The Right To Sleep

A Christmas Gift for you.

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 19:26:00 +0000

From the 'Glory of the Olive' - Pope Vincent

ancient's BIBLE

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 16:06:00 +0000

Blessings everyone;

Welcome to the Official release of my animated short; "ancient's \bible". I used the open source programs; Blender and Gimp to create, model and animate the following short and Windows Movie Maker to edit it together.

Please share if you enjoy it.

Thank you.

your humble servant, ancient clown

,

ancient's BIBLE

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 23:18:00 +0000

ancient's BIBLE

Please share with 2 friends

Think About It

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:01:00 +0000

Blessings Everyone:

I edited together a collection of videos, thoughts and ideas hoping to inspire thinking, instead of knowing. Seeing instead of just looking. listening instead of just hearing.

Then we can make this a better world one SMILE at a time.

UNTIL we 'STOP' being a part of the problem, we'll NEVER be a part of the solution...
As SOON as we 'STOP' being a part of the problem, we immediately become the solution.

DARE TO DREAM and BE 'NOT AFRAID'.

your humble servant,

ancient clown
a.k.a. Pope Vincent

The Flow

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:34:00 +0000

In Search of GOD

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:24:00 +0000

A message about "The Search for GOD"

Blessings all;

A daunting title, no? I've been told there are two types of people. On one hand, you have your groups of people that don't believe in GOD, but disagree on the formulas and equations used to explain it all. On the other hand, you have your groups of people that do believe in GOD, but disagree over who gets to own Him...or Her...or Them. Then, on another hand you have groups of people that pretend whatever gets you to believe in them and what they tell you, they are all the GOD you need. On yet another hand, you have groups of people who don't know who or what to believe, so just keep their minds open and think while they are walking...Wait, how many hands is that? Maybe i should have used fingers...Nevermind, for i would address you all equally.

A daunting task, no? Especially when you consider, that of the groups on the first hand, the only thing they ALL believe in together is that they don't believe and those that do, need a slap. They will tell you there is no GOD to talk to. They figure that since there is no GOD that leaves room for them to be GOD and come up with all these theories, and then one will come along and poke a black hole in one of them and another will come along and pull some strings out the theories until it's just dark matter...and even though it doesn't always add up, they still worship their statistics that prove profits. There minds close at the mention of TRUTH or GOD.
Of the groups on the other hand, the only thing they ALL believe in together is that they do believe and those who don't, need a slap. They figure their GOD is ONLY theirs, so broke apart into different religions to make sure they are the only ones GOD loves. And created churches to make sure only their leaders get to talk to GOD and make up the rules...with the ONLY exception being the Prophets, whom GOD always reaches outside the church to find and folks tend to ignore anyway, choosing instead to worship the religion the church tells them about to get more profits. There minds close at the mention of TRUTH or THEORIES.
Of the groups pretending to be a hand, the only thing they believe in is themselves and slap whomever they please. They figure even if there is a GOD, they can do what they want cause they own everything and can show you the bodies not yet disposed of to prove it. They figure because GOD hasn't done anything to them yet, they are safe. They worship themselves and the profits. Their minds close at the mention of TRUTH or GOD or THEORIES.

Then of course, there was still that group with the shoes on the other foot, (yeah, definitely should have used fingers, i guess i was told incorrectly...too late now). Those folks who don't know what to believe or whom to slap with which hand, so usually don't slap anyone, just walk it off....but at times feel like slapping them all hoping to hit a reset button. They love TRUTH, THEORIES and GOD because their minds are still open to thinking.
A daunting Intro no? (OK, I'll stop that)

Now Back to you All;
Some have experienced and observed, that which is scientifically spiritual, changing everything they thought they knew and offering definitive proof in the moment to the observers and ones that experience it, but offering little that can be shared with the inexperienced. Thus a Faith becomes rooted in TRUTH, where a belief system was once built on superstitions and misunderstanding lay crumbled. They are called Martyrs; derived from the GREEK meaning; "A witness to the TRUTH."
( Dictionaries don't actually provide an honest definition for this word, but rather define what society does to the Martyr instead, which is really another word altogether)

Brief Pause for Thought;
Since I'm guessing there are those of you in ALL groups that were unaware of this, a number of reactions are occurring. Walls are going up for some, doors are closing, emotions are stirring and minds are racing for others. Some have already stopped reading and are grabbing dictionaries. (good for you) Some are still trying to grasp why this matters at all. Let us set all this aside for now and suspend your disbelief's and beliefs alike and continue with the journey. (This way, you can still learn as we go)

Journey On;
I encourage the inexperienced to set out on a journey for those moments. Not trying to fill their cup before they leave, but seeking to convince them to empty it first so there is room for what they will find. Jesus did this with his disciples when He told them to walk with nothing, no money in their bags, just the clothes on their backs and the sandals on their feet. Even in that day and age it would have seemed nonsense to go somewhere and not take a few coins or extra provisions along, so not everyone who heard, listened. Some just left , not wanting to walk with nothing , thinking there was nothing to learn here, so didn't. But some who heard did listen, and learned things so simple as how to breathe DEEP and SLOW, or the difference between wants and needs that made them come back to learn more.
In walking the talk, instead of talking themselves out of walking, they were learning the difference between knowing what it says and understanding what it means. One can LOOK and still not see or HEAR and still not listen...but even the blind and deaf can SEE and LISTEN to the TRUTH. They still experience LOVE.

