Ready, Aye, Ready

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/07/13/pie-bronc.html?ref=rss

The linked-to article is about Calgary's Mayor Bronconnier commenting on the use of the cream pie as a medium of dissatisfaction, or as he puts it:

"the method of choice" of those who want to make a political statement.

I'm sympathetic; I don't think I'd care to be hit by a pie either.

What gets me is the inappropriateness of the pie-hurler: Bronconnier was hit while waiting to cross a street. The point of a political statement (pie or otherwise) is to make sure people know what it's about; hitting your target at a random location when they're not expecting it certainly maximises the chance of success, but minimizes the impact you'll have in putting your agenda forward. The article also notes the attempted pie-ing of Alberta's Premier earlier this week at a Stampede breakfast; even in failure, it did raise significant attention about low-cost housing which was the purpose of the action. The Bronconnier pie incident achieved nothing similar.

Still, I'm sure a cream pie -- so long as it's not delivered in a baking dish -- is preferred to rotten eggs which is what used to be thrown at politicians. That said, I think the day of the pie is over though. It used to be amusing as a non-harmful but demeaning way of making a point; now it just seems to be a cheap and remarkably unimaginative approach.

There's a further comment, rather thrown away:

Police arrested a 56-year-old woman, who has been charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a narcotic.

Presumably she had a more traditional drug on her person, but it sure reads like the pie was dosed with something. "Assault with a weapon" sounds extreme but then I don't know if one can be charged with "assault" by itself.