What are we gonna do? Waste Free World!

By now everyone has heard about Climate Change. It's the new way that the world will end unless we use our power together to shape a purer, chastized humanity, one that controls the weather. This newfangled idea is all the rage.

Reasonably well-attended, a gathering of a rally of a protest was held at noon today amid the snow and ice of the skating rink at the taxpayer-supported Covent Garden Market. It's no surprise a couple hundred people showed up -- how could one "resist" this poster? I simply had to attend to see if there would be any gas masks, or any of the carbon-based-tear-gas spewing corporate-serving pigs who make them a necessary accessory. I think the idea here was to press the authorities to make believers and unbelievers alike be the change the protestors wish to see, and our children, and starfish, and droughts, and stuff.

As always, this was a decidedly partisan affair. As no rose is without its thorn, no child's joy in receiving a new toy is without its quota of hundreds dead from rising sea levels, and no environmental protest is complete without its applause line demanding that the $100 million spent on Afghanistan instead be used to create jobs for climate change activists. I admit that my awareness was not raised very much, since my denialist pal L. was among those lured by the police-state emergency imagery. L. has a similar taste for political rallies that involve "saving the world" by empowering and obeying leaders with visions, so we were too busy joking around to learn anything. But anyways, "people making more jokes about mass movements" is one change I want to see. So we did make a difference, but still, apologies for my frivolity and inability to give details. Besides which, reader, regardless of your status as good person or denier, you could probably have gotten up there yourself and given a speech of your own about the need not only to change our own behaviour but to take action and use the government to make other people change theirs too. Second verse, same as the first.

London-Fanshawe NDP MP Irene Mathyssen was there, as ever, in front of the nationalistic-yet-diverse standard of the Council of Canadians.

City Controller Gina Barber gave a speech, too. Ms. Barber's newly assigned, environmentally friendly "People Power" sleigh-pulling human resource stands at ease in blue reindeer horns. To those who allocate him, he is worth his weight in carbon credits.

There were about six or seven speakers in total, but the Change Agency Formerly Known As The Covent Garden Market had more stuff inside on the second floor.

Not even the democratically elected leaders of some of the few open societies on the planet escaped criticism. Here, in playful effigy on the second floor landing of the Covent Garden Market, were the "Black Hearts of Bali". On the way past this, George Bush spilled my latte. By the way, you can buy all sorts of marvelous things at the Covent Garden Market! Don't you want to help make Stephen Harper have a bad day by spending your money at its folksy market stands?

This year, kids, how about if Santa brings nothing for Christmas but empty boxes? You can keep warm in them without Daddy having to pay any carbon taxes, too!

Upstairs, there was a makeshift, prison-like phonebooth where one could telephone the Prime Minister and demand more action. Laptops allowed market-goers to talk to internet websites, such as one that wants drive-throughs banned in Canada, or another that tells you about Al Gore in Bali. The tables included booths with pamphlets and books and slogan pins.

"Full of Food -- Full of Life!"
	No, no more power to the people, that will be quite enough, thank you, 1967 is thataway, just find the arrow of time and go the opposite direction. Tell Syd Barrett to take it easy with the acid, and don't forget to take the authoritarian saluting imagery or whatever with you as you leave, since it isn't called for in London, Ontario. Contemplate, and within yourself resolve the juxtaposition of a Nobel Peace Prize quote with the decidedly fascist photograph.
If we work together, we can do it.

And that was that. At points, it really was a well-attended rally as these things go in London, and it does seem that these days, green events do bring the people out much more than anti-war ones. Of course, the traffic on a Market Saturday afternoon will provide many, many eyes that might normally drive right by a Victoria Park event, so this is a new kind of orange to compare. But if the Covent Garden Market is open to being used like this, it may become a rallying point of choice!

And so, the proceedings over and the activist booths mined, I departed to comfort the afflicted.

I, Mike of the London Fog, crosspost this in the interest of saving Downtown London with rallies