People on BOTH sides might start asking themselves some REAL questions;
If there is no GOD, why keep killing the witnesses and destroying the evidence?
Why are there so many Rules against living as Buddha or Christ taught?
What are they afraid of you finding?
If there was nothing, then why prevent you from looking properly, why go to all the trouble of making it illegal?

If you are wondering who "They" are, you need not seek them out. Simply give up everything and Sit under a tree with Buddha or Walk with nothing beside Christ.
"THEY" will find YOU....on THAT you can Trust me.

Learn how to Breathe DEEP...Breathe SLOW. Sit through the Silence to hear the 'Tone of Truth'...Then you will hear what rings true and what doesn't.

"Seek and ye shall find."

your humble servant,
ancient clown

Please Share

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:04:00 +0000

Blessings my friends;

A paraphrased quote(To inspire folks to do their own research and think for themselves) in honor of a great man;

"It is really mean to tell a shoeless man to pull himself up by his bootstraps...
It is extremely cruel to tell him that while standing on them."

I realize that from time to time many of you question my sanity and choices in life, but i think most of you will agree that, whether or not mis-guided, they do come from the heart. I feel one of the major problems that our society faces on whole is how APATHY has been programmed into us...To paraphrase a quote i saw while my buddy was checking his facebook today; "Why is it when we are kids, we are told it's good to question everyone's intentions and actions, but when we are adults we are told it's bad to question the intentions and actions of government and media?"

Belowis a letter i received from a man living in Victoria, B.C. I was first told about him years ago on my blog by a viewer on a post i did about the "War on the Poor"...It's why i left Toronto and went to B.C. to meet him in person. His case of fighting for the rights of ALL Canadians, and indeed ALL the free peoples of the world, has been reduced by media to almost zero coverage and skirting around the REAL issues and crimes being committed
against ALL Canadians...not just the Natives, poor and homeless...by corrupt politicians,police and courts.....please understand, when the rights of even one of us are violated, they violate us all. When they poison the waters of one people, they poison us all.

Please remember, my experiences don't come from reading a book or watching the news or making a movie, but from living on the streets, by choice, for years. From MANY witnessed interactions of how police deal with the rich guy driving his luxury sedan, (as calling it a "car" would be an insult) the wrong way down a one way street...by letting him go so they can race across that same street and ticket a homeless kid, sitting under a tree playing his guitar....cause that's against the law and a prime example of aggressive panhandling and endangering people.

The REAL motto is; "To SERVE ourselves, And PROTECT the rich."

Or who can forget when the cops came into a homeless shelter just after i showed up at a press circus and bus tour of homeless shelters designed to show MP's care, but was refused when i offered my sandels so they can walk to the shelters like the poor do, and just before i was supposed to meet and speak with some politicians on behalf of a local poverty group...or how, after failing in killing me, or having me committed, kidnapped me and held me prisoner until my passport expired keeping me a prisoner of the country...and despite filling out the paperwork and filing charges against them, has still never been investigated, nor have any charges been laid, to either original offending parties, nor to the supsequent parties now guilty of "Conspiarcy after the Fact". (we keep trying to forget about it ancient, but you keep bringing it up from time to time)...though on a sidenote i'd like to point out that i did still meet with city officials, despite having a warrent out for my arrest, for breaching bail conditions by not signing in on time...didn't want to miss my meeting, afterall, they are so hard to get in the first place for people like us.

Again, please understand, this is not about me ranting on a soapbox about how unfair it is to be a homeless person...boo hoo hoo....woe is me. This is not about me, wrapped in tinfoil, spouting government conspiracy theories and seeing shadowmen following me everywhere....Oooo, they are out to get me.
This is about the FACTS, that are being ignored, misrepresented and
distorted...i think "SPIN" is the socially accepted word for lying when politicians, police and media do it.

The FACTS, that poor people were evicted from low income housing for renovations to accommodate rich tourists when the Olympics came to Vancouver, or how the deathrate of the homeless almost tripled...but hey, we got GOLD in Hockey, so who cares about that now, why pay attention to those coincidences...???

I mean, even when the poor people DID find an advocate and legal team to take their case of Human Rights Violations before the Supreme Court of Canada, our highest place of TRUE Justice, they were first DENIED JUSTICE when they were allowed to be DELAYED 2 yrs by the city and police, who didn't think the case should even be allowed to be heard...then again for another 2 yrs by the Province of B.C. who really asked the courts; "pretty please" to reconsider even hearing this case stating as their reason;(Paraphrased) "It must not be allowed to be heard, since it must not be allowed to be victorious and so would be a waste of the courts time."...but your NEWS told you that the coaching staff for the men's Olympic Hockey team has finally been decided on and will be annouced shortly.

Let's NOT think about what it REALLY means; when after spending 4 yrs trying to have your case even heard by the greatest JUSTICE in the lands...while the death rate triples and witnessess to police and city corruption are eliminated, the Supreme Court Judge then says, after hearing all the evidence on both sides, they need an additional 8 months of people dying in the streets to decide whether or not it should be illegal and considered a human rights violation to prevent people from sleeping?

As a matter of FACT, even when Canadians did finally win the right to sleep, the city of Victoria already had lots of time to rewrite it's formerly Human Right offending laws
into more legal friendly and acceptable wording to continue to deny those rights, and still provide themselves access to legal kidnappings and murders. So most people are unaware, by design, of how much of the population and economy are carried on the backs of what are called; "the working poor". People who have part/full time employment, but not a place to live...they sleep in their cars, or under a bridge or in a homeless shelter, or a friend's couch, or their parents basement..etc,etc. Then we can ignore how cities never have any money to build affordable housing for all those working people, but can afford bigger prisons, more lawyers, judges and cops to enforce laws against being homeless.

