Extremely Civil Disobedience

A bit of background, the speech from the throne is the equivalent of the the State of the Union address in the US. While the Queen reads the speech in Britain, and Governors General, the Queen’s local representatives in Commonwealth Nations, the speech is written by the Prime Minister of the country involved and covers the same ground as the SOTU speech.

There is more pomp and ceremony, and the members of the parliaments tend to be better dressed and behaved than the US Congress, but it serves the same purpose.

Canada had a bit of excitement during this year’s speech, but it was hardly the equivalent of Representative Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” theater at Zero’s 2009 State of the Union address.

Ms DePape’s action has resonated with some people outside of Canada, among them, Michael Moore:

“For a young person to do that and to do it peacefully, and quietly and with grace, I thought it was a very powerful moment,” Moore told The Canadian Press on Sunday from New York.

“Every now and then there is an iconic moment where an individual takes action, and it inspires others to think about, you know, what else would we be doing.”

Moore has become 21-year-old Brigette DePape’s most prominent supporter, posting a photo on his website showing her holding up a “Stop Harper” sign in the Senate chamber during Friday’s throne speech.
…

DePape stood in the Senate chamber for about 20 seconds holding the sign on Friday before she was ushered out by security.

Guy Giorno, the Conservative election campaign boss and Harper’s former top staffer, said the incident raises “real security questions” about whether employees should be screened.

“This time just cardboard but could have been anything,” he wrote on Twitter.

Giorno’s concerns echoed those expressed on Friday by Senate Speaker Noel A. Kinsella, who said security concerns would be looked into.

Alas, the Conservatives don’t get it – a young woman quietly walking about with a posterboard sign is not a security threat in any way, shape, or form. I would think they see this as an opportunity to impose a political test on those seeking to enter the page program. They certainly don’t want servants who are self-aware. Maybe they can require people to register before they purchase posterboard.