There was a woman on the radio who was opposed to the summit. I'm fine with that. No surprise there, lot's of people have lots of contradictory opinions and viewpoints. I have mine, you have yours. I think I'm right, which is not, in my opinion, arrogance. It's logic. After all, if I didn't think I was right, wouldn't I hold a different viewpoint? I am right, "a priori". Like room temperature. Anyway, I digress....

The viewpoint the woman took was that the government was simply propagandistic. (Is that a word?) She strongly felt that someone had to oppose the government's stand with a critical and unbiased view. The interviewer asked the natural question, regarding the propaganda of the anti-governament side of the debate. There was a short silece, and then the woman - I am paraphrasing here - responded, obviously quite confused by the question, that, no, absolutely not, her viewpoint and that of her compatriots was critical, objective, unbiased and the view of all right-thinking common Canadians. What was truly funny was the normally smooth interviewer, who actually stumbled on his words, awestruck by her obviously wrong but quite sincere belief.

THAT is my problem with demonstrators. Or, at least, the majority of demonstrators that I hear in the media. They haven't figured out that they are the OPPOSITE side of the argument from the government. The are not right. They are just as wrong, but in the other direction.

Not every dissenter is fanatically wrong. Just the ones I hear on the radio, I guess.

In a similar vein, I need to object to the so-called "People's Summit". I heard the organizer of that event say - again I paraphrase - that someone had to hold a debate and talk about the issues from the people's point of view. His summit represented real people.

Now I know that my govenment has flaws. I know that they are not perfect. But I have to say...

I live in a democratic country and I (along with the rest of the voting public) ELECTED this government to represent me to the world. WHO THE HELL ELECTED the delegates at the "People's Summit". It sure wasn't me! How do they take it upon themselves to "represent" me? The arrogance is astounding. I would like my Member of Parliament and my Prime Minister to represent me. At least, when they're arrogant, they can point to an election and justify it, even if just a little.

I am not naive. I understand that governments have issues, and that a healthy debate on issues, and the ability to protest and make dissenting points heard is important, terribly important, in a democracy. But I am also not naive or stupid enough to accept wholesale the view of those protesters and demonstrators.