We can also pretend not to notice that by putting homeless people in jail you can control the statistics put forth that make it seem like the unemplyment rate is dropping and the economy is on the rise...because those formerly unemployed and employed homeless people are now statistically called prisoners and creating a need for bigger jails because of overcrowding, creating jobs for more cops, lawyers and judges...driving up their economy and further lowering the unemployment rate. Throw in a fake war or two to really boost the arms economy, decrease more of the formerly unemployed and suck away the last remaining rights people spent decades and world wars fighting for....Aaaaaah....now we finally have a perfect world, with justice and liberty for all who can afford it...definetely the path we need to continue following.

People will share cats falling off tables videos on facebook, or tweet about what some moviestar was wearing or did at last night's big party and these things will go viral around the world in minutes, but take issues like poverty and homelessness and start making honest and VERY REAL links to corruption in governement and police and the causes of the REAL, DEADLY ISSUES humanity faces and people become afraid and try to distance themselves from you by saying things like; "I don't believe that is really happening.", or "Cops wouldn't do that", or "There's nothing we can do about it."...and i could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

Please share and do something about really ending SLAVERY and this War on the Poor...see how fast those REAL, DEADLY ISSUES disappear when we start being a part of the solution and stop being a part of the problem. What would happen if all these groups for Women's Rights, Veterens Rights, Minority Rights, Gay Rights, Children`s rights, Rights for the Elderly, etc, etc. all suddenly realized....wait a minute...there are poor and homeless people who are women, veterens, minorities, gay, children, elderly, etc, etc, etc and maybe we should all be working together instead of seperately.

"Empathy is the primary sense needed in the search for TRUTH and UNDERSTANDING...It would be senseless to search without it."

(please forgive my babble above...the letter is below)

Hello. My name is David Arthur Johnston. I've a case that needs to be forwarded to the SCC. The 'right to sleep during the day' was denied in the Appeals Court of BC because of lack of evidence of its need (being that it is now recognized that we've the right to sleep at night). I don't use money and its a miracle that I made it to the Appeals Court in the first place.

I am currently exorcising my last resort by fasting and ignoring sentence conditions. So far, I've been meditating constantly under the sequoia tree at Centennial Square in Victoria and the police pick me up and take me to Wilkenson (VIRCC) on Fridays. Not giving me any extra charges while I've ignored the 'reporting to probation immediately', 'being at Centennial Square, and voluntarily reporting to Wilky on Fridays for my 'intermittent' sentence (I had told the judge the sentence wasn't reasonable).

the 'adams' ruling (recognizing the 'right to erect temporary

abodes')- http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/Jdb-txt/SC/08/13/2008BCSC1363.htm

its appeal by the city (resulting in the Appeals court adding the words 'at night' to the disposition)-

http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/CA/09/05/2009BCCA0563.htm

My Factum/Argument Challenging The Daytime Tent Prohibition-

http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman/myfactum.htm

The City's Factum/Argument Defending The Daytime Tent Prohibition-

http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman/cityfactum.htm

Anyhoo, I'll cut and paste the update I made today-

St. Ann's update- Monday, January 21st, 2013: oh the games we play
Where to begin?...
On Friday the 18th around 6ishPM police van pulls up in front of the tree. about 4 or 5 cops. 'arrest' me and take me out to Wilkinson for my intermittent 'jail-on-weekends' sentence. No extra charge for ignoring my 'conditional obligations' of 'reporting immediately to probation' after sentencing on Tuesday, not being at Centennial Square, and turning myself in at wilky.

Got out this morning (Monday) and am smoking and having coffee while my laundry gets done. Then I'll secure another blanket or two (cops stole my sleeping bags) and head back to the tree to continue fasting and meditating until my next arrest, which could be bet on to be by this coming Friday, at least.

The fast is now at 19 or 20 days minus 2 or 3 to compensate for the 'unofficialness' of the time before sentencing (the allowance of sugar and milk in my coffee), the half-way through 'cheat' and the pre-sentence fast-breaking. The official fast beginning at 9:30 AM on Tuesday the 15th. Enjoying an old guys body, moving slow as I have to. I continue to be unusually high in the spirit.

Patience be with us... A mindful Constitutional lawyer/law firm volunteering to forward my case to the SCC would save me for a while.

Patience be with us.
David Arthur Johnston
Victoria, BC, Canada

Hatrackman@Gmail.com

The 'Right to Sleep' Data Hub (or The Process of How It Is That It Is Legal to Have a Tent, at Night, in a Park in the City of Victoria, BC, Canada)
- http://goo.gl/maps/5P9ZU

PS: cops didn't steal my sleeping bags. presumption on my part. sorry.

Earth Day

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:11:00 +0000

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Have we Honestly embraced the necessity of ending the greedy stupidity that is responsible for the destruction of animals and humans alike?

Are we Honestly impletmenting REAL solutions to our problems?One substance has been made illegal by the corrupt that could replace many products that are extremely destructive to our environment and social structure.
Do you know how many tonnes of paper products are wasted every day?
Do you care?

Do you know how much pollution is caused by fossil fuels,
BOTH in getting AND using them?

Would you watch this video to learn about an even greater risk to the lives of children worldwide?

Would you STOP buying bottled water permently?

Would you CLOSE your bank accounts?

Would you STOP paying taxes to corrupt governments?

Would you STOP supporting those responsible by realizing YOU are responsible by continuing your support.

Oh Cannabis !!!

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:20:00 +0000

Happy 4:20

To save some time and double posting please (click here) or on the flag itself to visit my other site and read my 4:20 posting in full.

