Mississauga Musings

Got email from Don (Watcher) Barber and my! did he ever share a huge piece of the Batista puzzle this morning. Talk about context!

"Turned up a missing piece of the puzzle. When he was growing up, he lived in a dictatorship and people made up rhyming songs that were very rude to mock the dictator and he still remembers them and sung one to me."

--Don Barber (July 30, 2007)

The Mississauga Muse is now spending part of her Hawaiian vacation researching the political history of Portugal and of Portuguese censorship during Mr. Batista's time. (Of special interest to me will be his schooling years from age 7 to 10.)

It just took Don Barber's "he lived in a dictatorship and people made up rhyming songs that were very rude to mock the dictator" that made me remember so many of my own parents' stories (Nazi regime). Even in their 80's the distrust and fear of government stays with them and they've been in Canada since September 1953. I guess you never escape the Inner Child.

So. What does this have to do with Pat Saito vs Antonio Batista Trial? (Muse goes to her notes, Ah! Here it is..) Dennis Duffy, professor emeritus of English at the University of Toronto testifed on Satire--that poems, songs can be satire. He mentioned that a political cartoon is also satire.

Here's the important part,"that the signal of a Totalitarian regime is no satire" or satire only on "approved targets."

Judge J. J. Keaney later observed "but we're in Mississauga --we're not in the Soviet Union." (That comment, you will later discover, is delicious Irony.)

From the National Post
Published: Saturday, July 28, 2007:

In his ruling yesterday, Judge James J. Keaney rejected Prof. Duffy's evidence, and noted that Mr. Batista, whose grasp on English is loose, testified he does not even know what satire is.

He did not issue written reasons, but said that while intentional jest is a plausible defence for a death threat charge, and satire is a form of jest, "unintended satiric comment" cannot amount to a jest under the law.

So. If you don't even know what the word "satire" means, you can't produce an "unintended satiric comment." Really. So little kids who play "classroom" and one kid mimics his teacher to the hooting delight of all isn't producing satirical role playing? Or social commentary. Really?

We now take you to Mr. Antonio Batista's early life in his native Portugal. I want people to know--it's important for people to know--that Mississauga/Peel, who Clayton Ruby described as "awash in money," aimed so much of its resources into prosecuting just one person who chose to stand up to his Councillor and let other citizens know that she was not doing her job.

Context. Actually, Don Barber didn't just turn up a "piece of the puzzle" but a big piece of the puzzle.

Mr. Batista was born September 22, 1931. So I did quick research on the Portugal of his grandparents' and parents' times. After all, Mr. Batista would've grown up hearing their stories. And then I read about his Portugal.

Time Travel to circa 1930's Portugal

Mr. Antonio Batista was born under The Ditadura Nacional (Portuguese for National Dictatorship). Then in 1933 an army-led coup established the Estado Novo (Portuguese for "New State"). The Estado Novo would've had the most effect on Batista's life. Recall that in court he stated that he'd had three years of schooling (age 7 through 10).

Here's the Estado Novo's philosphy regarding Education:

"and the Educational Program was able to build a primary school in each Portuguese town. Further education was discouraged except for a tiny elite, and was closely supervised. Salazar believed that education destroyed the basic conservative and religious values of the people and should only be accessible to a minority with close ties to the regime."

It means in Mr. Batista's Portugal the understanding of the word "satire" (not the concept) was limited to a "tiny elite."

When a government keeps its people ignorant as part of their philosophy, citizens not only don't know what the word "satire" means, they can't even write except in the most limited capacity. It's not in the interest of the ruling class. That was Antonio Batista's world and this morning's Portugal-surf also exposed the existence of PIDE --The Secret Police.

Me, when I think Police, I think Constable Yakichuk and Elmer the Safety Elephant. I grew up in 1950's Cooksville and we loved Constable Yakichuk. He taught us that the police are our friends. I still believe that.

Anyway, let me introduce Mr. Antonio Batista's childhood and developmental years...

"Ditadura Nacional"

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ditadura Nacional (Portuguese for National Dictatorship) was the name of the Portuguese regime initiated by the 28th May 1926 coup d'état that lasted until the adoption of the new constitution in 1933, when the regime changed its name to Estado Novo (New State).

Estado Novo (Portugal)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Estado Novo (Portuguese for "New State"; pron. IPA: [(?)?'tadu 'novu]) is the name of the Portuguese authoritarian regime installed in 1933, following the army-led coup d'état of 28th May 1926 against the democratic First Republic. The Estado Novo was developed by António de Oliveira Salazar, ruler of Portugal from 1932 to 1968.

Regime

The Estado Novo was a dictatorial regime with an integralist orientation, which differed from the fascist regime of Italy by its more moderate use of state violence. However it incorporated the same principles for its military from Mussolini's system. Salazar was a Catholic traditionalist who believed in the necessity of control over the forces of economic modernisation in order to defend the religious and rural values of the country, which he perceived as being threatened. One of the pillars of the regime was the PIDE, the secret police. Many political dissidents were imprisoned at the Tarrafal prison in the African archipelago of Cape Verde, on the capital island of Santiago, or in local jails. Strict state censorship was in place.

The Estado Novo accepted the idea of corporatism as an economic model. This policy was pursued in order to protect the elites and defend oligarchic capitalism as the economic system, under state paternalist supervision. Although Salazar refused to sign the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1938, the Portuguese Communist Party was intensely persecuted. So were Anarchists, Liberals, Republicans and anyone opposed to the regime. The only allowed party was the União Nacional (National Union), which encompassed a wide range of right-wing politics, passing through monarchism, corporatism, fascism, nationalism and capitalism.

