Posted on 04/27/2010 6:49:38 PM PDT by Teflonic
Could William Shatner finally go where no Star Trek alum has gone before? According to several reports, The Shat might return to his native Canada to take a spot in public office…sort of. Apparently, a group of his loyal fans and fellow Canadians have gotten together and started a Facebook campaign to get the actor in the Governor General’s seat.
If Arnold Schwarzenegger can become governor of California, is there a legitimate reason why Shatner can’t get down with some political action? On the support group’s Facebook page it states that Canada’s current Governor General Michaelle Jean will soon be vacating her seat (as early as July 1st) and Prime Minister Stephen Harper is the only one who can nominate a replacement.
There’s a huge mission statement on the page as to why Canadians need to support Shatner and push for his nomination and Trekkies from all over have responded with almost 40,000 “Likes.” We’re not 100% sure about the actor’s credentials but if the Governator can do it, there’s no harm in trying right?
Facebook seems to be the place to go when it comes to getting things done. The campaign to get Betty White on SNL originated there and after it gained thousands of fans, guess what happened? White will be hosting the show in a couple of weeks, just like they wanted.
Will the same method work for Shatner or will the ’shat’ (lame, but I had to write it) hit the fan?
First movie I ever saw him in was Judgment at Nuremberg ...was a required film (DVD) for history. He played a captain on the legal team.
Governor General is the head of state in Canada, representing the Queen.
Did I hear someone say “take him back!” or was it “Beam me up, Scotty!”
I’ll bet he negotiates with them for a Prime Minister position.
Someone has been worshiping at the First Church of Shatnerology again!
http://www.shatnerology.com/
Facebook page for the Church of Shatner
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2229091507
I’d rather see the Shat become PM of Canananada if it was possible. If he was able to make it on the ballot a bunch of Trek fans could illegally vote in the election...multiple times including their dogs!
The Shat?
Correct. If it weren't for Lord Stanley and his Cup, very few people would know the office exists.
Without Spock, Canada will have little.
Canada would be lucky to have him. He’s really quite impressive when he’s on his meds.
I shall say no more...
Not quite. Although 99% of the time, the duties are purely ceremonial, there are rare circumstances in which the Governor General may exercise a great deal of power. The Governor General has certain reserve powers to be used only in situations of constitutional crisis (or on the advice of the Prime Minister).
These powers have been used at least four times in Canadian history - in 1896 and 1925. In 1896 a Prime Minister refused to resign after losing an election, and the Governor General was forced to dismiss him from office. In 1925, the Prime Minister asked the Governor General to dissolve Parliament so he would not have to face a motion of no confidence, and the Governor General refused.
A good government will do its best to prevent a situation where the Governor General is ever forced to consider using the powers (except on the advice of the Prime Minister). It's when you have a bad government seeking to abuse its authority that they become relevant.
Sure! Why not? In fact, let's take EVERY important position in society - in business, government, you name it - and turn it over to people simply because they are known for convincingly pretending to be a fictional character.
It's a GREAT way to select our most important leaders!
While we're at it, let's make 'em all DOCTORS, LAWYERS and NUCLEAR SUBMARINE CAPTAINS as well!
Maybe that will keep him off those STUPID commercials.
Which queen? Elizabeth II or Mr. Sulu?
Thanks for the history lesson, very interesting.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.