Puff, Puff and Away.

Murdering a Holy Man

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:12:00 +0000

(Click on piture to see where I first learned of David in the comments under the post)

The following is a letter from a friend that provides an update on the fight for human rights in a country that pretends and brags about being a leader in that category. The TRUTH shows quite the opposite, and while the mainstream media is quick to jump on the Pro-Olympics bandwagon serving up more and more propaganda, they tend to slant and downplay the life and death effects that come with them.
I would like to remind the reader at this point of a quote; "As you do to the least of my people, so you do to me."

The LETTER:
So this guy has been sentenced to 45 days, starting on Nov 25th, because he set up a tent under the Sequoia beside Victoria City Hall. The City and their legal machine really doesn't want him to set up a tent or to sleep outside at all. I think that's why they keep locking him up. So far he has been in jail for nearly 150 days over nearly ten years, all without food. There were a lot of other instances and confinements too, which the man has documented in his Journal of the Occupation of St Ann's Accademy, available online, that include police officers driving him to the city limits on several occasions and using severe emotional abuse on him, as well as an interesting account of how the Provincial Capital Commission hired a contingent of security guards expressly for the purpose of making this man's life miserable.

So, people ask, why is he homeless? Former Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe was fond of referring to the man, David Johnston, as not really homeless and a professional activist. Crown counsel has repeatedly questioned his mental health, as well as his mother's mental health when she came forward to say she supports her son's efforts. Media has been viscious to the man, saying that he was trained as a baker, a point many people think means he has no excuse not to be working. But really, all of this is so far from reality it's like the establishment is delusional.

David is homeless because he will not use money. He won't touch it. In the rare occasions over the last few years that he did come into posession of money, he destroyed it. He eats mostly what he can find in the garbage, and at soup kitchens. This is why David is homeless. People tell him he is not a member of the homeless they are trying to help: the ones that want to get a place and get some money so maybe they won't be that poor. David's response to this is to deny choice all together. His core philosophy rests on extreme determinism and on the concept of patience being a virtue, and he has slowly fought against his perceived injustices for many years.

At one point, before his efforts led to the successful Supreme Court ruling that found Canada's constitution protects the homeless' rights to shelter themselves, David was sentenced to seven months. He served 35 days of his sentence before community pressure forced his release. I quit my job and concentrated on this for 35 days. I met people who despised David and hoped he would die in prison. And I met a lot of other people that shared moments with David they remembered fondly. The man has reached a lot of people. He serves as a sort of shaman or holy man, and he also serves as a kind of counsellor. I remember speaking to everyone I could find on the subject, and so many of them knew him. I'm not from Victoria and I don't know many people at all there, or I didn't back then. A good example of what I mean is what a busker told me. He had been really sad, once, finding himself on the streets, and David approached him and offered him some sausage he'd found in the garbage. This is the kind of work David does.

The man is not perfect. I will let Bill Cleverly or Troy DeSouza or some other David hater dwell on David's shortcomings. Even if David was a thousand times more flawed, it still wouldn't warrant the tremendous disrespect and abuse he's endured.

David is my friend, and I'd hate to lose him. I have had the pleasure of being arrested with him several times, and yet I have never had to break the law once! People can't seem to understand that. Victoria arrested us for laws that didn't exist, and they arrested us without evidence. David and I were the last two standing at the Camp Cambell protest. There have been hundreds of people arrested in this movement David champions; I have been arrested with several dozens of people over the years, and, like I said, I don't even live in Victoria.

I'd hate to lose David, but maybe it would be better if he died. Maybe it would be better if everyone with integrity would just die. I like to think I have some integrity, but I don't think I could let myself waste away like David does. It's not good for him. To do a 45 day fast you at least have to have clean water, and I've seen the water they have at Wilkinson Road Penitentiary. If he dies, I think they will have to kill me next. But I am not like David. I don't prioritize patience, I embrace disruption. If David dies I will campaign in every Victoria election, and I will disrupt every all-candidates forum and destroy all the signs and I will destroy property and cost small fortunes. In the end they will have to kill me too, I guess. Eventually, they will have killed us all, and then they can be happy in their Vibrant Victoria Lie of a town. Then they can pretend they really want to help the people that slave for them and nobody will disagree. For now, I am alive, and so is David, and there are others too, so maybe, with a little patience, something really cool will happen. It wouldn't be the first time.

One last point, the longer you allow this to happen to others, the greater the chance you create of it happening to you.

We WON...Or Did We

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:02:00 +0000

Even though the supreme court ruled that no sleeping/camping bylaws were a human rights violation, the city of Victoria, BC has continued to violate the courts decision and remain diligent in their pursuit to attack those in society that are the most vulnerable and least able to protect themselves. Using tactics, that if imposed on any other group or nation would be considered an Act of War, with violations of the Geneva Convention, not to mention the Magna Charta.

Decision Pending

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:13:00 +0000

Blessings:

You may have to wait awhile. Though they ended the hearings a full day early, the only decision the judge was able to make, was that she was going to take up to 8 months for her to reach a decision as to whether or not it should be against the law to sleep.

Charter Challenge Begins

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:11:00 +0000

Remembering the Headlines

Back when the story was breaking, the media saught to downplay and criminalize the poor instead of reporting the TRUTH about the constant victimization by police and city officials. The TOP STORY, as it reads here, is about how 4 Canadians died "Fighting for Freedom" in another country, while right below it we can see how citizens of THEIR OWN country are being murdered and violated by corrupt policy and snobbery that is so well blended into today's culture, even when placed on the front page it goes undetected for what it is.

