THIS is why the pamphleteers are voting keith cole:

toronto pride made a bad, bad decision. censoring freedom of speech(which is exactly what they did when they decided to ban queers against israeli apartheid) at a pride event was not only completely unjustifiable but it has also exposed pride TO's true mandate: censorship for sponsorship.

for immediate release is this statement from Keith Cole, the These Pamphleteers endorsed Mayoral candidate.

keith was asked to hose PRIDE's 2010 ALTERNA-QUEER stage on Saturday, July 3. This is his response:

FREEDOM OF SPEECH MUST PREVAIL!
NO CENSORSHIP

I must decline the offer to host PRIDE’s 2010 ALTERNA – QUEER stage on Saturday July 3rd, 2010, South Stage. It is with great sadness that I must say NO to host one of PRIDE’s best music venues due to Censorship and complete ignorance and respect for individuals right to Freedom of Speech by PRIDE.

I love Alterna – Queer. It is and has been one of the best stages at PRIDE for years. The music, the people, the vibe and the bands have been great in the past and 2010 has a great line up of talent indeed, but PRIDE’s decision to dictate censorship and prevent freedom of speech leaves me with no choice – I must decline PRIDE’s offer to host this event. As a human, an artist, a gay and a 2010 Toronto Mayoral Candidate I cannot nor will I ever support an organization that acts as censors and denies people freedom of speech.

PRIDE has made a dangerous and sickening decision. PRIDE now has censorship mechanisms in place and freedom of speech has been challenged today and for the future. Any individual, any group, any person is now at risk at being censored by PRIDE and denied freedom of speech – who or what will be next? A group? An individual? An artist? A band? An idea? A painting? A book? A body-part? A name? A memory? A thought? A drag queen? A dyke? A fag? It could be anyone or anything next. We, the queer community, are the major stakeholders in PRIDE – not governments, corporations, banks, condo developments or beer companies etc… We are what made PRIDE and we will continue to define our PRIDE.

PRIDE will happen with or without government / corporate sponsorship. We will march, gather, protest, party, celebrate and keep on fighting the good fight. Free speech is worth fighting for and censorship must be stopped no matter what the price.

The community will not forget this terrible decision made by PRIDE.

I love the event Alterna – Queer and I love the music but I love freedom of speech and I can never, ever support censorship.

Sent with a Proud, Free & Uncensored Voice,

Keith Cole

Contact: Keith Cole 416-944-0077 / keithcole@sympatico.ca

keith cole for mayor!

tonite!

Better Ballots is hosting a mayoral debate tonite and it will be the first debate to include our favorite candidate: keith cole!!

it starts at 7pm, june 1st, at Hart House.

it's free and open to the public, and will run about 90 minutes.

.

more keith cole please.

so the keith cole for mayor diaper toss was a success--not only did it draw attention to the lack of green in dundas square, but it also brought some fun back into the mayoral race, making it less boring.

so what's next?? join keith on friday may 14th for the keith cole experience!

buddies in bad times theatre's tallulah's cabaret, doors at 10:30 and show at 11:15pm. Cover is only 8$!

help make this the least boring mayoral race of all time, go!

because we have to throw the dirty diapers somewhere

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get ready toronto...

does anyone else think toronto is getting a little boring?? a little bit too smug? a little bit too uptight? a little too "say one thing, do another?" when you think of toronto politics do you think of badly fitting suits?

has anyone else been crushed by a hummer while riding their bike?

well, this pamphleteer is feeling all of the above.

for being canada's biggest city, toronto is really letting itself go. basically i had checked myself out of the mayoral election coming up after giambrone's big fizzle. i was all like 'the mayoral election is boring, and if jim pantalone sends me one more goddamned unauthorized email up date i'm going to lose it." like, how did that guy even GET my email address??

yes, toronto has pockets of awesome scattered through out it's leafy neighbour hoods but the fact is that a lot of us are just over toronto.

we don't have a comprehensive bike lane system, the green bin program turned out to be a big lie, rent is too expensive and apartments are too shitty, the ttc sucks and it costs three dollars.

well there was a little glimmer of hope the other day when i found o ut about a mayoral candidate that i hadn't known about(probably because i'v e been ignoring the mayoral election).

i read this:

"If you think we are going to get away with anything, you are wrong. The puritans are going to be taking over this city and this country very, very, very soon. We cannot have that, ladies and gentlemen. Think about what’s going on with Stephen Harper and the federal politics. This is what’s happening right now and if you don’t think it’s going to happen in the city of Toronto, it’s going to happen in the city of Toronto very, very, very soon."

that's right, a MAYORAL CANDIDATE spoke those words. a mayoral candidate for the city of toronto!!

meet keith cole, potential mayor.

this blog is endorsing keith cole for mayor, because i believe that he is exactly what this mayoral race(and this city) needs right now.

Announcing his intentions of running, keith emphasized the importance of civic engagement, of everyone getting involved in running the city. this is important.

also, he's putting the arts front and center. he's all like "hey toronto, what about the arts?" that's important too.

public health and bike lanes--these are things keith cole believes in and you should believe in them too.

"The city of Toronto used to have a little bit of strut, a little bit of style, a little bit of swagger. And now we have none of that. We have to bring all of that back. So it’s up to all of us to bring a little bit of style, a little bit of strut, a little bit of swagger back to the city of Toronto"

exactly. if we just let the pantalones and the smithermans run these races, our city will lose its cool indefinitely.

you know what else this city needs? it needs some gay, in office. for reals yo.

i want a mayor who isn't afraid to say "i know all about vicious fags, i am one too."

it doesn't matter at this point if he wins or loses. what matters is that he's gotten into the race at all. what matters is that we all take his cue and stop sitting back and just letting shit happen to our city.

so these pamphleteers is now, officially, a keith cole for mayor blog. i am going to VOTE in the election and i'm going to cast my vote for keith cole.

here are keith's nine campaign points:

1. We need civic engagement – big time

2. Toronto is becoming unsophisticated and boring

3. Toronto needs its strut, style and swagger back

4. Strengthen and keep arts and culture fostering and funding

5. Ensure that Toronto is 100% pedestrian and bike friendly

6. Toronto has room for everyone

7. Make Toronto a vibrant and livable city

8. A solid Public Health in all of its parts and pieces

9. I have nothing to hide – I have been already caught with my pants down.

join the facebook group: keith cole for mayor AND donate to keith's campaign here::

and read this excellent torontoist article about keith: http://torontoist.com/2010/04/keith_cole_for_mayor.php#more

KEITH COLE FOR MAYOR!!!