Economy and education

During the 1940s and 1950s Portugal experienced great economic growth due to increased raw material exports to the war-ravaged and recovering nations of Europe. Salazar managed to discipline the Portuguese economy, after the chaotic First Portuguese Republic of 1910–1926. A brand new road system was built, new bridges spanned the rivers and the Educational Program was able to build a primary school in each Portuguese town. Further education was discouraged except for a tiny elite, and was closely supervised. Salazar believed that education destroyed the basic conservative and religious values of the people and should only be accessible to a minority with close ties to the regime.

Then I happened upon the history of "Censorship in Portugal"--after all a dictatorship gags its press and people in an attempt to suffocate all dissent. Here's what I discovered regarding "Censorship in Portugal" during those years:

"Writers fear that their works will end up prohibited, and therefore some things are not worth writing, lest they damn the whole book. Journalists were always the ones that suffered the most from this self-imposed censorship, as their would bear responsibility for any delays in the newspaper, for some ill-pondered or reckless phase. Ferreira de Castro wrote in 1945 "Each of us, when writing, places an imagiary [sic] censor on the desk". (Ed. note: In 1945 Mr. Batista would've been 14 years old.)

So some connect-the-dots pondering is in order. Mr. Batista growing up would've heard the stories of oppression from his grandparents.

His parents would've experienced the bedside manner of the previous "Ditadura Nacional (Portuguese for National Dictatorship)" and he'd have known only the Estado Novo--"the Portuguese authoritarian regime installed in 1933."

To continue [emphasis/commentary mine]:

"Some authors started using metaphors: Dawn for Socialism, Spring for Revolution, Vampire for Policeman, etc., which made some of the works unintentionally poetic, [Ed. note: unintentionally poetic? Gee, where have we heard "unintentionally" before?] something that is today remembered with some nostalgia (even today, specially in some of the smaller newspapers, we can find an overly elaborated prose in everyday subjects). David Mourão Ferreira wrote in the poem that was later sung by Amália Rodrigues as "Fado de Peniche", "At lest you can hear the wind! - At least you can hear the sea!", in a reference to the political prisoners held in the Forte de Peniche (Peniche fortress), not to the fishermen of the town (fisheries and fish canning have been the most important activity in Peniche for decades). The objective of this coded wording was to induce in the audience the suspicion of everything reported and officially sanctioned by the authorities, and let to second meaning being imagined even where there were none." (Ed. note: Slaves in the deep South had their own language "code" as well... That's human defense against oppression.)

It is often told that in a Zeca Afonso concert the censor assigned to monitor the performance unwittingly joined the chorus singing "you'll end up in the PIDE", being later severely punish for his naivity. [Ed. note:There's PIDE again...]

Many other authors were jailed or saw their books impounded, such as Soeiro Pereira Gomes, Aquilino Ribeiro, José Régio, Maria Lamas, Rodrigues Lapa, Urbano Tavares Rodrigues, Alves Redol, Alexandre Cabral, Orlando da Costa, Alexandre O´Neil, Alberto Ferreira, António Borges Coelho, Virgílio Martinho, António José Forte, Alfredo Margarido, Carlos Coutinho, Carlos Loures, Amadeu Lopes Sabino, Fátima Maldonado, Hélia Correia, Raul Malaquias Marques, among others.

Seems you had to be REALLY CAREFUL what you put on paper.

"overly elaborated prose", "metaphors"... "let to second meaning being imagined even where there were none."

“We are going to dig a pothole about six feet and three feet wide and five feet deep to hide her body and God will take care of Her Soul, but we cannot forgive her for doing nothing. She can keep running at a good pace but We will make sure that She is in HEAVEN and out of the race. So please GOD take care of this SOUL for ever and EVER.”

I still remember when he was told that his poem was taken seriously as a death threat --that grave part-- to get rid of Councillor Saito. Mr. Batista asked incredulously...

"WHO DIGS A POTHOLE?!"

Never mind that, who believes that only those who know what the word "satire" means are capable of satire?

Well Mississauga Boys and Girls, we've just skidded into new low territory and our Mississauga bucket still ain't bottomed.

Special thanks to Don Barber for his "homework". Oh. And Don Barber was at the trial and he's given me permission to publish his email address.

">Don Barber (Watcher)

Signed,
The Mississauga Muse
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"Edward R. Murrow --My Hero". To Go Directly to the clip on YouTube or Google Video)

"Mississauga Saga". To Go Directly to the clip on YouTube or Google Video)

"A Flag named The Andre Marin". To Go Directly to the clip on YouTube or Google Video)

All "Antonio Batista Pothole Poet Trial" Blog entries:

THEIR MISSISSAUGA, yes, and ever increasingly --THEIR MISSISSAUGA (May 27, 2007)
Hypocrisy Democracy (May 28, 2007 7:27 am)
"What would Edward R. Murrow do? What would he want me to do?" (May 28, 2007 11:55 pm)
"We have to send a message to the public" Crown Attorney. (May 29, 2007 2:51 PM)
A pothole never loomed so large (John Stewart's "Random Access") (May 30, 2007)
"The government must not silence its critics by force." ---Clayton Ruby (May 29, 2007) (May 31, 2007)
"She does not think how you feel" Antonio Batista (June 4, 2007)
"Mrs. McCALLION what is wrong with the City of Mississauga?" (Antonio Batista) (June 5, 2007)
"Reasonable Person Test" --Crown Witness (June 6, 2007)
And I bet you thought that I'd forgotten about Antonio Batista, huh? (July 16, 2007)
On the nature of "accountable" "accountability" (July 18, 2007)
The Mississauga PotHole Trial --more insight from Freedom of Information results (July 19, 2007)
Bottom of The Bucket. Are we there yet? (July 24, 2007)

"We must employ every possible tactic to dissuade those who try to silence us with fear"
---The Mississauga News Editorial (2007-03-24)

Click here for John Stewart's Blog
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