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The Crown, August 4th, Tent City, Love (most inspiring article I've ever read. by Kristen)
Message Board > Controversy and Quarantine > The Crown, August 4th, Tent City, Love (most inspiring article I've ever read. by Kristen)
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DAJ
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The Crown, August 4th, Tent City, Love

Fond greetings;

This is an official invitation to come join the festivities in Victoria on August 4th. On August 4th the city will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Crown Colony of B.C.--so 150 years since the Crown officially took over this land and began pretending to own it. WE will be meeting at the Totem poles in front of the B.C. Museum at 9 a.m. to sing, drum, pray, and otherwise remember that this land does not and never did belong to the Crown--that this land like all land belongs to no one.

In this way we support all of our brothers and sisters who went before us, honouring the earth not as a possession to be manipulated and sold for profit, but as a gift to respect and care for and enjoy and SHARE with each other and with every other living thing... Some of those brothers and sisters walked in the Coast Salish Way, and we will honour them at this time; but we also remember people from all Ways and all tribes who have suffered at the hands of the Crown, be they native to the Americas, or to Europe, or Africa, or Asia, or anywhere else on this sweet earth where the arm of the Crown has reached (god knows the "sun never sets on the British Empire, but NOT FOR LONG). So instead of celebrating 150 years of the Crown robbing people of their right to enjoy the earth without having to becoming either slaves or profiteers, let's celebrate a future where we might get beyond all that.

This celebration is related to the Tent City that will be going up in Victoria sometime over the next few weeks--- in the sense that the Tent City will be a place where people can live without having to pay the Queen and her minions for the service (whether in the form of mortgage payments or rent.) Tent City is a symbol of our collective desire to move OUT of a system that denies life and into a way of being that affirms life.

The Tent City will go up when 60 bold souls who aren't afraid of the Crown's bullying tactics decide to get together and put up tents and tee pees and other temporary structures on some piece of public land, thus standing up to the growing tyranny of the Crown, and its steady encroachment on the rights of people to live simply and autonomously--OUTSIDE, as people have done for eons. The Spirit will show us the way in regards to the when and where of the tent city, but it looks like no later than early September, somewhere in downtown Victoria. While living in downtown Victoria is not the most appetizing option for many people, this tent city will serve as a precedent; once it gets established, there will likely be steady waves of other tent cities and tee pee villages going up all over the land, some in urban centres, some in rural settings, with the Spirit of Life doing the effortless work of constellating people according to lifestyle, aesthetic taste, and the like. (So, no, you don't all have to live cuddled up close to every drug addict in Victoria--but let's not be afraid of each other, hey?) Two pieces of wisdom:

1)St. Francis: "Whoever is unwilling to lick the wound of a leper has not progressed far in the love of god." A bit extreme, some might say, but the system has bred us all to be
so fearful of infectious disease that we don't want to get close to our neighbour in need. In this connection it may be good to remember Jesus' wisdom-- "nothing outside of you can contaminate you; it is what is inside that contaminates you." Or Rilke--"nothing can happen to us that doesn't belong to us." Can never have too many reminders of the wisdom of fearlessness.

2) Buddha (whoever that may be)--"Whoever is unable to say to himself--'thou art that'--about every human he meets, has not progressed far in his love of his fellow man." No matter how "pure" we would like to imagine ourselves as being, it is good to remember that the other guy IS us, no matter how filthy or corrupt said other guy might be.

All that said--"boundaries" and "personal identity" have their limited place in relative reality, and the tent city can respect those things too.

So--We've been saying it a lot, but I guess it's worth re-iterating--beyond all our differences--whether we support this cause or that, whether we act by "being political" or act by turning inward and undergoing the hard work of personal spiritual transformation, there is only one question: Do you love Life? If the answer is "yes," then there is nothing to be afraid of. Hardship will come; the difficulties may be great, but victory is certain, because life loves itself and loves every one who by some miracle of grace is able to love Life enough to withstand, even if only a little, the tremendous pressures we all face from the forces that want to deny life.

So--this is an invitation to stand together on August 4th to show our love for life—not for the life of this or that person, but for Life itself. And, then, to stand together again when it is time to do the Tent City thing.

