Pubdate: Tue, 21 Feb 2012
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2012 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html
Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Marc Emery

INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES

Re: Civil libertarians when necessary, Feb. 17.

As a lifelong acolyte of philosopher Ayn Rand, I flinched when Dan 
Gardner wrote "one moment Stephen Harper is Ayn Rand" in his 
excellent column about Prime Minister Stephen Harper's disdain for 
civil liberties.

Harper's trademark method of governance is total control and 
obedience, whether its his relationship to his caucus, the 
Conservative party or his government's relationship to Canadians. 
There is no liberty principle inherent in any consideration of any 
policy his government introduces or action it endorses. Harper prizes 
the police state and every aspect of his actions reflects this, from 
the G20 meetings, to bills giving police powers of warrantless 
surveillance of our phones, Internet and our financial transactions, 
to his policies on the drug war and the prison expansion. Coupled 
with the massive investment in military hardware, Harper exhibits the 
mindset of a man who wants to dominate.

Ayn Rand believed that the individual's mind must be set completely 
free and that one's actions must be peaceful, honest and unencumbered 
by government in order to fulfil one's unique individual destiny. For 
that she advocated the state should be severely restrained and the 
limits of the powers of government rigidly defined to honour and make 
safe our individual liberties. Let me assure you there is nothing 
about Ayn Rand's philosophy in Stephen Harper's governance.

Marc Emery,

Yazoo City Medium Federal Prison,

Mississippi
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