Instead of charges being brought against these same city officials and police for their savage "Crimes against Humanity", the poor and homeless are instead being FORCED to DEFEND their "Right To Sleep". Not only does this go unnoticed by the rest of the citizens of this country and the world, the Higher levels of government that have noticed have not saught JUSTICE for the people involved, have instead saught to prevent their case from even being heard. Upon failing that, have still successfully delayed the proceedings for a number of years, greatly reducing the number of witnessness against them. Considering their is a documented body count of at LEAST 2 people a week, that adds up to quite a few since the tent city began in Oct. 2005.

You do the math !!!

I became an enemy of this country, it's leaders and FAKE support systems when that country and those leaders, by their actions and inactions, became an enemy of GOD & LAW. Your silence to this only strengthens the abusers...the line has already been drawn in the sand by them...look closely as to which side of it you are standing on, by whom you are supporting. Don't sit by or stand for this...there is still time to STAND AGAINST IT, but even that is running out.

This evening's dinner at "OUR PLACE" consited of a cold hamburger patty and an ice-cream scoop of cold rice. It's a good thing they got all that EXTRA money for a NEW building with a NEW, BIGGER kitchen and TWO cooks for nutritious, onsite meals.

(maybe now we can afford to conduct a study on how to turn on one of those new ovens, or maybe they just thought it was too hot outside to have cooked hamburgers, but I shouldn't complain because at least they were thawed out and I wouldn't want to appear UNGRATEFUL.)

On the NEWS front:

If you put "Charter Challenge" in the search engine over at A-Channel, it returns "0 Results"...Hmmm, how interesting considering it represents such a monumental step forward for human rights issues, for ALL Canadians and indeed, ALL visitors from EVERY other country of the world.

CHEK NEWS doesn't have an internal search engine that I could easily find, nor do they have any coverage on the Charter Challenge...Hmmm.

CBC's search results for Charter Challenge yields a number of results, none of which have to do with a person's RIGHT TO SLEEP...Hmmm.

The same thing can be said about CTV's search results concerning the CURRENT CHARTER CHALLENGE...Similar "Hmmm" as before.

A Poetic Wolf

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:55:00 +0000

I pulled this piece from my latest editing project to present on it's own. A little piece of the bigger picture. Years ago in Victoria, British Columbia, the homeless had an advocate named Ron Lund, who opened a space to the poor and homeless they called "Spiral Island", a space that was quickly shut down by the city and police despite the overwhelming and dire need for such facilities.

2007 Victoria Reviewed

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 03:44:00 +0000

Submitted by richard on Sat, 2008-01-05.

Another year has passed and the situations facing homeless people on the streets of Victoria remain horrific.
109 people died while living homeless on the streets of Victoria in 2007, this statistic is based on the number of funeral services held at ‘Our Place’ which is the primary drop-in center in downtown Victoria. On average, 2 homeless people died every week in Victoria in 2007, up slightly from 106 deaths in 2006.

In February 2007 the ‘Homeless Needs Survey’ counted 1242 people as homeless or unstably housed and at risk of becoming homeless. In December the ‘Mayor’s Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of Mental Illness, Addiction and Homelessness’ announced that 1550 people were considered to be homeless on the streets of Victoria. These two research projects cost taxpayers approximately $500,000 and used up thousands of volunteer hours. The conclusions are documented in two massive documents that simply state that homeless people need homes. They call for action but to date none has been forthcoming from any level of government.

In October the Victoria Steering Committee on Homelessness launched a website to help inform the public about ways to help the homeless through action: www.ourwayhome.ca
In October the Vancouver Island Health Authority attempted to close Laurel House, a drop in center for people living with mental illness, but faced fierce opposition from members, a house occupation, and outrage from the general public. Closure was suspended for six months. Many of these people are on the brink of street life. VIHA cut down 30 endangered Arbutus trees in order to prevent homeless people sleeping under them, and were fined by the City of Victoria for destroying the endangered trees. The Needle Exchange, run with funding from VIHA, was evicted from its downtown location.

The City of Victoria and the Attorney General of British Columbia have worked hard throughout the year to keep a constitutional issue from being heard by a BC Supreme Court Judge. The question is whether the public has the right to sleep outside on publicly owned land when there is no other place to sleep due to a lack of affordable housing or emergency shelter. The point being that jailing people for sleeping when there is no other place to sleep is against the human rights and freedoms as defined by the Canadian Constitution. The City of Victoria has not responded to a Judge who wants a firm definition of the word 'abode' in the context of its use in a city bylaw which prohibits sleeping outdoors, or for that matter sitting, standing, lying, and squatting on public space.

The mayor has ordered police to post signs stating “No Loitering, Camping, Soliciting, or Trespassing” at stores all over the downtown core. Legally, these signs take the onus off the property owner or store manager to formerly launch a complaint and allow police to act on their own to remove people from private property. Using the ‘chattel’ bylaw Mayor Allan Lowe and the Council of Victoria have mandated that the City Police force take backpacks away from street people. Any belongs that are set down on sidewalks or streets are confiscated and a fine must be paid to reclaim the item. Hundreds of homeless people have had backpacks, blankets, foam, tarps, and other items taken away.
In April, with a great deal of media spin, Premier Gordon Campbell announced that the province of BC spent $80 million towards low income housing, protecting 996 affordable housing units by buying 15 buildings in Vancouver, Victoria and Burnaby. However, these units were all occupies and no new housing was made available for homeless people. $250 million has been set aside to building affordable housing but no housing construction has begun and the money has not seen the light of day.

