movement calls for an expansion of the fight. If rising tuition is an attack against our rights and those of the proletarian youth, we cannot oppose it while accepting all other assaults stemming from capitalism. ... We simply cannot tolerate becoming poorer while the rich become richer! ... The situation is clear: we have only one enemy--the capitalist system--and our response must be common and include not only students but all oppressed people. For that reason, we invite students to join the various committees and anti-capitalist meetings to be held during the strike.

Good grief.

Side note: I would clean my windows if I could. Does anyone have a cherry picker and a squeegee I could borrow?


UPDATED, 3:49 PM EST:
Broadcast message to the McGill community:

A message from Jim Nicell: A large group of approximately 2,000 protestors is in the vicinity of downtown campus, with police accompanying. The protesters were at Concordia [this is approximately where 1900 Tupper is located], now headed back east [thank goodness]. Witnesses have also reported seeing approximately 50 masked and hooded individuals gathering nearby. We will keep you informed of any developments.

And so will I, dear readers, so will I.

UPDATED, 4:20 PM EST:
Broadcast message to the McGill community:

Due to the presence of a large protest and substantial police presence (located at Sherbrooke & McTavish as of 4:00pm), we advise that you stay away from Sherbrooke Street. If you leave the downtown campus, please use other exits. McGill Security is on alert and will secure campus buildings as needed.

UPDATED, 4:42 PM EST:
Read this article for a broader (i.e. Canadian -- Quebec, you haven't separated, yet) perspective of the Quebec student madness.

Equalization is a program designed to make the government services available to Canadians equal across the country. The short of it is that Quebecers receive the equivalent of $1,743 more from the federal government than they paid into Confederation. This does not add up, does it.

Unfortunately "have" provinces (like British Columbia and Alberta) are stuck footing "have-not" provinces' bills through hefty equalization payments. "It would appear Quebec university students need to learn a lesson on equalization, fairness and pulling their own weight."

Read on and learn that,

"Quebec plans to increase tuition by $325 for each of the next five years, which may sound like a lot to some, but not to most other university students in the rest of the country who pay much more than those in Quebec. Currently, of the 10 universities with the cheapest tuition in Canada, seven are in Quebec. But that tuition is only inexpensive if you are a Quebec resident. If you are not a resident of Quebec, of the 10 most costly tuitions in Canada, five are in Quebec and are the same ones that are the least expensive for Quebec students."

= Time for a reality check (and I do mean "check," not "cheque"), Quebec.

UPDATED, 6:14 PM EST:
Broadcast message to the McGill community:

The protest near downtown campus has largely dispersed. Some police are still on site near Sherbrooke and McTavish. Area streets have been reopened and no exits off campus are blocked.

Ahh... Peace.

UPDATED, THE NEXT DAY:
Motion for the Arts Undergraduate Society to strike? Defeated. Booya.

The McGill Daily article here.

While I am all for exercising my democratic right to vote, standing in a campus-long lineup amidst chaos and disorganization in wait for the General Assembly to begin (three hours late!!!) was trumped by the need to study and sleep. My thanks to those who were in attendance and successfully injected some rationality into the increasingly radicalized McGill atmosphere of late.