This is long.

Lots of love, and strength to you, whatever form your struggle takes. May you all have as much peace and joy and beauty as possible, and the courage to undergo those necessary difficulties along the way (may they be as small as possible, and sandwiched between much sweetness.)

Kristen. - Fri, 18 Jul 2008 9:57am
J. Peatman
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So what is you guys' sanitation plan for these tent cities? Or are you going to have to get The Crown to clean up your shit and garbage, like before? - Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:47am
Chopper
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Go ahead and attempt another tent city. Molotov cocktails will be a quick cleanup of both the campers and their bullshit. - Mon, 21 Jul 2008 6:19pm
Nicholas Antoni Marek Gibas
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It's funny what people get mad about. And what they don't. - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:18am
trevor corey
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LOL Gibas. Your statement could be applied to both Daj's supporters, and his detractors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9UtUwwvHE0 - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 1:31am
trevor corey
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That'd be the mighty Phil Collins on drums btw^ - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 1:34am
DAJ
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speaking of phil collins...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9KW8DRSvEoQ - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:39am
trevor corey
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I'll see your Disturbed, and raise you a "stain on the sidewalk".
http://youtube.com/watch?v=AJR8lkE5fQo - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:26am
Nicholas Antoni Marek Gibas
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I want to keep that statement ambiguous. - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:58pm
Mike
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real hippies would and have been doing this for years, difference is they do it it the bush and dont mooch off society. They bury their poo and recycle their tarps and other garbage.

Im all for a tent city... out in the bush where it belongs.. Get these change mooching, car thieving, rig polluting waste cases out of the city once and for all.. but alas.. no bleeding heart tourist change, no soup kitchens and no hard working locals to rip off.

PS: Daj, which one of your friends stole the Value Village purse full of dog shit my friend planted on the front seat of his car outside of city hall. It was gone within 5 minutes! - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 1:32pm Edited: Tue, 22 Jul 2008 1:35pm
Endeløs
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PS: Daj, which one of your friends stole the Value Village purse full of dog shit my friend planted on the front seat of his car outside of city hall. It was gone within 5 minutes

LOL, brilliant idea, I must say!
Though slightly less diabolical that the dude that soaked cigarettes in rat poison, dried them out and "accidentally" dropped them near the homeless shelters. - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 3:46pm
Zedius
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Did that really happen? If that's not a rumor, I wish terrible things on "that dude".

There's a world of difference between funny punishment for theft and killing someone over finding a pack of cigarettes on the ground. - Tue, 22 Jul 2008 9:34pm
JDL
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didn't your parents tell you that picking stuff off the street is dirty?
not everything they said was a lie... - Wed, 23 Jul 2008 2:29pm
Chopper
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'speaking of phil collins...'

You mean Genesis... - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 1:19am
Zedius
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I never watched the video for Genesis' land of confusion before. It's pretty crazy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MzShg7yXik

I love it how a band like disturbed can add some distorted power chords to what is essentially a soft rock song and it still sounds weaker than the original. - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 8:27am
Chopper
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True, but the fact that Todd McFarlane did the animation/directing does add a nice dark edge to the video, compared to the puppets in the original vid. - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 8:41am
zedius
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Yeah, but if Disturbed was gonna choose someone to add some vague dystopian edge it couldn't be anyone but McFarlane. It's a cliche within a cliche, really.

Well, I suppose they could have gone with Tim Burton. - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 9:49am
Chopper
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Hmmm, that would make the vid a lot better imho. Burton>McFarlane - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:28am
Doc
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I couldn't find a link, but you should check out the In Flames cover of land of confusion. It's far supperior to either the Genesis or Disturbed versions.

~My God is bigger than your God.
Doc - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:23pm
trevor corey
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bm4r8oNm-o - Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:37pm
Doc
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AWESOME!!! Thanks Trev.

~Doc - Sat, 26 Jul 2008 1:31am
J. Peatman
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I normally dislike Disturbed, but that cover was excellent!

In Flames, however, managed to butcher that song in the first 10 seconds...and then it got even worse! - Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:37am Edited: Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:38am
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