In May Premier Gordon Campbell increased his own salary by 54% with an increase of $89,000 on top of what he already makes. All MLA’s increase their wage by %29 although the minority NDP, unable to stop the bill from passing, donated their wage increase to charity.
Victoria’s apartment vacancy rate is 0.5%, one of the lowest in Canada. The minimum rent for a bachelor suite is $500 per month, if you can find it and more likely around $650. 2 bedroom apartments are a minimum of $1000. Welfare in British Columbia is one of the lowest in the country at $235 for support of a single person with $375 maximum for shelter. The highest rate of income assistance is for a 2 parent family with children at $401.06 support and a maximum rent of $820.

British Columbia has the highest poverty rate in Canada.

Right to Fight for Rights

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 01:11:00 +0000

Another update from our brother, David Arthur Johnston

in Victoria, British Columbia.
describing how the Government is attempting, yet again

to prevent the TRUTH from being told,

and JUSTICE from being served.

The Most Important Event In Canadian History

(A.K.A. Here Come The Tent-Cities)
-
JANUARY 9th and 10th, 2008, the Provincial Government of BC is
bringing us to a BC Supreme Court judge to attempt a discontinuance of the 'Right to Sleep' Charter Challenge that is due to begin JANUARY 28th and is set for a five day trial.

Success of the Charter Challenge, the striking of the Corporation of the City of Victoria's 'anti-camping' and chattel bylaws, would mean that the people's right to facilitate survival would preclude any restriction if done conscientiously. Meaning we could set up tents with an attitude of minimal damage, anywhere we saw fit, ultimately not limited to any 'private property'. Making those who would restrict their 'property' having to make it physically inaccessible (12 foot high razor wire fences around the parks) or to simply trust in the good nature of people.

I trust the first tent-cities will begin on government land, as, generally speaking, people would like to impose as little as possible on the sensibilities of those who've long held property 'bought' from the 'crown'. Being a Constitutional issue, every municipality in Canada would have to adhere. In time there will be multiple tent-cities - some for families, some more 'front line' (where many angels will get their training).

The beginning of the tent-cities mark the end of capitalism, most notably when a mass of people understand that they no longer 'have' to pay rent, bringing economic collapse.

This is for real, folks... If the court says we must pay to live it means that they're fascists and we're slaves. It means, knowing better, there would be no way to maintain sanity AND ignore the responsibility of rather being dead than corrupt.

Patience be with us all.

David Arthur Johnston
Victoria, BC, Canada
Hatrackman@Gmail.com

Home page- http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman
Journal of the Occupation of St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, BC, Canada)-
http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman/welcome.htm
Crimes of Necessity- http://www.loveandfearlessness.com/ (from
filmmaker Andrew Ainsley. Very comprehensive.)

Oh Holy Night

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 19:33:00 +0000

This day is not about getting presents,
It's about giving GIFTS.
This day is not about Santa Claus.
It's about Jesus Christ.
This day is not about hording,
It's about sharing.
This day is not about what you say,
It's about what you do.
This day is not about celebrating a single day,
It's about living every day.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
(and may the 'Spirit of LOVE' last all year)

Charter Challenge UPDATE: 2

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:55:00 +0000

St. Ann's update-from david arthur johnston, Dec. 4th, 2007: date for attempted discontinuance

alrighty...

JANUARY 9th and 10th, 2008, has been set aside for the Supreme Court
to hear why the province thinks the Charter Challenge should be
discontinued.

I mentioned in the last update that the beginning of the Challenge was
changed from January 22nd to January 27th. Apparently, I was wrong and
it is scheduled to begin on JANUARY 28TH.

Side note- my trial for the NO LOITERING sign protest in the library courtyard has been adjourned to April 18th, 2008, to wait the results of the Charter Challenge (which, in part, will determine the constitutionality of chattel prohibitions, and the NO LOITERING signs also include NO CHATTELS). I was slightly taken aback when the 'crown' suggested that just because the Charter Challenge is scheduled to be heard over 5 days, the judge can reserve ruling for a bit as well. I guess that can be expected. It might be more realistic to expect the
tent-cities to start setting foundation in late spring, early summer... that is, of course, presuming the province doesn't get its 'discontinuance'- if it does then action will happen much sooner.

love and patience be with us all- beware fretting the impossible

in holding on and letting go,

David Arthur Johnston

Victoria, BC, Canada

Hatrackman@Gmail.com

Home page- http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman

Journal of the Occupation of St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, BC, Canada)-
http://www.angelfire.com/apes/hatrackman/welcome.htm

Crimes of Necessity- http://www.loveandfearlessness.com (from
filmmaker Andrew Ainsley. Very comprehensive.)

Tasered to DEATH

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 09:11:00 +0000

I'll have more on this coming with EXTRA footage...But for now.

(Click on this pic to read the CBC story)(click on this pic to see full video)
(click on this pic to see cops caught in a LIE)
(click on this pic to see the 20 people murdered by police)

Though NOT ONE COP has EVER been charged with murder!

But that's what it is...PLAIN & SIMPLE...Let me describe MY - 'eyewitness account';

"I witnessed 4(FOUR) heavily armored and heavily armed men approach a single (ONE) unarmed man...who had already surrendered.
They surrounded, and without ANY provocation SHOT him 3-4 TIMES, as they also physically assaulted him...moments later the man was DEAD.
Then, further Officers of the R.C.M.P. and Government of Canada attempted to cover up this crime by LYING about how it happened and why. Attempting to pretend this was some kind of 'FREAK ACCIDENT' instead of 'Business As Usual'."

