Government and mining company (same thing) confiscate Quebec hero’s home
Man ordered from home on Quebec gold mine (ca.news.yahoo.com, August 4, 2010)
“Ken Masse’s childhood house is the last obstacle standing in the way of a multibillion-dollar mining project in the town of Malartic. But he has refused to budge.”
“Masse, 35, balked at lucrative offers for his mother’s home and stared down an expropriation order….”
A judge has awarded Osisko Mining Corp. possession of the property.
“The reclusive, thick-bearded man has said his fight wasn’t about money, but about protecting property rights and the environment from a massive open-pit mine.”
“Masse was the lone holdout from a relocation project that saw Osisko buy out 204 of 205 homeowners ….
Masse stood up for the principle of property rights when everyone else caved.
Property rights means the owner decides whether to sell or not.
Property rights means the owner decides the price at which he is willing to sell. In this case, he demanded more.
Property rights means the owner can ignore any offer, and all intimidation and all propaganda, and refuse to sell.
Property rights means liberty.
Property rights means he shouldn’t have to go court, and make errors in court, or be caught up in drama where people get offended. None of that should be necessary.
Property rights is an ideal that we should all hold close to our hearts. It is fundamental to freedom.
The government is allowed legally to expropriate property but that doesn’t mean it is right to do so. We rationalize the end result because the promises in the propaganda seem so positive, and because the forces behind expropriation seem so “important” and overwhelming and special. Always, there are more “special” people than ourselves bossing us around. They know what’s best for all of us and love us up every chance they get. Sure they do.
The excuse given for generations has been in the name of the “economy”, which usually means handing over all the initiative in our lives to big business and government-backed projects – often to do with war – instead of people doing their own thing. We would have all been better off if our ancestors had refused to go along with massive projects in the past that polluted and confiscated their property in the name of “the economy” or the “war effort”.
These excuses just means that someone else with more power than us, for some reason, calls the shots. Why do we allow that state of affairs to exist? Why aren’t we in charge of our own lives? Why is someone else’s goals more important than ours?
Mining could be a very good thing if we lived in a society that respected property rights – property rights for individuals, for communities, and for native tribes.
But we don’t. We live in a society of force, and propaganda and bullies – bullies that set themselves up on pedestals and wear nice suits, or robes.
Notice all the loaded B.S. in this story:
Masse has a beard. The article really emphasizes that. It is a “thick” beard. That’s really key. It tells us we’re supposed to think he is very eccentric, even though men have been wearing beards for thousands of years. We’re “not supposed” to do that for some reason.
The people who know him feel sorry for him. He’s so “isolated”. His property has been stolen by an overwhelming force, but we’re all going to obsess over his mental well-being. Obviously it’s supposed to be insane that a family would believe they actually had control of their property.
I mean, you’re supposed to just cave in and bow to easy money – the pittance they offer you as they bully you and steal your home – because easy money is God. And mining companies are God. And the promise of jobs is God. That’s the collectivist thinking. All those things are supposedly more important than the rights of some stubborn old-fashioned guy with a beard.
This is what you’re supposed to say: “What was he reading? What was he smoking? What was he thinking? How strange! How sad! And that beard. Man, nobody wears thick beards like that. It just goes to show you. And $350,000 they offered! Why, that’s a fortune!” No, it’s not.
Then there is all this guff about the “market value” being a few thousand dollars – on top of a potential gold mine. As if there is a free market. The privileged class, the well-connected class – they call the shots and make the declarations about other peoples’ property. What a joke. What a ridiculous fantasy land where the majority all do what they’re told and lick boots like a pack of ineffectual powerless sheep, as if they’re going to get anything.
But someone who tries to stand up for his mother and himself, and get what he is entitled to, he is portrayed as the one to be pitied as if he’s the one with the problem. No, he’s not the one to be pitied.
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Related: Bugs Bunny: Homeless Hare
Bugs quotes:
“Didn’t you ever hear about the sanctity of the American home?”
“After all, a man’s home is his castle”.
Please let me know of any petition to support this man and to not only protest but stop this bullish takeover.
It’s time for the people of Canada to stop acting like sheep in front of unfair situations like this. We choose governments not
dictatorships for few year.
He is a hold-out for a million-dollar payout. And all you naive liberals are outraged, as usual, over this thinly disguised act where he is a “hero” fighting a big evil corporation. How can you people be so stupid? Supporters of this hippie are delusional liberals. Get your facts straight. Masse himself has been reported to have also worked in the industry. More importantly, this blogger conveniently omits the fact that Masse and his self-described billionaire advisor both refused to give evidence in court. What more do you want? He’s had numerous opportunities to better himself, his children and his mother. Unfortunately his greed and stupidity has cost him a once in a lifetime opportunity. On the upswing, the smarter 200 other residents will enjoy the benefits of a much needed economic kick start.
Oh no. Someone has brought the “liberal” vs. “conservative”, “left”-“right” paradigm here.
