Did you know that the lamb of the senate, Patrick Brazeau, was once a contender? It’s true, the lamb agreed to duke it out with a fighter half his size named Trudeau, even putting his pretty locks on the line. “If I lose, shear me,” declared the lamb. But the lamb was confident in victory. He boasted to one and all of his extraordinary fighting skills. To hear him tell it, his hands are lethal weapons. He would render Trudeau unconscious with a few chops, lamb chops I presume. It would all be just too easy. The lamb would become the undisputed “Rocky” (or is that “Rocker”?) of the senate. Whatever!
The lamb held press conferences and predicted, “I’ll knock Trudeau senseless.” Being knocked “senseless” was something the lamb did not have to worry about.
An oldtimer and veteran of many a fistacuff told me once that having confidence in your fighting skills was half the battle. The lamb was more confident in winning this fight than anyone I’ve ever seen in my life. But the smaller, wiry Trudeau was too much for the porky lamb. He got winded, his punches weren’t landing, wherever the lamb’s head went, Trudeau’s fist was sure to go. One of Trudeau’s blows landed so perfectly that the impact of it sent the lamb’s head kicking back, his face looking like a panicked pillsbury-dough-boy trying to prevent himself from being sucked into a shopvac. The stocky lamb was done like supper. The “fight” or perhaps the “slaughter” was mercifully stopped so the lamb would live to tell the tale.
The lamb had been silenced. For all his bragging the lamb turned out to be just another windbag, full of hot air, useless and impotent in the fight game.
I was overnighting in Kingston for my work at Millhaven Penitentiary when I wrote the words, above, about Brazeau’s antics from last year. I wanted to prompt a chuckle or two and highlight that we should not pay any mind to his attacks of Chief Spence and the Idle No More movement.
But this blog has taken a serious turn. The news broke the next morning that Patrick Brazeau was charged with sexual assault and domestic assault. I immediately asked myself, what have Brazeau’s “lethal” hands been up to? I feel sad that someone has suffered. I hope the extent of their pain is not so great that they will be prevented from finding the strength to recover from it as soon as possible. Violence is always so wrong.
Let us keep anyone who experienced trauma in Brazeau’s house in our prayers. Pray that the healing love of their relatives will see them through and beyond this upsetting moment in their life. Brazeau too, if he is guilty of a crime and if he is remorseful for any pain he has caused has a birthright to take his place in a healing circle. No one can push him from it.
Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.
- My next post is about what we can do to end violence against women -
Your understanding, perspective, compassion, and wisdom are a breath of fresh air, Albert.
Thank you for your insight, Albert. As always, you find the perfect words to shed light on subjects that are not always easy to deal with. I too feel for the poor victims of this man and hope that they will heal. Perhaps the Ancestors will help him find his way back into the light.
This is very cynical and typically bashing towards Patrick Brazeau. It makes me think that there is a crisis into the Anishinabeg Firsts Nations and even though the character of the senator and his bashing of the Firsts Nations of Canada are unacceptable, there is other ways to express our indignation considering what I learn about the Anishinabeg Firsts Nations being people of peace and respect. Off course, we are in title to criticise the way the senator is speaking about the Firsts Nations but do we need to react the same way? I don’t think so!
The braking news about Mr. Brazeau criminal’s accusations is as painful for him and the complaint of this sad event that lead to his arrest. The pain of the families as it is to the Kitigan Zibi First Nation from which he has been rejected as well as his family way before he has been elected Chef of the Congress of aboriginal Peoples twice before and the last time with a majority over 80%. Meaningful result… don’t you think?
Since Patrick Brazeau was called to the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in December 2008, he has been bash by members of the First Nations. This is something that makes me wonder about peace and respect of the Anishinabeg Firsts Nations and the racism toward the people he was representing as Chef of the Congress. Patrick Brazeau once said “I went to a non-aboriginal school and to my friends who were not aboriginal, they always viewed me as being too much aboriginal, and the reserve community, which was about 1,000 meters from where I was living, they saw me as being not aboriginal enough just because of the fact that I lived off reserve…” It looked like the Firsts Nations are very selective people of members of the Firsts Nations in or out the reserve while the Firsts Nations claim their right to the territory (land) which it is much more than “reserve” they were put in.
Reserve is a word to banish from our vocabulary about the Firsts Nations. It doesn’t reflect the reality of the aboriginal People and this political “bashing” between aboriginal doesn’t make any sense in 21st century.
No one wants to become the “black sheep” of is home land. Never the less, many men from all the Firsts Nations could be pointed like you’re doing with the “lamb” of the Senate as you depict him. No one is perfect and certainly not free of prejudice.
I don’t get it…. What is it with you people?
Kichi migwech for your comment Ms. Latourelle,
Your views are very much appreciated. However we need to get our facts straight. It was not the community of Kitigan Zibi who rejected the Brazeau family “way before he became chef of the Congress of Aboriginal People”. If you want to see the guilty, look no further than the government of Canada and the many of her citizens who were pleased with the oppression brought down on First Nations no matter how severe or senseless those acts were. It was not our wish that our women lose their status as Anishinabe Kwe because of a marriage to a white man. Canada did this, not us.
You are mistaken too in another area. It was only after “He” was nominated into the senate did “He” Brazeau himself begin to bash, ridicule and condemn all things First Nations, whether it was individuals, organizations or communities. Just as the master puppeteer Mr. Harper wanted his good little puppet to do.
The purpose of the blog was only to show any reader that Brazeau’s hateful and disrespectful comments were coming from a person who was regarded as nothing more than a clown by anyone with even the smallest amount of what is common sense. Goodness sakes, would you deny the First Nations the right to defend themselves? If we do not react to someone who spits in our faces today, we guarantee they will feel free to spit in the faces of even our children tomorrow without fear or concern.
Remember this. I ended the blog by telling my readers that Brazeau is entitled to take his place in the healing circle. I will fight for his right to do so any time and any place.
Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert Dumont
Obviously, there is a misunderstanding which misleads your reply from the South Wind. Getting ‟our facts straight” is that the government of Canada succeeded in injecting a virus of bashing in the Canadian nation composed by all nations living on Mother Earth. That’s not the purpose of the Creator and neither mine.
Now, more people are inflected with that virus and make them step into the right of fight and later on a land of civil war no matter what your references to the past history of the Aboriginal People being the First Nation in Canada or elsewhere in the world.
I’m not ‟mistaken”, I’m concern about the hide agenda of Mr. Harper concerning the Firsts Nations of Canada ‟the master puppeteer” dealing with other masters puppeteer ‟wanted little puppet to do”.
The hate and disrespected comments are not running on a one way as well as the clowns. I am not denying the Firsts Nations to defend themselves. My point is that I am against bashing or ‟spiting” in our face with all the consequences.
I remember! I discovered your blog and your ‟telling to your readers” and I truly believe that not only Brazeau ‟is entitled to take his place in the healing circle”, there is a lot of political people too.
Finally, I don’t need to fight to take my place in the circle. The circle where I am, standing in the middle, hand to hand with the Creator, without having to say anything to understand each other, spiritual pact of peace and respect.
Olive C. Latourelle, Aboriginal
Kichi migwech for your comments Ms. Latourelle,
I understand how you feel. Calling Brazeau a clown and a puppet might seem unacceptable to some readers of this blog, but in my opinion this is a gentle reaction to the severe and outrageous tactics used by Brazeau. I leave it to the readers to decide for themselves how right or how wrong my views are. I learned long ago that it is impossible to please everyone, and that it is foolish to try.
Good Bless you for your Good Heart.
Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert Dumont.