MURDERED by R.C.M.P.

COVERED-UP by GOVERNMENT

Canadian History Lesson

(I've highlighted the TRUTH so you don't get lost in the words)

The advent of prohibition in the United States created new opportunities, and many found employment or at least profit in cross-border liquor smuggling. Much of Vancouver's prosperity and opulence in the 1920s is due to this "pirate economy" , although growth in forestry, fishing and mining continued. The end of US-side Prohibition, combined with the onset of the Great Depression, plunged the province into economic destitution. Compounding the already dire local economic situation, tens of thousands of men from colder parts of Canada swarmed into Vancouver, creating huge hobo jungles (VERY early tent city)around False Creek and the Burrard Inlet rail yards, including the old CPR mainline right-of-way through the heart of the city's downtown (at Hastings and Carrall). Increasingly desperate times led to intense political organizing efforts, an occupation of the main Post Office at Granville & Hastings which was violently put down by the police, and an effective imposition of martial law on the docks for almost three years.

A Vancouver contingent for the On-to-Ottawa Trek (Going to the TOP to speak) was organized and seized a train, which was loaded with thousands of men bound for the capital but was met by a Gatling gun straddling the tracks at Mission; the men were arrested and sent to work camps for the duration of the Depression."

(Government can't do anything about complaints not received right?)

"CONSPIRACY" is not a 'Theory'.
It is a "CHARGE" within the 'CRIMINAL CODE'.

Lest We Forget

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 15:55:00 +0000

Remembering Remembrance Day

Remembering Remembrance Day
We waged a war to not live that way
A war we won or so they say
But looking around all I see is dismay.

They killed alot of people but what did they win
They still live their lives in corruption and sin
Telling their lies to let evil back in
Refusing to rise and so let it begin.

They still kill the martyrs that witness to GOD
They still ignore prophets dismissed with a nod
They still war on the poor and onward they trod
Justifying all in the name of God.

Yet Cain still kills Abel
With all the cards on the table
Though this way is unstable
They still lay the cable.

With this thinking my mind starts to sway
I think the point missed on living that way
"The war to end all wars"; I've heard them say
But is that what's remembered this Remembrance Day.

Seemingly not as wars continue still
And all of life's problems can be fixed with a pill
And even the children have learned how to kill
But all of this is just run of the mill.

Then deep inside I start to grin
As I recognize the journey's within
With nothing to stop me once I begin
And all of life's puzzles start to fit in.

With hope I speak out that they hear what I say
And Listen closely to change their way
That they may avoid the 'End of Days'
And Remember that this Remembrance Day.

Crown Corruption Continues

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 05:55:00 +0000

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the 'Province of British Columbia' has been granted time before the courts, and is involving itself in the court proceedings concerning David Arthur Johnson's Charter Challenge.
Now surprisingly enough, it is NOT to stand with, nor behind David as he pursues the rights of ALL Canadians be upheld...and in TRUTH, ALL of GOD's children...not to mention helping us take a step toward the end of torture, abuse and slavery on behalf of the crown and governments of every level.
Though David has already been refused due process for well over two years, the Province of British Columbia gets to 'jump in' and get an EARLIER day in court to have, yet another try, considering the city(Victoria) has already failed, at having this whole ugly mess just thrown right out completely.

Despite these FACTS and TRUTHS, David's original Charter Challenge date was in September 2007 and postponed(without legitimate reason) until January of 2008, for actions that occurred way back in 2004, and would have been over and done with, if the courts actually followed their own decrees of...
"DELAYED JUSTICE IS DENIED JUSTICE"
Despite the FACT that it is easily proven, both on video and eye witness accounts, that David has been tortured, falsely arrested(kidnapped), targeted, harassed, etc. for ALL of these years.
...But that would also mean a great number of poor people across Canada might not have died as a result of 'OVER-exposure' and abuse from being denied the 'RIGHT to CARE FOR ONESELF'...also over these last THREE YEARS.
Just as the courts and judges don't seem to feel there is any reason to deal with this immediately...BEFORE the temperatures drop into the FREEZING levels, while peoples rights are being stripped away for being, along with any ability to survive.
It is obvious to me, that by their actions, the courts are sanctioning legalized murder and unlawful incarceration of the poor.
I have already personally experienced the corruption of the so-called "CROWN" and so-called "JUDGES"...(who themselves shall one day be judged accordingly).
You are now personally witnessing it...again.
How long shall you sit by and let it happen...STAND with us against INJUSTICE.

Canadian Soldiers in Afghanistan return home...the FREEDOMS of your OWN PEOPLE are in danger.
Canadian Soldiers in Canada...disarm the POLICE and arrest them for 'HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS' and Violations to the Geneva Convention.
Citizens of Canada...remove and arrest your officials from power that created racist/classist Laws and ByLAWS that Violate GOD and LAW.

Join us and BE the hero you've been waiting for.

your humble servant,
ancient clown

Canada's Commitment Slipping

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 20:44:00 +0000

This Just In...

Canada's commitment slipping: U.N. rights aide

By David Ljunggren 1 hour, 45 minutes ago

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's commitment to human rights is slipping and the country must work hard to regain the position it once held as an international honest broker, a top United Nations official said on Monday.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour, who is Canadian, said she was particularly unhappy that Canada had last month voted against a nonbinding U.N. declaration of rights for indigenous peoples. Arbour's comments were aimed at the minority Conservative government, which took power in February 2006 and has shown less interest in multilateral diplomacy than its Liberal predecessor.