Masse defended property rights. That’s a PRINCIPLE, and liberals and conservatives have to learn about PRINCIPLES. None of what you said matters at all. None of the details matter. None of his other beliefs or court “mistakes” or anything else. All of that is rationalization for the huge tank of government running over this man’s life, by trying to find a little flaw here and there to justify evil.
I think it’s great if he worked in the mining industry good for him – what’s that got to do with anything! His property was taken from him by force. It was stolen. He didn’t bow down. He didn’t suck up. He stood firm. Most “conservatives” seem to believe that “might makes right”. What kind of principle is that? “Go along with everything! Follow orders. Worship power! Do what you’re told!” It’s not even “conservative”.
I am looking for a petition to sign or an address to write to so that I can be heard. What has happened here is capitalism bullshit. No one should ever be forced out of their home. If anyone has info about a petition
please email me at kimmie.simons@yahoo.ca so I can spread the word and stand up for this man and his rights.
What happened to him is collectivism, where the elite-serving government says “the interests of society” – whether environmentalist or big business – are somehow more important than the individual or independent groups. This is how the system has worked for a long time. It’s a disguised feudal authoritarian system that hides behind ideals of different flavors. It never believed in individual rights such as property rights and freedoms, except on paper and lip service. People on the left and right need to stop just clinging to labels and find some common ground about what is right and wrong. I mean, right here, we have an illustration of what government is traditionally used for.
Ken Massé, just like the rest of us, does not own anything, never did, but was unaware of it, as we all are. We are only temporarily ‘given’ the right to so-called ‘ownership’, and may maintain this ‘right’ by complying to all the tens of thousands of rules, the main ones being paying your ‘property taxes'(if you don’t, they take away your ‘property right’) and making your ‘mortgage payments’.
We own nothing. Everything is owned by the Crown.
I think it’s pretty sad. Crown should have ruled the mining company paid him the million.
We are all tired of corporations ruling over our lives. Definitely let’s start a petition or some other grassroots support for the poor man while he goes to court.
Oh yeah and poor us paying property taxes indeed…
Regardless of where this man works or what he does, this is HIS PROPERTY! That judge is wrong in ordering this man out and if a huge mining company gets away with that then everyone else can be forced out of their homes too. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no gold until it’s proven. Before they do that, they must destroy the guys house. That gold is worth no more than any other piece of rock! This requires Texas law so that guy can shoot his legs off like the Cartrights and McGraws if they steal his property or step foot on it. It’s his to sell as he chooses at the price he asks. That judge should be held up for conspiracy. I want this man to appeal the decision and I think there should be an entire mob to support him. If everyone rolls over to play dead then the courts, government and multi-billionaires kick everyone around. That goes against the charter rights..his constitutional rights..To me this is comparible to Charles Manson ripping the baby out of that womans gut. Any gold they may find under that home should belong to him! The government will charge property taxes if we added a toilet in our basement raising our property value plus our property taxes. If this the case then that gold around his basement increases his property value. Therefore they should add millions moee to that $14,000 estimation. In fact they should have an accurate assessment to total the value of that gold and give him every penny worth! It seems the law and government always goes back to a rich mans favor or the governments. NOBODY would feel they should get less than rightful property value nor should this man. As far as I’m concerned all of those other people were stupid to leave their homes and should have been as wise as this man. However simple he may be he’s a brainchild. He’s not holding up the town. That company is holding up the town like a bank robbery with the judge seated on top of the gun barrel. All of those people should go back to claim their own gold if it’s there. This man has sentimental value in that home that can’t be replaced by gold- To him the home is every bit the value! This is a sheer case of greed! Sometimes it only takes ONE PERSON against an army to open up eyes to the reality. It’s about time the others joined. WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT! We hold that judges job… Read the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. All of these lawyers are wasting a large sum of money and years in University to do what? All lawyers should stand up for this man in what they know is LAW. Throw the book at the judge and force him to read.
To the writer; I see what you mean by how they are trying to degrade Masse. Regardless of what people think, they are taking from him as they can from anyone no matter how they look or dress etc. Besides being eccentric isn’t such a bad thing! Many who have made major contributions to the world and society were seen as eccentric. Sure people will say or do anything to shelter their own guilt and cloak their evil scheme. We’ve heard of all of that through history of witches and left handers.. Anyone they want to label freaks or stick in assylums in order to steal control. Even send electrical volts in their body to reduce brain cells. However if you really think about this, who were the eccentrics and the crazies that were cast aside? Alexander Grahm Bell, Thomas Edison, Einstein.. So many more who paved this way in this world because they retreated to their own limb against all odds and ridicule. Call him what you like! He can be the one saying “I told you so” when they decide years later that he was right! We have telephones and computers that merged from an accentric mans “crazy” thought- NOW USE IT! Everyone should be flooding the lines to help this man. I adore his gutless determination.