Arbour said Canada had historically been perceived as an unbiased nation whose judgment was widely sought and which did not serve narrow interests.

"I am very worried that this very romantic view that we have of ourselves is not being sufficiently nourished and preserved to allow us to continue to occupy a place much larger than the one that our single voice among 192 member states of the United Nations would otherwise allow for," she said.
"I hope that we ... will collectively work very hard to reclaim that privileged space," she told an Ottawa conference on human rights. Critics complain that the Conservatives are too close to Washington, where President George W. Bush's record on human rights is regularly attacked.

Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, who was in the audience, declined to comment when asked by reporters for his reaction. Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier would not be available for comment, a spokesman said.
Arbour is a left-leaning former supreme court judge who was appointed to that job by the Liberals. She took up her current position in 2004.
She said she had to "register my profound disappointment that Canada did not see fit to support the declaration" on indigenous rights. Ottawa said the document clashed with Canadian laws.
Arbour later told reporters she was surprised by the Canadian vote and questioned whether Ottawa was still able to portray itself as an honest broker.

"I think there is a sense that Canada is moving away from its total commitment to multilateralism and is now I think advancing other forms of either national or regional alignment," she said. "Canadians still have an image of themselves that is now pretty dated, that is not reflective of the contemporary position and role Canada can and should play in my view internationally."

Reuters Photo: United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights Louise Arbour

David Arthur Johnston

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:33:00 +0000

Are you a Canadian?
Are you thinking of immigrating to Canada?
Do you think you already have a 'Right To Sleep' here?
Then YOU had better read this...I thought people around the world should better get to know 'David Arthur Johnston', or more importantly, why this one man is so important to us ALL.

Journal of the Occupation of St. Ann’s Academy

(Victoria, BC, Canada)

January 2004 to October 2007 (so far)

In the beginning…

I don’t use money (as it, unavoidably, supports a prideful construct). I sleep outside (primarily in Beacon Hill Park, at least until this adventure). In the months leading up to the end of 2003 the number of ‘deterrent events’ was increasing with condescending and threatening police and grounds-keepers hunting out sleepers, and the application of ‘bum-away’ (undiluted fertilizer- ground up fish) on known sleeping spots. Added with the winter conditions, my fatigue brought with it a consideration that my innocence was not being ‘presumed of’ in my ability to sleep conscientiously. So, I was inspired to take issue.
This was an account of a campaign to determine the right to sleep. It has become a dance where conscientiousness reveals itself to be transcendent of the ‘rule of law’. Patience be with us all, for the bad and the good. May we enjoy remembering that a free will understands there is only one will.

There is a ‘police and courts encounter list’ that acts as a nice summary if the journal’s length is too daunting. It can be found at the August 23^rd, 2006 update.

Charter Challenge UPDATE:

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 00:40:00 +0000

The following piece was Submitted by Hatrackman(David Arthur Johnston) on Wed, 2007-10-10 16:33.

St. Ann's update- Wed. Oct. 10th, 2007: find something you do not doubt

-

I love all of you. Alrighty...

The trial is still tentatively scheduled for January 22nd. The province is going to try and strike the whole thing in court on October 30th and 31st because of a technicality. Our lawyers are confident about it, though- I get the feeling it will be a reenactment of the city's attempt at a discontinuance.

OK. Here is the thing that is on my brain now- the lawyers position is that the bylaws are unconstitutional because they restrict those who've no where else to go, meaning that if the city and province put up a warehouse with 500 beds they would not have a case anymore. This case is based around the tent-city that was in Cridge Park over 2 years ago and the defendants will be scrutinized to see if they had other options besides the tent-city. The only thing I have going for me is my joy of articulating my justification for not using money- this is the point where the city and the police and the province can be held accountable for their lack of innocent presumption in a person's ability to sleep conscientiously on public access property. That is exactly what the 'crown' does not want- they will do their best to hypnotize the masses into thinking that internment camps and martial law are necessary... and they are doing a good job of it.

In the meantime I will continue with my primary job, which is to spread the gospel- that pride is sin because fate is real.

May the love of truth pervade.

I, sometimes, have a problem with going to people to get help because I've tried it lots. Over time I have learned that if the issue is important enough and bright enough people will come to it. In this case my desire would be to let people know that help would be nice and would directly affect this planet's birth pangs as it evolves into freedom... people will do whatever their experience leads them to do- may their experience lead them to humility and a moment where data on this battle is in front of them. May I be forgiven if my words are not clear enough to inspire. May we all be forgiven if our acceptance of fascism is because the person fighting for freedom is not the hero we all wait for. Pride is sin because fate is real.

in glorious fatigue,

David Arthur Johnston

Victoria, BC, Canada

Hatrackman@Gmail.com

- Home page

- Journal of the Occupation of St. Ann's Academy (Victoria, BC, Canada)

- Crimes of Necessity (from filmmaker Andrew Ainsley. Very comprehensive.)

- The Right To Sleep (This site started to raise awareness of these issues.)

- Ancient's History (A site from the 'Son of Man')

The Right To Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (ancient clown) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:44:00 +0000

It's illegal to sleep outside! IS THAT OK WITH YOU?

They have criminalized sleep.

Sleep is a necessity of life - without it we can not survive!

Police and security guards claim they have the authority to wake a peaceful sleeper on public property and order them to go somewhere else. One of the major flaws with this power is that there is not a single inch of property in all of any City where it is legal to sleep outside.
It is a catch-22 - if you do not own or rent private property, it is against the law to sleep and each night hundreds of homeless people must commit crimes of necessity.

(click on picture for video)